The Kashmiri Illustrator Transforming Art into Impact

One of Ghazal’s most meaningful projects was for UNICEF, where she was asked to create a comic for Kashmiri children, especially girls, who don’t have access to mobile phones.

To gather information for this project, Ghazal spent time with the children, listening to their stories and learning about their struggles and dreams. She even included some of their artwork in the final piece.

“It’s a project that taught me how important empathy is in design and how art can be a tool for advocacy & change. Creating something so personal and meaningful for my community was incredibly rewarding,” she says.

On a lighter note, Ghazal has also designed greeting cards for Gifts of Love. She enjoys celebrating festive occasions and incorporates hand-drawn lettering into each card. The colors add energy to her artwork.

Ghazal had a great time collaborating with author EK McCoy and Atmosphere Press to bring to life a story about a squirrel that embraces its unique white fur.

In this project, she had fun giving animal characters human-like traits. The artwork features a creative touch by using photography for some of the backgrounds.

“From the moment I read the story, I knew it was something special—full of heart and meaning. For the illustrations, I wanted to create something that felt just as unique as Allie’s story.

That’s when I decided on an illustration-over-images style. It felt fresh and new, adding a distinct visual depth to the book. Both the author and I loved how this approach turned out; it really captured the essence of Allie’s journey,” says Ghazal.