Web designer Kyson Dana decided that he wanted to take a break from his career to beautifully illustrate the entire alphabet. The imaginative artist’s mission went beyond practicing his skills at rendering all 26 letters. This project meant creating a solid sketch every single day, with an animal theme, for his newborn son to learn the alphabet.
In order to help push him towards his goal, the artist decided to challenge his friend Jeffrey Smith (who is also a fellow illustrator) to a sketchbook duel. The rules of this challenge meant they each had to complete a sketch each day and post it on Instagram by midnight. Additionally, Dana explains on his website, “The animal had to start with the letter of the day and the composition could be created using any medium.” After a full 26 days, the two illustrators successfully completed the challenge and never once skipped a day.
Ultimately, what resulted from this artistic competition is a series of illustrations that are unique and full of energy, something both children and adults can appreciate. As viewers go through the illustrator’s hand-drawn alphabet (which can all be viewed on Dana’s website), it’s clear that the creator truly outdid himself by making each letter more captivating than the one before.
Above: “K is for Koi”
“F is for Fox”
“Y is for Yak”
“H is for Hawk”
“I is for Ibex”
“P is for Peacock”
“J is for Jaguar”
“U is for Unau (which is a two-toed sloth)”
“O is for Octopus”
“S is for Super Sick Sea Turtle”
“X is for X-Ray Fish”
“V is for Vulture”
“C is for Crane”
Kyson Dana: Website | Instagram
Jeffrey Smith: Website | Instagram