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 prevent dozens from lining up. They took 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.”
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, and attracted 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 and stars. Ms. Boyd has no formal training in art, but she has pursued it as a hobby since she was a child. She first experimented with painting landscapes, inspired by an interest in her mother’s job as a flight attendant.
@jasboydd $1 portraits in trinity bellwoods today here til 6 :) #drawing #art #portraits #toronto #fyp ♬ DAISIES - Justin Bieber
She had the idea for a park pop-up three years ago while travelling to Boston, where she saw a long lineup for a local artist, who was offering small portraits for a dollar. This summer the Queen’s University graduate finally gave it a try. She said she wanted 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. It’s not just her art that attracts people, he explained, but also her approachable, warm demeanour.
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
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.
“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.”
Arlys Cepero and her best friend Estelle Georges sought out Ms. Boyd to help them create a memento.
Ms. Georges, who is from Belgium, has been in the country for only a year, 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 gestured around the park and toward Ms. Cepero, holding back tears. The two women embraced before walking off with their portrait in hand.
Others spoke to Ms. Boyd about their plans and their lives. Gaurangi Batish spent her lunch break waiting in line, and Anusi Srijeyarajah said she “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 was a significant first. She had recently moved to the city from Oakville, and her portrait, she said, would be the first piece of art she would 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 drawing, Ms. Khatib came running back down the street. She handed Ms. Boyd a dollar, hurriedly explaining she had realized on the streetcar home she’d forgotten to pay.
These are the connections and interactions that fuel Ms. 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.
She added that she does not plan to hike her price, even though many of her visitors have suggested it.
“I went into this as an artistic project for me,” she 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
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 planning to draw for only 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.