Jasmine Boyd laughs with customer Tessa Naughton-Ron while drawing her portrait at Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park on Aug. 10, 2025.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
It was a typical Sunday in August at Toronto’s west-end Trinity Bellwoods Park: People walked their dogs, threw frisbees and bought goodies from tented stands. And in one corner of the park, Jasmine Boyd set up shop to draw cartoon-style portraits of passersby – all for the price of one loonie.
By 2 p.m., Ms. Boyd, 21, had propped up a sign that said “$1 drawing of you,” laid out art supplies, put music on her speaker and unfolded some lawn chairs for visitors. Finally, she was ready to draw non-stop for the next three hours. The heat warning that day didn’t stop dozens from lining up, taking shelter from the sun under a tree.
“I really had no idea when I started that it would mean this much to people,” Ms. Boyd said.
“I knew it would be a cute take-home thing but people really like them,” she emphasized.
Customers wait in line in 30-degree heat for a $1 portrait by Ms. Boyd. Her miniature portraits have taken off after she made a TikTok video promoting her art.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
Earlier in July, Ms. Boyd had posted a nine-second video on TikTok promoting her $1 offer. In less than a month, the video gained almost 200,000 views with hundreds of people requesting more dates and times to come see her at the park for a portrait. Since then, she has hosted seven more pop-ups, drawling well over 500 people (and a few dogs) to her eight-hour drawing sessions.
She draws the sketches on stock paper the size of business cards, shading with colourful markers and decorating with hearts, stars and more. Ms. Boyd has no formal training in art but has pursued it as a hobby since she was a child when she first experimented with painting landscapes, inspired by an interest in her mother’s flight attendant job.
Ms. Boyd had the idea for the portraits after she saw a similar endeavor while travelling. She says it was a way to spark her creativity.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
She got the idea for a park pop-up three years ago while travelling to Boston, where she saw a long line-up in front of a local artist offering small portraits for a dollar. This summer the Queen’s University graduate finally gave it a try, wanting to regain her creative spark after spending most of her time focusing on her biology major.
That hot August day, Ms. Boyd matched the energy of each person who sat across from her, never showing signs of a depleting social battery. Her partner, Mark Deaconu, said it’s no surprise so many came out to support her, adding that it’s not just her art that attracts people, but also her approachable, warm demeanour.
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Friends Basmah Khan and Isabella Sguigna stood in line for almost an hour for their portraits.
Ms. Sguigna said Ms. Boyd’s inexpensive initiative is creative and stands out from the typical booths seen in places such as Trinity Bellwoods.
“I think it’s unbelievable that she’s doing it for a dollar…we’re all giving her more because we know her time is worth a lot more,” Ms. Khan said. “Even if she did it for 10 bucks I would’ve come out.”
Toronto local Arlys Cepero and her best friend Estelle Georges sought out Ms. Boyd to help them create a memento of their friendship.
Ms. Georges has been in the country for only a year, coming from Belgium, and is set to return home soon.
Ms. Boyd draws the sketches on pocket-sized stock paper and uses colourful markers to shade in details.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
“I just don’t want to leave all this,” Ms. Georges said as she pointed around and toward Ms. Cepero, holding back tears. The two women embraced before walking off with their portrait in hand.
Others spoke to Boyd about their day, their plans and their lives. Gaurangi Batish spent her lunch break waiting in line while Anusi Srijeyarajah “felt extra compelled” to visit because she thought Ms. Boyd’s main motivation was an authentic love for art rather than money. Maryam Khatib’s trip to the park signified a significant first. She recently moved to the city from Oakville and her portrait will be the first piece of art she will pin up in her new home.
Gaurangi Batish holds up her finished $1 portrait.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
Twenty minutes after walking away with her her drawing, Ms. Khatib came running back down the street. She handed Ms. Boyd a dollar, hurriedly explaining she realized on the streetcar home she’d forgotten to pay. She got off on the next stop and ran back – all for a dollar.
These are the connections and interactions that fuel Boyd. “The amount of kindness and generosity I’ve been shown throughout this whole experience, I didn’t even know it was possible.”
She said it has never been about the money and she does not plan to ever hike the price, even though many of her visitors have suggested it.
“I went into this as an artistic project for me,” Boyd said. “Now it’s really about the people with interesting stories and who I get to connect with.”
Maryam Khatib returns to Ms. Boyd’s booth after getting on a streetcar and realizing she had forgotten to pay for her $1 portrait.Galit Rodan/The Globe and Mail
With her success, various organizations including the Toronto Humane Society, burger joint Shake Shack and even the city itself have reached out to Ms. Boyd to draw portraits at events they host.
“I really had to take a step back and really decide what I want to dedicate my time to,” she said, adding that she prioritizes opportunities from charitable organizations that give back to the city.
Although she was only planning to draw for three hours on that humid Sunday, Ms. Boyd kept at it for two more, not wanting to disappoint those who stood by in the hot, sticky weather, loonies in hand.