We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nadjib Assani a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nadjib, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started observing life and drawing from a really young age. I learned from a family friend who used to help my grandmother when I lived in Cotonou, Benin. Once I started drawing, you couldn’t pry a pencil out of my hands even if you possessed the might of Atlas. Cartoons and games such as Robotech/Macross , Dragon Ball, Zelda, Ninja Turtles, Voltron, etc. were some of my great influences. As I grew up , I took art classes in high school and eventually earned a Bachelor of Art and Design from the NC State Design School. I then attended Gnomon School of Visual Effects. As for what I could have done to speed up the learning process, I think I should have taken life drawing classes earlier.

The skills that have proven to be most essential in my field is creativity. If the concept isn’t good, no amount of painting, 3d rendering or glitter is going to help it resonate with the intended audience. It’s also good to have a thick skin and to learn how to perservere. The creative journey is rarely easy so you’ve got to fortify yourself mentally. Also, always be willing to learn and discover new things. As for the obstacles I faced in the way in learning, those were mostly the high cost of art schools. During my undergrad years, I was admitted to SCAD but the tuition and other expenses were too high at the time. However, I managed to gain a solid education from the schools I attended. However, nothing beats real life experience, the advice of peers/friends,and now YouTube! The advent of YouTube and online tutorials makes it much easier to gain knowledge that was difficult to obtain back in the day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Sure! I’m an artist originally from Benin who mostly grew up in North Carolina. Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated with the process of creation and art in multiple mediums. I’ve had the fortunate experience of having lived in multiple countries and states. Traveling, friends and my family have had a big impact on me and my creative journey as I grew up. After I went to school in California, I started working as a freelance concept artist,storyboard artist, and 3d artist. I learned a lot as I worked with various clients and honed my craft. I offer concept art, animation, sculpture services for clients. Along the way,I learned that establishing clear communication between creators and clients is key. This ranges from setting clear deadlines, discussing an overall vision,agreeing on the goals to be met and more. I think what sets me apart is that I always like to push the boundaries of creativity.

I constantly ask myself ‘ Has this been done before? If so, then how can I come up with something new?’ . I am most proud of building Ilu Works and Legends of Onile. It took a number of years to lay the groundwork, but with the completion of the animated trailers and a few items I can’t share quite yet, things are set in motion! What I want audiences to know about my brand and work is that it will always aim to serve as a source of inspiration and positive energy, especially for the dark periods we experience from time to time. You can follow the stories from Legends of Onile through the storybooks, animations, shirts and hoodies and sculptures/figurines (these will be released very soon)!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to create characters and worlds that serve as an inspiration to all audiences no matter their ethnic background, gender or age. The past three years have been incredibly hard on a lot of people so a bit of positivity is needed! Legends of Onile is one representation of that mission. I want to continue to create stories of African characters that are inspirational, educational and relatable. Through the journey of Dayo (a magical artist and warrior) or that of the Rain Monarch (the drum king who brings peace to a warring nation), you’ll see how each protagonist grows as they overcome their respective challenges in a positive manner. There’s a lot more coming from Ilu Works with stories that will be told from different cultures as well. There have been many challenges along the way, but I planned this out nearly two decades in advance. I look forward to sharing the new deveploments with supporters and newcomers!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Hindsight is always 20/20, but I wish I had known about more accesible resources to learn art techniques when I was an art student. I also wished their were more ways to communicate with peers in the industry. But most of that has been taken care of with the progession of technology.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.legendsofonile.com
• Instagram: @nadjibassani @legendsofonile
• Facebook: Nadjib Assani Legends of Onile
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadjib-assani-0944329
• Twitter: @NadjibAssani
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAqOwDNmFPw&t=4s

Image Credits
Nadjib Assani