Tall Ships Makers - Introducing Lindsay and Yoshi
Lindsay Johnston of Lindsay and Yoshi is creating a range based on her 1997 experience of Tall Ships and drawing on local marine wildlife. Read on to learn more about her progress so far...
Hi, I’m Lindsay from Lindsay and Yoshi. I am a graphic designer and I enjoy creating illustrated prints and patterns for silk scarves, stationery and homewares. I love to celebrate the joy of the natural world through my designs, especially the wildlife and scenery of North East Scotland.
I am delighted to be one of the makers selected to participate in the Tall Ships Makers Programme.
I have chosen to focus on three different themes for three different designs to develop a new collection to celebrate the arrival of the Tall Ships in Aberdeen this Summer.
I got to work on my first design, under the theme of the North Sea, it’s habitats, landscapes and marine biodiversity. For this design I envisaged a coastal seascape to encapsulate the beauty of the landscape and its habitats including marine life and coastal sea birds.
Sandend Landscape
I was keen to include a ship sailing on the North Sea so I researched on the Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums website to find a suitably handsome Aberdeen built ship to inspire my illustration.
For the seascape I thought of the vast variety of sea birds that we are lucky to have here by the North Sea. I remembered a trip to Bullers of Buchan and immediately thought of the breathtaking views and the awe inspiring sight of so many coastal birds gathered on the cliffside habitat. I live near Fyvie in Aberdeenshire so I visited along the Northern coastline for some inspiration. I loved the natural rock formation of Bow Fiddle Rock and was delighted to stay and watch the sea birds for a while. It was beautiful to see a cormorant bobbling about the sea.
Sea bird spotting at Portknockie.
Portknockie.
Once I had a list of sea birds I started to draw each one on a fresh sheet of A3 sized paper. Each illustration is scanned in individually before I add colour and arrange the layout in Adobe Illustrator on my computer. It is lovely to explore the Scottish coast to gather inspiration to form a colour palette. I then digitally mix in Illustrator so each unique colour has been carefully considered for my design.
A3 Illustrations
Screenshot of working within Adobe Illustrator.
I love to explore rockpools with my son so we had a little knowledge of that particular habitat, we love to visit Greyhope Bay and Macduff Aquarium to explore the local marine life too. I admire the work of wildlife photographer David Doubilet, his split level photography inspired me to create a similar split view to show both above and below the North Sea in this particular design.
For me the Tall Ships visit sparked memories of when the Tall Ships visited in the 90’s to Aberdeen. The wonderful occasion was a celebration. There was excitement in the air and a buzz in the city. The sense of coming together and pride in the city along with people working together and forming international friendships is the theme for my next design. For this I am looking back at imagery of the occasion to form the illustrated design depicting the joy of the occasion.
My third design is set within the theme of our historic relationship with the sea including fishing and history. For this I am delving into the history where I shall explore the Fittie community and browse the historic collections and archives held by Aberdeen Art Gallery and the Maritime Museum.
So for now I have stocked up with plenty crisp sheets of paper and a fresh batch of fine liner pens, if you would like to follow my updates on the project you can check in over on Instagram.
Website: https://lindsayandyoshi.co.uk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsayandyoshi
