EDM #201 - Swingline

The drawing prompt for this one, obviously, was "draw a stapler". I had intended to start at the beginning with the Everyday Matters prompts and do them daily - in order. But I had some downtime at work and wanted to draw... I had pondered actually taking my shoe off and setting on my desk, but they already think I am peculiar enough at work. And, I don't really have any fun staplers at home to draw.

The ugly, almost randomly-placed text is a quote from Office Space:

"... And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don, too, because they're moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the windows, and I could see
the squirrels, and they were married, but then...they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire..."

... and we all know how that ended. :) Every time I see a Swingline, I can't help but think about that movie.

Semi-blind contour on the left, actuall sketches on the right - in case you wondered. Technically this is the second time I've sketched/contoured this stapler... I guess I really like it. (I have a geekish affinity for office supplies) lol.

The Cat

Well, while I had my camera out to snap some pics of my tulips, my cat decided to pose, too! :)

His name is Jax the Dasher, but he usually just gets called Jax (or Jaxie or Jaxie-Poo). He showed up on our doorstep one very hot and sunny day when my fiancé and I lived in an apartment. He was only about 6 months, a tiny little squirt, and we just couldn't leave him out in the 100˚ weather! So we adopted him into our home, put up found-cat posters, and even took him to the vet for de-worming. A week or so later, a lady from a couple of houses down called us and claimed the cat - but that was all we ever heard from her. So he became ours.

We couldn't agree on a name for him at first - then one day we were in front of the tv watching whatever crap was on cable (which just so happened to be Mortal Combat II) and my fiancé said "his name is Jax!" The dasher part came from the fact that he used to run like a bat outta hell through the apartment - from one side to another in one fell swoop! (and this was before the Incredibles, mind you)

Later he got fixed and calmed down a lot. We had other cats at the time but eventually rehomed them (one to my mother's house by choice, and one to GOD's house not so much by choice), and since then Jax has become my sweetness! He lives outside, but comes when I call - for a snuggle, a cuddle, and food! ^___^

Tulips on a Sunny Day

My fiancé and I had no idea there were tulips when we bought the house, but now they pop up every year without fail. We weren't sure if we would get to keep them this year with the abnormal and unexpected frosts - but then some heavy rains came that seemed to do the trick, their sunny yellow heads in wide bloom with the next clear day. Now every time I seem them, it's like seeing a smile and I can't help but smile back. ^__^

I painted this one with water-soluble crayons. I love the texture that they create by laying down the pigment with the crayon - even when you run the watery brush over it, you still keep the texture of the crayon, and the brush stays clean!

I can't wait until I can try out some water-soluble pencils - I really hope they lay down like actual coloured pencils. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my hands on some Prismas; that's the brand I am most used to working with and it seems like they keep their products pretty similar - they pretty much lay down and perform the same. :)

Here's some real-life shots of the flowers - snagged them after I got done painting (had to snap a shot of my journal for upload anyway):

Happy Birthday, Taryn!

Yesterday was the birthday of one of the nice gals in my office... so, I made a pretty little sign to hang up with the other decorations at her desk.

It really was the first piece of anything that I have created in a few months and it felt soooo good!

It was coloured with a standard package of Crayola markers that were sitting (rotting, actually) in my back bedroom for about a year. Some of the tips were crusty so the pigment wasn't applied very evenly. :( But... I think it was appreciate anyway. ^__^