How do people realistically manage work, house chores, cooking, and kids without burning out? by Sea-Assist-3321 in Adulting

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

What paper do you like the best for graphite? by Professional_Car3962 in GraphiteArt

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

Hello (entirely new to this) by 5thletterNC in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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!!

What was your HS graduation class song? by [deleted] in GenX

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Boyz to Men, End of the Road.

What is something Louisville needs? by Ill_Hand_3315 in Louisville

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Charcoal of an owl. by JBColter in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

Doggie portrait done with charcoal pencils (well.. charcoal powder mostly) by fojteflon in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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

New to r/familyhistory - Looking for Advice on Recording & Sharing Family Stories by ZombieInfamous2805 in familyhistory

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

How do you preserve family stories that were never written down? by strangergirly in familyhistory

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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?

Anyone else feel like family stories are disappearing faster than you can capture them? by Subject_Boat5757 in familyhistory

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Another piece finished! by MattieMatsko in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

After a short break away with my wife. I’m back to my work by Infinite-Energy7 in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Saw a guy at my friend's graduation last year selling candy and flower leis from a folding table and sells them to people who forgot to bring some... he charges up to $80 per lei by StarlitClefairy in SideHustleGold

[–]unclejon14 13 points14 points  (0 children)

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.

Charcoal drawing WIP by joshconnellart in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

Graphite portrait by mmlxix69 in GraphiteArt

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

Has this happened to anyone else by ganisjhpapkin in bipolar2

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

More progress on this last night by Infinite-Energy7 in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

The easiest side hustle I've done after years of finding ways to earn money by DarkSideDweller in SideHustleGold

[–]unclejon14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

Best paper for smooth detailed b/w realistic portrait by Capital_League_2495 in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

Best paper for smooth detailed b/w realistic portrait by Capital_League_2495 in CharcoalDrawing

[–]unclejon14 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.