Illustrator in quarantine draws Scottish-themed pictures on food bags for hotel staff

An artist stuck in a quarantine hotel decided to spend his time drawing Scottish-themed images on food bags that were delivered to him daily and return them to staff as a gift.

Tristan Voronov flew from Germany, where he is originally from, to Edinburgh earlier this month and had to spend time self-isolating in the airport’s Hilton Doubletree Hotel as part of the ongoing Covid regulations.

Knowing he was going to be stuck inside for at least ten days, he decided to make the most of his time doing what he loves – drawing.

Tristan pictured with some of his drawings for the hotel staff either side.

But after bonding with staff at the hotel he decided to draw original Scottish-themed illustrations on the food bags that he was given daily to keep the hotel employees entertained.

The pictures include images of Nessie donning a kilt saying “ta”, Scottish cartoon character Oor Wullie saying “Aw jings quarantine! But it was braw tae have stayed here!”, Whinnie the Pooh leaning on a can of “Irn Pooh” among others.

Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, Tristan said: “I spent most of my quarantine either sitting by the window or at my desk in my room, crafting things and making art.

"The days consisted of waiting for breakfast, lunch, and tea – all of which were delivered in these bags, and put in front of my room with a knock.

Tristan's drawing of Nessie saying 'ta' on one of the hotel food bags.

“The staff were amazing, they were really lovely. Everyone treated me nicely, and since the situation was weird for everyone, I came up with the idea of drawing on the food bags for everyone's entertainment.

"During my quarantine, I had regular phone calls where they would check on me and my wellbeing, asking me whether I needed something and they also offered supervised 15-minute walks.

"At some point they had found out which room was providing them with these images and told me how much they loved them whenever they phoned.

"On my last day, I got a big biscuit tin delivered to my door as a thank you gift. That was quite a surprise.”

A drawing of Oor Wullie on one of the hotel's food bags.

Staff at the hotel have since told Tristan that they are going to frame the images and display them in the hotel for others to enjoy.

"They took pictures of the bags, too, to show them to their kids, which I'm really happy about,” he said.

Tristan hopes to become a full-time illustrator, particularly for children’s books.

Peter Rabbit drawn next to a can of Irn Bru - Tristan's drawings had a Scottish theme to them.

He added: “Scotland is an amazing country for arts. There's also so much support, so many groups, and so many inspiring people and places – I'm going to be busy for quite a while.”

Ivar van Diepen, general manager at DoubleTree Hilton at Edinburgh Airport said: “It was an incredibly nice surprise for our staff to receive the beautiful illustrated drawings on the food delivery paper bags. It has been a positive and uplifting token at a difficult time for many, and the team and I quickly began to look forward to a new design.

“It was a welcome experience and a much-appreciated gesture by the artist to share with our team.

“Our staff members have kept several of the designs, which will be framed and displayed in our staff canteen where our wider team can enjoy each day, and look back on such a thoughtful gesture.”

You can follow Tristan on instagram at @tnvoronov.

A message from the Editor:

Some more illustrations drawn on food bags by Tristan for staff at the Hilton Doubletree hotel at Edinburgh Airport.

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