Subway Doodle—Artist Draws Strange Creatures Next To Commuters On The New York Subway

Do you ever find yourself sat on the subway, looking over at a fellow commuter and wondering to yourself exactly what type of monster you could draw next to them? You probably don't, but some people do.

Some people like artist Ben Rubin.

Rather then choosing to keep these thoughts to himself Rubin, perhaps it's a cathartic act, takes photos of those fellow commuters, and draws the creature he imagines sitting next to them. Sketching it out on his iPad.

He then posts the results to Instagram under the account @SubwayDoodle. "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." Rubin told Odyssey, "It was fun so I did another. And another. Then it just kind of continued from there."

The resulting sketches can take inspiration from anywhere—a heatwave, Donald Trump, lost tourists, people immersed in their phones—most of the time the monsters are interacting in some way with the commuters, leaning on or cuddling them. Or just startled at a sleeping human.

Not every picture makes the cut though, it takes the right kind of photo to become a doodle. ""While most of the doodles are based in the subway, inspiration can strike at anytime." notes Rubin. "I take a lot of pictures. Only a few become doodles."

Next time you're on the NYC subway and see some guy taking a pic of with an iPad, it might well be Rubin finding his next artistic inspiration.

Take a look at some of his work below. And head to Rubin's Instagram for more.