Every October, the artists of the world come together to fill the internet with art and inspiration. This began in 2009 when one artist, Jake Parker decided to challenge himself to improve his inking skills. As word got out, the project snowballed into a worldwide phenomenon with people using it as an opportunity to showcase their work and create original designs. This year there was even a list of prompt words which artists cold use if they were stuck for ideas on any particular day but some people decided to take a different approach.

One such participant that has shot to internet fame over the last few weeks is Shawn Coss, a professional artist who currently illustrates for the cynical masterpiece Cyanide and Happiness. He has always had a passion for art and his personal style is ‘dark and free, not limited by the medium of creation.’ A lot of his work is demonic and macabre but his disturbing images and fondness for greyscale make for some incredibly thought-provoking work.

This Inktober, he decided to highlight mental illness, and each day he gave a face to a different disorder. He lent his signature style to each piece and the chilling representation really emphasises the struggle that people face every day.

Mental illness has become romanticised in today’s world. With people claiming that their need for basic hygiene is ‘OCD’ or saying they’re ‘depressed’ when they get served the wrong coffee. This trivialisation means that people who are actually battling these diseases on a daily basis often get discounted as being melodramatic or attention seeking when they are actually in need of professional help. Coss and his stunning Inktober series depict the darkness and pain of this daily battle and will hopefully make people realise that mental illness is every bit as real as physical illness, deserving of the same acknowledgement and treatment.

Check out more of Shawn’s work on his Facebook Page.