Gratitude - Staedtler and Uni-Ball

I believe that one if the most important things that a person can do is express their gratitude and appreciation for the people and things that enrich their lives, and this is something that I would like to start doing more of.
Today I am going to start off by expressing my gratitude to a couple of tools that help make the Land of Le beef: Staedtler Pencils and Uni-Ball Uni Pin pens.

Me hugging my comically oversized and slightly scared looking drawing tools...

I have been using Staedtler pencils (and erasers, lots of them) since art school, and I have never looked back. They have always made a high quality, reliable product. I especially like the HB (although I would never turn down a 2H either). Staedtler pencils provide the foundation of all of the Land of Le Beef sketches.

The pens that I use, Uni Pin by Uni-Ball, are a relatively new find for me. When I started the Beef a couple of years ago, I didn't put too much consideration into which pen I used. Eventually I had bought a bunch of pens just to try them out, and I would just randomly grab one whenever my sketches were ready for ink. Some pens would frustrate me by how fast the ink flowed, or their lack of precision, but I always felt great when I had a Uni Pin in my hand. Now I can't imagine using anything else. They come in different thickness; I typically use 0.2 for the main lines, and 0.1 for small details and shading. If I happen to be doing a larger illustration I might use a 0.3 or even the 0.5.

Anyway, to sum it all up, thanks Staedtler and Uni Pin. You're awesome.

The actual pens and pencils in all their glory...

hot potato

so I'm sitting at a bar the other night, minding my own business, when I notice two potatoes talking to one another. from my vantage point, it appeared as though one of the potatoes was hitting on the other one. Needless to say, I became instantly curious as to what kind of game a potato lays down when trying to close the deal with a tasty tater. This is what I overheard:​

"what do you say we go back to my place and get baked?"

"I've had my eyes on you all night..."

"I find you very, very a peeling...."

"would you like some fries with that shake?"

"baby, I'd like to peeeeeel you out of those skins..."

"owww! you are one SWEET potato..."

"Would you like to be f#@k spuddies...?"

"you wanna see my couch, potato?"

"Care for a game of one potato two potato?"

"Who the hoe? I-DA-HO! Get it?"

"This spud's for you"

Have any to add? Share them with the world by writing in the comments section....​

a fresh take on an old classic

why can't we all just get along?

I can't believe this movie hasn't been made yet. If I had access to my own movie set and 80 tonnes of marshmallows I would make it myself, but unfortunately I am lacking both of those things :(

​on another note, did you know that marshmallows are called marshmallows because they were originally made from the marshmallow plant? I just found that out, and will probably immediately forget it.

anyway... have a wonderful day, keep smiling, hug everyone you see, and don't skimp on the high-fives.

birthday buddies

birthday buddies were created with the sole purpose of bringing just a little bit more joy to the world.

next time you want to wish somebody a happy birthday on facebook, just go here and share one of these loveable characters on their wall - guaranteed to make your friends, family, and random acquaintances smile.

(click here)