I have had a lovely surprise when Brian Marks contacted me to share a story:
I have several Raymond Sheppard pictures. They belonged to my father, who kept them under his bed for 50 years. They are not in great condition and I am wondering what to do to preserve them, or perhaps get some of them restored. if the value justified that.
Brian then suggested he could give me access if I was interested!
The collection is on Flickr at hi-resolution and different sizes to download. I've just placed some smaller versions here, so do go to Brian's site for the glorious detail!
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| "Buffalo and Tiger" |
Buffalo and tiger, Raymond Sheppard
40 cm x 31.5 cm, ROUGH for "I shot the devil tiger" "He had avoided those terrible sabre-tipped horns by inches"
I suspect this comes from Everybody's 19 January 1957 story "How I killed the devil tiger" by Ivan Cameron. The illustration appears on page 23 with the caption "I lay completely still under the tiger. Then, charging towards us through the grass, came a buffalo. He had spotted his natural enemy" - note the man on the right pinned down! I could be wrong in my attribution but do wonder if the original was a sketch given to an Art Director who asked for a changed perspective. But I have to confess the words "sabre-tipped horns are not present in the published version!
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| Everybody's 19 January 1957 |
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| Original art |
Flash the Otter, Raymond Sheppard
42 cm x 31.5 cm Young Liz?(Feb), "Flash the Otter"............suddenly he twisted and bit the fish behind the head.
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| Young Elizabethan February 1957 p.19 |
This is an easy one as I've shown this in its full glory before. It comes form the magazine "Young Elizabethan" February 1957 on page 19.
Foxes, Raymond Sheppard
37 cm x 27.5 cm, Young Elizabethan, Illustration to "Who'll feed my cubs" "Each time he carried a plump cockerel"
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| Original art |
This story was published in Young Elizabethan September 1957 on page 10, as can be seen below. It was titled "Who will feed my Cubs?" and written by Mary Henderson.The caption on the original art was not used but highlights which part of the story is illustrated.
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| Young Elizabethan September 1957 p.10 |
Trap in the Tide, Raymond Sheppard
42.5 cm x 29.5 cm
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| Original art |
Brian has found this already, but for his pleasure it was published in July 1955 in Lilliput in an article labelled "Trap in the tide" written by Malcolm Monteith and looks like this. Notice, as I've observed elsewhere the colours don't quite reflect the original art which is lovely to see.
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| Lilliput July 1955, pp48-49 |
African Buffalo? Raymond Sheppard
23.5 cm x 17 cm, Lilliput July Page 43 MONO
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| Original art |
This comes from "The big bull" by Neil Ewing (Lilliput July 1955, page 43) where two other images are drawn by Sheppard (that's for another time). Text wraps in two columns around the African buffalo - notice the size prescription on the original art "2⅛ inches".
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| Lilliput July 1955, p43 |
Christine Sheppard owns a rough sketch which is obviously practice for the above illustration (or did her Dad do the sketch first using it for the above? Christine tells of her many visits accompanying her father to London Zoo for him to sketch animals and birds)
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| African Buffalo sketch |
Birds in fishing net, Raymond Sheppard
15.5 cm x 23 cm, "Black/Green, illustration no 2, February ???"
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| Original art |
This story "The snare of the fowler" was by Colin Willcock and appeared in Lilliput February 1955 on page 22 as shown below. The title page of the story also shows geese being trapped in nets. Notice again a change in colour upon publication from orange to "black/green" as stated on the artwork in pencil. The title comes from Psalm 91:3 in the Old Testament.
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| Lilliput February 1955, p22 |
Calving Ice, Raymond Sheppard
49.5 cm x 15 cm, LILLIPUT (crossed out)
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| Original art |
Here's the published version - hard to get flat as the little pocket book versions of the earlier Lilliputs are!
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| Lilliput September-October 1951, pp84-85 |
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