Brad W. Foster (born April 26, 1955) is an American

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

. He has also been Artist Guest of Honor at multiple conventions such as

ArmadilloCon ArmadilloCon is a science fiction convention held annually in Austin, Texas, USA, since 1979. As the second longest running science fiction convention in Texas, it is sponsored by the Fandom Association of Central Texas and is known for its empha ...

10, Conestoga 9, Archon 35, NASFiC 2010, and 73rd World Science Fiction Convention.

Biography

Foster was born in 1955 in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. In 1977, he received a bachelor's degree in

environmental design Environmental design is the process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. It seeks to create spaces that will enhance the natural, social, cultural and physical environm ...

from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, then continuing his studies for two more years at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, concentrating on techniques of fine and commercial art. In 1976, he founded the small press publishing company Jabberwocky Graphix, initially to print and distribute his own art and comics, although he has subsequently published the work of over 300 other artists from around the world. Among the Jabberwocky Graphix publications were some of the early

minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...

format booklets, ranging from the standard 8-pager up to the thick, 375 page "One Year's Worth". Between 1987 and 1988, he wrote and drew four issues of the comic book ''Mechthings'', which were published by

Renegade Press Renegade Press was an American comic book company, founded by Canadian Deni Loubert, that operated from 1984 to 1988. Notable titles published by Renegade included '' Flaming Carrot'', '' Ms. Tree'', and ''normalman''. History Loubert was publ ...

. In the early 1990s he worked on ''

Shadowhawk ShadowHawk is a superhero created by Jim Valentino for Image Comics. He was first advertised in the ''Malibu Sun'' free promotional magazine in May 1992. His official Image Comics debut was in the second issue of '' Youngblood'' series (June ...

'' for

Jim Valentino Jim Valentino (born October 28, 1952) is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books, best known for his 1990–1992 work on '' Guardians of the Galaxy'' for Marvel Comics, and for co-founding Image Comics, a company publ ...

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

. For that comic he was listed in the credits as the "Big-Background Artist", which referred to his role in both penciling and inking the larger and more detailed background designs only on certain select panels and pages, rather than throughout. From 1987 to 1991 he was a regular contributing illustrator to the science fiction magazine ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...

''. In 2008 he began producing illustrations for the newsletter ''Ansible'', published by British author

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and Literary criticism, critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science-fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'' and holds the all-time ...

, creating a full color version for the on-line edition, and a different black-and-white version for the print edition. Since 2010 he has written and drawn the monthly cartoon "The Funny Business of Art" for Sunshine Artist magazine.

Awards

Foster has won multiple awards for his artwork at various art festivals and conventions around the country, including twice at The Red River Revel in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. *

Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist The Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy which appeared in low- or non-paying publications such as semiprozines or fanzines. A Hugo Award for professional artists is also gi ...

** 2011 (won) ** 2010 (won) ** 2008 (won) ** 1994 (won) ** 1992 (won) ** 1989 (won) ** 1988 (won) ** 1987 (won) * 1988,

Chesley Award The Chesley Awards are the "pinnacle award" for art in the science fiction and fantasy genre. Established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, the awards recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a g ...

from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists for "Best Unpublished Monochrome". * 2001, Bill Rotsler Award * 2004, Cat Writer's Association: Muse Award - Best Series of Illustrations * 2006, Cat Writer's Association: Muse Award - Best Series of Illustrations * 2011, Rebel Award for his contributions for Southern fandom at

FenCon FenCon is a literary science fiction and fantasy convention with filk held each year in or around Dallas, Texas. The name is derived from "fen", the fannish plural of "fan", and "con", an abbreviation for "convention". FenCon is a production of ...

DeepSouthCon The DeepSouthCon (DSC) is an annual science fiction convention, which is hosted in different cities in the Southern United States. Site selection is by vote of the membership of a given DSC, for the convention to be held 2 years in the future. DS ...

49 Foster was the artist guest of honor for the 2010 NASFiC,

ReConStruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

, Conestoga 9 in 2005, and Archon 35 in 2011, and Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention, in 2015.

Selected works

*''The Adventures of Olivia'' #1 - 5 (co-writer/artist 1989-1996) Jabberwocky Graphix *''Altered Image'' #1 (inker, 1998)

*''

File 770 ''File 770'' is a long-running science fiction fanzine, newszine, and blog site published and administered by Mike Glyer. It has been published every year since 1978, and has won a record eight Hugo Awards for Best Fanzine, with the first w ...

'' 1984 through present (covers and illustrations)

Mike Glyer Mike Glyer (born February 16, 1953) is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine ''File 770''. He has won the Hugo Award 12 times in two categories: ''File 770'' won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989 ...

publisher *'' Fission Chicken'' #1 - 4 (color finished art over pencils by J. P. Morgan)

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...

*''

Highlights for Children ''Highlights for Children'', often referred to simply as ''Highlights'', is an American children's magazine. It was started in June 1946 by educators Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. They worked for the ...

'' 1983 (hidden pictures page) *''Mechthings'' #1 - 4 (writer/artist 1987-1988) Renegade Press *''Slam Bang'' #1 (1985) through present (various covers, comic strips and illustrations) Fan-Atic Press *''

'' #5 - 11 ("Big Background Artist", 1993, 1994)

References

External links

Brad W. Foster's Jabberwocky Graphix business website

2001 Rotsler Award: Brad Foster

Interview with Brad W. Foster from "City Limits Gazette", at Poopsheet Foundation

Q&A with Cartoonist Brad Foster at "The Oxford American"

Gaming-related bio and data, in French, at "Grog"

Interview with Brad W. Foster at "Wire Rim Books"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Brad W. Hugo Award–winning artists Living people American fantasy artists American science fiction artists 1955 births Texas A&M University alumni University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts alumni