Nilah Ate the Blog

Illustration, books, and baking… probably

A digital drawing by Nilah Magruder. A Black woman with short black hair and pointed ears looks over her shoulder. Her hand is on the back of her neck and a sword and scabbard hang from her left side from a belt. She wears a yellow jacket with blue stripes down the sleeves, orange pants cropped mid-calf, and sneakers.

Blowing Off Steam

I’m trying to blog more, and that means posting art on my blog more, too. I draw a lot. My day job (I’m a storyboard revisionist on Disney Jr.’s Ariel) is drawing. I’m also working on graphic novels in my…

A sketch by political cartoonist Ann Telnaes. Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Patrick Soon-Shiong and Mark Zuckerberg present sacks of money to a giant statue of Donald Trump standing on a pedestal. Mickey Mouse lies prostrate, face down at the foot of the statue.

Have We Hit Rock Bottom, Yet?

Listening to: Rät by Penelope Scott I am distracted. I have deadlines, and I am distracted. I have chores that need doing, and I am distracted. Our democracy is collapsing, and I am distracted. It is quiet, and it is…

A ghost braids a werewolf girl's hair.

I Woke Up Like This

In early 2020, I left Los Angeles. I’d spent nine years there trying to kickstart my career in animation, but felt like I was getting nowhere. I decided to return to my home state and throw myself into publishing books,…

Digital sketch of a woman with long wavy hair looking down at a small fairy lying in her cupped hands.

A Spark of Life

Well, hi there. I find myself lacking focus when it comes to posting online, particularly with regards to my own art. In the distant past I used Livejournal, then Elfwood and DeviantArt. After that it was Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram,…

Photo of a basket full of garden-grown vegetables: cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes.

So I Started a Homestead

All right all right all right, this is a post I’ve been meaning to do for a while.   For nine years, I lived in Los Angeles, renting a room in San Fernando Valley and hustling in Hollywood. Now I…

Screen cap from the film Jurassic Park. A Tyrannosaurus Rex leans close to peer inside the windows of a Jeep.

Jurassic Dreams

I have recurring dreams. One of these recurring dreams is Jurassic Park. Why, oh why do I dream about Jurassic Park? It is one of my favorite movies, but I tell you now, it makes a terrible dream scenario, especially…

A still from the 2023 film The Color Purple. Celie, in a red dress, is front and center in a choreographed song and dance sequence.

So Long 2023

This is a repost originally shared on Patreon. You can become a patron to receive regular updates on what I’ve got cooking behind the scenes. Confession: Before Christmas Day, I’d never seen The Color Purple. I’ve never told anyone. That’s…