drawing of a human in a penguin outfit, huddled up for warmth. a speech bubble says "hello".

J YANG

is an illustrator. NYC → Iowa. Queer, Asian American. Open for book cover work; unavailable for longer projects.

  • CLIENTS
    Amplify Education (2018–ongoing; illustration for educational materials.)
    HarperCollins (If You’re a Kid Like Gavin, 2022, The Queen Bees of Tybee County, 2024, Like A Mother Bear, 2027)
    Abrams Books (The Good Hair Day, 2023)
    Scholastic (The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, 2022; Attack of the Black Rectangles, 2022, Gut Reaction, 2023)
    Tor (Let All the Children Boogie, 2020; D.I.Y., 2022, Salt Water, 2023, Three O’Clock Dragon, 2023)
    Macmillan (May the Best Man Win, 2021)
    MTV (Hot Boy Summer, 2024)
    Little Bee/glaad (Our Rainbow & Spirit Day; 2018 & 2019)
    Simon & Schuster
    Valve

  • I ran some charity artbooks that raised $13k in 2019—for more details, check out the projects tab

  • I have a BFA in Communications Design Illustration from Pratt Institute.

For work inquiries, reach out at jyang1029@gmail.com.
For responses concerning your shop order, email jyang12@pratt.edu.

Drawing “diversity” is so important to me because art is the way I process things. Shaping my fingers around a nose, a stretch mark, a skin tone, a hearing aid, was the way I acknowledged that people with such characteristics existed in the world. It wasn’t comfortable; and I needed to sit in it, for the hours needed to research and draw it. Bodies are exquisite, lumpy things, creaking perilously, leaking fluids all the time, and there is so much to marvel at. Over time, I got comfortable with quite a bit. There’s always more though. I look forward to that feeling of being uncomfortable, one lil line at a time.

 
Photograph of an asian-american man in mood lighting.
 

Conventions 2024

  • ECCC

  • Aquashella Dallas Texas