Have you ever imagined what your local pub, or indeed your house, would look like as a piece of art? Streetdoodler, aka Sarah Sutherland, can make this happen. Her unique portraits of buildings tap into the emotional connections we can have with certain places and Streetdoodler has gone from strength to strength over the past few years.
Sarah grew up in Tynemouth and after studying fashion at Newcastle Polytechnic, she became a designer for a Fair Trade company, travelling all over the world to developing countries. When she had her family, Sarah started working on freelance design projects closer to home. Little did she know where one particular request would lead. A friend asked her to do a sketch of her house on Simpson Street, the picturesque row of colourful fishermen’s cottages in Cullercoats. Following this, a steady stream of commissions came in, and Streetdoodler was born.
Sarah has always had an appreciation for architecture. As she explained modestly: “I would have loved to have studied it but I don’t think I’m good enough at maths!” Nevertheless, her talent for highlighting the beauty of buildings is evident in her illustrations, which she sketches by hand in pen and then colours digitally: “I just use my mouse as paintbrush!” Sarah mainly works from photographs, which means she has been able to illustrate buildings from further afield, taking commissions from afar as France, Spain, India and Nigeria. She has also used old photos to draw a family home that had been knocked down.
As well as producing portraits of individual houses, Sarah has illustrated many iconic North East buildings, including the Grand Hotel, Spanish City, and Rendezvous Cafe. She has drawn an array of local pubs, such as The Strawberry, the Free Trade Inn and the Cumberland Arms in Newcastle and closer to home the Tynemouth Lodge and Lowlights Tavern in North Shields. Her work is tremendously popular with both individuals and businesses, who have recognised the potential for using Streetdoodler illustrations. Sarah has seen her artwork used on menus, advertising and even on the back of delivery vans!
Streetdoodler has been present at Tynemouth Market for the past 13 years, every Saturday at the foot of the steps and on a Sunday in various spots. There are prints of various sizes on sale as well as mugs, coasters and tote bags. Enter the competition to win a free mug and coaster set featuring the Lowlights Tavern!
