STERNBACH, Rick

(1951-)

   US astronomical and sf illustrator, born in Connecticut. He has worked in sf since 1973, when he sold a cover painting to Analog (Oct 1973), for whom he did 14 covers in all, along with 9 for Gal and 8 forFSF, mostly in the 1970s. He has also done black-and-white interior art for a variety of magazines including IASFM, covers for both paperback and hardcover books, and colour work for Astronomy Magazine. In 1976 he was one of the founders of the Association of Science Fiction/Fantasy Artists (ASFA). RS also worked, from 1977, for Walt Disney Studios and ParamountPictures. In 1977 he worked on Carl SAGAN's Cosmos tv series. In 1986 he became an illustrator for STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, and is now a senior illustrator and technical consultant for it. He produced The Star Trek, the Next Generation Technical Manual * (1991) with Michael Okuda.Now California-based, he no longer does much book or magazine illustration. He won the HUGO for Best Professional Artist in 1977 and 1978. He is an acknowledged master of the airbrush but also uses ordinarybrushes extremely well, particularly with gouache. Though his space art is evocative and his design sense strong, his figures are sometimes awkward.

JG

   See also: ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION.