Stories in Pictures
Dalia Awad is a talented Egyptian illustrator and digital artist known primarily for her work in children’s book illustration. She has been drawing for as long as she can remember and enjoys creating illustrations that tell stories. Her style is characterized by gentle, flowing visuals that bring a fresh look to children’s publishing, as well as editorial and advertising campaigns.
Dalia Awad’s Artistic Style and Approach
Dalia’s illustrations feature friendly, playful characters with expressive faces and dynamic body language, which convey a story in a soft and inviting way.
She often begins her projects with extensive thumbnail sketching to develop strong compositions, then uses Clip Studio Paint for line work and color application, carefully selecting palettes to set the mood of each image. Her art combines digital painting techniques with a painterly style.
Career and Work
Dalia has built a diverse portfolio as a freelance illustrator and is represented worldwide by IllustrationX. She has worked with notable clients such as Scholastic, KiwiCo, Focus on the Family, and Bibliopublishing, contributing to a variety of children’s books and projects in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Before focusing on illustration, she worked as head of design and color separation at Egyptian German Porcelain, where she honed her design skills.
Dalia Awad faced several challenges when transitioning from her previous role in design to pursuing a career in illustration. Although she had a degree in media and communication and worked as a pattern designer in the ceramics industry, shifting to illustration required her to develop new skills and adapt to a different creative process.
Being largely self-taught, she had to continuously practice drawing, painting, and digital techniques to build her confidence as an illustrator. This transition also involved mastering digital tools such as the Wacom Cintiq and Clip Studio Paint, which became essential in her workflow.
Moreover, moving from a more structured design environment to the freelance and storytelling nature of illustration demanded persistence and consistency. Dalia emphasizes the importance of making art every day, even if only rough sketches, to improve and succeed.
She also had to cultivate her own unique style and narrative voice, which differs from the pattern design work she previously did. This learning curve and the need to establish herself in a competitive field were significant challenges in her career shift.
Personal Background and Influences
Dalia Awad was inspired to become an illustrator from a very young age, as she has been drawing since she was a child. Her early passion for art was fueled by drawing characters from the children’s books she read, and she continued to find joy in this creative process as she grew older. Animation movies also played a significant role in motivating her to draw, providing her with inspiration and a drive to pursue illustration as a career.
Awad describes her journey as a lifelong dream, stating, “I can’t remember who inspired me to be an illustrator, but I do remember that it was my dream since I was a little kid. I used to draw characters from the children’s books I was reading, and I found myself doing the same after I grew up. However, I can’t deny that animated movies have a great impact on me, and they give me huge motivation for drawing”.
Find out more about Dalia Awad : https://daliaawad.com/AboutDalia