Bio

Yishmael is a 30 year old illustrator, fine artist, recording artist, music producer, animator, film director, film editor and author born and raised in the Limpopo Province in South Africa

He started formally training in art in 2002 at the Matongoni Art Studio in Thohoyandou which is ran by Mr A Mainganye who is a well renowned artist. At the Matongoni Art studio He learnt fine art and multiple mediums. He attended the Open Window School of Visual Communication and majored in illustration and minors that include animation, web design, photography, film theory, architecture and graphic design.

Yishmael has taken part in exhibitions including one at UNISA, under the National Ubuntu Art Trust. His illustrations have featured in a children’s publication which he both wrote and published titled "The Adventures of Tshedza". He also illustrates the cover artwork for his own music released under Platoon, a record label under Apple Music Africa. 

He has a series of animated music videos for both myself and other artists, in a 2d style that very closely imitates his style of illustrating which is very vibrant, abstract and themed mostly around African themes. In 2021, Yishmael was featured on the Apple App Store for the Africa Month feature for both his illustrations and music and how he has managed to merge both art disciplines seamlessly.

Work Process

My process differs based on the task at hand, whether the work I’m creating is an abstract representation of the theme or a direct representation. Typically it all starts with a sketch which helps me figure out the style in which the image will be drawn, this process takes the longest as it decides the visual language of the art piece. I generally work through the entire process digitally on my Ipad as it’s easier to quickly and efficiently erase an idea if it isn’t working or adding value. After adding the refining darker and more final lines to the artwork I then go through colour palettes to see what works, most of my work features vibrant colour as I find it communicates more effectively