Commuters (and Sketch Journal Musings, Part 2)

11/1/25

10/2/25

Our light rail system has been going through a lot of partial closures for maintenance and development. In the long run, the system will be much better (the long-overdue, highly anticipated connection with the Eastside light rail line is probably one of the most exciting public transportation developments in my lifetime! I detest driving across the bridge!), but in the short-run, the closures have been inconvenient. On some recent days, I’ve had to take the bus downtown instead, which can be slower and less reliable.

11/20/25

11/30/25

For sketching, the bus is also way more bumpy; squiggly lines in some sketches shown here are downright humorous! On the upside, natural light through windows can be interesting to catch.

12/8/25

12/12/25

Looking through these commuter sketches prompted me to continue thinking about my sketch journaling process and what my journal is good for. More than any other series, my sketches of people on public transportation document my day-to-day travels. Whether visiting friends, meeting up with other sketchers, or running errands, if I rode a bus or train there, I probably sketched other passengers and noted where I was going. In the same way I might note: “Went downtown” in a written diary, these sketches become my visual diary in a very literal sense. I like that.

12/27/25

1/9/26

1/16/26

1/24/26

1/28/26

1/31/26 I rarely use anything but a marker or brush pen for commuter portraits,
mainly due to expediency, but I have been enjoying Derwent Drawing pencils
so much lately that I gave one a try on this light rail ride.