This Guy Turns an Etch A Sketch Into a Portrait Machine and I’m Honestly Jealous

John Summers • Contributor

May 1, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

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.

01

via EtchArtist
02

via EtchArtist
03

via EtchArtist
04

via EtchArtist
05

via EtchArtist
06

via EtchArtist
07

via EtchArtist
08

via EtchArtist
09

via EtchArtist
10

via EtchArtist
11

via EtchArtist
12

via EtchArtist
13

via EtchArtist
14

via EtchArtist
15

via EtchArtist
16

via EtchArtist
17

via EtchArtist
18

via EtchArtist
19

via EtchArtist
20

via EtchArtist

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This Guy Turns an Etch A Sketch Into a Portrait Machine and I’m Honestly Jealous

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