If you haven’t come across the exceptional work of Dave Draws over the past three years, it’s time you made a new acquaintance.

At 27, he has been gradually establishing himself as a freelance Illustrator, honing in on a unique style of design that quite literally puts rural city streets on the map.

Whilst living in Berlin and exhibiting, Dave was experimenting with a rogue doodle pattern, only to be told that his design actually resembled a birds-eye view of a city – with that, an idea was born, why not turn the “city-like” illustrations into, well, cities?

Coinciding with a move to Manchester, Dave started work on his first “doodle map” – taking segments of the city centre and illustrating them accordingly.

In true Mancunian style, his designs blossomed. With the city’s patrons mesmerised by his work, the orders flocked in. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before more maps followed and before he knew it, Dave had a Greater Manchester Ittinerary lined up including; Northern Quarter, Chorlton, Didsbury, Sale, Stockport, Salford, Hulme, Fallowfield and Withington. United and City soon came calling, too.

Manchester always leads the way, but Chesterfield, Sheffield, Leeds, London, Aberdeen and Liverpool would soon follow – Dave took his designs nationally, and later internationally, with a trip to Hong Kong the icing on the cake.

His murals can be spotted permanently around the City in various locations including Unilad, Channel 4, Urban Bubble and Manchester Life, not to mention, a special temporary commission from the Arndale.

Learn more about Dave at his various social outposts –