New York-based artist Ben Rubin transforms mundane New York City subway photos into creative illustrations with his larger than life titans. Fueled by a wild imagination, Rubin affectionately brings his Subway Doodles to life using an iPad Air 2, the Procreate drawing app, and a cheap stylus with a mesh tip.

The ongoing project has since become a viral sensation for Rubin who initially started doodling to pass the time.

Rubin tells DigitalRev that the reception has been overwhelmingly positive for his creatures, “I’ve always drawn weird creatures. As a child, I consumed an abundance of comic books and movies, now my brain is just smashing it all together and regurgitating it. ”

#subwaydoodle #subway #doodle #swd #nyc #monster #nap #cuddle #friendship #leanonme

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Oct 16, 2015 at 6:01am PDT

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While there are times where Rubin takes a picture with an idea in mind, most of the time his creations are formed in the moment. “I tend to figure out what I want to do later on” he says. Of all of the candid pictures he takes, only a few of them become doodles. “Often I start drawing without knowing where I’ll end up. ”

“I receive a lot of notes from people telling me that I make them smile. That makes me smile. ”

The fantastical creatures initially provided a hilarious juxtaposition to real life situations, but as the Subway Doodle evolved, the bizarre creatures Rubin conjures up have taken on human mannerisms parodying the type of people you might encounter on a subway commute.

Rubin is currently working on the next phase of Subway Doodles so be sure to visit his website and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Monday. Les Miserables. #subwaydoodle #subway #doodle #swd #monday #lesmiserables #actuallyimquitehappy

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Mar 21, 2016 at 5:48am PDT

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#subwaydoodle #subway #doodle #swd #nyc #peeper #bookstagram

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Jun 20, 2016 at 5:00am PDT

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#subwaydoodle #subway #doodle #swd #nyc #cramped

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Aug 20, 2016 at 6:38am PDT

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#subwaydoodle #subway #doodle #swd #nyc #iphone #android

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Aug 31, 2016 at 7:00am PDT

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#canteven

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Nov 9, 2016 at 4:35am PST

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#subwaydoodle #subway #doodle #swd #nyc #seat #bunisher

A photo posted by Subway Doodle (@subwaydoodle) on Sep 12, 2016 at 5:01am PDT

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Title photo via Subway Doodle

2016-11-15 03:00