Born in Erith, Kent, White studied at the Medway College of Art between 1968 and 1972.
[2] Following this, he spent two years working for various advertising studios, until he received his first book cover commission in 1974, for Arthur C Clarke's The Other Side of the Sky.
[2] He later provided covers for authors including Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, August Derleth, H. P. Lovecraft, Piers Anthony and Bruce Sterling.
[4] In A Biographical Dictionary of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, Robert Weinberg says, "White combines superlative detail with a largely figurative approach to his work and creates a totally realistic image of his landscape of the imagination.
"[2] The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says, "White has been celebrated as a representative of a new school of super-realists that began shaping British [science fiction] art in the mid-1970s",[1] but notes that he has been "relatively inactive since the year 2000".