David Hardy's introduction to astronomical illustration was rather a rushed affair when in 1954, as a mere 18-year-old, he was commissioned to produce eight black and white illustrations for a book by now-legendary astronomer, Patrick Moore: Suns, Myths & Men. He had just five days to produce them in before National Service required him to join the RAF.
Born in 1936 in Bournville, Birmingham, he honed his talents painting chocolate boxes for Cadbury's. By 1965, he had become a freelance artist and illustrator, beginning a career that resulted in covers for dozens of book and magazines, both factual such as New Scientist, Focus and various astronomical publications, for which he also writes; and SF including Analog and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF).
In 1968 he held his first one-man exhibition, at the London Planetarium. Some of the unsold works were then transferred to Harrods, from where two were purchased by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. He has since exhibited internationally, and his work is in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. His art is (or was) owned by Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, Wernher von Braun, Isaac Asimov, Stephen Baxter and Brian May, amongst many others.
1972 saw the publication of Challenge of the Stars, which Hardy not only illustrated but co-wrote with Patrick Moore. A bestseller, it joined the select pantheon of books that influenced a new generation of up-and-coming astronomical artists.
By now, Hardy's work was receiving international recognition and he has twice been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. He has also twice been nominated for the Chesley Award, and was voted 'Best European SF artist'.
Other work by Hardy includes an SF novel, Aurora: A Child of Two Worlds, movie work on The Never-Ending Story, and on TV (Cosmos, Horizon, The Sky at Night and even Blake's Seven); and record covers including, not surprisingly, Holst's The Planets. In 2001 Hardyware, an illustrated book about his life and work written by Chris Morgan, was published by Paper Tiger.
In 2004, Hardy's long-standing collaboration with Sir Patrick Moore culminated in Futures: 50 Years in Space, which received the Sir Arthur Clarke Award. In this the two explored the changing perceptions of space exploration since they first collaborated in the '50s, the '70s (the era of Challenge of the Stars) and into the 21st century.
Artistically, Hardy has also embraced the growing digital trend that started in the approach to the new millennium. Whilst still painting with acrylics and oils, he now uses Photoshop on his Mac as a matter of course.
In March 2003, Hardy was paid perhaps the ultimate accolade a space artist can receive: he had an asteroid (13329) named after him. Discovered in September 1998, it was christened Davidhardy=1998 SB32 – high praise indeed! He is European Vice President of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) and also Vice President of the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA). He has twice been Chairman (as well as Secretary, Publicity Officer and Newsletter Editor) of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group, and was on the committee of several Novacons. He has previously been Artist GoH at Albacon, Novacon, Armadacon, Stucon, and in 2007 Eurocon in Copenhagen.