Anthony Sheeran

Anthony Sheeran ran an engineering consultancy until he retired in 2019. He loves to draw the urban scenes of Bath and sells his ink drawings and watercolours through his Etsy shop, Sheeran Studios.

Q. Where do you live?

My wife and I have lived in the Trowbridge area for some five years. I retired from my engineering consultancy five years ago when living in Hampshire –we had always wanted to be near Bath, so this was the perfect timing.

Q. You used to work as an engineer. Why did this suit you?

I fell into engineering after leaving school, but it has been fulfilling in that some of the projects I have worked on have been both exacting and enjoyable, for example working on the nuclear bunker under Whitehall. My clients have included the University of Reading, Bloomberg and St Anthony’s Hospital.

Q. You create art technique teaching videos. Why do you like to do this?

I have always thought that teaching others would be both challenging and rewarding, so my courses on Udemy are a way of looking at how I go about drawing and painting –setting out the student’s methodology ensures that I can review my own methods and approaches.

Q What is your fascination with drawing and painting Bath’s urban scenes?

Drawing has been something I have always enjoyed and working in liaison with architects in my consultancy led me to join the Society of Architectural Illustrators (SAI).

Being a part of the SAI enabled me to utilise some of the skills I learned in engineering, in that I took plans from the architect and created elevations for a client to see the finished building. Moving near to Bath, a city I was already in love with, allowed me to take my architectural drawings further.

Q. Tell us about drawing while travelling I have become more fascinated by urban drawing, where drawing and painting is taken out of the studio. This method allows the artist to establish the best view of a subject, to capture the light at that moment. I recently travelled to one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Florence, and created a Udemy course while there (Urban Drawing in Florence), with the help of my wife who filmed the drawings and paintings I completed around the city. I drew statues, buildings, people in cafés, and landscapes. This was very rewarding and will hopefully be financially beneficial, enabling me to go on further European urban drawing classes.

Q Do you like to draw and paint anywhere? I always take a sketchbook with me to capture a scene or a building. I also take photos, in order to capture a particular light. On warm days you will find me in the countryside, sketching and painting, and sometimes in Bath.

Q. Has your artistic style changed over time? My style of painting is still me, but it is maybe more refined. I plan a painting more thoroughly now. My process consists of sketching, planning, looking at colour balancing, and of course ensuring that the composition works correctly.

Q. Do you draw from life, or from photographs?

I look for an interpretation of the scene, and try to find shadows that define the parts I find most interesting. Perspective is very important to me; it gives the reality I am looking for. I mainly draw from life, but I do take photos too, to ensure that I don't miss anything, and to confirm where the light is coming from.

Q. Why did you publish your book Architecture of Bath?

I published the book because I am so inspired by the city. I have completed quite a few drawings of architecturally important buildings in the city, both ink drawings and ink and watercolours, and wanted to bring them together in one publication.

Who is your favourite all time artist? Andrew Wyeth, who I came across when living in Toronto. His work is so methodical, planned and completed in such detail, although there is also a freshness and looseness of style in his watercolours.

What immediate plans do you have?

I want to publish a second book of watercolours of Bath and the Cotswolds, and to travel to Lisbon to create another Udemy course on urban drawing. I am also creating new paintings for the First View Gallery in Stourhead. n

Architecture of Bath by Anthony Sheeran can be found on Etsy (£7.99), at the Bath Abbey shop, and the Holburne Museum. You can see Anthony’s paintings in the First View Gallery, Stourhead. Contact: