TransLink reimagined: 16 fan comics celebrate Metro Vancouver's transit (IMAGES)

Orcanadian Art

There is something to be said when a public transit system gains enough critical mass, and develops some semblance of a fan culture amongst some of its users.

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Over the past year, Rachel Lee, a Vancouver-based digital artist and regular transit user, has been creating TransLink-themed comics and illustrations that celebrate Metro Vancouver’s public transit system, with the artwork published on her Facebook page, Orcanadian Art.

“Since I don’t drive, transit plays a pretty big part in my life. Whether I’m going to school, visiting friends, or simply exploring on my own, transit almost always takes me to where I need to go,” Lee told Daily Hive.

“I find that transit is a fun social experience as well, and you might see something interesting from the window, meet new people, or run into old friends.”

She says that, as an artist, she has always been inspired by Canadian or local themes, and created ample fan art of characters when she was younger.

“Inspired by two familiar inhabitants of SkyTrain stations: SkyTrain attendants and pigeons,” says Rachel Lee. (Orcanadian Art)

Her comics and illustrations are based on her creative takes on everyday observations while riding TransLink services.

“Naturally, I thought to myself, ‘why not do fan art of transit to show how much it means to me?’ Drawing detailed transit vehicles has provided a pretty fun art challenge for me so far, and it’s been interesting seeing how much my art resonates with other transit users,” she added.

“I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a transit nerd, and I find it rewarding to contribute to the transit fan community with my drawings and comics.”

Here is a collection of her TransLink-themed comics and illustrations to date: