Gray’s School of Art Student wins National Design Award
Tuesday 18 May 2021
Leanne Daphne Goodall, of Gray’s School of Art, won the Scottish Kelpies book illustration award, scooping top prize for illustration at the Scottish Kelpies Illustrator Award announced this week.
Four illustrators from across Scotland were shortlisted for the award which was announced at a virtual award’s ceremony streamed live on the Kelpies You Tube channel on Thursday 13 May.
Leanne created five illustrations for a children’s book about ‘My Scotland’ which showed Scottish landscapes and depicted iconic Scottish myths and legends.
Final year of Communication Design Student, Leanne said: “I am over the moon with this award. My work is inspired by the wilderness, wildlife and mythology of Scotland and my love of exploring new places. This award means so much and I can’t wait to see my illustrations made into a book.”
Stage 4 Coordinator for Communication Design at Gray’s School of Art, Iain Morrison says: “Leanne’s fantastic creatures captivated the judges. They were wowed by her beautiful drawings of Scottish landscapes and the fluid movement captured in her work. Leanne’s success is the result of a lot of hard work and her determination to use a variety of materials to capture the magic of Scottish landscapes.
Leanne’s lecturer, Iain Morrison added: “Gray’s School of Art is committed to creating a nurturing environment to foster creative talent such as Leanne’s and to equip our students with the skills to develop in the creative industries such as book illustration.”
Leah MacDowell, our Art & Production Director said: “The quality of entries was extremely high making the task of judging difficult but enjoyable. We loved the sense of magic and wonder that Leanne conveyed in each illustration along with her atmospheric depictions of iconic Scottish myths and legends.”
Leanne Goodall grew up in Argyll and is now a student at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Leanne works with a variety of materials but likes specialise in digital painting with a drawing tablet.
The Kelpies Prize for Illustration was launched by Scotland’s largest children’s publisher, Floris Books, in 2014 as part of a drive to recognise new Scottish writing and illustration for children. The Kelpies Prize for Illustration 2020, had to be postponed last year due to Covid-19.