Believe me, at Legoland I did more than drink coffee. I joined my family, all adults, on their trip to Legoland. The rides were good fun and the models were fascinating, it was impressive to see Lego used in such creative ways. The coffee break was early in the day, […]
drawing
I think I was the only one in that coffee shop not writing a movie script, some poetry or first novel. Whilst waiting for a train, I sat and drew in Caffè Nero for a hour, even though I didn’t buy anything, as it was far better than the overcrowded and […]
The wrong prices always go up: Energy prices soar 10.6% I normally try and avoid picking up the ubiquitous free papers, but during my journey home on a Thursday evening I began reading the headlines from someone else’s newspaper. There was no good news and that is why I normally […]
This is not a time for fruit and veg. I normally eat healthily at breakfast time, but that day I was starting a secondment at work – a sideways promotion – so I felt an unhealthy and heavy 6-inch Subway breakfast sandwich filled with processed meat and eggs was deserved. There was […]
Popcorn, good enough for breakfast. It must have been 9am when I managed to get to the bus stop as the first part of my journey to work. I always wish I could get to work earlier, but there’s lots to do in the morning at home and I doubt […]
It can get very hot on the Tube, so always carry water – and a facecloth. It was on a Tuesday evening rush hour on the Victoria line after I finished work when, from Oxford Circus to Stockwell, opposite me sat a postman regularly mopping sweat from his face. I […]
Things to do on a bus: Draw, apply make-up and file one’s nails. Taking the number 196 bus from Herne Hill to Brixton, I sat at the back of the top deck, there I was able to observe a lot of different activities. One woman in front of me on […]
I experienced food envy on my way home. Is there any etiquette to follow when eating on the Tube? One fellow passenger focused solely on his evening meal, without making eye contact with anyone or anything else. He had bitten his food to leave a perfect cross section of his […]
Entry to the landmark was free! Open House is a fantastic free event. The place I chose to visit, Battersea Power Station, was so popular it led to a two-hour wait with 18,000 other visitors that day to get in, but it was worth it. Good company meant the queuing time didn’t […]
Can I do more than top-up my Oystercard, gamble or buy a newspaper here? The interior of Herne Hill station is not beautiful, but it has previously supplied subjects to draw such as a public payphone. I sketched this as I was waiting for a train to go into central London, when […]
Black is the main colour of umbrellas. It has been a wet end to the summer. It was a Friday evening, I had finished work and I was making my way down to Oxford Circus station when it rained heavily. A lot of people walking carelessly with pointy umbrellas too […]
One passenger has solved the problem of where to hang a coat when using the Tube. The Tube carriage I sat in on Thursday evening was fairly empty. People stand out more and you get clear views of everyone during such times. I couldn’t miss the man who had brought […]
I have no use for other people’s rubbish. Waiting at the bus stop to get to work, I spotted a few abandoned pieces: A tatty mattress and slightly rusty bath tub. It took a while to draw this, nearly two weeks, as I drew much of this on my commutes, […]
A clear-desk policy doesn’t apply at home. I like to keep my desk tidy, both at home and work. What you don’t see in this drawing of my desk at home is the pile of unread books to the right; there is just the suggestion of the small pile of […]
Is there more to life than this? I hope so. I was on the Tube, on the way home from a brief date. What better way to take my mind away from my thoughts than to draw someone who looked absolutely exhausted. Was he a doctor? He got off at […]
Even the snails are at it. It was not nice to be stopped early in the morning, as I left the house for work, to be confronted by a mass of slime and shells. A pair of snails were intimately attached to each other, but I didn’t have time to […]
A hangover is a good excuse to eat well. iPhone drawing After a very heavy weekend of drinking, I needed something more than two pieces of fruit on Monday morning. I left behind my healthy eating habits and treated myself to a giant full English breakfast, all washed down with […]
Read the sign, love! The sign is there, but people don’t read. This passenger was very tired and was asleep for the whole time I was on the train home. Medium: Digital drawing on iPhone Date drawn: 12th August 2013
I’ve never thought make-up could be entertaining. On a commute during a Thursday morning rush hour I was entertained for a few minutes watching someone apply make-up. It’s a skill to be able to apply cosmetics like lipstick either during stops at station or, more impressively, while the train is […]
A bit of colour is welcome on the Tube. The bright colours people were wearing on my commute to work were a welcome sight to greet me on the first day back after a long relaxing weekend. This scene lasted from Brixton until Victoria four stops later, when some of […]