In 1894, he joined the staff of the "Philadelphia Press" as an illustrator. He moved into a one-room flat with fellow illustrator, Everett Shinn. Through his illustration work, Luks became acquainted with William Glackens and John Sloan and eventually Robert Henri, and these artists including Shinn later became known as the Philadelphia Five.

In April of 1896, after serving as a war correspondent in Cuba, Luks moved to New York, where he joined the staff of the "The New York World" and began to draw the comic strip, "The Yellow Kid." By 1902, Lusks abandoned newspaper work in order to devote his energy to painting.

In 1908, The Eight formed from the pre-existing Philadelphia Five with the addition of Maurice Prendergast, Arthur Bowen Davies, and Ernest Lawson. They exhibited at the Macbeth Gallery in New York from February 3rd through February 15th.

Luks employment as a newspaper illustrator may have led to his interest in the everyday people and scenes which dominate many of his early canvases. Street urchins, beggar women, rag pickers, and the working class are painted with an immediacy, honesty, and richness reflective of Dutch Master, Frans Hals.

Luk's personality is as famous as his painting. A loud, boastful but purportedly good-humored man, Luks was also a heavy drinker. On October 29, 1933, he was found dead on the streets of New York, a casualty of a bar-room brawl.