Nikkolas Smith

Nikkolas Smith is an Artivist, Concept Artist, #1 NYT Bestseller Picture Book Creator, Film Illustrator and concept artist (Judas and the Black Messiah, Space Jam II, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, They cloned Tyrone, Sinners) and Movie Poster Designer (Southside With You, Black Panther, Soul, Stranger Fruit, Sinners). A Master of Architecture recipient from Hampton University, after designing theme parks at Walt Disney Imagineering for 11 years, he has written and illustrated the picture books such as the USA TODAY Bestseller The Artivist , The Golden Girls of Rio (nominated for an NAACP Image Award), My Hair Is Poofy And That's Okay and World Cup Women. He is also the illustrator of #1 NYT Bestseller The 1619 Project: Born on the Water in collaboration with Pulitzer Price-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and award winning author Renée Watson, I am Ruby Bridges written by civil rights icon Ruby Bridges, Black Panther Wakanda Forever: The Courage To Dream, authored by NYT Best selling author Fred Joseph, Captain America: A Hero Looks Like You by NYT Best selling author Kwame Mbalia, That Flag, written by Tameka Fryer-Brown. His latest picture book The History of We is his first hand painted picture book. He is a proud 2016 White House Innovators of Color fellow and he is the creator of the 2023 and 2024 Marvel Artist Series in collaboration with Target for an apparel line featuring Black superheroes. As an illustrator of color, Nikkolas creates captivating art that can spark important conversations in today's world and inspire meaningful change. Many of his viral and globally published sketches are included in his latest book Sunday Sketch: The Art of Nikkolas, a visual journey on life and a collection of more than 100 sketches he has done in the last five years. His works have been featured and shared worldwide as well as a part of important campaigns for social justice and health equity organizations. Many his collaborations with Disney and Marvel, as well as the American Red Cross, the US Open, Converse, Sony, Warner Brothers, Skillshare. Nikkolas has been featured on TIME Magazine, People, BBC, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, ABC, Buzzfeed, the Academy of Motion Pictures, The Guardian, ABC, NBC, KCET, CBS, Elle Italy, GQ Italy, Rolling Stone Japan and many more. His art has been shared on social media by First Lady Michelle Obama, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Rihanna, Colin Kaepernick, Kendrick Lamar, Viola Davis, Common, Lupita Nyongo and Michael B. Jordan, among many others. Known for his artistic depictions of marginalized voices, Nikkolas speaks and leads workshops on artivism at conferences and schools around the world, sparking important conversations and inspiring positive change. Born in Houston, Texas, Nikkolas lives in Los Angeles, California with his family.