Tello
Tello
Meet Tello!
Tello is an original Mr. Fixit! There’s no better way to describe him. Tello is a building engineer for our 20 story high-rise building. He lives here and for the last 20 years he has been taking care of everything that makes a building: boilers the size of a large truck, miles of windows, acres of floors and walls, an endless maze of pipes, wiring and plumbing, industrial washers and dryers. And a myriad small things: you lost your key – Tello will cut you a new one, your faucet it dripping – Tello will tighten it. If we need something fixed, we go find Tello – it is as good as done. Like replacing a dishwasher that went senile (hear! hear! :D)
I live here since 1994. I watched Tello’s daughters grow up, move away, get married and have children of their own. I saw Tello’s beard turn white over the years. But his clever way of fixing anything and everything, making sure that this building is a home for 90 families has never changed.
When I took this shot Tello was fixing AC piping in our unit. Unknown to us our AC was leaking into the unit downstairs. Tello took care of that. I am sure he also repaired a ruined ceiling in the unit below. This building is our village. And Tello is our handyman. The best!
#23 of 40. Graphite, Moleskine Cahier sketchbook
7 Comments
Comments are Disabled
This is a wonderful drawing. The detail and realism are outstanding! And Tello looks like a remarkable man.
Thank you, Linda! I almost skipped Tello because of the white beard. White beard means many hours of negative drawing, and I wasn’t sure I was up for it. And yet, how would I learn to do negative drawing and do it faster, in a sketch-like fashion, if I didn’t attempt it… That thought was the deciding one. I did the beard and did it fast. It didn’t come out as it would if I had put 8 hours into it, but the goal here was speed while maintaining likeness and realism. Are we ever satisfied with our results?…
I want a Tello!!!!!! I always have to go in search for people like Tello. I get a good one and then off he goes to another line of employment! Handymen, good ones, keep life running smoothly and are gold when you find a good one!
You have drawn Tello as a kind soul with a sparkle in his eye. I like that!
“I want a Tello!” line made me giggle :D, I even quoted it to my husband. Of course everybody would want a Tello, Tello is very special.
But it was the last line that made me really happy. Tello is indeed a kind soul and has a twinkle of mischief. The fact that you saw it makes me believe that I managed it in his portrait. There are a lot of things that could be done better, it is too early to pat myself on the back, but his kindness and mischief were really important here.
To echo Leslie…I WANT A TELLO!
You’ve depicted Tello as a person with the patience of a saint. I’m sure he has that and more. Living in a 20 story building, I’m sure there are tons of tenants who can be crabby, to say the least. Tello seems like a great worker and a diplomat as well.
Please, please….send him to NY!
Great job on the portrait.
Tello is very patient, he has to be in his line of work. I also believe that he is tired. This is a big building, and something is always getting broken and needs fixing. As to sending Tello to NY – no way! We are very lucky to have him, and we are going to keep him :D! Thank you for the comment!
[…] I found Tello. Always get Tello when you have a problem! Tello knew where they were, he took me into the basement […]