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Commuters on the MRT train are often busy staring at their phones. Some may even be deeply absorbed in their thoughts.
Or end up fast asleep.
One man, however, is making art with a pencil and sketchbook while on the go.
Jeff Lai, an artist in Singapore, has been sketching realistic portraits of strangers on the train and surprising them with the finished end product.
His videos have ben well-received online.
He films himself sketching and uploads the videos onto his TikTok page, @jeffandpencil.
Sketching strangers in the MRT
His most popular video has over 167,900 views as of Thursday (Jun. 23) afternoon.
@jeffandpencilAh, I can’t take video♬ Title - Meghan Trainor
In the video, which was posted on Jun. 17, Lai sketched a portrait of a woman sitting opposite him in the MRT carriage.
She was wearing a face mask and was engrossed with her phone, an image Lai captured with fidelity in his own sketch.
Once he finished his sketch, Lai then approached the lady, saying: "Excuse me, I drew this for you."
The woman, who was visibly surprised by Lai's drawing, thanked him and subsequently asked if he had an Instagram account for her to follow.
Here are other videos of Lai sketching strangers on the MRT, all of which have garnered at least 40,000 views at the time of this article.
@jeffandpencilOn the way, might as well♬ Jiggle Jiggle - Duke & Jones & Louis Theroux
@jeffandpencilDon’t judge the way I hold my pencil♬ Sunrise - Official Sound Studio
@jeffandpencil First time street drawing on the MRT, but is alr better than on the cab :D #streetdrawing ♬ nhạc nền - them an chipchip 👁👅👁
Besides sketching strangers on the go, Lai also does sketches of people he spots at other locations in Singapore.
Sketching strangers at cafés
@jeffandpencilJust when I finished drawing one person, they wore their masks and stood up…..But they went to buy another piece of cake. Phew~ Well I had time to draw another one haha 😂♬ Light Switch - Charlie Puth
@jeffandpencilMini Timelapse drawing✌️♬ Funny Song - Cavendish Music
@jeffandpencilChilling in the cafe♬ Sunroof - Nicky Youre & dazy
Sketching father and son at the playground
@jeffandpencilWell done fathers! :D♬ Cartoon-style piano solo jazz(853970) - motofuji
Sketching buskers
@jeffandpencil Today’s busking at Payar Lebar! #singapore #busking ♬ 阿拉斯加海湾（剪辑版） - 胡卡卡
@jeffandpencilGuZeng busker at admiralty. Here is how I exchange my appreciation :)♬ Dj Salting - DJ Mbon Mbon
Drawing professors in class
@jeffandpencilDrew my professor in class and passed it to him. It is rare to have a prof remembering students’ names he taught year ago. It is my gesture for appreciation :)♬ ZOOM - Jessi
@jeffandpencilTo our Machine Learning prof♬ ZOOM - Jessi
More artworks on Instagram and YouTube
Besides his TikTok page, Lai also shares his artworks on his Instagram and YouTube pages.
These artworks include realistic drawings of famous celebrities and fictional characters.
K-Pop celebs
Money Heist characters
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Top images via jeffandpencil on TikTok.