- April 22, 2026
- [Uncategorized](/content/category/uncategorized/index.html)

# Interview: Nina Okafor on drawing the same cat 5,000 times

We sat down with **Nina Okafor**, storyboard artist on cult-favorite show _Paperback Patrol_, for a breezy hour about breaking into the industry, drawing the same cat five thousand times, and the single worst note she’s ever received.

## On getting into storyboarding

“I didn’t know this job existed until I was 22. I studied illustration, hated being alone with a canvas for eight hours, and stumbled into a tiny studio that needed someone to draw floor plans for a chicken. That chicken paid my rent for a year.”

## On drawing the same character repeatedly

“You invent little games. On Paperback Patrol, I drew the cat in the style of every famous painting we could think of. The director never approved any of them, but they live rent-free in our slack channel. Someday I’ll publish them.”

## The worst note she’s ever received

> “Make the character more funny. But like, don’t change anything.”  
> A producer, to Nina, in 2022

We asked what she did. She shrugged and said: “I added a hat. They loved it. The show won an Annie.” Animation is a stupid, beautiful industry.

## Advice for newcomers

- Storyboard real TV episodes as practice — draw over muted scenes
- Keep a single, tiny sketchbook. Don’t go big.
- Every studio wants someone who can _pace a scene_. Study comedy timing.
- Say yes to the weird gigs. They teach you more than the good gigs.

Nina’s next project is still under NDA, but she confirmed it “involves a very angry moth.” We’ll be watching.

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