Diversifying Children’s Illustration with Nick Butler


Show Notes

In this episode, host LaShuna McBride speaks with Nick Butler, artist and illustrator of Committee for Children’s Captain Compassion® comic series. Nick explains how he used every design choice to carefully and intentionally craft a visual identity for Captain Compassion® and her sidekick Kid Kinder®.

To create Kid Kinder, Nick took visual cues from his little brother and himself as children, making this project an intensely personal one. He tells LaShuna, “When I had this opportunity with Kid Kinder to represent the Black community, I dug in. I really wanted to make sure that I was singing the praises of Black boys and Black girls, and I wanted to have the character capture that essence and really represent.”

Nick and LaShuna also explore how Black creators are forging new, independent paths through the media landscape, no longer relying on traditional gatekeepers to allow them a seat at the table. These stories contain lessons for anyone seeking to create or consume media that represent a diversity of identities and lived experiences.

To see more of Nick’s work, check out his Instagram account @turtledusttoons, or his website.

Learn more about the Captain Compassion campaign here.

Visit GrowKinderPodcast.org for more episodes of the Grow Kinder® podcast. You can rate and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, or Stitcher. Take our listener survey to let us know more about you and what you think of the podcast. We’d love to hear from you!

Links to other resources from the episode:

Manuel Godoy’s Black Sands Entertainment