Richard C. Hess, a prize-winning graphic designer, illustrator and painter who began his career by creating pictures for the paint-by-the-numbers kits in the 1950's, died Monday at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, Conn. He was 57 years old and lived in Norfolk, Conn.

He died of complications from septic shock syndrome, his son Mark said.

Mr. Hess designed magazine, corporate and packaging graphics for many corporations, including the American Broadcasting Company and Xerox. His illustrations appeared on the covers of Time, TV Guide, New York and Esquire magazines. For Esquire's June 1967 issue he created a partly filled-in paint-by-the-numbers drawing of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

He was 18 years old when he was hired by the Palmer Paint Company, which specialized in children's coloring books, to work on mass producing the paint-by-the-numbers drawing kits.

Mr. Hess worked as an art director at advertising agencies including J. Walter Thompson, N. W. Ayer and Benton & Bowles. In 1965 he founded his own design studio.