LIZ THE BUDDING FASHION ILLUSTRATOR

There is always a feeling of excitement when scouts stumble upon a potential supermodel, artist/artiste who will eventually become the rave of the moment. Scouts are forever on the lookout to discover the next best thing. Sometimes I feel like a scout when my hunches are right.

 However, I am not a scout at all. I just have eyes for unusually interesting people and things. Stumbling upon an illustration of theonlychigul on the gram made me do a double take. There was something naive and innocent about the picture. I loved that even though it tried to look professional, it had that rugged, not taught in any art school, God given talent about it. I had to check who painted it and contacted her.

Her name is Elizabeth Nnebedum, we had an online Q & A and my suspicion was right. She is a self-taught illustrator. A very creative young girl who stated that expressing beauty through her sketches gives her immense joy. More often, if you are gifted with any talent or spirit of creativity, ideas come easily to you and she said she is one of such people with a head full of ideas bursting to let loose. She is talented all round, she writes short stories and can also design shoes and bags. All that is left is for the world to see her creations in the flesh.

How long have you been making these illustrations? Ever since I was a child she stated. Indicating furthermore that she would draw for hours unend with no idea they were called illustrations, only recently discovering the word. She did stop sketching for some time due to no clue where the skill would take her. She has never had any exhibitions, neither has she shown her craft to any professional body. All it had been is a hobby. She only began to sketch again this year because friends encouraged her to share her illustrations on social media with the world. And share with the world she did, which is where I found her. Only this time, with her illustrations, she traded pencils and A4 sketch pads for tablets.  

Her dream is to join the fashion industry, working with brands where her designs can be brought to life, she also hopes to contribute to a magazine. She would love to acquire the professional skills to perfect her craft. Becoming self-employed is quite tempting, unfortunately, the funds are not available to do so. Trying to break into any industry in a Country like Nigeria, hoping to gain recognition from humble beginnings is quite daunting unless you are lucky to have an elite endorsement, or win a competition. (Except for the few who got lucky).

 Elizabeth Nnebedum is from Enugu State and a student of Unilag studying Social Work. A course completely different from arts and fashion unless she is lucky to apply that skill, sharing her knowledge with people, if any job role she lands in the future permits it. Lawyers and Doctors have traded courtrooms and surgeries to successfully pursue artistic careers and she will be no different following her dreams, to work in the fashion industry armed with a Social Worker degree.

For somebody who did not take her drawing skill past primary 3, firmly believing in her ability is quite admirable.

All over the world, chance meetings have opened doors for countless talented people. Elizabeth is like a diamond in the rough in my opinion and with the right mentor, her dreams might just come through. To see more of her illustrations she can be reached on her Instagram handle lisa_fashionbook.