STEVEN JONES

 Steven Jones was born on (September 17th, 1997) and raised in the South side of Chicago, IL.

He comes from a family of 10 siblings, 7 girls and 3 boys all from the same parents. Steven’s family came from humble beginnings, with both of his parents struggling to make ends meet and provide for each of their children. He was raised to be hard-working and dedicated, that even when things get tough it’s important to be calm and forge ahead, past all the hardships a person can face in life.

 He believes that you have to be willing to put a lot of time and work into things you are passionate about in order to improve not only your craft but also yourself as a person. Growing up he spent a lot of his downtime watching animated cartoons, and movies, reading books, and comics, and playing video games. Getting immersed in the fantastical worlds that came from these kinds of media with compelling stories and captivating visuals inspired Steven to pursue a career in illustration and animation.

 

In 2013 Steven enrolled at the Chicago High School of the Arts and during his time there he was introduced to many different art mediums and fundamental skills for drawing. As time went on, Steven got his work showcased at many school galleries and city exhibitions, he’s even received national art awards, 2 Silver Medals in -Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and illustration. 

In 2017 he enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. In his final year at SAIC in 2022, he had a short 2D animated film called "Scout Trails" that was showcased at the Gene Siskel Film Festival.

 

After recently graduating from SAIC He’s tabled at comic convection and interestingly enough he was a storyboard artist mentee for Netflix’s Foundations program. Learning and getting guidance from well-established animation industry veterans. 

 

Currently, Steven's recent work focuses on storyboarding,  character design, and animation. His style and work are inspired by both Western and Eastern animation and comic artists, Ronald Wimberly-black comic artist and illustrator, Kentro Miura creator of Berserk, Yusuke Murata,  Shinichirō Watanabe- Director of Samurai Champloo, and other animated series like Avatar the Last Airbender, Ninja turtles, Sonic and much more. He also draws inspiration from life in his work always remembering to stay consistent with his fundamentals. Steven creates characters, comics, designs, and stories that are usually based around fantasy, sci-fi, Afrofuturism, martial arts, and sometimes grounded in reality with small abnormal elements.