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Here's even more illustrated goodness, this time from 21-year-old artist Reza Riahi. This Tehran-based illustrator does a lot of caricature and character design. His blog is filled with a whole lot of sketches, as well as some finished work, all of which are a pleasure to look at. He also did a whole bit of Zoorkhaaneh-themed illustrations which are absolutely hilarious.

Mehdi Shiri is a 20-year-old illustrator, character designer, and a background artist from Hamedan, Iran.
He is one of the many talented emerging artists in Iran who are all part of a great generation that is reviving the art scene there. His blog features some of his great work, so definitely check it out.

Hadi Tabasi is a 25-year-old illustrator/animator/character designer/cartoonist from Qom, Iran. He is the type of artist whose work is so good it makes you want to cry. His blog is a wonderland filled with delicious characters and illustrarions, as well as a few short animation samples.

I was absolutely delighted to stumble upon Mahmood Mokhtari's blog. I simply love his whimsical yet modern illustrations of some of the most traditional Persian characters; especially his "ZoorKhaane" series. (ZoorKhaane is a traditional Iranian gym, for some real-life pictures check out this link).
Artists like Mahmood Mokhtari deserve far more recognition for their work, and it is a great shame that various other limitations imposed on them by the environment they have to live/work in prevents that.

I would love to buy that whole Zoorkhaneh set in a book or as post-cards ...

I have been a little slow in posting this. The new Rostam comic, "Battle with the Deevs" has been available for a few weeks now over at the Shahnameh. As with the previous comics, you can clearly see the overall improvements in the series, and there are some very attractive illustrated panels in the latest release. The Deev is the quintessential badass villain in Persian mythology, and its appearance in any story immediately increases the cool factor by a couple of notches.I got my copy the first week it came out, but haven't still had a chance to read the story. But anyone who is a fan of comics, Persian mythology, or just wants to support the hard work of the good folks behind this project should definitely get their copy.

Maryam Tabatabaei is a self-proclaimed "newbie", who wants to be a "be a freelance illustrator someday ...". With a consistent style that defines all her pieces, right down to her usage of color tones, I don't see any reason why that "someday" can't be today!

I usually avoid self-promotion by not talking about any of my personal art projects here. But it wouldn't be fair if I extend this self-imposed ban onto my friends (or in this case, my girlfriend) when their good work deserves to be acknowledged.
Atee is a painter/illustrator based here in Toronto. She has recently launched her portfolio website which showcases her versatile yet unique style. Her artwork is richly infused with emotion, and the mood of her pieces range from uplifting to melancholy. She has also forayed into graphic design, and has a growing section showcasing her talents in that field. Check out her site, and don't forget to play the funny little flash game in the Misc section :)

Today I accidentally came across yet another Persian-inspired animation project. The Fire of Love is a 2D animation series based on Rumi's poems. The project (apparently initiated by the London Academy of Iranian Studies) has a small website with a section that looks like a preliminary proposal/pitch for the series, as well as a nice little test movie. The animation looks disney-esque, and I do like the character models.
This is definitely a project I will be closely following with great interest.

My original goal in setting up the Project 300 website was to create an outlet to showcase the work of emerging Iranian artists (with a special focus on illustrators and comic artists), and to provide some unique coverage on exciting events happening in the Persian artist community.

To help update the site more often and keep it alive, I am looking for people who may be interested in contributing to this blog by submitting posts. If you think you may be interested, please leave me a comment or email me at submit@300themovie.info, and I will give you more details.