It's been a while since my last post. Work and life has been busy, so I've found it hard to get in a sketch. Here are the few that I've done over the past few months.
Here’s another submission to the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge. For December, they partnered with @benson.ink and the idea was to take a favorite robot character and mash it up with another character. There wasn’t any voting that month, which was fine. I just enjoy doing the prompts.
As usual, the other submissions have raised the bar of the challenge. Here is mine. If you haven’t seen the movie, Shaun of the Dead, you need to stop right now, and go watch it. It’s brilliant and one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it dozens of times. Here I’ve tried to capture the main characters, Shuan and Ed, who are played by Simon Pegg @simonpegg and Nick Frost @friedgold as robots.
Here is my Christmas post to everyone who celebrates it and a happy holidays to those who don’t. I did a little sketch, inspired by @leewhiteillo to celebrate the season and wanted to share it with everyone.
Like this time traveling ‘bot, I hoped everybody arrived into 2026, safe and sound. This was my first sketch 2026 and wanted to share it with everyone. Happy New Year!
Here’s another submission to the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge. For January, they partnered with @carlyleworkman.art and asked everyone to draw their cool art in our own style. Here’s my version.
There wasn't any voting that month, which was fine. I just enjoy doing the prompts. As usual, the submissions have raised the bar of the challenge.
Since that last post, hadn’t posted in a while. So, I thought I would share some work-in-progress. A local bike advocacy group is hosting a bike rodeo for kids and asked if I could put something together for the instructors. Here, I haven’t designed the layout with type just yet.
Here’s another submission to the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge. For March, they partnered with @add_art and asked everyone to Design and WIN their own "Draw Me a Robot T-shirt." Shirts must include a Draw Me a Robot logo, and or the words “draw me a robot.“ The logo and word style are completely up to each artist as well as the entire design.
My submission is probably more of a ‘Draw WITH a Robot’ but I really wanted to do a pencil ‘bot. I did the line art on paper, scanned it and colorized it in Illustrator.
Gugusse and the Automaton
A lost Georges Méliès #georgesmelies film from the 19th century was recently discovered and restored for the Library of Congress #libraryofcongress.
This 45-second movie—made around 1897—was the first appearance of, what might be considered a robot, on film. This had not been seen by anyone in likely more than a century.
Summary of the film (from Library of Congress):
Gugusse the clown appears to control the actions of Pierrot Automate, a child-sized automaton standing on a pedestal. By turning a crank, Gugusse makes him march and wave a stick. As Gugusse turns the crank, the automaton gets bigger until it is the size of a grown man. Suddenly the automaton is controlling his own limbs. He hits Gugusse on the head with his stick. Gugusse pulls the automaton off the pedestal and picks up a large hammer. As Gugusse pounds the automaton on the head, he gets smaller and smaller. At the final stroke of the hammer, he disappears.
Here’s a special fan art posting, today. I’ve been a fan of #starwars since I saw the first trilogy, in the theaters when I was a kid. Happy #maythe4th to you.
Like the original, that it’s modeled after, this Stormtrooper ‘bot (or Droid) is incapable of hitting the bullseye of its target. Go figure.
Coincidentally, this wasn’t intended to be my submission to the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge, but it ended up being one. For May, they partnered with @braindeef and asked everyone to “DRAW ME A DROID”. Here’s my piece for May the Fourth Day, which kinda fell under the prompt.
After doing it for 6 years in a row, I decided to not do Inktober this year. Although I love doing it, I wanted to get some of my life back. Other than some serious FOMO, it was a good decision to make.
Let me start with April, which ended up being a bad month because my mother passed away.
She was a taylor for as long as I could remember. Starting with altering our neighbor’s clothes in the corner of our basement in Ohio, she eventually started making a lot of our outfits. I still remember the bell bottom, Cub Scout pants that she made for me. Even though she worked so much, she managed to raise three kids and took care of our household. She went on to work for dozens of different clothing retailers throughout her life, until she retired at the age of 86.
Even in retirement, she continued to sew to keep her mind busy. Last month, on April 9, she passed away. She was 88.
Her dedication to her craft and to her family, inspired me to make this drawing of a taylor ’bot as a small tribute to her. I miss you, mom.
I also did an Easter Bunny Bot.
Then I took a small break, which turned into a long break. To return, I decided to participate in the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge. For July, they partnered with @burn353, and asked participants to draw our own pet as a robot, OR their cool cat robot in our own style. As much as I would love to turn our old dog as a robot, I wasn’t sure if I could capture his personality quite right. So, I opted to draw their prompt in my style.
Taking inspiration from Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes,” who captured the vivid imagination of a boy and his stuffed tiger, I tried to show what a kitten might be imagining when playing with a plush toy.
Life was busy so I took another break from art. This is when I decided to not do #inktober this year.
I did, however, get asked to do a commission for a local bike advocacy group, BikeDFW, to do the art for their upcoming Full Moon Ride. It took a while, finding time to squeeze this one out, but I really enjoy it—even if it doesn’t have a robot in it.
Which I digitally converted to this.
Then it was time to get back to the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge. Not participating in #inktober2025 I had no excuse. For October, they partnered with @majorcrimesdivision, and asked participants to draw a Mecha Jack-o-Lantern.
As usual, the submissions have raised the bar of the challenge. Here is mine.
There’s nothing better than going trick or treating with your own mech. There’s safety from monsters and you have something to carry around your extra loot.
For the fourth year, I was asked by a friend to donate a drawing for a silent auction. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t typically have time to do commissions, however I’m a fan of what Best Buddies (Texas chapter) is doing. I’m happy to show my support — even if it’s just in the form of ink and paper.
This year’s event has a #candyland theme. It’s been years since I’ve played that game with my kids so I had to do a Google search for characters related to the game. I decided to make a Mr. Mint ‘bot.
Here’s another submission to the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge. For November, they partnered with @braindeef, and asked participants to draw a robot reclaimed by nature, or a functional floral machine. Life finds a way.
As usual, the submissions, have raised the bar of the challenge. Here is mine.
This bot stopped functioning decades ago. Since it was built with such a resilient alloy, nature could only reclaim it by growing on and around it.
I'm not sure if I'm going to do March of Robots, this year. The daily drawing challenges do take their toll on me and my available time. My wife hates when I do them, too.—only because she never gets to see me as much.
I do have a few random things to share, since last year's Inktober.
Let's start with the commission I worked on last year—before Inktober, but couldn't share until it was gifted to the recipient. I don’t typically do commissions, because of my busy regular job. However, when a friend is celebrating their son’s wedding and wants a robot version of him and his wife, I can’t say no. This was certainly a fun project.
For the third year, I was asked by a friend to donate a drawing for a silent auction. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t typically have time to do commissions, however I’m a fan of what Best Buddies (Texas chapter) is doing. I’m happy to show my support — even if it’s just in the form of ink and paper.
This year’s event was have a disco theme, so I thought it would be fun to pose a robot like Tony Manero.
I’m doing double duty with this one. A friend of mine asked if they could use one of my bike ‘bots to put on their Bicycle Coalition giveaway card during the local holiday parade. I was also trying to come up with an idea for “Holiday-Bot” for November’s @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge with @greyfoxbrobots. So, Santa on a Bike ‘bot was made.
I was going to take a break from participating in the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge but they keep coming up with cool ideas. In December, they partnered with @add_art and asked participants to draw a vintage tin robot.
I’ve drawn a few vintage tin robots in the past, but I wanted to take the opportunity to make a new one. This is my take on a 1950s Winky Robot from Yonezawa, Japan.
I was sitting here, minding my own business over the holidays, when I started seeing all of these inspiring pieces of art, wishing everyone a wonderful holiday. I suddenly felt the urge to do the same. At least the well wishing. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Here’s my Santa ‘bot delivering presents on his rocket sled. If you were wondering how he got it done all in one night. There you go.
I took a small break from participating in the @drawmearobot DTIYS challenge because it was a busy January for me. When the February 2025 challenge came up, it was time to get back to it. That month, they partnered with @daviddiez_ilustrador again, and asked participants to draw their cool robot in our own style.
It was a high bar, but here is mine. I did not submit mine for the vote this time (unless they have an odd number of participants and need an extra challenger). I just enjoy doing the prompt.
Also, it looks like David is putting together a book on these submissions. I'll post it when that happens.
“I am not doing Inktober this year.” I kept telling myself this, ever since the prompt list came out in September. Every time I do these challenges, I completely over extend myself and end up with serious burnout at the end. Plus, I’ve got some personal stuff that I’m dealing with that would completely distract me from completing the challenge.
Yet there I was, the night before it started, and what do I do? Start sketching.
To keep it manageable, I’ve promised myself that I wouldn't let this take over. I’ve gave myself some restrictions to set expectations (not that I’ve been guilty of these in the past):
- Don’t be a completist. You don’t have to do every prompt.
- Don’t sweat the details. Not every piece needs to be perfect.
- Don’t need to be clever. Not every idea needs a good back story - Don’t get lost in this. I’ve given myself a time limit to work on each piece. Once I’m out of time, I need to stop - finished or not.
If you are keeping tabs, this is my 6th Inktober, which is an online drawing challenge conceived by Jake Parker. Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month. The goal of the challenge is to improve your inking skills.
Part of the challenge with Inktober is coming up with ideas, that align with my style, but also honors the prompt. My goals for this challenge are simple: all analog ink art, with limited ink wash for shading.
Please do not use or copy this art without permission and full attribution.
Here is this year's prompt list:
Here is my first Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 01 is “BACKPACK”
This suitcase ‘bot is the ideal traveling companion. When you are ready to go on vacation, all you need to do is pack its back. This procedure is also referred to as a ‘backpack’.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 02 is “DISCOVER”
You’ll never know what strange life forms you will ‘discover’ when exploring new worlds. This ‘bot is fascinated with its latest find.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 03 is “BOOTS”
This ‘bot is about to find out—the hard way—how powerful these new ACME super turbo, rocket ‘boots’ really are. Sometimes it’s better to read the instructions first.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 04 is “EXOTIC”
When this ‘bot was asked to participate in something ‘exotic’, it totally got the wrong impression. Instead of an excursion to a tropical island paradise, a different activity was planned.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 05 is “BINOCULARS”
Everybody knows that this portable, high powered, ‘binoculars’ ‘bot, with its 10,000x magnification feature, is the best way to observe birds and other wildlife. Of course, finding the wildlife has proven to be a challenge.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 06 is “TREK”
I guess there will be a lot of Star ‘Trek’ themed drawings, today. Being a fan, I decided to do one as well. Original series, of course. This Mr. Spock ‘bot takes a moment, from doing tricorder readings on these Tribbles, to bid you a traditional Vulcan salute, “Live long and prosper.”
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 07 is “PASSPORT”
Congratulations if you made it this far! You’ve earned your seventh stamp in your Inktober ‘passport’. This bureaucratic, customs ‘bot has seen its share of folks who are traveling from challenge to challenge. Let’s hope that we all make it to the end and get that 31st stamp.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 08 is “HIKE”
This ’bot is having second thoughts about taking a ‘hike’ during a heavy storm. Because of the resulting flood, it’s having to ’hike’ up its pant legs.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 09 is “SUN”
When it gets low on power, this ‘bot uses a portable solar panel to charge up from the ‘sun’. On sunny days, it only takes a few hours to get a full charge.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 10 is “NOMADIC”
This ‘namadic’ ‘bot spends its lonely days wandering from one place to the next. It often reflects on how much more important the journey is over the destination.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 11 is “SNACKS”
This vendor ‘bot is always ready with ‘snacks’ when you need them. You’ll never get hungry nor will you ever need to leave your seat during the big game.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 12 is “REMOTE”
This ‘bot enjoys all the comforts of working from home. In its ‘remote’ office, attending meetings is a lot less stressful.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 13 is “HORIZON”
Replaying its original observations of how ships disappear, hull first, when they fly over the ‘horizon’, this Aristotle ‘bot was possibly the first to propose this idea of a spherical planet.
Sorry, this one was a bit of a stretch.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 14 is “ROAM”
I guess this ‘bot should have double checked when it decided to ’roam’ the moon for vacation. As it turns out, it’s just outside of its mobile phone’s service zone, and the roaming fees will end up costing a fortune.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 15 is “GUIDEBOOK”
This tourist ‘bot was a bit disappointed that the ‘guidebook’ didn’t specify the scale of some of the attractions listed in its ‘must see’ section. Things weren’t nearly as big as what the pictures led it to believe.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 16 is “GRUNGY”
This subculture ‘bot from the 90’s—with it’s original, coal powered, combustion engine—is looking a bit ‘grungy’ as it makes it to the next gig, covering songs from Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 17 is “JOURNAL”
Although most publications may have gone digital, this Gutenberg ‘bot still brings the “Daily Journal,” a printed newspaper, to its readers. It’s a ‘journal’ filled with the most up-to-date and on-demand stories available. Today’s headline: “Print is not dead!”
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 18 is “DRIVE”
Late at night, when the dining room is closed, the ‘drive’-thru is, usually, the only thing that’s open. Even though this hungry ‘bot doesn’t have a car, it‘ll ride anything to get a meal.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 19 is “RIDGE”
This Santa ‘bot is very nimble at walking along the ’ridge’ of rooftops, which makes it easy to deliver all the toys to all the children—all in one night. Beings so top heavy is the key to having great balance.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 20 is “UNCHARTED”
After crash landing on this ‘uncharted’ planet, this ‘bot is wondering if it should have taken a left at Albuquerque (asteroid). Fortunately, the other ship was unoccupied and they can probably just buff that out.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 21 is “RHINOCEROS”
This giant safari ‘bot has a great affinity towards all kinds of wildlife. This Indian ‘rhinoceros’ is one of its favorites — probably because its skin makes it look like a robot.
Quite honestly, I probably would have done something with a full sized rhino (robot rhino or something) but it would have taken me a while to do. Since I’ve limited my time to an hour or two, I had to stick with something that I was a little more proficient with.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 22 is “CAMP”
This s’mors ‘bot has become the official mascot for ’camp’ treats all over the world. It’s here to remind you to stock up your backpacks with chocolate bars, graham crackers, and marshmallows, before heading out on your next camping adventure.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 23 is “RUST”
Contrary to popular belief, robots don’t live forever. They’ll become susceptible to ‘rust’ and corrosion, then, eventually, fall apart. This ‘bot is close to its final days.
This reminds me of a movie quote:
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.” - Roy Batty
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 24 is “EXPEDITION”
This ‘bot is about to lead an ‘expedition’ into this reality deep hole in the ground. Some say that it might be a pathway to the center of the earth.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 25 is “SCARECROW”
This farm ‘bot was programmed to protect the crop from any opportunists trying to sneak a free meal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t designed with a bravery circuit. ‘Scarecrow’? Ha! It’s more like ’scared OF crows’.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 26 is “CAMERA”
There is one major design flaw in this portrait ‘bot. Because it has a ‘camera’ for a head, taking selfies that look right, has become somewhat impossible. There’s always something missing from the shot.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 27 is “ROAD”
Some days, this ‘road’ repair ’bot will get a little ’road’ rage, when work gets in the way of work. It seems that there is an endless supply of potholes on this street.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 28 is “JUMBO”
I’ve run a little bit out of steam coming up with ideas, so for this, I just did a ‘jumbo’ sized robot.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 29 is “NAVIGATOR”
Programmed with the latest G.P.S (Glovebox, Printed, Schematic) technology, this ‘navigator’ ‘bot will, almost, always point you in the right direction. If you follow it, turn-by-turn is a breeze.
Here is my next Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 30 is “VIOLIN”
This musician ’bot just played its mechanical heart out, to prove itself against a most dangerous opponent. Queue the Charlie Daniel’s Band.
“My name’s Johnny, and it might be a sin. But I’ll take your bet and you’re gonna regret ‘cause I’m the best there’s ever been”
I, personally, don’t like prompts like this—that are so specific and not open to much interpretation—especially at the end of the challenge.
Here is my final Inktober 2024 drawing. The prompt for Day 31 is “LANDMARK”
I’m tired and burned out, so forgive me if this one turns a few corners to get there.
This pottery ’bot discovered something, while eating cheese fries, as it was turning a new vase. With a few scrapes of its fork, this vase started looking like a familiar ‘landmark’. The vision for this particular natural monument came to it, right after a recent close encounter.
Here’s a quick recap of the work that I did for Inktober 2024. Congratulations to everyone who was able to make it through the challenge as well.
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