Devon Rodriguez (b. 1996) is a Honduran-Puerto Rican-American artist and painter from the South Bronx. As a young adult, inspired by his love of graffiti, Rodriguez pursued his passion for art with aspirations to attend the esteemed High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. Despite facing initial disappointment when his application was rejected, he resiliently enrolled in Samuel Gompers High School in the South Bronx. It was there that he encountered a transformative art teacher, Jeremy Harper, whose encouragement spurred Rodriguez to persistently refine his skills and pursue his dreams as an artist.

In 2011, Rodriguez finally secured admission to the High School of Art and Design, where he expanded his practice and first started to draw fellow passengers on the subway, as he often rode the No. 6 train connecting the Bronx and Manhattan. Rodriguez rose to attention in 2019 when he was nominated as a finalist in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, which celebrates excellence in the art of portraiture. He soon thereafter joined TikTok and gained immediate success for sketching strangers on the New York City subway system and capturing their reactions.

Now, with over 31m followers on TikTok alone, he is the most followed visual artist on social media and a leading influencer in the fine arts space and beyond, represented by United Talent Agency (UTA). In recent years, Rodriguez has continued to draw fellow passengers on the subway alongside commissioned portraits of high-profile figures from President Joe Biden to leading actors Jared Leto and Jennifer Coolidge. Rodriguez currently teaches art courses online, including a MasterClass on portraiture.