Brixton at night can be magical… Brixton is alive both night and day but never in the same way; the people and the buildings themselves appear differently depending on the time. At night, the giant rainbow sign at the front of the Reliance Arcade is transformed when lit up. It’s […]
This takeaway with its lovely neon lights shone out on a wet lockdown evening. In my drawing I hope I’ve captured the visual allure of this corner of south London. 19-second video of the drawing being created: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wilson Yau (@mrwilsonyau) Medium: […]
Life even during in the depths of lockdown. It took four months to draw this, but I’m so glad I did it. This drawing is of Electric Avenue in Brixton on a wet winter evening, a road I walk most days. Even in the depths of latest lockdown (the UK’s third) […]
Not quite Edward Hopper, but very much Brixton. Brixton Market along world-famous Electric Avenue is full of life, even during the UK’s third Covid-19 lockdown. The mood changes throughout the day and on one early evening the light coming from the fruit stalls looked quite beautiful. The market has a […]
iPad drawings capturing the changing seasons in my local park in London. September Nature in 2020 continued to be important after the first UK lockdown, when green spaces provided refuge from the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic. When I returned to London after shielding with family, I reacquainted myself […]
People are what make Brixton an amazing place. It’s good to be back. The people in my picture I spotted outside Brixton Underground station over the course of two months. This drawing was started two days after I returned to Brixton, after having spent five months shielding in Birmingham. I […]
YouTube video: The Big Draw in conversation with Wilson Yau, RIBA On 24th June 2020, I had a fantastic conversation with The Big Draw Director, Kate Mason, about drawing, what its means to me and about my work. Using architecture as inspiration, I also demonstrated new ways to draw using basic […]
One last sketch. The atmosphere in London was so different; its usual energy had been replaced by a sense of uncertainty. Walking home to the Tube station that day, passing the sights and landmarks of one of the greatest cities on Earth, it was odd to see them mostly quiet. […]
A place to rest… My first Tube drawing of 2020 was started on my return to work from my long Christmas/New Year break. I was struck by the sight of a man meditating, in the midst of the rush-hour crowds he seemed so calm. Around me, were people watching their […]
A place to discover a cheap meal and more about coaches. Love fry ups, love coaches? Then you’ll enjoy this place. Next to Birmingham’s main coach station is Chris’s Cafe, in Digbeth. Inside this friendly cafe, the walls are covered in jauntily positioned framed photos of different buses, and […]
The carnival continues underground. This one took a long time to draw, I just had other things to do and there was never enough commute time! But I had fond memories of this journey. I hadn’t realised the carnival was on, as I was out of London and visiting friends […]
A good place to think. Becoming lost in melancholic thoughts under harsh lighting whilst sitting on a fixed plastic seat – it’s one of the early morning pleasures of sitting alone in a perfect greasy spoon with old-fashioned prices. Inside the famous Brixton Market is Express Cafe, very close to where I […]
Even in summer, a breeze may not be a relief on the Tube... This one is of a Tube journey when there was a bit of a breeze through the carriage as the train moved. Sadly, despite its strength, the wind is never particularly cooling when the Tube is already […]
Just another morning commute… It was a busy morning and there was plenty of activity in my carriage. The person next to me was playing Candy Crush game on their mobile, I’m guessing to everyone else I must have been doing the same on my phone – but no, I […]
There was a lot of fabric. I had to draw this in reverse, as the woman on the right of this was sat next to me. She had surprised me by pulling out of a bag a huge length of fabric, possibly old curtains, and I think she was picking […]
They weren’t always arguing, sometimes they didn’t talk… I only use the Central line occasionally, that time the Tube got me to a friend’s house and not to work! This drawing is mainly two journeys combined into one, both from the same line that evening, with the second trip covering my […]
I’ve seen bigger plants being carried on the Underground… The woman carrying the pot of peace lilies caught my eye whilst I was returning home in the evening on the Victoria line. It’s always quite a risk carrying delicate plants on the crowded underground, but I’ve seen people skillfully transport […]
A great city with amazing architecture. Drawn from a photograph I took in 2017. Last year I was lucky enough to visit the city and explore its great architecture, such as Pier Head. This drawing is of the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, located just behind Pier Head, it’s […]
I didn’t go to the festival, but I was hearing all about it… It was a long and entertaining journey from a house party near Elm Park back to Brixton. On the District line, I ended up on the same carriage as a lot of people coming from a music festival in […]
So many things one can do with a digital device. I wasn’t going to or from work on this Tube journey, for a change, I was heading to a paaaaarty! In this carriage, I spotted people using their smartphones or tablet for many things. Obviously, I was drawing; other people […]