Metro Doodles is what I call this form of drawing. You sit on the train, tram, whatever you’ve got and you draw the people around you, and if rare cases, there’s a robot or a phantom or something, that’s not a human, but you still wanna draw it. But you’re not always on the train for a long time, especially if you’re on a tram you don’t have a million years to draw. But to capture the scene your eyes see without an instant device such as a camera, well there, a different quality about it. These drawings are all done by Aurélie Bordenave.

Miss Aurélie Bordenave works and plays in Paris, France, and gets a lot of eyeball to fingertips to pencil action on the metro line, and here is the evidence. Look at the masterful works here, and feel the energy. It’s a unique energy, one that only comes from capturing and translating a moment, a scene in life, down for yourself on a piece of paper. And here’s something I bet you might not know: it’s healthy.

For most people, drawing quickly, capturing the world in this fashion, helps on become calm, helps one become centered and strong in the moment. It also, surprise!, helps one become better at drawing and illustrating pictures, which is good for everyone. Everyone should have a basic set of skills in the illustration world. Not only does it make you healthy socially, but it helps you be calm and mentally healthy.

The title of this project is “Croquis de métro” aka “Subway Sketches.”

Take a peek through Bordenave’s sketchbook here, and if you’d like to take a look at the rest of her works or contact her about hiring out her excellent design and illustration skills, hit up her portfolio site.

ALSO: I assume these are drawn in and around Paris, but given the transportation culture they’ve got in France and the surrounding area, they could be basically anywhere.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies on the street category.