Riding on the subway every day might seem like it’d get old, but artist Ben Rubin keeps a fresh perspective with his imaginative series Subway Doodle. The ongoing project features snapshots of New York City train cars and passengers with a fantastical twist—Rubin adds his own characters into the scenes as they “interact” with real-world surroundings in both amusing and mischievous ways. The larger-than-life creatures hang on sleepy riders, sneak sips of coffee, and of course, are similarly engrossed in their phones.
Subway Doodle begins while Rubin is en route to a destination—it’s how the series was first born. “I started sketching on my iPad during my commute just to pass the time. One day I took a picture with my iPad on the train and drew over the picture,” he explained to Odyssey. “It was fun so I did another. And another. Then it just kind of continued from there.”
Years after beginning the project, Rubin continues to regularly post illustrations. Follow his Instagram to what’s lurking in the underground as well as on the streets of the Big Apple.
