Tim O'Brien

Tim O’Brien is a Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame illustrator who creates intricately detailed illustrations and portraits from his Brooklyn, New York, studio. His illustrations have appeared numerous times on the cover of Time Magazine (the most of any living illustrator), Der Spiegel, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, Smithsonian, and many other periodicals and have been featured in Esquire, GQ, National Geographic, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and many
more. Other clients include most major book publishers and advertising agencies. O’Brien has illustrated several US Postage Stamps.
Tim has received awards and recognition from the Society of Illustrators in New York and Los Angeles, Graphis, CA Magazine, the Society of Publication Designers, American Illustration, the Art Directors Club, and, most recently, the cover of the year for his Trump Time covers from Advertising Age. Tim’s paintings are among the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC., and he is a winner of the 2009 Hamilton King Award from the Society of Illustrators, and Tim was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2025. Tim received an honorary doctorate from Lyme Academy of Fine Art in 2013.
Tim is the second-longest-serving president of The Society of Illustrators, 2014-2022. His numerous speaking engagements include The United Nations, BYU, The Norman Rockwell Museum, The Society of Illustrators, Syracuse University, SVA, Pratt, RISD, CCA, Western Connecticut State University, College of Creative Studies, MICA, and the University of the Arts. Tim has been an educator for over 30 years and is currently an adjunct professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Note to potential students:
I focus on each student, helping them develop their problem-solving skills, finding their voice, and holding their work up to a professional standard.

B.A., Paier College of Art.