Steampunk Meets RAF in Winning Imaginative Artwork

A unique piece of artwork combining the Royal Air Force’s centenary celebrations and one of the world’s largest and longest running Steampunk festivals has won the hearts of voters and will now adorn the front cover of a popular magazine.

The illustration, depicting the head of a man sporting traditional Steampunk attire and surrounded by the RAF’s famous Red Arrows and roundel, will feature on the front cover of the city’s spring Visit Lincoln Guide after being picked from a collection created by third year BA (Hons) Illustration students at the University of Lincoln, UK and sixth form students at Lincoln Minster School.

Designed by Ella McNeilage, the winning image was showcased in a special exhibition in the Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral, where members of the public were invited to vote for the one they would like to see on the front cover.

Ella’s artwork will appear on at least 25,000 copies of the spring issue of the Visit Lincoln Guide due out later in March.

The competition was a partnership between the owners of Lincoln’s Bailgate Independent magazine which publishes the guide, and University of Lincoln under the tutorage of Senior Lecturer Darren Diss in the University’s Lincoln School of Design.

Rachel Bishop, one of the owners of the Bailgate Independent and publisher of the Visit Lincoln Guide, said: “We were delighted when the University agreed that the project could be part of the curriculum for the third year students on the Illustration course.

“We gave the students the theme of RAF meets Steampunk to mark the summer’s events in Lincoln and they produced some fantastic images. Ella’s artwork is a stunning example and it’s going to make a fabulous cover.”

The competition gave the students valuable experience of working to a brief with a real client, providing content for their personal portfolios.

Speaking about the experience, Ella said: “I was really excited about the competition and I loved working to the brief – it’s definitely the sort of work I hope to be doing in the future.”

Gyles Lingwood, Director of Education for the College of Arts, added: “The College is always looking for opportunities to build commercial relationships with businesses and organisations across the region, and this project demonstrates the high level of work coming from staff and students across the institution.”

The full range of illustrations produced by the University’s students will now go on display in the Stokes Café at The Lawn on Union Road, Lincoln.