Interview by : Rosie Callaghan
I caught up with Len Grant, illustrator and urban sketcher, just before we both jetted off on summer holidays - me to Italy, him to France. Even with trips on the horizon, we fell into an effortless conversation that carried on as if we had all the time in the world. Touching on his career, Manchester’s vibrant creative scene, and the unique lens through which he captures the city’s stories.
Len, now celebrated for documenting Manchester through his sketches, actually started out behind a camera. “Before I was drawing, I was a photographer,” he explained. “I was part of Manchester’s photography community, and we had a darkroom - a physical space to meet. When council funding disappeared, we were encouraged to go digital, and that’s how Red Eye, the photography network, began. It started around a kitchen table and grew from there. Initially Manchester-based, it eventually became regional and then national.”
People, storytelling, and community have remained at the heart of his work, whether through the lens or on paper. “The essence of all my creative work, photography or sketching, is storytelling. I’ve always been more interested in people than landscapes. People connect with figurative work, with stories. That’s how all my projects begin.”
Len’s first major sketchbook project, The Rusholme Sketcher, grew from this same ethos. While cycling through Rusholme, he noticed the hidden stories that often go overlooked. “Sometimes you can’t see the stories because they’re so close to you. You have to work hard to notice what’s happening right in front of you.”
Sketching, he says, offers a slower, deeper engagement with the world. “When you sketch, you’re in one place for an hour or more, observing, interacting with people, really examining the scene. Photography can be fast; you take the shot and move on. Sketching slows you down, lets you live in the moment, and lets the story unfold.”
This patience is clear in his Northern Quarter projects, where bars, barbershops, and street scenes spring to life under his pen. Len captures both the grit and vibrancy of Manchester, revealing the city’s heartbeat in every line, he explains that digital transformation has also reshaped the cities creative landscape. “When I started in 1990, there were gatekeepers everywhere - you needed a gallery or publisher. Now, digital platforms and self-publishing let people reach audiences directly. It’s cluttered, yes, but there’s more freedom.”
Yet Len still treasures physical creative spaces. He sees galleries, pop-up exhibitions, and grassroots initiatives as irreplaceable platforms for emerging artists. “There’s a lot more small, temporary spaces opening up. They give artists a chance to show work in real life, which can’t be replicated online.”
When asked for advice for emerging creatives, Len’s answer was refreshingly direct:
“Be true to what genuinely excites you. Don’t chase trends. Explore what you love, learn from it, and then move to the next project. Complete is better than perfect - action beats perfection every time.”
And Manchester? It’s home for Len, the base he always returns to. “This is where my family and connections are. I love to travel, but coming back with new insights is just as rewarding.”
Our chat left me with a vivid sense of Len’s creative philosophy: storytelling, community, and independence are at the core of everything he does. Whether through photography or sketching, he connects deeply with people, places, and moments, capturing the pulse of a city that continues to inspire him.