Mr Draws – Page 2 – Natural adventures

6661. Brunel Way (307)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2025

Many times in the past, I have described Mr Draws as being the beating heart of the Bristol street/graffiti art scene. Regular and dependable, his artwork could not be described as ‘high end’ and there is nothing pretentious about what he does, and there is a Bristol charm lurking in his work.

This piece is obviously inspired by the latest Aardman Wallace and Gromit film that was screened over Christmas, and featured the penguin villain ‘Feathers’. The combination of chrome writing and the penguin character surprisingly combine rather nicely, and Mr Draws has done a great job.

I haven’t seen the movie, but I am guessing that the diamond has some significance in the plot line. Great fun from Mr Draws.

6638. Dean Lane skate park (795)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

I have written this post in advance, because I am taking a break with my family to Marrakesh (apart from my son who jetted off to Thailand yesterday for a couple of months), and I will be busy today with getting ready for the flight, packing etc.

Mr Draws has been smashing it this winter, and when a lot of ‘fair weather’ artists retreat to the comfort of their homes, Mr Draws has been stepping up to the plate and turning out some lovely, happy pieces.

This is a large piece, covering up the whole wall, which can easily accommodate two or three pieces, and often does. Mr Draws has filled the space really well, with his bright letter fills set on a skyscape background and some stylised blades of grass running along the base of the writing. Mr Draws has quite a unique style, and I don’t think that the way he paints his pieces is all that conventional either. I really like this one.

6522. M32 roundabout J3 (638)

Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2024

By the time this post is published I’ll be somewhere between Bristol and Leeds, on our way to visit our daughter who is in her first term at university there. The upshot of this is that I wrote this post last night after work, a little tired and not particularly inspired. Basically I am making excuses for a waffling post.

Mr Draws represents the constant beating heart of Bristol graffiti writing. I have said it many times and my view hasn’t changed. Regular and dependable. This set of fused DRAWS letters in dark blues has a devilish theme running through it with horns and an inverted cross. I wonder what is going on here. I might need to have words with Mr Draws.

6513. Dean Lane skate park (776)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2024

Whales have been quite a common theme in Mr Draws’ artwork, both in the studio and on walls big and small. I guess that these large mammals are representative of the threats and opportunities for our planet, and something I know Mr Draws cares a lot about. This piece combines his writing with nature, a concept I wholly endorse.

The letters DRAWS provide a backdrop for the blue whale character and some greenery. It was painted as part of a Halloween paint jam and there is plenty of symbolism in the piece, where the underlying message is that if you meddle with nature we are walking down the path of doom. Cheery huh? Great stuff from the thoughtful Mr Draws.

6470. Cumberland Basin

Mr Draws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2024

At the time this post is published, I hope to be casting a line into the surf of Lantic Bay, and picking out the occasional bass. A man can dream can’t he? As I plod along from day to day, week to week, year to year, it is comforting to know that Mr Draws is doing the same, and his regular drumbeat of pieces has become something of a landmark or reference point for me.

Mr Draws has painted this wonderful chrome piece pierced with three chunky yellow arrows. A deep drop shadow and pink highlights help the letters pop, and the blue background works surprisingly well with the rest of the piece. All the colours of the piece are not in my view natural bedfellows, in particular pink and yellow, but mr Draws has carried it off, so I tip my hat in his direction. Nice work from Mr Draws.

6406. St Werburghs tunnel (447)

Mr Draws, St Werburghs tunnel, Bristol, September 2024

I have said it so many times before, but Mr Draws really is one of the most consistent graffiti artists in Bristol, and has been for as long as I have been writing this blog. This is a lovely piece of writing at the entrance to the tunnel and is bright, cheerful and welcoming.

Mr Draws has several different fill styles, and this camouflage pattern is one that he uses a fair bit, although not always as colourful as this one. His curvy letters are propped up with a deep drop shadow, and he has added a peace symbol for good measure. I think we could all do with a bit of peace in the world at the moment. Nice work from Mr Draws.

6403. Brunel Way (291)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024

This is a rather curious and abstract piece of graffiti writing from Mr Draws, who I know is always looking at ways to redefine his work, and likes to push boundaries. Sometimes Mr Draws will inject one of his ‘experimental’ pieces in the middle of a series of more customary work, and it is great to see.

In this one, there are some parallels with the style of Benjimagnetic, providing hints at the letters in amongst the decorative work. The ‘D’ and ‘R’ are clear but the ‘A’ and ‘W’ are more fused together. There is a nice cosmic feel to the whole piece and I like what I see. Keep pushing boundaries I would say.

6122. Greenbank (123)

I find myself sounding like a stuck record all too often when it comes to posting about Mr Draws’ work, in part because he has been an ever-present on Natural Adventures and continues to paint his unique style of writing and his diverse street art pieces, and I have found myself repeating myself a little, which in no way detracts from his wonderful work.

There is a freedom and joy in Mr Draws’ graffiti writing in which he concentrates on his fills, usually with hard edges between colours rather than blended transitions. He has used his customary deep drop shadow, and the whole thing is bordered with a clean white line. A fine archetypal Mr Draws piece that is a key part of the continuing culture of the whole Bristol street art and graffiti writing scene.

6068. St Werburghs tunnel (427)

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2024

I would truly love to post all of Mr Draws’ pieces, but unfortunately, like so many others, I simply don’t have the bandwidth to do so, and many remain in my archive. I think that the only solution is to have ‘sweep up’ posts in which I trawl through unpublished pieces over the last few months and create a mini gallery in a single post. It is a tactic I have used for posting Klashwhensober’s pieces, because of his extraordinary productivity rate.

This is a nicely presented classic Mr Draws piece, written in his easy and familiar style. A chrome fill dominates, with yellow and lilac patterning. The red drop shadow is very neat and tidy as is the yellow border. The final additional touch is in the form of tly disrupting the form to add interest. Nice stuff from Mr Draws.

6036. Dean Lane skate park (717)

I think that it is fairly common knowledge that ACAB is a subversive acronym derived from the phrase ‘all cops are bastards’. I am guessing that it was coined in North America, because we don’t generally use the word cop in the UK, preferring the terms Police, bobby, old Bill, ‘pigs’ or even ‘copper’ but rarely cop. ACAB is used liberally in street/graffiti art, and this piece on the curved wall by Mr Draws, has a humorous take on the letters.

Firstly, I would say that this is a really attractive piece by Mr Draws, who continues to gently push his boundaries all the time whilst retaining his style and identity. The design is great, the letters are nice and tidy and the fill colours work surprisingly well. Mr Draws has softened the tone of the acronym so that it reads ‘all cats are beautiful’, and has added in a cat character for good measure. Perhaps one could term this piece ‘fluffy subversion’.

	I. J. Khanewala on Thursday doors – 8 Janua…
	hitandrun1964 on Sands
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	skat on Sands
	beth on Sands

	I. J. Khanewala on Thursday doors – 8 Janua…
	hitandrun1964 on Sands
	hitandrun1964 on 7398. Peel Street Green (…
	skat on Sands
	beth on Sands

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