Summary
Jayel Draco is a multimedia visual artist and the co-creator of Oneshi Press, where he acts as the co-creator, co-designer, and one of the six writers at work on the Children of Gaia (COG) series, which includes COG: The Great Nations of Rendaraia; COG: War & Horses; and COG: Regions of Rendaraia and Their Inhabitants. In addition to the various COG titles, Jayel is also the illustrator and designer for both the forthcoming graphic novel Tracy Queen, and the upcoming comic book PACK. The world of Children of Gaia (COG) is the result of his decades-long collaboration with fellow artist Chris Covelli, which began shortly after they first met in seventh-grade social studies class in 1994. Since then, the desire to bring COG to life has guided his career as an artist, fueling his dedication to honing his creative skills. He grew up in New York City, where in 2003, he earned his BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts, later branching out into animation, costume and prop design, photomanipulation, motion graphics, and VFX. During his time as a freelance artist, Jayel’s fashion designs have been featured at trade shows including Project and Pool, and his animation work has appeared in Marvel’s Astonishing X-Men (episodes 1 – 6, written by Joss Whedon, illustrated by John Cassaday, and directed by Neal Adams) at MarvelFest New York City, and in Wagner’s Die Walküre (conducted by James Levine and directed by Robert LePage) at the New York Metropolitan Opera. For several years, he worked under the close tutelage of renowned comic book artist Neal Adams. In 2014, Jayel teamed up with writer Lynsey G to found Oneshi Press, an independent publishing company dedicated to bringing immersive graphic storytelling projects to life. Today, Jayel lives and works in Missoula, Montana, where he can generally be found taking in nature, enjoying a beer from a local microbrew, and immersed in his artwork. For more info about Oneshi Press—who we are, what we do, and our upcoming projects—visit: www.oneshipress.com
Education
School of Visual Arts
BFA Illustration
Sep 1999
- May 2003
Work Experience
Co-Founder | Designer
Oneshi Press
Dec 2017 - Current | | Missoula, MT
Progressive. Immersive. Gorgeous. Welcome to Oneshi Press. Our passion is creating stories that explore dark corners, shatter taboos, emphasize progressive ideals, and immerse you in intricate worlds. We’re inviting you into them to explore! We let our audience in from the earliest stages of our creative process to the very last. We host a Twitch live-stream every Tuesday and Thursday evening, starting at 5:30pm MST. Watch our co-founder and artist, Jayel Draco, as he brings our creative projects to life, and chat with him as he works. The sign-in process is easy, but beware—watching immersive artwork for fantasy and sci-fi projects come to life in real time is surprisingly addictive. There’s a real danger you might get hooked! We also run a Patreon campaign, where you can get even more involved. As a patron, you can get exclusive first looks at our work, commission Jayel to create custom artwork just for you during his Twitch stream, and see yourself in our books, interacting with our characters. There are tons of rewards for you to explore! When we say “come into our world,” we mean that literally.
Social Media