N      I      K      K      O      L      A      S

Nikkolas Smith is an Artivist, Concept Artist, Children's Books Author, Film Illustrator (Judas and the Black Messiah, Space Jam II, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, They cloned Tyrone) and Movie Poster Designer (Southside With You, Black Panther, Soul, Stranger Fruit). 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 and and That Flag, written by Tameka Fryer-Brown. He is a proud 2016 White House Innovators of Color fellow and he is the creator of the 2023 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. 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 Michelle Obama, President Joe Biden and Vice President  Kamala Harris, Van Jones, Shaun King, Rihanna, Colin Kaepernick, Janet Jackson, Viola Davis, Jamie Foxx, Erykah Badu, Lupita Nyong'o, Kendrick Lamar, Tracee Ellis Ross, Ava Duvernay, Common, Simone Biles, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ruffalo, Amy Schumer and many others. Nikkolas also talks at conferences and schools all over the country, and leads workshops in digital painting character and movie poster and design. Born in Houston, Texas, Nikkolas lives in Los Angeles, California.