DON’T INK TWICE 2025
This was EPZ’s eigth run at doing the Daily Art Challenge and the fifth year for ‘Don’t Ink Twice.’ This year’s wordsmith was a double act this time around with it being two smiths, being my Mom and Dad, who split up the words and came up with a nice collection!
Time-lapses are shown below and a gallery of the full illustrations can be found further down the page.
Here we go! The start of Don't Ink Twice 2025 and we're off to the races; in this case literally! With the word 'DRIVE' I thought of a car, and then thought about famous cars. And my brain wandered to the Mach 5 from Speed Racer! He's a demon on wheels, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
You know, I can honestly say this is one of the handful of times in my life I've ever drawn #Superman. He was the first thing that came to mind with the word "POWER" and I thought I'd have some fun with this drawing. Look to the skies, Doodlers! Happy #dontinkwice!
I double checked; the last time I drew #rocketraccoon was way back in 2020! It seemed like a fun chance to go back to this crazed little dude from space with all the fancy gadgets. Mind the blast zone, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
It's always fun to find reasons to draw original characters for this challenge, and when I have one that has a literal 'FIRE' Axe, it was a fun chance to draw them again! Her name's changed a few times, but the Emblazed Kobold remains in my catalog. Too hot to handle, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Back to back days of drawing original characters? Heck yeah! This time featuring Baron, Pep and Lily! The first time Barron shows up in the story, he 'Entrances' the two little sheep folk by making a crate weightless. Leave it to the Merchant Magician! Wow them all, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Sometimes during these challenges, the idea that comes to mind is to revisit a previous illustration I've done. This time, a redrawing of a drake guarding a 'Tower', which I originally drew way back in 2018! Loved doing the salamander-esque belly! Be on your guard, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
I am a simple man. If I get the chance to draw something related to #klonoa, I'm going to. It's one of my favorite series and I just love talking about it both casually as well as in a complex discussion of the narrative concepts. This series is just so neat. Wahoo, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
It was a simple drawing today, but given the subject matter it seemed apropos. We're surrounded by so many 'Distractions' in the digital age, but the amount of ads on the web are nuts. And this is coming from somebody who works in multimedia production. Calm the noise, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice
Okay, yeah, this was truly a first. I cannot say I have ever drawn Speedy Gonzales before... like ever?? But I mean hey, I saw 'Speed' and he just leapt into my mind. Whenever I get words that relate to quickness, I challenge myself to draw quickly! Andale Andale, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
The image of a single 'balloon' immediately came to mind, but then I thought it fun to imagine a small stuffed bear and pig hanging off it. Not any one version of Pooh or Piglet, but a sorta amalgamation; that's why I gave Pooh Bear a bow tie! Stuff and fluff, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
This one stumped me for a bit. "Form" can mean a lot of things. Eventually, I thought about paper forms... then about the process of filling out forms... then about a scene from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy popped into my head, and here we are. Don't panic, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Back in 2018, I was commissioned to make a creature for a D&D campaign; an Eldridge God of Entropy who "saw the universe falling apart" - came up with this idea of their head being comprised of screens showing worlds falling to ruin; chained to sit and monitor. Hush, Doodlers. Happy #dontinktwice!
Growing up, me and a bunch of the neighbor kids filmed a series of videos entitled "Ramp Wars" - I'd videotape them in cardboard boxes on skateboards as they'd go down a giant hill, avoiding obstacles and hitting a giant ramp at the bottom. Peak childhood. Ride on, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Decided to keep it simple today, worry less about texture and more about contrast. A classic transformation staple of the spooky season. Good old-fashioned werewolf! Beware the full moon, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Halfway through the month and I've taken the chance to do something I've never done before: RED OUTLINES. After all, with one of my favorite 'Film's being #summerwars, it only made sense to give it a try, and I gotta say, it was nerve wracking! Koi-Koi, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
I gave myself the additional challenge today of using only Ultra-Fine Sharpies for this illustration. A doodle consisting of "Rain"seems like a good chance for it and with that chance, I doodled my favorite Pokémon, Oshawott! Splish Splash, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
This was a tricky one today. And something that happens when I really get stumped is I resort to doing a one panel comic featuring the word. And it's the return of the antics of this brother and sister duo up to some nonsense once again. Watch out for the wind, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice
Ooo, a fun chance to draw a blast from the past! The 'Sage' of Light from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; Rauru! As well as his feathery counterpart, Kaepora Gaebora, and all of his looming over your shoulder antics From sun to moon, moon to sun, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Interesting trip down memory lane again; I once drew a little paper ship floating in a bathtub for Inktober 2018. I was inspired to return to that idea; to find out what happened to "Cap'n Boat" on their adventures and what monsters they crossed. Release the 'KRAKEN', Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
This was just a silly concept I was revisiting from DIT past. This time around, it's a different talk doing all the talking and they've got a lot to say. All 'Bark And No Bite' ... well, "Only Bark", more like it. Gotta wonder how much of it is true. Be verbose, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
A fun call back to the music of 2010. 'Broken' was easily one of my favorite songs from Gorillaz' Plastic Beach Album, right underneath 'Empire Ants'. Can't say I've drawn anyone from the band before! This was a fun change of pace! Distant stars come in black or red, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
In 2023, our group sat down and watched 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' and we were so enamored by it. This short film did such a captivating rendition of the Found Family trope that was just so heartwarming. Remember that you are loved, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
For those who don't know, the Baron is a character that appeared to me in a fever dream that I had as a result of discovering my allergy of Fexofinadine Hydrochloride (Allegra). To this day, I am still baffled by where his name came from. I love him. What's in a name, Doodlers? Happy #dontinktwice
And so returns my tradition of doodling at least one thing related to #nightinthewoods for these daily illustration challenges. That's right, this tradition has been going on since I started way back in 2018. Just a typical day in Possum Springs. Gregg Rulz OK, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Something else I try to do for these challenges is work on a good fractal somewhere. And today seemed like a good chance to do that, this time featuring the 'Vision' from Marvel Comics. Wow, I forgot how tired my hand gets with fractals. Request Elaboration, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
It's always a special time to highlight a game that not only sparked a creative wave in me, but also allowed me to meet and befriend a bunch of really cool people. I'm talking the 2021 game #ChicoryAColorfulTale. Seriously, as an artist, play this game. Be Anything, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
Nothing like a healthy trip of nostalgia to start off what will be a long week. Nothing quite like going to a blockbuster, picking out a game, some candy in your favorite drink. That was a very special kind of 'Bliss.' Think back to the good times, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
It's been an ongoing tradition to draw my own renditions of characters from "Alice in Wonderland", one of which being a personal favorite as a twist on the classic character that has now become the "Checkered Cat" - these days, I'll pen their story. Be Curiousier, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
I remember going down to Oregon for the 2017 solar eclipse. We stayed at a house that had a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle of a castle... but only 499 pieces. We searched the house. Nowhere to be found. That 'missing' piece haunts me to this day. Work with what you got, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!
For real, I can talk for hours about Vinyl records. I've studied them and researched for years. Still ain't making any since to me. Straight up magic. That's a wrap! Thank you for following along and to the friends who participated this year! See you all next year, Doodlers! Happy #dontinktwice!