Deal characters, pets and even a pigeon are portrayed on a 60ft stretch of eye-catching public art in the town centre.

The 8ft tall colourful creation has been designed and painted by Walmer artist Penny Bearman, who is now putting the finishing touches to the hoardings outside the former Strand pub, formerly the Black Horse hotel.

She said: "It has been an amazing project and I hope to be finished by the end of this week."

The invitation to paint the long picture was made by contractors working on the imposing detached property.

Mrs Bearman added: "I love paint and do a lot of soul searching about my work, but this project has been the closest yet to feeling totally comfortable with my painting.

"At the end of the project it is going to be hard to go back to working on small paintings again!

"The more I paint the more people come along for a chat. They do care about their town and they have been thanking me for my big pictures."

Mrs Bearman has previously painted characters in the doorways of the empty Regent bingo and poster-type pictures for outside the derelict Quarterdeck opposite Deal Pier.