I had an Etch A Sketch as a kid growing up in the 80s and the only thing I ever managed to create with it was stairs. Just stairs. Sometimes a square if I was really in the zone. I actually own one now, because I saw it in a store, got hit by a nostalgia truck, and thought, "Hey, maybe I've matured into someone who can Etch." I haven't. I still can't make anything that doesn't look like it was done by a very determined raccoon.
But you know who can? Imgur user EtchArtist. This legend uploads new Etch A Sketch portraits almost daily, and they're shockingly good. I'm talking Perry the Platypus, Neo from The Matrix, Sonic, Loki, cartoon characters, superheroes, villains—you name it. And it's all done with just the two dials and sheer wizardry.
There's no undo. No layers. No CTRL+Z. Just pure hand-eye coordination and a commitment to tiny gray lines that most of us abandoned somewhere around second grade.
Here are 20 of his best sketches. Be amazed, be inspired, and maybe send him a message asking if he's accepting apprentices.
