A celebration of the incredible illustrators behind Playboy magazine in the 1980s. From fantasy painters to pop artists, these creatives shaped the magazine’s iconic visual style.
With this blog post, I’m attempting to make a definitive list of the amazing artists that contributed to the editorial content of Playboy magazine, specifically during the 1980s (other decades will follow). References include my own collection of original magazines and the excellent book, The Art of Playboy, along with web searches for the individual artists. In some instances, I’ve made my best guess at an artist’s name based on their signature, and noted where it was difficult to find any biographical details. I’ve also added weblinks where possible to further examples of their work. Please feel free to correct me or add your own contributions in the comments below. Enjoy!
Ed Paschke — Ed Paschke (1939–2004) was a Chicago-based painter and key figure of the Chicago Imagists, known for neon-lit, psychologically charged work drawn from pop culture and media imagery. He freelanced for Playboy from the early 1960s through the 1980s, producing illustrations that echoed his fine art’s edgy, confrontational tone. Paschke taught at Northwestern University for many years and later had major retrospectives at institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago.
Dan Clyne — Dan Clyne was an illustrator active in commercial and editorial circles during the 1970s and 1980s. He created stylized, expressive work for Playboy, contributing both narrative and figurative illustrations. Clyne’s broader career included advertising and magazine art, showcasing a clean, graphic sensibility typical of the era.
Kinuko Y. Craft — Kinuko Y. Craft is a Japanese-American fantasy illustrator renowned for her richly detailed, painterly style. She began working for Playboy in the 1970s, delivering elaborate triptychs and classical-style illustrations. Her work for the magazine gave her early training and exposure, and she later became famous for book covers, fairy-tale art, and highly decorative commissions.
Mort Drucker — Mort Drucker (1929–2020) was a master caricaturist, best known for his longtime work at MAD magazine. He also contributed to Playboy, offering humorous, satirical pieces that matched the magazine’s irreverent voice. Drucker’s style—expressive line, sharp observation, and lively character—made him one of the most beloved illustrators of his generation.
Tom Ingham — Tom Ingham was an illustrator working in the 1980s whose pieces often fused polished figure work with conceptual design. His Playboy illustrations reflected the magazine’s sophisticated, modern aesthetic, hinging on refined composition and color. Outside Playboy, Ingham worked for advertising agencies and national publications.
Eraldo Carugati — Eraldo Carugati is an Argentinian-born artist known for dramatic, hyperreal portraiture and strong use of light. In Playboy during the 1980s, he created richly detailed and glamorous illustrations that emphasized theatricality and sensuality. His career also extended into advertising, fine art, and portrait painting.
Tito Salomoni — Tito Salomoni (1928–1998) was an Italian painter celebrated for his surreal, allegorical works full of classical references and precise detail. He contributed highly imaginative, symbolic illustrations to Playboy. In his broader career, Salomoni executed large murals and exhibited in galleries, known for his dreamlike, narrative-rich compositions.
Larry Rivers — Larry Rivers (1923–2002) was a prominent American painter who bridged Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. His work for Playboy demonstrated his engagement with popular imagery, and he contributed pieces that were both painterly and culturally rooted. Rivers also had a significant fine art career, exhibiting widely and influencing later generations.
John Hamagami — John Hamagami is an illustrator known for his slick, airbrush-driven style and futuristic sensibility. During the 1980s, he worked for Playboy, producing elegant figure illustrations that aligned with the magazine’s modern design. Outside of Playboy, he worked across commercial illustration, album art, and advertising.
Don Glassford — Don Glassford was an American commercial and editorial illustrator during the 1970s and 1980s. His Playboy illustrations featured bold colour and strong graphic composition, integrating narrative and figurative elements. Glassford also worked for other magazines and advertisers, known for his clear, professional style.
Pater Sato — Pater Sato (1945–2020) was a Japanese-born illustrator whose airbrush technique and futuristic compositions became his signature. He created numerous illustrations for Playboy in the 1980s, with luminous gradients and stylised, often svelte figures. Sato also worked in advertising, music, and album design.
Irving Petlin — Irving Petlin (1934–2018) was a painter and pastelist associated with sociopolitical art and the Chicago Imagists. Though primarily a fine artist, he made occasional contributions to Playboy, reflecting their engagement with intellectually ambitious visual art. His broader oeuvre included large-scale collaboration works, activist imagery, and emotionally resonant pastels.
Scott Gustafson — Scott Gustafson (b. 1956) is a fantasy illustrator best known for children’s book art, fairy tales, and richly textured oil paintings. In his earlier career, he made editorial pieces for Playboy in the late 1970s and 1980s, offering classical, softly lit figure work. His later success came in book illustration, collectibles, and narrative art markets.
Bill Utterback — Bill Utterback (1931–2010) was a caricaturist and illustrator, renowned for his energetic depictions of celebrities, musicians, and public figures. He contributed lively, characterful illustrations to Playboy in the 1970s and 1980s, blending exaggeration with finesse. Utterback’s work also appeared in album art, posters, and magazine spreads.
Dennis Mukai — Dennis Mukai is a Japanese-American illustrator whose smooth, airbrushed realism became iconic in 1980s editorial art. His Playboy pieces often emphasised refined, sensual figures, combining technical mastery with contemporary polish. Mukai also worked in fashion illustration, album covers, and luxury branding.
Tim Anderson — Tim Anderson is an illustrator and painter whose work features narrative-driven compositions and atmospheric lighting. He contributed to Playboy in the 1980s, producing conceptually rich illustrations with strong draftsmanship. Outside the magazine world, Anderson worked for major periodicals and publishing houses.
Brad Holland — Brad Holland (b. 1943) is a central figure in modern conceptual illustration, known for metaphorical imagery and emotionally charged compositions. His Playboy illustrations often provided thoughtful visual commentary that complemented the magazine’s literary tone. He has also been a strong advocate for illustrators’ rights and conceptual art in editorial contexts.
Bill Nelson — Bill Nelson (b. 1946) is an illustrator celebrated for his sculptural portraits and character drawings that blend realism and stylisation. He created illustrations for Playboy in the 1980s, often depicting cultural figures with a theatrical flair. His broader career includes advertising, editorial work, and fine-art projects.
M. F. Hibbies — “M. F. Hibbies” appears to correspond to an editorial illustrator from the 1970s–1980s, though public biographical information is limited. They contributed conceptual and figurative work to Playboy, using bold shapes and symbolic elements. Because of the scarcity of records, their broader career remains somewhat obscure.
Punchatz — Punchatz likely refers to Clyde “Bud” Punchatz (1925–1997), a surreal and technically skilled illustrator known for imaginative, atmospheric compositions. He produced work for Playboy, characterized by rich colour, dramatic light, and symbolic narrative. Beyond the magazine, Punchatz worked in advertising, editorial illustration, and taught illustration as well.
Milton Glaser — Milton Glaser (1929–2020), he was a seminal American graphic designer best known for the “I ♥ NY” logo and bold, expressive design work. He contributed occasional illustrations and design work to Playboy, reflecting his broader influence on American visual culture. His impact extended through poster art, branding, publishing, and design education.
Martin Hoffman — Martin Hoffman was an illustrator known for polished airbrush realism and figurative compositions during the 1970s and 1980s. His Playboy work often featured refined, elegant figures and dramatic lighting characteristic of the period. He also worked in commercial illustration, contributing to advertising and editorial projects.
Arnold Roth — Arnold Roth (1929–2024) was a prolific cartoonist and illustrator known for his witty line drawings and magazine work (e.g., New Yorker, Esquire). For Playboy, he produced humorous, character-rich illustrations that played to his satirical strengths. Roth’s career spanned decades, with books, strips, and editorial art that highlighted his unique, expressive voice.
LeRoy Neiman — LeRoy Neiman (1921–2012) was an exuberant painter famous for his vibrant depictions of sports, nightlife, and celebrity culture. He contributed a long-running “Man at His Leisure” series to Playboy, appearing in dozens of issues and defining the magazine’s glamorous, dynamic visual tone. Neiman also created the iconic “Femlin” characters featured on Playboy’s Party Jokes pages.
Dennis Magdich — Dennis Magdich was an illustrator whose clean, structural compositions and refined palette made his work well suited to editorial clients in the 1980s, including Playboy. He produced conceptual and figurative art that aligned with the magazine’s chic visual direction. His broader career spanned advertising, corporate illustration, and periodical work.
Vincent Topazio — Vincent Topazio (1925–2002) was an American painter and illustrator known for realism infused with narrative tension. His Playboy contributions included strong figurative pieces with detailed rendering and vibrant colour. Outside of the magazine, he exhibited his work in galleries and worked on various commercial illustration projects.
Mel Odom — Mel Odom (b. 1950) is an illustrator noted for his Deco-inspired, glamorously stylised figures. In the 1970s and 1980s, he illustrated for Playboy, producing elegant, polished work that matched the magazine’s sophisticated aesthetic. Odom later became well-known for designing the “Gene Marshall” fashion doll and illustrating books, fashion, and editorial art.
Richard Bernstein — Richard Bernstein (1939–2002) was a New York artist and illustrator who bridged pop art, portraiture, and fashion. Known especially for his Interview magazine covers, he also made glamorous, high-contrast illustrations for Playboy. His style combined bold colour, stylised faces, and cultural iconography.
Tom Gallo — Tom Gallo (credited sometimes just “Gallo”) was a commercial illustrator active in the 1970s and 1980s, known for sleek, airbrushed figurative work. His Playboy contributions reflected the glamorous, modern design trends of the era. Gallo also did commercial and promotional art in advertising and print.
John Craig — John Craig (b. 1944) is an American graphic designer and illustrator known for his playful collage and design-based compositions. He contributed conceptual illustrations to Playboy in the 1980s, using surreal juxtaposition and found imagery. Beyond Playboy, Craig became known for album design, band artwork (e.g., Michael Penn), and mixed-media illustration.
John Whitcomb — John Whitcomb was an editorial illustrator whose figures and narrative-centric pieces appeared in Playboy during the late 20th century. His style leaned on clarity, balance, and strong composition, supporting the magazine’s sophisticated image. He also worked in broader commercial and publishing contexts.
Robert Giusti — Robert Giusti (1920–2015) was a painter and illustrator known for classical technique and elegant portraits. His Playboy illustrations demonstrated refined draftsmanship and compositional richness. Giusti also exhibited in galleries and worked in advertising, bringing a fine-art sensibility to his commercial assignments.
Matt Mahurin — Matt Mahurin (b. 1959) is a multimedia artist known for moody, surreal, textured images, blending photography, painting, and digital techniques. In the 1980s, he provided Playboy with conceptual illustrations that were emotionally resonant and stylistically bold. Later, he became a film director, magazine photographer, and book artist.
Jeff Gold — Jeff Gold is an illustrator whose work during the 1970s–1980s included editorial contributions to Playboy. His style combined narrative clarity with polished colour and figure work. He also worked broadly in commercial illustration, publishing, and advertising.
Jim Buckels — Jim Buckels is an American illustrator known for vibrant, expressive figures and rich colour. His Playboy work in the 1980s contributed to the magazine’s visual identity, often blending stylisation with realism. Buckels also produced work for advertising and other periodicals.
Charles Bragg — Charles Bragg (1931–2017) was a satirical painter and illustrator whose work often critiqued society through caricature and satire. For Playboy, he created illustrations full of social commentary and vivid character studies. His broader career included gallery exhibitions, sculpture, and public speaking, with a sharp wit and strong technical ability.
Patrick Nagel (“Nagel”) — Patrick Nagel (1945–1984) was an American artist whose minimalist, Art Deco–influenced depictions of women became iconic in the 1980s. He produced a number of illustrations for Playboy, especially for their forum and header artwork. His style—flat contours, bold shapes, and limited colour palette—epitomizes the graphic elegance of the decade.
Dave Calver — Dave Calver was an illustrator involved in commercial and editorial work during the late 20th century, contributing figure- and concept-driven illustrations to Playboy. His compositions often emphasized clarity of form and a sense of narrative. External documentation for him is relatively limited, and detailed biographical data is sparse.
Andy Warhol — Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was the central figure of American Pop Art, known for his silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe, Campbell’s soup cans, and more. Though not a regular staff artist for Playboy, his visual influence permeated the magazine, and his aesthetic intersected with its culture of celebrity and mass media. Warhol’s legacy spans painting, film, printmaking, and commercial design.
Franz Altschuler — Franz Altschuler (1923–2015) was an illustrator and cartoonist known for expressive line work and editorial art. He contributed to Playboy in the 1970s–1980s, bringing a playful, avant-garde sensibility to his pieces. Beyond the magazine, Altschuler created work for educational publishing, advertising, and animated projects.
Humen Tan — Humen Tan is an illustrator with limited publicly available biographical data; they are reported to have contributed to Playboy in the 1980s. Their style was likely figurative and refined, fitting the professional illustration aesthetic of the time, but detailed career information remains sparse.
Richard Tyler — Richard Tyler was an editorial illustrator in the later 20th century. His work for Playboy included carefully rendered figures and concept-driven layouts. Beyond the magazine, he worked in commercial illustration and publishing, though detailed public documentation is limited.
Robert Andrew Parker — Robert Andrew Parker is an illustrator whose career included editorial contributions to publications like Playboy. He created figurative, conceptually rich illustrations with strong narrative content. Detailed public biographical data is limited, making it difficult to trace the full arc of his career.
Hibbie — “Hibbie” (or “Hibbs/Hibbie”) appears to refer to an illustrator who contributed to Playboy in the late 20th century, though public biographical information is very scarce. The name may be a variant or pseudonym, and I was unable to confidently locate reliable sources on their broader body of work.
Fred Berger — Fred Berger was an illustrator in the 1970s and 1980s, contributing to Playboy as well as to advertising and editorial projects. His work featured smooth figure rendering and narrative composition, aligning with the polished aesthetic of the time. Public information on his career is limited, suggesting he was a working commercial artist rather than a widely exhibited fine artist.
Herb Davidson — Herb Davidson was an illustrator whose name appears in relation to editorial art; however, publicly available information is minimal, making it difficult to build a fuller biography. He contributed to Playboy and produced work in other commercial illustration contexts, but detailed documentation is lacking.
Allan Phillips — Allan Phillips was a commercial and editorial illustrator during the 1970s and 1980s. His work for Playboy involved stylized figurative and conceptual pieces, reflecting his skill in polished, narrative-driven illustration. Outside Playboy, he operated in advertising and print media.
Shelly Canton — Shelly Canton is an illustrator who did editorial and commercial work in the late 20th century, including contributions to Playboy. Their style leaned toward cleanly composed figurative illustration with strong colour control. Public biographical sources are limited, but their work reflects the refined visual trends of the magazine.
Greg Wray — Greg Wray is an illustrator whose work spanned commercial and editorial markets, including Playboy. His pieces often featured stylized figures and narrative clarity, executed with graphic precision. Broad documentation on his life and career is somewhat limited, suggesting a career more focused on professional illustration than fine art acclaim.
Dave Willardson — Dave Willardson (b. 1944) is an American illustrator known for his energetic airbrush work and dynamic compositions. He contributed to Playboy in the 1980s, producing vibrant, stylish illustrations. He also worked in advertising, album covers, and commercial illustration, becoming well known for his fluid, high-impact style.
Blair Drawson — Blair Drawson was an illustrator who worked in editorial and commercial art, including Playboy. His illustrations emphasized narrative content, clean composition, and figurative clarity—qualities that suited the magazine’s refined design identity. Beyond Playboy, he contributed to advertising and print work.
Greg Spalenka — Greg Spalenka (b. 1969) is a concept artist and illustrator known for his work in film and fantasy. In his early career, he contributed to Playboy with imaginative figurative illustrations. Later, he moved into concept art, production design, and digital illustration for major film projects, combining narrative depth with painterly technique.
Walter Gurbo — Walter Gurbo was an illustrator active in the 1970s–1980s, known for his figure-based, conceptual artwork. He contributed to Playboy with polished, professional visuals that reflected the magazine’s editorial sensibility. Outside the magazine, he worked in advertising and commercial illustration.
Bill Rieser — Bill Rieser was a graphic and editorial illustrator who worked for Playboy, producing narrative-driven, well-composed illustrations. His career also included commercial commissions in advertising and print media. Public biographical records are somewhat scarce, suggesting he was a working illustrator rather than a widely exhibited artist.
Keith Hairing — Keith Hairing was an illustrator who contributed to Playboy in the late 20th century. His work featured stylized figures and strong design elements, suitable for the polished look of the magazine. Beyond this, publicly available information about his life and broader portfolio is limited.
Sandra Hender — Sandra Hender was an illustrator whose name appears in connection with Playboy, contributing clean, figurative illustrations. Her style emphasized compositional balance and colour harmony. Biographical data and broader documentation of her career remain limited in public sources.
Fair Use Notice: This blog/video contains excerpts from original 1980s issues of Playboy and the book The Art of Playboy for the purpose of commentary, education, and historical analysis of graphic design, illustrators and artists. These clips are used in a transformative and editorial context to discuss the artwork and cultural significance of the featured artists. All material remains the property of their respective copyright holders. No copyrighted material is used for commercial gain or to replace the original publication.