Mark A. Garlick

I am a freelance illustrator and author with a strong scientific background. I have a Bachelor’s degree in astronomy from University College London (UCL), and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. In September 1993, having successfully completed my doctorate, I secured a research post in theoretical astronomy at the University of Sussex, in Brighton (UK).

Around 1995, I began to write popular science articles for magazines such as Astronomy Now and Modern Astronomer. I was often able to back up my articles with paintings I had already done. Gradually the number of my paintings grew, as did the frequency of my articles. Then, in 1996, my contract at Sussex University at an end, I finally realised that a scientific career was not my cup of tea. So I put down the telescope to concentrate full time on a new career as a writer, illustrator and fine artist, specialising in the accurate depiction of astronomical phenomena, and balancing my scientific knowledge with an artistic sense.

Since starting my freelance career (1997), my space illustrations have appeared in their hundreds in magazines and books, often on the covers, in other publications and on television. And I have expanded my repertoire somewhat also — I now produce illustrations of science fiction, dinosaurs and earth sciences, among others (see markgarlick.com). These days I work mainly digitally, often producing my illustrations entirely from scratch in Photoshop. I have also moved into the field of 3D computer animation, usimg mainly 3DS Max.

As far as my article writing goes, I have used several outlets, which have included The Guardian, New Scientist, Scientific Computing World, Astronomy Now, Scientific American, Astronomy and Sky & Telescope — the latter three being US publications. However, these days my writing is mostly restricted to books.