About the Artist

Alia Esmail Abed is a visual artist, children's book illustrator, and designer from Qena, Egypt, currently based in Cairo. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Luxor in 2022 and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Graphic Design at the same institution. Her creative focus lies in 2D character design and narrative illustration, particularly in children’s literature.Alia has collaborated with several publishing houses across the Arab world, including in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Her illustrated titles include The Kingdom of Wax and the Kingdom of Ice, What's Up My Sleeve, The Bus Stop, Fahem El Fahman But?, The Missing Part, How to Write My Story, Lulu and the Pearl, What's Inside the Box, Don't Think About Elephant, and more.Her artistic style is distinguished by emotional warmth, imaginative character design, and the ability to communicate complex ideas in an accessible way for young readers. Alia’s practice blends technical skill with storytelling sensitivity. Whether through book illustration, print design, or visual installations, she seeks to create art that is emotionally engaging, socially relevant, and visually rich.