Off the Page

This is where we write about the things that led to the drawings in the first place — the history behind a design, the process of getting an illustration from sketch to card or print, and the odd details that make one edition worth collecting over another. Expect notes from the studio in Norfolk, the old covers and reference books we can't stop collecting, and whatever's currently pinned above the drawing desk.

A Spotter's Guide to Spotter's Guides: The Odd History of the Field Guide

A Spotter's Guide to Spotter's Guides: The Odd History of the Field Guide

Where the field guide came from, why illustration beat photography for spotting things in the wild, and why the format hasn't really changed since 1937.

Jude Smith