Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shamaria Rankin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shamaria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started drawing in Elementry School from what I can remember. I was in one of my first art classes and remembered how much fun I had with arts and crafts — making things with my hands was such a fun experience for me that I’d gift many of my items to my mom to display on the fridge. Much of my influence for how I learned would include anime characters from my favorite shows I used to watch as a kid that I would replicate on sketch paper, pausing each scene.

Fast forward to what I know now, I graduated college in 2015 and completely stopped creating art. There were times I wonder what would have happened if I continued creating, I feel that my skills would have improved immensely if I had continued my passion for the arts, I would be more prepared or at least have started my art business much earlier. What could have sped up my learning process would also include taking art classes/workshops which would assist me in building a community among other artists while also improving my craft.

The main skills I feel are most important for an artist is consistency. I learned this the hard way in the beginning as I never really created art every day, and with that, comes great discipline. Once you have an understanding of the basics of color theory, human anatomy, and composition, that can help so much in your work as an artist.

When I first became serious in my work around 2020 because I took such a large gap from graduating in 2015, I felt like I had to completely start over, from scratch. The biggest obstacles include drawing every day — or at least crafting a schedule for myself to ensure I practiced rather on my ipad or through painting which can be tough while juggling a full-time job.

Shamaria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Certainly! Hello there. My name is Shamaria or “Shimmi”. I am Artist and self-taught Illustrator. I got into the industry at a very young age in Elementary school and recently became interested in Illustration in 2021. Much of my art style includes influences from Anime/Manga with nature elements. When I first started my business, I mostly created cute art consisting of the lil bee character that I still love and bring back from time to time with fun encouraging affirmations. Now, you can find me shifting my focus to my human original characters, like Laka for instance who was my first human mushroom character

My works now consist of a more child-like feel within my original mushroom characters and other characters as I work through my character designs. As someone who is in their 30s, what I feel sets me apart is not only being a fairly new artist in my field but also as a Black Artist, I create works where many of my characters are people of color. As I continue to improve my skills, my goal is to continue diversifying my work for those like myself where it was rare to find a character who looks like me, not to mention similar body type.

I would consider my shop to be mostly stationary with a focus on stickers, but I have since branched out to creating more prints and in the future, to also create more “wearable” items like t-shirts and totes. What I am most proud of thus far is how much my art style has changed. It’s changing quite rapidly and I cannot thank everyone enough who has been following my journey since the beginning. What I want others to know about my work is that many of my characters are reflections of my inner child. What I hope to bring with my brand is that you can start your passions at any time and that there is no limit to your dreams. My goal for my work is to bring comfort and fun along the way.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is being able to tell your story through your craft. You can make a difference and share a whole new perspective. I think it’s so beautiful to connect with the art & message behind it. Sharing your artwork can also bring forth others in the community through shared experiences.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Some of the resources I wish I knew earlier in my creative journey is utilizing online classes — especially some that are also affordable to take (examples: Domestika & Skillshare). It’s great for those who want the classroom-like experience without paying tuition fees and in the comfort of your own home. Another resource I would also include is Youtube. Youtube was actually where I discovered Illustrators who also own a small businesses and share their experience and techniques.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shimscreations.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shimscreations
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shimscreations
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/shamariarankin
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@shims_creations
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shimscreations Ko-fi.com/shimscreations

Image Credits
Shamaria Rankin