Dean’s gate in black-and-white.

A digital vector drawing by Chaz Newton-Smith

This striking black-and-white digital drawing captures the energy and rhythm of Deansgate, one of Manchester’s most iconic streets. Created by Stockport-based artist Chaz Newton-Smith, the artwork is a dramatic exploration of architecture, movement, and urban life—achieved with nothing more than pure black linework on a crisp white background.

Originally, this piece began life as a commissioned artwork for a very charming doctor who lived just off Deansgate. The first version was simpler, containing far less detail, designed to suit the private tastes and personal memories of the client. However, Chaz later developed a fuller, more intricate version of the scene, allowing him to push the expressive power of the drawing even further.

The ambition behind the piece was to show not just the recognisable landmarks and structures of Deansgate, but also the feeling of the place: its bustle, its life, its constant movement. In Chaz’s version, pedestrians hurry along the pavements, a cyclist moves purposefully through the traffic, and a classic black cab turns into view. Every element has been carefully constructed using dynamic, expressive mark-making, capturing both the structure of the city and its spontaneous energy.

Working entirely in black and white was a deliberate artistic choice. Stripped of colour, the drawing relies on contrast, texture, and line to communicate drama and atmosphere. Each mark matters—whether it’s the loose sweep of a road surface or the tight, angular strokes defining the old Victorian façades. The modern glass towers are treated with the same attention to surface and reflection, their presence harmonised into the historic fabric of Manchester’s cityscape.

This drawing, like much of Chaz Newton-Smith’s work, occupies a space between traditional draftsmanship and modern digital art. Though made using a tablet and vector tools, the spirit of the piece is unmistakably expressive and human. There’s a vibrancy and immediacy to the mark-making that draws the viewer closer, encouraging them to move beyond the buildings themselves and into the texture of the city.

Deansgate has always been one of Manchester’s busiest and most important thoroughfares—a place where the old and the new collide. In this drawing, Chaz captures that collision with elegance and a certain rawness. The mixture of Victorian brickwork, contemporary glass, hurried pedestrians, and passing traffic all come together in a composition that feels both carefully composed and alive with chance.

By choosing to focus on black and white, Chaz also invites the viewer to see Deansgate afresh—not just as a collection of buildings, but as a living, breathing corridor of human experience. The absence of colour heightens our attention to form, line, and gesture, encouraging a deeper, more emotional connection to the scene.

This vector artwork stands as a testament to Chaz Newton-Smith’s ability to blend traditional artistic skills with modern techniques, creating pieces that are both technically sophisticated and rich in feeling.