Mythical Creatures of British Folklore

Rather late to the party in writing about this, but a good story is worth repeating. I wanted to tell you about these stamp illustrations by Dave McKean because I do think it is the most tremendous accolade to be asked to design a stamp for Royal Mail.

On 16th June 2009, last year, Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps at Royal Mail, announced the issue of Mythical Creatures stamps. The six stamps envision fantastic creatures and beings of British Folklore. Although I don’t think of giants, pixies, mermaids and fairies as creatures, they are more sentient than that I would have thought.

The six illustrations are:1st Class – Dragons; 1st – Unicorns; 62p – Giants; 62p – Pixies; 90p – Mermaids; 90p – Fairies.

The stamps are in a Square, 35mm x 35mm, format and printed by De La Rue Security Print, in Gravure.

The mint Stamps feature the illustrations of Dave McKean and the design is by Morgan Radcliffe.

“I’ve lost the will to paint literally. I don’t see the point in worrying away with a paintbrush trying to reproduce a literal photographic texture like cloth or skin. Paint is best at being paint. Paint can never be as perfect as nature when it is trying to imitate nature. It’s a lost cause. Paint can only be as beautiful as nature when it is nature, when it is it’s own texture. Marks on paper have their own beauty, and it is this slipping from the literal world into the world of abstract qualities that I try to achieve in my work. If I need a shirt to look like a shirt I’ll scan it into my computer. If I want a shirt to feel like the wind, or like a constricting skin, or angry, or like a consoling embrace, then maybe it should be painted or drawn… ” Dave McKean

The presentation pack, also designed and illustrated by Dave McKean, including a large illustration of Shakespeare surrounded by his imagination, and the additional delight of texts by Neil Gaiman. Neil has some interesting things to say on his journal about their creation.

The stamps will remain on sale from Royal Mail for one year—until around 16th June 2010.

Similar stories from my journal

The Mundaneum of François Schuiten.