I am a creative VFX artist and animator with over a decade of experience specializing in 2D animation, compositing, and motion graphics. Skilled in Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, and TVPaint, I combine technical expertise with artistic vision to create engaging visuals that tell compelling stories across film, advertising, and digital media. I excel at collaborating with small creative teams and managing multiple projects to deliver high-quality results. Throughout my career, I have worked on diverse projects including mixed-media documentary films, augmented reality applications, TV animation series, and independent short films. I am passionate about blending storytelling with innovative animation techniques to produce immersive and impactful content.

Zahra Jafarzadeh

I am a creative VFX artist and animator with over a decade of experience specializing in 2D animation, compositing, and motion graphics. Skilled in Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, and TVPaint, I combine technical expertise with artistic vision to create engaging visuals that tell compelling stories across film, advertising, and digital media. I excel at collaborating with small creative teams and managing multiple projects to deliver high-quality results. Throughout my career, I have worked on diverse projects including mixed-media documentary films, augmented reality applications, TV animation series, and independent short films. I am passionate about blending storytelling with innovative animation techniques to produce immersive and impactful content.

Available to hire

I am a creative VFX artist and animator with over a decade of experience specializing in 2D animation, compositing, and motion graphics. Skilled in Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, and TVPaint, I combine technical expertise with artistic vision to create engaging visuals that tell compelling stories across film, advertising, and digital media. I excel at collaborating with small creative teams and managing multiple projects to deliver high-quality results.

Throughout my career, I have worked on diverse projects including mixed-media documentary films, augmented reality applications, TV animation series, and independent short films. I am passionate about blending storytelling with innovative animation techniques to produce immersive and impactful content.

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Language

Persian
Fluent
English
Advanced
French
Intermediate

Work Experience

Visual Development Artist, 2D Animator & Digital Painter at Snapshot Studios
April 1, 2025 - August 19, 2025
Created 2D animated sequences and digital paintings for the mixed-media documentary-animation film Thunder of Clouds. Developed immersive 360-degree panoramic digital paintings as backgrounds, enhancing spatial depth and atmosphere. Created animated scenes synchronized with provided soundtracks to support narrative-driven storytelling. Worked closely with the creative team to refine motion design and compositing for immersive visual storytelling.
Lead 2D Animation Artist, Illustrator, and Graphic Designer at Energy Stories Lab, University of Calgary
November 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
Produced 2D digital collage animations and motion designs focusing on women’s narratives from Alberta’s energy sector in the 1940s. Developed User Interface graphic designs for the Augmented Reality application "Skidshack."
Animation Filmmaker at Ingenium
March 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
Created storytelling animation episodes for the Skidshack AR application, utilizing Oilwives’ narratives and archival content from the Canadian Energy Museum’s archive.
Animation Character Designer and Object Designer at Farid’s Riddles TV animation series
August 1, 2022 - August 19, 2025
Designed digitally painted characters and objects for digital cut-out TV animation series under the direction of Seyed Alireza Golpaygani.
2D Animation Composite and VFX Supervisor at Pahlevanan TV animation Series, Harekat-e-Kelidi Animation Studio
August 1, 2022 - August 19, 2025
Supervised compositing of multiple animated layers including characters, objects, and backgrounds ensuring seamless integration with camera movements. Performed color correction and applied visual and particle effects to enhance narrative impact.
Motion Design and Motion Graphics Artist at L’Aube Bleu (France, remote)
June 1, 2021 - August 19, 2025
Designed motion graphics and artistic composites based on hand-painted visuals for pre-production of an independent short film, collaborating with an international team of professional artists.
Composite and VFX Artist at Roobi and Chickens TV animation series, Gonbad Caboud animation studio
September 1, 2019 - August 19, 2025
Coordinated visual effects and compositing for 2D digital cut-out animation series aimed at children, working with a professional animation team.
2D Digital Cel Animator and VFX/Composite Artist at Sewing Machine short film, Directed by Najmeh Hashemolhosseini
June 1, 2020 - August 19, 2025
Worked as a 2D digital cel character animator and provided visual effects including compositing to enrich the film's visual narrative for an independent short film project.
2D Digital Cel Animator at Kheili Sabz Publications
August 1, 2015 - August 19, 2025
Produced 2D digital cel character animations for TV commercials, contributing short advertisements for broadcast.
Visual Development Artist, 2D Animator & Digital Painter at Snapshot Studios
April 1, 2025 - August 19, 2025
Created 2D animated sequences and digital paintings for Thunder of Clouds, a mixed-media documentary-animation film. Developed 360-degree panoramic digital paintings as immersive backgrounds to enhance spatial depth and atmosphere. Animated scenes were matched closely with soundtracks to ensure narrative coherence. Collaborated with the creative team to refine motion design and compositing for immersive visual storytelling.
Lead 2D Animation Artist, Illustrator, and Graphic Designer at Energy Stories Lab at University of Calgary
November 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
Created 2D digital collage animations and motion design storytelling about women’s narratives from the energy sector during the 1940s in Alberta. Developed user interface graphic design for the Augmented Reality (AR) application “Skidshack.”
Animation Filmmaker at Ingenium
March 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
Created storytelling animation episodes for the Skidshack AR application, based on Oilwives’ narratives and archival material from the Canadian Energy Museum’s archive.
Animation Character and Object Designer at Farid’s Riddles TV Animation Series
August 1, 2022 - August 19, 2025
Created digitally painted objects and characters for digital cut-out TV animation.
2D Animation Composite and VFX Supervisor at Harekat-e-Kelidi Animation Studio
August 1, 2022 - August 19, 2025
Supervised and composited multiple animated layers including characters, objects, backgrounds, and foreground elements, ensuring seamless integration with camera movements. Performed color correction, applied visual effects (VFX), and integrated particle effects and motion design to enhance visual quality and narrative impact for Pahlevanan TV animation series.
Motion Design and Motion Graphics Artist at L’Aube Bleu (France, remote)
June 1, 2021 - August 19, 2025
Designed motion graphics and artistic composites based on hand-painted visuals during pre-production of an independent short film. Collaborated with international artists.
Composite and VFX Artist at Gonbad Caboud Animation Studio
September 1, 2019 - August 19, 2025
Managed visual effects and compositing for 2D digital cut-out animation series Roobi and Chickens for children, working with a professional animation team.
2D Digital Cel Animator and VFX/Composite Artist at Sewing Machine (film)
June 1, 2020 - August 19, 2025
Collaborated as a 2D digital cel character animator and provided visual effects and compositing to enhance the film's visual narrative for an independent short film.
2D Digital Cel Animator at Kheili Sabz Publications
August 1, 2015 - August 19, 2025
Produced 2D digital cel character animations for TV commercials and created short advertisements for broadcast.
Visual Development Artist, 2D Animator & Digital Painter at Snapshot Studios, Calgary, Canada
April 30, 2025 - August 19, 2025
Created 2D animated sequences and digital paintings for Thunder of Clouds, a mixed-media documentary-animation film. Developed immersive 360-degree panoramic digital paintings that enhanced the spatial depth and atmosphere of the film. Developed animated scenes based on soundtracks ensuring narrative-driven storytelling integration. Collaborated closely with the creative team to refine motion design and compositing for immersive visual storytelling.
Lead 2D Animation Artist, Illustrator and Graphic Designer at Energy Stories Lab at University of Calgary, Canada
November 30, 2023 - August 19, 2025
Created 2D digital collage animations and motion design to tell women's narratives from Alberta's energy sector during the 1940s. Developed User Interface (UI) graphic designs for the Augmented Reality (AR) application “Skidshack.”
Animation Filmmaker at Ingenium, Canada
March 31, 2023 - August 19, 2025
Created storytelling animation episodes for the Skidshack AR application based on Oilwives’ narratives and archival material from Canadian Energy Museum's archives.
Animation Character Designer and Object Designer at Farid’s Riddles TV animation series, Tehran, Iran
August 31, 2022 - August 19, 2025
Created digitally painted objects and characters for digital cut-out TV animation.
2D Animation Composite and VFX Supervisor at Pahlevanan TV Animation Series, Harekat-e-Kelidi Animation Studio, Tehran, Iran
August 31, 2022 - August 19, 2025
Supervised and composited multiple animated layers including characters, objects, backgrounds, middle ground, and foreground elements, ensuring seamless integration with camera movements to create cohesive visual narratives. Performed color correction, applied visual effects (VFX), and integrated particle effects and motion design to enhance visual quality and narrative impact.
Motion Design and Motion Graphics Artist at L’Aube Bleu, Directed by Merlin Pitois, France (remote)
June 30, 2021 - August 19, 2025
Designed motion graphics and artistic composites based on hand-painted visuals for the pre-production of an independent short film. Collaborated with an international group of professional artists.
Composite and VFX Artist at Roobi and Chickens TV animation series, Gonbad Caboud animation studio, Tehran, Iran
September 30, 2019 - August 19, 2025
Coordinated with a professional animation team managing visual effects and compositing for 2D digital cut-out animation series for children.
2D Digital Cel Animator and VFX/Composite Artist at Sewing Machine, Directed by Najmeh Hashemolhosseini, Tehran, Iran
June 30, 2020 - August 19, 2025
Collaborated on an independent short film as a 2D digital cel character animator and provided visual effects (VFX) and compositing to enhance the film's visual narrative.
2D Digital Cel Animator at Kheili Sabz Publications, Tehran, Iran
August 31, 2015 - August 19, 2025
Produced 2D digital cel character animation for TV commercials, creating short advertisement animations for broadcast.

Education

Master of Fine Arts at University of Calgary, Department of Art and Art History
September 1, 2022 - August 1, 2024
Master of Fine Arts at Tehran University of Art, Faculty of Cinema and Theater
September 1, 2013 - June 1, 2015
Bachelor of Fine Arts at Tehran University of Art, Faculty of Applied Arts
September 1, 2008 - February 1, 2012
Master of Fine Arts at University of Calgary, Department of Art and Art History
September 1, 2022 - August 1, 2024
Master of Fine Arts at Tehran University of Art, Faculty of Cinema and Theater
September 1, 2013 - June 1, 2015
Bachelor of Fine Arts at Tehran University of Art, Faculty of Applied Arts
September 1, 2008 - February 1, 2012
Master of Fine Arts at University of Calgary, Department of Art and Art History
September 1, 2022 - August 1, 2024
Master of Fine Arts at Tehran University of Art, Faculty of Cinema and Theater
September 1, 2013 - June 1, 2015
Bachelor of Fine Arts at Tehran University of Art, Faculty of Applied Arts
September 1, 2008 - February 1, 2012

Qualifications

Petroleum History Society Multimedia Award
March 1, 2024 - August 19, 2025
Alberta Foundation for the Arts Graduate Scholarships
May 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
International Graduate Students Tuition Award - University of Calgary
September 1, 2022 - August 1, 2024
Petroleum History Society Multimedia Award
March 1, 2024 - August 19, 2025
Alberta Foundation for the Arts Graduate Scholarships
May 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
International Graduate Students Tuition Award
September 1, 2022 - July 1, 2024
Petroleum History Society Multimedia Award
March 1, 2024 - August 19, 2025
Alberta Foundation for the Arts Graduate Scholarships
May 1, 2023 - August 19, 2025
International Graduate Students Tuition Award
September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2024

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Energy & Utilities, Non-Profit Organization