Who is Jon Jennings?
Many artists will tell you that trying to understand them is like trying to understand the mysteries of the world. I however, consider myself to be an open, book. A confusing book, nonetheless, but still open. As of now, I live in South Carolina in a little-known town called Goose Creek (or "Duck Ditch" to the natives), and have done so since about 1991. There's really nothing to do in the immediate vicinity, unless you're willing to drive into downtown Charleston, which takes about half an hour and three aspirins after trying to find a place to park. It isn't a wonder that I spent most of my time at home, either playing video games or drawing... moreso of the former.
Video games could take up a whole page or two if I chose to talk about them, especially since I've been playing them for about as long as I've been able to read, but since this site is more dedicated to the art, then the art will be discussed. The little guy you see to the right of this paragraph is Plato, the first cartoon character I created, circa sixth grade. He didn't look much different than he does here, squiggly lines included. I'd like to think that my style has improved greatly from this point, but some times, it really doesn't feel like it has. While most of my cartoons throughout the years have been anthropomorphic animals, it wasn't until I was about 15 when I found out about the furry fandom, and that what I had been drawing could be classified as "furries". Naturally, the excitement of finding some sort of group where my art could belong caused me to draw more, and at the time, try to win the approval of the other artists. I got my first webpage up (what a monstrosity that thing was), joined the fur ring, and after I was accepted, I happened to stroll across a site a few places down from mine. I was impressed with that artist's art, and going along with my goal of impressing and trying to belong with the rest of the artists, I offered to draw her character... she happened to be Jessica Johnson, the most influential artist and person I've come in contact with in my entire life. Those of you who know me personally know how much I can talk about her, and I suspect that you are the ones reading this, so I'll spare you the gushing I can do about her. To sum it all up, she's like my air, without her, I couldn't breathe.
Datonel
Although by the time he came along, Datonel shared a spot with about 72 other characters I had created in the 3 years that I had been drawing cartoons. Despite the sheer number of characters that existed, he was the first that actually had a personality, namely, mine. Most people at one point or another ask where I came up with his name, and in lieu of that, I'm putting it here so I won't ever have to type it up again. In mid ninth grade, my friend Aaron organized a LARP, or Live Action Roleplay based on the now on eternal hiatus RPG we were creating called "Tales of Philipia" and I needed to come up with a name for my character. Another of my friends had left a sheet of paper at my house with a bunch of names on it a few months prior and I looked at it to get ideas. Lo and behold, Datonel was one of the ones on the list (crossed out as well), and to this day, I have no idea where it originally came from. Not the most interesting of stories, but hey, it's the truth.
I'm now studying at Winthrop University in South Carolina, working up to get my degree in Graphic Design, most likely with a minor in illustration. It's rough work right now, but nothing I can't handle.
Contact Information
Email: datonel@comcast.net
