Brighton artist draws his neighbours during lockdown

At these portrait sessions, people sit outside their front doors while Nick sketches from two metres away, often wearing a face mask.

An essential part of the project is the meeting of the artist and his neighbours, and the conversation between them – they have often never met each other before.

He is doing the project in his immediate neighbourhood around Fairway Crescent, Portslade (BN41 2FN).

Nick says: “Having moved from central Hove only two and a half years ago, this project has been a lovely way to get to know my neighbours during an extraordinary moment in history.

“It has also allowed me to practice my drawing skills, which have got a bit rusty since my art student days (I came to the University of Brighton in 1992).

“You could say it’s reviving the lost arts of drawing and conversation! I like how the portrait sessions, which last around two hours, feel like relaxed, therapeutic encounters. We just sit there, talking about life, with me sketching away.”

“Topics we’ve discussed have included everything from clubbing, travel and music, to neuroscience and apocalyptic fiction. We only talk a little about the pandemic, but this obviously colours everything else in different ways.”

Nick draws the portraits in pen on A4 200gsm cartridge art paper, from Lawrence art supplies shop in Hove, and gives his sitters a printed copy for a donation.

As well as offering free portraits on his street, Nick has started taking paid commissions in other neighbourhoods around Portslade and Hove. For these, there is a suggested donation of £30-£50 for a single sitter, or £50-£70 for couple portraits. 10% of his fee will be donated to NHS Charities Together.

“My usual paid work – as a science-inspired artist in schools, UK science events and work abroad – has all but disappeared due to the pandemic”, he added.

As to what will become of the sketches, Nick is considering publishing the project as a book, holding an exhibition, creating a calendar or launching a website. He also hopes to revisit his neighbours after the crisis is over, for follow-up portraits at a closer one-metre distance, when they can discuss life after lockdown.

To see drawings and photos from the project, and read about the conversations with his sitters, follow @nicksayers on Instagram, and his #nickdrawsneighbours hashtag: www.instagram.com/explore/tags/nickdrawsneighbours

If you live in Portslade or Hove, and would like a unique portrait of yourself in lockdown, please contact Nick via social media (@nicksayers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter), email [email protected] or phone 07812 036415.

See also: Brighton mum launches art project to paint pebbles for the NHS