Postcards and Postcrossers
As our wonderful stockists are sadly unable to sell our postcards at this time, we have made our postcards available on our website in batches of 4, 6, 8 and 12!
In our ever-digital age, let's consider the humble postcard for a moment- isn't there something selfless about them? Your grandmother had to live without the 'seen' notification we have grown so accustomed to, for better or for worse! What matters is letting someone know that you're thinking of them, and postcard is a perfect way to do just that. Besides, when was the last time you framed a Facebook message?
As our wonderful retailers Drake The Bookshop and Hartlepool Art Gallery are sadly unable to sell our postcards at this time, we have made our postcards available on our website in batches of 4, 6, 8 and 12! They are a great way of letting loved ones know you're thinking of them, and they're also ideal if you're looking for an affordable series of illustrations for your home, but you're running kind of short on wall space!
Postcards being delivered to Hartlepool Art Gallery
Postcards tell a story, and to illustrate this, we'd like to share one with you.
We were recently contacted by Markey, a resident of Seaton Carew. Enjoying a walk one morning, Markey spied a flash of coloured card skittering along the roadside, propelled by the wind. Curiosity got the better of him and, with a well-placed step, he was able to catch the curious item. It turned out to be an errant postcard; one of our Seaton Carew postcards to be precise- a little battered but no doubt quite relieved to have Markey come to its rescue.
But the plot thickens; Markey's hobby is Postcrossing, the act of sending a postcard off and receiving another back from a random person somewhere in the world. When he got in touch, we were happy to help him out with 20 more postcards- little pieces of Hartlepool to send out to Poland, Finland, Taiwan, the USA and Russia.
Whatever your plan for them might be, start your own postcard story today and check out our range.
Press Release: 'I’m ticking off Teesside landmarks': Abby's quirky vintage style is self-employment hit at 26
Local graphic designer Abby Taylor shares her story of how Teesside has inspired her artwork and made her become her own boss
Photo by Journalist Anna Twizell taken when we met up for the interview
“Abby, 26, always loved art and creative subjects during school but wasn't sure where this would lead her.
“I always knew I wanted to do something creative but wasn't sure what. I didn’t decide what I wanted to do until near the end of school,” she said.
She went on to study Graphic Design at the Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD), now The Northern School of Art.
After leaving CCAD, Abby, from Stockton, worked as a graphic designer but in a corporate industry.
Along with partner Owen Smith, she entered a competition run by Hartlepool Council to design six posters based on local locations.
The winning entries were to be displayed inside the railway station.
They won the competition and the council were so impressed with their work that they commissioned them to create a further six pieces.
Their designs included Church Street, Hartlepool Marina and The Headland, to name a few.
The artwork was released in August 2017, following this Abby knew this would be a good opportunity to go self-employed.
“I wanted to challenge myself more.”
Six weeks later, she had her website up and running and had started her self-employment journey.
“I was especially useless with the maths side”, Abby joked, but her determination and a little help from the Stockton Start-Up Programme, she was on her way.
Abby doesn't want anyone, especially young people, to be put off by the prospect of going self-employed as it is do-able and there is help available.
"As long as you learn to do the tax returns, you're fine."
The Foundation for Women in Enterprise provided Abby with a grant, which she used to buy the printer in her home studio.
"It's really important to look after your mental health if you're self-employed. You need to be able to switch off".
Taking her own advice, Abby keeps her work and personal life separate and sets specific days aside for administration and creative work.
Abby’s style has been influenced by vintage travel posters but it's evolved over time and she's begun to experiment further with use of colour as part of her digital illustration.
When it comes to the creative process, Abby works a lot from photos and uses Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and a drawing tablet to perfect her work.
Her style is instantly recognisable and memorable, with pleasing colours and precise lines.
As Abby has grown in confidence and clients, she has received several commissions for both business and personal use.
“It’s gone crazy, but in a good way.”
She has used several local locations as inspiration for her work such as:
Grade 2 listed buildings The Georgian Theatre and Globe Theatre (how it looked originally in the 1930s).
“I’m ticking off landmarks in Teesside.”
Her work on the bandstand in Ropner Park was a personal commission.
A client bought it for his brother who no longer lives in the Teesside area, and Abby felt "it was heartwarming to work on such a personal piece".
Jason Maxwell, manager of Stockton BID, commissioned Abby to work on the restoration of Zak Newton's mural of Saint George the Dragon Slayer, which hangs in The Green Dragon Yard, Stockton.
"Can you draw a man on a horse?" he'd asked.
‘Abby Taylor's The Green Dragon Yard restoration mural challenge’
‘The finished article’
Abby admits she'd never even thought of doing a restoration piece before, but it is a project she thoroughly enjoyed.
In terms of a favourite piece of work, Abby couldn't single one out.
"I'm a bit of a sucker for decorative buildings", she confessed.
This view has made her appreciate the architecture more and her need for accuracy, especially with lines that need to be precise.
One piece could take between eight to 16 hours depending on the size.
BBC Bitesize recently contacted Abby, and through them she has been able to offer advice to some children and teens.
"When you’re in school you think this is how you’re always going to be”.
Abby admits she was very shy and introverted during her school years, but she has grown in confidence so much since leaving and she hopes she can inspire young people to follow their passions.
Abby's work is currently being sold at Drake The Bookshop, Stockton and For the Love of the North, Whitley Bay, but her goal for the future is for more local places to stock her work.
She is currently working on a few projects that are yet to be revealed and is hoping to have a launch of her work in the spring.
"I'm excited to see what other enquiries come through".
Abby enjoyed working on the ale map of Stockton pubs so would love to do some more map work in future.
- Article was written by Anna Twizell for Teesside Live
If you have a project in mind, just get in touch!
Press Release: Couple's Artwork Selling Itself - Designs now being used on mugs, tote bags and more
‘HARTLEPOOL railway station’s acclaimed artwork is now featured in a wide range of merchandise…’
Photo by Michael Grant of www.rainbowphoto.co.uk
‘HARTLEPOOL railway station’s acclaimed artwork is now featured in a wide range of merchandise.
Illustrator Abby Taylor created the 12 giant, vintage pictures with her partner Owen Smith last year.
Now council chiefs have secured funding to produce tote bags, tea towels, mugs and other items which are available at Hartlepool Art Gallery.
Abby said: “This was the start of my freelance career as the project got good traction and was the ideal springboard for me. It still feels so surreal to see the artwork we created on merchandise. We spent a long time working on them after our 9-5 jobs in the makeshift room while working on the dining table and a small desk on wheels till late.”
Abby and Owen graduated from Cleveland College of Art and Design/Northern School of Art in 2015. Abby worked as a graphic designer for two years whilst Owen became the Director at LemonTop Creative.
She continued: “I love hearing people say they bought something and how much the location means to them and how much they like the artwork. It never gets old and makes me smile every time. The artwork evokes memories for a lot of people and I love that so much. I think the items are beautiful and the quality is so nice, the pillows are faux velvet and the totes fully lined too.”
Selection of Hartlepool Merchandise. Photos by Michael Grant of www.rainbowphoto.co.uk
The artist is currently working on artwork in the vintage-style of locations in Newcastle in collaboration with For the Love of The North, which have two shops and an online store. She is also working on a handful of start-up businesses, including a dairy-free milkshake company. The Hartlepool artwork is on sale now at Hartlepool Art Gallery.’
- Article by journalist, Amie Slack of Hartlepool Life.
Further Reading:
Check out my latest blog post One Year On - New Products and Hartlepool Council Catch Up
Press Release: Hartlepool Borough Council Railway Station Artwork
Twelve bold new pieces of artwork have gone on display at Hartlepool railway station, the designs show popular Hartlepool landmarks.
Article by Hartlepool Mail:
”Twelve bold new pieces of artwork have gone on display at Hartlepool railway station.
The designs – by Cleveland College of Art and Design graduates Abigail Taylor and Owen Smith – show popular Hartlepool landmarks, including the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Greatham Beck, the Heugh Battery Museum and Hartlepool Marina. Abigail and Owen won the competition run by Hartlepool Council to create six pieces themed on key locations in Hartlepool-based on the hey-day of railway posters of the 1920s-1950s. Once they had won the competition the council commissioned them for a further six pieces.
“The new artwork looks great and provides a stunning welcome to the town. Hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through the station each year and this is a way to showcase some of the great attractions on offer in Hartlepool.”
Pictured (L-R) are Abigail Taylor, Owen Smith, Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher and Francis Fitzgerald, from Cleveland College of Art & Design.
The artwork was also used as the backdrop for the general election in June 2017
Owen, 26, said: “We worked with our photographs and sketches of the areas to create rough collages, in pursuit of the scenic compositions of the golden age of railway poster art. “We were able to pin down some compositions right away, while others took shape organically as we worked.”
The pair remember very well the day they found out they had won the competition. Abigail said: “We were sat in a busy pub checking emails on my phone and suddenly I just flew up out of my seat and started whooping! “Of course, then I had to explain to the table of confused faces that we had won the railway art competition we’d been telling our friends about, and before we knew it, everybody was buying us shots to celebrate! Everybody was really pleased for us, then we had a wonky walk back to the station, smiling our faces o ff!” She added: “It feels very surreal to see the artwork up at the railway station in Hartlepool “The largest we’d seen the artwork until that point was as A3 printouts! I guess most of all we were just incredibly pleased to be giving something back.”
“Having studied for three years at CCAD’s Hartlepool campus, and graduating in 2015, we regard the town with a growing fondness and nostalgia! Hartlepool is a place of modest beauty that will always be special to us. It was a pleasure to revisit those locations we frequented throughout our studies, and to stand back now to admire the view. ”
Further Reading
Press Release, Hartlepool Life: Art Graduates on Right Track with Winning Designs
Press Release, Hartlepool Mail: New Artwork Brightens Hartlepool Train Station
Press Release, Northern Echo: New Artwork from CCAD Graduates on Display at Hartlepool Railway station
Blog Post: One Year On - New Products and Hartlepool Council Catch Up
Snowy Photo: photography by Jennifer Jayne Toothill (moonjenphotos) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonjenphotos/
