I’m Andrei Ausch, better known in the collector community as “DRE.” I’m an illustrator and painter working primarily in the entertainment and collectibles industry, with a particular focus on original and licensed sketch card artwork.
Since 2016, I’ve had the opportunity to create commercial sketch cards for publishers including Upper Deck, Perna Studios and Topps, contributing artwork to licensed projects featuring properties from Marvel, DC, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Netflix.
For me, being an artist has always been about continuing to learn, experiment and improve. My approach has evolved considerably over the years, but that process of figuring things out—and trying to make the next piece better than the last—is still a big part of what keeps me interested in creating.
A large part of my professional illustration work has been in the world of sketch cards.
Working on licensed trading card sets presents a unique challenge. You’re creating original artwork for established characters and properties, often on a canvas measuring only 2.5″ x 3.5″. That small format has pushed me to think carefully about composition, color, detail and how to make an individual piece stand out.
Over the years, I’ve created sketch card artwork for publishers including Upper Deck, Perna Studios and Topps, working across licensed entertainment properties from Marvel, DC, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Netflix.
Every project brings something different to the table, and that’s a big part of what has kept sketch cards interesting for me.
Acrylic paint is my primary medium, but I don’t like limiting myself to one particular tool or technique.
Depending on the piece, I’ll incorporate colored pencils, airbrush, inks and other media into the process. Different materials solve different problems, and experimenting with them has helped me continue developing my approach to illustration and painting.
I’m particularly interested in how color, lighting, texture and composition work together. Even when I’m working at sketch-card scale, I’m still thinking about the piece as a complete painting rather than simply a small drawing.
Like most artists, my work has been shaped by years of looking at and learning from other artists.
Joe Jusko, Simon Bisley, Alex Ross and Glenn Fabry are a few of the artists who have had an influence on me. I admire different things about each of their approaches, but I’ve never wanted to simply reproduce someone else’s style.
For me, studying other artists is about understanding how they solve problems—how they use color, anatomy, composition, lighting, texture or technique—and then taking those lessons back into my own work.
The goal has always been to keep learning while developing a style that feels like my own.
One of the things I enjoy most about creating art is that there’s always something else to learn.
I’m constantly refining my process, experimenting with techniques and looking for ways to improve. Sometimes that means trying a new medium or tool. Other times it’s something much smaller—a different approach to mixing color, building up a painting, creating texture or simplifying part of my workflow.
I don’t think of developing as an artist as something with a finish line. The constant process of learning, experimenting and improving is what keeps the work interesting for me.
Outside of illustration, I have a background in graphic design and have spent close to 25 years working in digital marketing with both local and international brands.
At first glance, digital marketing and painting sketch cards might seem like completely different worlds, but there’s more crossover than you might expect.
My design and marketing background influences how I think about composition, visual hierarchy, branding and communication. Whether I’m designing something for a brand or painting a character, I’m still thinking about how the viewer’s eye moves through an image and what makes that image connect with someone.
That combination of illustration, design and marketing experience has become an important part of how I approach my work today.
More than anything, I want to keep creating work that challenges me.
I enjoy experimenting, learning from other artists, refining my techniques and seeing how my work changes over time. I’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible properties and publishers, but I still approach art with the mindset that there is always another skill to develop and another problem to solve.
That’s what keeps me interested.
Whether you found my work through Marvel or DC sketch cards, another licensed trading card set, the collector community, or somewhere completely different, I hope this video gives you a little more insight into who I am, what I create and how I approach my work as an artist.
