I Often Overhear People Say Funny Things, So I Started Illustrating Them (30 New Pics)

I always collect creative ideas for new illustrations and document them on my phone. There I have a long list of notes where I write interesting quotes or overheard conversations down. When I think about inspiration, there was a moment earlier when I got really obsessed with finding good material. Everything I heard had the potential to become a colorful drawing, but I quickly realized that I couldn't really force this and it just had to come to me naturally. The one thing important to me was to take the time to leave the studio, walk around the city, hang out with friends, and live my life. It was necessary to be around people.

There are always phrases and funny conversations that I note down but decide not to make illustrations of. Why? Well. I hear a lot of funny things and every once in a while I'll organize and look at them as a whole. Some are just too random, or too anecdotal. After doing this for a while I found some themes that I feel are relatable and universal enough (dating, adulting, social media, etc...) I try to pick the quotes that are not simply weird or funny, but also say something about our culture and way of living.

Even though I have never been caught for eavesdropping on a conversation, there were a few times when someone noticed that I was sketching them in a cafe or on the train. That is always an uncomfortable moment. Even so, I like getting quotes from "strangers in the wild", but inevitably, things will come up in conversations with friends, and those things are usually just too good. My friends all know this is something I do, and sometimes after saying something funny, they will immediately follow with "oh, here's a new drawing idea for you".

One of the funniest phrases was the one that I have heard from my friend who is really into plants. The phrase was: "I haven't been dating much lately but I've been botanically active". I thought it was so on point and made me laugh out loud.

An illustration usually takes between a few hours for a simple one to a few days for more complex and detailed scenes. Since I do this after work in my free time, it's rare I can complete one in one sitting. I've been drawing since I can remember myself, from a very young age. I always knew it's something I wanted to pursue as a career. I've been working professionally in the animation industry for about 10 years now.

I remember hearing the most bizarre thing while waiting in the Apple store. A woman with really heavy makeup was looking at the iPhone and with all the seriousness she asked the sales person if the phone's face recognition will recognize her when she's not wearing her make up. It was too much, even for LA.