Rosemary Cunningham is an illustrator based in Glasgow
What’s the story behind your brand?
I enjoy drawing and making folk happy with that skill! After being at art school for four years I realised the part of my course I liked the most was simply the drawing by hand. Returning to pencil and paper felt like coming home. I love stories – both telling and reading them – so I try to inject some narrative into my work because that’s what makes it interesting. Whether it’s a book, mural or a tea towel design.
Rosemary Cunningham
What do you make?
Illustrated goodies. Printed illustrated tea towels of my Glasgow and Edinburgh Alphabets are a staple in my shop as well as prints celebrating Herstory and all things Scottish, colourful maps, cards, books, mugs, coasters, magnets and the odd tote bag. So I suppose homewares and storybooks could cover it. Recently I have been doing more book illustrations – my bright, cheery (slightly wonky) style lends itself to children’s storytelling so I am tilting in that direction these days.
Glasgow architecture A4 print, £12, Illustration Etc
How do you create your designs?
They all start as pencil drawings, then I add ink, scan them and colour the images digitally, but I’m sneaking back to the hands-on approach of drawing and colouring by hand with inks and watercolours.
What sets you apart from other makers?
Scotland – but especially Glasgow – has such a wealth of creative practitioners that it’s hard to have a completely unique viewpoint and style. I love being with people. I think a lot of creatives want to be left alone to get on with their projects but I need that collaboration and inspiration from outside. I always hope to tread a line between professional and informal, fun yet reliable. I take my work seriously but I like to have fun with it too. I’d say my focus on celebrating the people and places we love as communities is a core value.
Glasgow Alphabet tea towel, £12, Illustration Etc
What are your most popular products?
Folk just love their city so although the design is nearing a decade old, the Glasgow Alphabet remains a frontrunner. The printed tea towel is popular, probably because it’s easy to post and you can hang it on the wall or dry your dishes with it. A pleasing combination of the practical and the whimsical.
Here Comes Queen Baby picture book, £6.99, Illustration Etc
Last year I illustrated two new children’s books, The Nicht Afore Christmas and Queen Baby. They were my bestsellers. I hope by next Christmas there will be more new books to discover.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel