Hi, welcome to my portfolio website! I am Elnaz, an Iranian artist based in the United States, an illustrator, community engager, and visual thinker with a background in graphic design and fine art. I create editorial and conceptual illustrations, Concept characters, graphic designs, and children’s book illustrations. My work connects creativity, research, and teaching, often exploring feminine subjects and themes of gender, identity, and social awareness. I teach illustration courses at Northern Illinois University, where I collaborate across disciplines on projects involving visual storytelling, book design, and graphic novels, combining artistic expression with research and community engagement. I earned my MFA in Integrated Visual Arts from Iowa State University and a BFA in graphic design from Tehran University of Fine Arts. My practice continues to link art, people, and ideas through meaningful collaboration.
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
2022 WIA, Women in Animation
2022 SCBWI, The Global Community for Children's Book Creators
2022 SCBWI, The Global Community for Children's Book Creators
Awards & Honors & Grants
2026 Pictoric Illustration Contest, The 14th International Book Arsenal Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine. Long-Listed Artist in the Category of Children’s Book Illustration.
2026 The World Illustration Awards 2026, Long-Listed Artist in the Category of Professional Exploration, Editorial Illustration.
2025 Merit Award, Art on Climate, International Illustration Competition.
2025 Art Maker Magazine: Contemporary Illustration Around the World.
2025 Research Excellence Award, Iowa State University.
2024 Student in Creativity Merit Award, Iowa State University.
Exhibition
2026 The 39th Annual Northern National Juror Art Competition, Nicollet College Arts, Wisconsin.
2026 Artifact (BOLD), Illustration Competition, High Point University, North Carolina.
2026 SPLAT, Contemporary Painting Exhibition, Indiana Art Center, Indianapolis.
2025 Feminist Responses in Tumultuous Times at the Koehnline Museum of Art, Illinois.
2025 National Stereoscopic Association Photography, St Paul, Minneapolis.
2025 Art Through the Lens 2025, International Photography Competition, Yeiser Art Center, Kentucky.
2024 Artist in Creativity, Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
2024 University of Mississippi National Juried Show, Art & Art History Department, Mississippi.
2024 Art-Collide's "Open Theme”, Online Exhibition
2024 Iowa State University MFA Exhibition, Octagon Center for Arts, Ames, Iowa.
2023 MFA Exhibition, Gallery 181, Department of Art and Visual Culture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
2022 MFA Exhibition, Gallery 181, Department of Art and Visual Culture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
2020 Group Student Advance Illustration Show, Inverse School, Tehran, Iran.
2019 Tehran Locals Art Festival, Day After Tomorrow, Hoor Gallery, Tehran, Iran.
for the Arts
2017 Tasvir Festival Competition, Dreams, Tehran, Iran.
2017 Tehran Poster Design, an Annual Festival, Water is Life, Tehran, Iran.