Hi All,
I am new to this site and have read quite a few topics on Jimmy Hughes, this was my Uncle, I remember when I was younger sitting for hours watching him draw.
When he died what was left of his belongings were shared out amongst the imediate family. I do know there were arguments over some of his artwork (typical) and I believe it was sold off. I would appreciate if anyone could tell me where if they know where any of the atrwork is so I could try & buy it back to keep it within the family a little longer.
I have a large A5 drawing of bully beef which was drawn by my Uncle Jim for my daughter when she was born. I have one of his pencil drawings which I think would have been used in the Dandy, also an ink drawing which I think was called "Mckinny patch monarch".
I read on one thread that he used to draw in a large caravan in the back garden, this is true he also had a small rickety summer house he used to sit in & in the winter he would sit by the open fire drawing as the house had no heating, this was when he lived in Kinghorn, before that he lived in Kenoway he would sit drawing in front of the open fire as they had chickens in the back garden and no room for anything else.
If anyone would like to know anything else about my Uncle Jim I will try my best to help.
Jimmy Hughes
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colcool007
- Mr Valeera
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Re: Jimmy Hughes
Yekal, I think that I am your local correspondent as I am currently living in the village/town that was the bane of generations of schoolkids as it was the home of the tawse.
If you don't mind, I would love to see any drawings that you still have.
If you don't mind, I would love to see any drawings that you still have.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Jimmy Hughes
yes Yekal. if you could scan in some original inkings done by your uncle Jim, I am sure they would be of interest to many on here.
I was looking through some 60s DANDY recently, and he drew some Corporal Clott ghostings of originator David Laws' style, well before Mr Law passed on in 1970: later on of course, Jimmy drew the strip every week, excluding some Law reprints.
I discussed your uncles' work with a long-time D C Thomson funnies writer and Editor, who revealed that although he never personally appreciated his drawing style, there was absolutely no doubt whatsoever that his work was extremely popular with many readers---probably in the Millions back in those days [over generations]:
Desperate Dan used to top the Dandy ratings in terms of popularity, to the point they never bothered to count the Dan votes, ---this was then followed by Jimmys' BULLY BEEF and CHIPS, and the JOCKS and the GEORDIES, which were actually ahead of BANANAMAN---shown on TV---- in the popularity stakes during the 80s---I got this info from a DCT insider, on their premises.
I actually can confirm I had a mate in his early 20s who picked up my weekly DANDY and only bothered looking at the back page to see BULLY BEEF which he truly loved. .....he never even bothered opening the rest of the comic.
There is no question that this strip was loved by Millions.
I personally thought Jimmy was a great action and figure artist and his stuff was always entertaining, I especially liked the early BULLY BEEF strips with the bigger proportions of the central characters.
Some people were not struck on Jimmys' style but I personally rate his input as being a significant part of British comics History---by any standards, and I fully intend covering his work in my own blog.
I was looking through some 60s DANDY recently, and he drew some Corporal Clott ghostings of originator David Laws' style, well before Mr Law passed on in 1970: later on of course, Jimmy drew the strip every week, excluding some Law reprints.
I discussed your uncles' work with a long-time D C Thomson funnies writer and Editor, who revealed that although he never personally appreciated his drawing style, there was absolutely no doubt whatsoever that his work was extremely popular with many readers---probably in the Millions back in those days [over generations]:
Desperate Dan used to top the Dandy ratings in terms of popularity, to the point they never bothered to count the Dan votes, ---this was then followed by Jimmys' BULLY BEEF and CHIPS, and the JOCKS and the GEORDIES, which were actually ahead of BANANAMAN---shown on TV---- in the popularity stakes during the 80s---I got this info from a DCT insider, on their premises.
I actually can confirm I had a mate in his early 20s who picked up my weekly DANDY and only bothered looking at the back page to see BULLY BEEF which he truly loved. .....he never even bothered opening the rest of the comic.
There is no question that this strip was loved by Millions.
I personally thought Jimmy was a great action and figure artist and his stuff was always entertaining, I especially liked the early BULLY BEEF strips with the bigger proportions of the central characters.
Some people were not struck on Jimmys' style but I personally rate his input as being a significant part of British comics History---by any standards, and I fully intend covering his work in my own blog.
Re: Jimmy Hughes
It is nice to hear that you like my Uncles work, he was a bit of a recluse I do recall him telling me once he knew a local artist called Jack Vettriano, it wasn`t til some years later I discovered some of his paintings when I bought a biscuit tin with "The singing butler".
I will attempt to photograph the couple of pieces of work I have drawn by my Uncle Jim, they are too big to scan.
I will attempt to photograph the couple of pieces of work I have drawn by my Uncle Jim, they are too big to scan.
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Jimmy Hughes
nice story, yekal!
A photo of the original would be fine---fingers crossed on this!
I love the fact that Jimmy worked in his caravan: I expect he got a lot of peace and quiet this way.....was it a big caravan [I have lived in a caravan myself for a year, and the one I was in was cramped for drawing!] Was it filled with his sketches? Did he listen to music while he drew?
Tell us about how he worked, this site exists to record detail about UK Comics and artists.
His most unusual strip I thought was the chinese spies strip ONE TUN and TWO TUN: this appears in the 1973 DANDY annual, I think it is.
A photo of the original would be fine---fingers crossed on this!
I love the fact that Jimmy worked in his caravan: I expect he got a lot of peace and quiet this way.....was it a big caravan [I have lived in a caravan myself for a year, and the one I was in was cramped for drawing!] Was it filled with his sketches? Did he listen to music while he drew?
Tell us about how he worked, this site exists to record detail about UK Comics and artists.
His most unusual strip I thought was the chinese spies strip ONE TUN and TWO TUN: this appears in the 1973 DANDY annual, I think it is.
Re: Jimmy Hughes
Uncle Jim would draw in one of three places, caravan, by the open fire in the house or in a delapedated summer house, the caravan was a static approx. 25-30 foot, he had a heater in there, I don`t recall ever hearing a radio or music on very often, the old summer house was very small with very little in there except a chair, in both the caravan and summer house he would sit with a large board on his knee where he would do all his pencil drawing.
When he was in the house, there was need for music as he lived with my Nana (his mum) she was old and hard of hearing and would have the tv on full volume and it could be heard right through the house (wrestling was her favourite), he would sit in front of an open fire as this was the only form of heating in the house, I would sit on the floor next to his chair while he drew with a board on his knee with a pencil or he would use some kind of light box and an ink pen, that fascinated me as he had to keep dipping it into an ink pot/bottle.
All this brings back great memories for me, and some things hard to recall.
Something else has come back to me, I don`t ever seeing any artwork around the house, he had a box with some drawings in these are the ones which I think the close family argued over and sold off after his death. I would love aquire some of them to keep in the family.
I have seen him lighting the open fire with drawings and comics.
When his drawings were finished he would roll them up and I was allowed to walk to the post office with him to send them to D.C. Thomson, later when I was older I was trusted to take them myself.
A little about Uncle Jim himself, he was a little excentric and a bit of a recluse, the only time he would leave the house was to put the bins out or go the the Post Office, even putting the bin out at the end of the drive he would put a tie on. His usual dress was shirt, tie, trousers and a V neck tank top (some of them knitted by my Nana) he always had his shirt and jumper tucked into his trousers and held up with a thick leather belt.
His hobby was building plastic models of vintage cars & watching films which were cine films (the type you would watch on a pull down screen) alot of them were Charlie Chaplin & Laurel & Hardy.
Sorry to ramble on, but I do hope you find some of this interesting and a little insight into him and his life. do ask if you would like to know anything else and I will try to help if I know or can remember.
When he was in the house, there was need for music as he lived with my Nana (his mum) she was old and hard of hearing and would have the tv on full volume and it could be heard right through the house (wrestling was her favourite), he would sit in front of an open fire as this was the only form of heating in the house, I would sit on the floor next to his chair while he drew with a board on his knee with a pencil or he would use some kind of light box and an ink pen, that fascinated me as he had to keep dipping it into an ink pot/bottle.
All this brings back great memories for me, and some things hard to recall.
Something else has come back to me, I don`t ever seeing any artwork around the house, he had a box with some drawings in these are the ones which I think the close family argued over and sold off after his death. I would love aquire some of them to keep in the family.
I have seen him lighting the open fire with drawings and comics.
When his drawings were finished he would roll them up and I was allowed to walk to the post office with him to send them to D.C. Thomson, later when I was older I was trusted to take them myself.
A little about Uncle Jim himself, he was a little excentric and a bit of a recluse, the only time he would leave the house was to put the bins out or go the the Post Office, even putting the bin out at the end of the drive he would put a tie on. His usual dress was shirt, tie, trousers and a V neck tank top (some of them knitted by my Nana) he always had his shirt and jumper tucked into his trousers and held up with a thick leather belt.
His hobby was building plastic models of vintage cars & watching films which were cine films (the type you would watch on a pull down screen) alot of them were Charlie Chaplin & Laurel & Hardy.
Sorry to ramble on, but I do hope you find some of this interesting and a little insight into him and his life. do ask if you would like to know anything else and I will try to help if I know or can remember.
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Jimmy Hughes
Those are charm-filled recollections of your Uncle Jim, Yekal, and the sort of detail that is well worth recording on this site: we should have more pf this sort of human interaction/how artists worked and lived doing these works...what you say is 'sort of' how I imagine Jim, it must be the famous Sandstone building at Courier Buildings/ Albert Square you delivered the artwork to.
You are rigt about the small bottle of ink and metal nibs dip-pen: you have to keep reloading the ink every 20 seconds or so! Still the best results for permanent cartooning though I reckon: jet-black lines .
I think Jimmy was exclusively working on DANDY: I can't remember seeing his work in the other comics---he always had plenty of work on, though, he was one of the main core DANDY contributers, along with Charlie Grigg [korky] Bill Holroyd [Brassneck Eric Roberts [Dirty Dick ] and Hugh Morren [Smasher].
Yes my Grandmother was chronically deaf deaf like yours, in her case it was probably because of the Industrial noise in the Satanic Factories of a Century ago.
Great to hear about Jimmys' life---yes I did hear he was a bit reclusive from a D C T Editor....so was Dudley Watkins, apparantly.
You are rigt about the small bottle of ink and metal nibs dip-pen: you have to keep reloading the ink every 20 seconds or so! Still the best results for permanent cartooning though I reckon: jet-black lines .
I think Jimmy was exclusively working on DANDY: I can't remember seeing his work in the other comics---he always had plenty of work on, though, he was one of the main core DANDY contributers, along with Charlie Grigg [korky] Bill Holroyd [Brassneck Eric Roberts [Dirty Dick ] and Hugh Morren [Smasher].
Yes my Grandmother was chronically deaf deaf like yours, in her case it was probably because of the Industrial noise in the Satanic Factories of a Century ago.
Great to hear about Jimmys' life---yes I did hear he was a bit reclusive from a D C T Editor....so was Dudley Watkins, apparantly.
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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Jimmy Hughes
oops--double post, tried to load pages of Jimmy's work but no joy.
Hold on, though!
This is a fairly early Jimmy work, from DANDY issue 1258, Issue dated Jan 1, 1966, and shows how his early works were trying out ghostings of established characters, in this case a David Law double-spreader:
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg2/ ... p08_09.jpg
From the same issue, Jimmys' take on the work of Eric Roberts proves he good do a pretty good approximation of his style: the following year, of course, --1967-------saw Jimmy come into his own, with the debut of BULLY BEEF and CHIPS.
Hold on, though!
This is a fairly early Jimmy work, from DANDY issue 1258, Issue dated Jan 1, 1966, and shows how his early works were trying out ghostings of established characters, in this case a David Law double-spreader:
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg2/ ... p08_09.jpg
From the same issue, Jimmys' take on the work of Eric Roberts proves he good do a pretty good approximation of his style: the following year, of course, --1967-------saw Jimmy come into his own, with the debut of BULLY BEEF and CHIPS.
Re: Jimmy Hughes
I don't know whether Yekal will be able to confirm this or not but it was my understanding that Jimmy sought work at Thomsons in the mid 1960's by sending various of the comic editors his take on some of their established characters. Only Albert Barnes, the editor of the Dandy, saw fit to make use of his talent and the rest, as they say, is a not insignificant part of the history of that legendary comic.
Some years ago I had the pleasure of cataloguing quite a bit of Dandy comic art from the late 1950's to the early 1970's and there were quite a few original 'Bully Beef and Chips' strips in that mix.
It's understandable that Jimmy didn't have any completed strips in his home when he died as Thomsons would naturally have kept the finished work even after publication. I do remember however that after he died someone, I imagine it was a member of the family which Yekal may or may not be able to confirm, were trying to sell off some of the Dandy scripts that he had worked from and had obviously kept in his possession over the years.
Some years ago I had the pleasure of cataloguing quite a bit of Dandy comic art from the late 1950's to the early 1970's and there were quite a few original 'Bully Beef and Chips' strips in that mix.
It's understandable that Jimmy didn't have any completed strips in his home when he died as Thomsons would naturally have kept the finished work even after publication. I do remember however that after he died someone, I imagine it was a member of the family which Yekal may or may not be able to confirm, were trying to sell off some of the Dandy scripts that he had worked from and had obviously kept in his possession over the years.
Re: Jimmy Hughes
Thanks ISPYSHHHGUY for posting the early drwings, I was not familiar with Dirty Dick, but I do remember watching him draw Corporal Clott.
Kashgar, I can`t confirm how he got his job, I am too young and unfortunatly the only other person that could have told us would have been my dad ( Brother to Jim), unfortunately my dad died in 2000, regarding your other question: yes one of the family did sell off what little items that were in the house and as is typical it was a member of the family who never had anything to do with Uncle Jim or My Nana, but appeared as soon as there was something to claim.
Kashgar, I have written to D.C. Thomson several times, both by post and neumerous emails asking if they have any of my Uncles work that I may be able to buy, but they have never even had the courtesy to reply with any explination or answers.
Today I managed to photograph a letter, a pencil Jocks drawing and a pencil and ink of Bully Beef, hopefully they will upload, also a drawing he did for my eldest daughter.
I will post them in individual posts to save confusion and make it easier for myself as I am a technophobe.
Kashgar, I can`t confirm how he got his job, I am too young and unfortunatly the only other person that could have told us would have been my dad ( Brother to Jim), unfortunately my dad died in 2000, regarding your other question: yes one of the family did sell off what little items that were in the house and as is typical it was a member of the family who never had anything to do with Uncle Jim or My Nana, but appeared as soon as there was something to claim.
Kashgar, I have written to D.C. Thomson several times, both by post and neumerous emails asking if they have any of my Uncles work that I may be able to buy, but they have never even had the courtesy to reply with any explination or answers.
Today I managed to photograph a letter, a pencil Jocks drawing and a pencil and ink of Bully Beef, hopefully they will upload, also a drawing he did for my eldest daughter.
I will post them in individual posts to save confusion and make it easier for myself as I am a technophobe.
Re: Jimmy Hughes
Just having trouble with size of my photos, trying to work out how to make them smaller, will be sorted soon (I hope)
Re: Jimmy Hughes
Bully, ink.
I have taken some close up photos of this drawing, let me know if anyone wants to see them.
I have taken some close up photos of this drawing, let me know if anyone wants to see them.
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Re: Jimmy Hughes
This is the drawing done for my eldest daughter.
Again I some close up photos of the characters, I can post these also if anyone wants to see.
Again I some close up photos of the characters, I can post these also if anyone wants to see.
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