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Ron Embleton Art

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Ron Embleton (1930 - 1988)
Born in London in 1930, Ronald Sydney Embleton studied art at the South East Essex Technical College under the painter, David Bomberg and, in 1947, began working in a commercial art studio. He submitted adventure strips to a small London publisher, Scion, who were putting out a series of American-style adventure comic books, some of whose titles give an indication of the variety of strips that Ron Embleton was writing and drawing: Big Indian, Big Jungle, Big Pirate, and Big Tong.

By the time he was called up for military service, the teenage Ron Embleton was already a seasoned strip artist. An interesting example of his work at this time was Buffalo Bill and the Phantom which he wrote, drew and lettered in 1951 for T.V. Boardman & Co. At the same time, he was also painting covers for science fiction paperbacks such as John Carstairs - Space Detective, published by Cherry Tree.

There followed a further series of comics for Scion, with titles such as Smoking Guns, Five Star Western, Gunflash, Gallant Adventure, Gallant Detective, Gallant Science, Gallant Western and Prairie Western. The Embleton style was unmistakable in its confident, easy-going, pleasing line and for the familiar ‘Ron’ signature, written in broad italic capitals.

Ron’s work appeared in the "albums" of Gerald Swan (as Swan called his annuals). For the Swan comics, Embleton wrote and drew a fascinating series of true-life western strips which he called Lore of the West, including Frontiersman!, a one-off tale of Colonial America.

Embleton also began drawing the occasional Kit Carson western strip for the back page of Comet,a comic that would soon be at the forefront of the Amalgamated Press' "adventure strip revolution".

Ron Embleton was always a true freelance, never dependent on any one publisher. And, being a naturally fast worker, he was able to work on any number of strips at the same time. His output during the 1950s was prolific. In 1953 alone, in addition to his work for the Amalgamated Press, Ron was drawing for DC.Thomson’s Hotspur (The Singing Sword); DCMT’s Lone Star (Steve Larrabee, Lore of the West; Jet (the space hero, Captain Atom); Gould-Light’s Spaceman Comics (Bill Merrill of the Scientific lnvestigation Bureau); Comyns’ Star Rocket (The Robot and They Came from Uranus) World’s Western Super Thriller Comics and Odham’s Mickey Mouse Weekly (Rogers’ Rangers).

By the mid-1950s, Ron was also drawing full-length strip versions of John Hunter’s famous drifting cowboy, Lucky Lannigan, for Amalgamated Press’ Cowboy Picture Library

In 1954, he began the long-running Robin Hood-type series, Strongbow the Mighty, for Mickey Mouse Weekly. This was a quality strip, still fondly remembered. In 1957, he began work on what is probably his finest black and white strip, Don o’ the Drums for Mickey Mouse Weekly. 1957 was a halcyon year for Embleton for it also saw him blazing forth, for the first time in full colour, on the front page of the new Express Weekly comic with Wulf the Briton.

In 1960, W.E. Johns’ flying ace, Biggles, took over the front page of the now retitled TV Express, drawn and painted by Ron Embleton. The editor of TV Express decided that Second World War adventures were more commercially popular for their front page and, as Ron Embleton was their number one artist, he was given first Battleground and then Colonel Pinto. Both series show, not only his love for action, but his ability to research a subject thoroughly and get the uniforms and hardware absolutely right.

Ron moved to the new weekly, Boy’s World, where again he worked on a full-colour strip, Wrath of the Gods, scripted by Michael Moorcock. Moving on to TV Century 21, in 1965, Ron began to draw Gerry Anderson’s puppet creations, Stingray and Captain Scarlett in strip form.

In the early 1960s, Ron’s work was to be found in the ever-expanding girls’ comic market: Children of the New Forest for Princess, My Girl, Mary for June Book of 1964; and Zizi and the Dacoits for the Girl’s Crystal Annual of 1964. These publications were successful and Ron became a major contributor to both Once Upon a Time and Look and Learn.

By the end of the ’60s, Ron Embleton was becoming an illustrator rather then a strip artist. In 1960, he had been elected a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the National Society of Painters and Sculptors.

In 1972, Ron began a long association with Newcastle publisher, Ron provided around 140 paintings of the North-East to illustrate Graham’s publications. This work includes 80 pictures of life on Hadrian’s Wall. One particular painting of life at Housestead Fort, produced as a postcard, has sold more than one million copies. It is acknowledged that Ron Embleton’s illustrations are among the most authentic reconstructions of Roman life ever produced.

Embleton had not deserted strip work altogether for, in 1973, he began work on a picture strip, which was to achieve an enormous following: Wicked Wanda.

Ron Embleton graduated from a comic artist to become a much-respected illustrator of historical, social and military life; from the humble "Ron" to "Ronald S. Embleton". It is as "Ron", however, that he will be mostly fondly remembered - as the artist of Wulf the Briton and Rogers’ Rangers and countless other marvellous strips and story illustrations in which he took young readers into an exciting world which, although painstakingly researched, remained the product of one man’s highly personal and imaginative vision.

Precis of a much fuller biography from Book and Magazine Collector no. 216 by permission of the publisher, and the authors, David Ashford and Norman Wright. Click here for the complete biography of Ron Embleton by the same authors and publisher.

We also have books featuring Ron's work, including his celebrated Hadrian’s Wall In The Days Of The Romans.

Bonnie Prince Charlie (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonKiltLL)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Watercolour on Board

Size: 12" x 10" (300mm x 250mm)

Date: 1962

Description: Original watercolour art used in Look and Learn Magazine 13th October 1962 to illustrate the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 18th century.

Our Price: £65.00 ($104.00) (€71,50)

Indian Canoe (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonRCanoeLL)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Gouache on Board

Size: 19" x 13" (470mm x 330mm)

Date: 1971

Description: The true story of how Grey Owl, AKA Archie Belaney, an Englishman who passed himself off as a Canadian Indian, and his Iroquoi wife Anahareo, helped stop beaver hunting and prevent the animals extinction.

Our Price: £125.00 ($200.00) (€137,50)

The Road to Bath 1 (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonRBath1LL)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Gouache on Board

Size: 18" x 23" (455mm x 595mm)

Date: 1962

Description: Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 21 (9 June 1962). Famous people and incidents from around the Reading area through history including Henry de Essex and Robert de Montford, Reading Abbey and Thomas a Becket, the civil war battle, a pillory and the Berkshire Regiment fighting in Afghanistan.

Our Price: £295.00 ($472.00) (€324,50)

Edward Eyre 1841 Adelaide to Albany (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonOz)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 18" x 15" (460mm x 380mm)

Description: Edward John Eyre (1815-1901), together with his aboriginal friend Wylie, was the first man to cross southern Australia from east to west, travelling across the Nullarbor Plain from Adelaide to Albany. Eyre was born in England where his father was a minister. He came to Australia when he was seventeen years old. This ORIGINAL painting shows his two year journey across Australia.

Our Price: £175.00 ($280.00) (€192,50)

The Duke de Guise (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonGuise)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Gouache on Board

Size: 12" x 16" (300mm x 410mm)

Description: Francis, 2nd Duke of Guise (February 17, 1519 - February 24, 1563) was a French soldier and politician. Guise was the son of Claude of Guise and his wife Antoinette of Bourbon. His sister Mary of Guise was wife of James V of Scotland and mother of Mary I of Scotland. He led the French to victory over Germany at Metz in 1552 and captured Calais from the English in 1558. Guise was one of the leaders of the Catholic faction in the French Wars of Religion, and his massacre of Huguenots at Wassy-sur-Blaise on March 1, 1562 marked the starting point of that conflict. He was assassinated by Huguenot fanatics in 1563.

Our Price: £295.00 ($472.00) (€324,50)

Simon Bolivar (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonBol2)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Gouache on Board

Size: 11" x 12" (280mm x 300mm)

Description: An original painting, one of a series, created by Embleton to recount the tale of Simon Bolivar and his creation of the state of Bolivia in South America.

Our Price: £150.00 ($240.00) (€165,00)

Gibraltar (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonGib)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Watercolour on Board

Size: 18" x 22" (460mm x 560mm)

Date: 1964

Description: Original art used in Look and learn to tell the history of the Rock of Gibraltar. Stunning art as always from Embleton!

Our Price: £250.00 ($400.00) (€275,00)

The Winning of the West (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonWOW105)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Watercolour on Board

Size: 16" x 20" (400mm x 500mm)

Date: 1972

Description: A beautifully painted illustration used in the series 'The Winning of the West' in the magazine World of Wonder 1972.

Our Price: £275.00 ($440.00) (€302,50)

Oh, Wicked Wanda part 72 (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonWW72p3)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Watercolour on Board

Size: 18" x 24" (450mm x 600mm)

Date: 1980

Description: Wicked Wanda was a full colour satirical adult comic strip. Written by Frederic Mullally and superbly drawn by Ron Embleton, it featured in Penthouse magazine from 1969 - 1979. This original is one of the finest examples we have ever seen. These originals rarely come on the market. This superb page is from Penthouse May 1980. The original page from the magazine accompanies the art.
Click for Wicked Wanda page showing text.

Our Price: £1,800.00 ($2,880.00) (€1.980,00)

Charge of the Light Brigade (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonCharge2)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 16" x 12" (410mm x 300mm)

Description: An ORIGINAL pen and ink illustration depicting the 11th Hussars at the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War.

Our Price: £125.00 ($200.00) (€137,50)

The Unfinished Revolution (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonRevLL)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 13" x 9" (320mm x 220mm)

Date: 1972

Description: The Unfinished Revolution. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 520 (1 January 1972). The Mexican Revolution.

Our Price: £85.00 ($136.00) (€93,50)

Othello (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonOthMH)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Watercolour on Board

Size: 22" x 16" (550mm x 400mm)

Description: The Man Who Loved Too Well (Othello). Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 58 (23 February 1963). A scene from Shakespeare's play Othello, vividly painted by Embleton

Our Price: £295.00 ($472.00) (€324,50)

Genghis Khan (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonKhanMH)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 9" x 22" (230mm x 550mm)

Description: An imposing painting of the mighty Genghis Khan. Original art used in the magazine World of Wonder in 1970.

Our Price: £250.00 ($400.00) (€275,00)

The Ardennes Offensive (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonSurr)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Watercolour on Board

Size: 14" x 14" (350mm x 350mm)

Description: Into Battle: The Ardennes Offensive of the Second World War. Original artwork from Look and Learn no. 70 (18 May 1963). A stunning painting by Embleton.

Our Price: £250.00 ($400.00) (€275,00)

The Meeting (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonIndmeet)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 4" x 12" (110mm x 300mm)

Description: An original pen and ink wash painting used in the 1958 British Annual Hawkeye. A superb depiction of a frontiersman meeting North American Indians.

Our Price: £130.00 ($208.00) (€143,00)

Four Indians from Hawkeye (Original)
(Ref: Embleton4ind)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 8" x 6" (203mm x 152mm)

Description: A simple but superb original painting by Embleton used in a Hawkeye Annual circa 1960.

Our Price: £125.00 ($200.00) (€137,50)

The Frontiersman (Original)
(Ref: EmbletonTree)

Artist: Ron Embleton

Medium: Pen & Ink Wash on Board

Size: 4" x 12" (100mm x 300mm)

Description: An original pen and ink wash painting used in the 1958 British Annual Hawkeye. A lovely painting of the old West.

Our Price: £95.00 ($152.00) (€104,50)