oh what a week.....

To say it has been an interesting week is an understatement. Last Friday started with a trip to the movies to see Wolverine. It wasn't a bad flick. In my opinion however the other XMEN films were all much more entertaining. I think Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool was amazing, and wish there had been more of him in the movie. I'm glad to hear that there is a Deadpool movie in the works with Reynolds already attached.
Saturday, brought us to Free Comic Book Day. In all honesty I haven't participated in anything to do with it since Spider-man came out at the movie theaters. But this year I decided to take my girlfriends daughter to the shop in Lakeland to get some swag. Sadly there was zero presence. Not a consumer in the place snagging free books. The upside was that we got to get one of each. But the best prize of all was the Indiana Jones fertility idol piggy bank that I scored there. I had never seen it before but it was awesome. Yeah the dork in me re-enacted the famous sand bag switch a few times to the eye rolling chagrin of my honey. After that we went to grab a bite at the Macaroni Grill and low and behold, they had coloring placemats. The artist in me couldn't resist, and here is what I came up with. The food wasn't half bad either. Our last stop of the night was to see Monsters VS Aliens in 3D. Of course the movie started 45 minutes late because they couldn't get the projector working. After having some fun in a silent and increasingly impatient theater with my Iphone Whoopie Cushion application, they moved us to the theater showing The Battle for Terra. Not one ticket had been sold for it. They comped us and started MvsA there. It was deliciously gorgeous. And pretty damn funny as hell. I liked it better than Wolvie.
Sunday I got up and went to church with Jaime. The pastor spoke about decision making and crossroads. It was surprisingly relevant and poignant. As I have been at a crossroads in life lately about a few things. It helped clear a lot up, and for now there is a ton of clarity swimming around my head.
Monday I was readying my special new announcement when we got some bad news. My girlfriends granny had passed away. I quickly acquired a plane ticket to South Carolina for her, and found myself in the position of taking care of her daughter for the week. I was flattered that Brit wanted me to stay with her. But that meant a lot of long driving back and forth to work, to check on my chihuahua and back to her house. Most everything art related had to be put on temporary hold. The drawings I did get to do came from a college program graduation. It's always fun to work with and see old friends. I drew this gal from China, and didn't hold back. My co-worker Andi was trying to reassure her that it was very good but very funny. When the gal saw it she laughed and heartily appreciated it. An hour later she came back and gave Andi and I each a Chinese good luck charm. We joked that we hoped it wasn't some kind of voodoo cursed talisman showing retaliation for the drawing.
Thursday brought some obnoxious clients. I just knew that it couldn't end well. I will say that the drawing started as this. Sweet, toned down, fairly flattering. (Believe me it was) It got rejected. My co-worker came back and asked if her neck had really been "That big". To demonstrate the actual thickness the picture went to this.
(Yeah, I was a little more honest and unforgiving this round) I hadn't yet added the braids or glasses as I didn't want the client walking back by and seeing the more "exaggerated" version. My co-worker laughed and said from the photo it "looked like a big pile of $#i+" I died laughing. Then he pointed out the "dirty neck" and I about pissed myself rolling with laughter. Needless to say, I finished it up, adding the glasses and the braids, and was very happy with the end result. I think I just made myself a portfolio piece. So all was not completely lost. I wish business had been better for the day, but thanks to the crossroads speech, I am reassured that the decisions I have made thus far in life have led me to a very happy and fulfilling career in art, and have brought me to encounter many fantastic people. The positive side is that my girlfriend is headed back from South Carolina now, having said her goodbyes and shed many a tear, and our life will continue to grow together. I will post the details of my new art challenge blog "The Toony Bin" on Monday. Thanks for reading, and have a blessed weekend!