DarlingByName

Illustrations and creative projects by Laura Darling

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This is Dundee Eats, a guide I illustrated. It tells the story of food and drink in the Dundee area. I learnt a lot doing this project, including: 

1. 70% of Scotland’s fresh produce is grown/reared within 30 miles of Dundee. Amazing! (if you’re not familiar, Dundee is a pretty small city and is surrounded by farmland and water)

2. You can get a pint of chips in the Phoenix. 

3. Maps are HARD.

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In May I started a year-long residency at the wonderful Hospitalfield House in Arbroath. i am running Year 2 of the Free Drawing School, organising weekly drawing workshops and events.

This is literally my dream job. Drawing, meeting people from all different backgrounds, exploring a beautiful house and gardens. And I get to take my dog to work. Score.

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A/W 2018/19

Well, at least I am consistently inconsistent...

Here are some of the things I’ve been up to since last I treated you to a blog. Do enjoy.

Re-formation

I worked with a group of young people from Dundee’s Finmill Centre and we painted a unicorn and a rainbow onto Reform Street in the city centre. Such larks! 

RRS Discovery

I designed some activity sheets for RRS Discovery. Ask me anything about that ship - I know it all now.

That is a lie, but I do think they overdid it on the mustard.

Pecha Kucha Dundee

This illustration is called ‘Where do you get your inspiration?’ and is a homage to procrastination.

 Dundee Women’s Festival

I loved this project, illustrating the Dundee Women’s Festival programme. It combines lettering, layering and of course, drawing and I went for full-on suffragette colours. Here’s a link to the full programme: http://www.dundeewomensfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dundee-Womens-Festival-Programme-2019-Hear-Womens-Voices.pdf

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Summer 2018

This summer was so amazing and I did my utmost to be outside as much as possible. The result was briefly tanned feet, dry, crispy hair and now a heap of deadlines I really must face. Absolutely worth it.

(Title image from Back to Square One, a wordless comic.) Read full comic here: https://www.darlingbyname.com/back-to-square-one 

What’s new?

V&A Dundee

The big new thing in Dundee is the imminent opening of V&A Design Museum. It’s been under construction for roughly 340 years and in only two weeks it will OPEN! I am utterly delighted to have been selected as one of the freelance designers to deliver workshops and tours in this once mythical, now actual fantastic building.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee

Reformation

Reformation is a project inspired by the Year of Young People and developed by The Corner. 29th and 30th September will see 11 groups of young people painting unique designs onto the cobbles of Dundee’s Reform Street. I’m working with a group from the FInmill Centre and can’t wait to show you their finished design.

https://www.thecorner.co.uk/news.php#news114

Work in progress

I’m currently working on a piece for Creative Dundee’s Pecha Kucha night on 6th November at Dundee Rep. 

https://creativedundee.com/pecha-kucha-night-dundee/

I’ll show you when it’s done...

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The Year So Far

I’ve been pretty lax at writing my blog this year, so here’s a snapshot of some of the projects I’ve worked on from January - June 2018.

January

I finished working on Dundee Women’s Festival programme (as designer, illustrator plus administrator, editor, proof-reader...chasing over 40 organisations for content) It nearly ended me, but I was pleased with how it looked and it got some great feedback.

Detail from back cover, Dundee Women’s Festival brochure

February

Once the programme was off the list I could finally start work on my solo exhibition Patterns of Migration. This has been planned for some time, and I had the intention of creating work at a leisurely pace over the course of a year. But true to form I crammed it all into about six weeks. I have grown to accept that that is just how I work best - months of limbering up with extensive pondering, research, doodling and writing lists, followed by an instant noodle and caffeine-fuelled sprint finish. It’s fun. You need The Fear to produce good work, I think.

Research stage: staring at spoons and doodling patterns

March

Patterns of Migration opened on 31st March. The collection was inspired by women I got to know whilst working at Dundee International Women’s Centre www.diwc.co.uk, and explores barriers facing migrant women regarding issues such as social isolation, employment, cultural identity and public perception/media portrayal of people who move to the UK. It features narative illustrations in the form of prints, hand-lettering, pattern design and zines.

Close up: ‘We All Eat From One Big Plate’ from Patterns of Migration

April

Open/Close http://openclosedundee.co.uk/ is a public art project which began in 2017 with several artists painting designs onto neglected doors in Dundee City Centre. This year the Stobswell area of Dundee got the same treatment, and I was chuffed to be one of the selected artists. 

My concept was to emulate a page from my sketchbook. Passersby were complimentary, but wondered when I was coming back to colour it in...

‘Dundee Savings Bank’ for Open/Close, on wall of JB Sexton’s, Stobswell

May

I worked with three youth groups - the 6th Monifieth Brownies, Dundee Sea Cadets and Douglas Bear Book Group - for Dundee Design Parade, a project from UNESCO City of Design Dundee. Each group chose another UNESCO city of Design (there are currently 12) and we designed and made objects to be carried during the parade. 

Douglas Bear Book Group’s Day of the Dead masks, inspired by Mexico City

Dundee Design Parade, May 2018

I also got a nice wee commission to do some lettering on a window for Factory Shop, for Dundee Design Month... http://www.dundeedesignmonth.com/ 

Factory Shop, Reform Street, Dundee

...worked with McManus Galleries for Festival of Museums...

McManus Galleries Creative Learning Studio, Dundee

...and ran another session of my Layers and Mark-making workshop at Forgan Arts centre.

Layers and Mark-making workshop, Forgan Arts centre

June

Patterns of Migration closed on 24th June. Here’s an excellent and insightful review of the work by Tracy Gow: https://dura-dundee.org.uk/2018/05/23/patterns-of-migration-an-exhibition-of-illustrations-by-laura-darling/

Patterns of Migration, Verdant Works, Dundee

Now

I am currently looking into the possibility of taking Patterns of Migration ‘on tour’. I’ve also got a thousand ideas for new projects and am enjoying the process of whittling down the list, whilst adding more and more ideas. 

See you in a month!

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Coming soon- my solo exhibition at Verdant Works, Dundee. Come one, come all!

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I was recently commissioned to illustrate this year’s programme for Dundee Women’s Festival. 2018 is the Year of Young People and also marks the centenary of women gaining the vote in the UK. 

You can view the full programme here: http://www.dundeewomensfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Dundee-Womens-Festival-Programme-20181.pdf

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Prepping for my workshop at @forgan_arts_centre this Saturday. Can't wait! #layers #markmaking #illustration #artworkshop

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Details from some pieces developed from drawings I did in Dundee's Eastern Necropolis. I used stencils and printing ink, which I drew into with a scalpel. The drawings will be included in a group exhibition at Generator project, Dundee, from Thursday 7th - Tuesday 12th September.

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Bittern. I liked the way this one looked without colour, so I think I shall do some more monochrome illustrations.

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'The Unicorn', pictured with obligatory succulents. Available to buy at my Etsy shop, DarlingByName.

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Where have I been?, you may wonder. I have been making illustrations for my Etsy shop, DarlingByName. I hope you like them. I love the initial drawing process, then painting colour layers, and it's exciting to see them printed out on lovely paper. I do not, however, enjoy photographing them all. Trying to get a good, consistent light is irksome. I tried loads of options, inside and out. In the end I was able to take advantage of a very sunny morning, and stooped over my doorstep to get the best shots.

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Something ridiculous for a rainy afternoon. I swear after 2 years of walking a spaniel every day, I can tie my shoes standing up.

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The MIX IN - Cultural Tourism

The MIX IN is an evening event designed to inspire and develop collaborations around cultural tourism across the Dundee and Angus region. Creative Dundee and Scottish Enterprise are pleased to be hosting the event on Thursday 15 June 2017, 6 - 9pm at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath. Cultural Tourism describes a visitor's engagement with a particular place to experience their cultural activities, whilst gaining an understanding into the lifestyles of the people that live there. With the significant increase in tourists expected to the area over the next few years, there’s a huge opportunity to make sure that the products and services are appealing to visitors coming to experience our vibrant cultural offer. You can read a profile of the type of visitors the region expects to see more of on Visit Scotland’s website here. The MIX IN gives you the chance to hear from a number of speakers on a range of cultural tourism topics - current and future, urban and rural. Alongside many local speakers including Cultural Tourism Fund receipients, we're delighted that Alex Saint, Managing Director of Creative Tourist based in Manchester will join us to speak about her experiences of cultural tourism. You can also share your own work, connect with others and discuss the opportunities for cultural tourism across the region. There’s also the chance for you to briefly share what you are working on and the skills/support you are looking for to develop your own cultural tourism offer. Through this free event held in this remarkable venue, Hospitalfield House, with refreshments provided, we aim to ensure those working within the creative and tourism industries are well connected, visible and continue to thrive. This is the second MIX IN that has been hosted locally, the first was in 2015 connecting the food/drink and creative industries - you can read more about this event here. The MIX IN is brought to you by Creative Dundee and Scottish Enterprise. A big thanks goes to Dundee-based Illustrator, Laura Darling for the brilliant illustrations featuring local landmarks. The MIX IN - Cultural Tourism Venue: Hospitalfield House, Arbroath, DD11 2NH - directions can be found here. Date: Thursday 15th June 2017 Time: 6pm - 9pm Tickets: Free but must be booked in advanceTwitter: #MIX_IN Free places must be booked in advance here and refreshments will be provided. Speakers include, with more to follow: Alex Saint, Managing Director, Creative Tourist Consults - After 25 years of working in cultural marketing around the UK, Alex Saint founded Creative Tourist Consults to spread the learning from an innovative project she first trialled and tested with Manchester Museums and Galleries Consortium, a project which has played an instrumental part in Manchester’s recent cultural renaissance. From its base in Manchester, the 5-strong specialist directors of Creative Tourist Consults develop original ideas to test and prove new cultural tourism and place-making concepts, before applying the learning with other destinations looking to reposition their destinations as places which cultural tourists genuinely want to visit. The CTC model is founded on helping partners create the right conditions for cross-sector collaboration, an essential ingredient for cultural destination success, and a priority for all destinations regardless of size or scale. Over the years, CTC has delivered bespoke cultural tourism strategies and projects in many different contexts - from capital and metropolitan cities (such as London, Manchester, Bristol and Cardiff); counties (such as Lancashire, Cumbria, Norfolk and Suffolk); coastal resorts (such as Blackpool and Torbay); cultural-heritage cities (Bath, Cheltenham and Lancaster) and countries (Northern Ireland). CTC is currently engaged in active hands-on delivery for Arts Council England/Visit England Cultural Destination programmes; Discover England projects and Great Place schemes, as well as pure consultancy for other clients and is about to deliver a thought-leadership programme in the Nordic Region. Lucy Byatt, Director, Hospitalfield - Lucy joined Hospitalfield as director in September 2012. She is interested in developing models of arts organisations that primarily support artists and production as she believes the dominant publically funded models find it hard to retain this as a core value in balance with their focus on audiences. At Hospitalfield she leads an historic cultural organisation that has huge potential to meet the needs of artists and audiences today. With her small team she has established a new public programme based on supporting new production which, at its heart, provides residency opportunities across arts disciplines with visual arts at its root. Hospitalfield’s Future Plan will include capital investment to restore existing and build new buildings to create a world class place of production for artists and a fascinating place destination for visitors. The aim is to ensure a dynamic sustainable future whilst also caring for the historic house and collections. She was Head of National Programmes at the Contemporary Art Society, London (2008-20012) and director of Spike Island, Bristol (2002-2008). At Spike Island she established a public programme alongside the Associate Programme for artists and led the £2.5m capital development. This investment made it possible for the organisation to realise the potential of the peppercorn lease negotiated in the 1990’s by the artist groups with Bristol City Council for the 80,000sq ft. building. Samantha Bannerman, Museum Manager, Dundee Museum of Transport - A native Dundonian and graduate of the University of Dundee, Samantha has worked in museums in Tayside and Fife since 2011. With a background in museums and a love for her City, Sam is interested in sharing Dundee’s cultural heritage and making it more accessible. Sam took up the post of Museum Manager at Dundee Museum of Transport in August 2016. Dundee Museum of Transport is one of Dundee’s newest attractions, established in 2010 with the aim of saving the former Maryfield Tram Depot, a Grade ‘B’ listed building, and redeveloping the site into a transport museum for the City. Alongside this project, the museum opened its doors at its Market Street premises in 2014 and continues to go from strength to strength in readiness for the move to the former Maryfield Tram Depot. The museum was awarded funding from the Cultural Tourism Fund in February 2017 to trial heritage tours of some of the City’s key attractions. Operated by Dundee Museum of Transport and Airport Travel Dundee, the tours gave visitors an opportunity to see at least two cultural attractions, take the hassle out of arranging transport and provide a unique afternoon-tea experience on a Pullmans Restaurant Coach. With the trials completed in May 2017, the tours are being developed so that they are ready to be booked for the summer season. The museum is also aiming to link-up with other attractions to develop new tours in the near future. Tara Wainwright, Destination Leaders Programme - Tara is Marketing & Audiences Manager for V&A Museum of Design Dundee. A textile design graduate she began her career in the cashmere industry before moving into graphic design and latterly marketing, communications and audience development. Part of the core team delivering Scotland’s new design museum, Tara enjoys working with creative talent from across the country to nurture and promote Scottish design talent in all its varied forms, as well as the opportunity to tell the previously untold story of Scotland’s outstanding design heritage and its role in shaping the designs – and designers – of the future. Along with Kim Adamson (Dundee Heritage Trust), Gaynor Sullivan (Dundee City Council) and Louise Tobin (Scottish Enterprise), she recently completed Napier University’s Destination Leaders Programme, which aims to address the particular challenges facing the leadership and growth of destination development, given the range, scale and mix of businesses that need to work together to deliver an internationally competitive tourism experience. Through this programme the group have developed the concept of Design Tourism, and explored the opportunities and challenges it presents for Dundee and the city region. More to follow about speakers: Graeme McLean and Danny Cowe of Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland and Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland. Malath Abbas, Artist/designer, Biome Collective. Jess Reid, Head of Communications, Dundee Contemporary Arts. Ryan McLeod, Designer, Slurrp.

This was such a fun project! A recent illustration commission for Creative Dundee. The brief was to draw landmarks from local towns and cities, and tie in with the idea of ‘cultural tourism’. I interpreted this by making illustrations and photographing them in progress, literally showing a creative process in connection with tourism.

Looking forward to the event, too.

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Jungly slothy leafy little chair! I had fun learning some upholstery techniques. #jungle #upholstery #sloth #patterndesign

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Peopley patterny pattern. Life through a lens.

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Quite possibly the most twee thing I have ever made. Cath Kidston eat your heart out.