Move over, colouring books — idrawmazes' puzzles are the new grown-up trend
There comes a time to put aside childish things like adult colouring books...
Name: Eric J. Eckert
Handle: @idrawmazes
Sorry, millions of crayon addicts who have created a publishing phenomenon, but give us a maze over a colouring book any day.
Sure, maybe you haven't played one of these old-school puzzles since you were eating Cheerios out of ziploc bags, but here's the thing about mazes: they're not about colouring inside the lines. They're about colouring your way out of them. And that's one reason we're following @idrawmazes on Instagram, a feed filled with pop-culture-filled, hand-drawn labyrinths, all created by a Nebraska artist named Eric J. Eckert.
Last August, with several Sharpies in hand, Eckert completed the world's largest hand-drawn maze.
And while he documented the 41-hour process on Instagram, his account is largely focused on showcasing the more digestible puzzles he creates, sketches he says he completes in "about 20 minutes." That quick turnaround means Eckert can crank out new ones on the daily.
An avid skateboarder, most of his mazes give a shout out to skate culture.
But pop culture is just as much a point of inspiration, whether we're talking about Star Trek...
...or Star Wars.
Trending topics...
Music stars...
TV characters...
...or '80s nostalgia.
"I started putting faces into mazes in 2011 to see what kind of reaction I could get and it has been overwhelming," writes Eckert, who has 10,400 followers on Instagram.
Social media can be so much more than selfies and viral videos — it's increasingly becoming a scratch pad for emerging artists and other creative minds to show off their latest work. Artstagram curates the best visual talent on Instagram, helping bring a little more art into your daily feed.