Of Sharpies and Sharpe — The Napoleonic Artwork of Ben Pook

17 June, 2019

“I got into the Napoleonic period with the Sharpe TV series at a young age, obsessively watching episodes daily on repeat and drawing.”

TO MARK THE 204^th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, we here at MilitaryHistoryNow.com thought we’d share some of the work of Ben Pook, a talented illustrator who specializes in the Napoleonic Era.

MHN recently connected with Ben to talk to him about his art and his passion of the era of the horse and musket. Enjoy!

How’d you get into historical art?

I’ve drawn for as long as I can remember. I can’t say really where the historical aspect came into that, it may have always been there from day one, but I think historical art and more specifically historical military art may simply connect to a foundational love of character, atmosphere and adventure with the escapist immersion of a historical or fantasy context.

Why draws you to this particular period of history?

I got into the Napoleonic period with the Sharpe TV series at a young age, obsessively watching episodes daily on repeat and drawing. That set a steadfast love for that era that I never tire of exploring and learning more about.

Where might people see your work? Is it for sale? Used in books? Online? etc.

After a hiatus of many years I have returned to art within the last two years. So, I’m presently in the process of working through the first commissions, which alongside private works will include art for websites and books. An official sales website will follow soon, but people are free to contact me in the meantime if they are interested in purchasing work.