A professional illustrator who studied at Teesside University has been awarded the accolade of V&A Illustrator of the Year 2016.
David McConochie graduated from Teesside with a graphic design degree in 2003. Now living and working in London as a freelance illustrator, he received national recognition from the world’s leading museum of art and design for his illustrations created for a book of ghost stories.
Originally from Brancepeth in County Durham, David, 35, said: “I studied at Teesside following recommendation from my art college tutors. The graphic design course at Teesside had a strong leaning towards illustration and within weeks of being around the tutors and fellow students, their passion for design and visual arts was completely infectious.
“The course really opened my eyes and made me hungry to explore the subject for myself, which I think is what good teaching does.”
He added: “One of the most appealing aspects of the course was that all although it was a graphic design degree, all aspects of the visual arts and some aspects of non-visual arts were incorporated into the programme. Over the three years of the course I was encouraged to indulge my interests and started to use collage and mixed media to create imagery.
“I was particularly keen on book illustration, which culminated in me creating three illustrated stories from Dubliners by James Joyce for my final year project.”
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David went on to study at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London and later completed a master’s degree in communication design and illustration.
He added: “My first commission after leaving college came in 2005 from the Big Issue in Scotland after I sent out postcards of work to various art directors. It was quite gritty subject matter and quite challenging, but was a real thrill to see my work published in print for the first time. Since then I have worked as a freelance illustrator in a variety of media, from book covers to a limited edition postage stamp – but I still get the same thrill seeing my work in print.
“Illustration is a fantastic and rewarding career. It can be quite solitary and I never know what the next job is going to be, but that being said, I love being an illustrator and, in many ways, enjoy the unpredictability of it all.”
He added: “The V&A Award came about after I won a commission to illustrate The Folio Book of Ghost Stories. Following its publication I was encouraged to submit the illustrations and book cover to the V&A Awards. A few months passed and I almost forgot about it, then received an email from V&A to say I had not only won the award for best book cover, but had also been named The Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year 2016.
“I was completely gobsmacked and delighted. Accepting the awards at the museum with my family there was a very proud day for me.”