Dorcas Magbadelo is a 29-year old illustrator from Thamesmead, who lives with her parents and siblings. She started running DorcasCreates two years ago, and has been doing it full time for a year. In that short time, her range celebrating black women has already been shouted out on Instagram by Yvonne Orji, who plays Molly in Issa Rae’s hit HBO show Insecure. 

Black Ballad: Describe what you do in your own words.

Dorcas Magbadelo: I’m an illustrator and product designer. Basically, I do illustrations of black girls and black women and then put them on as many products as I can – so like greeting cards, art prints, tote bags, wrapping paper, pins, notebooks. Now I’m adding earrings. Just things you don’t normally see us represented in. 

BB: What is the best thing about your job?

DM: Getting to see my ideas come to life is really exciting. For example, the illustrations on my pins, they started really small, maybe like an A5 illustration. Then I edit and scan it and seeing it come to life in gold plated enamel is just like; ‘Whoah – this idea came from my head’.