Now living in Lebanon, Ohio, C.F. Payne has illustrations that have appeared in magazines, advertisements and children’s books for more than 35 years. A graduate of the Illustrators Workshop and Miami University with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree, Payne began his freelance career in 1980 with a move to Dallas, Texas. He has taught illustration for more than thirty years, nineteen of which were at Columbus College of Art and Design. Currently he serves as the Director of the Master of Fine Art in Illustration program at the Hartford Art School.

Payne’s art has been exhibited in numerous museums and university galleries including the Cincinnati Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Norman Rockwell Museum, Huntington Art Museum, Baseball Hall of Fame and more. His art has appeared on the covers of the New York Times, MAD, Time, Der Spiegel, Sports Illustrated and Reader’s Digest magazines. C.F. Payne has illustrated twenty children’s books authored by Sue Macy, Marissa Moss, Phil Bildner and noted actor/authors John Lithgow, Steve Martin, astronaut Mark Kelly, and Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In 1995, he was awarded the “Hamilton King Award” by the Society of Illustrators for the best illustration of the year. In 2012, he was awarded the “Distinguished Educator in the Arts Award” by the Society of Illustrators. In 2018, he was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.