Artist and tube traveller Stephen Charlton, realised that drawing a straight line whilst riding the tube is a pointless excercise - literally. This gave him the inspiration to create drawings that form a visual record of his journey from station to station throughout the underground system. 

This is his series of one-off original pen drawings that look like siesmic wave recordings we see when an earthquake occurs. It’s facinating to see that each tube line has its own energy fingerprint that makes it distinct from the others. 

Stephen says, “We become oblivious to the jolts, bumps and sways on the tube as it meanders through the twists and turns of each tubeline. Some lines are smoother than others and this can be seen in my work as they become visually frenetic as the ride gets bumpier.” 

These limited edition prints visually document each journey and are a great record of the daily commute many people endure.