Stories on the Train

By Carol Hsiung

I have always sketched throughout my life off and on. It was always an occasional “event”. So four years ago when I by chance stumbled onto Urban Sketchers and discovered an international community of amazing sketchers, it was eye opening. The realization that sketching could be part of my daily life invigorated me and since then I have been carrying my sketchbook everywhere I go. 

I sketch quickly with a Micron 01 black pen on a sketch pad as small as 6” x  4” (convenient to carry in my bag and easy to obscure in public). Even though I am an architect, my sketches end up mostly of people. I find that people create meaning and stories in their environments. My architectural background definitely has influenced my sketching style. It probably all started in my first year architectural contour line drawing class. Since then, my “line” has not stopped. My drawings feel very true to Paul Klee’s discription, “Drawing is taking a line for a walk”. The process of sketching is like taking my mind on a walk: a “walk” to relax, destress, observe, document, and connect with the world.

Finding time to sketch can become challenging in our very social society and especially around family life which is why the train ride has become a favorite sketching spot. The train is how I commute to work in New York City and where I can be alone surrounded by people with their own stories.

Carol Hsiung is an architect in New York and you can see more of her work on Flickr.

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