I have recently been offering 'private paid' and 'course paid' mentoring. These mentorships are available to women aiming to or working in games, specifically within the Art department. If you are a University looking for an industry mentor, please do get in touch and let's talk!
Every mentorship is shaped around you! Your needs and goals! This can be anything from Feedback on a Character you're working on to advice on how to land your first job! Sessions can cover areas outside of art, such as CV, Socials and Portfolio development.
For any questions, please check the Q&A section at the bottom of the site.
Please fill in the ‘Mentorship Request Form’ below!
Mentorship Request Form
What you will learn
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Creating Characters for Games!
Throughout our session/sessions, you will learn the art of creating and building Characters and creating concepts for Games!
This will include:
-Reading and analysing a concept effectively
-Creating a rough block out of Primary forms
-Refining block-outs (secondary and tertiary shapes)
-Creating effective low polys that are in line with animation and rigging needs.
-Effective methods of Retopology and UVing
-Mastering stylised texturing, lighting and presentation!
and beyond!
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Active Feedback!
You will learn the art of receiving active feedback for your work during our 1:1 or group review sessions!
This will include:
-Review sessions that provide an insight into best practices and guidance on your work
-Feedback will be in the form of live sessions
-Tailored feedback in the form of videos and paintovers
-Access to the mentoring discord!
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Career guidance
Unsure where to go with your career is heading? or need a helping hand?
Career advice and CV guidance can be covered during our 1:1’s.
I keep things informal, professional and welcoming to accommodate all skill levels.
Hannah Reslan
Hannah found the 6-week private mentorship (6 sessions) ‘deeply rewarding’ and she had this to say
“I came across Zakia during a character course taught by Del Walker, where she appeared as a guest speaker/lecturer. I thoroughly enjoyed her talk and after the session, she generously offered mentorship opportunities to women seeking industry advice and critique on their work. I jumped at the chance—and I’m incredibly glad I did.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting with Zakia weekly or fortnightly, and her guidance has been transformative. From the start, she approached my work with a clear, constructive eye—offering detailed feedback on my ZBrush sculpt, including silhouette, stylisation and shape language critiques. Her suggestions were never vague; she often provided draw-overs, sculpt-overs, and even lighting demonstrations to clearly communicate her points.
Her mentorship didn’t stop at sculpting. Zakia helped deepen my understanding of polypaint within ZBrush, walking me through efficient workflows and helping me refine my painting technique. We also explored lighting and rendering—whether in Marmoset or Unreal Engine—giving me a more complete view of the full character presentation pipeline.
What stood out most to me was the quality of her feedback: honest, critical, yet always supportive. Zakia has a calm and encouraging presence, and she struck a great balance between highlighting areas for improvement and acknowledging what was working well. Her feedback not only improved my technical skills, but also reignited my motivation.
As someone who teaches full-time, finding time and energy for personal work can be a challenge. Zakia’s mentorship gave me the push I needed to get back into it. I became more disciplined in working on my projects during the evenings, and—most importantly—I started enjoying it again and have since been working on different projects. Her encouragement helped me rebuild confidence in my abilities and strive for more!
This mentorship has been a deeply rewarding experience. Zakia’s expertise, clear communication, and thoughtful approach have genuinely helped me grow—not just as an artist, but as someone navigating the industry with a renewed passion. Thank you Zakia!”
Martina Huici
Martina took our private mentorship for 3 weeks (3 sessions) and had this to say
“I first connected with Zakia after attending her guest talk on character design at my university. During her talk, she showcased examples of her work, and when she mentioned she’d be offering mentorships, I immediately took the opportunity and booked three sessions with her.
Even before our first online meeting, Zakia impressed me by setting up an online drive where I could upload my work. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had already reviewed my materials and recorded detailed feedback ahead of time. This demonstrated her genuine commitment to my learning and growth.
Throughout the sessions, Zakia helped me identify both my strengths and weaknesses. From moodboarding and concept development to sculpting, she guided me on how and where I could improve. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from her was the importance of a well-curated moodboard. She taught me how to look deeper into real-life references and how to interpret them effectively in my designs.
When we reviewed my character concepts, Zakia generously shared her own workflow, demonstrating how she combines 3D and 2D techniques to quickly iterate on designs. She also delivered an insightful lesson on head anatomy, which significantly improved the quality of my facial sculpts.
Beyond the technical knowledge, Zakia provided unwavering encouragement. Her feedback was honest and constructive, never discouraging. She made sure to emphasize that improvement was always within reach, even sharing her early work to show how far she had come.
Zakia Khan has been an incredible mentor for me. I'm deeply grateful for her patience, guidance, and kindness.”
“My sessions with Zakia have been a great learning experience. Her professionalism, understanding and patience created a nice learning environment. I would totally recommend!”
— Martina
What People Are Saying
“I’ve learnt about many new tools within Zbrush that have significantly improved my efficiency and professionalism. Your teaching style has been incredibly clear and easy to follow.”
“Zakia has been an exceptional mentor. In such a short time, I made remarkable progress in my sculpting skills thanks to her. I highly recommend her as a mentor!”
— Laura
“I felt that you really took my concerns and questions genuinely giving me some great advice both artistically and technically, I really valued your feedback both on the portfolio and zbrush sculpt! ”
— Millie
“ I really enjoyed how the calls felt like an informative but cosy safe space to share work.”
— Zoe
Course FAQ
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Every mentorship is shaped around you! Your needs and goals! This can be anything from Feedback on a Character you're working on to advice on how to land your first job! Sessions can cover areas outside of art, such as CV, Socials and Portfolio development.
Throughout our session/sessions, you will learn the art of creating and building Characters and creating concepts for Games!
This will include:
-Reading and analysing a concept effectively
-Creating a rough block out of Primary forms
-Refineing block outs (secondary and teriaty shapes)
-Creating effective lowpolys that are in line with animation and rigging needs.
-Effective methods of Retopology and UVing
-Mastering stylised texturing, lighting and presentation!
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Private mentoring will be 80 pounds per 1hr session (paid before sessions). I recommend a minimum of 3 to 5 sessions to see some progress but of course, you can have as many as you would like! Also if you refer someone to private mentoring and they go through with it then you will receive one free extra session as a thank you.
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Yes! All sessions are carried out remotely via Google Hangout. This allows for flexiability in schedule.
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I am best contact via the Private Mentorship Request Form or Linked in.
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I’d love to work with you! Please do get in touch via the Mentorship request form or via LinkedIn.