Brian Sanders: Illustrating Stamps & Coins, Part 4

Guest author Bryn Havord, following his overview of English illustrator Brian Sanders’ work produced in the 1960s, 1970s and early to mid '80s, which we featured in April and December 2011, continues with samples of Brian’s work made from the mid 1980s until 2005, for stamps and coins.

During 1997and 1998 Brian designed a further twenty-six stamps and thirty-two coins for the Marshal Islands commissioned by Unicover on the subject of ‘Legendary Fighting Ships’. Eight coins were minted as a separate set entitled ‘Legendary Fighting Ships of the US Navy’.



Regarding the obviously substantial amount of research involved in preparing for an undertaking like yesterday's 'History of WWII' or today's 'Legendary Fighting Ships', Brian says, "In the case of WW2, I knew the itinerary for the year ahead and so was able to plan for the research, which was the most time consuming part, as it was pre-online and involved traveling to the various museums."



"Once I had made good contacts at places such as The Imperial War Museum, Greenwich Maritime Museum, The Fleet Air Arm Museum etc; things speeded up. The RAF Museum had already been most helpful because of the earlier stamps and having those under my belt opened other doors more easily. Not all academics are generous with their time."



To receive a commission for the design of a coin is a rare privilege most illustrators will never experience. When asked how it felt to receive such a commission - and then to actually hold the physical manifestation of that design, rendered in shining metal, Brian says, "It felt great on both counts. The first of the $50 silver proof coins were sent by airmail. The postman used to come very early in the morning in those days and so as not to disturb us left them on the doorstep!"



Brian feels he was well inclined to the subject matter of ‘Legendary Fighting Ships’. "The military and maritime section of our library (my wife, Lizzie is also an illustrator although currently reading for a masters in history at Kings College) is somewhat top heavy."



Regarding his masterful rendering of the ocean, in all it's seemingly endless permutations, Brian says, "We all learn from others and there are plenty of better painters of the sea than myself, from the 18th century forwards. I suppose that if I had to pick one, it would be Thomas Somerscales."





"I have always been a water watcher though," says Brian.



He continues, "National Service as a Royal Marines Commando gave me opportunities to view it close up from canoes...



"... and landing craft... "


" ...or the bigger ships such as aircraft carriers."



"The seascape from the decks of assault ships HMS Reggio and Striker in gale force winds remains with me to this day."



Brian says, "I have had many comments of interest from collectors, mostly favourable  - some peculiar. E.G. A Dutch collector collected only stamps with Windmills on them and wasn't sure, because of the size, whether the Brederode stamp/coin had one. I was able to reassure him there were at least two."



"Another gentleman queried the layout of Missouri's armament. Details from 'The U.S.S. Missouri' - a wonderful book about the ship written by her Master at Arms - proved the point."



One wonders if such massive illustration projects leave room for other commissions. In his case, Brian says, "I did manage a couple of other small commissions, but soon found that the Unicover projects were sufficient to handle and stopped accepting other work."



Does Brian consider his stamp and coin series to be the highlight of his long and storied career? "No," says the artist, "but working with Kubrick, the colour supplements of 'The Sunday Times', Telegraph' and 'Observer' gave great pleasure and a super shop window. Publication in 'Nova' magazine was a memorable pinnacle."

"Stamps opened new doors."



In 2005, The Marshal Islands also re-issued ‘Historic Fighting Ships’, and two sets from the World War 2 series.


* Previous posts on Brian Sanders' career as written by Bryn Havord have been collected on the Art of Brian Sanders blog. This week's series will be added to the blog in the next few days.

Guest author Bryn Havord has sixty year’s experience as a journalist and graphic designer, winning two major national design awards for his work; the majority of which has been in Fleet Street working on national magazines ranging from Vogue to Woman, and on national daily newspapers. He is now an equestrian artist painting mainly horse-racing scenes, and an associate editor and designer working on illustrator magazine.

* ALL MARSHAL ISLANDS'MATERIAL SHOWN IS © COPYRIGHT TO UNICOVER CORPORATION USA.

Brian Sanders: Illustrating Stamps & Coins, Part 3

Guest author Bryn Havord, following his overview of English illustrator Brian Sanders’ work produced in the 1960s, 1970s and early to mid '80s, which we featured in April and December 2011, continues with samples of Brian’s work made from the mid 1980s until 2005, for stamps and coins.

Brian says, "Having Unicover USA ask me to design first day covers to my British stamps was a big surprise. The covers (one example below) paid the same as a British stamp."



Having made first day cover cachets to all of his Royal Mail stamps for Unicover USA, the corporation went on to commission Brian in 1988 to work on a fifty-year anniversary project ‘The History of World War 2 in Postage Stamps’.





It was a massive undertaking, spread over five years, and involved eight other artists.




Of the one hundred issues, Brian executed thirty-nine sets, which finally totalled eighty-two stamps.








Each artwork was designed to include not only the stamp format, but the square shape of a 1st day cover cachet for each stamp. This complicated the design, as some stamps were printed in pairs...



... or fours.



"I only ever given one change from Unicover," says Brian, "and that was to show  The Admiral Graf Spey un-sunk. They paid me to redo it. All of the content other than the subject matter was left to me. The ideal client."



Later his artwork was exhibited at The Imperial War Museum Cambridge in eastern England.



Continued tomorrow.

* Previous posts on Brian Sanders' career as written by Bryn Havord have been collected on the Art of Brian Sanders blog

* ALL MARSHAL ISLANDS'MATERIAL SHOWN IS © COPYRIGHT TO UNICOVER CORPORATION USA.

Brian Sanders: Illustrating Stamps & Coins, Part 2

Guest author Bryn Havord, following his overview of English illustrator Brian Sanders’ work produced in the 1960s, 1970s and early to mid '80s, which we featured in April and December 2011, continues with samples of Brian’s work made from the mid 1980s until 2005, for stamps and coins.

In 1985, Brian went from the miniature to making a watercolour of HM Queen’s presentation of new standards to the Royal Tank Regiment then stationed in West Germany, which measured six feet by four feet.

(Below: the half size study of that painting, previously featured on Today’s Inspiration in December 2011)


In the same year he prepared in small scale ‘The Royal Air Force’ stamps, which were published in 1986.



(Above: original art of Lord Trenchard founder of The Royal Air Force. Below: Air Marshal Lord Dowding Chief of the Air Staff Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain)



(Below: Air Marshal Lord Tedder with Typhoon Fighter Bomber)


"Stamps here in the UK were very well paid," says Brian. "We were paid by the Post Office to produce the presentation set in competition and if it was accepted the fee doubled. It was certainly much better paid than editorial illustration."



1987 saw the publication of a set for Guernsey Post Office (below) featuring Guernsey born Sir Edmund Andros, who later became Governor of Virginia, Boston, and New Amsterdam—before it was renamed New York.



"I was never given another project from Guernsey," says Brian. "I had dared tell another Illustrator (Eric Stemp) how much I had been paid. He rang the client to ask why he had received less."



He continues, "The early stamp commissions came at a time when there was no shortage of work for me in other areas such as magazine illustration, packaging and book jackets, which is why I wasn't really worried about losing the Guernsey commission. I have never suffered insecurities felt by many illustrators, as I have never not had work. This is because over the years I continually experimented or changed in an attempt to do the sort of work I wished to."

Continued tomorrow.

* Previous posts on Brian Sanders' career as written by Bryn Havord have been collected on the Art of Brian Sanders blog

Brian Sanders: Illustrating Stamps & Coins, Part 1

Guest author Bryn Havord, following his overview of English illustrator Brian Sanders’ work produced in the 1960s, 1970s and early to mid '80s, which we featured in April and December 2011*, continues with samples of Brian’s work made from the mid 1980s until 2005, for stamps and coins.


The Royal Mail’s commissioning art director Stuart Rose had seen Brian’s watercolour work in several magazines, and asked to see his portfolio. Brian's first Royal Mail set: ‘Police’ was begun in 1978 and published in 1979.


(Above: River Police Thames Patrol Launch.)

At the first meeting Brian was surprised to learn that he was expected to work only four times larger than a printed stamp, which was approximately 5 x 4 inches. Most of Brian’s work was large in scale, made to reduce to page or double spread magazine format. However, he took up the challenge, soon learning that good composition works at any size, but inevitably, at that size, the artwork becomes tighter.


(Above: Mounted Woman Police Constable.)

Having spent several weeks researching with the police on streets, motorways and river patrols, so he could produce a series of working drawings, he nearly lost the commission at the presentation stage by declining the Metropolitan Police’s request to replace the mounted policewoman (above) with a man. His small show of feminist solidarity might well have altered his career prospects, for in those days there was always a three-way competition for each set of British stamps. However, the art director’s assistant, Barry Robinson, smoothed ruffled feathers; steered the work through the large stamp selection committee, and the set was chosen. Their working friendship lasted over the years until Barry retired.

For his second set featuring ‘The Fishing Industry’ in 1981, Brian toured the coast of Britain where he discovered an industry in decline, but met many entertaining characters, particularly in north west Scotland.



(Above: Scottish Crab and Lobster Fishing, below: Seine Netting)



Brian thinks that his third set illustrating ‘Youth Movements’, made in 1982, was the first time he designed four stamps that worked well as a set.



(Above: Essays approved by HM Queen, below: Girls Life Brigade original art work)


His fourth set for the ‘British Council’ which he produced in 1984, was designed by the Newell and Sorrel Design Group, with Brian executing the final artwork.

Continued tomorrow.

* Previous posts on Brian Sanders' career as written by Bryn Havord have been collected on the Art of Brian Sanders blog