Thanks a lot for both your recent comments. Both these illustrators would be on my list for an illustration version of desert island discs. I haven't made it to Pinner yet but it's on my bicket list.
Mr. Beard, you are wonderful to share these beautiful illustrators and artists of the past. I feel I have discovered a gold mine! Your observations are spot on! I am not going to try to obtain W. H. Robinson's children's books. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
Hello and your appreciation is very welcome. It's a genuine pleasure to know that viewers appreciate the content and the work that goes into it. You may prefer actual books but some of his books are available digitally from project Gutenberg. My personal favourite is Uncle Lubin.
Hi and thanks very much for watching. It was on my bucket list to make a video to honour the lifetime's work WHR produced. He always was and always will be my favourite illustrator.
Hello and your comment is very welcome. He has been my favourite illustrator for over half a century, and I still get lost in admiration for his astonishing work. I'm so glad he resonates with you too.
Along with Rackham and the later Ronald Searle, Heath Robinson has always been one of my favourite Illustrators. Growing up in the 50's in a house full of my Mother's and Grandmother's books, many of the illustrations have been imprinted on my memory! I still have most of my Professor Branestawm books ! He certainly was a most prolific genius!
I knew of Heath Robinson only through his illustrations of ridiculously elaborate gadgets. I was completely ignorant of his brilliant artistic skill -- until now. Thank you for producing this video. (Clearly a labour of love.)
Nice! First I learn about a cool channel that specializes in something I myself am interested in, and then I learn about an amazing illustrator whom I've never heard of.
Hello and your comment has been echoed by quite a few other viewers. Introducing people to illustrators they either hadn't heard of, or had only limited knowledge of, is one of the great pleasures of making these videos.
I think Robinson's aesthetic unequivocally lives on in the films of Miyazaki. Watching this also made me think of the surreal nostalgia and fanciful world of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" and especially the "Yellow Submarine" film.
I was born in 1942 and so am old enough to remember the expression "Heath Robinson" used to characterise improbable/impractical devices. Thank you for bringing this great illustrative artist so vividly to life.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. This one was a real labour of love as he has been my favourite illustrator since I first saw his work in the 60s.
Hello and obviously one of my all time favourites too. I was being nosey because of your amusing rabbit picture and took a look at your channel. Is the header your own work? I really like it.
I recently heard a reference to heath robinson in an episode of "how it's made" S01E03", instead of trying to explain to my partner who he was and why the reference I thought it eassier to show her this video. when my dad was alive he would mention the fantastic machines illustrated in his books and illustrations and not to forget the contraptions created by Rowland Emett, these would eventually help to inspire me in my engineering career, although a little more functional / nonwhimsical. Eventually when I have kids I will do the same. thank you for the taking the time to make this video. i hope more people take the time to view it and enjoy it as much as I have.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. If only Robinson's contraptions (and yes Roland Emmett's too) would actually work, what a more amusing world this would be. If this sort of thing appeals try looking at the humanised machines of Boris Artzybashoff too.
I had a copy of Professor Branestawm as a child and loved the illustrations contained within its pages, so this was a wonderful video to relive the works of this artist. Thank you.
This was a real eye-opener for me; having been unaware/ignorant of his serious work. The latter is extremely accomplished, stylish and accessible. I believe that his humorous and serious work have the commonality of an expert use of space and placement of the subject matter within that space. Such flair. Pete, thank you once more for another voyage of discovery.
Hello again and it's paricularly rewarding t hear that you discovered just how much there is to the work of what for me is arguably the greatest illustrator of all time.
What a wonderful exposition of his work. I only knew of his 'crazy machines', having seen a working model of one of his designs in Leeds. The large working model was displayed for a long time in one of the shopping arcades in the main shopping area of Leeds till a few years ago. Your video was a revelation and am so impressed by his brilliant illustrations & excellent paintings. Thank you for introducing his work to me. I shall spread the word to the young members of my family & friends. He deserves no less.
I've always loved William Heath Robinson's work. His name was a byword in our house while growing up; anything patched up or cobbled together with string and sellotape was called 'Heath Robinson style'! It was great seeing other works of his that I hadn't seen before. Thanks, Pete. Great stuff. :)
Hello again and your early memories of that phrase echo my own. In fact I struggle to remember whether I heard the phrase first or saw his work. Either way I have been a massive disciple ever since. Did you know there's a Heath Robinson museum just outside London? As soon as this virus hell is over I'll be making a pilgrimage while i still can.
@@petebeard Haha, yes, I still use the phrase today, especially as I tend to use elastic bands and other bits and bobs to keep things together in my home until I have time to mend them properly! I didn't know that about the museum. I'll have to look into that. Cheers. :)
Hello and thanks a lot. I took a look at that character on youtube and it was voiced by none other than the acting giant Peter O'Toole. So to say I'm flattered is a major understatement. He's a lot better spoken than me though. Maybe I should try to sound better brought up.
Hello again and I'm pleased you're finding more of interest on the channel. If I could only take the work of one illustrator to my desert island it would be WHR.
Hello and thanks a lot for your recent batch of comments. All opinions I wholeheartedly share. Hwath Robinson has been my personal favourite for most of my life.
This is amazing. I discovered him only a few weeks ago when I found a print of "Spring Cleaning in Noah's Ark" in a charity shop. I fell in love with his style. I can't believe he's not more well known!!
Hello Emma and I'm glad there's a new member in the Heath Robinson fan club. You will probably find this link rewarding...www.gutenberg.org/files/33570/33570-h/33570-h.htm
One of my all time favourites. The contrast in some of his work is amazing - I'm comparing, say, his beautiful watercolour work in The Story of the English, to his hilarious, whacky machines.
Thank you for your intelligent and measured approach in your series. I am enjoying your programs immensely. You are introducing to many of us illustrators previously unknown (at least by name) and by doing so, enhancing their legacies. Bravo!
Hello and your wish is my command - although I don't know when she'll feature as it's a pretty long queue she'll be joining. But appear she will and I'm indebted to you because I had never previously heard of her and she looks like an eminently suitable subject. Thanks a lot.
Hello again and I wouldn't mind a documentary series at all, but I'd want to work with someone a bit more trustworthy than the duplicitous BBC. Netflix might be good..
@@petebeard Ah -- well, we in the States are somewhat shielded from nefarious BBC machinations, but I shall send good thoughts that someone/thing suitable discovers you! :)
This whole series is an absolute joy. The diversity of styles and atmosphere is astonishing, and your research and narration is much appreciated. I had NO IDEA that Heath Robinson's work was so diverse. This was an occasion where my own ignorance resulted in such pleasure.
Hello and many thanks for your favourable comment. And your ignorance/pleasure parallel holds true very much for me. It wasn't until I started to make these videos just how much I hadn't known.
Thank you for anther great video. One of my lifelong favourite illustrators too. Keep them comming Pete. This series is perhaps the best historical illustration resource on the web
Pete, as always with the varied confection of illustrator videos that you serve up, your foray into the work of Heath Robinson was inspirational, informative, and a delight. I know you keep your subjects to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the instalment that I am looking forward to is the one that showcases your work. Think about it!
Hello Robin and thanks for the favourable comment. Early on when I started making these videos I put together a video portfolio i the hope it would establish my credentials (however obscure the work). Maybe you've missed it - or maybe you mean I should tell the story of my former career- a downward spiral if ever there was one - as a warning to aspiring illustrators.
@@petebeard I did miss it!!!, and will look for it. Again Pete thank you for these, you have filled in the blanks in my knowledge of the many illustrators whose work I admired, but didn't have the know-how to complete the picture, as well as introducing me to so many more. Best regards, Robin
Thank you so much. I've loved WHR since I was a boy and was given a Prof Brainstorm book. The need for such whimsy and good humoured fantasy has never been greater in this currently joyless land. My other favourite illustrator is Escher who also did much serious work prior to what we know him for more popularly.
Hello and thanks for your apreciation. Once this virus has been overcome (if ever) top of my bucket list is to head for the WHR museum to immerse myself in his work.
Loved viewing these amazing works and learning so much about this artist. And not a pinup anywhere! Very refreshing. :) He's now added to my favorites list from your series. TY!
I am one of those other illustrators who owe much to W. Heath Robinson. I have studied his linework extensively and it has been a great boon to my skills. I hope to get to that museum in Pinner, one day. But in the meantime, thanks for listing a few books of his that I don't have in my collection. Cheers!
Hello again and thanks for your comment. The Pinner museum is a worthwhile experience, although even I as the world's greated WHR enthusiast wouldn't cross an ocean to see it.
Like you, Pete, I stumbled onto WHR at a young and impressionable age. His work inspired me to produce my own pen and ink drawings of fanciful creatures. I promised myself at the time that, one day, I would own some of his drawings. Years later I walked into Chris Beetle's London gallery and bought 3 at one go. They are on my wall and when I go, I hope my children will preserve them and hand them on to another generation. What a wonderful mind and talent...
Hello and my belated thanks for your comments. I was convinced I had replied to them at the time but RUclips seem to disagree and indicate I didn't respond. Must have been a senior moment. What I thought I had said was that I had an extended pilgrimage to the WHR museum all planned when lockdown was enforced, and as soon as (if ever) normality resumes I will finally get to make the trip. I've never seen an original of his.
Beatiful book covers at 3:47 ( Don Quijote ) and 4:27 ( Uncle Lubin ). Another great video Pete to discover a great artist. Thank you for making better and better my sunday breakfast time!
Hello again Gabriel and I'm very pleased I'm helping you to enjoy your breakfast! Heath Robinson has been a lifelong obsession of mine. And the Uncle Lubin book is a personal favourite. You can see a lot of his illustrated books at project gutenberg.
Greetings, I love your series on Illustration/ illustrators!!! I hope you will, someday do one or 2 on Alan Lee and John Howe---in the mean time keep up the great work!!! Thank You!!
Hi and thanks for your positive response. Alan Lee is on what is turning into a ridiculously long 'to do' list and I wasn't aware of John Howe so thanks for the tip off
I originally stumbled upon Heath Robinson when one of my favorite Illustrators Chris Riddell cited him as one of his major influences- i can really see why now- thank you for this great video!
Hello and thanks for subscribing. Chris Riddell and a few others are keeping the whole pen and ink thing alive. Take a look at my video 'between the lines' if you haven't already.
Nice video! I just saw this guys work a day ago online and loved his work, really surprised I hadn't seen him before. He's great, I can also see where Dr Seuss got a lot of his drawing style from
Hello and thanks for the comment. I'm delighted there's a new convert to the WHR fan club. He's been my favourite illustrator since I first saw his work in the later 1960s.
Hi Pete.... I have to say, I fancy this illustrator's style as well. I've always enjoyed a good pen and ink piece. Thanks again, looking forward to your next post.
I really enjoy watching these videos of long gone illustrators and I was always a fan of William Heath Robinson. In some ways you could call him the father of steampunk.
Hello and thanks a lot for your favourable comment. And if you have an interest in steampunk have a look at the earlier work of Albert Robida - unless you're already familiar with it of course.
Hello and thanks for your comment. Yes there is a similar precision with the line work, and I think another powerful influence on Moebius was was Winsor McCay. Like they say, what goes around comes around.
Hi and thanks for the comment. I really can't think of an illustrator I like better, and as soon as this damn virus has gone I'm heading for the Heath Robinson museum.
Thank you for this - never heard about him before. Found a mention of his name in relation to Rube Goldberg - decided to look him up and found this gem here - with thoroug work of his life. Thank you for that - great job 💪
Hello and thanks for your positive response to the video. And I'm particularly glad you're a convert to the work of Heath Robinson. I'll be covering Goldberg in a future video.
I was listening to your take on Winsor McCay while reading through his Dinomania, which then popped this video. After hearing the name Heath Robinson, I turned to my left to see the next book to read on his masterpieces. You and I have the same appreciation.
Hello to you, and thanks for the comment. How do you feel about the work of R. H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham? ... the 2 others of the 4 favourites featured to date.
His inventions, like those of Rube's, look a bit "Mickey Mouse" ! ! that was my ATTEMPT at a humorous compliment. Thank you (and ALL the illustrators) for your works...
Blimey! I've just realised I'm here 8 years late. I've scanned your thumbnals but between my too small screen and dodgy eyes I'm not much the wiser. I love the vibe though and will have a dig around to see if I can find any George Herriman or Mervyn Peake or Roberto Innocenti or Hergé or anyone of a number of my favourites. I think, from what little I have seen, that we agree on the fundamental importance of illustrations in different situations. Sometimes it's the best way to date your Just William book.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. It baffles me why his reputation hasn't endured as well as others such as Rackham and Dulac. He remains for me the hands down no nonsense most fascinating illustrator of all time.
@@petebeard For me the most memorable cartoonist was a man from my part of the world, Suffolk. His cartoons featuring his cartoon family, often had a background that was recognisable as a Suffolk or Ipswich view, and when I was overseas, in the RAF, it often gave me a little pang of homesickness! Who was he? Have you guessed? GILES! His political comment was also very often like an arrow to the point. .
@@niklar55 Hello again and here's a little tale. When i was a kid (8-9) I was heading somewhere on a bus with my mother. Some old biddy, who obviously took a shine to me, asked what I was going to be when I grew up. Apparently I immediately replied 'Giles!'. Sadly I never did acquire that level of talent but it was his work which first inspired me. I will do a video in tribute down the line
@@petebeard 👍😊 I looked him up on Wiki, and he had to turn out THREE cartoons a week for decades! Seems, that once he knew he had a captive audience, he pretty well operated on his own terms. There's a statue of ''Grandma'' in the centre of Ipswich, my home town, apparently looking up to the place where his office used to be. (The original building has long been replaced with a new one.) One toon. that comes to mind, was produced during a fuel shortage, and there was a tanker truck, parked, and the driver standing alongside it, with a big sign, [NO!] leaning on a wheel, and a couple of people with fuel cans looking for fuel for their stranded cars! Another one, that's a bit hazy, was a sailboat, and Ipswich docks in the background. Cant remember the specific point of it now, as it was over 50 years ago. .
@@petebeard When people asked me what I was going to be, I used to say, in a cracked Stepto voice, ''I'm going to be a _dirty old man_!'' Don't know if I've qualified yet. .
Your videos are so damned entertaining, and I always learn something, even about illustrators I'm familiar with. You should do a piece on Leo and Diane Dillon. Diane is still alive, but Leo has passed.
Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation. And thanks too for the names Leo and Diane Dillon - I'd never encountered either of them before and will investigate. Although it's true that being this side of the veil does disqualify from inclusion.
Peter i feel that Heath Robinson should be a household name up there With Rackem and du lac Beardsly and all the pen and ink masters . Is it because his work aired on the side of Whimsical illustration that he is overlooked ...sometimes the world baffles me ..thank you for trying to Spread this fantastic artists work !
Hello again and like you I struggle to understand why he is not more revered. His control of pen and ink had no rival in my opinion, and there's the added bonus that he created and wrote his own fantasy work. Ironically I had a trip all planned to travel to visit the WHR museum just as the lockdown began, and it's still top of my bucket list when (if) sanity is restored.
There's a 'Heath Robinson' machine at the national Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park -- a fore-runner of Colossus. I'm sure a good many youngsters have learned of the expression -- and the wonderful work of the man himself -- from their visit.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I actually have a copy of those illustrations in the form of a promotional calendar, drawn by John Ireland, who I think did an excellent job. A prized possession.
Professor Branestawm! I must try to get hold of a copy ,especially the one I remember as a child, of The Great Pancake Machine . Very nice chamber music ,by the way ,very appropriate.
No dejo de admirar este material, muchas gracias, es de mucha inspiracion para mi trabajo, te dejo una idea si fuera posible, para un video acerca de como trabajaban los ilustradores con las referencias visuales para desarrollar su arte. gracias.
Muchas gracias por tu apreciación. Y tu sugerencia para un vídeo es interesante. Pero necesitaría información que, hasta donde mis investigaciones pueden decir, simplemente no está disponible (al menos no en cantidad suficiente) para hacer un video. Se necesitaría alguien con mejores conocimientos que yo para lograrlo con éxito.
Hello and thanks for the suggestion. Others have expressed a similar desire, but I confess that all those I've featured to date are personal favourites who I already have a head start with due to a long term interest in their work. I'm aware of his work but no more than that, which probably is a sign from above that I should leave him for greater enthusiasts to cover. I'm sure there are already quite a few about him.
@@petebeard perhaps check him out in depth, he's really exceptional and although perhaps lesser known his body of work is really brilliant. Thanks for responding!
I've always loved his illustration work, particularly 'The Song Of The English', stunning. There is an illustration of his I saw once and don't know where it's from - ayoung boy in the top of a tree looking out over a landscape - maybe 'The Waterbabies' ?
I had no idea he was more than the impossible contraptions. I think his name will live on because there has to be a word for peculiar devices. And while name lives on people will discover his work which has that most precious and rare commodity- charm.
I’m enjoying your "Unsung Heroes of Illustration" series very much indeed, and it was great to see the episode devoted to Heath Robinson. I remember his illustrations to Norman Hunter’s “The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm” which I read as a boy in the 1950s. The illustrations seemed a perfect complement to the eccentricity of the stories. Looking at some of the favourite books on my shelves, I wonder if I could suggest some names of illustrators (apologies if you have already mentioned them). Marjorie Anderson: woodcut illustrations for “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”. Donal Seton Cammel: colour and BW illustrations for “King Arthur and the Round Table”. (Was this the same guy who later achieved fame as a film director?) Estelle Canziani: illustrations for “The Man at the Gate of the World”. (She was also a painter, travel writer and folklorist.) Joseph Finnemore: illustrations for “Sir Knight of the Splendid Way” and various boys’ books. (He was also a painter.) Gertrude Demain Hammond: Illustrations for “The Pilgrims Progress”. Very best to you and I hope there will be more to come in your fascinating series!
A particularly large thanks to you for your positive response to my videos - not to mention a list of illustrators completely new to me. I'll investigate immediately...
![Eminem - Fuel (feat. JID) [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t5H_CewqpKA/mqdefault.jpg)
What a joy! The Heath Robinson museum in Pinner is well worth visiting. So glad I found this video!
Thanks a lot for both your recent comments. Both these illustrators would be on my list for an illustration version of desert island discs. I haven't made it to Pinner yet but it's on my bicket list.
That's the second wonderful video I've watched today. Thanks.
Hello and many thanks for both your comments. It's great to be appreciated and both these illustrators are high among my all time favourites.
Pete, your channel is a TRUE GEM!
Hello again and thanks a lot for another very favourable comment.
Keep doing what you love. Thank you for what you share by making these videos.
Hello and thanks for th comment. As long as viewers stick with the channel I'll keep making th videos.
Oh, The professor's favorite illustrator! Great, I really loved the illustrations in Rabelais's book. Thanks
Hello and there will never be another like him, in my book.
Mr. Beard, you are wonderful to share these beautiful illustrators and artists of the past. I feel I have discovered a gold mine! Your observations are spot on! I am not going to try to obtain W. H. Robinson's children's books. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
Hello and your appreciation is very welcome. It's a genuine pleasure to know that viewers appreciate the content and the work that goes into it. You may prefer actual books but some of his books are available digitally from project Gutenberg. My personal favourite is Uncle Lubin.
Amazing work! William is awesome! Thank you!
Hello and thanks for the comment. He has always been my favourite illustrator. Such skill with a pen and such an imagination.
He Was A Genius ! thank you I Was Until your Outstanding HIGHLIGHT ... Shamefully 🙈Unaware , Thank you ! ( Once Again ) ☮️❤️💪🏼🎨🎨🎨
Hello again and I'm so glad you enjoyed this. He's my all time favourite illustrator.
holy moleee, robinson was a bloomin genius, so happy to know a bit about him. thank you mr beard as ever you kentucky hillbilly fan
Hello again, and he's my all time favourite illustrator, so I'm particularly pleased you enjoyed this video.
Thank you for this video. He is my great great uncle and we named our son after him.(Liam Heath ______)
Hi and thanks very much for watching. It was on my bucket list to make a video to honour the lifetime's work WHR produced. He always was and always will be my favourite illustrator.
Lucky you! I adore his work!
Welton?
Brilliant video - now I understand what people mean when they say ‘That’s very Heath Robinson’!!!😊 Thank you!
Hello and I'm glad I could be of service!
Thank you for this fantastic video about a great great illustrator. Thanks to you he is my favourite illustrator.
Hello and your comment is very welcome. He has been my favourite illustrator for over half a century, and I still get lost in admiration for his astonishing work. I'm so glad he resonates with you too.
You've converted me! Thank you for this video.
Hello and it's good to know I've made a convert of you. He remains my favourite illustrator of all time.
Along with Rackham and the later Ronald Searle, Heath Robinson has always been one of my favourite Illustrators. Growing up in the 50's in a house full of my Mother's and Grandmother's books, many of the illustrations have been imprinted on my memory! I still have most of my Professor Branestawm books ! He certainly was a most prolific genius!
Hello again and ditto as before!
Yes, Thank You ...wonderful talent.
Hello and glad you enjoy his work. My all time favourite illustrator.
His unique talent and imagination has sparked three generation of my family since 1968.
Hello and thanks for your comment. If i could only pick the work of one illustrator to take to my desert island it would be WHR.
Thanks Pete, It is sad , the thought of so much history, talent and wonderful art could be lost to time, I hope not 😔
Hello again, and if the channel does anything at all to prevent this I'll die a happy man. Well, happy-ish...
I grew up seeing and loving his brilliant illustrations. Thanks for this!!
Hello and WHR has been my favourite illustrator for as long as I can remember. I'm very glad you enjoyed the video.
An illustrator I have heard of and actually have some of his books. I usually dislike musical accompaniments but found this selection very enjoyable.
Thanks a lot for the comment. And regarding the background music I tried making videos without, but it sounded like I was reading someone's obituary.
I knew of Heath Robinson only through his illustrations of ridiculously elaborate gadgets. I was completely ignorant of his brilliant artistic skill -- until now. Thank you for producing this video. (Clearly a labour of love.)
Hello and yes it was a labour of love. My all time hands down favourite illustrator. Thanks a lot for your appreciation.
One of my all time favourites too. Some of those books are to die for!
Thanks for continuing to watch
Nice! First I learn about a cool channel that specializes in something I myself am interested in, and then I learn about an amazing illustrator whom I've never heard of.
Thanks for the positive response
Excellent and thank you. The highlight of my Saturday morning.
Much appreciated
Wonderful!! To my shame, I only knew of his work through his devices. Wat a marvellous artist. Thanks for another fine report.
Hello and your comment has been echoed by quite a few other viewers. Introducing people to illustrators they either hadn't heard of, or had only limited knowledge of, is one of the great pleasures of making these videos.
I think Robinson's aesthetic unequivocally lives on in the films of Miyazaki. Watching this also made me think of the surreal nostalgia and fanciful world of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" and especially the "Yellow Submarine" film.
Hello and you make some interesting parallels. I think maybe the word which forms an umbrella over the creations you site would be 'whimsical'.
I was born in 1942 and so am old enough to remember the expression "Heath Robinson" used to characterise improbable/impractical devices. Thank you for bringing this great illustrative artist so vividly to life.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. This one was a real labour of love as he has been my favourite illustrator since I first saw his work in the 60s.
William Heath Robinson has always been one of my inspirations.
Hello and obviously one of my all time favourites too. I was being nosey because of your amusing rabbit picture and took a look at your channel. Is the header your own work? I really like it.
What a beautiful channel I discovered!!! Fantastic gift for the first day of ‘22!! Thank you!
Hello and many thanks for the comment. I hope you'll continue to find content that's of interest.
I recently heard a reference to heath robinson in an episode of "how it's made" S01E03", instead of trying to explain to my partner who he was and why the reference I thought it eassier to show her this video.
when my dad was alive he would mention the fantastic machines illustrated in his books and illustrations and not to forget the contraptions created by Rowland Emett, these would eventually help to inspire me in my engineering career, although a little more functional / nonwhimsical.
Eventually when I have kids I will do the same.
thank you for the taking the time to make this video. i hope more people take the time to view it and enjoy it as much as I have.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. If only Robinson's contraptions (and yes Roland Emmett's too) would actually work, what a more amusing world this would be. If this sort of thing appeals try looking at the humanised machines of Boris Artzybashoff too.
I had a copy of Professor Branestawm as a child and loved the illustrations contained within its pages, so this was a wonderful video to relive the works of this artist. Thank you.
Hello and I'm very glad you enjoyed it.
This was a real eye-opener for me; having been unaware/ignorant of his serious work. The latter is extremely accomplished, stylish and accessible. I believe that his humorous and serious work have the commonality of an expert use of space and placement of the subject matter within that space. Such flair. Pete, thank you once more for another voyage of discovery.
Hello again and it's paricularly rewarding t hear that you discovered just how much there is to the work of what for me is arguably the greatest illustrator of all time.
What a wonderful exposition of his work. I only knew of his 'crazy machines', having seen a working model of one of his designs in Leeds. The large working model was displayed for a long time in one of the shopping arcades in the main shopping area of Leeds till a few years ago. Your video was a revelation and am so impressed by his brilliant illustrations & excellent paintings. Thank you for introducing his work to me. I shall spread the word to the young members of my family & friends. He deserves no less.
I've always loved William Heath Robinson's work. His name was a byword in our house while growing up; anything patched up or cobbled together with string and sellotape was called 'Heath Robinson style'! It was great seeing other works of his that I hadn't seen before. Thanks, Pete. Great stuff. :)
Hello again and your early memories of that phrase echo my own. In fact I struggle to remember whether I heard the phrase first or saw his work. Either way I have been a massive disciple ever since. Did you know there's a Heath Robinson museum just outside London? As soon as this virus hell is over I'll be making a pilgrimage while i still can.
@@petebeard Haha, yes, I still use the phrase today, especially as I tend to use elastic bands and other bits and bobs to keep things together in my home until I have time to mend them properly! I didn't know that about the museum. I'll have to look into that. Cheers. :)
One of my favorite illustrators. Thank you for this presentation.
Thank you for your appreciation. One of my absolute favourites.
I really enjoyed that - thank you very much. I bought that Penguin when it came out, and I still have it.
Hello and same here. It's falling apart a bit, but then so am I.
@@petebeard That makes two of us. Keep 'er lit.
This is great. I love that you are doing a series like this. This is so wonderful.
Hello and I'm very pleased that you find the channel worthwhile. Thanks for watching.
Love the video. My fiancé informed me that you sound like the critic from ratatouille. C
I can't stop thinking about it.
Hello and thanks a lot. I took a look at that character on youtube and it was voiced by none other than the acting giant Peter O'Toole. So to say I'm flattered is a major understatement. He's a lot better spoken than me though. Maybe I should try to sound better brought up.
What a fascinating body of work. Thank you for yet another great insight.
Hello again and I'm pleased you're finding more of interest on the channel. If I could only take the work of one illustrator to my desert island it would be WHR.
I love his work and his humour is just genius.
Hello and thanks a lot for your recent batch of comments. All opinions I wholeheartedly share. Hwath Robinson has been my personal favourite for most of my life.
This is amazing. I discovered him only a few weeks ago when I found a print of "Spring Cleaning in Noah's Ark" in a charity shop. I fell in love with his style. I can't believe he's not more well known!!
Hello Emma and I'm glad there's a new member in the Heath Robinson fan club. You will probably find this link rewarding...www.gutenberg.org/files/33570/33570-h/33570-h.htm
One of my all time favourites. The contrast in some of his work is amazing - I'm comparing, say, his beautiful watercolour work in The Story of the English, to his hilarious, whacky machines.
Hello and naturally enough I totally agree. He has been my favourite illustrator since I first encountered his work in the early 1970s.
Thank you for your intelligent and measured approach in your series. I am enjoying your programs immensely. You are introducing to many of us illustrators previously unknown (at least by name) and by doing so, enhancing their legacies. Bravo!
Hello and many thanks for your supportive comment. I'm glad you are enjoying the content.
An absolute treat for the mind, and eye. Thank you Peter Beard for your research about this wonderful artist.
Thank you Pete for another great presentation! Very much appreciated.
The continued support of other enthusiasts like yourself keep me motivated
Finally a channel I can follow with anticipation and excitement, not to mention, inspiration. Thank you.
And thanks to you for such a positive comment. The enthusiasm of viewers is a great incentive.
Your videos light up my days which is saying a lot since my days are pretty light to begin with. Such a non-guilty pleasure. Thank you. ❤️
Hello and many thanks for your positive response to the channel. I hope you'll find more to interest you.
I'd love to see an episode on Pamela Colman Smith. These are wonderful.
Hello and your wish is my command - although I don't know when she'll feature as it's a pretty long queue she'll be joining. But appear she will and I'm indebted to you because I had never previously heard of her and she looks like an eminently suitable subject. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for the shot of that lovely Penguin cover! (Of course, everything else was lovely, too :)
Hello again and thanks a lot. I can't think of an illustrator I admire more.
@@petebeard Fair enough, and I can only repeat my previous observation that your videos deserve a BBC series!
Hello again and I wouldn't mind a documentary series at all, but I'd want to work with someone a bit more trustworthy than the duplicitous BBC. Netflix might be good..
@@petebeard Ah -- well, we in the States are somewhat shielded from nefarious BBC machinations, but I shall send good thoughts that someone/thing suitable discovers you! :)
Thank you! I always loved Heath Robinson machines but never knew he was so brilliant at other forms of illustration.
... in which case I'm delighted to have introduced you to all his other work. Thanks for the comment.
This whole series is an absolute joy. The diversity of styles and atmosphere is astonishing, and your research and narration is much appreciated. I had NO IDEA that Heath Robinson's work was so diverse. This was an occasion where my own ignorance resulted in such pleasure.
Hello and many thanks for your favourable comment. And your ignorance/pleasure parallel holds true very much for me. It wasn't until I started to make these videos just how much I hadn't known.
Thank you for anther great video. One of my lifelong favourite illustrators too. Keep them comming Pete. This series is perhaps the best historical illustration resource on the web
Thanks to you for a particularly flattering review.
Agreed Steve Ham ,👉🏼👏👏👏Pete Beard
Pete, as always with the varied confection of illustrator videos that you serve up, your foray into the work of Heath Robinson was inspirational, informative, and a delight. I know you keep your subjects to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the instalment that I am looking forward to is the one that showcases your work. Think about it!
Hello Robin and thanks for the favourable comment. Early on when I started making these videos I put together a video portfolio i the hope it would establish my credentials (however obscure the work). Maybe you've missed it - or maybe you mean I should tell the story of my former career- a downward spiral if ever there was one - as a warning to aspiring illustrators.
@@petebeard I did miss it!!!, and will look for it.
Again Pete thank you for these, you have filled in the blanks in my knowledge of the many illustrators whose work I admired, but didn't have the know-how to complete the picture, as well as introducing me to so many more.
Best regards,
Robin
Thank you so much. I've loved WHR since I was a boy and was given a Prof Brainstorm book. The need for such whimsy and good humoured fantasy has never been greater in this currently
joyless land. My other favourite illustrator is Escher who also did much serious work prior to what we know him for more popularly.
Hello and thanks for your apreciation. Once this virus has been overcome (if ever) top of my bucket list is to head for the WHR museum to immerse myself in his work.
Thank you for the amazing documentaries of these artists......I am now binge watching!
Hello and that's music to my ears.
Another video masterpiece. Bravo Pete, your work on youtube is the benchmark for others to strive for.
Hi Mark and thanks again for your support - and I can take any amount of favourable comment.
Valid comment
Loved viewing these amazing works and learning so much about this artist. And not a pinup anywhere! Very refreshing. :) He's now added to my favorites list from your series. TY!
Hello and thanks for the positive response. Most days Heath Robinson is just about my all time favourite illustrator.
great job. your videos help me learn English by the pronunciation part. It is spectacular the work that vice does on the work of these great artists.
And thanks to you for watching
I am one of those other illustrators who owe much to W. Heath Robinson. I have studied his linework extensively and it has been a great boon to my skills. I hope to get to that museum in Pinner, one day. But in the meantime, thanks for listing a few books of his that I don't have in my collection. Cheers!
Hello again and thanks for your comment. The Pinner museum is a worthwhile experience, although even I as the world's greated WHR enthusiast wouldn't cross an ocean to see it.
thank you very much for this special presentation, truly memorized for most of it!
Hello and I'm glad you enjoyed it. For me WHR is the ultimate illustrator -funny and beautiful by turns.
What a great channel. So wonderful. Thank YOU!
Hello and you're more than welcome. It pleases me no end to know viewers enjoy the videos.
My personal favorite ! Thank you Pete, AWESOME!! ~:)
Hello and thanks for your comment. I first saw his work when I was a kid and I've been obsessed with it ever since.
A favourite illustrator of mine and a huge influence on my own work. Thank-you for another great ad informative video.
And thanks for watching and enjoying. I'm particularly pleased this one seems to be pretty popular so maybe it's mission accomplished.
Thanks for the wonderful presentation. I thoroughly enjoy all of them.
And thanks to you for your continued support
Thank you for sharing! I'm amazed by his work, he should be more famous!
You'e right - he should and maybe now he will be (if only a little)
Like you, Pete, I stumbled onto WHR at a young and impressionable age. His work inspired me to produce my own pen and ink drawings of fanciful creatures. I promised myself at the time that, one day, I would own some of his drawings. Years later I walked into Chris Beetle's London gallery and bought 3 at one go. They are on my wall and when I go, I hope my children will preserve them and hand them on to another generation. What a wonderful mind and talent...
Hello and my belated thanks for your comments. I was convinced I had replied to them at the time but RUclips seem to disagree and indicate I didn't respond. Must have been a senior moment. What I thought I had said was that I had an extended pilgrimage to the WHR museum all planned when lockdown was enforced, and as soon as (if ever) normality resumes I will finally get to make the trip. I've never seen an original of his.
Beatiful book covers at 3:47 ( Don Quijote ) and 4:27 ( Uncle Lubin ). Another great video Pete to discover a great artist. Thank you for making better and better my sunday breakfast time!
Hello again Gabriel and I'm very pleased I'm helping you to enjoy your breakfast! Heath Robinson has been a lifelong obsession of mine. And the Uncle Lubin book is a personal favourite. You can see a lot of his illustrated books at project gutenberg.
Greetings, I love your series on Illustration/ illustrators!!! I hope you will, someday do one or 2 on Alan Lee and John Howe---in the mean time keep up the great work!!! Thank You!!
Hi and thanks for your positive response. Alan Lee is on what is turning into a ridiculously long 'to do' list and I wasn't aware of John Howe so thanks for the tip off
I originally stumbled upon Heath Robinson when one of my favorite Illustrators Chris Riddell cited him as one of his major influences- i can really see why now- thank you for this great video!
Hello and thanks for subscribing. Chris Riddell and a few others are keeping the whole pen and ink thing alive. Take a look at my video 'between the lines' if you haven't already.
@@petebeard Oh your welcome and i'll do so immediatly!
Nice video! I just saw this guys work a day ago online and loved his work, really surprised I hadn't seen him before. He's great, I can also see where Dr Seuss got a lot of his drawing style from
Hello and thanks for the comment. I'm delighted there's a new convert to the WHR fan club. He's been my favourite illustrator since I first saw his work in the later 1960s.
Hi Pete.... I have to say, I fancy this illustrator's style as well. I've always enjoyed a good pen and ink piece. Thanks again, looking forward to your next post.
Hi and I'm glad you enjoyed it
I really enjoy watching these videos of long gone illustrators and I was always a fan of William Heath Robinson. In some ways you could call him the father of steampunk.
Hello and thanks a lot for your favourable comment. And if you have an interest in steampunk have a look at the earlier work of Albert Robida - unless you're already familiar with it of course.
Wonderful. You can see in some of the work the clear inspiration for some of Jean "Moebius" Giraud's pen and ink compositions.
Hello and thanks for your comment. Yes there is a similar precision with the line work, and I think another powerful influence on Moebius was was Winsor McCay. Like they say, what goes around comes around.
Excellent as usual; many thanks!
And thanks for your continued support
Thank you for doing these, very informative and enjoyable, nice to hear a fellow northern accent too.
Hello and thanks for your positive response. That's me trying to sound a bit more BBC rather than my natural Gallagher brothers' grunt.
As a lad I recall going to my local library to borrow his books. It was a delight to gaze at all the illustrations during my formative years.
Hi and thanks for the comment. I really can't think of an illustrator I like better, and as soon as this damn virus has gone I'm heading for the Heath Robinson museum.
Thank you for this - never heard about him before. Found a mention of his name in relation to Rube Goldberg - decided to look him up and found this gem here - with thoroug work of his life. Thank you for that - great job 💪
Hello and thanks for your positive response to the video. And I'm particularly glad you're a convert to the work of Heath Robinson. I'll be covering Goldberg in a future video.
@@petebeard will look forward to that one too 🤘
Thank you for this video. I love your job! Please never stop! :)
Hello and although I know I will stop eventually I still have many more videos to make. Hopefully a few more years...
@@petebeard Thank you :)
Thank you for doing these.
Hello and thanks for your comments.
I was listening to your take on Winsor McCay while reading through his Dinomania, which then popped this video. After hearing the name Heath Robinson, I turned to my left to see the next book to read on his masterpieces. You and I have the same appreciation.
Hello to you, and thanks for the comment. How do you feel about the work of R. H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham? ... the 2 others of the 4 favourites featured to date.
His inventions, like those of Rube's, look a bit "Mickey Mouse" ! !
that was my ATTEMPT at a humorous compliment.
Thank you (and ALL the illustrators) for your works...
Hi there and thanks for your appreciation. Rube Goldberg is already on the list of heroes waiting to be featured.
Blimey! I've just realised I'm here 8 years late. I've scanned your thumbnals but between my too small screen and dodgy eyes I'm not much the wiser. I love the vibe though and will have a dig around to see if I can find any George Herriman or Mervyn Peake or Roberto Innocenti or Hergé or anyone of a number of my favourites. I think, from what little I have seen, that we agree on the fundamental importance of illustrations in different situations. Sometimes it's the best way to date your Just William book.
Lovely video, great artist!
Hello and I'm very glad you appreciate his work. He's probably my all time favourite illustrator.
Magnificent!
Hello and I'm glad you liked it. He's my all time favourite.
Excellent and informative video. Thank you.
Hello and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you'll find others on the channel that interset you too.
fantastic
😊👍
Used to love his crazy machines when I was a kid.
Most people these days haven't even heard of him.
Sad.
.
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. It baffles me why his reputation hasn't endured as well as others such as Rackham and Dulac. He remains for me the hands down no nonsense most fascinating illustrator of all time.
@@petebeard
For me the most memorable cartoonist was a man from my part of the world, Suffolk.
His cartoons featuring his cartoon family, often had a background that was recognisable as a Suffolk or Ipswich view, and when I was overseas, in the RAF, it often gave me a little pang of homesickness!
Who was he? Have you guessed?
GILES!
His political comment was also very often like an arrow to the point.
.
@@niklar55 Hello again and here's a little tale. When i was a kid (8-9) I was heading somewhere on a bus with my mother. Some old biddy, who obviously took a shine to me, asked what I was going to be when I grew up. Apparently I immediately replied 'Giles!'. Sadly I never did acquire that level of talent but it was his work which first inspired me. I will do a video in tribute down the line
@@petebeard
👍😊
I looked him up on Wiki, and he had to turn out THREE cartoons a week for decades!
Seems, that once he knew he had a captive audience, he pretty well operated on his own terms.
There's a statue of ''Grandma'' in the centre of Ipswich, my home town, apparently looking up to the place where his office used to be. (The original building has long been replaced with a new one.)
One toon. that comes to mind, was produced during a fuel shortage, and there was a tanker truck, parked, and the driver standing alongside it, with a big sign, [NO!] leaning on a wheel, and a couple of people with fuel cans looking for fuel for their stranded cars!
Another one, that's a bit hazy, was a sailboat, and Ipswich docks in the background. Cant remember the specific point of it now, as it was over 50 years ago.
.
@@petebeard
When people asked me what I was going to be, I used to say, in a cracked Stepto voice, ''I'm going to be a _dirty old man_!''
Don't know if I've qualified yet.
.
Wow. Impressive ! Neat you came to see site!
Hello and thanks a lot for the comment.
Your videos are so damned entertaining, and I always learn something, even about illustrators I'm familiar with.
You should do a piece on Leo and Diane Dillon. Diane is still alive, but Leo has passed.
Hello and thanks a lot for your appreciation. And thanks too for the names Leo and Diane Dillon - I'd never encountered either of them before and will investigate. Although it's true that being this side of the veil does disqualify from inclusion.
Peter i feel that Heath Robinson should be a household name up there
With Rackem and du lac Beardsly and all the pen and ink masters . Is it because his work aired on the side of
Whimsical illustration that he is overlooked ...sometimes the world baffles me ..thank you for trying to
Spread this fantastic artists work !
Hello again and like you I struggle to understand why he is not more revered. His control of pen and ink had no rival in my opinion, and there's the added bonus that he created and wrote his own fantasy work. Ironically I had a trip all planned to travel to visit the WHR museum just as the lockdown began, and it's still top of my bucket list when (if) sanity is restored.
There's a 'Heath Robinson' machine at the national Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park -- a fore-runner of Colossus. I'm sure a good many youngsters have learned of the expression -- and the wonderful work of the man himself -- from their visit.
Hello and thanks for the comment. I hope you're right. His work is among the finest - and funniest - ever created, in my humble opinion.
Excellent stuff! His work inspired a series of ads- 'The Gentle Art of Making Guinness." There's a pub in Kingston, Ontario that has most of them.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I actually have a copy of those illustrations in the form of a promotional calendar, drawn by John Ireland, who I think did an excellent job. A prized possession.
Professor Branestawm!
I must try to get hold of a copy ,especially the one I remember as a child, of The Great Pancake Machine .
Very nice chamber music ,by the way ,very appropriate.
Thanks for your appreciation, and I must confess I hadn't known that he was the creator of that character until I was middle aged myself.
@@petebeard Illustrator only ,Norman Hunter was the author.
No dejo de admirar este material, muchas gracias, es de mucha inspiracion para mi trabajo, te dejo una idea si fuera posible, para un video acerca de como trabajaban los ilustradores con las referencias visuales para desarrollar su arte. gracias.
Muchas gracias por tu apreciación. Y tu sugerencia para un vídeo es interesante. Pero necesitaría información que, hasta donde mis investigaciones pueden decir, simplemente no está disponible (al menos no en cantidad suficiente) para hacer un video. Se necesitaría alguien con mejores conocimientos que yo para lograrlo con éxito.
After the third time I stopped this one to go, "Oh WOW", I started googling for collections of his fairy tale work to order.
Hello and that;s music to my ears. I have many favourite illustrators but always at the top is WHR. Happily a lot of his work is still available.
I'd love to see one of your great episodes on Moebius/Jean Giraud
Hello and thanks for the suggestion. Others have expressed a similar desire, but I confess that all those I've featured to date are personal favourites who I already have a head start with due to a long term interest in their work. I'm aware of his work but no more than that, which probably is a sign from above that I should leave him for greater enthusiasts to cover. I'm sure there are already quite a few about him.
@@petebeard perhaps check him out in depth, he's really exceptional and although perhaps lesser known his body of work is really brilliant. Thanks for responding!
I've always loved his illustration work, particularly 'The Song Of The English', stunning. There is an illustration of his I saw once and don't know where it's from - ayoung boy in the top of a tree looking out over a landscape - maybe 'The Waterbabies' ?
Hello and I'm glad the video resonated with you. Just checked through the Robinson books I've got but can't locate the one you mention.
Excellent! Thanks!
Hello and I'm glad you liked it. He's my all time hero.
I was laughing out loud the neighbours must think I'm mad !
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment. I'm glad you were amused.
I had no idea he was more than the impossible contraptions. I think his name will live on because there has to be a word for peculiar devices. And while name lives on people will discover his work which has that most precious and rare commodity- charm.
Hello and I'm glad I could introduce you to the lesser known aspects of his genius. And charm does seem to be in generally short supply these days.
I’m enjoying your "Unsung Heroes of Illustration" series very much indeed, and it was great to see the episode devoted to Heath Robinson. I remember his illustrations to Norman Hunter’s “The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm” which I read as a boy in the 1950s. The illustrations seemed a perfect complement to the eccentricity of the stories.
Looking at some of the favourite books on my shelves, I wonder if I could suggest some names of illustrators (apologies if you have already mentioned them). Marjorie Anderson: woodcut illustrations for “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”. Donal Seton Cammel: colour and BW illustrations for “King Arthur and the Round Table”. (Was this the same guy who later achieved fame as a film director?) Estelle Canziani: illustrations for “The Man at the Gate of the World”. (She was also a painter, travel writer and folklorist.) Joseph Finnemore: illustrations for “Sir Knight of the Splendid Way” and various boys’ books. (He was also a painter.) Gertrude Demain Hammond: Illustrations for “The Pilgrims Progress”.
Very best to you and I hope there will be more to come in your fascinating series!
A particularly large thanks to you for your positive response to my videos - not to mention a list of illustrators completely new to me. I'll investigate immediately...
Interesting to hear about the earlier part of his career.
Thanks for watching