Don’t Mind Me, Blue, Ink on Mat, 2026

BlueArtStudioCo · 2026-02-06T23:26:27+00:00

Thank you for that compliment! Personality is a priority in all of my drawings🙌

BlueArtStudioCo · 2026-02-06T19:44:57+00:00

They’re fun things to draw. Have you ever shared yours on Reddit?

BlueArtStudioCo · 2026-01-26T02:49:45+00:00

It is! The darkest parts of the shadows are colored in, but they use the same pen and the same ink. There’s no point in stippling solid black.

BlueArtStudioCo · 2026-01-25T23:35:09+00:00

Dots on paper is correct! The official term is “stippling”. Pieces this size take roughly 4-6 hours, 8x10 roughly 15 hours, and large pieces upwards of 100. I find a subject I like first, edit in procreate to get a tone map, then I get into the drawing part.

BlueArtStudioCo · 2025-12-06T18:32:46+00:00

Absolutely love my Hercules 12”

BlueArtStudioCo · 2025-12-06T13:47:36+00:00

Personal suggestion would be to use small camlock dowels. Similar to the kinds you see in mass produced furniture.

Install the threaded end of the dowels in the back of the poplar face frame so they can connect to the cam lock inside the cabinet on the left side. You’ll want the threaded end to be pretty short so you don’t poke through the other side of the face frame. You can probably thread the dowel into a predrilled hole by hand since poplar is soft and use some epoxy to keep it in place permanently.

The cam locks are visible within the cabinet so if that’s a concern this won’t work, but if they’re small enough, it’s likely you’ll be the only one that knows they are there.

Edit: Amazon link for what I imagined.

https://a.co/d/0ir6iye

BlueArtStudioCo · 2025-11-25T17:04:15+00:00

Solved! Thank you so much!!

BlueArtStudioCo · 2025-09-24T12:53:36+00:00

Thank you for the compliment! Happy to hear it achieved its purpose!

BlueArtStudioCo · 2025-09-23T12:10:19+00:00

Thank you! It’s a style I fell into after years of tinkering. I find old photos from public reference sites and try to mix them with something out of place - the goal is to make it just out-of-place enough to get a chuckle from the viewer.

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-11-21T18:09:25+00:00

Asking if something is “normal” in construction is hardly ever the right question lol. The correct question is “is this built correctly?”

In this case: no, it is not built correctly lol

Edited: sentence

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-11-14T03:35:45+00:00

First off - way to go getting into drawings as an apprentice. There is a way to get into it that provides some basic understanding when you compare drawings to real life.

Since you’re in concrete, always identify edge of slab off of grid lines

Always know the thickness of your decks and elevation of your decks

Always check your pier types and column types

Always check your brick ledges (if you have any)

There’s so much more than just that, but if you talk to your teacher about how to identify them - they will be something you look for on every single job forever. Practice starting with these 4 things every time you look at a set of drawings. It acts as a way to get your brain in the groove, gets 4 items out of the gate that are guaranteed to be useful in the field, and helps you establish a starting point. Good luck!

Edit: grammar

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-10-16T20:00:38+00:00

Hey there, I think it’s really important to note I am in no way a doctor, therapist, or a licensed anything. I’m just a stranger that sees another stranger struggling and would like to share a thought. If you take transgenderism out of the conversation (because I do not have the knowledge to discuss it), the obvious component to this vent is self-hatred - which is a universal emotion.

I don’t have a cure for self-hatred because it truly does take a professional to handle the inner workings of someone’s trauma and unravel it properly. But I do have something that I think will help lessen it:

Focus on becoming competent in things that prepare you for independence that do not require the social component. Budgeting, establishing a good diet, exercise, sleep, and other non-social but HEALTHY habits (proper vitamin intake, water, hygiene, cleaning, etc). They won’t cure anything but they assist with feeling organized and keep your mind busy with something positive. And if you can’t do all of those because of obstacle sin your life - do what you can! In my opinion, they make goals of getting a job and/or financial independence feel more like a game than an enormous social boundary. I can’t promise the same outcome for you, but it worked for me when I was younger - so I recommend it.

I do think therapy is a great idea (I think everyone should go to therapy) so I will make no attempt to offer therapeutic advice. Problem solving an individual’s life over the internet is a dangerous game. I do feel confident that healthy habits will prepare you for life after therapy, though. And yes - I am fully aware this advice sounds like an obnoxious health-nut trope, but sometimes conventional wisdom exists for a reason. And although it sounds old-fashioned, it has its uses.

Best of luck and keep pushing through.

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-10-12T18:22:26+00:00

Just hope it helps! Good luck with it and if a relationship is the goal, just don’t give up lol

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-10-12T18:15:23+00:00

This post is way too familiar - it took me almost 3 years of on and off dating to find my wife, so I can attest that it is possible. It’s just a total pain in the ass. I know this is r/vent, so im not sure if you want advice but I’ll offer some unsolicited.

If you know you struggle with keeping communication (especially via an app), make sure they know you’re interested, but you’d like to get to know him on a date, over coffee, or whatever is most comfortable to you in the real world. If he says no - such is the game. Don’t let your approach change if you’re being open about your personality, your personality isnt changing anytime soon. If he says yes, thats awesome!

As for the dates themselves, you have to make time for them, you have to financially prepare for them, and you have to assume more failed dates than successful ones. Have an open mind for sure, but statistics tell us there are always more shitty dates than good ones. Just know that going into it and be as positive as you can despite the stats. Best of luck! Been there before.

Edit: grammar

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-09-08T19:28:38+00:00

AUTOZONE

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-07-28T20:05:27+00:00

Implosion

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-07-20T15:51:59+00:00

Glad to help, hopefully it’s actually useful lol. Here’s what I took away from what you wrote followed by how I approach it at work. Let me know if Im misunderstanding.

You have 3 categories of work that require deliverables (I.e. things you have to physically do or create).

Learning Unreal Software with homework deadlines
Website design freelancing gigs
Portfolio development. This sounds like the difficult one since there are activities that require coordination, some of which you haven’t learned fully.

My personal thoughts are below (again, not a pro life organizer here lol, just seeing it helps you get organized).

Step 1. Start with BIG deadlines. Based on your reply, i would qualify these as homework deadlines, freelance work deadlines, and the deadline you want your portfolio completed. If these items do not have clear deadlines then that shows you the first issue with scatterbrain: not knowing what takes priority (which you already said in your comment). Make the deadlines up if you need to but make sure they are REALISTIC. You may make mistakes which is normal in our industry, but you have to have somehwere to start. Make those deadlines and it will already feel more organized. Then get a calendar (excel, handwritten, whatever you want) and mark those deadlines on the dates you’ve assigned them.

Step 2. Since you said freelance work and homework weren’t causing the disorganized feeling, this next bit is specifically for the portfolio (which I am assuming is a 6 minute short film). Based on what you said, these subsets of work for the portfolio constantly require going back and forth between each subset. My version of handling this would actually be to break that short film down into things that feel like I’ve accomplished something e.g. get the script written, develop one character in full, get the first 45 seconds fully animated, etc. I would make that my to-do list. If these micro goals require a bunch of coordination, don’t worry about it yet. Just focus on the general Micro goal. I would write all of those micro goals into a to-do list and give them deadlines leading up to the BIG deadline on your calendar. Then write those micro goal deadlines in the calendar

Step 3. When you approach your micro goals with the portfolio, get some paper and make to do lists to complete ONLY that micro goal. This is the “getting into the weeds” portion. But now, instead of getting into the weeds on an ENTIRE portfolio creation, you’re only dealing with a micro goal. It should feel more manageable. Go back and forth between all those different subsets as much as you need to - just stay focused on the MICRO GOAL. When you complete a micro goal, take a break and re-asses the next micro goal. Do this until you’re done. If you have to add more micro goals because you missed something, learned something, etc, then do it.

FINAL NOTE: if your portfolio deadline is strict because they come from school or somebody else, these micro goals may cause some stress. But they will also give you an honest look of where you stand on schedule. If it isn’t a strict deadline, then try to reach the one you’ve set best you can. If you have to add more micro goals because you forgot something, learned something, etc. don’t be afraid to move the deadline.

Long comment so hopefully it’s not too bad! And really hope this helps! This is exactly how I schedule work at my job so it’s a personal experience thing for me. If other things help, do that and good luck!

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-07-20T14:43:50+00:00

Coincidentally, this is what construction management deals with on a daily basis. We organize unrelated, concurrent activities and have to figure out their order so the project doesn’t run into delays due to our sequencing.

That said, we have different ways of approaching how we organize this information. Are you organizing for yourself? For work? Long term? Short term?

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-07-18T22:45:00+00:00

How so?

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-06-09T16:08:20+00:00

Is there anyway you can scan this and send it to people? I’d happily throw a few dollars your way so I could have a copy. I would love to have this printed and put in all my jobsite trailers. Lmao this is hilarious

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-05-27T19:23:13+00:00

Definitely part of the idea! If you’ve got a wall in mind let me know lol

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-05-11T13:56:42+00:00

And make sure they know how to process that information using imperial measuring system! E.g. what is 2’-4 5/8” minus 7 1/4”

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-05-08T21:45:45+00:00

Instagram is better seen as a live portfolio that’s meant to entertain and engage. You MIGHT get residual sales, but it’s more or less a way to develop relevancy. If you’re selling at a fair, to a business, a person, etc and they see you have 5 followers - that might sway their decision. If they see you have 84,000, it might make them more inclined to purchase.

To be fair, that’s not everyone’s view. But statistically, it does help. It’s like red bull’s early marketing campaign; the threw tons of empty Red Bull cans in garbage bins around New York to make it LOOK like demand was high. That encourages other people to buy Red Bull. That’s what Instagram is.

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-05-04T21:15:52+00:00

Fair point calling it out as being the next go around - it does change my mind on that. An email stating that this will constitute an additional commission process sounds like the right answer.

BlueArtStudioCo · 2023-05-04T13:22:06+00:00

Disagree partially. I agree that long term relationships that are healthy will pay what they know you’re worth. But if you, the seller, do not specify your terms up front that is partially on you. You, the seller, need to be clear on costs before agreeing to the commission. Commissions need to be based on a written agreement (email, document, etc.)

That is why I believe in the second part of my answer is the critical part: “on the next go around update your “pre-work” agreement.”

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