This December, sketch artist Nishant Jain joins Art Moves, TransLink’s music and performance series as its artist in residence for the month.

With a pocket sketchbook and pen he can trust, Nishant rides transit sketching commuters. This has earned him the moniker, “The Sneaky Artist.”

Having been a newcomer to many cities, Nishant uses art to feel comfortable in unfamiliar places and to better understand strangers.

Nishant first started sketching as a hobby when he moved to the Netherlands to take his PhD in sciences to become a writer. Finding himself in a new country, he decided to get a sketchbook, walk around, and sit in places he finds foreign and uncomfortable.

Having his sketchbook with him gave him permission to sit where he knows no one and knows little of how things work around him. It became a habit and little did he know that it was going to turn into a career.

While he makes incredibly detailed sketches of buildings and cafés also, he likes sketching people more. Nishant loves trains too.

“I love that people who don’t know anything about each other still get together to get from point A to point B,” said Nishant in an interview on CBC’s The Early Edition.

Nishant is now creating the wonderful sketches that land on our Instagram Reels as The Sneaky Artist. He’s also the writer and publisher of the book SneakyArt, host of the SneakyArt Podcast and, of course, TransLink’s artist in residence this December.

So, keep your eyes peeled for Nishant and his red sketchbook on transit. You might just be The Sneaky Artist’s next sketch!

Where to catch a performance

• Waterfront Station – Friday, Dec. 16 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
•  Onboard the SeaBus – Saturday, Dec. 31 from 2 to 4 p.m. Artist boards at Waterfront at 2 p.m.