BASSEL ELKADI
2D Artist - Character Design - Visual Development - Art Educator
BASSEL ELKADI
Character Designer - Illustrator - Visual Development Artist
Hamburg, Germany
PROFESSIONAL
SUMMARY
Character Designer and Illustrator with 10+ years of professional experience in character design, visual development, and illustration for books, games, and narrative-driven projects. Character Designer for a New York Times Bestselling book (His Face Is the Sun, Throne of Khetara series). Strong foundation in anatomy, gesture, and storytelling, with experience delivering production-ready character assets. University lecturer in animation and drawing, combining industry practice with structured art education.
CORE SKILLS
Character Design, Visual Development, Anatomy for Artists, Drawing for Animation, Gesture & Movement, Acting for Animation, Stylized & Semi-Realistic Illustration, Storytelling, Children’s Book Illustration, Game Art, Concept Art, Art Direction, Portfolio Development, Career Mentorship, UX/UI Design
EXPERIENCE
Character Designer & Illustrator - Freelance (2016 - Present)
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Character Designer for "His Face Is the Sun" by Michelle Jabès Corpora (Throne of Khetara series – Instant New York Times Bestseller)
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Designed full character lineups including turnarounds, expressions, costumes, and visual storytelling elements
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llustrated and authored multiple internationally published children’s books
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Created character and visual development assets for board games and narrative projects
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Collaborated with authors, publishers, and game designers from concept to final production
Art Director & Character Designer
Tales of Wonder | Till Death Do Us Apart (Board Game)
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Led character design direction and visual consistency
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Developed character sheets, silhouettes, and final production assets
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Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to align visuals with narrative and gameplay
Online Education & Public Engagement
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Instructor to 1100+ students on Udemy and Almentor
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YouTube art educator with 100K+ subscribers
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Social media reach exceeding 180K+ followers
ACADEMIC WORK EXPERIENCE
Lecturer - Drawing for Animation & Career Preparation (June 2025 - Present)
Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI), Hamburg, Germany
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Teach Drawing for Animation: gesture, anatomy, construction, movement, expression, acting for animation
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Teach Destination Course: portfolio strategy, CV preparation, industry pathways, career readiness
Lecturer - UX Design & Research (June 2025 - Present)
Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Hamburg, Germany
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Teach UX Research Methods (qualitative and quantitative research, synthesis, insights)
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Teach UX Studio Courses (problem definition, ideation, prototyping, critique)
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Supervise student projects applying research-driven UX processes
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Guide students in translating user research into actionable design decisions
Research & Teaching Assistant, Istanbul University, Turkey (2013-2016)
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Teach Civil and Structural Engineering
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Supported teaching in Statics, Strength of Materials, Engineering Drawing, AutoCAD, Building Science, and Materials Science
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Assisted in laboratory sessions, experimental testing, and student supervision
SKILLS & PROGRAMS
Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, ibisPaint,
Blender (3D Sculpting – Intermediate)
CONTACT INFORMATION
EDUCATION
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PhD in Civil & Structural Engineering (2019) Istanbul University, Turkey - GPA: 4.00
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MSc in Civil & Structural Engineering (2014) Istanbul University, Turkey - GPA: 4.00
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BSc in Civil Engineering (2012) Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt