Sticky Creature

Do any of you recognize this item? It's a biomorphic tripodal hand weapon from Warhammer 40,000, right? Or it's a Steampunk gadget for Dr. Basket Lightning in his direct current laboratory. Yes? No, this thing is a glue gun, as many of you in the graphics world know well. It melts sticks of plastic, which are inserted in an anal opening to the rear, and when melted comes out of its beak as clear, hot...drool. Hence the name I give to it, "The Drooler."   It does have a rather biological form, with its paw-like support tail in the back, and the large trigger which suggests that it is a male creature. I use this to stick mat borders on mounted board, thus preparing a print for life inside a frame. While I am lining up the layers of cardboard, the Drooler sits waiting in anthropomorphic patience, dropping plastic drool into a little pile. When I take the thing in hand, I squeeze the trigger, and the glue comes out. I try not to touch or drop the hot glue anywhere on my skin, because it can sting quite a bit. But it's fun to play with when it's cooled and dried. Y'see, even art prep can be fun.

Brown ink on sketchbook page, changed to black in Photoshop, about 4" x 2 1/2", September 8, 2015.

Are you ready for more of this? ORANGENESS, my new humor blog, is about to go live! I've been thinking about doing humorous blog writing for some time and why not now when the world we used to know has been turned into "information pudding." "Art By-Products" will remain just as it is, and at times will share the same material but I hope to bring you new chuckles every week or so at the Orange. Stay tuned, devotees.