illustrations needed - gag-cifa.org

Twenty-five years ago , archaeologicalillustrators and surveyors met in Manchesterto discuss the formation of an Association torepresent their profession, to provide a forumfor the dissemination of information andpromote communication between colleagues.

A quarter-century on, the Association is stillhere, and we remain one of the few parts ofthe archaeological profession with its own identityand professional organisation to represent it.

In this issue of the Newsletter, members lookback over the last twenty-five years, considerwhat changes have taken place, what remainsto be done, and remember some of thehighlights of the Association�s past.

Exhibition material is urgently required for the Lewes Museum, especiallyif you are a member living in or near Sussex. The exhibition is to runfrom 5th August�3rd October. I am desperate for examples of illustrationwork from members please. Appeals have been put out previously inthe newsletter and at the York Conference, but I have still only receivedwork from about twelve of you, which is very pathetic.

The travelling AAI&S exhibition is a public face of our organisation, soit is important to be able to provide a wide range of examples of workproduced by our members, either for the travelling exhibition or a venuebeing offered to us such as Lewes Museum. The Curator at the museumhas requested illustration work produced by local illustrators based inthis part of the country, so that the public can see a visual record ofartefacts, plans & maps, reconstruction paintings, etc from their region.

PLEASE if there are members from the South East, could you providecopies of relevant artwork to me asap, so that we can go ahead with thisexhibition OR I WILL HAVE TO CANCEL.

Please send artwork to:

Deborah Miles-Williams MAAISArchaeological IllustratorSchool of Archaeology & Ancient HistoryUniversity of LeicesterLeicester LE1 7RHUnited Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 5251fax:+44 (0)116 252 5005

Cover of theprogramme of thefirst archaeologicalillustrators�symposium held inManchester,September 1978

ILLUSTRATIONS NEEDED

Iron Age (1st century AD) Scale 1:1. Drawn by and © Sue White MAAIS

Editor�s Note:There is not, as some members have suggested,a deliberate editorial bias in the Associationtowards longer-standing members. I have invitedyounger members to contribute, with littleresponse, and always made it clear that allmembers are welcome to make their viewsknown.

Association of Archaeological Illustrators & Surveyors2

News Paul Gibbons MAAIS1948–2003

The Association was saddened to hear of the death of Paul Gibbonson 14th March this year.

Paul�s early training as an engineering draughtsman stood him ingood stead when, after obtaining a degree in philosophy and politicsat Lancaster University he began a new career in archaeology,working on a number of sites in Cumbria and Lancashire includingWalton-le-Dale, Ribchester and Ambleside in the 1970s and 80s.

Paul joined the AAI&S in 1987 and was assessed for fullmembership in 1988.

After completing an M.Phil in archaeology at Cambridge, in 1994he moved to Devon and worked initially for English Heritage beforebecoming self-employed, doing survey work and watching briefsfor developers and local authorities in the South West.

During this time Paul�s health very gradually deteriorated and hiscapacity to work was diminished. Eventually he was restricted almostentirely to writing, but until the final weeks he retained the hopethat he would complete some of his projects.

The Association would like to express its sympathy to his wifeLinda, his friends and colleagues.

Conference 2004: HelpNeeded!

Preparations are in progress for the 2004Conference which will be held in the WestMidlands, possibly Birmingham, Warwick orCoventry (venue not finalised at time of writing).Originally, I had hoped to be actively involvedin the preparation of this conference but othercommitments (including the running anddevelopment of the AAI&S website) means thatI just do not have time.

Debbie Miles Williams, AAI&S ExhibitionsOfficer is also involved in preparations but wereally need help from other members of theAAI&S rather than the same old faces!!!

If you live in or around the Midlands area, fancywriting a few letters, organising speakers andevents for the 2004 Conference, let us knowasap by emailing either Debbie or myself (StevenCheshire) via the links provided at: http://www.aais.org.uk/html/contact.asp

We look forward to hearing from you soon.Steve Cheshire

At last, the Journal

The Association�s Journal is currently beingprepared for print and should be published intime for the Conference. Articles and materialfor the 2004 Journal should be sent to the Editorvia Central Mailing: please consider contributingsomething!

Silver Wyvern Broochscale 2:1

Drawn by Sue White MAAIS

Archaeological Illustrators’ Forum

The newly-revamped AAI&S website now features a forum wheremembers and others can exchange views and information. It is hopedthat this will prove a useful and popular addition to the site. This is theideal place for those idle queries about materials and software, or lengthydiscussions on the state of the profession previously limited to the barat the annual Conference. Current threads include a discussion on�freelance v. salaried�, and whether we would be better off as a subgroupof the IFA. (Controversial!)

It is relatively easy to register to use the forum, and although some ofthe mechanics of it are slightly less than clear, after one or two visits itshould be apparent how the various threads are organised and so forth.

The Forum has already helped the development of the website as auseful resource, by urging the addition of a Bibliography page to themain website, which so far contains the beginnings of a comprehensiveworldwide bibliography of texts relevant to various aspects ofarchaeological illustration, survey and reconstruction art. Members areinvited to add any entries they may be aware of that haven�t yet made itonto the list.

The website could easily become the first point of reference forarchaeological illustrators throughout the world, and all members areencouraged to get online and get involved. Now!

http://www.aais.org.uk

Newsletter July 2003 3

I have had an interesting letter from Rob Read,reminding me that this year AAI&S celebratesits 25th anniversary. He says he isn�t implyingI�m old and decrepit, but he wants me to putdown my reflections on the business ofarchaeological illustration and surveying overthe years I�ve been earning a living at it andover the time I�ve been involved with AAI&S.

I can look back over more than 25 years in thisprofession and it does make me feel old anddecrepit, but here goes.

My first job, after leaving school, was as a traineein the Planning Department drawing office atSurrey County Council. In those days, I�m notsure whether the council had a computer, butthe drawing office certainly didn�t. When I ponderhow GIS has swept into the world of recordmaps I remember a draughtswoman colleaguecalled Sheila. Her sole task was to try and keepup-to-date a set of copies of land ownershipmaps of the county, the originals of whichbelonged to the Valuer�s department. She hadto colour wash 6� sheets and I rememberthinking then that although it must have had itssatisfying moments, it was a pretty thankless task.

My own experience at Surrey County Councilgave me a thorough grounding in drawing officetechniques and the rudiments of surveying,which stood me in good stead. My next job wasat the Committee for Aerial Photography atCambridge University where I was employed50% as the illustrator for an RCHME volumeon Roman Military sites and 50% producing airphotograph interpretations and other maps forProf. St Joseph�s articles and publications. I wastrained in RCHME earthwork drawingtechniques, in the dark art of AP transcriptionand learnt more about surveying, but this pieceisn�t intended as a CV; what I am interested inrecalling is the advent of computers into ourprofessional area. My first brush with them camevia some research Rog Palmer was doing in thedepartment for his PhD thesis. This involveddigitising air photo interpretation traces onmachines that spewed out punched paper tapesthat had to be delivered to the computer suite.The computer suite had a counter where menin white coats received the tapes and we wentback after a week and collected rectified plots.It wasn�t until the mid 1980�s, by which time I

Bernard Thomasen writes...was a full-time RCHME illustrator in theCambridge Office, that we started to useprogrammable calculators and computers forsurvey resolution and bought into the wondersof AutoCAD version 2.6. !

‘Our profession must assert its right to be themasters of the areas of work in archaeology thatrequire artistic, or design skill, or skill in graphics,whether the work is done on a computer, or byhand.’

Enough of sounding like an old fart, my themeas you may have spotted is computers, howthey have crept into our lives, how they havechanged some things for the better, some forthe worse, how they are definitely aren�t goingto go away. The things that illustrators are goodat are still as important and as necessary. Theenemy now are the archaeologists who thinksthat the computer enables them to designreports, or produce illustrations; the managerwho thinks digital photographs are as good arecord as a drawn illustration. The point is thatour profession must assert its right to be themasters of the areas of work in archaeologythat require artistic, or design skill, or skill ingraphics, whether the work is done on acomputer, or by hand. Keep up your training,develop your skills, share your knowledge. Thisapplies to the whole range of outputs, fromprint to GIS, websites, interactive CDs andtelevision graphics. You are the people who cansee the difference. If this still sounds like theramblings of an old fart, I�m pleased, becauseI have been banging on about it for years andif you are bored by the message then it musthave been getting through.

Bernard Thomason MAAIS 2nd May 2003.


Judith Dobie: My career in illustrationChristmas parties � Prehistoric Times, Castles,China. The drawing office would have a weekto prepare the décor. My friend and colleagueChris Boddington told how she would bringtrousers in specially to wear for thepreparations. Skirts were de rigueur for womenat work.As well as the three staff archaeologists wedrew finds for consultant archaeologists whowere employed by the department on a feeand subsistence basis. They were free spirits,but could be awkward to work with. Sometimesthey had been in the services, which had castthem out of the regular path of their livesinto something different. Tom Jones ofMucking in Essex, where each day, evenChristmas day, was a digging day, would hi-jack copies of drawings from the general officewhere they were waiting your collection. Theywere his finds, his drawings, his copies and ifyou put in more lines than he liked � well, hewould just scrape them out again.

My first job in archaeological illustration was atDurham University. From nowhere, while in myfinal year at Glasgow Art School I was offereda job drawing in the archaeological departmentof Glasgow University. I was horrified by theconcentration and detailed fine drawing required,but later after working by chance on anexcavation at Winchester I thought I might liketo work in archaeology and landed a six months�contract at Durham.I was the only illustrator, and as I knew nothingof style or conventions was sent for a week tothe Ancient Monuments drawing office inLondon where David Neal was in charge. It wasthis experience which influenced me to joinAAI&S. You can learn a lot from the exampleof others� work and approach, that is denied toyou as a lone illustrator or solitary freelancer. When my contract finished at Durham Ireturned to work at Ancient Monuments, theforerunner of English Heritage. There were sixother people and we almost exclusively drewsmall finds. They came from all over GreatBritain and often from important sites. Therewas a laboratory which processed the objectsand they came to us X-rayed and cleaned (nowa banned word). We had a house style evolvedfrom 19th century engravings and BritishMuseum catalogue drawings via ElizabethMeikle, David Neal and then very influentiallyFrank Gardiner. We used mapping pens to drawlines to express form � no cross-hatching � Frankdidn�t like it. Stipple was used only for stone.The skill in drawing lines to shade with a dippen was hard to learn but everyone did. Oneof the first sites I worked on was GrimesGraves, drawing hundreds of flints thatperfected my technique with the dip pen.The drawing office was self-contained andhierarchical. David was absolutely in charge. Hewould shout �Whistle and ride� at us, meaning ifwe must talk then we must draw as well.Sometimes he took someone outside to givethem a telling off. Frank Gardiner, his secondin command (later head of the drawing office)had come from the print industry and foundwhen first he came to work in the genteel CivilService that he had to mind his language. Healso told of his surprise that women were workingas archaeological illustrators � he wouldn�t havethought them capable of such work!Ancient Monuments was part of the CivilService. Frank said, �It is an army, with a chainof command�, and no insubordination, was theimplication. There were elaborate themed

�Mr Jones would hi-jack yourcopies�Drawing: Frank Gardiner


Tony Brewster brought us work from GartonSlack. Glass eye glinting, he told tales of tripsto Eastern Europe in his Russian car. Therewere security guards at Garton Slack, unusualfor those days, so when he found a fabulouschariot burial he was able to repel the inspectorof Ancient Monuments whose own specialitythis was.Brian Hope-Taylor made me sit a drawing testbefore I was allowed to draw his Old Windsorfinds. Well, his pre-archaeological career hadbeen as an illustrator so I didn�t mind. I wasglad he cared so much.As letterpress was the method of printing andcolour was so expensive, there was noencouragement to experiment with differentmethods. Archaeologists were nervous ofreconstruction, afraid it would undermine theiracademic credibility and fearful of the influencea picture has. What reconstructions there werewere austere � no people, only emptyarchitecture.The drawing office grew, until at one time 13people worked there, but with the changes inthe profession of archaeology, the setting upof archaeological units with their own graphicfacilities, the coming of PPG 16, our source offinds dried up. Peoples� job descriptions changedfrom illustrator to illustrator/designer todesigner/illustrator to designer, and then theyleft or were made redundant. In the 1990�s English Heritage co-publishedwith Batsford a series of books which gave anopportunity for different sorts of illustration.

Attitudes loosened up and because everyonewas having a go at reconstruction it wasn�t sucha final statement, not such a source of anxiety,more an idea, a step on the way to the truth.Printing technology had changed and it waspossible to use different styles and methods.Those of us who survived became general illus-trators, providing illustrations for all of EnglishHeritage, not just the archaeological part. For a short time, from the 1960s to 1990s,the drawing office with its particular style andstandards of drawing was influential in thearchaeological graphics world, but thenmethods and organisation changeddramatically. Now you seldom see finds drawnwith pen and ink lines. To have the confidenceto do so you must draw that way continually,and if part of the time you are required towork some other way you probably never attainthe skill.A good line drawing is a clear and elegant wayto express some objects, but it is only one wayof making a picture, and it is the result not themethod that matters. Though our style evolvedfrom Victorian engravings of finds, you wouldnever have confused a Victorian engraving withan Ancient Monuments Drawing Officedrawing. Although some experts might not likethem, our drawings of ancient objects are ofour time and that is what they reflect � us �and so it is appropriate that as times havechanged so the illustrations created now aredifferent and reflect those making them now.

Judith Dobie

Debbie Fulford, Tom Mahoney, Margaret Tremayne, JudithDobie, David Neal , Di O�Carroll on an office outing to Ely


Remembering the early years of the AAI&S?Difficult for somebody with a bad memory! ButI do remember the first meeting I went to. Itwas the second or third one held, I believe, atthe Institute of Archaeology, London in either1979 or 1980, and I was completely awestruckby the immaculate standard of the artwork ondisplay.

But there were also highlights from othermeetings I recall. In 1986 there was theexhibition in the National Museum in Belfast,Northern Ireland, organised by Deirdre Croneand supported by Richard Bryant, our founder.He bravely drove some of us, myself and SueHolden included, from near Cheltenham viaDublin to the meeting, where Deirdre and herfamily kindly gave us all accommodation withsplendid hospitality. It is the drive to Belfastthrough the countryside that I now have suchpleasure in recalling. We drove north via Tara,

the site of the palace of the Irish kings. Thehall is now represented by banks of grass-covered earth, but in the very early morninglight, and helped by the rising sun casting deepshadows, you could easily imagine the formergreat hall with its recesses and even the livelyfeasting that went on there. We then continuedon to the Boyne valley and the wonderfulNeolithic monument of Newgrange. This is amassive megalithic chamber tomb still coveredby its mound. We did get to Belfast that evening.

The following day we went to the NationalMuseum in Belfast for the most impressiveopening of the AAI&S travelling exhibition.This was all a roundabout way of getting tothe Conference in Bangor, North Wales, acouple of days later. The conference was atthe University and organised by JeanWilliamson. It included another outing to studymegalithic chamber tombs. Francis Lynch, thetutor in Prehistory at Bangor, took us all aroundthe island of Anglesey and showed us thefamous tombs and the not-so-famous ones.The talks were good as well!

In 1987 we all met at Urchfont Manor, nearDevizes in Wiltshire. Of course we went toStonehenge and Julian (�Meet the Ancestors�)Richards took us round this and othermonuments in the valley on behalf of theNational Trust.

Thinking of people, Bernard Thomason andStewart Ainsworth used to be active membersof the AAI&S before joining �Time Team�. Theyare I think the first members of the Associationto become �celebrities�, and I�m sure there aremore to come.

Hazel Martingell FAAIS

The Annual Conference has always been a highlight of the Association�s year, when illustrators and surveyors have a chanceto meet, mingle and discuss while also visiting a wide range of sites and venues. Hazel Martingell remembers some of thehighlights...

Highlights of the early Conferences

Left: Steve Godbold, Sue Holden, Deirdre Crone, RichardBryant, Clare Pollack, Debbie Fulford (and unidentified!),Bangor conference, 1986Below: Newgrange


Visit to Avoncroft Museum of Buildings, WorcesterConference 1991

The line-up of delegates atthe Buxton Conference, 1992

Illustrators visit MamTor in the Peak District,1992

Visit to Housesteads Roman fort,Hexham conference, 1988


A Future in Blackcurrants: 26 years in Archaeological Illustration.From the first moment I considered a career inarchaeological illustration 26 years ago I seemto have had a charmed life. My luck started inthe very last week at Art College, while takingpart in the end of year exhibition at the RoyalNorfolk Show. It so happened that the standnext door was that of the Norfolk ArchaeologicalUnit, with their first display at the show. I boughttheir new report, attracted by some fine findsillustrations of a pagan Saxon cemetery. A collegeproject of mine had been a study of Anglo-Saxon art styles in East Anglia. From an earlyage my grandfather took me to visitarchaeological sites around the county, but I didnot know there was a Norfolk Unit. I left collegeand weeks passed, without a glimmer of anyinteresting work, so I turned to the fruit pickingads in the local paper. There in the blackcurrantssection was �Archaeological Illustrator Required,Norfolk Archaeological Unit�. The applicationin the post, I reached for my copy of their latestreport and started to do some homework onconventions etc. My only experience had beendrawing some pagan Saxon brooches throughthe glass of a display case. The suspense wasdrawn out, as they had to re-advertise. Theydidn�t think many more fruit pickers wouldapply! At the interview my luck held as I foundout that the project was to illustrate finds froma parallel site to that of the brooches I had drawnthrough the glass. My guardian angel wasworking overtime. For the next 24 years Iworked as their graphics officer on a subject Ilove, in my home county with some very inspiringpeople.

I started work in March 1977 and was veryfortunate to receive training in the Departmentof the Environment�s drawing office in SavileRow with Frank Gardiner that summer. Within

weeks of my return to Norfolk a leaflet arrived:�The Draughtsman in Archaeology�. It was thefirst symposium organised by Richard Bryantin September 1977, with the aim of drawingtogether those working in the discipline; todiscuss common problems and solutions, aswell as to propose that a Society ofArchaeological Draughtsmen and Womenshould be created. This opened the door to awealth of expertise and a wonderful group ofpeople. The following year in September 1978the AAI&S was formed. The vision of RichardBryant and the elegant design of the AAI&Slogo and leaflet by David Hyde got it off to aflying start. In 1979 I joined the committee,and in 1980 was privileged to be one of thefirst five full members elected to form the coreof the membership assessment panel. Theother four founding full members wereRichard Bryant, Judith Dobie, Simon Hayfieldand Sheena Howarth. From 1981�84 I wasHon. Sec. It was exciting and rewarding to takepart in the development of the association andthe profession. Over the past 25 years theAAI&S has been a source of support andenjoyment for me. Since turning freelance in2002 it has taken on a new significance, as itfeels more important than ever to have a meansof contact with other illustrators.

I now design, research and illustrateinterpretation panels and leaflets onarchaeological and wildlife sites in the countyfor a wide range of clients, drawing anythingfrom full colour reconstructions of castles toglow-worms. Small finds illustration accountsfor 50% of my time as I draw a range of thewonderful metal detector finds for the NorfolkPortable Antiquities Scheme.

Reconstruction of the Bailey,Castle Acre Castle, NorfolkSue White


The need for the AAI&S to promote accuracycombined with good design and style has neverbeen so great. When the association was formedaccessible computer graphics did not exist, nordid competitive tendering. Computer graphicsis the greatest development and competitivetendering the worst. The combination of thetwo developments has lead to a threat toprofessional standards, as all too many design-illiterate people with a few Microsoft wizardlayout templates and a cheap scanner think theyare designers. Another cost-cutting trend is notto illustrate aspects of sites which it would haveonce been common practice to include, with

great detriment to the archaeological record.We all need to play our part to win over heartsand minds to a real commitment to maintaininghigh quality recording, research and publicationof the results of archaeological projects.

I have progressed from mapping pen to AppleMac over the last 25 years and love workingwith both of them. It seems strange that peoplenow starting out in the profession may neverknow the joys of applying Letraset or whatfun Cow Gum could be!

Sue White MAAIS.Hon.Sec. 1981-84

THE DRAUGHTSMAN IN ARCHAEOLOGYIn the early Sixties there were few practical avenues open to a fine art graduate; some did practice, usually in penury, therest taught. A summer spent recording prehistoric urns seemed to suggest a useful and rewarding alternative. Initially thelength of the tunnel and lack of light at the end was neither obvious nor important, it was a congenial application of mynewly-honed skills. Sometimes satisfying, but with little standing and no part in the general production and development ofthe department. Little thought then of professionalism or even specialism.

Producing work for and through others can be a thankless task, literally. Archaeologists, botanists, curators: specialists intheir own fields can be loath to recognise or value skills and expertise in another. Scant regard is given to perception andimagination or ability, however long they have been trained and attuned � purely mechanical, technical rather than cerebral,an automatic process.

In the past many people used drawing to communicate. Men like Howard Carter; it may be his archaeological andmanagerial skills for which he was revered but it was his drawings of the finds which recorded the glories of Tutankhamun.It was therefore a revelation and enormous encouragement in the mid-Seventies to attend a seminar in the University ofManchester and meet enthusiastic, like-minded people � professionally-placed archaeologists and surveyors, journeymandraughtsmen from the excavation circuit, even some beautiful creatures from the world of graphics and design.

A disparate group with varying ideas but sharing a common enthusiasm with similar aims, aspirations and usually frustrations,which blossomed quite forcefully after the third pint and with the wry, searing humour needed to survive in a cold, wettrench with a dead rapidograph and soggy paper. Gradually the interaction of experience and information, the variety ofresponse, invention and solution, growing confidence and respect engendered by the discussions, ideas and talentsdemonstrated and work displayed, these interchanged and evolved. We became a coherent and productive group, adeptin the specialised application of our skills and committed to the product; there is comfort in numbers: strength, knowledgeand energy.

There were practical problems to be addressed like how to?, with what?, and for how much?: comparing salaries andconditions, compiling codes of good practice and legalities like copyright and responsibility, setting standards and conventions,exchanging information on techniques and equipment, supplies and suppliers. We learned the breadth and value of ourown experience and expertise.

The AAI&S has by its very establishment confirmed and developed the illustration of Archaeology in its many forms asa distinct discipline. We are a profession with very specialised expertise firmly based on an innate and valuable talent. Wecontribute an essential element in the exploring and recording and communication of archaeological knowledge.

Over 25 years the AAI&S has become a forum for the exchange of ideas and information, a fund of training anddevelopment, the assimilation of new technologies and preservation of old skills. It has been a source of support andencouragement to practitioners both here and abroad; may it flourish for another 25 years supporting and promoting theprofession in which we share.

Deirdre Crone MAAIS

Strapend, KenninghallDrawn by Sue White

53


I had no intention at the start of my career ofactually being an archaeological illustrator; in factI probably didn�t realize such a career existed.My earliest experiences in illustration involvedtracing drawings from archaeology textbooks toillustrate my undergraduate essays on Britishprehistory � shocking plagiarism but probablypermissible for educational purposes. I (likemost archaeologists) was utterly oblivious of thefounding of the AAI&S back in 1978, and whena year or two later the archaeological professionstarted talking about a Professional Institute ofField Archaeologists, I proposed an alternativebody to represent the humbler ranks of thedigging fraternity, to be known as theProfessional Institute of Site Supervisors,Excavators and Archaeological Draughts-persons. This organisation, despite an appropriateacronym, got no further than discussions afterclosing time in a rain-sodden marquee on anexcavation in Dorset.

I didn�t hear of the existence of the AAI&Suntil 1986, when I came across a leaflet bychance at an IFA day school at BirminghamUniversity. The leaflet featured examples ofillustration work � a wall elevation, some finds,a reconstruction � and I remember being veryinterested, but for some reason I didn�t join thenand there.

Two years later I got my first job as a full-timeillustrator � prior to this I had been preparingsite plans for publication in interim reports,drawing phase plans for post-excavationpurposes and doing a bit of finds drawing formy own interest. Now I started working forChelmsford Archaeological Trust, and came upagainst a different world.

Chelmsford Trust was run by traditionalists,archaeologists who knew little about illustrationand less about the print industry but who insistedthey knew how it was done. Finds and potterywere drawn in ink on CS10; I was engagedinitially to draw architectural fragments whichwere drawn at 1:1 and mounted on enormoussheets of board for reduction to 1:4. Thedirector insisted that plans for publication mustbe drawn at 1:20, on gigantic sheets of draftingfilm, often nearly two metres across, usingenormously thick nibs and huge lettering, forreduction to 20% or even less. I thought thiswas odd � I had always produced my ownpublication plans on A2 sheets � but beingrelatively inexperienced I supposed it must bethe way things were done.

Fortunately after the Trust wound up I wentto work in a drawing office where theillustrators had rather more say in how theirwork was done, and a much better idea ofhow to do it. By this time I had joined theAAI&S, and two of my colleagues were Councilmembers.

We were still working in pen-and-ink, and stylesof finds illustration were dictated by EnglishHeritage; even in Essex we had to use �line-for-metal and stipple-for-stone� to match theold Ancient Monuments drawing office output.Experimentation and innovation in illustrationtechniques was not encouraged. Computerswere not widely used, and certainly not availableto illustrators.

Feeling I was stagnating, I moved on to North-amptonshire Archaeology where I thought Iwould be in charge of my own drawing officeand able to develop my own techniques. HereI did at least manage to get a little computerexperience, teaching myself AutoCAD LT ona machine with just 8MB ofRAM. Again, one of mymain problems wasarchaeologists whothought they knew myjob better than I did �hence the AutoCAD LT,with which I was expected toproduce publication drawings. Iworked out (by looking at the jobads for graphic designers in TheGuardian) that to produce graphicsfor publication what I needed wasAdobe Illustrator, Photoshop,QuarkXpress; however, archaeologists could not seefurther than CAD.

It wasn�t until the mid�late 1990�s that thecomputer revolution finally made real changesto archaeological publication. As desktoppublishing became widespread it was clear thatjust sending camera-ready copy to printerswould soon become expensive and eventuallyobsolete. Large-format copy cameras werebecoming increasingly rare as the demand forthem disappeared � except in archaeology.Always slow to notice change, archaeologistseven now hang on to methods of producingpublications that were out of date a generationago.

An accidental illustrator

Copper alloy fibula fromThaxted, Essex. DrawnL. Collett, c. 1990, ink onfilm.©Essex County Council


The last decade has seen a complete change inthe whole process of archaeological graphics andpublication. I spend very little time drawing now,and am more likely to spend my time editingphotographs, laying out text and graphics in dtpor web pages. Indeed the term �Illustrator� seemsno longer very appropriate. So where now forthe Association of Archaeological Illustratorsand Surveyors?

When the Association was first formed, the rolesof archaeological illustrators and surveyors werefairly closely related. Both were essentiallydraughtsmen, though producing drawings ofdifferent sorts; at a pinch, a finds illustrator couldhave produced a fair site plan and vice-versa:indeed many did. Now the realm ofarchaeological graphics is pretty bewildering andincreasingly specialised, covering everythingfrom GIS to 3D computer graphics, fromtraditional finds illustration to reconstruction artand book design. Should we continue to thinkof ourselves simply as �Illustrators andSurveyors� when the skill base of ourmembership is so diverse that some of ourmembers no longer have much in common with

others? Should we broaden our reach toinclude all those involved in archaeologicalgraphics and publication, such as web designers,photographers and editors?

Above all we must keep trying to get themembership involved, and encourage a newgeneration of illustrators and surveyors to joinCouncil, contribute their views and promotethe profession.

Lesley Collett

More memories...As a founder member of the Association, one of the most memorable occasions for me was theinaugural meeting held at Manchester University in 1978. A large gathering of archaeologicalillustrators, surveyors and other interested parties attended. It was indeed an excellent launch,led by such as Chris Green, Richard Bryant and David Hyde being just a few names I canremember. (Sadly over the years we seem to have few surveyors as members.)

I think the enthusiastic atmosphere came from the fact that we could feel a �coming together�,but nevertheless it was probably the first and last time such a large group of archaeologicalillustrators was gathered together at one time. As we all know, an archaeological illustrator�sappointment can be quite an isolated position, especially if working within a small organisation assole illustrator, or as a freelance. The forming of the association has proved, therefore, a way ofovercoming this isolation.

Over the past 25 years, the Association has been guided by various Chairmen and Councilmembers, all leaving their own mark in helping to strengthen the structure of the society weknow today. Their efforts are obvious from the following evidence: the newsletter, annualConference, travelling exhibition of members� work and now the website.

Having been a member of Council on more than one occasion, and holding various posts,including that of Chairman, organising and helping with conferences, responsible for stock andmailing of the technical papers and being joint technical paper editor with Mélanie Steiner, I dourge our younger members to stand for Council, and bring along their new ideas, working tokeep the association flourishing.

Barbara Hurman

One of the �Folktondrums�, Neolithic carvedstone objects from Folkton,E. Yorks. L. Collett2003.


Central Mailing address:

AAI&Sc/o University of Reading2 Earley Gate,PO Box 239,READINGRG6 6AUUK

E-mail:[email protected]:www.aais.org.uk

The Editor welcomes contributions from members and non-memberson any remotely relevant subject. We can cope with most formats andwelcome contributions on disk (Zip, 3.5� floppy or CD); please post toAAI&S Central Mailing address (see right)

Hard copy is acceptable for shorter articles.

Drawings or graphics of any kind are particularly welcome: high-qualityclean photocopies, camera-ready artwork or digital format. (Colour workmay be limited by space and budget available.) Please supply captionsfor your illustrations!

Deadline for next issue: Whenever

Newsletter Editor: Lesley Collett MAAIS©AAI&S, July 2003

A Retired Illustrator’s Dreamtime

A couch potato�s view of the Time Team canlead to reflection on the subject of illustration.This potato thinks of our patron, Victor Ambrus,as the artist. The draughtsmanship(draughtspersonship?) brilliantly relates what isfound to an image on paper, through the mind�seye.

The results of other graphic recording Iremember as computer displays growingmagically into something complete. These are awonder to behold and serve their purposeadmirably.

It is natural to forget that these enhancedcomputer images depend on skills that weretaught unromantically as drawing (antique,draped and life), survey, technical drawing,cartography, photo-retouching, typography andso on. Under pressure to use computertechnology we will have to be careful not toforget training in these elementary skills, whichI believe even now underpin the furtherdevelopment of new technology.

Academically our subject suffers from the factthat while language allows reference to literacyand numeracy, graphic understanding isunrecognised. How else to explain the necessityof �mission statements� when work could be leftto speak for itself ?

Graphic work is admirably displayed by theTime Team. Academic acceptance of itsfundamental value beside the written word hasyet to be recognised in any substantial way.Doctorates in law and letters have beenawarded to artists, but I would be moreconvinced by Doctorates in graphics.

Consequently I propose to the establishmentthat there should be created a Dr Ambrus, DrThomasen and Dr Ainsworth.

Ian G. Scott FAAIS

Carved cross-slab from Fortingall, Perthshire. Drawing by Ian G. Scott© Crown Copyright reserved (National Monuments Record of Scotland)

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