Seascapes

John R. Neill's illustrations for The Sea Fairies were just one of many examples of sea-related drawings done by the artist. He had a definite flair for ocean imagery, or dock scenes, or anything related to the sea. He did own a boat and enjoyed sailing, so perhaps this ability isn't so surprising.

I have a large watercolor sketch of a sailboat on rather rough water that show's Neill's skill, even in a simple sketch. The back of the board has a second sailboat image. This was a common habit of Neill's, using the back of a drawing to sketch other ideas - the sign of a frugal artist.

The existing full page illustrations for The Road to Oz are another example of this thriftiness - many of them have a sketch on the reverse side for another illustration in the book.