KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — In conjunction with Merdeka, a calligraphy artist has created a mural of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

The unique thing is that Mohd Shah Tumin used calligraphy by way of the Agong’s name to create the portrait on the wall of his house.

The 36-year-old from Shah Alam, Selangor said it took him about two weeks to complete the painting, which measures 1.2 metres by 1.5 metres.

"I worked on it for about an hour daily from sketching the outline to colouring it using acrylic mixed with outdoor paint.”

Speaking to Malay Mail, the artist, who prefers to be known as Shah Tumin, said he chose Sultan Abdullah due to the relevance of the Ruler being the current monarch.

"More importantly, I wanted to create some excitement in conjunction with Merdeka,” he said, adding that he does not plan to remove the mural after the celebration ends.

Shah Tumin also uploaded a video of the drawing process on his YouTube channel that has won rave reviews. 

Muhammad Nashiruddin prompted Shah Tumin to draw Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah next while Neng Animurni Tumin wrote only a patient person would be able to draw a portrait using calligraphy.

Prior to this, Shah Tumin had drawn portraits of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah using chilli sauce and soy sauce respectively.