ANAHEIM, Calif. — For artist Nikkolas Smith, the death of actor Chadwick Boseman was personal.

Several years ago, when Smith worked as a Disney Imagineer, he had met Boseman on the set of Black Panther. Boseman played the lead hero in the movie.

“I remember being there when they were filming the warrior fall scene on this beautiful set outdoors. He came down the set and shook everyone’s hands,” recalls Smith, who was with a group of other Disney Imagineers to get theme park inspiration from the movie.

Smith was a bit starstruck when he met Boseman.

“It’s a blur. I just remember the feeling that he gave,” Smith said. “He’s cool. He’s hanging out with us. He’s not this big-time Hollywood star.”

So after learning of Boseman’s death of colon cancer in August, Smith, a prominent Los Angeles-based illustrator, grabbed his laptop and began to work.

What came out of that digital art session is now on display on the exterior wall of the former ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney in Anaheim.

The 11-feet-by-10-feet digital painting titled “King Chad,” commissioned by Disney, shows Boseman kneeling beside a small child wearing a hospital gown and a Black Panther mask. The two look at each other with their arms crossed in an X shape across their chests. The gesture is better known as the Wakanda Forever salute.

The digital painting honors Boseman, who was well known for spending time with terminally-ill kids at children’s hospitals, Smith said.  

“Learning about how much Chadwick gave back to children at Children’s hospital, I felt like that shot of him in the Wakanda salute would be the best representation of who he was and his heart for people,” Smith said. “We’re all trying to carry on Chad’s legacy in some way, and that would be a great way to do it.”

Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock called the piece “heartwarming.”

“We are deeply honored to feature ‘King Chad’ as a tribute to our beloved Black Panther hero, Chadwick Boseman,” Potrock said on Instagram during the September unveiling.

For Smith, 35, the latest artwork continues his own legacy as an “artivist,” an artist and activist. In many ways, he has become a creative artistic voice in the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Smith is a trained architect and worked as an imagineer at Disney for 11 years. He left the company last year to pursue his art career full time.

When he wasn’t working on theme park designs and other projects, Smith worked on digital illustrations during his free time.

Seven years ago, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Smith created an art piece of Martin Luther King Jr. wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Martin wore a hoodie the night of his death.

Several celebrities, including former Obama administration official and now political commentator Van Jones, shared the post and urged others to do the same. It was a way to honor Martin. 

“That was the weekend the Black Lives Matter movement began,” Smith said. “There have been so many things that have happened in the last seven years.”

That was also the start of Smith’s Sunday Sketch series, a weekly illustration posted on social media which highlights his work and, at times, serves as a creative social commentary for what’s happening in the world.

During the series, he has drawn sketches of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Elijah McClain. All three were killed by police and sparked massive protests. His other works include the gymnast Simone Biles and a re-imagining of the Obama family as characters in The Incredibles.

“There are so many people seeking justice and looking for hope and creative outlets for hope,” Smith said. “That’s why I make what I make.”

With the King Chad piece, Smith was heartbroken when he learned of Boseman’s death. Boseman was a well-known character actor who played significant roles about prominent members of the Black community, such as James Brown, Jackie Robinson, and Thurgood Marshall.

“[Boseman] was an inspiration,” Smith said.

Smith said he hopes people who pass by and see the King Chad painting remember Boseman as a caring man who was selfless and gave back to the community.

He has already received a lot of positive feedback from people.

"A lot of moms, who had children living with cancer or died of cancer, have reached out to me saying, 'That is my kid that you painted. Thank you,'" Smith said. "I'm like, 'Wow. I'm speechless.'"

The artwork will remain at Downtown Disney until the end of this year. 

"I want people to reflect on the heart that Chadwick had and do whatever they can to try and reflect that in their own lives," Smith said.