Nostalgic Talk for Abby at Bowesfield Primary School

A few weeks ago I visited my old Primary School (Bowesfield Primary School) ...it was such a highlight! I got asked to come in for Career Day to talk about my life in illustration, as one half of the creative duo "Abby+Owen". I talked about self-employment, working to your own schedule, selling artwork, creating murals, and exploring some of the ways that art is invaluable to our community.

Over 100 children wanted to come to the talk, and were bursting with excitement and questions! We touched on all sorts of stuff and I tried to be super honest about everything.

I was asked about making mistakes, comparing yourself to others, happiness, the challenges I face as a creative, and how often I draw. We also touched on my favourite anime (Death Note & Chobits), what I drew as a kid (Fairies, mermaids, animals, landscapes, intricate scenes) and "how do you know if you are an artist?" Hint: If you create and express yourself, then you are an artist. You can start calling yourself one right away...there is no gatekeeper!

I met some of my old teachers and they were just the same friendly, lovely people they were when I was at school. I even met my oldest school friend afterwards...we met at a corner shop we used to go to for sweets, and had a walk in the park because it was a nice day.

Chatting to the children, and seeing so much of my younger self in them, was a moving and nostalgic experience. I had some amazing conversations and interactions, but it's impossible to sum up!

Digital Duo up for Tees Tech Awards double

‘The first finalists have been named for the third annual Tees Tech Awards, with Abby+Owen and Sencode Cyber Security both shortlisted for two awards.

A Tees Business event in association with DigitalCity and Middlesbrough Digital, the Tees Tech Awards 2022 take place at Hardwick Hall Hotel on Thursday, April 28.

Nearly 90 entries and nominations came in across the 11 categories, with sponsors now announcing their choices for the final three for each award.

Stockton-based creative duo Abby+Owen are in the final three for both the Small Digital Business of the Year and Best Digital Project/Campaign.

Based in Middlesbrough and providing digital security solutions against the threat of cybercrime, Sencode Cyber Security are shortlisted with Abby+Owen in the Small Business category and are also finalists for the Digital Newcomer award.

Each day this week the finalists in two categories are being revealed on Tees Business social media platforms, after which five sponsors will independently score the finalists in each category, with the winners only revealed on the night of the awards.

The finalists so far are:

Digital Transformation
Sponsored by Azets
Cornerstone Visual Media Solutions
Mersen
Lemon Contact Centre

Digital Newcomer
Sponsored by Vistech Services
SeerBI
Sencode Cyber Security
Constantine Media

Small Digital Business of the Year
Sponsored by Jacksons Law Firm
Abby+Owen
Sencode Cyber Security
Juiced

Best Digital Project/Campaign
Sponsorship available
Abby+Owen
Tascomp
Vianet Group


Article written by Dave Allan for Tees Business Magazine
Link to original article

North-East Statues interview with Abby

‘Zak Newton’s George & Dragon mural was in a bit of state when Abby Taylor (one half of creative duo Abby+Owen) was commissioned to restore it. I interviewed her via email to talk about the work she did.

Restoring a mural is always a controversial project, because it involves covering the work of the original artist. However, if nothing is done the mural is simply lost forever. I think the approach taken here – protecting the original by installing the reimagined version on top – is a sensitive and sensible solution.

Of course, I will be doing an article on Zak Newton’s original (as well as his other works in Stockton) but am currently trying to find more information about the man and his work. If you knew Zak, or have any information about his works, please get in touch at northeaststatues@gmail.com or leave a message.

All images were provided by Abby, thank you to her for her time and invaluable help.

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Could you tell me a bit about how you got involved with the mural?

Owen and I live in Stockton and absolutely adore The Green Dragon Yard, it’s so rich with history and charm, we’ve always loved the mural but time hasn’t been kind to it and it has deteriorated a lot in recent years. The restoration was released in 2019, this was when I was starting the business and waiting for it to be sustainable enough for Owen to join, which he did in 2020. 

The idea was initiated by Jason Maxwell at Stockton BID. He wanted to restore it and make it a proud feature of the yard once more. The installation was done by Trendsetters.

The mural was originally created for the Georgian courtyard by local artist Zak Newton who passed away in 2013 but left behind a legacy of commemorative murals across the town. We don’t know much about him, we asked around at the pub and he was a regular at The Green Dragon which is a Sam Smith’s pub, and they must have come up with the idea and commissioned him.

We wanted to protect the mural underneath, so the new piece is directly on top and installed in a way that it doesn’t damage what’s underneath and should protect it from deteriorating any further, or at least slow it down.

The piece was a fun challenge, there are so few photos of the mural we looked high and low in archives to find out what the wording above used to say so I could get it as accurate as possible. Also parts were completely worn away such as St George’s face, so creating his face was challenging. This was also an opportunity to better signpost the yard by including the text, Green Dragon Yard, which is a beautiful courtyard of repurposed historic warehouses and Georgian alleyways and houses the Green Dragon Studios, Green Dragon Pub and the newly renovated Georgian Theatre.

I carefully redrew the mural using a digital drawing tablet and added texture to the piece as well, trying to get a colour match for what the colours used to be like, and using a little bit of artistic license here and there, in particular to include the flag under the ‘And Peace Shall Rain!’ so it made the piece as one.’

See original article here: https://northeaststatues.com/2022/04/08/george-dragon-mural-restored-stockton-on-tees-abby-taylor-after-zak-newton-2019/

Georgian Theatre Fundraiser T-shirts! 20% of the profits of our Georgian Theatre Products go back to Tees Music Alliance Charity

This T-shirt was part of a limited run during the first lockdown. Abby created it for the Tees Music Alliance as part of their fundraiser for the Georgian Theatre, one of our favourite music venues. Abby boldly re-imagined her illustration of the theatre as a line drawing, to create an amazing new t-shirt design depicting the iconic venue in all its glory. All proceeds went towards securing the future of the venue.

We hope to continue a supportive relationship with Tees Music Alliance, a charitable organisation operating for the benefit of musicians, their audiences, supporting industries and community groups.

From the start of our revamped online shop in May 2020, we now donate 20% of the profits from all the Georgian Theatre products on our webshop, including our giclee prints and postcards, to the Tees Music Alliance. As live music lovers, it's a small way of giving back!

Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End) Tour Posters are Looking Sharp

Between October 2018 and September 2019, Holly Gallagher is touring her latest show Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End). Holly is a theatre-maker, director and facilitator who was keen to create a recognisable brand for herself and have promotional materials for her shows that will stand out from the crowd. The goal was to create bold promotional items, but also set a distinct style, colour palette, font choices etc. so Holly’s future shows can follow suit.

The show was produced and commissioned by ARC Stockton, and funded by Arts Council England, and supported as part of the Third Angel Mentoring Scheme 2017 in association with Sheffield Theatres.

Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at Your Wit’s End) tells the story of three different characters all experiencing stress. The stage is full of buckets which act as a metaphor for stress, at one point in the show, the audience is asked: Imagine you have a bucket; and all the things you have to cope with in life as water going into that bucket. Raise your hand if your bucket is A) Empty B) Half full C) Overflowing.

After discussing the show over a hot drink with Holly, we decided an illustration involving an overflowing bucket would be perfect for the promotional materials. I included the show description ‘A Show About: Stress, fear, pressure ,sadness, mental health, when things are all a Bit Too Much and then the cat goes missing’ within the bucket which is spiralling into an abyss, much like how it feels when you get so stressed you can’t think straight. Holly also received brand guidelines which give her the colours, fonts etc. she needs to continue using her brand online.

“I have been a fan of Abby’s work for some time now, and have always particularly loved the boldness, detail, and colours used in her work. So when I needed a designer to work on my new show’s poster it was a no-brainer for me to approach Abby.

The process of working with Abby has been a real pleasure! This was my first time using a graphic designer to create content for a show, as well as the largest tour for a piece of work I had put together. So my timeframes, deadlines, and expectations were continually changing. Abby was understanding and flexible with every change that happened, and has been more than generous with her time and dedication to the project.

The final design Abby created is a beautiful piece of artwork and has really done an effective job in advertising the show with countless people complimenting its posters, flyers, and social media images! I’m beyond happy with the professional finish Abby has gifted my show with and am so pleased to have a proper brand design for my future work now too.

I would recommend anyone to Abby for graphic design work if they want a high quality, fast, flexible, and personable experience!”

— Holly Gallagher

Holly Gallagher’s stage set up for Tensile Strength (or How to Survive at your Wit’s End). Photo by Davey Poremba

The Northern School of Art Makes an Impact with New Artwork

The Northern School of Art (formerly Cleveland College of Art & Design) required some illustrations of some of their buildings, most importantly their new multi-million teaching facility, 1 Church Street. The other illustrations were for one of their existing teaching facilities in Church Square, and the former Post Office building in Whitby Street which is going to be transformed into a studio and business centre for people working in the creative sector. 

I graduated from, then, Cleveland College of Art & Design, in June 2015 and was one of the artists of the recent artwork at Hartlepool Train Station, so it was fitting to create these illustrations in a similar style to show homage to that and continue to capture Hartlepool in this lovely vibrant style, as they were also involved in the train station project and want to celebrate their alumni's successes.

The Northern School of Art was recently awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework in recognition of its outstanding quality of teaching at its university-level campus in Hartlepool, making it the top art school in the UK. My experience at the university was fantastic, the facilities (such as computer suites and the print room) are easily available to everyone who studies there and the tutors I had were kind, knowledgeable and helpful throughout my studies. It was a delight to work on a project for an establishment that did so much for me when I was a student getting my First Class Honours degree in Graphic Design. I also like to support them by regularly giving talks to current students at college and university level, to give insights into my experience of the university, working as an in-house graphic designer and working for myself. 

The 1 Church Street illustration was presented to Professor Madeleine Atkins CBE, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) who officially opened the facility on the 8th November 2017, and copies were given out as invites as shown above. The three pieces have been framed and mounted and used as part of a display, but can be used for promotional purposes so may pop up on other materials in the future. The new building was funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the campus facilities include flexible studio space, two seven-metre double-height studios for photography and TV or film work, a refectory area and galley, ensuring students can access the highest level of creative industry education in the north east and across the UK for many years to come.

Church Square is an existing facility that I frequented during my time there, it is right near the Hartlepool Church Gallery and is such a unique building with lots of detail. 

Whitby Street Studios is the first part of an ambitious multi-million pound project part-funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority to regenerate a key area of Hartlepool is now underway, which will transform the area into a hub for creative industries. Called The BIS, the centre will encourage business start-ups in the creative industries sector and provide specialist support for them.

There has been an influx of interest in businesses wanting their own illustration of their place of work for decorative and promotional uses, or even to use on their own merchandise! If you would like to inquire about commissioning a bespoke illustration of your building or place of work, please email hello@iamabbytaylor.com or fill in the contact form on the Contact page.