From the first line of charcoal to the final layer of digital noise, David Nnogo’s work pulls viewers into a dreamscape that feels both haunted and hyperreal. The Nigerian-born illustrator describes his signature aesthetic as grunge surrealism—a visual approach that merges raw, textured distortion with fantastical imagery, grounding the surreal in something tactile and lived-in.
“I like it when things aren’t too perfect,” he says. “Grunge surrealism is how I make the strange feel familiar—and the familiar feel strange.”
David’s relationship with drawing began at just four years old. His early love of comic books didn’t just entertain him—they taught him to imagine worlds, build characters, and think visually. By the time he was eight, he was no longer just a reader, but a creator, sketching out entire universes in the pages of his notebooks. His discovery of platforms like Pinterest gave him a front-row seat to global art influences, but instead of feeling intimidated, he leaned in.
“Seeing artists a thousand times better than me didn’t discourage me,” he reflects. “It made me want to catch up. I love a good challenge.”
That grit and curiosity are evident in every part of his process. Each illustration starts with a vivid mental picture—sometimes it hits all at once, other times it simmers in the background for weeks. Once ready, David sketches with an arsenal of custom charcoal brushes (some he’s designed himself), building up a piece layer by layer. His attention to color and texture is almost architectural: hues are arranged based on visual hierarchy, and texture is sourced from unexpected places—sometimes from his immediate environment—to create depth, softness, and contrast.
The result? Illustrations that feel touchable. Characters that seem to breathe. Worlds that carry weight.
David’s compositions are vivid but never sterile—gritty but never hollow. Faces might dissolve into glitch-like fragments; bodies may be hyper-stylized, wrapped in fabrics that recall Afrofuturist mythologies or retro media aesthetics. It’s messy in the most intentional way.
Though most of his work is digital, he’s deeply trained in traditional media as well, including acrylic, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, and even body painting. This foundation gives his digital pieces a physical richness—a kind of analog warmth that elevates his grunge surrealism beyond the screen.
Currently, David is knee-deep in multiple personal projects: the launch of a collaborative magazine with a designer, and the early stages of a manga-inspired comic rooted in his fascination with storytelling and world-building. While he jokes that picking a favorite piece would be like choosing a favorite child, what unifies his growing body of work is a clear vision and commitment to pushing boundaries—both his own and the viewer’s.
In a visual culture obsessed with polish, perfection, and algorithmic sameness, David Nnogo’s work stands defiantly apart—textured, unfiltered, and unapologetically surreal.
