Tag: Mr Draws

5417. Dean Lane skate park (628)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023

This wall, although part of the Dean Lane ‘furniture’ was only bricked up and made into one solid wall earlier this year, so in its current form it is a fairly new wall which was first painted by Haka (if my memory serves me correctly). It has now become a popular wall for large pieces of graffiti writing, and this is the turn of Mr Draws.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023

Mr Draws has been and will always be one of the foundations of Natural Adventures, along with other artists like Face 1st, whose work is consistent, regular and enduring – the heartbeats of Bristol street art. In this tidy piece, the letters are beautifully painted, each one merging into the next, and the fills, with horizontal layers work nicely through the letters. The little white accent lines create a 3D effect, which along with the black drop shadow lift the writing off the wall. Set on a blue patterned background, the piece is another fine contribution from Mr Draws.

5402. St Werburghs tunnel (376)

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023

When I last met Mr Draws under Brunel Way about a month ago, he told me that he was keen to paint more pieces with an environmental or protest theme. Well with  Prime Minister who seems to be hell bent on waging war against nature and the ‘green blob’ as hard right populists tend to do, Mr Draws’ efforts have never been more timely.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2023

This is a beautiful piece of the fluke from a whale breaking the surface before descending into the depths, helps to remind us about what is important on this Earth we call home. The atmospheric piece appears to capture the movement and grace of the whale, a sight we are familiar with through viewing wildlife films, but which we rarely glimpse first hand. Bravo Mr Draws, please keep up these genuine efforts to make the world a better place.

5340. Brunel Way 214.

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

I caught up with Mr Draws when he was painting this piece, and he told me it was going to be something a little bit different and he was right. Mr Draws has always had a strong environmental conviction running through his work, and he says that he wants to do more of this kind of messaging work in the future.

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

Drawing attention to contemporary issues is something that street art does very well, and Mr Draws doesn’t pull any punches in this piece which states “No art on a dead planet”. The whole thing is simply done with big bold letters on a striking background. The colour fades in the big letters have been worked very nicely, and although not painted in his usual style, there is something so very Mr Draws about the piece.

5308. Brunel Way (210)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

I had a nice chat with Mr Draws over the weekend in this exact spot while he was buffing over this piece in preparation for a new one. At least he was going over his own work – how often does that happen?

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2023

The bright colours in the letters and background have a hint of confection about them, almost good enough to eat. The whole thing calls out jelly to me, but I think that that might just be me. I know that Mr Draws wasn’t too happy with the neon pink colour, as it seemed to strip away the paint beneath. My advice is to steer clear from the neon colours, they are tricky and in the sunlight they decompose really quickly.

5036. Brunel Way (193)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023

Although he is not as prolific as he once was, Mr Draws is one of the constants in Bristol graffiti writing. Periods of absence are punctuated with little reminders that one of Bristol’s most enduring artists is out there and still active. This is a nice one under Brunel Way.

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023
Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023

Mr Draws presents another of his curvy DRAW! letter combinations, picked out with some hreat 3D drop-shadows and border. The colour transitions fill the letters nicely, and I particularly like the black highlights around the edges of the letters. As long as Mr Draws paints them, I will post them.

4896. Dean Lane skate park (552)

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022

Although he doesn’t paint anywhere near as often as he used to, Mr Draws is an important regular on the Bristol scene and his ‘DRAW’ letters are an essential staple for anyone who enjoys graffiti writing in the city.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022

This photograph is proof that we do occasionally get a bit of snow in Bristol, and although this snow event didn’t amount to much, it was bloody cold for about a week or so. We have returned to a climate changed warm period now though. Coincidentally Mr Draws’ piece has a wintery flavour to it, and it works rather nicely with the snowy foreground. This is a nicely executed and finished piece from Mr Draws.

4630. M32 roundabout J3 (423)

Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

There was a time when I endeavoured to publish every piece that I found by Mr Draws, however, with the emergence of so many artists in recent years, it has become almost impossible to show that loyalty to some of my favourites of days gone by. Mr Draws still paints them, but I only post maybe one I three, which is a real pity.

Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Mr Draws, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

This one on the M32 roundabout is a real beauty in chrome, with a straightforward design concept… chrome letters, blue caps with drips, a pink ‘electric’ ribbon and a few cracks in the letters for interest. The whole thing is nice to look at and great to see from ‘old faithful’.

4564. St Werburghs tunnel (301)

Two artists that you could probably set your watch by are Face 1st and Mr Draws – both produce pieces with reassuring regularity, providing some stability and reference points in this topsy-turvy world.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is quite typical of Mr Draws’ work, although it feels a little bit laterally compressed, he usually likes to spread his letters out a little more. If this was by a different artist, I might describe it as a ‘dregs’ piece, meaning that it was an opportunity to finish up almost empty cans. However, Mr Draws loves to use lots of colour in his pieces, so this might simply be a joyful burst of colour.

4453. St Werburghs tunnel (293)

You can rely on Mr Draws to come up with something light and cheerful, and this recent piece at the far end of the tunnel does just the trick. In this piece he has diverged from his usual DRAWS letters and written, in thin lettering, Kunst, which in German means arts.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2022
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2022

Mr Draws had flirted with the idea of living in Germany a few years back, but it all fell through. Germany’s loss was Bristol’s gain, but this might be harking back to a desire to go there still. The letters are characteristically colourful and the whole thing very tidily painted. This blog would not be what it is without the likes of Mr Draws.

4269. Dean Lane skate park (467)

In recent months, Mr Draws has really been enjoying going big on his walls. The letters are getting bigger and the whole wall preparation and decoration seems to be in an expansion phase too. What we end up with is large complete walls bursting with colour and fun.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

This recent piece in Dean Lane skate park, has rather nice and crisp letters, spelling ‘DRAW!’ in black letters with a clean and tidy white 3D shadow. The black and white lettering contrasts perfectly with the multicoloured surround, bursting with random happiness. A nice one from Mr Draws.