"I should take a good look at the subject before drawing."
— Sean Diaz during the first optional drawing in "Roads"
Optional Drawings are a gameplay mechanic in Life is Strange 2. Throughout each episode, Sean may encounter multiple locations where he may sit and draw pictures to varying levels of details using his sketchbook. Completion of a drawing will result in the sketch being saved to Sean's journal pages, and starting any drawing at least once throughout an episode awards the player with an achievement.
The drawing mechanic consists of two phases; observation and sketching. First, the player must take in their surroundings and memorize its details, which involves pointing the camera at a specific part of the scenery and holding down the A, X, or left mouse button. Next, the player must look down at their journal and sketch out the scene by moving their control stick or mouse until the sketch is done. This process is repeated several times, as the player's surroundings come into focus and their sketches become more detailed, until the drawing reaches its maximum detail variant.
Sean can sit in a beanbag chair in the left corner of his room and sketch a picture of the adjacent corner of his room.
While camping at Mount Rainier National Park, Sean and Daniel will set up camp under a rock formation. After he and/or Daniel gather firewood, Sean can sit by the river and draw the surrounding area.
When in their motel room, Daniel will ask to play Rock Paper Scissors over the bed closest to the TV. If he wins the game or Sean wins and gives up the bed, Sean will immediately be able to draw Daniel sitting on the bed. If Sean wins and does not give up the bed, Daniel will sit on the bed when Sean enters the bathroom. If Daniel and Mushroom are sent to have a bath before you choose to draw the room they will not appear in detail.
Sean can head outside after preparing food on the stove at the cabin and draw a sketch.
Sean can relax in the corner of the living area after breakfast in The Gingerbread House. In order for both Claire and Daniel to be featured in the sketch, it must be started before Sean collects the shed key from Stephen. If Daniel has not finished his homework, he can be added to the sketch later before Sean heads outside.
Sean can sit on a bench in the Christmas Market and draw the scene. After completing the sketch, Chris will walk up to Sean and ask to add something cool. Sean decides on adding either a UFO or zombies.
Sean can sit on the stump and sketch the campsite after he leaves his tent in the morning. If he sketches after petting the dog, he will not include the dog in the sketch.
Sean can sit in a camping chair next to his tent and draw after he gets back from work. He can sketch either Cassidy or Finn, both of whom are sitting in front of their respective tents.
As the group sits around the campfire, Sean can sketch the scene. The drawing features Finn, Hannah, the dog, Jake, Cassidy, Penny, and Daniel. If Sean is intoxicated (by drinking or smoking), his drawing will be affected.
After waking up from his nightmare, Sean can look at the sketchbook in front of him. Afterwards, he will have the option to draw his hospital room. He can add a staircase or prison bars.
Sean can draw the surrounding desert once he reaches the shady spot underneath the billboard. He decides to spice up his drawing by adding palm trees or hellhounds.
While waiting for Karen in the motel room, Sean can look out from the curtain. He will then have the option to open the shades and draw the surrounding area. Assuming the player doesn't leave before the drawing sequence is complete, Sean will draw a kraken.
On top of Karen's caravan at Away, Sean can sit and draw the location and is also a Moment of Calm.
Achievements[]
Sketchy
30
Start any drawing in Episode 1
Sketchy 30 Start any drawing in Episode 1
Draw The Line
30
Start any drawing in Episode 2
Draw The Line 30 Start any drawing in Episode 2
American Graffiti
30
Start any drawing in Episode 3
American Graffiti 30 Start any drawing in Episode 3
Chiaroscuro
30
Start any drawing in Episode 4
Chiaroscuro 30 Start any drawing in Episode 4
Out Of Ink
30
Start any drawing in Episode 5
Out Of Ink 30 Start any drawing in Episode 5
Trivia[]
At the release of Episode 1, several reviews made mention of the tediousness of the sketching process of the drawing mechanic[1], furthered by a sensitivity issue that made it much longer and harder to carry out.[2] On October 8, 2018, a patch was released to add better support for low sensitivity mice and controllers and fix the rare occurrence of camera locks.[3]
30 
