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Drawing People: Wilfrid Wood takes a fresh creative direction with his new show

If you're familiar with Wilfrid Wood's work, you'll know that he sculpts faces from plasticine.

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Wilfrid Wood stands beside a pencil drawing of a man's face mounted on a white wall

From Justin Bieber to David Bowie, no-one is too famous for the Hackney Wick artist's satirical contortions, and no-one too good-looking to be taken down a peg or two. But for a new exhibition at Space Gallery this month, Wilfrid has leant his finely honed observation skills to a different medium – drawing.

"I’ll draw anyone," he says. "Sometimes a very dull looking person walks through the door, and I think ‘what the hell can I do with that?’ But mysteriously I end up with a good drawing. Other times someone spectacular sits for me, and I do a crap drawing. It's impossible to pre-judge."

Training as a "head builder" for Spitting Image, it’s unsurprising that Wilfrid’s plasticine creations demonstrate a wit that must make even the most emotionally secure wince. From Paul McCartney’s mouth puckered like an anus to Harry Redknapp’s cavernously sunken eyes, Wilfrid’s take on the human face is both cutting and charming – a fact that has led to commissions from the likes of The New Yorker, Vice and Colette.

Showing a more tender side, these drawings – all done from life – are intimate snapshots of some of the people he’s met. On show at Space Gallery in Hackney until the end of July. To find out more, visit wilfridwood.com.

Artist Wilfrid Wood stands beside a detailed pencil portrait drawing of a man wearing a beanie hat, displayed on a white wall
Young man wearing glasses and a dark t-shirt standing beside a detailed pencil portrait drawing of a bespectacled face on a white wall
Artist Wilfrid Wood stands next to a pen and ink portrait drawing of a man's face mounted on a white wall
Wilfrid Wood stands between two large portrait drawings in ink, showing male faces rendered in his distinctive observational style
Artist Wilfrid Wood stands beside one of his portrait drawings pinned to a white wall, wearing a blue and white checked shirt
Woman in white top standing beside a pencil portrait drawing of a face with side-parted hair and hoop earrings pinned to a white wall
Artist Wilfrid Wood stands next to a pen-and-ink portrait drawing of himself wearing glasses and a cap, both smiling at the camera
Exhibition gallery interior at Space Gallery showing portrait drawings by Wilfrid Wood displayed on white walls with a dark floor and support columns
Man with blonde hair wearing a white necklace standing next to a pencil sketch portrait of a face on a white wall
A gallery wall displaying a series of portrait drawings by Wilfrid Wood, rendered in black ink on white paper, hanging at eye level in a minimalist white-walled space with industrial ceiling and a supporting column
Woman in white floral shirt standing next to a pencil portrait drawing of a face with hair in a bun and hoop earrings
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