Les Edwards

Edwards studied at Hornsey College of Art between 1968 and 1972, where he says he was "firmly advised that he would never be an illustrator"[3] due to a general perception in the department that the job was too difficult,[4] and later claiming that the experience failed to provide much of use in later years.

[6] Over the course of his prolific career Edward's work has included advertising campaigns, graphic novels and film design, but he is perhaps best known for his book jacket illustrations spanning the horror, fantasy and science fiction genres.

[3][5] Over the years he has provided many illustrations for genre titles, including numerous pieces for Robert E. Howard's Conan stories[2][7][8][9] and Pratchett's Discworld setting,[10][11][12][13][14][15] and books by authors such as Anne McCaffrey,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Frank Herbert,[25][26] Jack Vance,[27][28] and many others.

[29] Edwards is also known for his numerous covers for books in the Fighting Fantasy series, including Caverns of the Snow Witch,[30] Demons of the Deep,[31] and Crypt of the Sorcerer,[32] and many of the more recent re-issues.

[5][6] Having met at the World Fantasy Convention in London, Barker later recalled Edwards and recommended him to Eclipse Books for the first, Son of Celluloid; after its success Rawhead Rex followed.

Following from preliminary sketches, images are constructed on the support with a hard pencil before being developed using washes of a neutral coloured acryclic, usually brown, a technique Edwards says he borrowed from 'the old masters'.

[3][4][5] Recently Edwards has also begun working in the digital medium with programs like Painter, enjoying the freedom afforded with computers, although he continues to express a preference for traditional painting techniques.