Back when I was running “Tastes Like Chicken” we used to do a section called “Sketchbook.”

“Sketchbook” was a simple yet awesome idea that was thought up (I think, and forgive me if I’m wrong here) by Erik Rose.

The idea is this: A group of artists are given either a word or a short phrase. They then create a piece of art, usually a simple, quick sketch, and send it on over in an email.

Here’s an early example of it; the assigned word was “Poe.”

I loved this idea back when we were doing it for “TLC” and would like to revisit it on “The Blarg” every now and then. It will appear more sporadically than before, one every two months or so, but if anyone is interested either let me know in a comment below or email me at justin@tlchicken.com.

I’ll then compile a contributor’s list and send out a sketch topic along with a due date. If you aren’t interested in doing a specific one or can’t meet a deadline, no sweat. Just try your hand at the next one. Nothing is required. If you do one, awesome. If not, no big deal.

I won’t post the topic on the site, only the finished pieces of art after the deadline passes. I will link each piece to the artist’s website (if they have one), and will post a link to each new entry on both Facebook and Twitter.

And yes, I will also be participating.

This is open to everyone. If you’re an artist, awesome. If you’re not, still awesome. If you’re a photographer but not an illustrator, sweet. Like to make sculptures or edit videos? Still cool. The more diverse these pieces can be, the better.

So yeah, if you’re interested in at least trying it out, let me know. And if you have any artist friends who might be interested, pass this along to them.

I know a lot of us art school kids get burnt out on making shit after graduation, so hopefully this will at least serve as a way to keep our hands (and our brains) busy.

Etch a sketch,

-Shady