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John Busby, Artist

Landscape and wildlife artist, illustrator and author

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‘The Herald’ series

July 15, 2018

In the late 1990’s John Busby did a series of small ‘greyscale’ watercolours for The Herald newspaper in Scotland. Each was of a single species of bird and was used for the ‘Birdwatch’ column in the Saturday edition.

Twite by John Busby
Twite

Some of the articles can still be found in The Herald archive [search for “Birdwatch” before 2000] and are beautifully written by Hugh Ouston.

Birdwatch – the ice hunter

Birdwatch – inconspicuous acrobats rooted to the branch

The pictures are mostly drawings with soft grey or brown wash added, no doubt to look good in black and white newsprint.  A couple of the drawings are in colour – a promotion to the colour supplement perhaps?

After publication the drawings were all dutifully returned to the artist (complete with a large sticker on the back and occasionally with scrawled titles in thick black pen!)  Some were sold at the time but many still remain and are offered below.

The ‘pen and wash’ style was one John Busby often used for illustrations. Since he contributed illustrations to over 70 books in addition to writing his own, we have quite a number of these detailed, mostly single species drawings!

Blackbird on Berries by John Busby
Blackbird on Berries
16 x 20 cm watercolour in mount 30cm sq £150 available from SOC Aberlady
Corn Bunting by John Busby
Corn Bunting
19 x 15 cm Pen and wash in mount25 x 30 cm £130 buy now
Dabchicks
initialled watercolour 13 x 22 (in mount 25x30cm) £130 original illustration in Lines from Nature p. 173
Dipper
unsigned drawing with green wash 14 x 14 cm in mount 30cm sq £150 buy now original illustration from The Herald newspaper and in On the Rocks by Bryan Nelson p.288
Dunlins by John Busby
Dunlins
12 x 19 cm Pen and wash in mount 25 x 30 cm £130
Gannets fishing 1995
signed drawing with wash 15 x 20 cm in mount 30 x 40cm £200 available from SOC Aberlady original for The Herald newspaper 1995 creased down centre
Great Grey Shrike by John Busby
Great Grey Shrike
16 x 12 cm initialled Pen and wash in mount 30 x 25cm £130
Great Tits on monkeynuts by John Busby
Great Tits on monkeynuts
watercolour 17 x 16 cm £150
Greenfinch
unsigned watercolour 13 x19 cm in mount 25x30cm £130 available from SOC Aberlady
Grey Heron flying by John Busby
Grey Heron flying
pen and wash, initialled 18 x 21 cm £150
House Martin nest by John Busby
House Martin nest
12 x 16 cm initialled Pen and wash in mount 25 x 30cm £130 available from SOC Aberlady
Jay studies by John Busby
Jay studies
14 x 20 cm initialled Pen and wash in mount 25 x 30 cm £130 buy now
Lapwing by John Busby
Lapwing
18 x 18 cm initialled Pen and wash in mount 30cm sq £150
Magpie by John Busby
Magpie
12 x 14 cm initalled Pen and wash in mount 20 x 25 cm £100 buy now
Mute Swan and Black-headed Gull by John Busby
Mute Swan and Black-headed Gull
18 x 18 cm Watercoloour in mount 30cm sq £150
Mute Swans by John Busby
Mute Swans
signed watercolour 14 x 21cm (in mount 25 x 30cm) £150 available from SOC Aberlady
two purple Sandpipers standing on rock  surrounded by water by John Busby
Purple Sandpiper
14 x 20 cm Pen and wash in mount 24 x 30cm £130 available from SOC Aberlady
Red Kite flying above fields by John Busby
Red Kite
20 x 16cm initialled pen and wash in mount 25 x 30cm £130 buy now
Ringed Plover flapping wing distraction display and two chicks by John Busby
Ringed Plover and chicks
pen and wash, initialled 15 x 28 cm £150
Yellow-browed Warbler sitting on a twig by John Busby
Yellow-browed Warbler
16 x 16 cm Watercolour in mount 30cm sq £150 buy now

 

Filed Under: Birds, Blog

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