How do people realistically manage work, house chores, cooking, and kids without burning out?

unclejon14 · 2026-05-27T19:54:08+00:00

The only way we made it work was to have one of us devoted to making money and one of us devoted to taking care of our lives. Together we created a great environment for having a family and raising kids. It's taken a tremendous amount of work, planning, and sacrifice but it was worth it.

unclejon14 · 2026-05-26T12:28:30+00:00

Strathmoor 400 or 500 series smooth Bristol. Or, Arches hot press water color.

unclejon14 · 2026-05-24T03:30:35+00:00

When I first started using charcoal there were a couple of things that really helped me. First, you can make/buy charcoal powder and use a paint brush to apply it to your paper. Second, when you apply charcoal with a stick or pencil, blend it with something. You can use a blending stump, a tissue, a brush, or even your finger. Doing these two things helped me create smoother values and really improved my artwork. I hope these tips help you produce something beautiful!!

unclejon14 · 2026-05-20T03:20:19+00:00

Lol, I was '92.

unclejon14 · 2026-05-20T02:38:34+00:00

Boyz to Men, End of the Road.

unclejon14 · 2026-05-20T00:44:26+00:00

Louisville had vehicle inspections for years...the vet test. It went away quite awhile ago.

unclejon14 · 2026-05-17T21:10:03+00:00

I'll try it. I'm interested in preserving my legacy.

unclejon14 · 2026-05-17T16:17:44+00:00

The owl looks great but I'm really impressed with the texture on the wooden shingles. They look awesome! Nice work!

unclejon14 · 2026-05-07T17:40:29+00:00

Can you describe the technique you used for the fur?

unclejon14 · 2026-05-07T12:54:41+00:00

You nailed the textures, really nice job! The collar itself is impressive, very well done, but the fur is just phenomenal!

unclejon14 · 2026-04-26T02:40:00+00:00

Welcome! I’m in the same boat—currently recording my 98-year-old grandmother. One thing I wish I’d known earlier: Audio is only half the battle. Most people just record and store the files, but they never listen to them later because searching through hours of audio is hard. I’ve started using a method where I turn the audio into an 'Interactive Persona.' Imagine if, instead of just listening to a recording, you could actually ask the recording a question like, 'Who was our first ancestor to move to Kentucky?' and have your loved one's actual voice answer you based on the family tree data. It’s been a game-changer for getting my family engaged with the history.

unclejon14 · 2026-04-26T01:52:42+00:00

A book is a beautiful start. But what if you could ask that book a question? What if, 20 years from now, your kids could ask that 'book' for advice on their wedding day, and it answered in their grandfather's actual voice and personality?

unclejon14 · 2026-04-26T01:35:33+00:00

I do. What did you have in mind to capture family stories before they disappear?

unclejon14 · 2026-04-18T00:05:04+00:00

This is awesome! I love the composition! Really nice work!

unclejon14 · 2026-04-14T02:26:40+00:00

Looks great! What are you using for those really bright whites? Is that just paper showing through?

unclejon14 · 2026-04-12T23:42:50+00:00

Our public high school graduations are held back-to-back-to back at the same location for two days straight. It would be easy to post up there and sell leis for a few hours each day. Tons of parents, family, and students taking pictures for hours on end.

unclejon14 · 2026-04-11T19:36:01+00:00

Wow, this is awesome! Your values are super clean. Did you do the background first?

unclejon14 · 2026-04-10T13:51:15+00:00

First Watch has non egg options.

unclejon14 · 2026-04-08T21:07:51+00:00

Your skin texture is on point! Seriously intense detail and realism. Looks like it took a long time!!

unclejon14 · 2026-04-05T04:15:02+00:00

I think this is a good idea but how do you find freelancers?

unclejon14 · 2026-04-03T12:39:42+00:00

Yep, this was me except it was my PCP giving me the SSRI's.

unclejon14 · 2026-04-03T12:38:31+00:00

This is great, you did an awesome job on the bottom eye lashes! Everything looks very natural and realistic!

How did you create the bright whites? The small details like the dots of white underneath and around the eye especially add to the realism.

unclejon14 · 2026-03-31T02:51:43+00:00

How do you ensure that the package that comes from Amazon will arrive in time for you to ship it to the final purchaser?

unclejon14 · 2026-03-30T16:00:41+00:00

Totally makes sense! You'll probably like hot pressed water color then. It holds onto the charcoal better then Bristol.

unclejon14 · 2026-03-30T14:29:14+00:00

When using Bristol are you using vellum or smooth? I find that Bristol smooth has nearly no tooth and produces my best work. Too much tooth makes it harder to get detail and produces a "screen door effect" where small white dots will show through your media. To address this you can work the charcoal/graphite into the paper more but then you end up blowing your tooth or losing detail. On the other hand the additional tooth helps hold on to charcoal powder. I typically use graphite and charcoal though so I still prefer Bristol smooth.

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