By Inklight-Monthly Studio Journal

March 2026

Ink pots, bubbling with mischief, spilling ideas, stay scattered around the studio. Windows open just a crack to let March breathe through, fresh air swirling over drying canvases, as soft storm clouds brew on the horizon. February held some turbulence for the studio-we’re having some growing pains, which is great, because growth, but also sucks, because growth…isn’t easy. From health whammy’s to robotics competitions to classes on skills needed to run an art studio, our team is busier than bees in a pollen outbreak. At present, the studio sounds chaotic-scratching lead against paper, wet squelch of mixing paint, and the attempt to organize the supplies that are encroaching upon the studio floor like kudzu. We are excited, terrified, but determined, which are an essential combo for success. Writing this from the studio itself, it’s easy to see the different elements pulling together-excruciatingly slowly, but even a glacial pace is progress. Our hope this month? To enjoy the reason we create art in the first place-connection, community, expression, and creativity.

So here’s some updates over the past few weeks-the messy, unpolished, raw behind the scenes peek at Skip Sketch Studio:

✦ Artist Feature: Reujo

For March, we are excited to share what Reujo, aka the Grumpy Butterfly, aka Chef Extraordinaire, aka Reuben, is working on. March embodies electric typhoon energy, and that energy is the kind that Reujo excels at navigating. His current shared work, Wooden Winged Beetle, is a deeply personal project that is still in creation.

“There hasn’t been a moment where this piece fell together and ‘clicked’ for me. Not sure if that even will happen with this one.”

— Reujo

Visit Reujo's Instagram

✦ Inkside the Studio

Behind the scenes & process

What’s on the table:

Our year long collaboration project is underway, two months down, ten to go! This project is a collaborative effort from the three artists in the studio-no blank spaces by the end of the project is really the only rule. It’s a marathon, not a race, so we have dubbed this ambitious project the Skip Sketch Relay. We are really excited to see where this is going (and plan to share small peeks and updates here and on Instagram), and can’t wait to reveal the final result.

Sketchbook snapshot:

A young progeny related to our artists (family art studio) had a VEX Robotics competition, and our artists were glad to cheer on the team!
In between rounds, though, a few sketches let loose, and now there is a robot axolotl on a T-Shirt in the apparel section due to this sketchy monstrosity
(Unfortunately, there were no axolotl robots at this particular competition. No robots were harmed making these sketches.)

***Simple Sketch***

“Robots, robots, robots! Sad boi robot, axolotl, rollie boi bot, and a sad attempt at a tiger bot…thing. Robots!”
*-SANDY*

Process notes:

Speaking of the Relay… welp, in January the starting artist had a few “whoopsie daisies,” cough, world destroyer, cough, but, being the first one up, was able to restart. But now that the torch is lit, that isn’t an option if we want the Relay to continue. And it’s daunting, attempting a collaborative effort-if you mess up, don’t like it, or want to rip it to shreds, you have to refuse the urge to annihilate (like the world destroyer), while also doing what you can to fix it. Mix that with some artistic ingenuity, and you have the gorgeous second installment of the Relay. In gorgeous watercolors, the artist did not like her original design on the page-she did it again, loved it, and now we have melded it atop the predecessor.

Why share that gem of two artists messing up? ‘Cause art is messy. Creation, think birth, construction, design, is a brutal, beautiful, messy thing. And we aren’t perfect, but we can use flaws to create something more gorgeous than originally conceptualized. It’s intimidating and scary to be an artist-pressures and insecurities flow to the page more quickly than anything. SO taking pain, or emotion, or messes, and making something greater out of it? That’s something we won’t sweep under the rug, it’s something we proudly declare.

Relay snapshot:

Leaves, vines, birds, caterpillars all flow down in enchanting watercolors
(This picture was taken before this month’s completion, shhhhhh….)

Studio check-in:

System Shocks:
- Trying to learn the stuff needed for an art studio has been electric-new skills are sparking from our fingertips
- Photographing live art IS an artform that is frustrating and difficult-how are people good at this??
Difficult Doozies:
- Due to unforeseen hiccups, we weren’t able to get our January prints up in February-but we will soon!
- Artists have been getting sick-over and over-which means production has slowed-but never fear, we will figure it out quick, getting back on track
- Studio animals-
  - One pup (a giant Great Dane named Fenrir) had an ear infection, but he is feeling a little better now, always happy to see Reujo and cuddle with anyone;
  - and one kitten (a tiny, sweet demon named Kuro) had to get her reproductive organs removed, and is recovering with lots of loves (from us) and lots of growls (from her)
  - Pics below!
Whimsical Wins:
- Started focusing more on the art and community-like we always wanted-and it feels like we can start doing that-how is that not a win?
- SUCCESS achieved with our send outs these past few weeks-we can’t express how much that support means. Thank you

✦ Community Updates

Here’s what’s happening around us:

This month’s free coloring page is up on the community page, designed by Reujo himself-we hope you’ll check it out (cuz it’s cool af, in my opinion)
Lots of things are brewing beneath the ink-we hope to do a giveaway in June, which will be posted on the community page first and then in socials, and hope you’ll look out for it
Our community (Oddbrushes, cuz yes we are odd and yes, we have paint brushes) is an open, free, open, welcoming community still being built-most of the offerings we have are a monthly free coloring page and fun studio lore, but we’re working on adding more even now-did I mention it’s open?

✦ Studio Lore

The studio door creaks open in welcome. Inside the sprawling space, smooth concrete, riddled with cracks and paint splotches, cover the entire bottom floor. Thick wooden beams crossing on the

More lore snippets live on the community page, should you wish to wander further.

✦ Looking Ahead

Forward Focus:

Quizzical Question Quests:
- How to balance studio life and artistic expression while trying to run as a business?
- How can we create art that really matters?
On the horizon:
- New prints will be loaded soon!
- Really looking into Artist Trading Cards to sell-almost like custom, one of a kind mini prints-and we’re excited about the possibilities

✦ Closing Note

That about sums up a few twists and turns in the good ole studio. Thank you for being here-your support is indescribably valuable. Feel free to wander around the studio! (Virtually, of course;)

Until next month,

The Skip Sketch Studio Team💜✨

By Inklight: March