This is Vipins, a stationery and card shop in Burnt Oak, north London. It has been there all my life, and I swear it hasn’t changed a bit. they even have the same stock as when I was a kid. I used to go in there all the time for pens, notepads, card, glitter, pritt stick, rulers, cartridge pens and so on. I still pop in there whenever I’m back, and sometimes find unexpected goodies. This time I found a mini clipboard, which has the clip along the side rather than the top, and fits into my bag. It’s perfect sketchbook size, handy for when I’m trying to hold onto my often awkward watercolour moleskine. I guess it’s used for Bingo. Anyway I decided to try it out straight away (it was Christmas Eve, still snowy, I had just got my hair cut at Syd’s barbers behind Woolworths – er, behind where Woolworths used to be, I mean), and so I stood outside Vipins in the cold and sketched for fifteen minutes, standing up. The clipboard was brilliant. It really helped whne standing to sketch, and being small it was still discreet. I popped back in to show Mr and Mrs Vipin, they were pleased with the sketch. This is a very typical Burnt Oak scene I’ve known my entire life, and I need to sketch these whenever I’m back, because the area keeps changing so much.
Incidentally, today’s my birthday. I share it with Charles Dickens (I always hated our joint birthday parties). I sketched San Francisco yesterday as a birthday present to myself (though I forgot my little clipboard). I’ll show you at some point.
petescully 
Happy Birthday! Now I am totally intrigued, can you please, show photo of your board with side clip? For the past month I keep thinking about clipboard to draw on and didn’t see anything good. Was thinking about army store or something.
Have very happy and blessed birthday. There are many more birthdays and sketching days ahead.
I simply love your sketching style!
thanks!!
Am nuts for your lovely work! Amazing detail!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D
cheers!
Happy Birthday. Can’t think of a better way to spend it than sketching.
thanks! alas, i spent it eating cake…
Happy Birthday, Pete! I always enjoy your drawings and your great commentary.
It was especially fun to see you drawing in person at the symposium.
Best wishes,
Vicky
cheers Vicky!
Happy Birthday! You know, someday you may branch out to Sacramento for a Sketchcrawl.
cheers! sacramento sketchcrawls are a possibility..
Happy Birthday Pete!
I met you briefly at the symposium in Portland.
I enjoy your sketches and I especially love the ones from
Christmas in London. I had a luvly British mum and celebrate
all the traditions of an English Xmas. I make pretty mean mince pies and
make the family wear the silly paper hats from the crackers. I loved your
boxing day sketch! It reminded me of an illustration in “The Church Mice at
Christmas” by Graham Oakley. A book your son might like when he is a bit older.
Here’s to another year of your wonderful work!
Linda
cheers linda! It was nice to meet you in Portland too. You make mince pies? I love a mince pie at christmas, I make them myself sometimes, great with a cup of tea.
Joint birthday parties with Dickens? Dude, you make this too easy for me… :)
round round
I always find your ‘childhood places’ sketches very emotional. My fave drawing of yours is still the one from your bedroom window. That really touched me. This too. Happy Birthday.
cheers andrea! I remember that one from the window. I need to find the ones i did from that same window aged 13…
You should do one from the street, looking up at your bedroom window. Then add in a silhouette of you in your bedroom, at your window, sketching the street outside.
No, I haven’t been drinking…
It’s not just the great pictures Pete, it’s the reminiscing aswell. Being an old ‘Burnt Oaker’ and not being in contact with anyone from those days, this website is a pleasure for me to read through every so often. I remember Syd very well. Used to have to sit on a plank of wood across the arms of the chair, looking at all the pictures of Spurs on the wall! My family left Burnt Oak in 82 and my old man still drives back there to get his hair cut! Think it was a Glaziers opposite in the little alley and can still smell the newsagent next door (ridiculous as that sounds) where I used to collect my Beano and get Lemonade flavour ice lollies in the hot summers.
Loved seeing the telegraph poles and all the wires in the picture of your street. You don’t get that where I live these days and it reminds me of my time in Axholme Avenue. It was fascinating when a bloke would climb the pole to make repairs!
Keep up the good work mate, I love the recent pillar box sketch!
Cheers,
I found you again! I’m still searching through the net to find memories of Burnt Oak and found more of your stunning work. Here I sit, filled with nostalgia and wondering if the people still living in Burnt Oak have seen your work. I think that it would be pretty special for them right now. I like Keith’s comment ‘…not just the great pics…it’s the reminiscing aswell.”
Can I share your website? I’d like my parents to see it and my family and friends.
I left Burnt Oak in 94 but my folks, one of my brothers and several friends are still there, as is Vipins, I believe.
Thank you so much for sharing your work. I’m enjoying flicking through your drawings and will continue to do so.
Kind regards,
Mandy
Gosh!
Vipins and Syd the barber.
I’ve just had a wave of nostalgia, being brought up in Burnt Oak too, mid 60s until I headed off to university in the early 80s.
Sitting on that plank across the arms of the chair for a short back and sides. Boy, has that brought back memories. Oh, and I went to that Orange Hill school!
One thing I’ll ask though, do you remember the Sainsbury’s that used to be on the broadway, old fashioned counter service with the sawdust on the floor?
The Saturday market down the steps near the tube station.
Tony’s, the kiosk, although it felt like quite a large kiosk in those days, selling sweets and ice-creams, next to the arch with the steps down to the scout hut?
The newsagent on Deansbrook road that used to do penny sweets and jubblies in the summer?
Wow, what memories.
Thank you!
I told my brother about your Blog. I was lucky enough to be able to catch up with him in Los Angeles recently, he came from London (Burnt Oak) while I flew from NZ. He told me that he shared your Blog with the lady that works in Vipins. She has been there forever and was so keen to have a look at your Blog. I am told that she was suitably impressed.
Nice! I have only one other sketch I did from Burnt Oak this time around (2012) yet to post, but i took some photos of other old shops still there on the Watling that I intend to draw pictures of (Pennywise is still there!)