In other words, strangers become familiar once you get to know them. However, it isn’t always easy to “break the ice”, so, more often than not, people miss out on human connections that could make life more meaningful.

Having a love for drawing since the age of 10, Morgan Randall discovered that drawing portraits was a great way to break down barriers as it allowed him to forge connections with strangers.

“I started drawing portraits in university so I could earn money to buy textbooks,” said the 28-year-old American who has been living in Kuala Lumpur since 2020.

Almost ten years later, he has drawn over 13,242 portraits of people, mostly during his commutes by train.

Amazingly, he draws with both hands, while simultaneously keeping a conversation going. And contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t born ambidextrous.

“When I was 16, I watched a documentary on Leonardo Da Vinci, which showed him drawing with two hands and I was inspired to do the same.

“It was incredibly hard. After six years of trying, failing, giving up, and then trying again, I finally managed to do it,” he told FMT.

Given that he studied mathematics in university, Randall said he looks up to Dutch graphic artist M C Escher, whose art was mathematically inspired.

“Growing up, people told me that I had to choose between math or art, but this guy didn’t.”

He takes two to four minutes to finish a portrait. When done, he numbers the sketch so he can keep count of how many he’s completed. He also takes a photograph of the portrait as a record, before giving it away.

Naturally, most people are delighted to have their portraits done, although ever so rarely, there are those who decline.

Being home-schooled by his dad moulded Randall into being an extremely curious person. “It’s the intense curiosity in me that makes me say, ‘who says I can’t draw, write, do math or video editing?’”

Many think that he has a natural talent for drawing or that he was trained, although neither is true.

“You’re not limited; it’s about how much you want something and how much time you put in. If you do something 12,000 times, you’re bound to get pretty good at it,” he shared.

As a child, he loved watching his dad strike up meaningful conversations with strangers, and he is grateful that drawing has allowed him to get to know all sorts of people the same way his dad did.

In fact, his first job abroad came from a conversation with the father of the girl whose portrait he was drawing while visiting friends in Germany.

Randall has many fond memories of his journey as a portrait artist, including when he drew the residents of a senior centre at a remote island in Japan, and more recently, when he encouraged a woman with cerebral palsy, who he met at a café, to draw with him.

“You could see the sparkle in her eye.”

Given the warmth, joy and energy he exudes, many of his subjects are inspired to pursue their own passions after having connected with him.

“Two teenagers whose portrait I had done sent me a message saying that although they still didn’t know what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives, they knew that they want to do something that would make them as happy as I had been on the day I drew them,” he said, adding that “bringing out the best in people is a cycle that feeds on itself – it brings out the best in you too.”

Randall has a full-time IT job and draws portraits for free simply because meeting people energises him and allows him to escape his day-to-day concerns.

“I remember nursing a broken heart while I was in Taiwan, but after drawing the portraits of a group of bubbly teenagers, I felt better; drawing is a great ‘pick me up’ of sorts.”

Currently working on a novel, Randall plans to create a graphic novel soon.

“I have this crazy idea where I want to meet every person on Earth and I want to get to know their life stories.

“When you reach out to someone, your perspective melts with theirs for a little; you get to see their lives, struggles and dreams, and you have a better feeling of what everybody in this world is fighting for.”

So, the next time you’re riding the train and spot an ambidextrous portrait artist, you can be sure it’s Randall at it again!

Check out Randall’s artwork on his website, and on Instagram and YouTube.