Big fan of Washington Square Park. Always enjoy coming here when I’m in New York. If there’s anywhere to just sit and chill, with New York all around you, this is it. On my trip here in 2016 we stayed nearby here on Bleecker, right in the heart of Greenwich Village. On the first morning in New York City this time, I headed out a little early, planning to meet the family downtown later, and headed to Washington Square. I noticed my Pigma Graphic pen was running low on ink, which would usually mean that oh well, nothing I can do about that. But I’m in a big city, of course I can find a replacement pen in one of the first shops I come across. This is New York, you don’t have to look too hard. New pen in hand I went to the park with the big arch to sit and draw the people. Well I drew the Washington Square Arch first, above, looking up towards the start of Fifth Avenue. It’s not Marble Arch, but what a world-beating location. Greenwich Village is where NYU (New York University) is located so there are a lot of students around. I would have liked to have gone here. I remember looking around here on our trip in 2002 when I was thinking about doing a Masters degree, but I saw how much it would cost, and ended up staying in London to do a Masters at King’s, and then moving to California in 2005. All worked out. It was funny listening to people talk, I wrote some of it into the sketch, some students who I think were visiting NYU or maybe just new here, talking about their experiences. “I don’t want to sound dramatic,” one young woman said dramatically, “but the three hour time difference has literally ruined my life.” Most overheard conversations are generally boring as hell but this one made me laugh. In fact I overheard a lot of amusing conversations in New York, it’s almost as if being in a big city is more interesting in general than, you know, Davis. I overheard two guys while walking around in Chelsea who spoke in the most thick and colourful New York accent, completely opposite to the regular vanilla-flavoured California voice (which I like, don’t get me wrong, but we are kings and queens of the generic). These guys would have needed subtitles on American TV. One had a scratchy throaty voice and the other was pure cartoon Noo-Yoik, discussing some TV show or movie they had seen, it was the highlight of my year.

What is it about New York that makes me want to draw more people than in other cities? Big city people are different, they dress different, they move and stop different, they talk about different things, and they sound different. I don’t know, I like the diversity. I notice it in London, and in a place like New York my urban sketcher radar is on overdrive. I drew people in Washington Square with the thicker black pen that allows me to just go quickly. Here are a bunch.

I liked the guy sitting with a tall wizard hat, I think he was reading tarot cards or telling fortunes or something. 

I was walking this area with my teenager after a morning at the Guitar Center (a morning well spent) when we sat in Washington Square for a bit and I drew this group of young women sat near to us, chatting animatedly. The big bushy jacket of the one on the left was interesting.