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you are here: home / designers / Andrew Robinson’s
Golden Jubilee designs |
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Andrew Robinson’s
Golden Jubilee designs |
 On February 6, 2002 the Crown Agents Stamp Bureau released probably the single most ambitious issue to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The omnibus set consisted of 25 countries with five stamps each on a sheet (125 stamps), plus a further 89 single stamps – a mind-boggling total of 214 stamps. The man behind the design was Andrew Robinson.
Robinson explained: ‘I trained at Blackpool Art College as a scientific illustrator and my first commission was from Readers Digest, illustrating the Nature Lovers Guide Series. My first design commission for Crown Agents was the 1993 St. Helena Birds definitive, which consisted of 12 stamps’. Despite being involved in stamps for almost a decade now Robinson commented: ‘I have never collected stamps but over the years my portfolio looks like a stamp album’.
As far as the origins of the Golden Jubilee omnibus edition, is concerned Robinson told us: ‘Tim Underwood – the Production Manager at Crown Agents Stamp Bureau – asked me to submit a design suggestion for the subject in early 2001. Tim and all at Crown Agents went with the first design I produced, with minimal changes. Although I recall the use of the Crown Jewels in the sheetlet border was hotly debated at the time’.
One of the hardest parts of the project was finding the photographic material to illustrate the Queen’s life. Robinson recalled: ‘The selection process was a mammoth task. After a visit to Windsor Castle, Tim Underwood and I soon realised that copyright for the photographs did not rest with Her Majesty. This enabled us to identify what pictures where available, and how we wished to develop the series. We then sourced the pictures from a handful of photographic agencies’.
Rejecting photographs
Unlike many other stamp design projects the thrust of Robinson’s ideas were taken on board very quickly. He remembered: ‘I suppose I got lucky, they sometimes say the first idea is the best and that’s how it was in this case. On the other hand we did have to reject a large number of photographs which were unsuitable and did not meet the high level of quality which was needed’.
One of the features of the 25 sheets is the fact that they use subtle variations on main colours – green, red, blue and purple predominate. Robinson noted: ‘This was probably the second hardest part of the project, the colours had to be 'regal' lending themselves to subject. It was very difficult achieving slight variations on a limited range of colours’.
One of the other main threads of designs within the omnibus set is the use of the famous 1955 painting of HM Queen Elizabeth by Annigoni in a cameo on the fifth, and largest, stamp on the right hand side of each sheet. Robinson told us: ‘The Annigoni painting was chosen by Nigel Fordham, Head of Crown Agents Stamp Bureau. I think I had a Cecil Beaton photograph for the common stamp on my early design. I believe the picture was chosen as it depicted the young Queen about to embark on a life of public duty. In hindsight it was perfect’.
As far as any design hurdles that had to be overcome to achieve the Golden Jubilee omnibus designs, Robinson said: ‘The design has several components, each presenting its own problem. I had to digitally recreate all the Country crests on the computer. The references I had came from a variety of sources and the issue need a lot of checking to ensure accuracy’.
In fact the use of crests on the miniature sheets is a vital element of the designs. We asked Robinson how their use came about. He recalled: ‘I think I may have just had the royal crest on the original design, the country crests were introduced soon after. The idea was to provide a visual link between each country and Her Majesty, and I think this works quite well’. It’s also worth noting the use of the famous orb and sceptre on each sheet – another design thread that gives the set a clarity and strength. Apparently Crown Agents had considered using a crown, but in the end felt that the orb and sceptre we two more than acceptable symbols of Royalty.
First Queen design
This was the first ever time that Robinson had designed stamps featuring HM The Queen. He explained: ‘I did produce an omnibus commemorating Prince William’s 18th Birthday for Crown Agents Stamp Bureau, which consisted of seven countries. They were sheetlets with an unusual perforation layout, but I really liked them modern designs for a modern Prince’. That 2000 set did come in for some overly harsh press coverage when several newspapers pointed out the fact that Princess Diana didn’t feature on any of the sheets. However Robinson was briefed to design for Prince William’s birthday, and took the commission literally.
As far as admiring any other stamp designers Robinson told us: ‘I look at other stamp designs, but I am never aware of the designer’s name. I like to know what other people are doing. It keeps me on my toes. I think the old engraved stamps are great, sadly I understand they are too expensive to produce these days’. |
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Tales by Mail - Book 1, by Karen Cartier
 Tales by Mail is for children of all ages, perhaps up through 60 or so. It brings together stories literally from around the world ... from Botswana to Denmark, from New Zealand to the Faroes, from Saar to Israel.
The stories are short, each with a message, and each illustrated by a stamp issued by the country of the story's origin. Each who reads this book no doubt will develop a different favorite story, which is to be expected. Formatted simply, each story is preceded by a full-color illustration of the commemorative stamp that no only is impressive in its own right but also serves through its design to set the stage for the story that follows.
For those who wonder of the relationship between a stamp design and what is "behind" the design, this book serves as an excellent example.
Teddy Bears Celebrate 100th Anniversary
 Teddy bears, enormously popular symbols of human caring and loving, are being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with the issuance of the Teddy Bears commemorative stamps. The 2002 issuance of the stamps coincides with the 100th anniversary of teddy bears.
The Teddy Bears pane of 20 self-adhesive stamps depicts four lovable, cuddly teddy bears. Photos of the bears appear in the header; details of the photos appear on the stamps. The four stamp designs are repeated five times each on the pane. All four teddy bears were manufactured in the United States and are now owned by private collectors. The Ideal bear dates to circa 1905, the Bruin bear from circa 1907 and the Gund bear from circa 1948. The unlabeled "stick" bear dates from the 1920s. Mass- produced stick bears were characterized by their short arms, thin legs and upright posture. The Ideal bear, the Bruin bear and the stick bear belong to Paul and Rosemary Volpp of Carson City, Nev. The Gund bear belongs to Helen Sieverling of Pasadena, Calif.
The idea of the teddy bear was born in 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a captive bear during a hunting trip. Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Berryman depicted the incident on the front page of the newspaper, and soon toymakers began to manufacture the "teddy" bears associated with the president's name. People in all walks of life love teddy bears, and enthusiasts—known in the teddy bear world as arctophiles—pay top dollar for the collectibles.
Today there are teddy bear magazines, clubs, collector shows and programs, both educational and medical, that feature these little stuffed companions. Teddy bears have had endless books, songs and poem written about them. Widely viewed as symbols of security and comfort, teddy bears are often used by police officers and hospital staff to calm the young and old alike in traumatic situations
Second Set Of Penguin Stamps
 British Antarctic Territory has issued its second set of penguin stamps on a miniature sheet and in a booklet from the Port Lockroy Post Office.
The 12 airmail postcard values feature photographs of Chinstrap, Emperor, Adelie, Gentoo and Macaroni penguins, including juveniles.
All the photographs were taken by members of the British Antarctic Survey.
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