29 Facts About Dave McKean

David McKean was born on 29 December 1963 and is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician.

Dave McKean has illustrated by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Heston Blumenthal, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, and directed three feature films.

Dave McKean first showed his work to editors at Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Continuity Comics when visiting New York City in 1986.

In 1989, Dave McKean illustrated the Batman graphic novel, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, with writer Grant Morrison.

From 1989 to1997, Dave McKean created the covers for Gaiman's series The Sandman and many of its spin-offs.

In 1995 Dave McKean wrote and illustrated a book for The Rolling Stones called Voodoo Lounge to tie in with the release of their album of the same name.

Between 1990 and 1996, Dave McKean wrote and drew the ten issues of Cages, a graphic novel about artists and creativity.

Dave McKean created a wordless erotic graphic novel called Celluloid for Delcourt, which was published in the United States by Fantagraphics Books.

Dave McKean designed the posters for the Raindance Film Festival for five consecutive years between 1996 and 2000.

In 2005, Dave McKean designed the poster for the 32nd Telluride Film Festival.

Dave McKean created another book of 200 pages called Squink that gathered a number of drawings in 15 chapters.

Dave McKean has created album covers for many artists, amongst others for Counting Crows, Alice Cooper, Testament, Altan, Tori Amos, Download, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly, Paradise Lost, Dream Theater, Skinny Puppy, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Steve Walsh.

Dave McKean has made book covers for Jonathan Carroll, Iain Sinclair and Alan Moore.

Dave McKean illustrated David Almond's The Savage published in April 2008, Slog's Dad published in September 2010, and Mouse Bird Snake Wolf.

In 2011, Dave McKean collaborated with Richard Dawkins on The Magic of Reality, an introduction to critical thinking and science for children.

In 2008, Dave McKean collaborated with Heston Blumenthal on The Fat Duck Cookbook, an autobiography, compilation of key recipes and insight into Blumenthal's scientific method.

In 2014, Dave McKean collaborated again with Blumenthal and writer Pascal Clariss on Historical Heston, a collection of historically inspired recipes.

Dave McKean is the Director of Story at The Fat Duck, and helped to relaunch the restaurant after its refurbishment in 2015.

Dave McKean has created package designs, maps, menu designs and murals for The Fat Duck, as well as Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London and Melbourne.

Dave McKean created six images for the Royal Mail's Mythical Creatures collection, which featured depictions of mythical creatures found in British folklore, including dragons, unicorns, giants, pixies, mermaids, and fairies.

Dave McKean has directed The Gospel of Us, a film of the National Theatre Wales's Passion play in Port Talbot which stars Michael Sheen.

Dave McKean was a concept artist on the TV mini-series Neverwhere, which was created and co-written by Neil Gaiman, and the feature films Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Dave McKean wrote and performed a song cycle called Nine Lives at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Graphic Festival.

Dave McKean wrote the text for Wildworks' Wolf's Child site-specific theatre work as part of the Norwich Theatre Festival in 2015.

Dave McKean has produced album artwork for many bands, such as: Paradise Lost, Machine Head, Fear Factory, Counting Crows, Dream Theater, Michael Nyman, and countless more.

Dave McKean has a longstanding relationship with industrial band Front Line Assembly, creating many illustrations for dozens of their albums from 1994 to 2021.

Dave McKean founded the record label Feral Records with saxophonist Iain Ballamy.

In 2004, Dave McKean won a BSFA Award in "Short Fiction" with Neil Gaiman for their work, The Wolves in the Walls.

In 2017 Dave McKean was the inaugural recipient of the "Sergio Aragones International Award for Excellence in Comic Art", given as part of The Lakes International Comic Art Festival.