INKTOBER DAY 26:  FRACTURE

A broken object can be the beginning of something new.

Sometimes, when we look at random shapes, we start seeing things that aren't really there.

A face in a cloud.

An animal in a shadow.

Two people in a crack.

This is called pareidolia: our brain's ability to find familiar shapes in unexpected places.

And we can use it to create visual metaphors.

For this image, I started with a broken bone.

But instead of showing two ordinary broken ends, I shaped them into two human profiles facing each other.

Suddenly, the fracture becomes something more.

We see two faces.

Two sides facing each other.

And here's the interesting part: these two faces were once part of the same bone.

Now they're separated, but they're still connected by the story of what they used to be.

What happened between them?

Will they ever come together again?

The image doesn't tell us.

And it doesn't need to.

Today's tip:

When you draw something broken, don't focus only on w...

INKTOBER DAY 23: DAPPER

What if an object could change the way we look?

Not by hiding us. Not by dressing us up.

But by actually changing us.

For this image, I gave a simple picture frame a strange power.

Inside the frame, we see a handsome, well-groomed man. 

Perfect hair.  Strong jaw.  Full confidence. He looks dapper.

But then he moves his head outside the frame.

And suddenly, everything changes.

His hair is a mess.

His face looks grotesque.

Same person. Two completely different versions.

The frame doesnt just contain the image.

It changes the person inside it.

This is a useful way to create a visual metaphor: give an ordinary object the power to transform something else.

And remember, the transformation can go in either direction:

An object can make something better.

Or it can make something worse.

Todays tip:

Dont just draw what an object does in real life.

Imagine what else it could change.

Give an ordinary object an extraordinary power, and s...

INKTOBER:  BEACON

A book gives us knowledge.

A beacon gives us direction.

What if we could combine both?

For this image, I used a technique called blending.

The idea is simple: take two different things and merge them into one.

But here's the important part.

Not every combination works equally well.

When you blend two objects, look for what they have in common.

A book and a beacon might seem like very different things.

But both can guide us.

One guides our thinking.

The other guides our way.

So I turned the spine of an open book into a lighthouse.

The pages became rays of light, illuminating the child's face.

Two objects. One image. One shared idea.

It's a bit like putting together a puzzle.

Some pieces fit naturally. Others don't.

The trick is to find the connection that makes the whole image feel right.

Today's tip:

When blending two objects, don't just ask, "What can I combine?"

Ask, "What do these two things have in common?"

Find that connection, and your ...

INKTOBER DAY 18: FLIGHTLESS

What if an airplane couldnt fly?

Not because it had a broken engine.

Not because it had lost its wings.

But because its wings had been replaced by arms.

Here we have an airplane at an airport, trying to flap its arms.

But it doesnt move an inch.

Thats what happens when we push an impossibility far enough.

We dont just show a problem.

We show a problem that has no chance of being solved.

Theres another trick at work here: substitution.

We take an important part of the original subject and replace it with something completely unexpected.

In this case, we replace the airplanes wings with human arms.

And something changes.

The airplane is no longer just a machine.

It becomes a character.

It has a body.

It seems to be trying. And somehow, we can almost feel its frustration.

Todays tip:

Try replacing an essential part of something with something absurd.

Then ask yourself: What can this new version do? And what can it no longer do?

INKTOBER DAY 15 — LADY

And so what?

Well, I don't know. 😂

Believe it or not, many of the visual metaphors I create don't even have a clear meaning for me.

So why do I share them?

Because an incomplete story can be completed by someone else.

And an absurd image can make perfect sense in someone else's mind.

I never see absurdity as a reason NOT to publish an image.

Sometimes, it's exactly what makes it interesting.

When our brain sees something unexpected, it tries to make sense of it.

Look at this image.

A huge door in the sky.

Surrounded by clouds.

And on the door, the familiar symbol you usually find on a women's restroom.

Why is the gate to heaven marked Ladies?

I have no idea.

But maybe you're already asking yourself:

What happens when a man dies and finds this door?

Is there another entrance?

What's on the other side?

And just like that, you've started creating a story.

I didn't give you the answers.

I gave you a reason to ask questions.

So today's tip:...

INKTOBER DAY 14 — FLIMSY

What is supposed to be strong, but isn't?

That's a great question to ask when you want to create a visual metaphor for flimsy.

Start by looking for something that seems too weak for the job it has to do.

Something that looks like it's going to break, collapse or fail at any moment.

Why does this work?

Because it creates suspense.

When we see something struggling to hold a weight it clearly can't handle, we start wondering:

Will it hold? Or will it break?

And suddenly, we're no longer just looking at an image.

We're waiting for something to happen.

Here are three ways to create that kind of tension:

1. Reverse the expected function.

What is supposed to be strong, but isn't?

2. Exaggerate the disproportion.

What tiny thing is trying to support something enormous?

3. Mix two different worlds.

What if a spiderweb had to support a railway train?
Or a bubble had to hold an entire house?

In my drawing, we have a bodybuilder with an incredibly musc...

INKTOBER DAY 12: RESCUE

When you have to represent an action, ask yourself a simple question:

RESCUE… WHO?

A person?

An animal?

A relationship?

One simple question can open up a whole world of visual possibilities.
 

But how do we turn one of those possibilities into an image?
 

By making connections.

Look at a ring.Its round, and it has a hole in the middle.

What else has the same shape?
 

A lifebuoy!

So why not replace the ring with a lifebuoy?

Now we have a visual metaphor

And if we go back to our first question…
 

Who are we rescuing? Well, this image might give you an idea :)
 

This is one of my favorite ways to create visual metaphors: find a connection between two things, then replace one with the other.

And sometimes, one small detail can help the whole idea stand out.

Thats why the lifebuoy is the only colored element in this drawing.

So todays tip:

Ask a better question.

Find a visual connection.

Replace the expected.

And see where it takes you.

INKTOBER DAY 11: MYSTICAL 

How do you visually represent something mystical?

We can always start with something we can see.

A person meditating.

Someone praying.

Someone contemplating.

But these are only the visible actions.

What about everything that happens inside?

Mystical and spiritual experiences are often about something we cannot see or touch.

So how can we give that invisible world a visual form?

One way is to use the person as a container.In this image, the womans hair becomes a shape.

And inside that shape, there is an entire universe.

The universe is not outside her.Its inside.

The shape becomes a container for something we normally cannot see.

And this can be useful for many abstract ideas.

Instead of putting the meaning around the person, try putting it inside them.

So todays tip:
When an idea happens inside, try putting the metaphor inside too.

When we want to represent an emotion, we usually start with the person experiencing it.

Panic can be easy to recognize.

Wide eyes.

Tension.

Shaking.

Fast breathing.

These details can be enough to tell us what someone is feeling.

But we can go one step further.

Instead of only showing the emotion, we can show what the emotion causes.

What happens to the person because they are panicking?

And what happens next?

This can create a chain of meaning:

The person sees the shark.

The person panics.

And because they panic… something else happens.

Sometimes that extra consequence can also bring humor into the story.

Not every uncomfortable or frightening situation needs to be represented in a dramatic way.

A small unexpected detail can completely change the tone.

So today's tip:
Don't just show what someone feels. Show what happens because they feel it.

Fantasy doesn't always need to live in a fantasy world.

Even the most monstrous or mythical creature can be brought into our everyday reality.

A completely ordinary person, someone we might not even notice during the day, could be hiding something very different underneath.

Anger.

Violence.

Fear.

Or something much darker.

And the same can happen with animals.

A harmless little dog can become a dangerous wolf.

This is where shadows and negative space can become very powerful tools.

They allow us to show something that isn't actually there.

We cannot see someone's personality.

We cannot touch their fears, their anger or their intentions.

But we can give these invisible things a physical form.

A shadow is also something we cannot touch.

And yet, it can make something abstract feel real.

So today's tip:

When you want to show something invisible, don't always draw it directly. Give it a shape.