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Competition honour for illustrious illustrators

Children’s book illustrations by two º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students have achieved recognition in a prestigious national competition.

Helen Hurry, 21, final year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student, has been awarded joint second prize in the Macmillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration. The competition is one of the most prestigious for student illustrators, particularly those aiming to move into the field of children’s publishing.

Helen, of Preston, created a menagerie of characters for her self-authored children’s book, Hiccups, about an infectious bout of hiccups suffered by animals in a zoo.  Digitally produced, her work makes use of a range of processes and materials.

She said: ‘This competition has boosted my confidence a lot and has made me think about doing more children’s illustration. It should help to open the door to publishers.’

Helen already has a special link with the University, as a 8m by 6m mural she designed has pride of place on the side of the Athena Building on Southfield Road, Middlesbrough. Her design for the Athena was selected after a competition on the theme of celebration for the University’s Design students. 

Recognition in the Macmillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration has also been achieved by second year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student Natalie Larkin, 19, of Guisborough.

Natalie was Highly Commended for her updated version of Hansel and Gretel. She said: ‘Children’s illustration gives an opportunity to be creative and explore ideas in a more imaginative way. I wanted to make the story of Hansel and Gretel, which everybody knows, more up to date.’

Her visual research included photographs from her own childhood and using sweets to inspire drawings of the candy house in the fairytale.

Barbara Usherwood, Head of Design said: ‘We are getting quite a reputation for our talented student illustrators and I am delighted that Helen and Natalie have both achieved success in this highly regarded competition.’

Helen and Natalie’s work will be among Macmillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration Winners and Highly Commended competition entries displayed in an exhibition in London this week.

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