P51 (sorry Spitfire) is my 'boyhood' favourite plane. I've a couple of iluustrations somewhere which I might be able to dig out.

We're used to Tornado's coming into Leuchars over the house but I think I'm right in understanding that we're now going to be home to Typhoons.

Here you go - some very old college work prior to starting out in illustration....in Haynes car manuals of all things.





This was my very first airbrushed illustration. Looks shockingly bad to me now but hey ho.



Anyway - a few years later we all embraced AutoCAD and 'technical Illustration' kind of died a death.

Wow, those are great Phil. Although I can't see the level of detail, they look really good.

How long typically would it have taken you to complete something like the Mustang.

The time consuming bit is the pencil construction drawing although these are pretty basic illustrations of a model rather than a real plane. The Mustang images you see here are overlays - the final ink tracings on drafting film (a bit like acetate) and don't take that long - a day's work perhaps. A lot depends on how quickly the ink will dry because you can't smudge the wet ink with the French Curves or Ellipse templates (drawing aids) as you work on it.

As I said these are very basic illustrations of a model kit from my college days as I still have them in my portfolio under the bed in the spare room..

Once I started this as a job it progressed to Rolls Royce engines. A dozen of us spent weeks illustrating the individual parts to form a 757 engine. It's bonkers to even contemplate it now as computer aided design makes the job so much easier but back then it drove me to madness.

I've some pics of much better stuff that I did for MOD (vehicle engines) and also Kellogs of all people (production line equipment) but 'Cuttaways' along these lines was typical. Illustrated in huge size (bit like photography I guess) so when reduced it would be very sharp.



Turbo fans I think was my bit. Thousands of parts drawings and components kicking about the place.

Once the job was complete - that was it. One illustration - one view - one angle.

If they wanted something slightly different - it was back to square one.

Obviously with CAD - you build the computer model in full 3D and that's it. You can rotate the whole thing - add or remove components at the press of a button. Life became so much easier but as with lot of things - the manual skills have probably gone now.

Wow matey, have seen so many of those pics, like you say Haynes manuals etc. i have wondered before how they are done...and maps, I mean how the hell did they draw a map when there was no means of aerial views, very clever.

Impressive artwork Phil, yet another lost art but probably very collectable one day.

Jeff

Wow to both of you!
Those photos are fab - especially when viewed full size. Like Azz, I like the man that appears with a camera!
Phil, your drawings are amazing. What a skill!