Evening in Tokyo prints are back

Evening in Tokyo marked my first ever typewriter artwork set in Japan, capturing a neon-lit evening at Shibuya Crossing, one of the city’s most iconic locations. Since its release, the response has been extraordinary, reaching far beyond what I had anticipated and introducing the work to a completely new audience online.

Following the original release in March, I received lots of messages asking if the artwork would return. Interestingly, a large number of people discovered the piece after the print drop had already ended. This was driven by a video of the artwork being reshared by Facebook’s official account (which was amazing and I never expected) This is where the artwork quickly went viral.

Therefore, it felt only right to reintroduce Evening in Tokyo for a limited time, giving those who reached out the chance to acquire one of the remaining prints.

The Process Behind My Typewriter Art

One of the questions I am asked most often is how I actually create my artwork. How is it even possible to draw using a typewriter? It is not something that can be easily explained in a short reply in the comments, so I wanted to take a moment to properly share the process, which is surprisingly methodical and remains largely consistent from one piece to the next. By the time you reach the end of this explanation, you will quickly realise why creating typewriter art often feels like arm wrestling with the machine itself.

Before we dive into the typing process, I would just like to say that the response from my latest artwork, Evening in London, since its reveal last Wednesday has been wonderful. I am grateful to everyone who has taken the time to reach out and share their personal connection to this scene.

Check out my recent video where I explore some of the hidden details of my Evening in London artwork here.

I began typing Evening in London at the end of February using my newly restored travelling typewriter, a 1950s Olympia SM3. This machine has allowed me to overcome one of the biggest challenges in my process. It is now possible to create work on location without the need to transport my heavier typewriters. This artwork took four weeks to complete, equating to roughly 250 hours of typing.

The most challenging part of the process is always the beginning. During the first two weeks, I focus purely on building the linework and outlines of the composition. These are typically created using simple characters such as the following:

. _ i * / I = %

Characters like these are incredibly useful for forming horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines, allowing me to gradually construct the framework of the scene before moving on to the more detailed and expressive stages of the artwork.

In the very early stages of every drawing, I work with a very worn ribbon that carries almost no ink. Rather than making visible marks, the keys leave a faint embossed impression in the paper, allowing me to map out the composition with subtle indentations before committing to it.

It is a useful way to establish proportions without committing too early. On a typewriter, there is no undo key, so an early mistake with a fresh ribbon could mean starting the entire piece all over again.

As shown above, the arches on the building’s ground floor are formed from tightly stacked quotation marks, creating strong vertical structure, while the curve of each arch is built from densely typed full stops. This is achieved through half spacing (allowing narrow gaps between letters) This is made possible by physically holding the typewriter carriage back from moving to the next typing position using your left hand.

Meanwhile, the right hand is doing the typing. This feels like I am having a tug of war contest or an arm wrestle with the typewriter. After a whole day of typing, you can imagine that this process becomes quite the physical workout! The brickwork is constructed using forward slashes paired with rows of underscores, producing clean, continuous horizontal lines.

Once the structure feels right, I switch to a new ribbon and begin defining the final image. For shading, I rely heavily on the @ symbol, its larger surface area creates smooth, even tones across the drawing.

Shhh…Can you Keep a Secret!?

That is it for now. My next landmark will be another on-location piece set in New York. You are hearing it here first! I will be travelling there for a special opportunity to create an artwork from the top of an observation deck at one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. For now, it is still under wraps, so shhh!…please keep it between us!

Until next time,

This Way To My Print Shop →