The Change In Newcastle’s West End Told Through Illustration

The change in Newcastle’s west end is showcased through a map created by Liz Anelli.

The story of change

Newcastle, which is the second biggest city located in New South Wales, is experiencing change, from the train line cut short due to light rail, to the current developments of multi-storey buildings in the CBD.

In 2013, Liz Anelli, a Hunter-based illustrator, created a big public mural of the Newcastle port, then also created an Illustrated Map of Newcastle’s east end in order to be used by walkers.

Her current map of the city’s west end showcased a lot of the landmarks that she hopes will encourage the residents to check their surroundings.

The use of technology to discover places

Ms Anelli designs children’s books and creates maps, murals and graphics.

She was always interested in art. She used to draw house plans and maps of an ideal town, as a child.

It took her 4 months to research, to draw, to color and to finish the Illustrated Map.

Ms Anelli made use of technology to assist her with the artwork. She said that she began with Google Maps for accuracy.

She drew a plan of all the streets’ location and photocopied it. She then went out with her sketchbook and camera and explored the streets.

Every time she saw something interesting, she either took a photo or drew it or do a research about it. Then, she went back to her studio to piece the things together.

There are iconic buildings, waterways and parks represented in the map.

She also researched some locations’ history.

The map showcased old art deco buildings located in Hamilton and new office blocks located in Newcastle West, which represented the transformation in the city.

She also had to make hard decisions regarding which landmarks to include and to not include. She said that she did not get so detailed and only included the most interesting ones.

Benefits of going out to explore the world

Ms Anelli mentioned that there was something special in observing the place one lives in. She added that she wanted to just use her eyes and look around her, rather than be engrossed in phones and computers.