Hi! I’m Saahia, a London-based illustrator interested in concept art and character design. I won the Adobe Digital Edge Awards 2022 for my work and am now a part of the Association of Illustrators mentorship programme! I love telling stories through my art and I am passionate about creating vibrant and thoughtful characters and worlds.
You can find my work at www.saahiadraws.com
For any enquiries, please feel free to contact me at saahiadraws@gmail.com.
Projects
- Character Designs - Personal ProjectCharacter designs for a current personal project - The Way of Benzaiten I love Japanese culture and became interested in an old legend about the Buddhist/Shinto deity of water and music, Benzaiten. In the tale, she protects Enoshima Island from Gozuryuu, the local five-headed dragon who terrorises the villagers. In some versions their final battle ends in violence, in others... marriage. It's a strange and interesting story and relationship that I wanted to explore in these character designs
- Sunbound - Personal ProjectAn idea for an animated series, which I loved working on! Here are some character and environment designs and exploration pieces. The story centres on two protagonists, Marigold and Peregrine - like the sun and the sky, they are different but they need one another. I love the sun and warm colours but also think there's beauty in darkness, so I wanted to make a story which explores balance between the two, and about finding sunlight when it gets lost.
- Tiger Lily - Character Design ProjectUnder Escape Studios, I was given a brief to design the fun-loving, youthful but regal Tiger Lily from Peter Pan for 2D animation! I enjoyed bringing her to life! Undertaking thorough research into Native American culture, art and fashion, I tried to produce a modern take on her character, incorporating traditional patterns while keeping her clothing simple enough to animate. I landed on this design after many iterations and finally ended up with colours, shapes, and a silhouette which work t
Work history
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2D Artist | Character DesignerFusebox Games
London, United KingdomFreelance
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IllustratorFreelance
London, United KingdomFreelance
I love to help tell stories for my clients and project managing along the way.
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Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) King's College London
London, United Kingdom
Activities and societies: Illustrator for Storytelling Society, Illustrated for KCL Poetry Society Publication
During this time, I enjoyed working independently and as part of a team, and have gained comprehensive research skills which I continue to use for my current illustration and design work. Deep textual analysis of a varied plethora of media has not only allowed me to engage with storytelling in its entirety, but also to enhance my own communication skills through writing and drawing, and to continue to interrogate my own creative practice.
2D Character DesignEscape Studios
- London, United Kingdom
I gained industry experience in character design for animation under Escape Studios and Pearson College London. Within projects such as developing a character pack and preparing a pitch for my own animated tv series, I enhanced my research and design skills and gained a better understanding of how to create polished work to meet industry standards.
Awards
Digital Edge Awards FinalistAdobe
Selected as a Runner Up out of hundreds of entries. Also selected to film an interview with Adobe and to be on an upcoming creative panel in February 2023.
In my entry, I showcased digital skills through presenting an original illustration based on thorough research on the topic of Victorian tourism, using Photoshop and Indesign. I enjoyed using illustration with graphic design and typography to present historical and cultural research in a creative way!