About David
This is a picture of me (David McClelland) with my self portrait "David with Scarf"
This is a picture taken at the Ulster Hall of one of my four "Snow Patrol" tee shirt designs. This was my first illustrative commission in 2003-04.
Is your real name David Creative?
My name is David McClelland. I decided to use the business name of ‘David Creative’ to provide me with the opportunity to expand into other areas of creativity.
Tell us a little about your background and how you became an illustrator?
I was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
After finishing school at 18 I went straight to art college with the aspiration of becoming a painter. But after doing a foundation year, indecisive as I was, I decided it might be a better idea to pursue a career in design than fine art.
On graduating from the University of Ulster with a first class honours degree in Visual Communications in 2001, I worked in several design studios as an illustrator / graphic designer / interactive designer before setting up David Creative in 2004.
Initially the majority of my work came from creating websites and interactive games for the education market. But I found that I was yearning to use more and more illustration & painting within each project. After a lot of soul searching I finally decided to stop doing websites in 2006 and concentrate on illustration full time.
Although I would have liked to specialise in illustration sooner, I certainly do not see my familiarity with graphic and interactive design as a disadvantage. In fact my experiences in those areas of design now make it easier for me to work with people in those areas.
What was your first illustrative commission?
To design a range of tee shirts for the Northern Irish band "Snow Patrol". This was at a time when they had just released their “Final Straw” album. It was rewarding to see people wearing my designs at each of their concerts.
What is it about your work that you like best?
Simply the opportunity to take an idea or a script and turn them into set of pictures that communicate the original message.
Describe your creative process in as much detail as you can.
Each project always starts with a quotation. Once the client approves my quotation, I would contact the client and discuss the project in more detail. I would then email a few thumbnail sketches to the client to pin down the illustration and composition.
On selection of the thumbnail the client wishes to use, I would develop the thumbnail into a finished piece.
The illustration would be first drawn in pen and ink or pencil, and then brought into Photoshop to be painted digitally. I find digital painting advantageous as a client may require a specific colour value to be used in the illustration.
A low-resolution version of the developed illustration will then be emailed to the client for approval and any minor alterations. After any minor alterations have been made and approved via email, the final illustration will be emailed or sent on CD-Rom via registered post, dependant on the file size.
What tools do you use to produce your artwork?
Pencils, dip pen & ink, technical pens, acrylics, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Painter Essentials.
How much do you charge per illustration and how do you decide upon a price?
It is hard to define a price list as each illustration differs in complexity and subject matter. The quoted price is based upon the estimated time needed to create the illustration(s). Therefore the more information that you can supply in your quotation the more competitive the quote will be.
Will I own the illustration that you make for me?
You will own the right to use the illustrations in the project quoted for. If you wish to use the illustration over many projects you should specify this when requesting your quotation.
Can I use any of the project images on your website?
All of the images on this website are rights-protected. However, if you wish to use an image for the purpose of explaining my illustrative style to your client I would request that you ask for my permission first. You can contact me via ask a question. In the unlikely event of an image being used without my permission I will actively pursue the person(s) for copyright infringement.