My Story

Hi, I'm John Lightle — an illustrator, designer, and creator based in Ohio.

My story didn't start with art school or a sketchbook I carried everywhere. I was a kid who grew up playing Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons — daydreaming of characters and adventure. One day sitting in the living room in pajamas, watching a behind the scenes video of the making of the TMNT movie and seeing an artist draw one of the turtles with a Sharpie — something just clicked.

Before art became my calling I had big plans. Pro basketball player. Street skater. Golfer. Then a friend introduced me to PlayStation and I rented Final Fantasy 7 from my local video store. One look at Cloud Strife and I knew I wanted to be a character designer. That one moment sent me down a road of anime, manga, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and the films of Hayao Miyazaki — worlds and characters that made me feel something deep.

I went to school for Film and Video with every intention of working in that world. While putting together a demo reel my brother showed me short bio videos of Aaron Draplin and Oliver Jeffers. I looked at what they did and said — I want to do that. I found my calling while looking for something else entirely.

Looking back it made sense. My dad and both my grandfathers were in the trucking sales and repair business. Growing up in that world meant old manuals, bold logos, and thick graphic lettering everywhere. I didn't know it then but those images were already wiring something in me. When I saw Draplin's work it felt like coming home.

My work lives somewhere between the quirky warmth of a great kids book and the adventurous heart of the Cartoon Network shows I grew up loving. Warm, goofy, and weird in the best way. I want people to feel what the characters feel. Not just look at my world, but step inside it.