A doodle a day: Meet the artist behind Norwich's daily drawings

NUA workshop manager Neil Davison, 52, has taught at the city centre institution for almost three decades, and, in 2013, realised that as much as his job was all about art and creativity, he was doing very little for himself.

NUA workshop manager Neil Davison, 53, took to sharing a drawing each day in 2013 to channel his creativity outside of work, with the city of Norwich often acting as his subject (Image: Neil Davison)

"I used to do a lot of running, and have kept a diary of my runs since 1993. In my diary, I would write about the day, about the running and stuff like that, and gradually, over time, I started to do little drawings in the diary as well which kind of documented the day.

Colegate Car Park (Image: Neil Davison)

View from Norwich Castle of the city skyline (Image: Neil Davison)

"Now, no matter how busy I've been during the day, even if I'm not in the mood for it, I'll do something. I feel better for doing it. I never have any preconceived ideas of what I'm going to do before I draw - whatever comes up, I do. It can be as random as you like."

Using Twitter challenges to spark his creativity, Neil acknowledged that inspiration strikes anywhere, rather than citing specific people or places.

A sketch of Norwich from different angles (Image: Neil Davison)

New Mills Yard (Image: Neil Davison)

"More than anything though, I take inspiration from my students and what I see around me, tapping into their energies.

"Where I work makes a big difference, because I have creative and visual inspiration every single day. I take inspiration from Instagram, but I never go out of my way to copy someone. Being at art school, you're trained to take risks and play."

Anglia Square (Image: Neil Davison)

Magdalen Street (Image: Neil Davison)

Armed with a pencil case wherever he goes, depictions of the same city centre hotspots are unique with every visit.

He also creates animal friends with bold personalities as part of his routine, as well as other scenes a little further afield, with Mundesley punters and boats on the Broads at Wroxham also featuring as the subject of his art.

A watercolour sketch of beach-goers at Mundesley beach, Norfolk by Neil Davison from Norwich (Image: Neil Davison)

A black and white sketch of boats at Wroxham, Norfolk by artist and NUA lecturer Neil Davison (Image: Neil Davison)

And even though he's flattered by the interest in his work, fans will have to appreciate his work online - as commissions aren't really his forte.

"It's really nice to have a platform where I can get that creativeness out of my head. I do it to please me, and other people like it too, I guess!"

Carrow Road (Image: Neil Davison)

To see more of Neil's daily drawing, you can find him at @neildavison1969 on Instagram and Twitter.

Anglia Square (Image: Neil Davison)

Anglia Square (Image: Neil Davison)

Other famous doodlers

Mr Doodle

Mr Doodle - or Sam Cox, to you and me - shot to fame for his monochrome scrawlings, covering almost every imaginable surface. His life mission is to doodle everywhere, all the time.

Hattie Stewart

Kingston University graduate and 'professional doodler' Hattie Stewart has worked with big names in music, but has risen to fame with her bold personal doodle-bombing project, where she cheekily draws over the covers of high-flying publications.

C86

Colourful creative Matt Lyon works under the moniker C86, laces his self-described incessant doodling with vibrant colours, shapes and patterns.

Working out of his south London base, he's collaborated with the likes of Nike and Microsoft, with his designs widely seen in books, magazines and wall spaces.