About the artist

Jacob Charles Dietz is an internationally published artist and illustrator working in both traditional and digital mediums. His work encompasses everything from future noir and science fiction, to topics of technology and the plight of man, making is very accessible to a broad audience. His illustrations have appeared on various book covers, posters and products as well as in numerous magazines and newspapers worldwide. Bridging the gap between the now and the then, Jacob’s work is constructed with layers upon layers of detail and almost always includes elements of the 21st century in whatever future he is depicting, making the foreign seem strangely familiar.

He attended the University of Washington before dropping out in favor of a small fine arts finishing school in an old hat factory in Seattle. The elevator was scary and the building was old and drafty, but the education was beyond compare and he learned to actually like cats. When not shooing cats away, he trained extensively in the art of traditional illustration and the fine arts as a whole, leading him to make a go at painting for a living. After several years and a solid gallery following, Jacob decided to ‘go commercial’ and began illustrating full time. His illustrations slowly became more graphic design than illustration and after a while, he was both designer and illustrator on many projects.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Jacob now makes his home in the Sonoran desert, far away from the gray skies and soggy ground of Seattle. His work is most definitely influenced by his years in the eclectic, Seattle art scene and this is reflected in is flexible, but unmistakable style. Other random sources of inspiration include Richard Scarry, Dr. Suess, Mercer Mayer, Dave McKean, Tim Burton, Simon Larbalestier and vintage sci-fi of all forms and flavors.

Jacob is married with two cats and has a ridiculous collection of Star Trek and Star Wars toys that he still manages to store at his parents house. He dreads the day they send him a bill for years of back storage fees.