'The Heart of Mid-Lothian' comics

This exhibition features works by students at Edinburgh College of Art, and accompanies the 'Sir Walter Scott and the historical novel' display. Ran from 12 November 2021 to 14 May 2020.

First year students from the Edinburgh College of Art took a scene from Sir Walter Scott's historical novel 'The Heart of Mid-Lothian' and transformed it into a comic-book page.

They learned about the life and times of Scott in a workshop with the Library's Manuscripts Curator Ralph McLean. The students felt that the project was 'like entering a wonderful time machine'.

Working with a red and blue colour palette, students experimented with digital overlay effects to achieve a deep purple tone. Using images rather than words, the illustrators were playful, finding inspiration in any research material they could get their hands on. They examined historic images of Edinburgh, and found out about the type of clothing people of the era would have worn.

Due to circumstances around Covid-19, many of the students weren't able to visit Edinburgh. They went on a virtual drawing trip through Google Street View, visiting places mentioned in the novel. Virtually, they climbed Arthur's Seat, admired St Giles' Cathedral, and recorded the hustle and bustle of the Grassmarket on paper.

Each illustration, accompanied by a brief description or quote from the relevant scene, is presented below in the order the scene takes place in the novel.

Exhibitions