Monday, September 24, 2007

EDM #137: Something that turns on and off



Where I go, my iron goes. I have friends who never iron anything, but I mostly wear cotton, linen or woolen garments and would be a wrinkled mess without my iron. When I was a teenager my older brother used to pay me $.25 per shirt to do his ironing.

I thought this was a good choice for this challenge because after using an iron, usually when I'm on my way somewhere, I often wonder whether I remembered to turn the iron off. So I end up thinking about this "something which turns on and off" much more than I should. It is a less pressing questions these days, since I purchased an iron which automatically turns off on it's own after its been unused for a while. Now I don't worry so much about burning the house down...except of course, the iron might be from China...and defective, and might not shut off on its own. I guess I don't totally trust the technology because I usually end up seriously thinking about turning around to double check, an impulse I have so far been able to restrain. And my house is still standing.

Graphite on Bristol. (My scanner seems to miss a lot of detail/subtle shadings on graphite drawings. Do other people have that problem with their scanners?)

10 comments:

Serena Lewis said...

I'm one of those people who rarely pick up an iron...nearly all of my clothes are wash and wear, no ironing needed. Am I lazy or what?! lol Btw, great job on your iron!

I find the same problem with my scanner....never seems quite as clear as the original sketch.

Gabriel Campanario said...

excellent choice and very nice drawing!

Jenny said...

Nice drawing of your iron. I can tell by the brand that you are serious about your ironing.

My scanner seems to react differently depending on paper and color, and it always has problems with the lightest shades. Your scanner is better than mine it that your watercolors are richer more beautiful than I've ever achieved ... or is the problem with my watercolors? *lol*

Meinhild Selbach said...

Nice drawing. I am thinking of doing my Rowenta steem iron. You were just faster...
I love ironing !
Greetings from France
Meinhild

Linda said...

:-D I understand about worrying about the iron! I used to do the same thing -- then I just quit. Ironing, that is! Great drawing -- and yes, scanning a graphite drawing can be really difficult. They never look exactly like the original.

juj said...

If I said the house burned down because I left the iron on my hubby would turn me in to the insurance police - I can't remember the last time I even turned the thing on!

Beautiful drawing - you did an excellent job with the perspective. I imagine the curve and foreshortening of the cord was especially hard.

I know what youmean about scanners - I experience a lack of the subtle details with mine no matter what I'm scanning, but pencil of any kind is especially frustrating.

andrea joseph's sketchblog said...

very nice drawing.

Anonymous said...

Wow- your drawing is beautiful! Somehow you've managed to remove any trace of drudgery or boredom from the humble Iron, and elevate it into something very interesting. The angle you have the iron at, and the cropping work very well here.

And I have no end of wierdness trying to scan pencil or pen drawings! I have no good answers, either. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

A very nice drawing! Well, I just started thinking I might be the only weirdo out there. I iron absolutely everything, from linen to T-shirts! Enjoyed your writing..
Ronell

Anonymous said...

I hate ironing, but I love your sketch. I have to iron my hubby's clothes because he wears suits for his work. Every week.