Roald Dahl Literary Estate Design Boards

Roald Dahl Brief

YCN Student Awards

The FANTASTICAL creatures I chose to illustrate are the Minpins, tiny people who live inside the hollows of trees in fear of the Terrible Bloodsucking Toothplucking Stonechuckling Spittler.

The Minpins is a book about magic, belief and nature, which I tried to communicate in my whimsical illustration, depicting the Minpins coming out of hiding for the first time. The Minpins have a wonderful sense of community, all living together and helping one another, so I decided to create matching garments to unite them as members of the Minpin family.

Left: My final illustrated scene (fantastical creatures) Right: My initial sketches

Fantastical Creatures: The Minpins

Jay Stelling

Roald Dahl Brief

YCN Student Awards

Roald Dahl TERRIFIED me with his concept of The Witches. I was always on the lookout for women with itchy scalps and a repulsion for children. For this scene, I made my own Grand High Witch.

As witches disguise themselves as normal people, I tried to make my witch seem natural, almost pretty, but with her gruesome scalp exposed and an evil smile twitching at her lips. I wanted to bring these scenes to life, so I made the characters using wire armatures and papier mache. They are posable puppets photographed as though they are living within the scene.

Left: My final illustrated scene (villain) Right: My initial sketches

Villain: The Grand High Witch

Jay Stelling

Roald Dahl Brief

YCN Student Awards

James from James and the Giant Peach was the ultimate ADVENTURER. This is the scene where James discovers the giant peach; James is surprised and we, the readers, are ready for the adventure to unfold before him. Roald Dahl’s stories are filled with childhood values including: play, imagination and exploration. James embodies all of these values and children can identify with his character. With computers and technology saturating our lives, James and the Giant Peach is a beautiful reminder of the natural world.

Left: My final illustrated scene (child character) Right: My initial sketches

Child Character: James

Jay Stelling