Happy Birthday Meh and a Story and Coloring
20I thought it might be fun to make IRK coloring sheets as a birthday gift and encourage a coloring contest to give away some IRKs. So I did what any tech obsessed person in 2026 would do.
I asked AI to help me make the coloring sheets.
Here are your coloring sheets:



Now I know what you are thinking. This isn’t much of a story.
Well, let’s back up to the beginning.
I worked through this process, very carefully worded and prepped my AI Prompts, and had what I thought was going to be a quick and easy solution. Until it wasn’t.
See, the first draft really left something to be desired:



These are, without question, incredible. Dare I say, a perfect representation of AI and its use in art. To say I was shook when I saw these is an understatement. I was paralyzed with laughter. These made my entire year.
But I was too invested, so I didn’t stop there. I refined, rethought, and moved on to the second draft:



I almost stopped here, but I didn’t I needed one more go. So that is where we landed with the images at the top.
So if you made it all the way to the bottom, here is the challenge. Print these. Color them with crayon. And we’ll send a couple IRKs to our favorite.
Happy Birthday Meh. I’ve been here for every single one of them. What a ride.
- 31 comments, 116 replies
- Comment
I love that you shared the full run of terribleness.
I may have cheated and did the tecky tecky thing because I dont have crayons
@tinamarie1974 I have crayons but no printer. (You did a nice job btw
)
@ladyhawke001 @tinamarie1974
Me to. I even asked my brother a mike down the road but his printer is out of ink too.
@tinamarie1974 Too could have fooled me! It looks like you did it with real crayons.
You say to print and color but then what please?
@ladyhawke001 Not sure if you are messing with me…but…
post a photo of your finished pages.
@ChadP @ladyhawke001
… maybe I’m old school, but my first thought was mail them in!
I have THESE CRAYONS






but no printer…
@llangley Why do you have these crayons but I don’t? Totally unfair
@llangley spicy! Love it
I want to do this and my printer has decided to refuse to print based on its belief that it is out of toner. I’m going to find myself a way out of this mess!
@djslack

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/pens_as_printers
@narfcake THIS SO MUCH. Believe it or not it is the magenta toner it’s bitching about. For a black and white page.
@djslack @narfcake I laughed so hard I snorted. Thank you, I needed that!!
@chadp Do we have to color all of them or just pick one? I am also someone with no crayons so electronic crayons are OK?
@Kidsandliz pick one
@ChadP Thanks. I found colored markers so if they aren’t dried out I’ll use them since no crayons. That will be easier then doing it online. But I can’t do that until much later this evening.
@ChadP @Kidsandliz I’m thinking I might try to paint one with a fully automatic BB gun
But it’s raining, so I can’t roast coffee and shooting guns in my backyard is currently unpleasant given the present weather conditions 
2026 generated yields 2026 methods, right?
/showme a coloring page that has been colored in with crayon that depicts the Irk troll mascot from meh.com.
@narfcake Here’s the image you requested for “a coloring page that has been colored in with crayon that depicts the Irk troll mascot from meh.com.”
@narfcake I like this version, he’s cute! Grumpy, but cute.
I enlisted my kids to help color, they love coloring.


@mbersiam you may be wondering why mine looks folded. Well I thought I’d be cute-sy and add more color. As soon as I was done I thought well maybe I can be coy about it… or write my own OH SHIT report. But then I decided to just put the full problematic one in the comments and let you all laugh at my blunder.
Based on this thread, we need to sell printers.
@ChadP And crayons.
@ChadP @Kyeh seems like you are.trying to herd sheep…or maybe goats!
@ChadP @Kyeh As long as it’s not the brand that’s an abbreviation for “Horrible Printers”.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/firmware-update-bricks-hp-printers-makes-them-unable-to-use-hp-cartridges/
@ChadP @Kyeh @tinamarie1974 I have a printer with black ink and a big set of colored pencils. But the only way I could figure out how to print the coloring page was to take a screenshot and print it but even though it’s black ink only the printer says NO THAT’S A PHOTO GO BUY COLORED INK RIGHT NOW.
I wonder if I can trace on my iPad?
Edit: YES I CAN TAKE THAT YOU EPSON BASTARDS. Results to follow.
@ChadP Sell printers, and ink … except that’s not the usual way for Meh products.
It would probably be a 3-pack of printers, and we’re expected to just throw them away when they run out of ink. (which, I suppose, isn’t too far from the standard model of inkjet printers)
@ChadP @xobzoo That model used to work fine when they included regular cartridges. Nowadays, they include “starter” cartridges that are like a quarter full.
I need to find a printer!
@sillyheathen Eh, if you’re joining the game I give up already.
You could probably just draw them freehand.
@Kyeh



Everyone is an artist. I still stand by that. Jackson Pollock. Just sayin. 
@Kyeh @sillyheathen youve clearly never seen my attempts at being creative.
As example, wanna guess which cookie I made
@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 again. I refer you to pollock.
. It drives me nuts when people attack artists because they don’t agree with their artform being art. It’s just bollocks. It’s like music. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s not music. Art is literally a person making an expression of who they are. I think people with art, like many other things, are just worried about the bullshit judgement of others.
the haters. Go do the things that make your soul happy. Who cares if someone else like what it looks like?!?! It’s not theirs. Bugger them.
And I’m not having a go at you at all Tina. Context is difficult with text at times. Your cookies look awesome.
@Kyeh @sillyheathen awww thanks, I named my cookie after one of my friends who spent many days completely stoned. Seemed appropriate
Miss ya Bill
@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 well art is there to make you feel things and provoke thought or something meaningful, even if it doesn’t hit the same way with others. And this makes me feel joy. So good job to you and Bill. It’s making me smile!
@Kyeh @sillyheathen @tinamarie1974 if I’m doing one you better all do one too.

/giphy chicken
@Kyeh @sammydog01 @tinamarie1974 if I can’t find a printer, I’ll just draw one. But yes. Totally will do one!
@Kyeh @sammydog01 @sillyheathen mine is above
@sillyheathen @tinamarie1974 Hmm, is it this one?
@sammydog01 @sillyheathen @tinamarie1974 I may have used up my daily quota of artistic talent on decorating my Irk tattoo.
@Kyeh @sillyheathen mmeeeehhhhhhbbbbeeeeee
@Kyeh @sammydog01 @tinamarie1974




@sillyheathen @tinamarie1974
I love that one! It’s the best!
@sammydog01 @sillyheathen @tinamarie1974 Okay, I did it; it’s sammydog’s fault.
@Kyeh @sammydog01 @tinamarie1974

/giphy YES!!!
@Kyeh @sammydog01 @sillyheathen @tinamarie1974
Nice job!

@Kyeh @sammydog01 @sillyheathen @tinamarie1974
Crap! Edit window ended before I could add the hyperlink. (Had a hard time getting a gif that would actually load.)
Nice job
@chienfou @sammydog01 @sillyheathen @tinamarie1974
@chienfou–Thank you!
I’m happy I’m not the only one who doesn’t have a printer.
And you thought this was gonna be an easy game we could all play. Boy you were wrong.
Got a printer but no crayons so here’s the best I can do using what’s available like all the young’uns do to complete their school assignments. [hint: 1st and 3rd vowels of the alphabet
]
@MrGoodGuy
https://www.techspot.com/news/113049-professor-chart-exposes-scale-ai-cheating-college-exams.html
Normally I shake my fist at the sky when discussing AI but I do like to color. Also this is an earlier iteration, oh well, it was the cute one.

Oh, I wanna do a thing. Hope my printer works!
@mossygreen Update: yes to printer working, now onto finding crayons!
@mossygreen Update two: crayons aren’t working for what I want, but what I want may not be possible.
@mossygreen Update three: this will not work, but I’ll post it anyway. My dream was beautiful.
I no longer have @hollboll around here to post my etchings, so I guess I will be forced to pass on this contest.
@Barney but you can use the color PURPLE!!!
@sillyheathen Hahaha, I always use the color purple.
@Barney i know! This makes you a shoe in!
@sillyheathen If you are free-hand drawing this, I’ll place my money on you.
@Barney I’m going to when I get home. I finished painting the studio side of the upstairs in the shop. Now I’m playing licensed parent for kiddo with his permit. I’m going to throw something together when I get back. I was seriously tempted to draw it on the massive white walls in the studio.

@Barney @sillyheathen–Hurry! You’ve got half an hour!
@Barney @Kyeh @sillyheathen
Did I miss the cut off time in the above post? Just finding this Friday morning. Obviously a day late and more than a dollar short!
I had my wife & daughter color one too. Bonus points if you can tell which is mine
Maximum effort
@medz of course that a z. We know how to curse.
@djslack I was actually second guessing myself on if that was right
@djslack @medz we also know how to cursive!
I know I have crayons somewhere, but I can’t find them. So I used colored pencils and some metallic markers. And some glass eyes. And I thought Irk looked too sweet & innocent, so …
@Kyeh excellent
@jaybird Thanks!
@Kyeh I love it!
@Kyeh AMAZEBALLS!
@Kyeh love it, se you are artistic!
@tinamarie1974 @sillyheathen @sammydog
Thanks! I do like messing around with art supplies once I get motivated and find them!
@Kyeh This is so great- I love it.
@Pony Thank you!
@Kyeh
Nice.
@f00l Thanks!
@f00l @Kyeh I love all of these but I really think yours is my favorite. It makes me proper giggle. It’s so fun.
@f00l @sillyheathen
@f00l @Kyeh it’s just the truth! I honestly would’ve guessed Pony had made it if I hadn’t known it was yours. In a way that makes it even cooler. I love the unexpected in the art!
@f00l @sillyheathen


@Pony’s would have been more rad, I’m sure.
@Kyeh As if! No way I could have matched yours or @sillyheathen’s. Drawing and coloring are not my strong suits.
@Pony @sillyheathen Well, if it included sculped/altered representations of Irk, it would have slayed, definitely!
@Kyeh @Pony @sillyheathen
Nailed it!
I wish I’d seen this a lot sooner. Too tired to try to bang something out now.
@Pony Awww.
Yours would have been great.
MY BEAUTIFUL DREAM: Irk in colors that will create a correct afterimage when you stare at it for 20-30 seconds then look at a white wall. What I got: Irk in colors that create a weird, purplish-pinkish nightmare blob with huge blank eyes and an idiot grin (surprisingly similar to a meh face). Unforseen problem: it doesn’t work in a picture on my phone, probably because crayons are too faint. Will I try it with markers? I don’t know, how much time do I have?
@mossygreen Oh no! You’ve got half an hour.
@mossygreen
@mossygreen it is an excellent vision!
@mossygreen Oh, I did get it to work, faintly! I’ll try again under a brighter light, maybe.
@mossygreen MARKER VERSION:

Works better. Still not perfect. Also, Irk’s kind of hot pink now.
Not quite up to the vision, but when is it ever?
Had to abandon the real printer and use the label printer after the kiddo went to sleep. Couldn’t find the crayons so watercolor markers courtesy of @melanie413
Here goes:

Fun times for Meh’s 12th!! Adorable baby Irk colored with water color markers on label paper courtesy of @djslack. I have no recollection of the last time we actually colored together, so thanks for a new core memory, Meh!
Happy Birthday Meh.
I was inspired by the background of the irks posted today and yesterday for sale on the home page. Those backgrounds were nice.
Finally found some colored pencils .No crayons here.
I might run out of time to get a picture up under less dim light as the colors on the original are brighter and the white paper is actually white.
@Kidsandliz Did a quick adjustment on it for you:
@MrGoodGuy thanks
![][1]
No printer so I improvised and drew my own and colored that. I can’t draw for shit
[1]:
@Star2236
I know I’m overtime but the drawing took me a lot longer than I thought it would.
@Star2236 it’s ace Star!
@Star2236 That’s really good! Whaddya mean you can’t draw?
@Kyeh
No it’s not, it’s horrible.
@Star2236 Well, I don’t agree.
@Kyeh @Star2236 same. I think it’s great. You hand drew that mug. It reminds me of the box trolls. I love it.
@sillyheathen @Star2236 I’d never heard of the Box Trolls so I looked it up. I see it, definitely!
And that seems like a charming movie, I’ll have to watch it sometime.)
@Kyeh @Star2236 it’s a family favourite here.
@Kyeh @sillyheathen
Never herd of the box trolls either
Happy Burfday Meh!!! Finished a bit ago but well life. Quick watercolor.
@sillyheathen And of course yours is phenomenal!
@Kyeh well of course all I see are flaws but I’m pretty sure this is true for most people. Not too shabby for a 20-30 minute study? I just love making the things. Making art just makes my heart smile.
@sillyheathen
Nothing shabby AT ALL.
@Kyeh @sillyheathen As always, you’re terrifyingly talented.
@Kyeh @Pony I think I’m pretty meh from a professional perspective. It’s the imposter syndrome methinks. It’s only been in the last few years that I can call myself an artist. There are just so many talented people out there. I’m my own worst critic.
@Pony @sillyheathen Ahem.
You were saying?
@sillyheathen that is outstanding!
@sillyheathen WHERE’S THE PURPLE?
@Kyeh @sillyheathen
Now that’s a drawing
@Barney I can Barney-fi it later today. Irk is a little more grey/lavender than true purple. I’ll ramp it up a bit.
@Kyeh @Pony touché my friend!
@Barney @sillyheathen Irk was gray with a purple t-shirt, and not always even with a purple t-shirt.
BRING BACK THE OG IRK
@sammydog01 @sillyheathen I don’t care what color Irk is, give him stripes if you want; my point is that
WE NEED MOAR PURPLE!
@Barney @sammydog01 well now he has to have stripes! Or spots…… but more PURPLE!
@Barney @sammydog01 ![enter image description here][1]
MOAR PURPLE just for you Barney!
[1]:
@Barney @sammydog01 @sillyheathen
Ahhh he’s got leprosy lol
@Barney @sammydog01 @Star2236 he’s got all the things!
@sillyheathen @Star2236 He’s really not contagious, is he?
@Barney @Star2236 nah. Unless you’re allergic to felt and polyester batting.
Found this thread way too late to be a participant. Nice job one & all, both artistically, and vocally as a support for each other.
This is what meh means to me!
(And why I happily send my $5 in every month)
@chienfou I was afraid we were going to end the birthday without any coloring, thanks @ChadP.
@chadp
Who are the winners or are we all getting irks for participating.
@Star2236 I think the prize should be a coloring contest for August. And the prize for that should be a coloring contest for September.
@sammydog01 @Star2236 I’m down!
@Star2236 You just got one
@sammydog01 @Star2236 You can have a prize, or you can have an infinite chain of obligations!
PSA it’s back to school time and Target has a box of 120 different Crayola colors.

/giphy run for crayons
I didn’t have any crayons so I tried to think outside the box. It was pretty for a moment
And I got to use my flamethrower 
Seriously fantastic efforts from everyone on this task. I wish we could send everyone a reward just for showing up, but sadly, I was only given a few IRKs to reward Irks, so difficult choices had to be made.
Congrats to @MrGoodGuy for this incredible work of art and @mbersiam for more art worthy of the fridge door. @sillyheathen also snagged an IRK for really coloring outside of the lines. Those will be on the way soon, and a big thank you to everyone who shared their art.
@ExtraMedium thanks! It’s an honor!
/showme children’s artwork of an irk coloring page hanging on a fridge
@ExtraMedium I Won??
Thanks a whole bunch!! 
/giphy Happy Dance

@ExtraMedium hey thanks! I mean I might not thank you when the irk arrives but that’s not true either. I don’t hold grudges.
Also if it gets too hot in your neck of the woods, yall are welcome to come crash at the less murdery shed and drink margaritas in the pool! I’d say look for the technicolor irk flag but I haven’t sewn it yet. 
Pink shirt, one of the kiddos will claim, mattress protector for guest room, gold eye masks, and a usb cable.
Thanks for the irk!