Bringing Pop Culture Characters To Life: 19 Drawings By Ed Harrington

Have you ever wondered what your favorite cartoon or movie characters do when they’re not in the spotlight? It’s a funny thought. Imagining them living regular, off-screen lives adds a new layer to their personalities. That’s what makes Ed Harrington’s artwork so entertaining. He puts these iconic characters in hilarious, everyday situations that are so unexpected you can’t help but smile.

This time, we’re diving into Ed’s Inktober challenge drawings, where he kept the laughs coming with fresh ideas and clever scenarios. From Beavis and Butthead taking "violence" lessons that turn out to be violin lessons to Cookie Monster getting lured in by a fishing rod, these illustrations are packed with humor and creativity. Get ready to see your favorite characters like never before!

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19 PHOTOS

#1 Inktober Day 5: Binoculars

Inktober challenges are called “challenges” because artists have to come up with new ideas every day for a whole month! When we looked at Ed’s drawings, we were impressed by his original ideas while staying true to his unique style. It’s not easy to come up with funny and creative concepts every single day. We asked the artist what sparked his imagination when creating these alternate versions of pop culture characters. Ed shared, "Sometimes I’ll start with a character and think about what goes on in their lives that we don’t normally see. Or if I have a simple, everyday mundane situation, I will think, 'Who would be funny doing this?'"

#2 Inktober Day 19: Ridge

#3 Inktober Day 16: Grungy

Sometimes, ideas can feel exciting at first, but as you start developing them, you might decide they’re not the right fit. We were curious if Ed has ever come up with an idea for an illustration that he ultimately decided not to pursue. "All the time," the artist responded. "I try to keep everything fun and light, so I avoid doing cartoons that are too mean-spirited or vulgar."

#4 Inktober Day 11: Snacks

#5 Inktober Day 29: Navigator

Ed told us that out of all Inktober drawings, he liked how Day 10: Nomadic turned out. "Having Anton Chigurh from 'No Country for Old Men' carve a Halloween pumpkin with his compressed-air killing tool, drawn in the style of the 'Peanuts' comic, combines almost everything I like to do: Having extraordinary characters doing stuff we all do while being drawn in a different style than my own."

#6 Inktober Day 30: Violin

#7 Inktober Day 27: Road

For Ed, Inktober was a huge challenge - "I normally draw digitally, and creating an actual ink drawing daily was a daunting task. Plus, coming up with a comedic idea based on the daily word prompt was an additional struggle. Ever since it ended, I have been trying to spend more time drawing with a pen on actual paper. I would like to do more 'finished' drawings in the 'Picard and Worf' series - there’s a lot to explore there!"

#8 Inktober Day 18: Drive

#9 Inktober Day 17: Journal

#10 Inktober Day 7: Passport

#11 Inktober Day 1: Backpack

#12 Inktober Day 26: Camera

#13 Inktober Day 12: Remote

#14 Inktober Day 3: Boots

#15 Inktober Day 15: Guidebook

#16 Inktober Day 13: Horizon

#17 Inktober Day 23: Rust

#18 Inktober Day 31: Landmark

#19 Inktober Day 2: Discover