Bill Ward's Artwork

I've long been an admirer of the work of artist Bill Ward. So I'm really glad to see that there's finally a nicely done website, the Bill Ward Archives, devoted to putting his fine penwork online.
     I was first exposed to his illustrations in the original Drummer, I also got to see them in the unique a quirky 'zine known as BROS [the "mascot" as it were, shown on the left, drawn by Mr. Ward himself] a chapbook by and for long-haired men and those who fancied them.
     The simple single person sketches shown here don't really do his work justice. Ward's work was often complex, almost hallucinogenic when he depicted orgy scenes. But the pen lines were always crisp, high-contrast, easily discernible and [for the most part] his characters were visually believable.
     I don't believe the same can be said for more famous illustrators of male erotica such as Tom of Finland [with his cinched waists and impossibly skin-tight trousers] or Etienne/Stephen [his real name was Dom Orejudos]. While Etienne's characters appeared more realistic than Tom of Finland's, it wasn't until I'd seen Bill Ward's work that the images rang true... for me at least.
     Another thing I found I liked about Mr. Ward was his willingness, even generosity, at sharing his creative talents with less well known, even obscure, publications. One such publication was BROS [which, unfortunately no longer has it's own website but whose spirit remains at places like the BROS Yahoo Group, Tribe's Bros-online and Robin Walden's Gay Longhair bulletin board].
     Bill Ward's artwork also graced the pages of another 'zine [and sitll is] TRASH Magazine, which was [and still is] diligently compiled by J.D. [aka Mr. T]. Ward's generosity, and willingness to work with lesser known publishers with much more limited budgets, is all too rare in the swift competitive world that is/or was slick gay porn.
     Who was Bill Ward? He born in London, England and lived there almost all his life in the city except for a three year tour in the Army. He was the art editor of a children's weekly magazine, then left to go freelance. Always and admirer of comic art, his heroes in the field have been Burne Hogarth's Tarzan, Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, and Milton Caniff. He found time to paint landscapes in between children's picture books -- and heavier stuff for adult magazines. Ward was a motorcycle enthusiast and belonged to the M.S.C. London Leather and Denim Club. Bill Ward passed away on July 24, 1996.
     After Ward's work, the most interesting artists I've found include Michael Kirwan and Palanca. But neither of these two produce works in the style of Mr. Ward. I thank my lucky stars his stuff is still around. Pay a visit to the Bill Ward Archives. Tell then Jake sent you.