Erin Vaughan

Erin Vaughan

Illustrator

Erin Vaughan is an illustrator from Southern California with a pure sense of fun. She spent much of her childhood summers road tripping, camping and visiting places around the American countryside. These summers left a mark, impacting her style and subjects.

According to Erin:

“My work is based on reflections of memory and nostalgia. It is mostly rooted in places I have visited and seen both as a child and as an adult. I have also more recently enjoy the process of painting places like the National and State Parks, because so many people in the States have at one point in their life made it to one of these preserved places.

“I feel so fulfilled creating work that helps people preserve those memories and experiences. It helps them maintain stories and memories that can be shared and passed down from generation to generation. There are so many beautiful things associated with time spent in these sacred pieces: land,­ community and family time, a break from work and stress, and the contentment one receives by immersing themselves in nature.

“Part of the process of creating a illustration is the collection of photos I take when I am visiting somewhere, that I will then use for reference material. If I’m creating a painting based off a place I have not yet visited, I try to do adequate research and collecting of images before I begin a painting. To start I usually do a really rough compositional sketch, then I draw the final out on watercolor paper in pencil. Then I will paint in my favorite medium gouache (a paint that can both be treated as watercolor and like an acrylic). I’ll start with the sky and background and work my way though the different layers of detail. At the end I usually finish the illustration off with a little pen outline.

“It’s important for me to stay inspired, so adventuring, camping, collaborating and meeting with other artists, going to shows and listening to folk music are part of that process.”

Photos (C) 2015 Erin Vaughan

To see more of Erin’s work, follow her on Instagram and visit her website.