Raymond Sheppard

HAMPTON ON PIKE FISHING by J[ohn] Fitzgerald Hampton London & Edinburgh:W & R. Chambers Limited, 1947

He became a Fellow of the Zoological Society (F.Z.S, 1946); and a member of the Society of Graphic Artists (S.G.A, 1947), the Pastel Society (P.S., 1948), and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (R.I, 1949).

Sheppard had a long battle with cancer from 1945 until his death in 1958.

In the 1940s Sheppard wrote and illustrated a number of books for The Studio magazine, explaining techniques on how to draw birds and zoo animals. This was followed by a successful career as a story illustrator for Lilliput, as well as for leading authors of the day such as Enid Blyton and Jim Corbett. He is best known for his original illustrations of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway that he was commissioned to produce at the same time as Charles Tunnicliffe. The published version contained illustrations from both artists. He was also a founding member of the Wapping Group of Artists, officially launched in 1946.

Raymond Sheppard (3 March 1913 – 21 April 1958) was a British artist and illustrator of books for children and adults. He wrote books on drawing techniques, but is best known for his illustrations of Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea and the works of Jim Corbett.

Sheppard was born on 3 March 1913, and was educated at Christ's College, Finchley. From childhood he had a love of nature, from his time playing in Scratchwood in Mill Hill, north-west London, to his time spent in London Zoo sketching live animals. He studied art at Bolt Court under S.G. Boxsius and from October 1940 to January 1946 served as a Leading Aircraftsman in the RAF.