I am Nilay Sen, a Turkish illustrator and graphic designer currently based between Istanbul and London. My work is rooted in storytelling, atmosphere and the emotional tension that exists between reality and imagination.
​
Through illustration, I create cinematic and often introspective worlds where figures, light and texture become tools for expressing memory, vulnerability and transformation. I am particularly drawn to single-figure compositions and dark femme imagery, using them to explore themes of identity, solitude, performance and the hidden layers of human experience. I am interested in moments that feel suspended in time, images that suggest a story rather than fully explain it. Influenced by cinema, music, fashion and psychological narratives, my work balances intimacy with distance, softness with darkness, and vulnerability with power.
​
Alongside my illustration practice, I work in graphic design with a focus on branding, editorial and visual identity systems. This structured approach informs the way I compose images, allowing me to balance expressive detail with clarity and intention.
​
I hold a BA in Fashion Design & Illustration from NABA in Milan and an MA in Graphic Design from the University for the Creative Arts. Moving between these disciplines has shaped a practice that values both intuition and research, emotion and structure.
​
For me, creating images is not only about representation; it is about building a mood, a presence and a space that invites viewers to pause, interpret and feel something beyond the visible.