Dave McKean and David Almond

The launch  of David Almond and Dave McKean's The Savage was a relatively small affair, with both author and illustrator mingling with a crowd of slowly gathering friends, colleagues and fans in the gallery of the shop, sharing glasses of wine and eagerly engaging in conversation. Many members of the Walker books team were circulating throughout the evening, evidently thrilled about the excellent text that everyone had come together to celebrate.

Dave McKean’s glorious artwork covered every wall of the gallery, laid out by the artist himself prior to the event. The sketches on display followed the chronological order of events in the book, providing a wonderful remainder of the story that was the subject of much enthusiasm within the room. There were also a number of unused illustrations on show that served to offer an expanded view of the text. It was great to be able to see these alongside the ones that were used in the final piece, allowing all those in attendance a peek into the protracted creative process of illustrating the book.

After a brief introduction by a senior member of the Walker Books management team, both David and Dave took to the stage to say a few words about the process of writing the book. Almond spoke animatedly about his writing, telling the crowd how the story seemed to have always existed within him in some way, lurking away in the recesses of his head and that once his pen touched the page, the story had just seemed to flow from him. He mentioned a long-standing interest in feral children, and indicated his belief that we each carried an element of this feral nature within us that was laid-bare through this recent project.

Almond’s enthusiasm continued unabated as he welcomed his fellow collaborator McKean to the stage, commenting on how the  artist had been his first and only choice for translating the text into image. Although a man of fewer words, Dave McKean maintained the positive atmosphere of the evening by thanking Almond for the opportunity to illustrate the text, and the audience for attending the launch. After deserved applause on such a successful book, both author and illustrator left the stage to continue chatting with their guests.

Almond and McKean remained affable throughout the event, even when sat signing an almost constant stream of books, and took the time to say a few kind words to each of us. McKean provided an exclusive sketch of the Savage in each copy of the book that he signed, a fantastic reminder of a great evening. It was truly a pleasure to meet both of these highly acclaimed artists, to engage in conversation with like-minded individuals who hold their work in such high regard, and to attend the launch of such a fantastic book.