Jenny Jing Zhang is an artist, illustrator, architectural designer, and educator based in Chicago. She’s been sketching since she was little, filling page after page with whatever caught her eye. Growing up in China, she sketched on location in markets, streets, and the cities she explored. That lifelong curiosity eventually led her to earn a Master’s in Architecture from Texas A&M University in 2013. Today, she works in freehand ink and pencil with gentle watercolor washes, letting her lines wander freely—very much in the spirit of Paul Klee’s idea that “A drawing is simply a line going for a walk.”

​

In 2022, Jenny took her sketchbook to Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, after receiving a fellowship that allowed her to immerse herself in one of the most enchanting towns imaginable. She held her first solo exhibition at Artful Framer Studios in 2024 and has taught at the Urban Sketchers Chicago Seminars and Vivify online platform. Whether she’s teaching online or in person, she encourages students to draw more playfully, loosen up, and enjoy the process.

​

Jenny also enjoys working at a much larger scale. In 2024, she created a 117-foot-long mural for Chicago’s Soldier Field. Her work has also been featured by WGN News, highlighting her ongoing contributions to the city’s creative community.