4: Experiment #2 - Sketching Shoppers in Cheltenham

I set out with the aim of capturing the shopping atmosphere in Cheltenham in the build-up to Christmas. I wanted to visualise the manic consumption most seem to participate in during the annual spending splurge.

I started by heading into the streets with my sketchbook. I sat in the promenade and drew shoppers as they walked towards/away from me, looking particularly for people with lots of shopping bags. I drew some shop facades as well:

Above: An incredibly small dog that everyone was making a fuss of, dwarfed by its enormous owners.

 Above: I like the legs in this drawing.

 Above: Lampposts and street furniture on the Promenade. Also children.

A lot of these drawings could be nothing but quick studies of movement - which was not really what I was after ultimately, but all that could be done drawing on the spot.

Above: The parents of these children were trying unsuccessfully to control them. Children aren't really designed for shopping centres, but lots of shops in Cheltenham are designed to help mummies and daddies to buy children's clothes. It weren't like that when I were a lad.

Cavendish House, the most horrible place in Cheltenham, and my next destination:

Above: Reluctant male shoppers of a certain age.

This was during the pre-Christmas sale weekend.

Above: Reality stares you back in the mirror.

Above: Male shop staff commenting on a passing lady shopper.

Above: 'You get shower gel in that one.'

...was playing in the store.

Above: The female mannequins probably don't even measure size zero

I didn't really enjoy drawing in the store and felt out of place - although few people paid me much attention. I overheard people's conversations and noted the number of times the word 'need' cropped up. Everyone seemed to be pretty focused on the task at hand - 20% 2 day discount.

Looked at without the objective to buy anything, the generic department store layout is an extremely strange, even disorienting environment, where an open-plan structure is sub-divided and layered according to product type, brand etc. There is very little furniture other than the shelves and stands needed to display goods on. The overall effect - colour included - is like that of a sweet-shop, where one is constantly drawn from one bright thing to another - more sweets in the bag.

I left considering how I might illustrate these ideas... though concerned for my sanity in trying to do so.