Anoosha Syed | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Canada |
Occupation | illustrator |
Notable work | That's Not My Name! |
Anoosha Syed is a Pakistani-Canadian illustrator and writer. She worked for Karamo Brown's picture book, I Am Perfectly Designed. [1] She illustrated a Google Doodle on the birthday of Waheed Murad.
Syed moved frequently during her childhood, due to her father's work. She lived at times in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and attended high school in Pakistan. [2]
Syed attended college in Switzerland, where she earned a bachelor's degree in illustration at Ceruleum Ecole d'arts Visuels. [2] [3] [4]
Syed's worked in the animation industry for about a decade. [2] [5] Her illustrations gained some viral attention in 2016, when she illustrated modern day versions of the Disney Princesses, [6] and in 2017, when her Harry Potter fanart of a Black Hermione drew both negative and positive reactions. [7]
In 2019, Syed illustrated Karamo Brown's picture book I Am Perfectly Designed, which he co-wrote with his son. [4] In October of that year, Syed illustrated a Google Doodle in honor of Pakistani actor Waheed Murad's 81st birthday. [8]
In 2022, Syed released her first book as an author, That's Not My Name!. The book, which follows a young girl named Mirha teaching her classmates how to pronounce her name, drew inspiration from Syed's own experiences with having her name mispronounced in school. [2] [9] In 2023, the book was nominated for the Blue Spruce Award. [10] Her second book as an author, Lost Stick, was released in March 2024. It is a finalist for the 2025 Blue Spruce Award. [11]
Syed has cited artists Brigette Barrager, Mary Blair, Stevie Lewis, the Provensens, and Miroslav Sasek as inspirations. [2]
As of 2022, Syed lives in Toronto with her husband and her cat. [2] She is Muslim. [4]
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