BWP. Illustrator query (1 Viewer)

I've just treated myself to the concise BWP and very nice it is too. Several of the plates aren't up to scratch, and i'm aware that almost half the plates are new, but the vast majority are excellent.

Most of the plates are signed but the finches aren't, except the last few by Hilary Burn. The earlier ones are in a different style and i dont think were done by HB so who did them?

Also missing an autograph are some of the pipits and a couple of warblers.

I'm just curious, but if anyone one can help me out with this it would be appreciated.

Cheers, Graeme.

graeme782 said:

I've just treated myself to the concise BWP and very nice it is too. Several of the plates aren't up to scratch, and i'm aware that almost half the plates are new, but the vast majority are excellent.

Most of the plates are signed but the finches aren't, except the last few by Hilary Burn. The earlier ones are in a different style and i dont think were done by HB so who did them?

Also missing an autograph are some of the pipits and a couple of warblers.

I'm just curious, but if anyone one can help me out with this it would be appreciated.

Cheers, Graeme.

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The finches were done by Chris Rose; it's indicated in the original edition. I have not checked them all, but those unsigned ones I did had a CR in the caption.

Can't help with the pipits though. These were redone for the new edition, and all there is is a list of artists in volume 1 on page vi. If you are familiar with the artists you might be able to figure it out, as many did sign their paintings, such as Alan Harris whom I first suspected.

Robert

I have access to both he Consise and the (full) 9 Vol. BWP, and I can only agree with Robert about Chris Rose. I think all the replaced plates in question had DIM Wallace's initials originally (pipits and missing warblers), and my guess goes to Ian Lewington - with Alan Harris as a runner-up. Most of the new plates have white (no) background, perhaps the initials disappeared du to this layout change? Both IL and AH signed all of their plates in BWP9.

Hans M

Hi Graeme,

The pipits and hippolais warblers in the concise BWP are done by Brian Small.

Stitch

Stitch said:

Hi Graeme,

The pipits and hippolais warblers in the concise BWP are done by Brian Small.

Stitch

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Thanks Stitch, I really wondered too who did them. It was clear to me that they were not by Alan Harris as he has all his illustrations signed AH. And they are on colored background as his new illustrations (e.g. gulls, sandgrouse) in volume 1 of the Concise edition show.

By the way, Alan may still have some of the originals for sale, I presume.

Robert

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Stitch. Cheers, thats not a name i've heard of before.

Robert and Hans. I did think that the finches may have been done by Chris Rose as they were certainly similar in style to the Tits. They really are very good. But this leads me on to ask myself who's paintings are the best. I've looked and thought long and hard and have certainly struggled. There are a lot of really, really good plates.

I dont think that the ones done by Andrew Mackay and Darren Rees are up to scratch but apart from those the rest range from good to superb.

The ones that really stand out and look 'alive' are, i think, done by Arlott, Gillmor, Lewington and Rose. I'm also fond of the owls by Delin and the stuff by Burn, Burton and Boyer.

So, who's are the best. In my opinion its, unfortunately, the group of birds i'm least interested in. Surely its got to be the ducks by Mark Hulme. Perfect.

Am i right? What do you think.

Cheers, Graeme.

If you've not heard of Brian Small before he also has illustrations in 'The Birds of East Africa' and has started doing stuff in the last couple of volumes of HBW, his work in the last volume is getting very good.

Mark Hulmes ducks are well painted, but for me Ian Lewingtons plates are the best in BWP, especially the two raptor plates and the sparrows.

All the best,
Stitch

Stitch. His raptor plates are excellent, it's a crying shame he didn't do the rest of them.