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.
‘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.
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/
Shop Safely Campaign
We were honoured with the challenge to create a social distancing and shop safely campaign for my home town of Stockton-on-Tees, for use in all the independent shops in the area, as well as high-impact signage for the High Street and Castlegate shopping centre, instructing residents how to shop safely.
We were honoured with the challenge to create a social distancing and shop safely campaign for my home town of Stockton-on-Tees, for use in all the independent shops in the area, as well as high-impact signage for the High Street and Castlegate shopping centre, instructing residents how to shop safely. We brought the campaign to life on social media, by creating animated versions of the designs to share online.
We felt an earnest responsibility to other residents of the town to make the designs as memorable and accessible as possible. My client, Stockton BID, was also clear that they wanted the messaging to stand out, challenging me to come up with a concept guaranteed to catch the eye of local residents during the lockdown.
After bouncing some ideas around, an original concept began to form. We wanted the posters to provide people with concrete imagery that could be used to visualise the danger of Coronavirus, while also illustrating the recommended 2 metres distance between shoppers.
We wanted to create a campaign that could be understood by adults and children alike, with a higher level of accessibility and inclusivity for all. As most of us have found ourselves stuck in our homes during the lockdown, it occurred to us to use household objects, of approximately 2 metres length, such as a bathtub and a two-seater sofa, as a way to visualise the safe distance. This concept has the benefit of being easier to visualise than the less tangible ‘2 metres’.
We used illustrations of dangerous animals in household settings to visualise the very real danger of bringing coronavirus into our homes, and this conveys the message with gentle humour, without negating the serious nature of the message, and without resorting to using fear tactics. The designs can also easily be updated as the government advice eases and changes.
We created a series of eye-catching animations to share on social media, guaranteed to stop the scroll! Viewers are rewarded when they watch through to the end of the animations, at which point the striking imagery is explained in the statement "Coronavirus is Dangerous. Don't Bring it Home With You". The resulting "ah-ha!" moment is key when it comes to increasing the memorability of any message.
Owen and I believe that the best way to instruct is to entertain. It has been shown that alarming messages often have the opposite effect, causing people to look away from a design that makes them anxious. On the flip side, several studies have shown that humour increases the retention of information by up to 70%. This way, the reward for paying attention is the resulting smile. And besides, during such a troubling time, humour is necessary and in short supply!
This series works brilliantly as memorable posters, but what about creating a fun activity to educate kids about keeping a safe distance? The solution was to create downloadable colouring sheets for children, as a way of educating them about social distancing, without frightening them.
In addition to these social distancing posters, we designed high-impact signage to provide in-depth information about staying safe while shopping in Stockton.
It was a privilege to be involved in such an important project and to have this opportunity to highlight the importance of not just social distancing, but to demonstrate the real responsibility graphic designers hold as communicators. It's essential, as both a designer and a client, to understand what graphic design really boils down to; packaging a message in a way that sticks.
“Over the last couple of months, like most BIDs and local authorities, we were looking at a reopening strategy for Stockton Town Centre. I needed something a little more creative to suit our independent businesses.
Having worked with Abby before I knew she would be the best person to go to as her work is always first class. All I needed to do was to provide the brief, asking if we could be a little quirky and fun with the message, and Abby and Owen did the rest. The result is awesome and we are very proud to display the messaging in our businesses around the whole of the town centre. ”
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!
Green Dragon Yard Mural Restoration
A behind-the-scenes look at restoring Zac Newton’s much-loved Green Dragon Yard mural in Stockton-on-Tees, from reconstructing Saint George to adding fresh illustration, texture and clearer wayfinding.
The Green Dragon Yard is a beautiful courtyard of repurposed historic warehouses and Georgian alleyways in Stockton High Street. Considered the cultural quarter of Stockton, it houses the Green Dragon Studios, Green Dragon Pub and the newly renovated Georgian Theatre, see my illustration of The Georgian Theatre here.
One of the many features of the Green Dragon Yard that I have always enjoyed is the mural of Saint George the Dragon Slayer, by artist Zac Newton. Sadly, over the years this beautiful mural has fallen into disrepair, and in recent years the original artist passed away. The frame was coming away from the wall and sections of the mural were flaking away altogether.
The Original Mural
I was delighted when local initiative Stockton BID enlisted me as the official 'restoration artist' for the mural. Stockton BID is a partnership between local businesses and organisations with the ultimate aim to make a difference to the town centre, and the Green Dragon mural is a perfect example of a corner of Stockton that urgently needed some TLC!
The restoration was quite a challenge, as many areas of the mural had faded completely, but I had loads of fun playing 'forensic art analyst' and reconstructing the face of Saint George the Dragon Slayer and putting a bit of my soul into the restored mural. This was also an opportunity to better signpost the yard by including the text, Green Dragon Yard.
There was something strangely beautiful about the way the old mural had aged in places, and this gave me the idea of adding some new and interesting textures to the mural.
Working away on the restoration in my studio
Close-Up of the textured illustration
Jason Maxwell, manager at Stockton BID, had this to say about working with me on the project…
““We have worked with Abby on a project to update an old piece of art for our town centre. She is super talented and very creative. I would not hesitate to recommend her to others and cannot wait to work with her again….I absolutely love it, she has done an amazing job and I am really proud of what she has produced for us.””
Here's a short time lapse of the piece as it came together...
Trendsetters installing the new artwork
Do you know of any old murals that could do with being restored? Or perhaps there's a perfect spot in your town for a new mural to brighten up the place. If so, feel free to get in touch using the contact form.