Artist Corner
A self portrait drawn by artist Byron Vaughns that he features on his Substack account , Your Out Of The Box Creator .
Story by Glenda Sanders
Artist Byron Vaughns often amazes Meridian residents with his creative talents when they happen upon him at downtown events , such as Night Market or Full Moon on Fifth .
His quick sketches and illustrations always bring a smile to the person ’ s face whether it is a portrait of their son or daughter or a caricature of their pet dog . Many don ’ t even realize the man sitting before them holding a sketch pad and pencil has an Emmy Award — sometimes sitting on the nearby table — from decades of living in Hollywood and working as a storyboard artist , director and producer for studios such as Hanna-Barbera , Nickelodeon , The Cartoon Network , Universal Studios , MGM , Warner Brothers and Disney .
“ I was a cartoon nut and I guess I still am ,” said Vaughns with a laugh as he sketched another caricature .
He moved to Meridian a few years ago after marrying his wife Kate , a retired United Methodist elder and pastor , and has been sharing his love of pen and ink projects with the Queen City ever since .
He seeks to engage people with his work , sort of a blend of the comics and animation styles , whether a commissioned piece or a caricature of someone he just met , hoping they see not only his love of art but his sense of humor , too .
“ I try to please people and I like the idea of selling things to people that they actually enjoy what I give them ,” he said , noting that his caricatures are always popular at shows and festivals .
Vaughns was born in Memphis , Tennessee , but raised across the river in West Memphis , Arkansas . His father is one of the original Tuskegee Airman , serving as a mechanic on the B-25 bomber during World War II from 1942 to 1946 .
As a young boy , Vaughns showed a talent for drawing and often could be found drawing the cartoons he saw on television or the characters he saw in the Sunday comics , or funny papers .
“ When I was a kid , I wanted to find someone to draw Popeye for me because that was very popular on television when I was growing up . I was a television kid raised on animated cartoons and loved the funnies ,” he said .
Vaughns said he eventually learned to draw Popeye and other cartoon characters himself because he could not find
14 • MERIDIAN LIFE