How Do I Draw Digitally (with PhotoShop)?
August 31st, 2009. Published under PhotoShop. No Comments.
Author Charles Salmon
It goes without saying that you need to have an aptitude if you want to pursue drawing digitally. It is not an easy process and requires some kind of learning. Firstly, to be able to draw digitally you need the correct digital art software.
Photoshop
This digital software will allow you to draw digitally. It has many tools that will allow you to draw, paint, erase and create shapes. Get started initially with common shapes like a rectangle, circle. You can elaborate on these shapes and use your imagination to create drawings. You can begin withdrawing flowers, trees and other simple pictures. As you progress you will also be able to draw portraits and other intricate things.
Tool for drawing
Your primary tool for drawing would be the mouse. However, now a digital art tool called the WACOM tablet is also available that helps you to draw.
Brush: You will have to experiment with the correct brush to determine the best applicable for you. You have the option to change the size, type and behavior of the brush that you choose.
Eraser: Ditto like the brush, you have the options to choose from a set of erasers from the software. Even this has the option to change the size, type etc.
Burn tool/Dodge tool: With the Burn tool you can make your colours to appear darker. Conversely, you can choose the Dodge tool to make the colours to appear lighter.
Layers: This is one of the most unique tools in digital drawing which is not available in physical drawing. This function allows you to draw in layers. This can be explained like this – it is a transparent cell that allows you to work on every layer in such a way that you can either allow a layer to interact with the other layer or vice versa.
As you move towards drawing intricate things you can make use of the following options:
Grids: Using grids will help you to capture the drawing cleverly and easily. It will enable you to check proportions and placements etc.
Shading: Shading can also be used here like in physical drawing. It gives your photograph the characteristic of a physical drawing.
Colour: When using colours, you need to take care that you make use of realistic colours.
Adding a Background: Giving a background to your picture is quite important. It helps you to give a story to your picture.
The most important feature of drawing digitally is that it gives you a chance to enhance your subject. It helps you to correct and add more to features. Sometimes, this can make your subject look unreal; therefore you need to take care that you do not take away the essence or personality of the subject in the drawing.
Conclusion
Drawing is an art and doing it within a digital ambit it gives the artiste the freedom to experiment and do a lot more with its subject. It is good if you try to learn about art before starting with digital drawings.
Try your Hand at Digital Art and See the Possibilities
August 31st, 2009. Published under See the Possibilities. No Comments.
Try your hand at digital arts and who knows what talent you may uncover. You’ll hardly be a Picasso but with digital printers that allow you to convert these pieces to a real artist canvas you just might create the next masterpiece for your living room. Who knows, your large format printing might even land a spot in the museaum of modern art.
Need an inspiration, just watch any of the recently released computer generated graphics movie and you know just how real graphic can get. As a starter though, you would want to go for simple pieces you can use as a focal point for your home or office interior.
Here are a few design suggestions that will keep you glued to your computer:
• Graphic design is easy. There are a number of ways to start including with your digital camera. You can simply take your favorite snapshot, enhance it digitally and create your picture perfect profile you can hang in your bedroom or living room.
• When you want to create abstract art though, you can browse through the classic painters and choose a design school that draws your attention the most. You will be happy to find many filters in Adobe Photoshop that can help you emulate at least a basic art technique. Experiment with different tools and find the look you want.
• Aside from the classics, there are numerous graphic design superstars as well. You can look into these design subcultures in websites that host their pieces. Most of the time, they will even include a step by step tutorial that will help you copy certain techniques or create certain textures from scratch.
• You can start with small ideas and grow from there. You can work on a simple project and add layers of complexity as you go along and become more experienced in graphic design. Save different drafts so you can also observe the project as it develops.
• Digital art works well for the surrealist thinkers as well. If your idol is Salvador Dali, you can convert your photographs into surrealist art in one sitting. You can juxtapose pictures into different scenes stretching, bending, or blurring them as you go a long with various graphic design tools.
• Jackson Pollock wannabes on the other hand can have their fun playing around with paint brushes and extra large canvas. They can simply choose different paint brushes and splatter the blank screen. Or better yet, they can make their own paint brush.
And even if you want to design murals or extra small prints, you can simply adjust the size of your canvas. With digital printers, they can work on a variety of sizes from 8×8 inches to as big as 51×100 inches with half-inch increments.
Remember also that your artist canvas soaks more ink than your regular semi-gloss and will give you deeper and richer colors. In addition, you also have that beautiful fabric texture that builds up the drama for your large format printing.
Means Of Janet Schlarbaum Expression
July 11th, 2009. Published under Means Of Janet Schlarbaum Expression. No Comments.
Art Mediums and Means Of Expression
By: Jayesh Chudasama
‘What counts most is finding new ways to get the world down in paint on my own terms.’ Said Michelangelo.
Medium is not bar in art. We are already equipped with multiple art techniques and art mediums. When I talk about art; it is not limited to only watercolor painting or oil painting in terms of painting, only sketching or drawing with pencil in terms of sketch or making sculpture using stone or wood in terms of sculpture. It is more than that.
Artists use multiple methods, processes or means of expression to state their points. What would you imagine when it comes to painting? Multiple colors on canvas!! How is it to paint complete canvas with one shade without using any normal pigment or color?
There are such distinct art forms including Sand Painting, Clay or Ceramic Painting, Indian Mural art, Digital art, Fax Art, Crop Art or Coffee Painting.
Sand painting is made of sand, Clay or Ceramic Painting is made clay or ceramic, Indian Mural art is made of natural pigments and vegetable colors, crop art is made of seeds, Glass Painting and coffee painting is made of pure coffee.
Leaving canvas a side, artists also think of creating art on wall, vehicles, rock or stone, wood, bamboo or water. Mural art of Europe, Auto Art & Truck Painting in India, Bamboo art of Asia, Rock Art of Africa & Asia, Caves Paintings of Asia, Paper Art and art on wooden art such incredible art styles.
In terms of sculpture; Ice sculpture, Sand sculpture, Sculpture made out of throw away products and Megalithic Art (refers to the use of large stones as an artistic medium) are also addition to sculpture mediums.
Street Art (any art developed in public spaces) becomes nice art visit by everyone who passes from street. It defies rule of owning art by individual.
Promoting art is now no more limited to four wall closed galleries. To attract more visitors; exhibitions are now being held on plasma screen making digital show of any art. Open public show in gardens is good for sculptures and such giant work.
Tribal art such as Art of African Tribal Mask is distinct art medium to express historical saga and cultural beliefs.
Installation art is art that uses sculptural materials and other media to modify the way we experience a particular space. Materials used in contemporary installation art range from everyday and natural materials to new media such as video, sound, performance, computers and the internet.
Kite Art (a kite is a flying tethered man-made object) is famous art in Asian countries. From smaller to bigger flying objects are made to fly in sky. There is no other way to make sky beautiful then flying varieties of kits in sky.
Irrespective what medium artists use; they always try to pass their messages to the world these multiple forms of art. As Aristotle said – ‘The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.’
Means Of Janet Schlarbaum Expression
Janet Schlarbaum Digital Art Galleries
June 11th, 2009. Published under Janet Schlarbaum Digital Art Galleries. No Comments.
By: Richard Romando
Digital art is a new breed of fine art. Digital artists have forged new ways to express their creativity with their computer-aided tools. Digital art galleries exhibit of artwork created with the help of computers.
There are a number of categories available in digital art such as computer-drawn art, digital painting, enhanced photography, digital photo painting, 2D and 3D digital art, techno, and algorithmic art. In addition to artwork, digital art galleries usually provide a wide selection of digital art CDs, books, periodicals, and journals.
The availability of photograph-manipulation software has increased the popularity of digital art. Mainly, there are two types of artwork: 2D and 3D graphics. The collections in digital art galleries generally include specially designed 2D and 3D graphics, motifs, drawings, digital photos, animated artworks, and specially taken photos. Digital paintings, prints, digital imaging, and mixed-media works are the other items commonly found in digital art galleries. You can view different versions of the same photos. For the creation of these different types artwork, image-editing software, various scanners, and desktop printers are used.
Digital art galleries mostly come online. They allow individuals to post their own artwork in different categories. Many online digital art galleries provide for sharing and learning art experience. Some of them offer low-cost education for individuals who are interested in learning digital art and design software. Digital art galleries also conduct exhibitions and competitions.
As the commercial illustration industry is growing with digital art technology, digital art galleries have become very popular all over the world. They assist artists and graphic designers in expressing their creativity in a short film, art piece, or photograph.
Janet Schlarbaum Digital Art Galleries
The Big Janet Schlarbaum Picture
May 4th, 2009. Published under The Big Janet Schlarbaum Picture. No Comments.
Original Digital Art – The Big Picture
By Donovan Gauvreau
With the advancement of today’s computer technology, the world of art has been thrown into a tailspin. New and original digital art tools are being created with every passing day, and are serving to take the art world to loftier heights. Those who were only able to illustrate their artistic creations on paper with brushes are now capable of churning out their visionary works in a fraction of the time, and with much less physical effort and no mess. Photographers who used to painstakingly agonize over the correct lighting, position, and shutter speed of a photograph now merely have to snap a picture and glorify it on the computer. As much as digital advancements are being appreciated in the genres of graphic design, music, photography, and film production, they are slow to gain acceptance within the more “serious” art forms, such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. This is somewhat due to the notion that it is not the artist, but the computer doing the work. It is also argued that the image produced is infinitely reproducible, and therefore can never remain an original digital art piece.
Types of Digital Art Software
There are essentially two types of digital art software: the 2D (two-dimensional) and the 3D (three-dimensional). The 2D tools allow the user to draw on a flat surface, much like drawing on paper or on a canvas, yet the artist is using a mouse or graphic tablet instead of a pencil or paintbrush. The 3D tools allow you to create characters, architecture, landscape, objects, and special effects, and the computer takes a “photograph” of the image. There are countless painting, drawing, and design programs that artists can utilize in both 2D and 3D.
With the introduction of such original digital art software, art takes on a more organized style. These programs will organize a user’s favourite paintbrushes, papers, and effects for easy access. Some digital art software offers what is called “cloners” in their virtual brushes, which can take the exact color from a source image of a photograph and allow the user to replicate it.
Painting programs have become very realistic, and can provide the user with more than what the ordinary paintbrush can produce. They can mimic the effect of using a pallet knife, and allow the user to select different paper textures in order to experience various effects. Another widely-used digital art tool is the graphic tablet, a remarkable gadget that allows the user to draw freehand, creating interesting and unique digital art. It can even simulate the more classical effects of an oil painting or a watercolour. The resulting work can then be printed on paper or canvas. Many state-of-the-art painting programs available now will allow you to load up your paintbrush with a color that you have mixed yourself, and lay down a brushstroke that slowly dries. Users can choose to work with almost any medium, such as chalk, pencils, pastels, oils, watercolours, felt pens, and ink.
Art on the go!
Not only do digital art tools allow you to create realistic pieces of art, but they have also affected art in a profound way by making it more portable and accessible. With the prevalence of laptops in today’s society, an art studio can be carried around, thereby constantly at an artist’s fingertips.
It has enhanced art by taking it to the masses. With easy user guides and specific tools that can mimic lines, effects, and colors, original digital art masterpieces can be created by pretty much anyone, even someone with no previous background or training in art. Those who have never had the proper precision or visual acuity to create stunning oil paintings or sketches, now have the chance to craft original digital art pieces.
The introduction of digital tools has made the hobby of art less pricey. With the ongoing decrease in costs for computers, software, and websites, undertaking digital art can be less expensive than purchasing oil paints, numerous brushes, different canvases, easels, and various other art supplies.
For Better or Worse
Many in the art world will argue that digital art has nothing on the real thing; that any piece of digital art can be reproduced by someone else with the same program, and that there can never be an original digital art piece. This is an erroneous statement, as some digital artists have taken to deleting the image file of the masterpiece when it is completed, thereby rendering the piece an original. While a painting may fade, chip, or crack over time, works produced with digital printing equipment have remarkable longevity.
The Big Janet Schlarbaum Picture
Janet Schlarbaum Significance
April 8th, 2009. Published under Janet Schlarbaum Articles. No Comments.
What is the Significance of Art
Author Jessica Ackerman
Brought to you by Janet Schlarbaum
Art is such a simple term but it is difficult to define. To a child, art is drawing and coloring. For celebrities, art is acting and entertaining. For designers, art is trend and fashion. The definition of art can be very objective.
Different sectors have their own definition of art. They have various standards too. For a mother, the drawings of her children are works of art. For museums, art is the genuine creation of a significant artist in the past.
Just like its definition, its significance also varies. There are various forms of art today, and each is important to the artist involved. A good example is a musician. Music is a good example of art. That is why singers are called artists. For a songwriter, each song has a story that he wants the people to hear. For most writers, this is very personal.
For various artists, art is way of expressing themselves. You may have seen an abstract oil painting, although you cannot recognize the patterns and strokes of the artists, it is very important for the painter. For him, it represents his emotion and his character. It can symbolize his anger and frustration. However, it can also represent his love and compassion. Anyone who sees it can also use it to represent how they feel. Strokes and colors can evoke certain emotions from other people. This is why most people want to buy pieces of artwork.
For others, it represents their dreams. The television today has produced several competitions that opened the doors for various dreamers. There are dancers across the country who lined up to audition because all their life they wanted to dance in front of an audience who appreciates what they can do. Many have gone to school to enhance their skills so that they can be among the best dancers in the world.
Like music, dancing is a form of art that can evoke various feelings. Aside from love, dances can also evoke sensuality, excitement, fun, passion, anger, and happiness. Art here is more than entertainment and talent. It is more of touching people lives through their moves and choreography.
Today, art also symbolizes comfort. You can see art in many beautiful and comfortable homes. Interior designers are also artists in many ways. They match things to provide a wonderful space for their client. Seeing the overwhelming reactions of their clients gives them satisfaction. To them, that is the most rewarding feeling.
Art has also transcended in foods. Many cooks and chefs have proven this. Some maybe predictable but others are like the abstract oil painting. You do not care what is in there as long as you like the taste. For them, being able to feed and satisfy their customers is all that matters.
Placed here by Janet Schlarbaum
See the Tree with Janet Schlarbaum
March 9th, 2009. Published under Janet Schlarbaum Poetry, See the Tree with Janet Schlarbaum. No Comments.
See Not the Forest, But the Tree
See the Tree with Janet Schlarbaum By Willam Wyndham Wyatt.
It was not that long ago that we probably lived in trees. The ground was way too dangerous and filled with hungry predators looking for their next meal. We have come a long way since then, but we still have a connection to trees. We use their wood to build our homes. We place them around our homes for shade and other reasons. We seem to imagine that we have outgrown the need for their comfort and security. Is this really true? Sometimes, I wonder.
When I was young, so long ago,
I fell in love with trees.
I don’t know why I felt this love.
It built up by degrees.
It seemed I was enchanted
by a sprite within the wood.
I came to realize, of course,
these feelings were all good.
I learned a lot about the trees.
I learned what they like best.
A sunny meadow, room to grow,
a small stream gives them zest.
A place to shade and drop their leaves,
a home for nesting birds.
These things are what a tree looks for,
not best described by words.
They’re best described by going out
and touching them, you see.
‘Cause trees are real and rugged things.
Go out and love a tree.
I’ve had my differences with trees. Having been a carpenter has had an effect on my soul, but a man must eat. I think the trees understand, but they too, can be sad. When a fruit tree gives up its fruit, it knows that there is a greater chance that its seeds will spread to other new ground, so its sadness is comforted by the promise of new growth, new beginnings, just like us, I suspect.
Janet Schlarbaum Waves
February 6th, 2009. Published under Janet Schlarbaum Poetry, Janet Schlarbaum Waves. No Comments.
Beyond the Waves
By Willam Wyndham Wyatt
Published by Janet Schlarbaum
Have you ever loved and lost? What a question! I barely survived such an experience once(more than once). However, it did leave a mark on my soul. But souls are tough and hardy things that live in a different time frame than people. Some say that you must suffer before you can understand the inner pain of others. I disagree. I believe that you must care enough before you can understand, if that means anything. When she went away, I had no idea that it would darken the sun a little. But, eventually, the sun brightened once more and the birds once again began to sing. I guess time really does heal all wounds. The story below is mine and true, and I survived.
If the story be told, I haven’t gone cold.
My love has just folded in.
It’s still there inside. My feelings I hide.
I just won’t let anyone in.
A love is a thing like a bird on a wing.
To live, it’s got to be free
to fly low and high, to explore the whole sky.
Then return home safe to it’s tree.
My heart has to heal, and mend a great deal
before I can look at the sun.
Before I can be again happy and free,
I must learn to laugh and have fun.
My heart knows a place that takes up no space.
A place that will render me whole.
I go there at night to visit the light
that heals me and restores my soul.
So, time’s what it takes to heal the heartbreaks
and return to the land of the living.
I’ll just have to wait, come soon or come late.
I’ll just have to be more forgiving.
Those who have dared to love know what I mean. Unfortunately, she died in a car accident a long time ago, it seems. But now I know she would have meant for me to move on and find another. Such things are surreal and have little meaning until it happens to you. Let’s hope you never know what I mean about that.
Janet Schlarbaum Waves
A Sort of Janet Schlarbaum Genius
January 31st, 2009. Published under A Sort of Janet Schlarbaum Genius. No Comments.
A Sort of Genius
By Peter Carroll
Reading about history, looking at bygone photographs and trying to imagine how it was then and maybe what might have been – save for certain larger than life personalities – is clearly food for thought.
Such are my thoughts as I research the history of my home town. I wonder how it would now be in Paignton if two prominent millionaires, one from the US and the other from Liverpool had not come to live there.
Isaac Singer was determined, influential and generous with his employees and did so much to put Torbay on the map in his time. He was a man with a mission, and his womanising was renown, he probably had more mistresses than the fancy cakes and buns he put on for the kids of his employees at party time. in the ‘pavilion.’ – his beloved home known as Oldway.
The other millionaire made his mark in early part of the twentieth century. Whereas Isaac Singer was flamboyant and outgoing and lavished the high life, this man was quite the opposite, shy , quiet and a self confessed misogynist. His turning was positively birds of the feathered kind But one thing they had in common, he was stubborn, determined and certain in his mission. He had a vision which would manifold and grow, and still brings in the crowds to this day . But not without a few stumbles on the way.
When as a boy, his mother presented him with two canaries it sparked off something that would generate and grow and take over his life – something that would consume all his energy with nothing hardly left to spare for personal relationships. He started to breed and exhibit finches, Wyandotte poultry, blue and black cropper pigeons and even Dutch rabbits.
His destiny was set and without him we would surely be the poorer, for not only did he strive to protect endangered species but also the natural habitat in an area like Slapton Ley which was due to be commercialised. He stepped in, purchased the land to preserve as it was. It is still a perfect nature reserve – a credit to the man with vision.
His name was Herbert Whitley, the founder of what is now known as Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.. No doubt one of the most popular attractions in Torbay. His vision was to create a collection of flora and fauna from all over the world.
He leased, then bought Primley house, a veritable mansion with its large acreage from the Belfield family. Local people noticed wooded buildings and structures starting to appear, one resembling a racecourse stand it was heard to be said. What was it all about, the local fraternity were curious and it wouldn’t be very long before they found out.
Moving to Paignton gave Herbert the chance to purchase and breed endangered animals.. He was ecstatic to receive the first monkeys in 1910 and 1911 and the first of the Primley exotic birds, a pair of sulphur crested cockatoos which were to be the foundation of his ornithological collection.
A shire driven yellow farm wagon was seen to pick up closely guarded crates of wild animals from Paignton station, taking several trips to deliver them to the elusive millionaire who had bought the white mansion in Primley Hill. What was afoot? Such going’s on were unheard of in the small town and of course there were those who did not like the idea one iota. “Supposing one of ‘em got away, what then?!”
His vision was starting to materialise, more fencing and wooden buildings were being erected, there was so much coming and going and there was a certain buzz in the air. It didn’t take long for the local’s to realise that a Zoo was coming .. That “Mr. Whitley is employing all sorts of people to help him.” and “he pays quite well so we mustn’t moan about it spoiling our town must we?”
And in 1923, the Torbay Herald Express reported the Zoo was opening to the public and all the hard work in preparation was about to be realised and enjoyed by a public who were simply taken aback
- most of whom had never seen a dangerous wild animal in the flesh.
But there was much still to do before Herbert’s vision was complete
All seemed to be going well until HM Customs and Excise intervened and Herbert was summoned to appear in Paignton Magistrates Court in March 1924. He was absolutory livid!
He could not believe his ears when, leading up to his summons, the tax man demanded he should pay tax on his modest gate takings, “But why?”
“It’s entertainments tax,” was the reply and seemingly there was no getting away from it. He tried though , this outwardly quiet and timid man had his moments. “Why, when London Zoo, Plymouth Aquarium and Torquay’s Natural History Museum are exempt, what is the difference? My exhibitions are as much , if not foremost of an educational nature, and like the afore mentioned should not attract entertainment tax.”
But the bench’s findings were adamant. Herbert, dressed in his work clothes, apparently stormed out of the court and promptly closed his zoo on principle. It was not a question of the money, his aim was for the public at large, those with like interests, should enjoy his valuable collection, to give everybody the opportunity to see animals they would not normally see in those days when travel for the ordinary working class was mainly local and there was no television, and wild life films were rare.
His minimal charge of 1/-d and 6d for children barely covered overheads anyway but he felt such a charge should be made in order to purvey the sense of value and quality.
Despite public outcry and numerous reports and views in the press, Herbert would not budge one iota. Although he obviously planned to reopen eventually – having realised public interest. But the closure would serve his purpose, he made good use of the three years break to build up more varied exhibits. Tradesmen were busy, busy making and building cages and modifying the landscape to meet the needs of his new exhibits. He was a stubborn man, cared not about what other zoo’s did or exhibited, he wanted to create a zoo which would be exclusive and unique according to his own expectations. He was the sort of man who trusted only that which he had built up himself. He smoked like a trooper it was reported, undoubtedly the reason for his eventual demise, from outward appearances he would seem stand offish and arrogant yet he was known to be kind and generous in many ways.
But come June 1927 the zoo was in business again. Herbert relented “in the interest of public education” announcing a charge of 1/2d including tax for adults and 6d tax free for children.
“Thank you, Mr. Whitley” was the Torbay Herald & Express’ headline and Herbert was set to share his pleasure with a host of visitors far and wide and local too. All seemed to go smoothly for a while despite a tragedy which occurred on 5th October, 1931 when a 67 year old Zoo painter Fred Gilbert, mauled by a lion sustained fatal injuries. The outcome of the inquest concluded that it was a freak accident, that Gilbert working between two caged enclosures did not see the lion approach behind, taking his arm and hand through the bars of the cage. But more stringent rules were brought in.
With the trials and tribulations incurred only a millionaire could have sustained the immense project coupled with Herbert’s sheer enthusiasm and desire to share his knowledge of the other creatures who, with us, share life on earth.
More problems arose regarding charges, tax and the over riding question of what constitutes entertainment as against education and there were comings and goings of all manner of people and the press. It seemed even a man as determined as Herbert Whitley had his breaking point when, in 1939, war was declared, the final straw he concluded, he just had to close and sell his animals once and for all.
I am thinking once again, what if – what if it hadn’t been for a certain Reginald Goddard, founder of Chessington zoo in Surrey, another man of Herbert’s true grit, a man that had started with his own pet shop to a new sort of open Zoo that was Chessington, he even had the clout to have Southern Railway build a special station about a mile away from his zoo to bring in thousands of curious Londoners. His new concept was a huge success – so he must have been gutted when, with the outbreak of war in 1939, he was obliged to close being so close to London. What would he do with his precious collection of animals and the like.
In the papers, in the news were reports of children being evacuated to the safety of the country away from the pangs of air raids. This was his cue. He knew of Herbert Whitley of course, had often visited Devon for health reasons. He had an idea which blossomed when he heard of Herbert’s decision to foreclose. His plan to evacuate his precious stock to Herbert’s zoo. But was it too late, and would Herbert go for it? …..
But Goddard was a persuasive guy, because of his knack of conversation and because he was an extrovert he had that certain way with him of which Herbert actually admired. In the nick of time Herbert cancelled the forthcoming sale and entered into a five year partnership with Goddard.
Surprisingly they seemed to hit it off well and Goddard was awash with new ideas as his animals were transported by train and road. Space was not a problem at Paignton and so busy hands made new enclosures and fencing for the new stock. He showed Herbert his ideas for a man made lake filled by the stream that meanders though the zoo, and then a miniature railway tracked around the perimeter of the lake enabling passengers to enjoy the many varieties of wildfowl and water creatures.. Dolly Widdecombe, was one of the first train drivers known for her cheerful charisma, stopping at various places enroute when a particular bird was making its presence felt, startling passengers with sounds and sight. It was all a joy to behold and proved to be very popular with visitors and Herbert too, who was most impressed and, given the versatility and exuberance of his new partner, he felt less stress and his life began to feel a lot better.
He gave 14 acres of land in Clennon Valley to Paignton Council for building a sports centre and many of his semi-tropical plants also given as a gift, still survive in the rock walk at Goodrington.
Although he had no particular leaning for women there was of course the exception, that being his late mother – and maybe another, Gladys Salter whom he had known for a lifetime, who was his chief assistant come housekeeper – but nothing more, despite the usual rumours spread by the scandal makers. She was there when he died on 15th September, 1955 aged 69. I believe he was not a misogynist at all, he was simply overcome by his shyness towards the opposite sex which remained with him all his life. But what made up for what he may have missed by way of romance in a marital relationship he was abundantly fulfilled because of his love of the natural world, perhaps he never realised his true potential, perhaps he never would no matter how long he may have lived, because he was that kind of guy, forever striving to discover and to learn.
Perhaps it was Dr Jean Delacour, eminent naturalist, explorer and president of the world peacock association – who knew Herbert well – who gave him a fitting ,simple but apt description in saying he was a sort of a genius.
My wife and I have been visiting the zoo for some thirty years and will never tire of its absolute magic. In that time we have seen changes galore – remembering how it was, when the entrance was alongside a cottage which used to be the offices in Herbert’s day and there was a small hatch at the side where you would pay and enter through some iron turntable gate. Then you would track down towards the restaurant where there were numerous cages containing a wonderful selection of birds .
In a way much of the charm has gone to make way for the modern entrance and how we care much more for the environmental issues. But all for a good cause. The aim now being to exhibit wild life in their natural habitat as much as possible and to breed endangered species .
A Sort of Janet Schlarbaum Genius