We explore the work of graphic designers or “stylus slingers”. They have created fantastical worlds, published self-portraits that are deeply emotive and have illustrated children’s books that you need to go out and get RIGHT NOW if you’ve kids.
These are the folk who take our wildest ideas and actually get them out onto a screen or paper. Want to commission a piece of yourself as a dragon farting rainbows? Don’t worry, we’ve added their contact details so you can reach out to them and commission some work!
Feysal Anthony Nair is an Art Director with over 18 years of experience in the creative field. He’s had the opportunity to work with some of the best agencies in Africa and has been mentored by some of the greatest creative directors in the industry. He’s used his passion for film and visual Fx to work
on several productions both commercial and non-commercial. His skills extend to animation, photography, film direction,digital painting, matte painting, concept art, 3d art, photo manipulation and retouching. He’s worked with Diageo, the World Food Program, USAID, Kenya Tourism Board, Bamburi Cement, and many more.
on several productions both commercial and non-commercial. His skills extend to animation, photography, film direction,digital painting, matte painting, concept art, 3d art, photo manipulation and retouching. He’s worked with Diageo, the World Food Program, USAID, Kenya Tourism Board, Bamburi Cement, and many more.
Wanjira Kinyua is a full-time illustrator based in Nairobi. She is a graduate of the University of Nairobi with a B.A. in Design. She started practising illustrations during her third year in uni where she fell
in love with the history of African Art and decided to explore it. Of particular interest to her are traditional African adornments which she is documenting through her art for posterity. Her illustrations include adornments that have since disappeared, allowing her audience to explore this part of her heritage.
in love with the history of African Art and decided to explore it. Of particular interest to her are traditional African adornments which she is documenting through her art for posterity. Her illustrations include adornments that have since disappeared, allowing her audience to explore this part of her heritage.
Manga and anime have been a source of inspiration for her and she is currently exploring character design and hopes to eventually move on to animation and storytelling.
Ashley Mwalimu is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator with innovative ideas and a unique approach to visuals. Her current niche is helping businesses and organizations to create what they cannot put into words by developing designs that can easily convey their message so that they can reach their target audience. A true lover of the arts, Ashley is inspired by different cultures, worldwide. Their vivacity and nuances compel her to forever immortalize them in her creations.
Catherine Jepkemboi aka Minicheps is a comedian, content creator and photographer with a “small”
difference. When she started photography in 2019 her significant other suggested adding miniature versions of herself to her photos. Minicheps was an immediate hit on social media and popped up on photos she took of everyday scenes like pole vaulting over a glass of juice, swinging on a pair of earrings or hula hooping with a wristwatch.
difference. When she started photography in 2019 her significant other suggested adding miniature versions of herself to her photos. Minicheps was an immediate hit on social media and popped up on photos she took of everyday scenes like pole vaulting over a glass of juice, swinging on a pair of earrings or hula hooping with a wristwatch.
Tara is a digital illustrator/ painter/concept artist and who’s been making art for as long as they can
remember. Their creative hobbies, processes and endeavours have always been so dear to them and they always treat my work with a lot of love and compassion.
remember. Their creative hobbies, processes and endeavours have always been so dear to them and they always treat my work with a lot of love and compassion.
They love painting a lot of fantastical, futuristic and whimsical themes. They also love to paint portraits of people while incorporating said themes in them, along with creating their own characters. They’ve always drawn most of their inspiration from video games/anime and manga/comics, as they spent a lot of their childhood drawing the latter and immersed in the former. As of late Tara has been getting a lot of inspiration from nature, books, fashion and personal spiritual themes which they hope to involve a lot more in their upcoming work and eventually create a larger body of it. They would also love to create their own stories, video games and tarot deck one day.
Kennedy Kyalo, equal parts gamer and flower child, is a lover of art and music and, professionally, is an accomplished illustrator and animator who has been working professionally for five years. He is self-taught, like many of the greats, with a natural talent and has a degree in Interior Design from Maseno University.
Kennedy is a firm believer in art as a tool of communication that he can use to show his audience his point of view in a fun, and often beautiful way. As such, he is constantly seeking to build his “vocabulary” to effectively reach his audience via different mediums of visual content, among
them animation and gaming.
them animation and gaming.
A multifaceted multi-talented graphic designer, Anoop is also a passionate photographer and illustrator. He also does packaging designs; creating interesting stickers, book covers, doodles and generally experimenting with different ideas. All in all, Anoop is an entrepreneurial artist with a vision for his brand.
Not one to limit himself, he works on several diverse projects, challenging himself into brainstorming sessions from which he gets his ideas. He is currently interning at Weza Interactive as a video game artist where his passion and creative spirit are nurtured. Anoop received his diploma in Graphic Design at ADMI, a place he seems to love for the support he got from lecturers and fellow students and for the chance to grow his vision as an artist. Ultimately, Anoop seems happy with his journey so far, which is all most of us can ask for.
Arcanum, known to the layman as Mark Asaph Muchura, is a self-taught creative designer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Under his belt, is more than 12 years of experience, working with both local and international clients. Arcanum’s forte is in photo manipulation but his focus right now seems to be wandering into illustration. To that end, he is currently working on a graphic novel featuring his illustrated muse, Saya, as the main character.
Saya is the alter ego persona of a young girl confined to a wheelchair. She is the badass warrior leader of Bedlam, a rebel group of female superheroes fighting an oppressive regime that has enslaved the human race in a simulation. Her weapons of choice are daishō, a matched pair of Samurai swords comprising of a Katana and Wazikashi.
Nyambura Wa Kariuki (Oh My Draws) a digital artist based in Nairobi with a versatile style of work that’s always evolving. She however excels when it comes to all things animated to illustrate particularly cartoons and children’s books. In 2020 Serena Williams recognised Nyambura for a COVID-19 PSA featuring “Qai Qai”, her daughter’s doll. She is currently taking mid-to long term commissions for children’s books and logos.
Zack Adell is a multidisciplinary designer & art director based in Nairobi Kenya. With a passion for well-crafted (Digital & Physical) experiences, he believes in beauty as a means to empower ideas.
His goal is to connect people with communities, brands & businesses through design. A combination of strong concepts and refined execution to deliver premium results. Basically, he is into creating cool sh*t. He is heavily inspired by Contemporary African visuals and sound with a mix of legendary footprints of art in Africa
Naddya Adhiambo Oluoch-Olunya is an Animator, Illustrator and musician, driven by the need to understand and represent girls and women through her work. For the past 10 years, she has been leading the creation of content for children, spanning Animation, comics for Social and Behavior Change Communication, and XR.
As Founder and CEO of Nalo Studios, she is committed to producing fresh and nourishing stories for people of all ages. Her practice includes serving clients like Netflix Animation to local social enterprises and cultivating Nalo Studios’ original slate.
Nalo Studio’s flagship project; ‘Uzi’ won the CICLIC Prize at Animation du Monde at the 2019 Annecy International Animation Festival, and is currently on its production journey.
Chief Nyamweya is an author and visual artist whose work fuses storytelling, Illustration and animation to explore history, sustainability, technology and creativity. He is currently the co-founder and creative director of Freehand Studios, an African visual arts and social impact studio. In 2018, Chief graduated from the University of Nairobi with an LLB(Hons) degree and fully qualified as a chartered accountant before taking the unlikely decision to pursue a career as an artist. In 2016, he was awarded a scholarship by Google to attend Singularity University in San Francisco and in 2019, was listed on Business Daily Africa’s top 40 under 40 Men.
The 35-year-old father of one has since published the celebrated graphic novel Art of Unlearning (2019) as well as directed several animations such as Big Brother is Coming to the Farm which explores the dark side of the digitization of food production. He has developed a transmedia story Trust (2021) set in a near-future fictional African nation known as Wahengaland, in which a young woman struggles against the corruption of her homeland with the help of
Izzy has always been drawn to art. As a young child, he was constantly drawing, painting, sculpting, playing music or building something. The drive to create beautiful things was always there and he lives for the moment when a creation is done and he can step back and say “I did that”.
He still remembers his first official art class in Primary school, and it was nothing short of heaven for him. To have art taught in an academic classroom gave validation to the process of creating. It wasn’t until later after college that he was first introduced to photography and film.
He has viewed himself as an artist since discovering his gift. To position himself in any other way would be absurd. It is this uncompromising passion to create that has allowed his work to compete in the marketplace.
In defining his work, he views himself as an illusionist; creating images and stories that are larger than life.
Wamvii has an eye for unconventional bodies of work. Pieces that make you sink into a place of introspective thought and emotion. Wamvii’s art is constantly evolving due to her experimentation with different mediums such as: Photoshop, photography, semi-realistic sketches, acrylic and watercolour paints etc. She also shifts styles moving through abstract art, surrealism, contrast art, Art Nouveau, minimal art among others.
Wamvii’s previous project was a limited series where she blended mental health and sexuality (nudity). The showcase presented the narrative of a black woman accepting herself, whilst dealing with the voices in her head. Wamvii used body paint and photo manipulation to create the body of work titled “Cloud Over My Head”. “Art is a key element in my life. It embodies everything. The world I wish to portray is one of colour and imagination. Celebrating the intricacies of life that make it what it is; beautiful.”
Meeraj Vaghela is an Adobe certified associate who creates visual art, mainly about wildlife and nature. His love and connection with animals and Mother Nature is what has led him to this current focus on them and he is particularly worried about the threat they’ve faced in recent years. His current message is one calling for the conservation of animals and nature, and he spreads this message through his art.
Gichuhi Muikia (Junior) is an illustrator, character designer and animator who has been in the creative industry since 2016. He developed his rather unique style of animation from his experience working on children’s books and doing comics. He also learned a lot from working on projects like the XYZ Show, and as the in-house illustrator for Story Moja and HUEman Studios. As a concept artist and background painter for 5 years and counting, he has the touch to spice up everything that comes his way
Mwas Githinji is a fine artist who uses different mediums to express himself, mainly focusing on life around him and the people he closely observes. He studied art at the Buruburu School of Fine Art from 2015 to 2016 and where he realised that art can be expressed through several different mediums. Since then he has had creative outputs indifferent mediums: sculpting, oil paintings, pastels paintings, digital art and different projects: book illustrations, murals and street art. He is currently working on a solo exhibition titled the “Journey Man.”
