Every Day in May Challenge # 4

Draw a Present

This image is pen & ink, and watercolour. I also used Derwent Inktense pencils with water.

My son gave me this HP Touchpad for Christmas. It is a really cool gadget. It allows me to go on the internet so I use it in the kitchen to view my allrecipes.com recipes to cook from. It saves trees by not printing out the recipes.


I use it to read email, surf the web, play games, watch movies, read books, draw and colour, and view photos. It is a very versatile gadget and I really enjoy playing with it.

Oh, and if I have to meet a client, I can use it show them the work I am doing (as long as there is WiFi).

I have a photo of my son as my wallpaper. My son is laughing at how scary and demented I made him look in my drawing.


The HP Touchpad is one of my favourite gadgets that my son has given me, along with my iPod Touch and my iPhone... However, this is my least favourite rendering for the Every Day in May Challenge.

Here is the actual background photo that I so terribly mangled:

My New Lamy Pen

Anthony purchased this gorgeous pen for me as a belated anniversary gift (our anniversary is June 6) . It is beautiful and works really well.

We drove to Cambridge, Ontario (about an hour and a half away) and went to a shop called Phidon Pens. We met a lovely woman named Mano who helped us out.

I drew this in the car on the way back to London.

The whole day was most pleasant.

EDM 16 - Draw a favorite tool

I am stretching the definition to "tool" here, but this is as much as tool as anything. I enjoy listening to audio books while I work. It makes housework go by faster (and be less odious). It is also great to multi-task and listen to an audio book while I draw.

I will have to admit that when I draw and listen to a book, I cannot listen to anything "heavy" or else my hands stop working and I just sit and concentrate on the book. For doing artwork, I find a nice light read is best.

This is my 4GB Coby MP3 player that my son gave me as a gift. I really enjoy using it.  It plays wmv files too.

March 1, 2009

Today I went to the United States to help celebrate our friends' 35th Wedding Anniversary! David and Joyce have been happily married for 35 years!

Anthony and Alexander could not go, so I got a ride to Farmington Hill, Michigan with Ian and Storm. We had no problem going over the border.

Unfortunately David's father was not able to make it, unexpectedly being in the Cardiac Unit of their local hospital. David spent the morning with him.

Many of their family and friends were there. I finally met their eldest daughter, Allysa, and of course, it was a pleasure to see their younger daughter, Michelle. Both girls are beautiful, intelligent and super kids!

Joyce looked stunning in a lovely bright peach ensemble. She sparkled.


On the tables were "take home gifts" for all the women. The men had lottery scratch cards with their place cards. The women received rose scented soap petals shaped like roses inside a clear plastic heart. They also received a pretty 3-tier wedding cake shaped candle. Both are lovely.

The meal was fantastic. I had steak, cooked to perfection, potatoes, and vegetables. We had cake for dessert.

All in all, it was a wonderful time and I felt honoured to be invited to help share in their love and commitment. We have only known each other a short time, but have become good friends.

I got a ride back to London, ON with Bill and Lottie. Bill and Lottie live right near me so it made more sense to get a ride back with them. It was a pleasant ride. No problem at the border and the weather held out, both ways. It was a lovely day to drive.

February 26, 2009

The above image is of a stuffed toy that sits near our television. It is sitting on a stack of magazines on a little child's chair. It is supposed to be a mythical creature from H.P. Lovecraft's works.

Anthony finally convinced me to go to a walk in clinic regarding my chronic (and annoying) cough and my difficulty breathing. I was disappointed that Dr. Swift was not in. He had surgery and so Dr. Lucy was looking after the clinic. She thought my lungs sounded very congested and thought I had double lung pneumonia. She also said my blood pressure was particularly high. She suggested I get chest X-rays done to be sure.


It was too late to go for X-rays by the time I got out, so I went home, sat on my sofa, and drew the brush above, that I use to remove pencil dust and eraser crumbs as I work on my art. The mug you see above was a Father's Day gift from our son to Anthony when our son as quite small. It was done at a mall and they took an image of our son ittle head and put it on Superman's body on the mug. The other side says "Happy Father's Day". Anthony keeps some of his treasures in this mug. There is a parrot pen that our son gave him, a Charlie Brown pez dispenser, and a "Super Dad" super hero sculpture that our son made (out of pipe cleaners, paper and a bead for the head.) for his father when he was little. He made this to help his dad recuperate from heart surgery. All the treasures Anthony keeps in this mug were special gifts from our son  Anthony keeps these near his end of the coffee table so he can look at them whenever he needs a "pick me up".

February 12, 2009

Leena and Ingelbert surprised me with a visit. I have not seen them in ages, especially Leena. When Leena lived here, in London Ontario, she and I were very close. She was my best friend and I shared everything with her. Since she has moved back to the States, we are still close but it is difficult with her so far away. I really miss her.

We had a great visit, but it was too short.

The above was done while I waited for them at Williams Coffee Pub (one of my favourite places to go because they have excellent coffee and food, comfortable chairs, and great atmosphere).

Leena gave me some lovely birthday gifts. I have illustrated them below.