He studied at the Margaret Street College of Art in Birmingham, and was soon painting for the British Interplanetary Society.
[2] He started his career as an employee in the Design Office of Cadbury's, where he created packaging and advertising art for the company's confectionery; but was already illustrating books for e.g. Patrick Moore.
[citation needed] Jon Gustafson and Peter Nicholls write that he is "known as much for his astronomical paintings in the accurate tradition of Chesley Bonestell as for his sf work...
Some of his best early work was to illustrate a nonfiction book by Patrick Moore, Suns, Myths, and Men (1954)."
He has been Artist Guest of Honour at a number of science fiction conventions, including Stucon, Albacon, Armadacon, Novacon, the 2007 Eurocon, and Illustrious, the 2011 Eastercon.