John Batchelor (illustrator)
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist and arguably the world's foremost technical illustrator, particularly known for his clear and detailed illustrations of vehicles and military equipment. His work can be seen in many late-20th-century works on armour, fighting vehicles, ships, firearms, etc. (for example the many works of Ian V. Hogg
Ian V. Hogg
Ian V. Hogg was a notable British author of books on firearms, artillery, ammunition, and fortification, as well as biographies of several famous general officers. During his career he wrote, co-wrote, edited, or co-edited about 150 books and sold well over 1 million copies .-Biographical...
). Batchelor's work is particularly sought after by scale model makers for its accuracy. He has also provided illustrations for technical interest publications such as Jane's and The Aeroplane.
Batchelor was born and brought up in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, leaving home aged 16 to travel the world for two years before joining the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
aged 18. After leaving the RAF he worked in the technical illustration departments of Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
, Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders...
and Martin Baker
Martin Baker
Martin Baker may refer to:*Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd*Martin Baker , Scottish footballer*Martin Baker...
, developing a hobby of drawing and painting antique pistols and becoming adept at portraying metal and wood finishes.
As a freelance illustrator he worked first on boys' papers including The Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
, then in 1966 he became involved with Purnell's partwork History of the Second World War, for which he produced a total of 1163 illustrations. This partnership extended to the same publisher's subsequent History of the First World War and Encyclopedia of modern weapons and warfare
Weapons and Warfare
Purnell's illustrated encyclopedia of modern Weapons and Warfare is a partwork originating with Purnell in 1967-1969, republished under the Phoebus brand....
.
He has also been commissioned by numerous commercial organsiations, notably Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
, to produce reference illustrations for historical and technical publications.
John Batchelor has designed during his career over 900 stamps for 45 countries in 25 years which probably makes him the world's premier stamp illustrator.
He spends his spare time sailing, shooting, flying, restoring military vehicles and model-making.