Creator Spotlight: Uko Smith

Jan 06, 2026 | about 4 minutes

Welcome to Our Newest Edition of Creator Spotlight!

Our recurring feature that shines a light on comic creators selling original art on the Raremarq marketplace, offering fans an inside look at their journeys and contributions to the industry.

Today, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on Uko Smith, a phenomenal artist whose work spans major publishers including Marvel, DC, Heavy Metal, and more. Renowned for his striking erotic pinups and unmistakably sensual aesthetic, Uko has cultivated a style that immediately commands attention.

Collectors and admirers of his work recognize his distinctive linework and bold, stylized approach to form. Always pushing to stand apart, Uko seamlessly blends design and illustration into a signature visual language, one that feels confident, provocative, and undeniably his own.

Tell us about yourself and what got you interested in drawing

I was born and raised in Washington, DC. Once done with high school, I attended the Columbus College of Art and Design and majored in Illustration with a solid fashion illustration background. I once taught at my former college for some 16yrs, while working in the field as well. I helped with the comics program at my school to become a major based off my experience/background.

To be honest, I have four older brothers, who could all draw themselves and I just seemingly picked up that talent as well. Drawing with my older brothers in the wee hours of the night/ morning as a kid was priceless. Very fond memories of that time. It was just something in my family where we all had the art gene, but only two of us actually went into the field of art as a living. I would always see them drawing and I just picked it up with no problem and the rest is history as they say.

Life itself keeps me motivated in being able to experience new things and find ways to place those experiences within my work. I’m always discovering something new about what I can do as that keeps me motivated as well with the possibilities of how I see things in life now. It’s a constant push and pull to keep things fresh and exciting for me.

Who were some of your early inspirations?

I was exposed to Frazetta at an early age as my older brothers, who are also artists, collected those early Ballantine books of his work. His work really stuck out to me. Then came Michelangelo, Byrne, Mignola, Stroman, Sorayama, Patrick Nagel, Syd Mead, Bridgman, Kirby, Wrightson, Canete, Ron Cobb, McGinnis. These are just a few. I’ve always enjoyed the different styles of many artists.

What are some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?

Oh, geez! That’s always a tough one. Recently did a variant for a book called Blood of Atlantis. That cover was right up my alley. I enjoyed the early FX2 novel thru IDW a few years back, where I did both pencils and inks. It’s such a drastic change to what I was doing at that time to now. I enjoyed most of the cover work I’ve done for various books such as Hitomi with JAF Comics thru Image, some DC Direct work, Hasbro designed stuff, coves for then-called Chapterhouse Comics, Ablaze Publishing with Regie Collects, Kingswood Comics, Lucasfilm stuff, trading cards. It’s been a pleasure to work on such a variety of projects and assignments.

Favorite character(s) to draw?

I am heavily drawn to women with swords. A lot of the female X-Men characters, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are amongst my favorites. Then, there’s also the love of being able to draw vehicles, if you can make them a character in anything. Colossus and anyone metal/tech gear type characters I can really get into.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve got a few things in the pan. I’m always working on my creator-owned projects, along with creating artbooks every year, alongside a variety of commissions. But there are a few projects that are on the horizon that I’m looking forward to tackling, one of which I’ve already started, but more about those at a later date.

Where can fans find you?

You can find me on most socials from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, BlueSky, TikTok and the videos that I upload to my YouTube channel.

Be sure to check out all of Uko's current listings up for auction. Below is his X-Men Team Watercolor Illustration listing currently available!

If you'd like to follow Uko on Raremarq, you can visit his profile here.

If you're interested in selling on Raremarq, visit www.raremarq.com/seller

By Type

By Category

By Type

By Category

Type

Category

Type

Category

Creator Spotlight: Uko Smith

Raremarq is the easiest way to sell and auction your rare pieces directly to collectors.

Share Panel

Bidding FAQ