Lucy teaches on the Undergraduate Illustration Programme at Edinburgh College of Art and following a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice continues to develop teaching within the Illustration Programme. Her recent projects have allowed students to access and respond to the collections of both the National Library of Scotland and the Centre for Heritage Collections at the University of Edinburgh.

Lucy is keen that students test out their own ideas and publications on their audience – the public. With this in mind she established Bookmarks, a fair and Symposium, along with colleague Jane Hyslop. Students not only gain feedback on their ideas as they show their work, they also develop professional practice experience and begin to build up a profile as they approach graduation.

Use of the book form in pedagogy 

Lucy Roscoe investigates the innovative use of the book form in teaching and learning. She has established that the use of comic, zine and artists’ book projects can enable Illustration students to consider the full extent of the material artefact in communicating a narrative. Designing a complete publication allows students to understand the complete design process from concept and ideas and audience. Publishing their work at an event such as BOOKMARKS, a symposium and an artist’s book and zine fair, students gain marketplace experience and direct feedback from their audience. Collaborating with Jane Hyslop, School of Art, Lucy explores the same concept with students from other parts of the university and beyond, asking how the book form can be exploited beyond Art and Design disciplines.  

Lucy develops book art and illustration workshops for children and lifelong learners. Considering teaching as a creative practice in itself, she wishes to advance knowledge in this area by working with a variety of groups locally and internationally to explore the role of creative books related to lifelong learning, wellbeing and finding a voice. Simple bookbinding and storytelling skills can easily be delivered in a short workshop and without expensive tools or materials. However the skills then allow participants to make artefacts to sell or use books to give themselves a voice. This research relates to education as a broad term and also to widening participation in the Arts. Relating this back to Higher Education, Lucy considers how course design and learning activities can be used to support student health and wellbeing. 

The sculptural book form as narrative 

This practice-based research relates to how books can be used sculpturally to tell stories. This research explores both the creation and publication of unusual book forms which break the norm, under the imprint ‘The Book Tree Press’. Lucy's illustration practice weaves between drawing, printmaking and bookbinding, placing materials centrally in research. Bookbinding and manipulation of paper are important in this practice. Lucy uses  archive and library collections including sacred texts at the British Library as sculptural book works and examples of illustration and the historical collection of pop-up books at the National Library of Scotland and elsewhere.  

Publications

Hyslop, J and Roscoe, L. (2022) ‘Bumperzine’, The Blue Notebook – Journal of artists’ books, Volume 17 Number 1, Autumn -Winter 2022, pp25-31. 

Roscoe, L. (2019) ‘A thing to hold: the visual language of the book form’, Journal of Illustration, volume 6 Number 1, pp77-98. 

Roscoe, L. (2019) ‘The Book Tree Press – an accidental imprint’, The Blue Notebook – Journal of artists’ books, Volume 14 Number 1, Autumn -Winter 2019, pp40-47. 

Munro, I. and Roscoe, L. (2019) ‘Designing for reflective and critical learners’, Learning and Teaching Conference, University of Edinburgh June 2019.  

Roscoe, L., Dingwall, H., Gibbs, J and Hyslop, J. (2018) ‘Practising practicing: helping students find their voice in the Illustration World’, ICON 10 - The Illustration Conference, Detroit July 2018.  

Roscoe, L. (2014), ‘The Illustrator and the Archive’, Scottish Archives: The Journal of the Scottish Records Association, volume 20: pp8-16. 

Roscoe, L (2013) ‘Pop-up books’, Keynote presentation, National Library of Scotland  

Roscoe, L., Mathers, C. & John Gray Centre (2013), ‘The illustrated archive: a journey through East Lothian's crime and punishment 1894-1901, Haddington, East Lothian’, Haddington: John Gray Centre. 

Roscoe, L. (2013), ‘A mark in time: An illustrated journey through East Lothian’. Haddington: John Gray Centre. 

Project Artist at John Gray Centre, East Lothian (2012 – 2013)