Work in Progress: A Memoir

The inspiring true story of the self-made, Bronx-born portraitist who overcame all odds to become the most followed artist on social media worldwide--featuring 20 original black-and-white ink drawings of the people, places, and things that made him who he is.

Devon Rodriguez talks to strangers: his subway sketches and person-on-the-street interviews have earned him millions of followers. His hyperrealistic work demonstrates the power of portraiture to help us see ourselves and each other. He’s a new-school influencer with old-school talent.

Now, the celebrated Bronx-born artist turns his perspective inward. When Rodriguez was a child, art became an escape from devastating abuse, drugs, and poverty. It was also a currency that helped him stay out of trouble. This fascinating memoir is a twenty-first-century fable about a young man with a pencil, a phone, and a relentless drive to succeed.

Instead of following the conventional route to art world prestige, he saw opportunity online, sharing his work in bite-sized TikTok videos that after many experiments went viral, making him one of the top influencers of his generation. An entrepreneur who makes art accessible to everyday people, he’s succeeded without gallery representation or a Yale degree.

Devon has now sketched over a thousand people. With this book, he delivers his most precise and moving portrait yet: of himself. Frank, profound, and occasionally hilarious, it’s motivational magic for the digital age.

Devon Rodriguez is a Bronx-born portrait artist of Honduran and Puerto Rican descent. He rose to notoriety for drawing realistic portraits of commuters on the New York City subway system. He has also painted such luminaries as former President Biden, Oprah, and more. The most-followed visual artist on TikTok, he was a finalist in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Rodriguez’s work has been featured in The New Yorker, Southwest Art, The Artist’s Magazine, and The New York Times Style Magazine. He resides in New York City.