Day 26. Commercial Drive, Vancouver.

four days to go!

Apr 26, 2022

The SneakyArt Post is the work of independent artist, writer, and podcaster Nishant Jain. Join the community supporting his work by signing up to become a SneakyArt Insider.

👋🏼 Hello reader!

This is Day 26 of 30 Days of Vancouver, a project to draw every day in this new part of the world that I call home.

I went to Commercial Drive — the neighbourhood also known as Little Italy — to sit inside Moja Coffee. This place was recommended on an r/vancouver thread where I solicited a list of locations from Vancouver-based redditors.

Moja Coffee was full of interesting, tiny people. Other fascinating tiny people dropped in while I was there to take away their coffees.

Last night, I listened to an episode of the Philosophize This podcast, about Ralph Waldo Emerson. His ideas about self-reliance are playing on my mind. With the quote - “Imitation is suicide.” - he refers to living a life whose values are copied from the things other people say and do, instead of deciding for yourself.

These are my favourite TinyPeople from the day:

Playing Cards

I drew the person on the right a few more times on the page. Can you find them below?

Yoga Mat

I had to draw very quickly to capture this one. So quickly that I did not realize I was drawing a yoga mat until I finished drawing. The eventual moment of realization decided the title of this piece.

With their own mug

I also like to take my own mug to cafes because when I draw, I forget all about my coffee. It’s the only way I have found to keep the coffee warm while I sketch. It is strange that cafes do not offer to re-heat your coffee.

From the above page, who is your favourite tiny person? Perhaps you have seen them in a cafe in your world.

↺ ICYMI

📆 Catch up with the 30 Days of Vancouver project.
🎈 [Insider Post #33] I am leaving drawings in public places for strangers to find.
🎙 Ep 41 of the SneakyArt Podcast with Eleanor Doughty, about her decision to pursue a freelance creative life.
🎙 Marc Holmes drops in for a chat about OneWeek100People. (going behind the paywall soon)

I am posting every day this week until we reach Day 30 of the project. During this time, I will share the day’s tiny people, and also unveil the plan for the rest of 2022 - publishing my next book of SneakyArt!

Thank you for giving me a space in your inbox.