Many fans of football animation believe that Omar Momani is one of the most popular and objective masters of football cartoons today. The Jordanian cartoon artist owes his fame to regular publications on Goal.com. How was this hobby born - to joke about football with a pencil? How difficult is it to create near-sport humorous masterpieces? What are the football addictions of the artist?
Momani Omar: “I feel quite happy!”
The football theme brought the young artist worldwide fame. On the Internet you can find his interview with some publications. We learn what the Jordanian cartoonist told reporters about himself.
He liked to draw soccer players since childhood. Especially loved the Milan team, which at that time was the best. Since then, remains faithful to her. Milan's players were his idols, the dream with which he grew up.
His football cartoons are funny and slightly critical. Creates them by an artist - whether on the topic of Milan or some other club - just for fun and laughter.
Momani Omar jokingly calls himself “a lonely 37-year-old man from Jordan”: his ardent enthusiasm for creativity and a busy schedule of work have still not allowed him to seriously engage in building stable relations. But, as the artist admitted to the journalists of the blog “Football in pencil”, he secretly dreams of a family. Although: "In fact, I feel quite happy!" - says Momani Omar.
The artist was born in 1981 in Amman (Jordan), and lives here. His father was a doctor, his mother was a teacher, psychologist, originally from Circassia. The first major football tournament he saw, thanks to which a passion for football arose, was the 1990 World Cup.
How it all began?
Omar Momani seriously began to engage in football cartoons several years ago.
In childhood, in his notebooks there was no living place from a wide variety of drawings. Most of all he liked to redraw the characters from his favorite cartoons.
Then someone presented the future artist with comics, to which he applied paper and outlined the contours. So he got a collection of Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters.
At the soccer world championship, which was held in Italy in 1990, Omar was delighted with the spectacle staged by “cool football players” and “shocking people”: the artist still enthusiastically recalls Diego Maradona, Ruda Gullita, Salvatore Skilachchi, Lothar Matteus and others. The boy immediately created portraits of Gullit and Valderrama, struck by their crazy hairstyles. Momani Omar considers meeting with them a sign from his caricature future.
Football is a source of inspiration and earnings
The artist had a chance to test himself in various fields before football cartoons became his profession: he graduated from university, programming courses, worked as an artist and animator in Jordanian companies. But success did not find him.
In 2010, he tried himself in the genre of caricature. Friends really liked it, hf, jns were sent to Jordanian publications.
A Facebook profile was untwisted, Momani Omar contacted the editors of foreign sites. Soon Goal.com offered a collaboration. To the image of Mourinho in the image of a jester based on the Ferguson press conference (the debut of the cartoonist in big football), the public reaction was stormy. The whole world turned away from him, he wanted to quit.
But the call of the chief editor put everything in its place. The chef advised to pay attention to the great glories of Ronaldo and Messi, whom millions adore and hate, but despite everything, they conquer new heights. “Be like them,” said the chief, “and you will find success.”
And then the young artist, rolled up his sleeves, continued to work.
Omar Momani rejoices at the opportunity to professionally do what he likes since childhood - to draw football. He hopes to continue this lesson in the future. In addition, he is engaged in several more projects: draws politicians or just something humorous, is the producer of his first animated short film, plans to publish an autobiographical graphic comic on the network.
Football stars treat his “jokes” approvingly and with humor.
The artist positions himself as a regular fan of the Milan team. His childhood favorite football player is Roberto Baggio. Today, he considers Messi to be the best. He also admires the game of Valderrama, Gullit, Socrates and Igita.
It upsets how Momani himself admits that in modern football there are fewer techniques than before. Although now football is faster, which requires athletes to keep fit. In addition, the team spirit was lost, he was killed by the greed of some players ...
Omar Momani: cartoons
Work on one picture, depending on complexity, lasts 2-3 hours. The idea is considered, discussed with the editor, a sketch is drawn with a pencil. Then ink is used, then the drawing needs to be scanned, then it is painted using a photo editor.
The style of his work was influenced by the classic caricature of the 30s and 40s. In addition, caricature artist Peter Bagge is very impressed.
Goal.com mainly orders to draw events taking place at the championships of England and Spain: the first is considered one of the most popular in Europe, the second is Barcelona and Real, in which the players of the highest demand are involved: Messi, Pepe and Ronaldo. The second are Serie A and the Bundesliga.
According to the artist, a static image has less ability to convey meaning than animation. Recently, he got a YouTube channel containing cartoons on the subject of football. The artist plans to develop this direction.
Now Omar Momani is looking for sponsors to create a series of full-fledged cartoons, where everything is in motion and imagination is not limited to anything.