Iman Joy El Shami-Mader draws one mythological creature daily for over four years

Since October 2017, South Tyrolean amateur illustrator Iman Joy El Shami-Mader has drawn one mythological creature almost every day, amassing over 11,000 Instagram followers on her account mythical.creaturologist. The project, which began as a stress-relief exercise during lunch breaks, now covers creatures from 150 countries, each accompanied by a description and a small red seal. El Shami-Mader, born in Merano and working as a goldsmith and translator, is self-taught and draws daily. Her work gained viral attention after interviews by Atlas Obscura, Artnet, and Fortune. She researches local cultural contexts for each creature, such as using a Georgian dog breed for a winged dog or depicting a Filipina woman for a mermaid from the Philippines. She also draws pop culture monsters from Miyazaki and Star Wars, which she considers modern versions of old fairy tales. One of her recent discoveries is the Brazilian Bragança, a swamp-dwelling specter that protects crabs during mating rituals and women fleeing rapists. She plans to continue indefinitely, stating there will always be new monsters to draw.