Meet chalk artist behind Worcester High Street artwork

Tony Drakes, 72, can often be found drawing on the High Street, creating detailed designs entirely out of chalk.

Over the years, of which he admits he has lost count, he has depicted a variety of scenes, book characters and other famous figures, including the late Queen Elizabeth II, shortly after her death in 2022.

“I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember,” Mr Drakes said. “I’ve always drawn. It’s an escape for me.

“I didn’t do any lessons or go to art college or anything. I’ve just always been able to do it.

“My grandma always said ‘if God has given you the talent, use it.'”

Originally from Bradford, Mr Drakes went into service with the army when he was 16.

After leaving the army, he said art became a way to clear his mind, as well as a way to connect with the public, including children, who sometimes draw with him.

“It keeps me occupied because I went straight into the army from school so I’ve got a lot of stress problems and if I sit in, my head goes round and round,” he said.

“By coming out, it gets me out, gets me socialising, gets me a few bob. It can’t be wrong, can it?

“I usually get to speak to a lot of people. In summer, when people aren’t in a rush, parents will sit outside the café and the kids will draw with me. They love it.”

Many of his designs are planned to fit with the season but he said he sometimes lets ideas come to him when he sits down.

“Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to do until I sit down,” he said.

“Because I’m drawing for the public, I’ll usually depict the holiday, whether it’s Christmas, Easter or Halloween.

“I can do drawings pertaining to that to cheer people up or sometimes I’ll pick characters out of books or animals.”