An illustration of a person with bright red hair and a frowning expression, peeking out from a salad. They are surrounded by green leaves, cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes.

Young American illustrator Jenny Zych has a great visual sensibility

Words: Rob Alderson
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Date: 5 June 2015; Work
Illustration

I came across Jenny Zych’s work thanks to Rookie founder Tavi Gevinson who Tweeted about her talents a couple of weeks ago. She only graduated from The School of Visual Arts in New York in 2013 but already she’s built an eclectic portfolio of work, both under her own name and her alter-ego Jenny Knifefight.

Clients include The New York Times, Samsung and Time Out New York and she’s clearly not afraid to experiment with different styles. I’m less enamoured with some of the grimier, VICE-y style imagery but I adore the gentler, more subtle and sillier work which shows off her draughtsmanship and her wry sense of humour.

An illustration of a figure with short dark hair and a pale pink complexion. They wear a white, angular top and hold their hands up to their chest. — Above
Jenny Zych: Marker Drawings

An illustration of a person sitting with their legs crossed, wearing a white T-shirt and high-heeled shoes. They have blonde hair on top and long, flowing blue hair, with the word “COLT” written in pink across their chest. — Above
Jenny Zych: Marker Drawings

An illustration of a person with bright pink hair tied in two buns, crouching against a white background. They wear a pink and white striped shirt, checked shorts, and chunky green platform sandals. — Above
Jenny Zych: Marker Drawings

An illustration of a person with a blank white face typing on a keyboard. They are surrounded by floating orange shapes and colourful blobs against a black and white background. — Above
Jenny Zych: Weed for Willamette Weekly

An illustration of a tiny person holding up a towering stack of five oversized doughnuts against a pink background. The doughnuts are topped with various colourful glazes, sprinkles and chocolate shards. — Above
Jenny Zych: Voodoo Doughnuts for Willamette Weekly

An illustration of people tending to a collection of potted plants in a bright, minimalist garden. The figures and pots are rendered in a palette of pink, green and blue. — Above
Jenny Zych: Garden Party

An illustration of a person’s face partially obscured by thick, expressive brushstrokes of hair. The strokes are a mix of black, light blue and grey on a white background. — Above
Jenny Zych: Hide

An illustration of two figures on a pink background, separated by a central fold. On the left, a person with a short, dark bowl cut looks sideways; on the right, a person with long, wavy hair and freckles looks forward. Both wear black clothing and are surrounded by simple line drawings of flowers. — Above
Jenny Zych: Sketch Zine spread

Further Info

www.jennyzych.com

About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

Young American illustrator Jenny Zych has a great visual sensibility

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