About Me.

I am Candice Chenade, the founder and illustrator behind By Candice Chenade.

I started my brand because I struggled to find cards and art prints that really represented me and the people around me. I felt that styles on the market were either dated, overly woke or not a true representation of our community today. I want to diversify the greeting card and paper goods industry by showcasing black and mixed race people in all of their glory. We celebrate Black Excellence often, but we still deserve to be celebrated for the regular things that we do. My mission is to uplift people and make sure people who look like me are represented. Because representation matters.

I Launched my first collection in May 2021 just in time for father's day, after I was inspired by my amazing dad and watching the beautiful relationship blossom between my daughter and her dad. The collection was well received and requests for new designs were coming in fast. So I started creating and putting my designs out there, expanded my product range and By Candice Chenade was born. My illustrations are made black and mixed race people in mind.

OK! Now let me tell you a little more about the girl behind the drawings.

I'm mum to an amazing little girl, Zah Zah. I'm from Manchester but I am currently located in London, so expect a soft northern accent when I speak. I am huge on family and I'm the eldest of 12 children. YES TWELVE! I have a small close knit circle of friends and they also mean the world to me. Honestly I am so fortunate.

I've always been creative. I sing, I write and now I'm here in the world of digital art. I honestly started drawing because I needed to keep my hands busy and stop stuffing my face with ice cream and cheesecake. But I slowly started falling in love with what I was creating and I started sharing my pictures on my WhatsApp stories. Feedback was always good so I bit the bullet and the rest is history.

My head is always full of new ideas and I am always trying to expand the product ranges. But I do take things slowly. I thoroughly enjoy what I do and I hope that you come here and find something perfect for you!