iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 08/10/2026

This is the best piece of short speculative fiction I've ever written. Like, I should submit it to Clarkesworld.

~Me, as a contestant on the eighth season of The Great British Baking Show~
Me: *calls mom*
Mom: Hello?
Me: Mom, I won Star Baker!
Mom: You want *what*?
Me: No, I *won.* I won Star Baker.
Mom: Oh. What's that?
Me: It's like... it's an award, on the baking competition I'm in?
Mom: What are you talking about? Is this about that baking class you signed up for?
Me: IT'S NOT A--ohmy-- *explains the entire concept of GBBO which I totally explained before filming started*
Mom: Ohhh. So why are you calling?
Me: ......I won Star Baker.
Mom: Oh yaaaay.
Me: Yeah!
Mom: Is that good?
Me: ........... *turns to camera crew* Can we cut all that?

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 07/10/2026

To that point, this is very smart and very kind!

Should my website (itsnero.com) ever go offline, here is where you can access backups of the most recent version guide:

Google doc (please download to your own drive!)
Web Archive snapshot of this page
.txt file (hyperlinks disabled, no images)
This guide is a living document and should be treated as such- if any major updates need to be made, please email me! Otherwise I’ll skim it once a year and make edits as needed.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 05/10/2026

Just a ridiculous thing to put in an animated film honestly

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 04/10/2026

I'm putting together a presentation for my class on using reference in illustrations and maybe I'll figure out how to post this online later bcuz there seems to be very little literature online talking about HOW to use reference in your art

A slide from a presentation depicting a side-by-side comparison of a Norman Rockwell painting and the photo shoot he did as reference for the painting. The text above the image reads "come on... everybody's doing it..." The painting is After the Prom and portrays a blond girl in a white dress and a red-headed boy in white shirt and black trousers sitting at a counter, smiling, while a server in a white cap on the other side of the counter stands between them.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 04/10/2026

Like I'm okay not hearing "Oh, just like Avatar: The Last Airbender!" ever again lol. (I was working on this comic before AtLA was even a concept) It does leave a hole, though. I should come up with more speculative middle-grade and YA.

A page of digital sketches. A man with a mustache an attempt at a beard, a woman with long hair and short hair variations, a man with a duck face??? An a boy with a ponytail saying "Honestly? I'm not seeing the resemblance."

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 04/10/2026

I'll be real it's hard to think about going back to MFK bcuz when I started it there were way fewer superhero movies and shounen manga. Just feels like this ground has been well trod. I miss the world but I'm trying to take the parts I miss and put them into other stories.

A page of sketches both traditional and digital exploring a uniform design. The final look is a long lavender trench coat with brass metal accents. A white five-petaled flower design covers the entire back of the coat from shoulders to lower back.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 04/10/2026

Honestly I haven't filled a sketchbook page working out ideas in aaaaaages. Can't explore endlessly on deadline. I forgot how to be this kind of artist.

A sketchbook page of pencil sketches of a cartoony cat design. The cat has big long ears, strips all over its body, and a prominent M shape between its eyes.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 03/10/2026

I'm revisiting my MFK files for anything I can build lessons from for the comics class I'm teaching and my folders are a study in going too hard on a first webcomic, here are the sets I modeled in Maya to help on panels with tricky perspective.

A simple polygonal 3D render of a low-angle shot of blocky characters standing in the middle of a town square.

A simple polygonal 3D render of a high-angle shot of blocky characters standing in the middle of a town square, while another blocky character watches from a higher position.

A simple polygonal 3D render of a wide shot of a hospital room.

A simple polygonal 3D render of a top-down shot of a hospital room.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 02/10/2026

I did it. I selfie'd. Actually I did this for a blog post I'm publishing next week but I like the drawing enough to share.

Digital cartoony self portrait of Nilah Magruder, a Black woman wearing glasses and brows furrowed in thought with fingers steepled in front of her face, hiding her mouth.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 02/10/2026

Haven't done the baby wrap in a while

Photo of an orange and white tabby cat enjoying being strapped to his owner's abdomen in a cloth baby wrap.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 25/09/2026

I've been working 100% digitally for so long sometimes I forget how much I used to depend on working out ideas traditionally. I used to sketch in pen and Sharpie to teach myself how to be more precise and decisive with my lines.

An assortment of character sketches for the webcomic M.F.K.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 21/09/2026

Trying to be better about regularly talking about the stuff I'm making on social media so that people know it exists. To that end, free coloring sheets are up on my ko-fi. They are free to download, but feel free to tip! ko-fi.com/nilaffle/shop And join my newsletter! buttondown.com/foxesandgrapes

Black and white line drawing of a baby horse rearing on her back legs to greet a butterfly fluttering in the air.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 11/09/2026

I didn't spend too long on this but I made a little background so that I could post excerpts from my novelette RANK AND FILE on Instagram. Also I made an IG account for my alter ego N. Romaine White. So I can keep my children's work separate from my adult work. www.instagram.com/nromainewhite

Digital illustration of two figures, one in an armor and cape with long wavy hair, one with horns and a large axe over their shoulder, standing on a hill overlooking a countryside with mountains in the distance.

The same image shared in this post now with text: She inhaled the mist that clung to the Harrowed Forest, droplets of clean water collecting like dew on her nose hairs, tasting the smell of sun-drenched leaves, lilac and mint, and rich, dark earth on the back of her tongue. She sputtered. Gross.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 08/09/2026

I already knew I tend to use a particular palette when painting but talking to a friend last night I said "I think I paint night scenes a lot??" Of course, having now determined this is true, I think the only course of action is to double down and paint more night scenes.

A collage of illustrations, mostly digital, mostly finished, of various characters in various night scenes of varying proficiency (there are some very old pieces in here).

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 08/09/2026

I'm trying to get into the habit of doing color studies before I launch into painting.

Digital painting in progress of two women sitting on a rooftop. One woman sits casually, legs crossed, a boba drink in one hand. She smiles at the other woman, who clutches a mug to her mouth and looks annoyed. Sleeping pigeons are perched on the rooftop around them.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 03/09/2026

Took my keyboard so he could get on YouTube and study the blade

An orange and white cat sitting on a computer desk staring at the monitor intently. On the screen is a YouTube video titled "movie duels vs. real life rapier fights" featuring Sidney Read with a rapier on a table beside her and holding up a book titled The Duel.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 28/08/2026

My resident female at her post as we speak, not using the feeder but also making sure no one else can use it.

Photo of a female runy-throated hummingbird sitting on a dead sunflower stalk near a hanging hummingbird feeder.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 20/08/2026

print I'm debuting at Atlantic Comic Con this weekend

A woman crouches on a rock ledge, reaching down to a mermaid in crashing waves who is reaching up to her. Their fingertips are just touching. The mermaid is in the process of transformation, green and pink scales turning to brown skin, green hair turning red.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 20/08/2026

My cat when I'm trying to film content for the gram

Photo of an orange and white cat lying on an assortment of prints, stickers, buttons, and other artist alley merch.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 15/08/2026

Actually this one's also pretty good. I forgot how to use sketchbooks somewhere in the last 7-8 years but I should get back to it.

Graphite sketch of How to Train Your Dragon's Hiccup lounging against Toothless and drawing in a sketchbook while they perch serenely on a rock ledge.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 11/08/2026

I am, in true Nilah fashion, working on too many things at once so this is some sketching I managed to cram in before I went to bed last night, but I'm trying to do more sketching to think through ideas. #nilafflepub

Sketches of a woman stretching her arms and pulling her hair into a ponytail.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 09/08/2026

A quick thing I did years ago. I think I was trying to get used to either Clip Studio Paint or Procreate. I was also toying with the idea of a magic school story from the faculty's POV but I never fully wrapped my head around it.

Digital illustration by Nilah Magruder of a Black woman with her hair pulled into a high ponytail, carrying a large paintbrush over one shoulder and glaring over the other shoulder. She wears a colorful dark blue robe with swirling gold designs.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 03/08/2026

My name is Nilah and I'm here to say I'll illustrate your picture book any time you're looking for an illustrator to do that, just hit me up! Look I'm an illustrator, not a poet. Hire me to DRAW! My portfolio: www.nilahmagruder.com/portfolio/ #kidlitart

Available for picture book illustration!
My work: nilahmagruder dot com
E-mail: nilah at nilahmagruder dot com

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 29/07/2026

willing myself to finish literally a single illustration

Work-in-progress illustration of two women sitting on a rooftop surrounded by sleeping pigeons. One woman holds a cup with a straw and smiles at the other, who holds a mug in front of her face and looks annoyed.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 28/07/2026

Losing my mind, a baby bunny has moved into the backyard and I'm not thrilled bcuz I have dogs and I feel like this is a recipe for disaster but he's made himself at home, look at this little so and so

A young cottontail rabbit lying in the grass, eyes drifting closed.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 27/07/2026

was thinking of attempting to storyboard a scene from one of my short stories but to do that I figured I better design the characters first and wow this is an excellent case of what I'm picturing in my head not coming out of my stylus, anyway this was exhausting so I'll try again later

digital sketches of an ogre-like character with pointy ears, two horns growing from her head, piercings, an underbite, and some armor

digital sketches of a knight with a human form and a dragon form

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 17/07/2026

I am available for illustration work! This hasn't happened in years bcuz I've been grinding on graphic novels, but the graphic novels are DONE and now I can draw other things. For you! Hire me! Portfolio: www.nilahmagruder.com/portfolio/

Fantasy illustrator at work! Available for: book covers, magazine covers, tabletop games, digital games, commissions. My work: nilahmagruder.com. E-mail: nilah at nilahmagruder dot com.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 15/07/2026

I'm slowly updating the portfolio section of my website. Slowly bcuz I decided to include process and turns out formatting all those files plus digging through e-mail convos to remember why choices were made takes forever. www.nilahmagruder.com/portfolio/il...

Screen cap of process images from the development of the cover illustration for Star Wars: The High Republic - Quest for the Hidden City.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 14/07/2026

Hi #portfolioday! I'm a storyboard artist, writer and illustrator, available for storyboarding/revisions, animation writing, and illustration opportunities. Head to my website to check out my books and portfolio! URL: www.nilahmagruder.com IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm92223...

Digital illustration by Nilah Magruder. A young woman and an elderly woman play a piano. The older woman is smiling and speaking. Her head is detached from her body and floats in midair on a metal propeller where her neck should be. Her right hand, likewise, is detached and reaches into the young woman's space to play the piano keys. The young woman smiles with a brow quirked at the older woman.

A digital illustration by Nilah Magruder from the picture book WUTARYOO. A wolf bows and speaks to a small squirrel-like creature with two small horns on her forehead. In the background is an imagined scene of wolves running and howling at a starry sky.

A black and white ink illustration by Nilah Magruder from the middle-grade novel DACTYL HILL SQUAD by Daniel José Older. A girl races to catch up to a wagon of children being pulled by a triceratops.

A panel from a storyboarded episode of WEATHER HUNTERS for PBS. A family with two parents, two girls and a small boy sits around a counsel, smiling and talking together.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 30/06/2026

Centrist Dems and Republicans certainly believe this sort of leftist agenda is dangerous but they really need "extremists" on the left to exist in order to justify violence from the right. Just whataboutism in action. No one needs to entertain that narrative. Also min wage should be $30/hr.

Let’s move to the allegedly “extreme” agenda of the far left. Avila Chevalier, Mamdani, and other socialist politicians are pushing ideas like abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage, cutting U.S. funding for Israel’s military, and limiting corporate monopolies. Much of their agenda is extremely popular because it takes on the rich and big corporations, as Americans desperately want. Some of those ideas are more contested.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 15/06/2026

It's mainly cuz my pub was very specific about me using their template and I just could not figure out how to adjust the measurements to get CSP to do what my pub wanted. I'll try story mode again on a personal project, but for my book contracts this method was fine. Just a lot of file management!

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 01/06/2026

I did this Six of Crows illustration as a gift to Leigh Bardugo ten years ago and wow how daring I was doing this traditionally lol. I do want to get back to working traditionally, now that I'm out of graphic novel hell and have time to SLOW DOWN.

Ink illustration by Nilah Magruder of the lead characters of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo in heroic poses.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 25/05/2026

I'm so wound up tight over how close I am. The anticipation is almost unbearable. I'm tempted to tell everyone I've ever met in my life not to so much as think about me this week bcuz I can't bear a single distraction. Every brain cell is focused on this single purpose.

Screen cap of a graphic novel progress tracking spreadsheet showing a graphic novel 91% complete with 241 of 265 pages inked. With a goal of completion by June 1, 2026, the artist will need to ink five pages every weekday or four pages everyday including weekends.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 22/05/2026

Drawing comics has been the background noise of my life since I started M.F.K. in 2012 and it's gonna be so weird after next week when I don't have to draw comics anymore

Screen cap of a graphic novel progress tracking spreadsheet showing a graphic novel 84% complete with 223 of 265 pages inked. With a goal of completion by June 1, 2026, the artist will need to ink six pages every weekday or just over four pages everyday including weekends.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 16/05/2026

I was proud and deeply honored to give the undergraduate commencement speech today at my first alma mater, Hood College. I graduated 21 years ago! It was an emotional morning but I somehow made it through without ugly crying. Congrats class of 2026! 🎓🎉

Photo of an honorary doctorate degree and commemorative statue issued to Nilah Magruder, Hood College Class of '05, by Hood College.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 03/05/2026

Scary thought: if I ignore everything else in my life and bang out 25 pages a week I’ll be done this book by the end of the month.

Screenshot of a Google Sheets titled “Reel Love Page Tracking,” charting progress of the penciling, lettering, inking, and coloring of a graphic novel. The spreadsheet shows that 177 of 266 pages are lettered with 88 remaining and 166 are inked with 99 remaining.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 28/04/2026

Animal anatomy studies that I probably did 15-17 years ago. The me of today can't believe I was ever this patient in my drawing studies but if I recall correctly I really got into doing these at the time.

Graphite drawings of rodent skeletons in various poses, and isolated rodent skulls drawn at different angles. Also drawings of bird skeletons and a diagram of the underside of a bird's wing.

Graphite drawings of lion, horse, and dog anatomy, with a closer study of a lion's foot.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 27/04/2026

Did you know that yesterday was Eeyore's 105th birthday? Neither did Hearth when I dropped him off at doggy daycare.

Photo of a black and white dog wearing Eeyore ears on his head sitting in front of an illustrated backdrop of Winnie the Pooh's house, a wooden door with a window set into a large tree.

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Nilah "Nine Jobs" Magruder @nilahmagruder.com · 09/04/2026

I'm back on the market! Fifteen years of experience as an author and animation professional. I'm available for storyboarding, writing, and illustration opportunities. Hit me up! Website: www.nilahmagruder.com

Looking for work! Story, writing, illustrating. nilahmagruder.com. Credits: Disney Junior's Ariel, Weather Hunters, Polly Pocket, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures, Cannon Busters, Dinotrux. Experience: Storyboards, revisions. Outlining, screenwriting. Preschool, bridge, teen. Musicals, action adventure.

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