Drew Vaughn Jones

One day Drew packed up his gear and hitchhiked out to the West coast in search of Industrial Design related work after graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh - following the sabotage of an entry-level sculpting position in the special effects industry by a jealous sculpting instructor. Little did he know, his Kerouac inspired journey, lead to his realizing elements of himself and how the negative influences of childhood trauma buried deep in his memory had made a lasting impact on his decision-making as a young adult. Along with his thirst for adventure and love for the great outdoors, his years of traveling provided him with a plethora of experiences that has helped to inform much of the story content of his sci-fi fantasy graphic novel, “LOCUS – Archetype Implosion”, of which he created the first characters for back in high school. From surviving the elements, meeting all walks of life, escaping dangerous situations and volunteering to serve the homeless to becoming an environmental activist, participating in social practice events, and learning about permaculture, Drew has now infused much of what he has learned “on the road” into the characters and plot of his story.

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Drew’s freelance work history includes logo design, tattoo design, RPG character design, t-shirt design, portraits of people and pets done in graphite, pen and ink and acrylic paints, custom paintings and illustration, architectural rendering and being a private drawing tutor. Drew has sent resumes to Laika Studios and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in hopes of landing an ideal position with either of those companies although, due to the exclusiveness of these work positions that need an inroad by way of a letter of recommendation from an established sculptor in the industry highlighting his sculpting ability, he has yet heard a response. Dealing with C-PTSD from intense childhood adversity has also greatly effected his ability to work with others under stress in non-art related work environments. Art was his escape when he was a kid and its his best therapy now. At this point, Drew’s dedication and determination to become a published creator-owned graphic novelist is at its peak and his primary focus.

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As for experience with comics, Drew started drawing short cartoon strips when he was 12 years old but didn’t know where to go with it. It was only after discovering the corner store, on the other side of the block he lived, had a comic book spinner rack filled with Image comics like Spawn, Savage Dragon, Wild Cats, Cyber Force and Gen 13 in the early 90’s, that Drew knew what he had to do: develop the skills to create his own high quality story someday.  It wasn’t long after his in depth study of these Image titles (the line work, the compositional layout, how to creatively use panels and dialogue bubbles, etc.) that he found another corner store a few blocks away that had stashed in the back of their magazine rack some Heavy Metals. When he got old enough to buy them, Drew also immersed himself in these provocative stories that led to his studying the phenomenal art of the European artists like Massimiliano Frezzato and Moebius. Drew’s work today on his graphic novel project reflects his years of study and dedication to dynamic and high quality sequential illustrative storytelling and design.