TIM BAKER

I don’t travel as much as I used to on buses and trains, especially night buses. I used to work on them a lot travelling back from visits to London but I rarely go into town anymore. I can draw on a bus and adjust my strokes to the movements. A childhood of writing and doodling on moving boats, I guess? The lifting of restrictions meant I started travelling on them again, and a few times on night buses, so I took my A5 or small bamboo paper sketchbook and drew on the way home.

These are in part of an on-going series also documenting the COVID pandemic and lockdown – so we have the first image from 2021, which is of the floor stickers on the N87 bus about keeping your space from other people. These signs were everywhere in the first year of the pandemic, but have become rare since the first lot of restrictions were lifted in 2021.

On the same night bus I did this self portrait of the mirrors. These seem to be 1950’s or 1960’s buses that have been done up and brought back into service – even with the old staircase at the back and entrance platform where the conductor used to stand. I remember conductors – just. All the curves and so many mirrors and handholds is fascinating for me.

Another sign of things getting ‘back to normal’ (still waiting for that one!) was the many ‘Welcome back’ West End show signs you started to see on trains and buses back in 2021. This is one for Mamma Mia, drawn on one of my few forays to Duckie on a Saturday. The lifting of restrictions still meant the trains were really quiet, almost empty. They are busier now, but still nothing like the Saturdays of old.

Those images were from last year, but a more recent series is when I got my little bamboo paper book – around the size of A6 or slightly smaller. I carry this all the time, so have it for shorter journeys, like this view from the top of a double decker at night. I did finish the ink after, because it was a bit of a mess as I only had 5 minutes. Doing the wash can be challenging as some of the pens have limited flow of ink, and the paper is thin.

Another sketch but of a person’s shoes, I think this was another night bus drawing at the same time as The Sleeper.

And the final two are back with the A5 Eco Artway sketchbook, which doesn’t really get enough love. These were the same session, the standing man at Clapham Junction was drawn on the way in to Duckie, and The Sleeper on the Night Bus home – you might recognise the odd feature from ‘Mirror Mirror’ above – this is the view of the back of the bus, and they installed a read-out sign where the platform is.

I’d had grief getting into the club with a jobsworth security man having a go at technical issues with my COVID Pass – so glad to see the back of those for now, the app was broken – and I think The Sleeper expressed my upset and anger. Seemed to sum up the times – sleeping on a night bus with no idea where we are going….

I didn’t draw a curious woman who was behind the guy, since she seemed too interested in what I was doing, and I didn’t want grief from someone who was awake. It was a good thing, cos when she passed she looked horrified and then avoided me when I accidentally got on the same bus in Kingston. Very strange. Maybe she saw my blotter with ‘DON’T BE SO NOSEY’ drawn on it. I don’t like people looking without asking…

I don’t usually draw other people like this, I tend to keep things anonymous, because although it’s all very legal, people can see it as some sort of intrusion. And I get that, it’s like photographing someone, although usually artists get less weirdness compared to them, it is slightly different. Especially as I can choose to identify people or not.