Award Winning illustrator and reportage artist, TED Fellow, Co-founder, Action Syria.
Joined March 2009
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137 Photos and videos
'm delighted to be speaking at @BurfordFest on 16 June, 7pm.
Drawing Behind the Lines explores the human stories behind conflicts through reportage drawing.
Hope to see you there.
🎟️ Tickets: ticketsource.co.uk/burford-f…
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May 26
Delighted to be speaking at this year’s Nevill Holt Festival - a brilliant programme of arts, music and ideas in a truly beautiful setting. Head to nevillholtfestival.com for tickets.
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May 21
NEW SUBSTACK ARTICLE: My TED Talk - “What stayed with me after stepping off stage…”
open.substack.com/pub/george…
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May 12
Final film in 10 Portraits x 10 Stories series.
Mohamed, age 10, West Bank, 2016.
We thought this story might one day feel outdated.
Ten years later, it feels even more urgent. #Palestine #WestBank #Gaza
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May 11
NEW SUBSTACK ARTICLE!
How I discovered reportage drawing in a plastic surgery operating theatre. It was life drawing in the extreme — and I was completely fascinated.
LINK: georgebutlerillustration.sub…
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Apr 29
Liza is a captain with Ukraine’s State Space Agency, tracking tank movements and radio activity through satellite imagery across eastern Ukraine.
Watch her story: georgebutlerillustration.sub…
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Apr 28
NEW ARTICLE: Drawing in Ink on Location
If you're interested in observational drawing, visual storytelling, or creative work from challenging environments, I hope you'll find it useful.
georgebutlerillustration.sub…
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Apr 23
#TED2026 exceeded all expectations—grateful to have been part of such an inspiring event.
I’ll be sharing some reflections in the coming days, along with my full talk once it’s released. Stay tuned.
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Apr 21
8/10 Ten Portraits x Ten Stories
A story from 2017: Abdullo, Tajikistan
Abdullo left Tajikistan for Moscow on a 4-day train journey to support his family.
“2300 Miles to Work” captures a reality that still exists today.
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Apr 14
Tomorrow: I take the stage at TED2026. Big moment.
I’ll post reflections, behind-the-scenes, and more on my Substack.
Subscribe to hear more: georgebutlerillustration.sub…
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Apr 10
ANNOUNCEMENT:
I've launched a Substack called BEHIND THE LINE.
Stories of hope from behind the headlines, told slowly, humanely, and with dignity. Subscribers can expect interviews, visual essays, and dispatches from the frontline.
Check it out!
georgebutlerillustration.sub…
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Preparing for @TEDTalks TED2026: All of Us has been exciting but challenging.
The hardest part is choosing which stories to share. One I’ve chosen is Oleg, from Ukraine, who I drew in 2024.
This animation comes from that drawing. #TED2026 #AllOfUs #guineapig
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5/10 Mustafa, IRAQ, 2017
A local artist in Hamam al Alil who secretly drew ISIS atrocities he witnessed.
Beaten for it. Told to stop. He didn’t.
Now his work is displayed as a reminder of what happened.
#MustafaAlTaee #Iraq #ArtAsResistance #HumanRights #NeverForget
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Mar 27
4/10 — Ten Portraits x Ten Stories
I drew Tamara for Amnesty International in 2017 to shed light on the last place in the European continent that had the death penalty.
This is her story.
#AbolishTheDeathPenalty #HumanRights #TenPortraitsTenStories #ArtForImpact
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Mar 18
Preparing for TED2026: All of Us (13–17 April, Vancouver).
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Mar 17
3/10 — Ten Portraits x Ten Stories
I met Khalid when he was 11 in a refugee camp. Just 20 days after his world changed, he told me:
“I want to be a doctor… and protect my family.”
One of the bravest people I’ve ever met.
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Mar 12
2/10: Ten Portraits x Ten Stories.
Mama Nazak, 62, Syria/Turkish border, 2012
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Mar 12
1/10: Ten Portraits Ă— Ten Stories.
Unknown man, double amputee. Kabul, 2014.
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