Don't forget to look up

How often have you been walking along and suddenly noticed just how many people were doing exactly the same thing?

Head down.

Eyes fixed on a phone.

Completely oblivious to everything around them.

Now, I'm not pretending I'm any different. I catch myself doing it too. It's so easy to get drawn into a message, check the football scores, or convince yourself that one quick glance at social media won't hurt. Before you know it, you've walked half a mile without really seeing where you've been. That's if you haven't tripped up over your own feet and landed face down.

But as someone who spends hours drawing buildings, I can't help thinking about everything we're missing.

Whenever I start a new illustration, it usually begins with a photograph. At first glance it all seems fairly straightforward. There's the building. Draw what you see. Except it never works like that. The longer I look, the more I notice. A carved stone above a doorway that I'd completely overlooked. Decorative brickwork tucked beneath the roofline. An old drainpipe with a date cast into the iron. The worn steps outside a pub where thousands of people have walked over hundreds of years. Little details that most of us pass every day without giving them a second thought. It's a bit like getting to know someone new. The more time you spend with them, the more interesting they become.

Once you start looking, you begin to realise that our towns and villages are full of these quiet little treasures. That's one of the reasons I love drawing architecture. It's not just about producing a picture of a building. It's about encouraging people to stop for a moment and really look at it. To notice the craftsmanship that went into creating it and to appreciate the generations of people who've walked through its doors or gathered beneath its roof.

Sadly, many of these buildings are disappearing. Old pubs become apartments. Historic shops become chain stores. Beautiful buildings are altered beyond recognition or simply demolished. Every time that happens, a little piece of local history disappears with them. Perhaps that's why I enjoy recording them in pen and ink. It's my small way of preserving something worth remembering.

So, here's a little challenge.

The next time you're out for a walk, leave your phone in your pocket for just five minutes. Look up instead. Really look. See what's above the shop fronts. Notice the old brickwork, the carved stone, the ornate windows and the buildings that have quietly stood there for decades, sometimes centuries. I suspect you'll spot something you've walked past dozens of times but never truly seen.

And who knows? You might even find yourself slowing down a little.

In a world that's always urging us to look at another screen, perhaps the most interesting things are still waiting above eye level.