Shimaa Galal Abdulghany

Children’s book illustrator

Bringing stories to life through expressive characters, imaginative worlds, and illustrations that spark children’s curiosity.

View selected works

Selected works

A collection of illustrations inspired by the imagination of childhood, where playful ideas, expressive strokes, and thoughtful details come together to bring stories to life.

Sketches and storyboards

Each illustration begins with rough sketches and storyboards to explore composition, character movement, and the arrangement of elements. As the idea develops, sketches are refined with the help of visual references, before colour, lighting, shading, and texture bring the scene to life.

Emotion Studies, Character design | Expression studies — **Emotion Studies**Character design | Expression studies

An Affectionate Moment, Lineart — **An Affectionate Moment**Lineart

The World From Above, Primary Sketch — **The World From Above**Primary Sketch

Doodle Time, Primary sketch — **Doodle Time**Primary sketch

Wishes, Refined Sketch — **Wishes**Refined Sketch

The Little Voyager, Primary sketch — **The Little Voyager**Primary sketch

About the artist

A lifelong lover of drawing, Shimaa Galal has been creating art since childhood. Her passion for illustration has grown into a professional practice focused on bringing stories and characters to life for young readers.

Since beginning her digital illustration journey in 2019, she has developed her skills as a self-taught artist, working primarily with an iPad and Procreate. She has further explored illustration and character design through courses with 21 Draw, as well as children’s illustration courses on Domestika.

Her work includes illustrations for children’s books, publishing projects, and magazines. She has collaborated with publishers and platforms across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, including 123 Publishing, Asafeer, Al-Mustaqbal, Taiba, and Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed. She has also contributed artwork to children’s magazines such as Ghaima, Tout, and Qanadeel, as well as projects associated with Fann Al-Ma’rifa.

Her experience also includes organizing creative activities for children in China, where art, hands-on projects, and playful learning helped bring children from different cultural backgrounds together.

Through her work, she hopes to create engaging illustrations that spark children’s imagination, invite inspiration, and make stories memorable.

The story behind the work

The Little Voyager

Created digitally in Procreate on an iPad, this illustration was developed while following Lucy Fleming’s Domestika course, Children’s Illustration with Procreate: Paint Magical Scenes. The scene brings together a whimsical flying wooden boat, a young adventurer, swirling teal waves, snow-covered evergreen trees, and a star-filled night sky. Contrasting deep blues with warm golden and red accents creates a wonder-filled atmosphere, while the sweeping movement of the water and sky guides the viewer’s eye through the composition. The piece explores the visual language of magical children’s illustration, combining expressive shapes, playful details, and an imaginative setting to evoke a sense of wonder and adventure.

Artwork details

Title: The Little Voyager
Year: 2024
Medium: Digital illustration
Materials: Digital canvas
Dimensions: 1024 × 724 pixels
Tools: iPad and Procreate

Contact

For commissions, collaborations, and enquiries, please get in touch. Availability for new projects depends on current commitments. Please contact me to discuss upcoming commissions and project timelines.

shimaagalaltut@gmail.com