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IllustrationMagazines

Illustrators #38 (magazine review).

All contents copyright The Book Palace Ltd
(c) The Book Palace 2022

Usually, ‘Illustrators’ reserves single artists to their specials so # 38 is rather unique on its focus on John Watkiss (1961-2017). I have to confess to not seeing his work before but so many artists only one lifetime. Reading the intro by Neil Gaiman and Watkiss’ art being used in his comicbooks probably explains why I didn’t.

Add to that, his move to the USA to do production design and working for Disney and others would also have dropped outside of my radar. Things turned problematic with people he didn’t get on with because he was an exacting artist and teacher. Did I say he also taught art in the UK and Stateside? His expertise was in drawing the figure, often using himself as a model when no one else was around.

art: John Watkiss
All contents copyright The Book Palace Ltd
(c) The Book Palace 2022

Looking at his work, much of his painting is with muted colours but to good effect with his figurework and not always with a reliance on models posing which would have given me some common ground with him. Understanding structure, whether people, buildings, vehicles or tech makes it easier anything. I suspect a lot of the problem stems back to poor education in the various techniques when young. I didn’t consider myself an artist until I could work in three different mediums.

art: John Watkiss
All contents copyright The Book Palace Ltd
(c) The Book Palace 2022

Storyboard artist Steve Worthington was one of his pupils and shows the effect he had on his work here as well.

Looking at Watkiss’ art again now, there’s a stronger realisation of surrealism and I hope the samples here will find him a wider audience.

art: John Watkiss
All contents copyright The Book Palace Ltd
(c) The Book Palace 2022

GF Willmetts

June 2022

(pub: The Book Palace, 2021. 98 page illustrated squarebound magazine. Price: £20.00 (UK), $21.99 (US) via Bud Plant. ISBN: 978-1-913548-03-2. ISSN: 2052-6520)

check out website: www.bookpalace.com and www.illustratorsquarterly.com

UncleGeoff

Geoff Willmetts has been editor at SFCrowsnest for some 21 plus years now, showing a versatility and knowledge in not only Science Fiction, but also the sciences and arts, all of which has been displayed here through editorials, reviews, articles and stories. With the latter, he has been running a short story series under the title of ‘Psi-Kicks’ If you want to contribute to SFCrowsnest, read the guidelines and show him what you can do. If it isn’t usable, he spends as much time telling you what the problems is as he would with material he accepts. This is largely how he got called an Uncle, as in Dutch Uncle. He’s not actually Dutch but hails from the west country in the UK.

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