I admit it. I am a profiler. A subway seat profiler. When I saw this article in the NY Times, I thought, ha! I’ve been doing that since the subway cost a buck! (Ok, maybe even since it cost 50 cents, but I’m not admitting it.)
Here’s how it works. You wait and wait and wait and wait for the subway and when it gets to your station there are no seats. But you are tired and really want to sit. SO…you look around the car and see who looks like they might be getting off at certain stops. At this point for me, I think it’s almost instinctual. Hmmm, that person looks like they are going to change at Atlantic Ave. I will position myself in front of her. Sometimes it works. sometimes you’re screwed and you think, I really shouldn’t have worn these shoes today.
That’s the way it goes. I just hope the person who had 12 bulbs of garlic with his dinner last night isn’t the one breathing heavily down my neck while I’m trying to hold on and read my book.
I did not get a seat on the subway this day.
The above drawings are a few I’ve done so far for the SKETCHBOOK PROJECT. I was working diligently on my sketchbook until I put it “someplace safe” when I left for Peru. And then couldn’t it find it for weeks after I returned. Luckily it was found. Apparently “someplace safe” means shove it into a bag in your closet. My theme is “A day in the life.” And now I better get crackin’! I still have tons of pages to fill.
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October 30, 2010 at 9:27 am
Bonnie Luria
Oh I remember this dance. And in the days of the fare being a buck or less, the word profile only referred to the angle you didn’t want to be photographed from.
What we did on the subway was called ” intuiting “.
Sounds so much less 2009, doesn’t it?
They look like they’re changing at Grand Central, They look like they’re getting off at Union Square….it was actually a psyche game I used to play to see how close I’d come to accuracy.
And by now, haven’t we learned to always wear good shoes and carry the ” nice ” shoes? Along with the water bottle that heaven forbid we should be without for more than 30 minutes because where in NYC can you ever find a drink of water when you want one.
I know your sketch book is going to make me laugh with recognition when it’s done. Your sketches are terrific.
And Don’t Stand Beyond The Yellow Line.
October 30, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Carol King
Bonnalaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I know you did this too…and were probably very good at it. And yes, I pretty much always wear my sneakers to work and change when I get there. That’s why I have 27 pairs of black shoes under my desk.
Glad you like the sketches. I have to do many, many, many more to fill that damn sketchbook. The pressure!
October 30, 2010 at 12:17 pm
sam
Just in case you thought you were lost (and who doesn’t now and then?), I moved you to my “Storytellers” section. Your water towers tempt me to keep you under “Artists”, but even there, you write as well as you art. So, I dub you Carol the Storyteller King. Now that you’re going underground I know I’m right. Besides, you are so third rail, dude!
October 30, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Carol King
Sam, you crack me up. Thank you for letting me know where I am located on your blog. I am thrilled just to be located anywhere on your blogroll. BTW, I don’t know how I over looked it, but you are now on mine.
I am so third rail! hahahahahaha! that made my day.
October 30, 2010 at 2:30 pm
lesliepaints
I will enjoy reading about the day in the life only because I have not had to experience any of this. The only public transit I have been exposed to is the “el” in Chicago and that was for fun trips to museums and ball games and all things exciting! It was not a daily get to and from work nor were they very crowded at the times I rode. Your sketches are wonderful. The values and perspective in the top one draws me right in. The crowd in the second one says, I don’t want to be in that crowd. A sign of good drawings when they talk like that to the viewer. Good job, Carol! Happy sketching and Happy Halloween!
October 30, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Carol King
Leslie, thanks so much for your comments on my sketches. I had fun doing these and look forward to doing more. I’m glad the crowd in the 2nd one says what it does. There was NO ROOM for one more person on that subway car that day!!!!
October 30, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Rhonda
You had me laughing out loud about this – not the fact that you can’t get a seat on the subway, but putting your sketchbook somewhere safe – done that and couldn’t find something for days! Somewhere safe is a temporary place that seems just perfect at the time but you forget as soon as you do it – I think that’s how it works. And the guy with the garlic breath – hey, that’s good news = no vampires attacking you while he’s around breathing on you!! Have a great Sunday!
October 30, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Carol King
Rhonda, I have so many “safe places”! And so many things I can’t find! It’s nice to know I’m not alone.
October 30, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Stephen
Brilliant! I love your drawings.
Are you doing these from memory or while you travel?
Your self-portrait there is so cool.
Looks like the garlic guy is in there somewhere too.
I look forward to seeing more
October 30, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Carol King
Sometimes I try to sketch when I travel, but mostly I do these from photos I take. You’re actually not allowed to take photographs in the subway so I’m glad I didn’t get caught. Wouldn’t want the NYPD after me.
October 30, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Alex Zonis
I thought you have NYPD with you at all times :lol:! You are practically an insider!
I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am your sketchbook got found! I missed your sketches and your online presence. I am all too familiar with a subway of a big city – “L” here. Don’t even talk to me about the smells! I can probably write a novel about smells on the “L”. Seat profiling is easy in Chicago. There are stations where all black people get off and white people get on. Stations where yuppies get on or off, “boy’s town”, “Polish village”… I live by a big university, so I get off with all these 12 year-olds that go there ;). I swear they get younger every day!
The new sketches are really cool. Give me a sense of NY – I like that. Did you post them at the Art House?
November 2, 2010 at 10:22 am
Carol King
Hi Alex, it’s clear you too know how to seat profile. You know NY has “Ls” too. Except we call them “ELs” for elevated lines. Some subway lines are elevated in certain sections of the city. And it also sounds like you know all about subway or “L” smells. It’s always worse in the summer.
Yes, I posted all my sketches at the Art House.
October 30, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Cathyann Burgess
OH my…I used to do that to back in …HA thought I would give that away? I am in sync with Bonnie. Great sketches, Carol, glad you found your book. I hate those safe places we put things. Been really busy…gotta go look at more of your blog, too.
November 2, 2010 at 10:23 am
Carol King
I’m so glad I found my sketchbook. Now I just need to SKETCH!
October 31, 2010 at 5:27 am
jimmyboi2
YOU LOSE THINGS? So do I. I find that if something has been in a SILLY place for years, and then I finally put it into a RATIONAL place… that I can no longer find it when I need it. There are lost layers of time in my house. Time travel… impossible?!? No, just come to MY house and you have your choices of warp !
When Donald and I took the N into the city, and it happened to be packed, we KNEW we would get a seat at Canal Street when the Asians got off. And we always wondered: what were in all those shopping bags?
Love the “Subway Series” you are doing !
November 2, 2010 at 10:24 am
Carol King
I never lose anything. I just put them all in safe places for surprise discovery later.
October 31, 2010 at 9:01 am
Rick Daddario
oh wow. those are way fun drawings Carol. a perfectly captured audience of posers too! bwahahahaha – at least between stops and trains.
yeah, some place safe… where shall i put this. when i cant find it again, i start from the beginning. that is i would pick up another sketchbook and pretend i was going to Peru AGAIN! and then try to find in the spirit of the moment a good place to put this sketchbook so it would be safe. …i find what i’m looking for that way about 65% of the time.
your theme triggered a memory for me too. “A Day In The Life” was an alternate way of describing what a few friends and i were doing off and on about the beginning of each month for a year or two (more or less 2007 – 2009). the actual activity was HCD – or – Hourly Comic Day. also known as Day’s Worth – that is, the team blog. we attempted to do a comic panel every hour of the day we were awake. …comic being stretched a lot sometimes.
it sometimes got to be more, just what i’m doing for me, with an attempt to find something related to humor in me. ..some of those people really had an awesome sense of humor tho. and of course sometimes we only got to a panel or two on our day… if you’re curios… and may be brave with a warped sense of humor (and in some cases probably able to withstand adult humor without being offended) you can browse the archives here:
http://burpingbabies.blogspot.com/
yeah, it was the brain storm of Victoria (or V.K.) – who also went by a few other names as well and called the blogspot Burping Babies. it was fun and an intense scramble for me on those days. some days i only got a few panels. once in a while i’d get 20 or so…
sorry. i got off topic.
way cool on your subway drawings. i like the energy in them. and BOTH have a great sense of the subway experience. way cool. way fun. i like that. aloha. Wrick
November 2, 2010 at 10:30 am
Carol King
Hey Wrick, loved the burbing babies site and if I don’t finish my sketchbook I may have to steal some of the sketches from your old site!
Thanks for your comments. Aloha!
November 2, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Rick Daddario
ha aloha Carol. bahahahaha – Burping Babies was fun.
hey, i investigated (your) The Sketchbook Project and found it really exciting. with the extended deadline for participating i was really tempted to go for it this year. i would have to give up some other projects i’m working on to do that so i put blinders on to stay focused (i hope). i’m keeping the Sketchbook Project on my list for next year. …if they do it again. it looks like a major under taking for them and they do a great job of it. go for it, i want to be able to see your book on line!
October 31, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Jala Pfaff
Looking good.
November 2, 2010 at 10:31 am
Carol King
Thank Jala, Wrick won the prize for the longest comment. You get the prize for the shortest! No matter the length, it’s still appreciated.
October 31, 2010 at 11:05 pm
napabelle
Why can’t you take pictures in the subway ??? What about all the movies ??
I used to ride in the Paris subway, pretty much the same experience.
I ride the SF one every now and then. Once, I was sitting and sketching this middle eastern gentlemen for quite a while, working on his face. He got out at his station, and I stayed in at least 7 stations further. 3 hours later, my son and I went to a restaurant, in the French section of SF, and who do I spot on another table, with 11 other men ?? Yes, that was him. My son did not believe me, so I pulled out my sketch… sure enough !!
November 2, 2010 at 10:33 am
Carol King
Wow, amazing story about the man you were sketching. I don’t think I would have believed it either. LOL! You can’t take pictures on the subway for security reasons. But all the tourists do it. Many of the movies just use old subway cars and sets.
November 1, 2010 at 6:16 am
Artswebshow
i always used to have this problem on the train to work when i commuted years ago.
i’m so grateful that i dont ave to do it any more. lol
i like this second sketch, it actually looks like peering through a crowd.
The depth is great
November 2, 2010 at 10:35 am
Carol King
Thanks for your comments Richard. I used to think I would rather drive, but not I just like to (sometimes) sit and read during my commute.
November 1, 2010 at 6:45 am
Sonya Chasey
These drawings remind me of most of my daily experience too, but I’m lucky to get on at the beginning so I get a seat! (Today I’m saved though as it’s “All Saints'” holiday.)
I like how you capture the luminosity of the station inside the dark tunnel. How do you manage to take photos without getting seen? I find it’s hard enough to not be noticed even when I’m trying to hide my sketchbook behind by bag & drawing in this situation!
November 2, 2010 at 10:46 am
Carol King
I took the photos with my cell phone camera. I walked to the end of the platform on the top on and took the photo as the train was entering the station. Most people are facing the train as it enters and there weren’t many people down there so I snapped away.
I also took the photo on the crowded car by raising up my cell phone and taking a pictures. Which could have gotten me into trouble if someone saw me and didn’t want to be photographed.
November 1, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Joan T
Great sketches from the subway. Were you sketching standing up? You must have a great sense of balance. lol I think anyone who ever rides the subway more than once plays that game.
November 2, 2010 at 10:48 am
Carol King
I do not have that great a sense of balance that I could sketch and ride the subway standing up. I’d either be on my butt or in someone’s lap! Glad you like the sketches, thanks.
November 1, 2010 at 5:22 pm
northpenninegallery
Carol, you’re making me feel guilty. I haven’t even begun my sketchbook. Today was going to be the start but hey-ho! I love this, especially the one of inside the train. You should pretend to make a mobile phone call to a friend telling her that your head lice problem is still a problem. See if that gives you some more personal space!
November 2, 2010 at 10:50 am
Carol King
Keith….I’m still laughing at your head lice comment. And squirming a bit too. Don’t think I don’t think about that when I’m crammed in with a zillion people.
November 1, 2010 at 9:26 pm
w1kkp
I went to NYC last week. I got on my first subway (by myself). A man opposite me who was experiencing some bad luck, (perhaps years of it) had a hole in his pants, a very large hole and guess what was falling out of it. I was not the least bit curious as to what station he might be getting off at….I just wanted mine to come as soon as possible. Unrelated, I took photos of water towers for you from my hotel room mid-town. They are everywhere!!
November 2, 2010 at 10:52 am
Carol King
I know exactly what was falling out of that man’s pants. Ew!
Good for you for getting on the subway by yourself. And Yay for taking photos of water towers. I can’t wait to see them. Yes, they are everywhere.
Hope you had fun in NY.
November 7, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Francis
I hope we have subways as convinient as NYC, since i could rememeber seems like we need to drive to everywhere when ever we need to, public transpor is really bad here. I did have an experience with a really pack subway whn i went to Tokyo. It was scary as i was shoved in and left hanging in the air for a while (can’t feel the ground, airborn). I like your a day in the life sketch project, it’s very interenting to see other people perspective of the world. Thanks for sharing Carol.
November 12, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Joan T
Thanks for the Broadway review. I have to get into the city to see something. It has been too long.
Love the watertowers!!! I’ll have to remember your black combination. I’m always looking for something good.
November 14, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Val Erde
Love your sketches and oh boy do I remember the days of travelling by ‘the tube’ as it’s called in London, UK. Yeah…. trying to suss which people were going to leave their seats… quite an art! I’d usually try to psyche people out who were sitting near the exits. Didn’t usually work!