Aston Martin DB5

The first in a possible series of cars - the Aston Martin DB5 as popularised in the 3rd James Bond movie, 'Goldfinger'.


The makers of the movie were actually given the prototype DB5 (Chassis No DP/216/1) to use in the movie. Another 3 DB5s joined the Bond stable for use as road cars or in subsequent movies ('Thunderball', 'Goldeneye', etc). John Stears actually cut the hole in the roof for the ejector seat in the prototype!

For those of you interested in the Bond DB5s I can thoroughly recommend Dave Worrall's 'The Most Famous Car in the World' (ISBN 0-9517509-1-7).

Mainline Steam Trust

I have agreed to the following in regards to my drawings of MSHT's locomotives:

1) for each locomotive drawing that I produce I will donate 4 copies to Mainline Steam so that they can raffle them on their excursions;
2) somewhere on each print will be an acknowledgement that the locomotive belongs to Mainline Steam. This will include their web address www.mainlinesteam.co.nz. Since their logo includes their web address I may opt to use that; and
3) whenever I advertise prints of their locomotives I will include a link to their website .

This is an excellent outcome and I look forward to producing further drawings of MSHT's locomotives.

Mainline Steam Copyright

On Friday, 29 October 2010 I contacted the Mainline Steam Heritage Trust (MSHT), owners of J1211 'Gloria', informing them that I had commenced a series of drawings of NZR locomotives and was wondering if they were interested in copies of J1211 'Gloria'. I received a reply from their Marketing & Operations Manager informing me that I did not have their permission to sell my prints of their locomotives on a commercial basis as they hold the rights to the locomotives. Apparently the MSHT actively pursue people who use images of their locomotives commercially. However, he did add that if I would like to use the images and sell them they would be happy to work out a commercial arrangement with me.

I had no idea I was infringing copyright and, of course, I have no desire to do so. Or get off-side with Mainline Steam as I get much pleasure from the efforts the members of the Trust undertake in keeping New Zealand's steam heritage available for all to enjoy. After all, they spend a fortune maintaining and running them.

I have opted to draw the locomotives because NZ steam holds an interest for me and, I think, a large number of New Zealanders, as well as overseas visitors. My art work is not in the realms of David Shepherd or Terrence Cuneo but I do think I offer a slightly more personalised view of the locomotives depicted than a photograph does. I feel a painting/drawing to be more evocative than a photograph (although I have spent decades photographing NZ locomotives).

My drawings do not command much in the way of money & the sales volumes are very small so I'm not making a huge fortune. I would like to come to some arrangement with Mainline Steam (or any other owners for that matter) to acknowledge their ownership. I would be more than happy to include a royalty payment per print. As I've said, this is a low volume, low cost exercise but if my sales can contribute to MSHT in any way then I would be more than happy to be involved at that level.

To date I have had no response from Mainline Steam. Hopefully we can reach an agreement as I would like to continue drawing NZ Steam locomotives. Watch this space.

NZR J1211

My third locomotive.


I have discovered, yet again, that highly polished glossy black metal isn't black - it's an impossibly complex mix of reflective colours. For this drawing, I'd managed to find some Derwent pencils that are varying shades of grey-blue.

The 40 NZR J class steam locomotives were all built by North British Locomotive Works, Scotland. The locomotive was notable in that it had a boiler that was partly streamlined.
J1211 was purchased by a syndicate from NZR in 1971 and moved to Steam Incorporated's site at Paekakariki. In 1978, Ian Welch purchased it outright and moved it to Glenbrook Vintage Railway for restoration. J1211 is named 'Gloria' and has been fitted with original style streamlining. It was converted to oil firing in 1996.

The centenary of the North Island Main Trunk line was celebrated over the Labour Weekend, 2008 at Fielding. Steam locomotives in attendance were F163, Ab663, Wab794, J1211, Ja1271, Ja1275 and Ka942. Here we see J1211 simmering in the afternoon sun.

von Richthofen's Fokker Dr.1

The Red Baron flies again in my ninth aircraft drawing.


Although there are a number of replica Fokker Dr.1's flying today, there are no original Dreideckers left. Serial No 152/17 (depicted here), in which Manfred von Richthofen obtained three victories, was displayed at the Zeughaus museum in Berlin. The triplane was destroyed by an Allied bombing raid during World War II.

Phantom F-4 II

The eighth aircraft - I've been drawing this off and on for some months.


This is the USS Constellation based Phantom F-4J piloted by Randy Cunningham (with Radio Intercept Officer Willie Driscoll) that, as part of the 'Fighting Falcons', shot down the first MiG-21 in July 1972 during the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam) battle.

NZR RM30 Railcar 'Aotea'

The second locomotive.


I don't normally like diesel locomotives, but the colouring and three-quarter aspect appealed to me. I'm especially pleased with the way the light reflects off the sloping front panel and windscreen.

The drawing is based on a photograph I took of NZR Class 'Rm' No 30 diesel Railcar (Standard Type), 'Aotea'. Built by NZR (Hutt workshops), RM30 entered service in July 1938 and was withdrawn in December 1972 after running 1,363,684 miles. It is now based at the Silverstream Railway, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

BR 9F 2-10-0 locomotive

And now for something completely different - the first of a new series featuring locomotives.


I very much enjoyed drawing this. Basically monochromatic with varying shades of warm through cold greys, I concentrated on drawing it bit by bit. It wasn't until I stood back and looked at the finished product that it suddenly became real. It seems to have a life of it's own.

I've always had a liking for steam locomotives. They somehow seem alive. My very early youth was spent in a railway town and I can still hear the haunting sound of an NZR chime whistle echoing around the hills on a cold winter's night.

The BR 9F 2-10-0 was designed to operate fast, heavy freight trains of up to 900 tons over long distances. Here we see 92204 speeding through the English country-side.

Consolidated PBY Catalina PB2B-1

The seventh of my aircraft.


Another aeroplane with a New Zealand connection. I'm not happy with the background - it is supposed to represent a cloud-covered island coastline - so I will rework it at some stage.

The aircraft depicted, RNZAF PB2B-1 Catalina, Code GF-C arrived in Fiji on 04 April 1944. It was declared surplus to requirements in 1951 and broken up at Hobsonville in 1952. Long-range patrols and reconnaissance flights were carried out from Lauthala Bay, Fiji by flying boats of No 3 Operational Training Unit.

Mustang P51D

Number six in a growing series of aircraft.


This was a very difficult aeroplane to draw. I had decided on something with a New Zealand theme, but there wasn't much in the way of source material available, hence the unappealing angle. And of course, the Mustang is a highly polished aluminium beast so there are all sorts of reflections.

This drawing is of a NZ Territorial Air Force P51D Mustang. The black & red checkers denote a Canterbury squadron. NZ ordered 320 P51 Mustangs as a partial replacement of its F4U Corsairs - only 30 were delivered and the war ended before they entered service. One Mustang is on display in the RNZAF Museum and three other privately owned Mustangs are airworthy in the country.

Messerschmitt Bf 109G

The fifth in my aeroplane series. Again, I'm using Polychromos pencils.


A move away from trying to render highly reflective surfaces - a camouflaged Bf109G returns from a sortie. The scan gives the impression that the plane is emerging from a dust cloud or a rain squall, so I might modify the background accordingly.

From the spring of 1943, the Bf 109G saw the appearance of bulges in the cowling when the 7.92 mm MG 17 was replaced with the 13 mm MG 131 machine guns. Erich Hartmann, the World's top scoring fighter ace, claimed 352 victories flying only the Bf 109G

Chance Vought Corsair F4U

The fourth in a series. Another blue aeroplane rendered in pencils.


I'm a fan of the Chance Vought Corsair F4U, probably because my father served in the RNZAF 30SU Servicing Unit (Corsairs), serving on Espirito Santo, Guadalcanal, Bouganville, Green (Nissan) Island & Jacquinot Bay. There were 237 F4U-1s and 127 F4U-1Ds used by the RNZAF during the Second World War.

I'm also rather impressed by the noise of its 2,000 hp 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine - just magnificent.

In the drawing, a USAF F4U Corsair does a slow, low level pass. By late 1944, the RNZAF had equipped all 10 Pacific-based fighter squadrons with 424 Corsairs. Only one airworthy example survives: NZ5648/ZK-COR, owned by the Old Stick and Rudder Company at Masterton, NZ.

The Corsair is also the official aircraft of the State of Connecticut, USA - one of my photographs of RNZAF's only surviving Corsair is used on the 'State Symbols of USA' website (here).

Supermarine Seafire

The third aeroplane. Same media.


I spent a lot of time trying to get a glossy depth to the blue aluminium of the fuselage and wings, including reflections of the wing markings in the highly polished metal. I was quite pleased with the light reflecting off the cockpit, the pilot hunched over the controls (almost urging the Seafire on), and the brute power suggested by the twin counter-rotating propellers.

The Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire is derived by collapsing the two words Sea Spitfire.

Westland Whirlwind

My second attempt. Again, I have used Polychromos pencils, but this time I thought I would try a monochrome rendering using a number of shades of grey:


The original version had no background (ie, the view of the Kent country-side through the clouds) and I'm not happy with this result as I think it detracts from the Whirlwind.

The Westland Whirlwind was the RAF's first single-seat, twin-engined, cannon-armed fighter. It was one of the fastest aircraft when it flew in the late 1930s, and was much more heavily armed than any other. However, development problems with its Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines delayed the entire project and only a relatively small number were ever built.

Fokker DR.1 Dreidecker

My first art attempt - Faber Castell Polychromos pencils on paper:


A simple, almost naive, attempt to capture the reds & camouflage colourings. The drawing is obviously free hand and I'm not yet comfortable with blending different shades to achieve a worthwhile outcome. Yet, I have sold quite a few copies of this print.

The Fokker DR.1 (Dreidecker) first saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It was slow with poor directional stability and was prone to upper wing failure. Only 320 were manufactured and no originals survive.

The Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim, NZ, maintains five flyable replica DR.1s.

In the beginning...

there was an empty blog