Hi, I'm a mom.
A bunch of blogs, seminars, and podcasts might encourage me to make this page sound crisp, professional, and filled with keywords that make me sound like superwoman, or if I'm vague, maybe even superman. But I'm doing this my way. Now you know exactly who you're hiring. I'm a mom, and I love it. It makes me a better artist.
I'm a South Asian immigrant children's book illustrator & author based in Toronto, a city I LOVE walking through.
What I DO
Children's book illustration is my favourite area of illustration, full stop. I work predominantly in Procreate and InDesign for kidlit, and when timelines allow a little more room, I turn to traditional materials, crayons, colour pencils, acrylics, and watercolour.
I'm also a book layout designer with a ton of experience working with wobblegobby print demands. As a designer I have grown with and nurtured teams, ideating with a room full of creative cats, working toward a bigger picture, and communicating with a large, colourful audience through honest, responsible visual language. If there's a problem that needs solving, I'm trained to stay calm, get a snack, and work through it.
Community & Public Art
My background in community engagement builds on my education in fine art, counselling, and art based therapy, which I use to run and facilitate community art workshops. I believe art is for everyone, and public art makes ideas accessible to everyone, to introspect, to start a dialogue, or just to feel human on a gloomy day.
I design and paint murals as a way of adding conversation to the city.
Sometimes an illustration wants to fly off the paper, become a statement I wear, or a story I share. But what if you want to share it too? I created Arey That Studio to be an art led brand, built around ever evolving cultures and identities. It's a collection of illustrated apparel and totes, educational resources, and statement pieces. Every product exists in versions with and without script, because inclusive design means people get to choose how loudly they explore ideas. There's room to personalize too, because one version doesn't have to fit everyone. Art to wear, stories to share, culture we nurture.
Collaborations & Merch Design
I also design merch for small and medium businesses, bringing the same illustrative, culture rooted eye to brands beyond my own. Apparel and statement pieces that voice and celebrate what your brand stands for, all built to feel intentional, never templated. If that's the merch you're looking for, let's build it!
Time is a floppity bubble in my world, but there are tiny purple windows that pursue immersive drawing. At the foundation of it all is still paper, pencil, and ink. And if my daughter sleeps in, there's colour and glue, and sometimes thread, to weave a world of stories for her to grow into.