Bio

All content © Ward Jenkins unless otherwise noted.

Hi there. I’m Ward Jenkins. I draw and animate from my home in Portland, Oregon. It’s nice here. I used to live in Atlanta, but moved to the Pacific Northwest in early 2007 to direct animated commercials. Since June of 2008, I’ve been on my own and drawing lots of fun stuff for various people and clients.

I live with my photographer/writer wife, Andrea, and together we have two kids: Ava and Ezra.

A few things about me: I love collecting old ephemera, cookbooks, children’s books and whatnot from the 1940’s to the 60’s. I’m a big fan of mid-century art & design. I also love old school hip-hop and graffiti. Go figure.

I’ve illustrated two children’s books: How To Train With A T.Rex And Win 8 Gold Medals, by Michael Phelps with Alan Abrahamson; and Chicks Run Wild, by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, to be released in January of 2011. Both published by Simon & Schuster. I love illustrating books. So, I’m happy to announce that I’m now represented by the wonderful Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. If you’d like me to illustrate a book, please contact her via email. She’d love to hear from you.

I’m a current member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

I have a blog called The Ward-O-Matic. There, I write about “art, animation, and anything aesthetically pleasing to the eye”. It’s there where you can find out what I’m up to, mostly. I’m also one of the contributors to Drawn!, the popular multi-author blog devoted to art, comics, illustration & animation.

While mostly working in the animation industry since 1996, I also find the time to illustrate and paint. In October of 2008, I experienced my first solo show at the Grassyknoll Gallery in downtown Portland. Titled b-boy, you can view the entire show here.

If you like my stuff and would like to have a print hanging on your wall, you’re in luck! I have an Etsy store: The Ward-O-Matic Shop. There, you can buy prints and original artwork from me. I sign and mail out everything personally. Right now, I have 5 x 7 and 8.5 x 11 inch prints of some of my illustrations for sale, including several from my b-boy series.

Yes! I’m available to speak to schools and classes. If you’d like for me to visit your school, feel free to contact me by sending me an email. I’d love to hear from you. I can juggle, by the way. Not for very long, but hey, I can juggle.

Me & my family. The beard gives me special drawing powers.