Artist captures Toronto with ‘Drawing People I See in the City’ series

An artist has captured the everyday beauty of Toronto with the Drawing People I See in the City series.

Created by the artist ‘Videl,’ the project is an ongoing digital gallery capturing the lives of Torontonians (amongst others) through their day-to-day routines, commutes, and exchanges.

Frequently posted on Videl’s X (formerly Twitter) page, the project celebrates the mundane with an abundance of colour, character, and universal appeal.

YourcitywithIN.com reached out to Videl to gain insight into their process and learn what makes Toronto an ideal moving canvas.

“I’m not a poetic person, and there is a direct brevity to doing these sketches. When I started, I asked myself, ‘What am I doing here?’ Then it came to me, and I just started drawing people,” Videl told YourcitywithIN.com.

[“Gorgeous Woman with Extremely Square Jawline” by Videl.]

While not much is known about the artist, Videl indicated that the series began while attending Sheridan College’s Arts & Design program — the largest in Canada, right here in Toronto.

During this developmental period, Videl was introduced to a common phrase creatives often face when first starting, characterized by instructors as ‘draw what you know.’

What started as an exercise in observation then caught the public’s attention, and ever since, the Drawing People I See in the City series has gained massive praise in online spaces.

“I remember, I was in school at the time, and one day after I posted a drawing, I looked at my phone and saw 99 plus notifications firing off. I even ended up having to shut my phone off because they kept going,” says Videl. “From that point it moved from being academic to personal, kind of my own visual diary of the city.”

As for inspiration, Videl indicated that their initial muse was Toronto’s art scene, as early subjects were often observed on campus, at house shows, and in famous venues, such as Lee’s Palace.

However, throughout this process, Videl’s work began to evolve, described by them as a natural progression from capturing people, and instead, opting to mix things up with moments.

[“#1 Dinosaur Fan” by Videl.]

“It started to change from more than just an interesting-looking person to an interesting-looking situation. From that point on, my focus shifted towards more storytelling,” says Videl.

Videl’s methods remain unchanged post-narrative focus, quickly noting that, while a fun thought, they are not rapidly sketching in notebooks on the TTC, and instead hold a scenario in their mind’s eye until they can grab a pencil.

As a result, these sketches aren’t portraits, but instead, are imperfect memories from the hustle and bustle of the city.

“If I see something interesting, I start to take mental notes. I challenge myself with how many strategies I can use to hold an image in my head. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh man, I got that face totally wrong.’ But that’s the beauty of it, if I wanted it perfect, I would have just taken a picture.”

[“Rigorous Athletic Training” by Videl.]

Videl’s series of capturing everyday life doesn’t stop at Toronto, as they are currently expanding their horizons to other major metropolitan areas in the country.

As for the current state of the Drawing People I See in the City series, Videl says it is just the beginning and is celebrating its success by releasing an art book of their work in June.

[“Drawing People I See in the City” by Videl.]

“I feel a lot of gratitude. I tried to start this without a lot of contrivance, and it has resonated with so many people.”