Aged 17, David Wyatt’s first professional work appeared in 2000AD, illustrating a strip for Neil Gaiman. Since then he has focused on children’s books, working with authors including Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne Jones, Terry Pratchett, Geraldine McCaughrean and Philip Reeve.
He won the Blue Peter Book of the Year for his work on Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood.
David, who was born in 1968, lives on Dartmoor, Devon, where the ancient landscape provides much inspiration for his particular brand of mythic art.
“I think the best illustrators can make even a mundane scene interesting,” he says of making art that “sparks”, as his does. “For example, a simple image of someone sitting on a chair can convey a multitude of feelings with use of lighting, body posture, perspective, etc. For me, it varies greatly depending on the context of the illustration.
“A book cover tends to demand a powerful, instantly readable image, so I will be looking for drama, atmosphere and strong shapes in the basic design. For interior illustrations, it depends on what mood I’m trying to achieve, be it amusing or serious, intimate or epic. Of course, you often have to choose a subject according to how much space is available on the page – there’s no point trying to show a gigantic spaceship looming over a city if there’s only inches to play with – best to show a couple of stunned faces looking skywards (as an example).”
Asked for advice for aspiring artists, he’s previously commented: “I’m not in a position of authority where I can distribute nuggets of wisdom. I suppose the best advice is keep drawing. Also, the ability to tear things up and start again from scratch is a tricky thing to learn but I would say that is how I’ve managed to maintain a career for this long. It can be frustrating, but you have to be able to change things, even if you’re perfectly happy with the image (there are various editors, art directors, authors and booksellers to please in this game).”
• Find David Wyatt online davidwyattillustration.com | Etsy Shop| Blog (Not Recently Updated)
• Podkin One-Ear books by Kieran Larwood, illustrated by David Wyatt (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Interviews
David Wyatt Ephemera!
David drew a comic Garen Ewing was writing for Cosmorama back in the late 1980s/90s called “The Tower” and drew the cover for Issue 2. “David is an amazing illustrator… He was incredible back then,” says Garen. Steve Pugh drew the cover of Issue 3.
With thanks to Garen Ewing
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, Art and Illustration, Books, British Comics, Comic Creator Spotlight, Comics, downthetubes News, Features, Other Worlds