“I Can’t Draw,” Part 2 – The Right Tools For the Job

Now that I had begun my journey into Inktober 2018 and cut my teeth on the first ten days of prompts, I was filled with courage. Readying my trusty sketchbook and ultra-fine-point Sharpie, I dug in.

Would this new level of preparation help my neglected skills? Well…

…Not particularly.

Inktober 2018, Day 11
Title: Gargamel Lunch
Prompt: “Cruel”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

Nothing’s more cruel than Gargamel, and his quest to eat tiny sentient beings for no good reason. As for my technique? I mean, the Smurf looks a little cleaner, even though I decided on making him a bit more anatomically correct.

Gargamel’s thousand-yard stare was my real focus here. Bringing in a bigger pen for shading was my downfall though, I feel like it ruined the scratchy insane feel.

Obviously this wasn’t really working out. So with a long, dejected sigh I put down the pen and took a break to look at some…

Inktober 2018 Topless Robot Submissions!

Here’s a souped-up Mad Max style warboy from the quieter half of the 2 Headed Hero, Rollinkunz! If you follow my column BACKLOG.TXT, you probably expected him to pop his head up here:

Rollin’s other Inktober submissions have been using the prompts for a unique take by making them into a rudimentary choose-your-own-adventure on Twitter. Check out his take on Day 3, “Roasted”:

More of his stuff is available on his website and Instagram. 

Ellie Maybe is a cook, musician, writer, and the head food nerd behind the Culinarie Kit chef box subscription service. She submitted some decidedly more honest and personal takes on the Inktober prompts:

If you or someone you know is doing the Inktober or Drawlloween challenge, tag both Chandon (Bawss Sawss) and Topless Robot for a chance to get them featured in our followup Inktober articles!
Bawss Sawss Twitter: @BawssSawss
Bawss Sawss Facebook: Bawss Sawss, Sauce Reviewer Extraordinaire
Bawss Sawss Instagram: @BawssSawss
Topless Robot Twitter: @ToplessRobo
Topless Robot Facebook: Topless Robot

Inktober 2018: Getting Back On the Horse

Inktober 2018, Day 12
Title: All’s Whale That Ends Whale
Prompt: “Whale”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

Now that I was caught up on the backlog, I experimented with doing some cleaner lines. I think the whale looks pretty good overall, but didn’t know what to do for the foreground. So, uhhh… I guess it’s sort of a reenactment from the beloved 1993 family-friendly animal movie, Free Willy. 

Inktober 2018, Day 13
Title: pOwladin
Prompt: “Guarded”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

A mighty pOwladin, here to defend justice and eat field mice. Plus since his head swivels nearly 360 degrees, no owl rogues can gain advantage on him. This one turned out a little scratchy and flat looking. I wish I could have done cleaner lines on the shield, but overall I like this one nearly as much as the whale.

Inktober 2018, Day 14
Title: One More Hour
Prompt: “Clock”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

I drew this sleepy little guy in about 5 minutes. And it shows. As far as Brave Little Toaster rejects go, it’s OK I guess.

Inktober 2018, Day 15
Title: Stronger
Prompt: “Weak”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

I just imagine this guy shouting in the mirror: “Give em hell, sonny boy! One arm at a TIME!” 
Maybe some Def Leppard blaring in the background. The detail’s kinda overboard in this one – got a little busy with the face and obscured it. Shame.

Inktober 2018, Day 16
Title: Bad Puns Never Die
Prompt: “Angular”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

I am more sorry about the blurry picture quality than I am about the bad puns.

Inktober 2018, Day 16
Title: Hand-Foot Art
Prompt: “Angular” (again)
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook
I had more intricate plans for this triangle karate man, but was distracted by the bad pun idea. Oops.

Lord, Why Hath Thou Forsaken Me?

Inktober 2018, Day 17
Title: Feeder
Prompt: “Bloated”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook
I haven’t slept well lately. I’m sure that’s unrelated.

in all seriousness, this wormbeast horror-mom was inspired by the awesome body horror work of Anjilla Ulfhednar. Check out her Instagram account. 

Inktober 2018, Day 18
Title: Nice Paycheck… Would Be a Shame if Something Happened To It
Prompt: “Bottle”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

Now THIS… this is getting to be more like it. The perspective is weird and skewed, sort of like I had already drank several BURs already before drawing it. However the heinous, dirty-toothed smile of the evil beverage is almost exactly what I had in mind.

Inktober 2018, Day 19
Title: Lucky
Prompt: “Scorched”
Medium: Pilot Ballpoint and The Back of a Character Sheet

Just a little something I whipped up while waiting for my group to level in my D&D 5e session. A little flat, but I like the detail.

Inktober 2018, Day 20
Title: Gorgeous
Prompt: “Breakable”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

Back in the comfort of my sketchbook, I channeled the idea that a broken nose and a broken smile were nothing compared to… a broken heart.

Inktober 2018, Day 21
Title: Draining The Worm
Prompt: “Drain”
Medium: Ultrafine Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

Oh. OH. Uhhhh, I drew this during an all-night binge of Daredevil, Season 3. (It’s really good, by the way.) Guess maybe I’ve been watching a little too much Netflix lately. 

Inktober 2018, Day 22
Title: Taxation
Prompt: “Expensive”
Medium: Finetip Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

Playing around with a standard fine tip Sharpie actually gave some good results. I’m kinda proud of this one: it really represents the idea of inevitability. Plus, the perspectives and linework are a bit improved.

Pass the Brain Bleach, Please

Inktober 2018, Day 23
Title: Slime Buddy
Prompt: “Muddy”
Medium: Finetip Sharpie and Strathmore sketchbook

I needed to cleanse my brain of nightmare fuel so I went to my happy place – with fluffy thoughts of Dragon Quest and its adorable iconic slimes. Here’s my take, at least. Some of the lines are a little sloppy, but I was encouraged enough to finish out the month-long challenge…

Tell Me – Is This Progress?

After looking back over the last ten days or so of new sketches and double checking my feeble efforts in Part 1, I think I can say yes! What do you think? Shoot me a comment down below, or submit your own stuff for inclusion in my conclusion! See you all on I Can’t Draw, Part 3 – coming next week!

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• Chandon, also known as Bawss Sawss, is a sauce aficionado, gamer, writer, musician, and one head of the 2 Headed Hero gaming channel on YouTube. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
• 2 Headed Hero’s quieter half, Rollinkunz, is the channel’s illustrator, gamer, writer, boardgame designer, He can also be reached on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.