Short Bio
My name is Namdi Maple, and I am an African American cartoonist and graphic designer based in New Jersey. I work primarily in a digital medium, utilizing tools such as Procreate and Adobe Illustrator to create dynamic and engaging visual experiences. My work is influenced by a wide variety of media ranging from video games, animation, graphic novels and music. Everything I create is an amalgamation of the aforementioned inspirations along with a seamless blend of illustration and design techniques. The intention behind the art I create is to captivate and inspire others, thereby doing my part to ensure that the ongoing cycle of innovation and creativity continues to grow.
Artist Statement
Namdi Maple is an African American cartoonist and graphic designer based in New Jersey whose work explores identity and emotion through his original characters and digital medium.
Drawing inspiration from various forms of media- including video games, animation, and graphic novels- Namdi utilizes the tools of Procreate and Adobe Illustrator to craft engaging narratives and dynamic visual experiences. Via this creative blend of illustration and design, Namdi creates characters that are expressions of personal thoughts and feelings, as well as embodiments of themes and emotions that are relevant in today’s world.
A central theme in Namdi’s work is the use of character design as a tool for conveying a wide range of concepts and emotions. Whether it be through light-hearted humor or pointed commentary and story-telling, these characters are imbued with traits that
symbolize aspects of human nature and society at large. Namdi believes that a good character can be boiled down to a core set of themes that act as a driving force behind how they think, act, and feel. A good character is portrayed as not only possessing certain traits, but as being a symbolic manifestation of those traits. Namdi’s most prominent original character, Magical Tika, is a prime example of his design philosophy in action. Tika is an eight year old “bunny girl” who lives in an enchanted forest and protects its wildlife from harm. As a character Tika is spunky, energetic, adventurous, and kind hearted. However despite her small size and cute appearance, Tika is overwhelmingly powerful and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to protecting the people and things she cares about. Namdi intentionally designed Tika to be an icon that symbolizes and embodies themes of positivity, kindness, determination, and empowerment. Namdi’s goal with Magical Tika is to captivate and inspire by introducing vibrant new characters and immersive worlds. His intention is to utilize the aforementioned themes to forge a lasting emotional connection between his creations and the audience.
At the heart of Namdi’s practice is the desire to create art that resonates with people and inspires them just as his own inspirations have fueled his creative journey. He believes that creativity is a cycle and creates with the intention of being a part of that cycle, however small. To him, there is no greater reward than the opportunity to influence young artists, allowing them to experience his stories and characters and have their lives changed the way his favorite stories and characters have changed his.
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