Isossy Children meets Onyinye Draws

This week Isossy Children meets Onyinye the talented illustrator and artist behind Onyinye Draws.

What inspired you to start your business?

The idea for the “Why I love my hair”  poster came to me from my 10 year old sister, her hair is natural but she often complains: “Why can’t I have it relaxed like all my friends? I want it straight”. I don’t blame her, children of African descent don’t have many natural hair role models to look up to, especially in books and cartoons, it is so hard to find a young black girl just being her natural self.

The poster was very well received worldwide through the use of social media and from there I made it my goal to celebrate young black children through my art by showing positive and inspiring images and tackling some of the serious issues that affect the black community.

What have been your favourite client experiences?

I think just knowing that children all over the world are identifying with my characters and learning to love themselves really makes my work worthwhile. One girl said she loved the drawing where the hair “stretches out to the moon” because she never thought her hair could grow long!

What advice would you give to someone starting up in your industry?

Be bold and brave, market yourself and just have fun with it!

What are your long term goals?

Well I’m working on a series children books at the moment to celebrate and educate black youth,  trying to get the message out to schools, libraries and most especially homes.

Isossy Children celebrates diversity through global clothing for children. Why do you think diversity matters for every generation?

As we are all different we should learn to celebrate our diversity! This is especially true in our time, where different cultures are sharing communities, so understanding and tolerance is key to keep relationships healthy. I believe we should educate children to appreciate diversity and learn to work together.

What words of wisdom do you think every child should grow up knowing?

You are awesome, just be yourself in everything you do and you can change the world!!

Contact Details

Email: onyinyedraws@gmail.com

Twitter: @onyinyedraws

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Onyinyedraws

Tumblr: http://onyinyedraws.tumblr.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Onyinyedraws

Instagram: Onyinyedraws

Isossy Children Meets Bino and Fino

This week we feature the Adamu Waziri founder of, Bino and Fino an exciting children's animation series created in Nigeria.

What inspired you to start your business?

That’s an interesting question. I would say I’ve always wanted to do cartoons and have been drawing comics as a hobby since I was a kid. An interesting point is that when I was much younger I drew mainly white characters. It was only in my late teens do I remember making the switch. It was a natural process.

As a kid I was just drawing what I saw on screen but as I got older  I could now inject more of myself and my culture into my work.  It was only much later did I notice the absence of black African cartoon content. So inspiration for Bino and Fino comes from my long term passion of wanting to create a kids cartoon and also addressing the lack of such content featuring black Africans.

What have been your favourite client experiences?

It’s very hard to isolate one.  The general reception for the show has been quite encouraging. I remember at an event I attended called Africa Rocks, a father who brought his kids along. He expressed how much he and his kids enjoyed the show and the importance it plays in developing their minds. That really spoke to me and reaffirmed my belief in what we are doing.

What advice would you give to someone starting up in your industry?

The advice I can offer to others is to believe in their skills, think innovatively, and to remain focused. Also practice, practice, practice! Be humble because you never know where you will learn things from and who you might help along the way.

What are your long term goals?

The long term vision is to create different types of African animated content for children and adults. It’s a risky move but it should be fun. We’re currently moving ahead with the first full Bino and Fino season which will be out later on this year.

Isossy Children celebrates diversity through global clothing for children. Why do you think diversity matters for every generation?

We all know the world is getting more interconnected. I believe children should be able to see positive representations of themselves and other cultures and races. This will help them connect and interact with each other in a positive way as opposed to a divisive one.

What words of wisdom do you think every child should grow up knowing?

That’s a tough one. I would say be proud of who you are. Don’t be scared to be an individual.

Contact Details

www.binoandfino.com

Binoandfino@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/binoandfino
Twitter: @binoandfino