| Stephen Fabian | |
| Birth Name: | Stephen Emil Fabian |
| Birth Date: | 3 January 1930 |
| Birth Place: | Garfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Field: | Illustrator |
| Awards: | World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement |
Stephen Emil Fabian Sr. (born January 3, 1930) is an American artist.
Stephen Fabian was born January 3, 1930, in Garfield, New Jersey.[1]
Fabian joined the United States Air Force in 1951. That was the same year he became interested in science fiction.[2]
Leaving the Air Force in 1953, Fabian worked for DuMont Laboratories. Five years later, he joined aircraft component manufacturer Curtiss-Wright, and in 1963 found employment at electronics manufacturer Simmonds Precision Products.
Fabian became interested in drawing in 1965. He read books by illustrator and art instructor Andrew Loomis, and began practicing at making art in his spare time. Within two years, Fabian's artwork began appearing in fanzines. He was very quickly employed by professional science fiction magazines, and in 1974 (the same year he was laid off by Simmonds), he began working full-time as an illustrator.
Fabian specializes in science fiction and fantasy illustration and cover art for books and magazines.[3] Fabian also produced artwork for TSR's Dungeons & Dragons game from 1986 to 1995, particularly on the Ravenloft line. He was self-taught, two of his primary influences being Virgil Finlay and Hannes Bok.[4] His work is usually signed Stephen Fabian or Stephen E. Fabian.
Fabian was a recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2006.[5] He has also been a two-time nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist (1970 and 1971), and a seven-time nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist (1975–1981). Collections of his work include Ladies & Legends (1993) and Stephen E. Fabian's Women & Wonders (1995).