Quiet Portraits With a Surrealist Twist by Ojima Abalaka
Ojima Abalaka never intended to become an illustrator. Nigerian born, she attended school in the UK to study European and international law. Illustration was her hobby, which began as a “meditation,” but then picked up pace once she got a commission with The New York Times.
Since then, Ojima has created work for a variety of editorial clients with primarily a focus on portraiture. I love her quiet, muted style that includes some surreal elements; one of my favorites is an illustration for WeTransfer in which a tiny friend sits on a woman’s shoulder and waters the plants that are in her hoop earring.
Ojima sells her work as prints through INPRNT. Follow her on Instagram to see what she’s working on next.