If you saw him on the sidewalk, cradling an iPhone in his hand, you'd think he was texting a friend or e-mailing his wife.

But pull in a little closer and you'll see something else.

Lively street corners. Graceful silhouettes. New York City skyscrapers stretching past the clouds.

All captured by a fingertip dancing across an iPhone screen.

Using the Brushes application, one of thousands of available for the iPhone and iPod touch, he has digitally painted dozens of iconic New York scenes, including Grand Central Terminal, classic downtown delicatessens and the Empire State Building.

This week, one of his sketches will assume a spot coveted by artists in New York and all over the world: the cover of The New Yorker magazine.