John Hendrix loves to draw. In fact, he is probably drawing right now. Born in St. Louis, Missouri John has been drawing since shortly after that moment. John attended The University of Kansas to study graphic design and illustration, graduating with a degree in Visual Communication in 1999. He received his first commissioned illustration in 2001, for the Village Voice. After working for a few years as a designer, Hendrix moved from Kansas to New York City. He attended The School of Visual Arts MFA “Illustration as Visual Essay” program and graduated in 2003 with honors. Soon after, he did his first illustration for the New York Times, probably the publication he's done the most work for over the years. During his time living and working in New York, the artist has taught at Parsons School of Design and worked his way up at The New York Times as Assistant Art Director of the Op-Ed page for several years.

 

Hendrix’s work has appeared in such publications as Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Esquire, The New York Times, and Time Magazine among many others. He has also drawn book jackets for the likes of Random House, Harper Collins, Greenwillow Books, Knopf, Penguin, Abrams Books and St. Martin’s Press. His images also appeared in advertising for ESPN/ABC, The NBA and Travelocity. His drawings have won numerous awards, including the Society of Illustrator’s Silver Medal in 2006 and 2008, the 3x3 Gold Medal in sequential illustration and the SILA Silver Best of Show Award.



The artist is a huge fan of typography. As an artist who is writing his own books, he has something to offer that a writer alone or illustrator alone cannot provide. So, the interaction with text inside the frame is a way he uses to create a hybrid language in his work. When asked what a few of his favorite things to draw might be, his answer ranged from old steel bridges, robots, vines, squids, under appreciated civil rights heroes from the 1850’s, watch gears, dimensional bar signage, people with beards, foxes and all kinds of hats. In addition to his editorial drawings and picture books, the artist is teaching Illustration and Communication Design at Washington University in St. Louis.

For the upcoming A Labor of Line, John Hendrix will be contributing two imaginative original works about famous villians who lost their heads (see on below).

 

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