Butter fingered tragedy

The naked core of an Apple Pencil

On Thursday I was working late and scrambled through traffic to get to studio to join my figure drawing session. I was there late enough that it was hard to find a place to work. I stood in between two easels. As the lights went out, the person to my right turned on their clip-lamp to illuminate their easel. I was blind. I stepped forward and back and finally turned 45º to keep the light out of my face. If only everyone carried self-illuminating drawing tablets this wouldn’t be a problem.

A ghost of a painting that might have been.

I got moving on a drawing. Still a little rushed. I made some drawing errors. But I liked the direction my colors were headed.

Then I fumbled and dropped my Apple Pencil. Its tip struck the concrete floor and broke in such away that the mounting sleeve is jammed well into the barrel, with no way to extract it.

Ruined.

I’ve already ordered another, it should be here Monday. I don’t put a case on my phone. I don’t shield my laptop in a special sleeve. I just try to be careful and not be foolish. But a pen is so easy to drop. Maybe I need one of those foamy pen-grips you can slip over the end of your pen so it stays in your clumsy hand. Maybe I need a pen-lanyard. Maybe I need to learn to paint with my fingers.