An artist sketches one by one the thousands of London pubs

His TikTok and Instagram accounts are full of black and white drawings of London pubs. In short videos that garner thousands of mentions I likeshe describes the creative process, then holds up her work in front of the pub that inspired it.

She has already chewed few hundreds of these beloved institutions of the British, often not far from her home in Catford, in south-east London.

From teacher to full-time artist

Her project was born during confinement, when she had to interrupt the plastic art lessons she was giving to children.

It kind of came from being a regular in pubs, that’s where I meet my friendsshe says.

The young artist has been making this type of drawing for a long time, which she sells at Christmas markets, but when she announced her project, it got a little crazy.

Creating art is now her full-time job, and she mostly does individual commissions, including from pubs and homes, while selling prints on the Etsy site.

The ads are so typically britishshe says. Whether you frequent them or not, they are great buildings to see or visit.

Feel the atmosphere of the pubs

The pub The Atlas was suggested to him by a follower on TikTok. Although it is located in a quiet street near a leafy cemetery, the sirens of the ambulances and the van of a plumber who has parked just in front of the building somewhat disturb the artist’s work.

Dating from the Victorian era, the red brick establishment has carefully preserved its original woodwork, and today offers risotto or duck leg confit on its menu.

Although she doesn’t use her project as an excuse to go pub hopping, she likes to visit these establishments to get a sense of their vibe – whether it’s a pub local with a loyal clientele from the neighborhood or a trough from the center of the capital to a constantly renewed clientele.

Take inspiration from social media

A few days after having immortalized The Atlasshe travels to bustling Soho to design a very different pub, The Coach and Horseswhich she has previously dated.

When you’ve been in a pub you have some kind of connection to itshe describes.

She chose this pub because someone had mentioned it in a comment under one of her videos on TikTok, telling her that her grandfather, Norman Balon, was known as london’s rudest landlord and had run the establishment for more than 60 years.

I love these kind of storiesshe acknowledges. It immediately attracted me.

Located in a historic 19th century building, The Coach and Horses is now managed by a chain of breweries. This Saturday afternoon, he sees a steady stream of people sitting outside with their pints.

Drawing it took almost three hours. It’s funny: there are a lot of people around, but it’s actually a pretty peaceful drawing.