I bumped into a young lady called Steph Thorpe on Scilly a few years ago - very talented Steph's website

Paul Heaton wrote:

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New Magazine due our advertised in this months Birdwatch

BIRD ART & PHOTOGRAPHY.

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I'll look forward to that, and wish them luck. They'll need it - two different versions of Birds Illustrated both failed to attract a big enough readership.

Steve

New Magazine due our advertised in this months Birdwatch

BIRD ART & PHOTOGRAPHY.


Keep birding

Thanks for that link Steve. Reminded me of a few other artists whose stuff I've seen and liked. Chris Rose being one of many. It also reminded me that It was a painting of Sabines Gull by Ian Lewington that I found so amazing, not an Ivory Gull

I'm with Paul on the John Busby book. No-one can capture the jizz of a bird in so few lines as John does. He is the direct descendent (artistically speaking) of Eric Ennion and Richard Talbot-Kelly (two others worth checking out).

If you want to look at Art rather than illustration, check out the Society of Wildlife Artists website:

http://www.swla.co.uk/SWLAmembers/members.htm

My personal favourite is Thelma Sykes who has also been very helpful to me with advice on my own amateurish attempts.

Good thread - keep it going.

Steve

Its amazing who you forget, check out the art work in Drawing birds by John Busby, loads of excellent stuff, any Tunnicliffe fans out there.

I think Lars Jonsson is as good as it gets. Although the standard in Collins is consistently high throughout, nothing matches Lars Jonnson's best illustrations in his field guide - just look at the phylloscs, so perfect you could almost cry! Some of the other plates don't quite meet the standard you expect now, but I think he's the undisputed master of forensically accurate illustrations whilst simultaneously creating something that constantly nudges towards being a work of art in itself. Plates in Collins are pretty much 2D accurate illustrations, biometrically bang-on, but quite lifeless, too fussy, and I don't get all that much of a kick from looking at them (they carry on from the ID-obsessed style set up in the 2 MacMillan guides). I think that's a real shame, because if you want to see what Killian Mullarney's blow-your-head-off stuff is like, then get Petrels Night & Day - the plates in there are just amazing. A book dedicated solely to his best stuff would surely be a massive seller?

What also make Lars Johnsson's field guide stick out is the size of the illustrations, some of the smaller passerines are nearly life-size. There's also the British Ornithologists' Guide to Bird Life, a neglected guide (perhaps just a bit too big to be a field guide) with similarly big illustrations, some of them really beautiful and illustrated by Staffan Ullstrom.

Some other great ID plates are in the Beaman & Madge Handbook of Bird Identification, especially Martin Elliott's gulls.

We've got two pictures by Ian Lewington of Pallas's Warblers hanging up in our living room, and it's hard to convince people they're not photographs. When I win the lottery I'll be commissioning him to paint a regal portrait of me in a saintly pose, dressed in the colours of a Diademed Sandpiper-Plover and surrounded by all of my favourite birds, some feeding from seed in my open palms, and a Belted Kingfisher sat on my head - the crowning glory of my twitching career. St.Thomas the Ornithologically Benevolent of Glossop. Though I've never actually bought a lottery ticket.

-- Edited by Tom McKinney on Friday 19th of February 2010 01:57:17 PM

Paul Heaton wrote:

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Thinking of Spurn etc, What about Ian Wallace the master of notebooks and an Artist of excellence.


Does anyone see an IAN connection here Wallace, Lewington, McKerchar do all Ian's have a talent for drawing.

Keep Birding

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And don't for get Mr Patrick Baglee,who illustrated the birds of pennington flash,when he was about 16 years of age!!some wonderfull drawings with the pit head in the background and he drew most of them while me and browny were mithering him to death

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 19th of February 2010 10:10:22 AM

Thinking of Spurn etc, What about Ian Wallace the master of notebooks and an Artist of excellence.


Does anyone see an IAN connection here Wallace, Lewington, McKerchar do all Ian's have a talent for drawing.

Keep Birding

Hi John. yes I've seen lots of Ray's work in the Spurn reports. Another cracking artist. Theres a little 'vignette' of a merlin in the Spurn 2008 (I think) report that I love.

Absolutely spot on there Steve. Some friends have paintings that I just dont like, and vice versa. With art beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Agree about Ren Hathway Paul. Some of the illustrations I've seen in birding magazines are excellent.

Another 'young' artist who's illustrations are really good is a Spurn regular who I've bumped into but never really spoken to. A friend mentioned that he was a good artist and his illlustrations on his blog site dunbirdin.blogspot.com are an indication that he is a very talented. Well worth a look. I think I might be asking if he's interested in selling one or two next time I'm over there.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Having seen both Tony Disley and Ian Lewington at work in the field I find them both amazing, and been honest anyone who can produce a drawing of a bird is an artist.

I purchased a small work of Ians at the bird log on St Mary's few years ago a treasure.


Steve Suttill introduced me to the works of Bruce Pearson, very good. then what about Sir Peter Scott!

James McCallum paintings in Arctic Flight encaptures the whole ethos of the bird an its environment.

As for Ren Hathway a Scilly based artist his work blows me away, he just sits there with a biro and produces works of art.

Woodcuts and lino prints well no one beats HILDA QUICK, I am hoping to get my book on her printed soon.

Excellent topic Craig one that I hope will stay on track, and may encourage people to view the main website, and see whose is top artist in GM, Ian McKerchars drawings are known to feature in many a bird report, that mans good with his notebook drawings. sadly mine are not.

Keep Birding.

whoops missed a biggy what about The Guardian Spirit of the East Bank the one and only

R.A. Richardson where would field guides be without him.





-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Thursday 18th of February 2010 10:24:19 AM

Craig Higson wrote:

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My least favourite, nothing personal and only really related to his illustrations in the Seabird Guide, is Peter Harrison. Quite probably a close second is the artist that does all the lino cutwork that seems to be used by the bird fair every year. I just dont get it. Robert Gilmore is it?

Any more for any more?

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Robert Gillmor - actually one of my favourites! And I don't like Trevor Boyer! It just goes to show "one man's meat is...."

Steve

After reading Ians review of the collins bird guide, especially the bits about the artwork, I wondered if many (or should that be how many) people have an interest in bird art. Not doing it themselves necessarily, but collecting paintings drawings etc and, the crux of the thread a favourite bird artist? Personally I like Trevor Boyer and have a couple of his paintings, but a couple of years ago at the bird fair I was blown away by some of Ian Lewingtons work. Particularly a picture of an Ivory Gull on an ice flow. If only I'd had a spare £600 I'd have had it. Then there's Tony Disley from just over the border in Lancs. I'd have to say these are probably my three favourites. My least favourite, nothing personal and only really related to his illustrations in the Seabird Guide, is Peter Harrison. Quite probably a close second is the artist that does all the lino cutwork that seems to be used by the bird fair every year. I just dont get it. Robert Gilmore is it? Any more for any more?