John Sibbick

John Sibbick (UK, 1949) is a British freelance illustrator and palaeoartist, known for his depictions of prehistoric life and for his fantasy art.

Early life John Sibbick began drawing in his childhood. His earliest art involved drawing figures and copying cartoons. Sibbick practiced drawing in a sketch club at his school and at age 11 he entered for the exams of the Royal Drawing Society, passing with honours. Sibbick began taking weekend classes at the Guildford School of Art at the age of 15. The next year, he began a full-time education in graphics and illustration at the school, lasting four years. He initially worked as a general illustrator without any plans to specialize in any particular direction. The earliest books illustrated by Sibbick were largely children's reference books on a variety of subjects, sometimes including extinct life. Both his palaeoart and fantasy art careers began in the 1980s. He first gained wide recognition when his artwork was commissioned for a series of illustrated 1980s books on mythology and folk tales.

Sibbick has since the 1980s continued to produce both palaeoart and fantasy art, In terms of palaeoart, Sibbick has produced artwork for popular books, academic works, magazines such as National Geographic and GEO, museums, and exhibitions. In terms of fantasy art, some of Sibbick's most well-known work comes from his association with Games Workshop in the late 1980s. Sibbick painted the cover art for the first edition of the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay rules, and for numerous later releases. His artwork was also used as cover images for the magazine White Dwarf. Sibbick's Warhammer artwork was highlighted in an Illuminations exposè in White Dwarf 83 in 1986.

Influence and legacy Sibbick is world-renowned as a palaeoartist and his work is considered to be highly influential. Sibbick's artwork has been particularly noted for his attention to detail and minutiae; in 2000, Paul Sereno and John Lanzendorf dubbed him the "don of detail". In 2003, the pterosaur Ludodactylus sibbicki was named after Sibbick. by David Norman Dinosaurs: A Global View (1990), by Stephen A. Czerkas The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs (1991), by Peter Wellnhofer Prehistoric Life: The Rise of the Vertebrates (1994), by David Norman The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia (2001), by David Burnie The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs (2005), by and David B. Weishampel