About Me

Hello!

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My name is Harisa Sheikh and I am a character designer, illustrator and 2D/3D animator.

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   What drew me to become an artist is that from a young age I have always had such a passion for animated films and making my own illustrations and character designs. I want my work to impact people in the same way art has impacted me. Art is a voice of its own and the way you express it can have multiple meanings. As an artist I am optimistic and I enjoy collaborating very much!

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     Spirited Away is the first animated feature film - directed by Hayao Miyazaki that caught my attention. I wanted to know how the animators made the characters come to life in such a way that they did, and how the background illustrators were able to make the environment feel so real. In the future I would love to have my own studio and produce/ direct my own animated films.

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     Being from an Asian background where most of my family is working in the field of medicine and engineering, I had it difficult introducing my passion to my family-- but I have come so far with my work. I want to prove and be an inspiration to others just like me!

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     Apart from art, I love nature and I have a strong background with animals as I wanted to be a veterinarian from such a young age. I worked as a kennel technician for over four years, studied oceanography in high school, and currently work at a veterinary clinic. I am also a huge gamer! I enjoy playing Call of Duty, Fortnite, GTAV, and Apex Legends.

I also enjoy volunteering and I have been a part of many organizations such as -- Books for Africa, the Atlanta Humane Society, ASIFA South, Siggraph, Foundation for Hospital Art, and the Ronald McDonald House. I also love traveling! Growing up I moved around the states quite a bit. I have lived in California, Washington, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas and Georgia. I have also visited Canada, UAE, India, China, Qatar, Turkey, Oman and Japan. I can't wait to see where I'll be exploring next.