Yassaman Emani
Yassaman Emami was born in 1991 in Isfahan, Iran. She holds a BA in Graphic Design from Isfahan University of Art and an MA in Illustration from the University of Tehran. Her MA dissertation focused on French-language comic strips, a subject on which she later published two academic articles and one book in Iran.
Yassaman was awarded the Talented Student Prize, which enabled her to begin a PhD in Art Research at the University of Tehran without taking an entrance examination. After five years of doctoral study, she decided to pursue a different path and moved to the UK, where she began a second Master's degree in Children's Book Illustration as part of the MA in Children's Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Alongside her academic studies, Yassaman has taught drawing and illustration for six years at fine art schools, art institutions, and Alzahra University in Iran. She currently teaches art in the UK. She was also a temporary member of the Iranian Illustrators' Society.
In 2026, Yassaman was shortlisted for both the V&A Illustration Awards and the Plymouth Illustration Awards for two of her illustration projects.
Yassaman also practises painting in a variety of media, including watercolour, oil, and acrylic. Her interest in fine art informs her approach to picturebook making, where she enjoys exploring different techniques in response to the atmosphere, narrative, and conceptual needs of each story.
Her stories are often minimal, humorous, and aimed at children aged 5–8. Based on her life experience in Iran as a woman, struggling in achieving her rights and freedom in the society, She enjoys creating unexpected narratives and bold, unconventional characters, which she brings to life through free, loose, and experimental illustration.
Yassaman is also interested in creating non-fiction picture books, approaching them with the same playful and imaginative spirit found in her fiction work. To date, she has created four picture books, none of which have yet been published. Three are fiction titles, WHY NOT?, My Hairless Dad, and The Sun Is Mine. And one is a non-fiction title, Simple Hats.
Website: yassamanemami.myportfolio.com
Ins: @yassamanemami
Email: yassamanema@yahoo.com
