Sifa Imannii Blackmon

[see-fah] n.  An imaginative and driven digital artist with big ideas

I’ve always wanted to be an artist since I was a little girl drawing with my mother who’s also an artist. Even though the tools have changed, my passion for art is as strong as ever. Currently, I am a working as a professional graphic designer, but my passion is creating characters and boldly colorful illustrations.

What type of characters do you enjoy making?

I’m drawn to making dynamic characters of color. I really love making characters that reflect the diverse environment I grew up in. My favorite characters are POCs that are visually depicted in atypical ways from standard media, this goes for gender roles as well. I want people to not only see themselves in my characters, but also see a possibility that they hadn’t imagined before. I want my characters to inspire and engage.

How would you describe your style? What inspires you?

It’s still growing and changing! With that said, the foundation of my art is always rooted in color and traditional media. Before the tablets and pens, I was using brushes, pencils, canvases and sketchbooks. Previously, my style was very painterly with heavy attention to sketchy layers, building up layers and blending color. Recently, as I’ve grown more confident in my style, it has evolved to more emphasis on strong shapes, silhouettes, dynamic lighting and of course, bold colors!