Exploring my favourite local neighbourhoods. In the summer of 2022, I was made redundant after 13 years of service. It turned out to be a fantastic opportunity to take stock and – sounds cliched – explore new opportunities for my art at least. I started lots of new projects (such […]
Brixton
78 posts
Possibly my last drawing of Brixton. I miss Brixton a lot and this made me determined to finish my drawing of one of my favourite corners of London, Brixton Village market. It captures a route I used to walk several times a day, passing the stall I used to get my […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The morning I got food envy… The dad in this picture was asking his young daughter: “Are you still hungry, had enough?”. As she was eating, he explained the meaning of the colours of the lines o the Tube map, especially “the green and yellow ones”. This scene is not very […]
Combining the gym with commuting. Multitasking, London style. I went in earlier than usual to work that day. When I boarded the Tube carriage, I spotted a middle-aged man doing several pull-ups before the train left the station. Over the course of seven weeks, made up of at least […]
It’s not just about having steady hands, it’s a skill! With a steady hand and good coordination, this woman managed to apply blusher on her cheeks as the train moved between Brixton and Oxford Circus stations. It was crowded during the morning rush hour, but I spotted her in a gap […]
We all get our internet orders delivered to work, right? I finished work late again, this explains why so much of my drawing is squeezed into my commute times! On this evening journey to Brixton, I spotted a woman with a large armful of parcels which I guessed were internet orders. Near her was […]
Sometimes, the Tube is crowded… I noticed that the people standing up in the aisle separating the rows of seats, often face the same way. On this rush-hour journey, I saw backsides and rucksacks when the standees closest to me were all facing away. Medium: Digital drawing created on an iPhone […]
A laughing baby was infectious, in a good way. Monday morning commutes are usually a busy and subdued experience. This rush hour was particularly memorable because there were a few people on the journey who were outside the normal ‘working age’ bracket. A small, very smiley toddler was making this commute to Oxford […]