The Everyday of the Subway

Some New Yorkers just deserve to be drawn

The history of art has many examples of everyday people in portrait. So why not subway riders? I drew these three women, probably on their way home from work (it was around 5pm), because I thought they were beautiful. They appeared to be hard working women. Three individuals out of a million riders on the A train that day, and I captured them.

As I drew, I recorded the drawing on video screen grab on my iPhone. For my subway sketches, I always draw on my phone with my finger (have tried a stylus but prefer using my finger). It makes the drawing look a little crude, but I like it that way. It’s an impression….not really a portrait. But I like to think I got the feeling of these women.

My favorite woman is the woman on the left with grey hair, glasses and knee-stockings. I almost just drew her solo, she was so interesting looking. But it felt like her fellow riders added something to her presence.

My ride was from 59th street to 207th street. They got off somewhere around 125th street, I think, but I had enough visual information stored (mostly colors) in my brain that I could finish and make a video and post before I got off the train.

Here is the video capture, sped up: