is an illustrator, educator, and social anthropologist based in Mumbai, India. After completing her master’s degree, she briefly pursued academia before shifting toward visual storytelling, drawn to picture books over research writing. She studied illustration at Riyaaz Academy of Illustrators (2019-20), and has since been developing a practice rooted in observation and everyday narratives. With a background in Social Anthropology, her work is shaped by a close reading of the human world and a deep appreciation for nature. She works across traditional media including watercolor, ink, gouache, pencil, and acrylics, as well as digital raster techniques. An avid nature journaler and urban sketcher, her illustrations often reflect this intersection of people, place, and environment. Sefi has illustrated books and products for a range of clients, alongside her own independent brand, Summer Scribbles. In addition to her studio practice, she conducts art and craft workshops and serves as an ethnography mentor at a design school.
There is perhaps a moment in every artist’s life where they tell themselves, “I am going to become an artist.” For some of those artists, that moment is usually followed by wondering, “But where do I start?” For me, the answer came from Sefi George, an illustrator who seemed to have successfully cracked the code for becoming what I want to become, and who was happy to share her insights when I reached out with my questions.
George is an Indian illustrator with a background in social anthropology. Knowing that at some point, she turned to illustration made me feel that perhaps I could do the same. But when does something like art turn from a simple hobby into a serious profession?
As a child, Sefi says she was always drawing, but came to illustration through her background in social anthropology. She often felt frustrated with how research was communicated in her studies – through dense, jargon-heavy papers that were inaccessible to the very people they were about. It is limiting when knowledge cannot be easily reached or understood by a wider audience. Sefi began seeing visuals as a bridge to that gap. Many of her assignments turned into comics or illustrated narratives, and that is where she first realised that illustrations could be a legitimate way of practising anthropology, not just for documenting, but also for sharing insights in an accessible and engaging way.
Over time, this practice extended itself towards botanical and wildlife illustration, which is what she currently does under her brand called the Summer Scribbles. Sefi says, “Illustration can shape how we perceive a species, allowing for a nuanced, attentive, and grounded representation than what we often encounter in mainstream media.” This instinct has grown into an intentional practice which is today central to Sefi’s professional work.
“Most of my work begins with rough sketches in my sketchbook,” Sefi explains. This essential stage is where Sefi gathers thoughts, asks questions, and puts ideas down without worrying about how they look. It is also where the research happens. She spends time reading about the species, habitats, or communities that she is working with.
Illustration is different from fine art. Sefi identifies that difference being ‘communication’. “While art can be personal, illustration needs to be understood by the viewer in the way it is intended,” Sefi elaborates. “So, I approach it as design, where clarity and meaning are as important as aesthetics.”
But like all art, Sefi also experiments. She explores different ways of depicting an idea, in traditional or digital mediums, often combining both. “My sketchbooks remain a constant—a space where I can test, fail, and explore freely before arriving at a final piece,” she says.
As a professional Illustrator, Sefi has been working with various clients for 8 years. “I have been through ups and downs, and I’ve only recently gained the confidence to say ‘no’ to projects that don’t excite me, or don’t offer a fair remuneration,” Sefi admits. “Often, people think that because I enjoy what I do, I should be honored to do it for free.” Sefi is a strong advocate for fair wages for creative professionals, and a big part of practicing that is to say no herself (“Finally!”).
Saying no allows her time to invest in her personal projects. “These are where I can experiment, follow my own curiosity, and take creative risks without external expectations,” Sefi says, adding that this is where her voice develops, and where she can explore subjects at depth. These projects also turn into assets for her Summer Scribbles.
The two constantly inform each other. Personal projects help build range and clarity, strengthening her client work, while client projects often introduce her to new contexts and challenges which feed back into her personal practice. Rather than seeing them as competing demands, Sefi views them as parallel processes that both, keep her work grounded and also helps it evolve.
A key career moment for Sefi was working on the book Living with Leopards, which she illustrated for the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai. It is a narrative that moves away from the dominant portrayal of Mumbai’s leopards as threats by the media, and instead presenting them as co-citizens who are living within the city and adapting in complex ways. “I began to see how illustration could shape perception,” Sefi mused. By focusing on their behavior, habitat, and everyday presence, her work painted a nuanced understanding of Mumbai’s leopards which shifted the conversation from fear to coexistence. This project highlights how anthropology and illustration could blend for a successful visual storytelling.
Sefi puts in a lot of work that is never seen on her social media towards nurturing her practice, including efforts to continue learning and staying connected. “I regularly join guided trails, spend time with naturalists and experts, both online and offline, and participate in conversations to deepen my understanding of nature. I also read extensively, across subjects, which feeds into how I think and work,” Sefi shares. Interestingly, she also takes an online art class for children, which acts as a weekly refresher and helps her stay in touch with how younger audiences engage, especially since much of her work is designed for them.
Sefi also has important lessons that come from her professional practice. “I have taken risks on projects that did not always work out: from unpaid work done for ‘exposure’ to clients who disappeared halfway. These experiences have made me much more intentional about communication, boundaries, and contracts!”
Despite these challenges, Sefi maintains that it has been rewarding to pursue this path. She says, “It allows me to explore, stay curious, and build a way of working that feels both sustainable and personally meaningful. I absolutely love what I do, and I’m grateful that I can follow my passion.”
MANALI HAWARE is an Indian artist based in Paris whose work examines subtle behaviors and personal gestures that shape how individuals interact with their surroundings. Her work investigates the dynamics and responses people have with various spaces, focusing on what constitutes a person’s comfort zone. Currently, her practice centers on repetitive gestures, establishing protocols, and concealing parts of herself within her art.