Kadir Nelson
Kadir Nelson Award Winning Artist and Children's Illustrator Biographical Sketch Kadir Nelson was born May 15, 1974 in Washington, D.C. At the young age of 3, Nelson showed a penchant for art, and apprenticed under his Uncle, a local artist and art teacher, when he was 11. His talent took him via scholarship to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.Following graduation, Nelson received commissions for work from such prominent companies as Dreamworks, the Coca-Cola Company, and Major League Baseball Nelson's illustration of children's books began in 2008, when he was asked by his editor to illustrate Jerdine Nolen's Big Jabe (Scholastic, n.d.). In 2014, Nelson's portrait of the late South African President, Nelson Mandela was featured on the cover of the New Yorker . This was followed with additional covers for the New Yorker , as well as artwork for musical artists, Michael Jackson and Drake (Nelson, n.d.). Currently Nelson resides in Los Angeles, Cali...