Since his first major book, ‘Samurai Warriors’ in 1987, James had illustrations in hundreds of publications. The first few years of his career followed the military history path - the Roman army, Celtic and Medieval history, and more Samurai.
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James joined Simon Girling and Associates (SGA) in 1989 and more general history commissions started to come in and then a return to wildlife illustration, the subject that James had studied at college. Dinosaur work also started to appear regularly and for over ten years, cycles of History, Dinosaurs and Wildlife formed the bulk of James’ output. During this period he developed his reputation for the accuracy of his artwork and also for delivering on time. Several publishers have relied on James’ knowledge and research to produce whole books of illustrations without supplying any reference and the barest minimum idea of what each picture should include.
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Changes in the world book markets since 9/11 and James’ own interests led to some expansion of subject matter and this became more pronounced after the retirement of Simon Girling from the illustration agency and its subsequent closure. Children’s educational stories and local Welsh history were now included, modern technologies such as the history of aircraft and the Land speed Record cars also joined the mix. The new millennium also saw changes in the way the illustrations were produced. Traditional Gouache and Ink and Wash, with the occasional Acrylic, were joined by images produced either in part or entirely on the computer. There was also an expansion in style with James illustrating Graphic Novels on subjects from Dinosaurs to fighter pilots.
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JAMES' ILLUSTRATION SUBJECTS INCLUDED ALL THE FOLLOWING:
Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Animals Wildlife: Ecology, Llifestyles, Rare and Endangered Animals Samurai & Ninja The Roman Army Celtic Heroes British History Scottish History Canadian History World History Vikings Knights & Medieval Warfare The Tudors Napoleonic Warfare World War One World War Two History of Flight Land Speed Records at Pendine History of Medicine History of Sport The Olympics St David Black Bart |
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James has exhibited in:-
Guild of Aviation Artists Annual exhibition, Mall Galleries, Guild of Aviation Artists Midlands Region exhibition, RAF Museum Cosford, Sunderland Flying boat Trust, Pembroke Dock, Blenheim Palace, David Shepherd, Wildlife Artist of the Year, Mall Galleries, One man show, National Botanic Gardens of Wales, Staverton Airport, Gloucester Haverfordwest Museum, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire County Museum, Weston-Super-Mare Museum, North Somerset, |
James' favourite car, a Gentleman's coupe 8 Litre Bentley (Chassis number YF5021 currently registered as JN1333)
