Happy Friday to you wherever you are! Please put your virtual hands together for a Capetonian illustrator whose work is rapidly gaining recognition for its subject matter and true-to-type execution. His name is Ninjabreadboy, he’s 23 and his work is as sharp as the knives, bottlenecks and characters it portrays!

1. Ninjabreadboy – welcome to Springleap! First up – where’d you get that name, and what does it mean?

NBB: The name is just a personal joke really. I’ve always wanted to work under an alias. The name just hit me one day and just stuck.

2. Your recent work shows a strong Cape Flats-culture influence - what’s the attraction, and how did you get such a keen eye for the details of this subculture? 

NBB: I think it’s because I’ve been fascinated with graffiti and tattooing since a very young age and these are the 2 predominant art forms in gang culture all over the world. I also really enjoy the slang and phrases used in the local language, and the fact that so many really serious topics/words are replaced with witty figurative phrases, which allows for a great juxtaposition between something really serious and frightening with something lighthearted and funny.

3. You use a lot of pen and ink in your illlos – but you’ve also produced some great vector work. What’s your preference, and what software do you use?

NBB: I much prefer working with pen and ink but over time I have come to the realization that there’s no hiding from the digital side of illustration. I try and find a balance between the two wherever I can. I mostly work on paper and then scan in the sketch or ink-up, and then work digitally from there on. I mostly use Photoshop and Illustrator, and Flash for animations.

4. You’ve done work for Hansa Pilsener, and you’ve also collaborated with Thvggery on some T-shirts. Got any other colabs in the pipeline?

NBB: Not as of yet. But got a few local brands I really want to do work for. I did a surfboard graphic about 1 and a half years ago and I’ve been procrastinating about doing a skateboard graphic so hopefully that will still happen sometime soon.

5. Lastly, you recently exhibited work on a skateboard at Plank – got any other shows coming up?

NBB: I have some ideas for doing a solo show but it’s not something that will happen in the near future. Other than that I don’t really have anything else planned or lined up.

Thank you to Ninjabreadboy for the time, and for giving us some insight into what makes him tick, and bringing such great local flavour to his illustration!

To see more of Ninjabreadboy’s work, check out his Behance porti or Like his Facebook page.

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