Oh Hello!

I’m Ameena, an illustrator from Toronto, Canada, with a love for bold colours, collage textures, and stories that celebrate connection. I’m a first-generation Canadian with mixed roots, half Guyanese and half Bangladeshi. I pull inspiration from both cultures, especially through food, family, and storytelling.

I grew up in my parents’ roti restaurant, surrounded by the smell of spices, laughter, and the magic of food bringing people together. Those memories, along with the lush nature I fell in love with while living in Vancouver, BC and Manchester, UK, often sneak into my work.

Now, I’m channelling all that storytelling experience into illustrating and writing picture books full-time, creating art that’s playful, heartfelt, and full of cultural flavour. During Covid, a friend of mine introduced me to the kidlit space, and since then I’ve loved learning every inch of the industry. 

I love crafting stories where small actions lead to big changes, where friendship and food bring communities together, and where cozy family moments shine brightly.

When I’m not sketching, you’ll probably find me walking along the lake, catching up with friends over matcha, watching anime or learning how to play the kalimba…for what is considered an easy instrument, it is pretty hard to grasp.  

Before diving into kidlit, I spent 15 years in animation and VFX, on the production side, helping bring big worlds and wild ideas to life. While I was in Vancouver, I graduated from Vancouver Film School with a diploma in their Traditional Animation and 3D Character Animation courses. Shortly after, I moved to Manchester, UK, and worked on the management side of some amazing stop-motion shows, like the classic hit Clangers. After 5 years of rainy cities, I packed up and moved back home to Toronto, where I’ve worked on over 30 films and tv shows.