Robert Sabin

A Romance Cover Artist to Remember

Dashing Heroes and Heroines of Robert Sabin

Readers of Kensington’s Zebra romances should be familiar with the art of Robert Sabin.

His dashing heroes had piercing gazes and strong, sculpted physiques. The beautiful heroines embraced them as the wind blew through their long, flowing hair. The couple could embrace against a background of stunning land or sea-scapes that dazzled the eyes.

Education & Career

Robert Sabin is an American-born artist from Michigan. He was educated at Yale for his undergraduate degree and at Bennington College in VT for graduate studies.

He has been a practicing artist for 37 years.

Sabin has worked as a professional illustrator for book covers since 1977. He worked extensively with Kensington/ Zebra and Dell, as well as other publishing houses.

Like the other artists who painted covers for Zebra, like Pino, John Ennis, Walter Popp, and Franco Accornero, Sabin was prolific from the late 1980s to the later 1990s.

Sabin also designed covers for Patricia Veryan’s distinct-looking Georgian, Victorian, and Regency Historical romances. 

Robert Sabin’s Art Today

In addition to designing gorgeous book covers, Sabin created artwork for interior illustrations, editorial illustrations, CD covers, and promotional brochures.

He is also a fine painter of portraits, including still-lifes, landscapes, and seascapes. Robert Sabin has taught art to a new generation of artists as well.

If you’re interested in more of Sabin’s fine art, you can visit his website for more details. Here is a sample of his artwork:

Sabin’s book covers were quite beautiful and he was one of my favorite Zebra cover artists.

Education

-M.A. in Painting, Bennington College, Bennington VT, 1974. Teaching fellowship.
-B.A. in Fine Arts, cum laude, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 1971. Areas of concentration: landscape painting, figure sculpture, and printmaking.
-Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME, 1971.
-Yale Summer School of Music and Art, Norfolk, CT, 1970.
-Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI, 1967. College preparatory. Graduated with honors in ceramics.

Career

2007 – 2008 Ceramics Instructor (Permanent Substitute). Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, South Yarmouth, MA. Taught Ceramics and Advanced Ceramics, grades 9-12.
2000 – 2007 Art Instructor. The Harvey School, Katonah, NY. Taught grades 6-12. High school level courses included foundation drawing, studio art (painting and drawing), darkroom photography, digital photography (Adobe Photoshop), computer graphics (Adobe Illustrator), ceramics and wheel-throwing, and History of Western Art. Middle School art classes included drawing, painting, illustration, ceramics, sculpture, and graphic design.
1969 – Present Portrait and Landscape Painter. I paint portraits on commission (adults, children, equestrian, pet, home). My paintings have been included in many exhibitions and are in private collections nationwide (list available on request). My landscapes and seascapes are available in galleries.
1977 – Present Commercial Illustrator. Book covers, interior illustrations, editorial illustration, CD covers, promotional brochures.
1974 – 1978 Instructor. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI. Taught all ages, including adults. Courses included beginning and advanced drawing; beginning and advanced painting; figure drawing; and watercolor.
1977 Art Instructor. Lake Placid School of Art, Lake Placid, NY. Intensive summer classes for high school students. Taught landscape painting.
1972 – 1974 Teaching Fellow. Bennington College, Bennington VT. Taught figure drawing to undergraduate students.

Robert Sabin Covers

Links

• Robert Sabin Official Site
• Robert C. Sabin Instagram
• My Sabin Pinterest
• R. Sabin Covers on Goodreads
• Sabin at Elisa – My reviews and Ramblings: Behind the Cover