Artist Frank Morris tell Rosanna Spence about his one-man-mission to capture as many pubs across Bristol as possible on paper, and how his incredible drawings have proven that the city’s best boozers are anything but sketchy. Image above: Frank’s drawing of The Avon Packet
Don’t be fooled by the headline: Frank Morris’s drawings of Bristol’s pubs are anything but hurried or careless. We just couldn’t resist the pun. Frank has become a fixture on the city’s streets, carefully studying the historic and often beautiful façades of our public houses; getting the inside story on our inns straight from the locals’ mouths and capturing their essence forever in his works.
Frank – who is never without his sketchbook – began drawing pubs during the first lockdown in London (“I really enjoyed drawing outside since we were all cooped up indoors”) and it was a grand Victorian pub in Kentish Town that first caught his eye. He drew the Assembly House over two pages of his A4 sketchbook, which took three days, capturing all its finer details.
It was through conversations with locals and passers-by as he was drawing this much-missed venue, which was closed due to the pandemic, that he realised this project could be a positive way to connect with people (and as a “massive fan” of pubs himself, he already knew how important these spaces are for communities). Frank then moved to Bristol three years ago and immediately felt the urge to continue the series as a “great way to discover my new home”. The first Bristol pub he drew remains one of his favourites: The Hillgrove, just up from Stokes Croft.
Frank, how do you choose which pubs to draw?
“I started drawing pubs that friends had recommended or pubs that I went to and really liked the feel of. Now I tend to choose pubs that people have recommended to me on social media (Instagram and TikTok) and I actively ask for suggestions, then choose a pub that takes my fancy. I do have a soft spot for indulging in adding brickwork, a bit of foliage and particularly in Bristol I enjoy the challenge of drawing the beautiful murals that cover the facades. But when you spend all day drawing on site, even if a pub doesn’t seem to have the most interesting or beautiful façade, the more you look, the more you find things to love and which give each pub its character, even if that is just one particular local enjoying an afternoon pint on their own.”
Walk us through what happens when you arrive at a pub to draw it…
“I start all of my pub drawings with a quick thumbnail sketch, about three inches wide in my sketchbook. I do this so I can quickly scan the pub with my eyes, so I can have a rough understanding of what the pub looks like and get a sense of potential composition. Once I have this thumbnail sketch, I start directly with my 0.05 fine line black pen, normally beginning with a door or window to anchor myself, then work out the proportions by eye. This is by far the most time consuming and challenging part of the drawing – getting the outline correct. I then add shading and cross hatching to differentiate tones on the facade, like the brick work or areas that are painted, before adding the reflections of the windows (one of my favourite parts of the process). I tend to finish with adding punters enjoying the pub with a pint or a ciggy, adding them to the scene at the end. Being in Bristol I do enjoy adding a seagull or two as well, often perched on top of the pub.”
What materials and tools do you favour, and how have they influenced the look and feel of your drawings?
“With my pub drawings I pretty much exclusively use my 0.05 and 0.1mm Uni Pin fine liner pens. I rarely sketch anything before with a pencil and I never use rulers. This is for a few reasons. One because I would find the process more tedious and too rigid to work out everything perfectly and to use rulers, but I also feel like you can tell when a drawing has been done in that way and for me at least it loses a bit of character.
“Drawing with such fine pens in this way, really forces me to slow down and intensely look at each pub that I draw. I do feel like the time I take to draw each pub is important for the work and hopefully can be seen in the finished artwork. Although people often ask me whether I will add colour, I do mostly like to keep the pictures black and white. This is so I can indulge in rendering each work with lots of detail and cross hatching, but also have been told it gives the work a sort of Ye-Oldy timeless feel, which I have always taken as a compliment.”
Do people talk to you while you’re drawing?
“I was drawing the Star and Garter and someone once told me how they got married on the stone right outside it on the grass and how they met their partner during a crazy night at the pub years earlier – that was a fun one. But honestly, I have had so many wonderful and funny interactions. I had someone recently say how they used to live in the top room of The Shakespeare pub in Redland 20 years ago with their wife; then went on to tell me about their travels in Africa and other adventures they had with their partner. I have had a group of 10-year-olds come up to me and ask repeatedly if I was Banksy, which was pretty funny. The interactions and conversations I have while drawing pubs is one of the most rewarding parts of doing it. I sometimes write down interesting anecdotes in my sketchbook and hope to incorporate some stories in a book someday, if I ever make one. I recorded lots of these conversations when I lived in London during the pandemic, which I think could be interesting to look back on now.”
What are the trickiest parts of drawing on location? Weather, curious passers-by, traffic…?
“Rain is the most obvious challenge, especially living in Bristol. I can put up with the cold with a hot water bottle, lots of jumpers and a flask, but I can’t draw in the rain. This has meant I spend a lot of my time on BBC Weather Bristol, trying to find a dry day that I can draw. Admittedly, it is most fun to draw pubs when it is spring and summer, the sun is out and everyone is enjoying themselves.
“Another challenge is when cars or vans park directly in front of pubs I am drawing. This happens quite a lot as the pub might be getting a delivery. When this happens I have to focus on other bits of the pubs facade that I can see, then return to finish the rest when they move – or sometimes have a sneak around the car and finish the drawing from memory. This is challenging, but kind of makes the experience more interesting.
“Sometimes I am also drawing on main roads, like when I drew the Plough in Easton. That is a really busy road and cars are zooming past you all day. Admittedly, that is not an element of the process that I particularly enjoy. I would much rather be safe on a pedestrianised pavement, like when I drew the Robin Hood and had a perfect raised pavement as a vantage point.”
You’ve drawn pubs in different cities, so how does Bristol compare?
“Architecturally, London has many grand Victorian facades with intricate, exposed brickwork. While Bristol has plenty of history, it’s more common here to see facades covered in amazing murals or fantastic old painted signage.
“Atmospherically, Bristol is unique because so many pubs with distinct characters are in such close proximity. There is a sense of “friendly lawlessness” in some Bristol locals that I really enjoy. I also notice a lovely mix of people from different backgrounds and ages, which creates a very inclusive feel. In London – particularly East London – some pubs can feel like they cater to a specific ‘trendy’ demographic, which doesn’t feel quite as inclusive. Plus, I’m very thankful that a pint isn’t quite £7.50 here yet!”
Why do you think pubs matter so much in a city like Bristol?
“They are essential. So many Bristol pubs double as venues for life drawing, poetry, jam sessions, and live music. They facilitate the vibrant things that happen in this city. The Plough in Easton is a perfect example; with their weekly live music and connection to the Cowfolk sports teams, they show how a pub can actively improve a local community.”
Some of the pubs you’ve drawn have since closed. Does that give the drawings a different weight, knowing they’re now records of lost places?
“It is always sad to see a pub I’ve drawn close its doors. Many of our beloved locals are at risk due to the cost-of-living crisis, and it’s more important than ever to support them. Because I spend hours capturing a pub exactly as it looked on a specific day – the weather, the people, the signage – I hope my drawings serve as a historical record of places we are, sadly, losing.”
When you look ahead, where would you like the project to go next?
“I’ve drawn 50 so far, but there are around 450 pubs in Bristol, so I have a long way to go! I don’t know if I’ll ever ‘complete’ the project, but I’d love to publish a Bristol pub book featuring these drawings alongside the stories and anecdotes from the people I meet. I’m currently focused on Bristol, but I’m interested in exploring other cities too. I’m about to travel around Mexico for six weeks, and I’m hoping to draw a historic Cantina in Mexico City. As long as I’m enjoying the process, I’ll keep going.”
For more information about Frank’s pub drawings, visit frankspubdrawings.com and follow his dedicated accounts on Instagram and TikTok @frankspubdrawings. To discover more of Frank’s other artistic practises from his studio work based in St Anne’s House, follow @frank_morris_art
