“Passengers in all their commuting glory.”

While the quiet tedium of a daily commute and a massive travel-disrupting volcano may not seem to have much in common, it turns out they can both be catalysts for the creation of beautiful publications.

The Atlantic recently reported on the sketching project of British illustrator Steve Wilkin, which was really just a personal creative exercise until Wilkin decided to turn his work into a free limited-edition newspaper.

Image by Steve Wilkin

As Eric Jaffe of the Atlantic writes:

“For the past decade or so, Wilkin has used his hour-long commute on the 7:38 a.m. train from the town of Hebden Bridge toward the city of Preston to sketch his fellow passengers in all their commuting glory.

“Last month, with the help of a service called the Newspaper Club, Wilkin published some of the drawings in a free newspaper called, of course, “738.” (He also started a blog about the project.) He distributed the publication at the Hebden Bridge station; exhibited the drawings at the University of Central Lancashire, where he lectures in illustration; and even threw a modest ‘opening’ on the train.”

April 15′s daily design idea is inspiration is everywhere.