Mik Artistik: “There are certain people that float my boat and I just ask if I can draw them. It's not a passive job – I'm not sitting there on a stall with my work on show – I like to cause a bit of a stir. I might walk into an office, or a butcher's shop, or just knock on somebody's door.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“I struggle to remember a lot of people I draw, but I keep a book called The Bag Book about the adventures I've had. There have been some amazing and appalling things that have happened when I've been out drawing.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“Ted was a temporary steward in a working men's club. I asked him if he would stand for a portrait – he had pints to pull and people to deal with, but he said, 'Yeah, go on then.' He showed manners in allowing himself to be drawn on a brown paper bag.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“Roxy was a young girl in South Leeds. It's a fairly underprivileged area which is quite rough. There was no flicker on her face; she just said, 'Yeah, draw me.' There was no smiling or giggling, she was just a tough little girl.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“Rachel was a young women, 16 or 17 years old, who was with her mother when I drew her. I get a lot of people tell me stories – they unload stuff on me. Sometimes I can't believe some of the things I've heard.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“It was a sunny afternoon and Peter was just sitting outside – he had no money, but he had this great set of teeth. Teeth are a bugger to draw; you get them slightly wrong and the whole face can change, but I went for it.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“I'd see this guy around Leeds a lot and I was curious, I wanted to know his story. He was a strange man: a little bit eccentric but there was a certain prophetic quality to him – he looked like John the Baptist. He was one of these characters that people see and they tend to back off, but he sat with me for 15 minutes while I drew him and he was just a gentle, thoughtful man.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“Men tend to be more amenable. I find that women can be guarded – I think they're more conscious of how they look and they don't want to be examined. It's 15 minutes of looking into someone's eyes – it's quite unnerving for both of us really. Sometimes I fall in love with somebody and sometimes I can't wait to get away.” Photograph: Mik Artistik
“I drew my friend in biro years ago – when I had finished, it looked just like her. I was stunned. I was 27 years old and I thought, where did that come from? I'd been on the dole and doing jobs on building sites, but then I thought 'Crikey, I can draw!' Photograph: Mik Artistik
“When I've got an audience watching, there's a pressure to deliver and I find that it heightens the experience. There's often a mixed reaction to my drawings - some people say, “Oh I could do better than that,” but others say, “Cor that's you, is that! It's got one eye and it's you already!”” Photograph: Mik Artistik
