My brother in law the artist

I have a friend who’s an actor. We once got stop by the police driving home from a nightclub and they asked him what his profession was? He felt a bit of a prat saying actor even though he has graduated from stage school and toured the country in a number of Shakespeare plays. My brother in law is equally modest about his profession as an artist and illustrator.

If you walk passed my sister’s house it’s a perfectly ordinary terrace house. It’s also the artistic studio of my brother in law Stephen Walsh. On the book shelves you will find countless books on art and history a clue to Steve’s current profession as an illustrator for Osprey books (Osprey publish books on military history). Most days you will find Steve sketching or painting whilst listening to radio 4 and his favourite show the Archers. Like the famous graphic illustrator Frank Hampson, (Creator of Dan Dare)Steve often uses family and friends as models, I, ve featured as a Roman senator, a World War 1 soldier and a character from kidnapped before now. In fact I once found a copy of kidnapped in market stall in Australia with me on the cover.

Steve has produced many works of fantasy art, having studied under Alan Lee at university (one of the chief artists who worked on the lord of the rings trilogy). Tolkien is a big inspiration to Steve who has worked for Mayfair games, creating the art for “the settlers of catan” and producing magic gaming cards as well as numerous private commissions. Like Tolkien, Steve has a vast knowledge of history and Osprey seems a natural home for his talents. He collects folders with the aid of the authors as a vital reference guide to his illustrations. Steve jokes about the attention to detail his illustrations’ reserve from the reading public, who will count rivets on planes and the number of buttons on tunics. Fun family days out have been had watching reactors’ creating scenes from English history or attending sc fi conventions where Steve is signing art work.