Graphic Art Noire with Destiny Darcel

An Interview with Jessica Wise

On the heels of a Black History Month collaboration with Old Navy, self-taught and self-made graphic artist Destiny Darcel sat down with us to talk about her work.

Talk about your road to becoming a graphic artist. What fueled your passion to pursue it as a career?

I didn’t know I could draw until quarantine actually. It’s a villain’s origin story to be honest LMAO. My IG was originally made to be a finsta. I was just posting anything and everything. One day, I saw an illustration and decided to change some of the colors, add some words, etc. But I still tagged the artist with the intention of giving her credit. She reported my post to IG and had it taken down. I understand where she was coming from now, but at the time I did not. I didn’t have bad intentions at all so I could not understand why she was being mean to me. I thought to myself, “I bet I could do what she does even better.” I was working at Apple at the time (we worked the entire time we were in quarantine), so I used my discount to buy an iPad and started drawing! It came surprisingly naturally. I kind of blew up from there. 

In an artistic world that’s aesthetically driven, do you feel Black people are well represented in graphic art? Why or why not?

No. I know people say the market is saturated, but that’s only because they are intentionally following Black artists. In the grand scheme of things, there are maybe a handful of Black graphic artists creating art with Black people. I follow every single Black graphic artist I come across and, as you can see, I only follow maybe 184 people. There’s so much more room for us to be represented. I mean sooooooo much more room. A lot of times I can see a piece and give you the IG name of the artist right off the top of my head. There aren’t many of us. 

As a Black graphic artist, have you encountered gatekeeping when it comes to getting eyes on your brand? Describe those experiences if so.

Actually, no. My audience is very, very intentionally Black women. Although brand deals are wonderful, my intentions are not to get eyes on my brand per say. I don’t like to measure my success by who does or does not see or interact with my work. My goals are to make Black women feel seen and build a community of Black women who are just encouraged by my work. It’s as simple as that. 

A lot of times those same Black women are sitting in meeting rooms pitching my work because they have felt seen. The people who hear them and move forward with my brand are the eyes on my brand that matter. BUT I understand how having those eyes and interactions can be a motivating force and it creates an incredible source of validation. 

Describe your artistic process. Do you have a routine?

I try to have a routine and a content calendar, but I wake up feeling different everyday. I have a folder of Black women inspo I see as I'm scrolling social media throughout the day, and I usually draw ideas from that and go! I really, really appreciate holidays and birthdays because I’m always more creative on those days.

How do you keep yourself inspired during busy, high-demand periods?

Those high demand periods are usually my most inspirational moments.  I’ll go back and forth with a client making edits, different versions, etc. and it sparks a lot of ideas for me, especially when they hate the ideas that I love LOL. 

What advice do you have for young graphic artists who might not have access to the necessary tools and training they need? Any free resources you can recommend?

I didn’t have any training myself. You don’t need any. A lot of consistency goes a long way. I can’t stress that enough. It’s what separates you from the rest. Instagram will even kind of punish you for lack of consistency (That’s a different story for a different day.). 

Do it when you feel like it. Do it when you’re over it. Do it when you’d rather watch Netflix. Do it when you’re feeling emotional. Just keep doing it. There are quite a few drawing apps that are free. Software wise there are some differences, but once you learn how to use one program you can use them all. It doesn’t matter what app you use, just pick one! And you do not have to have an ipad, there are cheaper alternatives that work just as good!

Congratulations on your partnership with Old Navy! What’s next on the horizon?

Thank you! And giirrrllllll, I’m trying to get merch together, LOL. The people have been asking for months and this is not something I’m willing to make any mistakes on. So I’m taking my time to make sure everything is perfect! Juneteenth should be pretty magical.

Want to learn more about Destiny?

IG: @destinydarcel

Website: destinydarcel.com