Nicole Tadgell was born in Detroit, Michigan. Frequent moves only increased her natural shyness, especially because she was sometimes the only black kid in the class or even the whole grade. Feeling different drew Nicole further into her own created worlds on paper, art was both fun and an escape.
While studying studio art at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, Nicole recalled how much fun it was to draw her own stories - illustrating children’s books could be the right path. “I knew I always wanted to be an artist,” Nicole says. “But it wasn’t until after college when I realized there was a lack of books with kids who looked like me.” Her growth as an artist included becoming comfortable with herself, her shyness, being the new kid, and being black.
Encouraged to develop her art in a more realistic direction, Nicole created a portfolio showing lively characters with an authenticity that was uniquely hers.
Today, Nicole has over twenty books and numerous educational pieces published. “I love working on children’s books,” Nicole says. “Sometimes I pretend I’m the kid in the book, and do the things they do in the story to really get a feel for each book.” Nicole also visits schools, gives lectures and conducts workshops. Children enjoy her lively powerpoint slide show as well as getting up close to the sights and smells of Tanzania. Teens and adults enjoy hearing about successful careers in the arts, as well as Nicole's unique perspective on the creative process with her interactive workshops.
