Quick Facts
Biography
Charles Schneeman (24 November 1912, Staten Island, New York - 1 January 1972, Pasadena, California) was an American illustrator of science fiction.
Life
He got a degree in art from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 1933. Further art training followed at Grand Central School of Art with Harvey Dunn and George Bridgman's figure drawing classes. By that time, he was already interested in science fiction. "A friend showed me an early copy of Amazing Stories in 1927 and it was my undoing. The world lost a chemist as I went down the science fiction drain", he wrote. He started drawing for Wonder Stories in 1934 and moved to Astounding in 1935. In 1938 he had his first cover, for "The Legion of Time" by Jack Williamson, and at that time he met John W. Campbell. Between 1938 and 1952 he had illustrated a lot of Astounding issues, including making five covers. In World War II he illustrated Army Air Corps technical manuals and discussed doing a comic strip with Isaac Asimov. After the war, he worked for the New York Journal American and The Denver Post and then moved to Los Angeles. He asked to show his work to 20th Century Fox and got a snotty rejection letter. Schneeman died in Pasadena in 1972.
Artwork
In addition to the science fiction genre (1935–1963), Schneeman illustrated romance magazines, drew humorous cartoons, and created historical and scientific illustrations. Although he used a variety of media, Schneeman expressed a preference for brush and ink, using simple line or dry brush shading.