The Soul Enclaved by Jabeen Q. in Karachi

Hello! I'm a Karachi, Pakistan based artist, illustrator and writer. I discovered book illustrations on Fiverr when I was doing my diploma in Fashion Design from Karachi, Pakistan in 2016 and I haven't stopped since. Today I practice as an artist focused on mix media drawings and have illustrated, designed and edited numerous books for authors, publishing houses and NGOs locally and internationally as well as worked on advertising, visual identity and social media campaigns. I received my MA in Art and Design Studies in 2024 from Beaconhouse National University, Lahore where my thesis was focused on producing visuals from stream of consciousness and finding meaning of existence. I had a liking for Anime growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, along with love for gothic and Victorian literature. My style is a combination of all of these aspects. I generally love 2D and flatness in art. My drawing style is flat with expressive lines, soft colors and stylized figures. I love to experiment with styles and perspectives. My ideal projects are where I have the creative freedom to interpret text. Genre wise, I have a focus on children's books, young adult book covers, line art, fantasy, nature, and people. My specific interests lie in creative projects that include conceptual illustrations, connecting to stories, myths, feminism, society, holistic wellness, astrology and occult science. I also enjoy creating children's books and I have published more than 20 so far. Apart from illustrating for authors, I also dabble into zine-making where I merge my poetry with drawings. My zine "I scheduled a day to breakdown" has been showcased at FocalPoint 2022, an international zine fair by Sharjah Art Foundation held in UAE. I think this was one of the prominent moments of my career. Another highlight was when one of my book covers went viral here on CreativePool and I was interviewed by CreativePool and my interview was shared by Wacom. It was pretty crazy how an illustrator from a third world country could end up on Wacom's social media. I like to be connected to both writing and drawing and finding hybrid ways to express myself. I have facilitated workshops where I teach my process of making meaning through unconsciously produced visuals. Moving forward I want to focus on making more and more books for kids as well as adults that have very surreal styles. I hope to animate a story one day with a 2D, painterly style.