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Top 5 Social Networks Particularly for Artists

2010-11-14T16:55:00.001+07:00

Even if you have already got your personal portfolio web site, social networks can amplify your on-line presence.

Although your work will be similiar in each portfolio you create, you may be reaching a new audience on each site. You may be meeting new people, exposing them to your work, and making new connections by placing your portfolio within totally different communities.

There are plenty of social networks - try joining sites tailored to your talents. Undergroundfilm and Videoart are social networks specifically designed for filmmakers and video artists. Under is a list of five social networks which have creative individuals in mind.

Deviantart

http://www.deviantart.com/

Founded in August 2000, deviantART is the largest online social network for artists and art enthusiasts with over 13 million registered members.
Featured Profile: Arenyth - Digital Painter Based in Belmot, CA

Behance

http://www.behance.net/

The Behance Network is a platform for creative professionals across all industries.
Featured Profile: ISE Ratinan Thaijareorn, Illustrator based on Bangkok, Thailand

Spraygraphic

http://www.spraygraphic.com/

Spraygraphic is a virtual comunity for creative minds. Founded in Feb 2005 by Chuck Banaszewski and Matt Krise.
Featured Profile: Simonas Sileika, Photographer based in Vilnius, Lithuania

Videoart.net

http://www.videoart.net/

Videoart.net was founded by video artists and filmmakers based in New York City, and is dedicated to video art and short films but interested in any artist utilizing the video medium.
Featured Profile: Lar Peterson Hernandez

IndieGoGo

http://www.indiegogo.com/

IndieGoGo is a collaborative way to fund ideas. Founded in 2008 with the objective of providing any idea (creative, cause or entrepreneurial) the tools and process to raise money, offer perks and keep 100% ownership.
Featured Profile: John Trigonis, indie filmmaker & poet based in Jersey City, NJ

How To Draw Cartoons For Kids Who Love Drawing

2010-01-15T12:20:00.000+07:00

If your child likes to draw cartoons, your child may be showing off a talent that may by his career. How to draw cartoons for kids, gives them time to practice to become better as they grow up. As a parent, you can do some things to help your child practice drawing. Purchase some drawing material such as paper, pens and pencils for your child so they can prosper in their new hobby. These hobbies should not be ignored, if a kid really enjoys drawing, be sure to encourage their talent.

Being able to draw is a talent; it has nothing to do with education. You want your child to keep at his talent by practicing and they will improve. You want to do some research about drawing. There is information all over the internet providing tips on drawing and becoming a cartoonist. Visit your local library and check out books about the related topic.

It is a good idea to keep a portfolio for your child. By doing so, you can easily store each drawing and he or she can look back at past drawings from their younger years to see how much they progressed. This will also give them inspiration to continue and it is rewarding to the kid.

Learning how to draw cartoons for kids who really are interested may eventually consider this as a career. This can be very beneficial if they continue to practice and meet the right people. This is why a lot of research will help.

If you have a computer in your home, using the internet can be a useful tool for your child to learn some tips and suggestions. Learning how to draw cartoons for kids is quite simple this way. Be sure to utilize all resources for your child to be able to prosper in their drawings.

As years go by, you can suggest to your child to practice their writing skills. Although this isn't required to be successful, it is useful to have. Typically a cartoonist has excellent writing skills. As your child practices more, they increase their chances of becoming the next Jack Kirby.

Author:Trevor Johnson

how to spot a (potentially) bad customer

2010-01-05T12:12:00.003+07:00

Freelance artists often need to go the extra mile to create customer confidence, and encourage potential clients to commission artwork.

Many artists advertise their services using the Internet, and populate their web pages with example works to demonstrate their style and competency. From the artist’s perspective, the Internet is a great marketing tool.

A web site is arguably not such a good shop front from the customer’s perspective. The difficulty the client faces is that they cannot be sure how their artwork commission will turn out, nor how it will appear full size and in the flesh. In short, commissioning artwork on the strength of Internet images can be a bit of a risk.

Many Internet artists seek to mitigate the prospect of disappointment and dissatisfaction by working on the basis of either a small deposit, or no down payment at all. The artist bares the whole risk: if the customer is not happy, they pay nothing. Generally, this approach works very well, but occasionally results in a great deal of work by the artist for no reward. Most practitioners accept this possibility, but it can be quite a downer when you (the artist) know you have done a good job, but the customer seems to have completely different expectations, and rejects the work.

Sadly, artists using the Internet will inevitably encounter customers who act without any apparent sincerity, and commission works that they have little intention of ever buying.

A problem with email correspondence (normally the vehicle of Internet transactions) is that it is harder to read between the lines of any dialog. To put it another way – there is no body language, and it can be tough to differentiate between the genuine enquiries and those where the client is playing a game.

The point of this article is to attempt to highlight some of the traits that may signal a bad customer. The following hints are by no means fool proof, but merely good indicators of potentially disingenuous clients.

If someone genuinely wants an artwork to be produced, they can be expected to put a bit of effort into communicating their requirements, and evaluating their chosen artist. The first warning signs are therefore:

1. Enquiries that are extremely brief, and sloppy (poor grammar and spelling), and;

2. Enquiries that pose questions that are clearly answered on the artist’s web site.

Be wary of enquires that ask, “can you do this picture”, rather than specify wishes (like the size required, etc). This indicates a lackadaisical attitude to the purchase.

Similarly, be suspicious of enquires raised because the customer cannot be bothered to use your web pages to find an answer (like asking for an address that’s on your contact page).

Idleness is a good indication that the customer expects you to jump through hoops to please them. If a client has unreasonable customer service expectations, they may have other awkward perspectives too?

When customers ask questions that are answered on your web site, simply refer them to the appropriate page on your site rather than invest time in drafting a comprehensive reply. To put it another way, make your response effort equal to that of the enquiry.

Most of us proceed with some caution before embarking upon any purchase. Whilst we might like to have portraits of all our loved ones, we tend to dip our toes in the water before commissioning a gallery of paintings.

3. Be suspicious of anyone that commissions multiple artworks (unless they have purchased work from you before): this is not normal behaviour.

You should be especially on your guard against anyone who attempts to commission several pictures of the same subject. It’s possible that the customer may be planning to get you to complete three paintings with the intention of only buying the one they like most?

If your customer wants more than one picture, suggest a staged approach; do the first painting, get paid for it, and then tackle the next.

Lean to recognise, and respond to your gut feelings. If you feel that a particular enquiry is potentially insincere, answer it, but leave the customer with a question to answer (e.g. when do you need the artwork by, etc). By placing the ball back in the client’s court you give them the opportunity to authenticate their interest in a purchase. Genuine customers will willingly feed you with information.

Try asking for a deposit. Genuine customers will happily provide a small good-will down payment.

There is nothing wrong with operating in a manner that mitigates customer risk, but you need to also diminish your own vulnerability to bogus commissions, and proceed in a slightly different manner when a customer shows:

few signs of taking any effort to express their desires,
study your advertising, or
exhibits absolutely no signs of caution about buying unseen goods.

by John Burton

Artist Website-Marketing Strategies that Every Artist Website Must Have

2009-11-22T11:02:00.000+07:00

Selling Art Online: Your website should be an integral part of your marketing offering your art for sale. The website is like having your own physical gallery and if the website is set up correctly, it should do your marketing and talking for you. Imagine if someone told you that you have to show your portfolio to numerous clients situated all over the world at the same time. Not physically possible , but that is exactly what your website will do for you.

Your website strategy has to be 2 fold 1) get the maximum number of people to your site- traffic

2) increase the conversion rate i.e get them to take the desired action

Here I will share with you Tricks to help you in making your website visitors take the desired action

1) Make Sure Your Website Looks Professional and Portrays the Image You Want to Show

Just like a physical gallery, your website should be clean, uncluttered, your background and image display should be like the walls of a gallery giving your visitor a pleasant experience that can be remembered. Make sure the Images you upload and clean and professionally done.

Now for the Cool Stuff

2) Use Your Website to Start Building a Relationship with your Prospects and Clients

Include in your home page what is called an Opt In Box which is simply a box where visitors can leave their name and email details. You will have to give a compelling reason for them to give you their details. Unless they really like your art, they will not easily join your mailing list. So give away FREE reports that will educate them about aspects of buying art and then you can start communicating with them and giving them a chance of getting to know you. Can you see how powerful this can be.

3) Make Use of Videos

You already know how powerful You Tube is. Using videos will propel your business as people love videos. You can have a video on your home page introducing yourself to the visitor or showing them works in progress. This way, they will become a part of the process of your art creation as you reveal videos of the progress of your works.

4) Create A Blog

Through your blog, you will be able to give your followers and prospects a chance to see what you are doing on a day to day basis and how your career is progressing. If you are organising an exhibition, the blog will give updates on what is happening and again help in formulating that relationship and interest in you. Similar strategies are used on Facebook and other social media sites especially Twitter.

5) Build Your Credibility

If you have testimonials or exposure in the press, this should be put onto the home page. This is because when people land on the website, if they can straight away see an example of your art work and the buzz around you, then they will want to stay and find out more.

6) Measurement and Statistics

In order to get more conversions, you need to be able to measure what works and what does not and this is through having your website fitted with tracking tools such as Google Analytics which can show you where the visitors are coming from and what action they are taking.

I hope the above information is useful to you. To Your Art Success

Author: Juzer Kimti

Globalizing Performing Artists Careers and Performances

2009-11-17T09:11:00.000+07:00

Of course its understandable when people crock their heads and perk their ears up a bit, as if they did not hear me the first time. "Globalizing" artists careers is what I said and that is exactly what I meant.

It stands to reason that this is the next natural step in the "evolution" of entertainment. Think about it. We have done just about all we can do with the stage and its devices (God from the machine). From the times of great Greek thinkers like Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Greek tragedy Commander Euripides, much time has passed.

Moving on past the stage to motion and audio media has been exploited to its fullest capacity, so much to that point that admittedly every one seems to agree, "what is left?" After hundreds upon hundreds of years of reworking the same themes, dogma, trials and philosophies over and over, truly, "what is left?"

Enter: Superstar-case. Not only Supers.... but its "family" of related entities and believers. You may want to be one of the naysayers like a certain Professor Kevin..., rant, rave and curse all you like. The end of an era is at hand. A new dimension of life is unfolding as we read,... or write..., or speak.

Best you contemplate the profundity of what IS going on rather than remain cocooned in your own self absorption, trying to belittle those less privileged than you, who may be recipients of the benefits of an outstanding education.

Unfortunately, some of us work for a living or have beautiful, but poor parents, who can ill afford such luxuries no matter how much their heart desires to fulfill a child dream. And yes, we the children do dream, dare I?

The one thing that sets us all apart on the playing field, regardless of the circumstances we are born into, is a little thing called life.

Whether you agree with its fairness or not, simply put, that is life!

Nevertheless, back to the subject at hand. It seems the only natural progression that seems to fit with all the dynamic changes that have occurred these last few years is the "internationalization", the "globalization" of performing artists and content creators abilities and careers.

Can you imagine the awesomeness of what could and would be created if these two inimitable forces are joined at the hip in a cohesive union of the best and brightest from both genres?

Start thinking about it...

Author: Kenny Beck

Modern Art and Expressing Emotion

2009-11-05T22:00:00.001+07:00

One of the most common sayings you hear about art these days is that it expresses the artist's emotions. Indeed, this has become what many people believe to be the whole point of modern art. While it may be true that a work of art indirectly expresses the artist's emotion, this is not the point of it, and it is not even an essential aspect of art.

Lets look at one of the usual definitions of art that you hear today, that it is a physical creation that expresses emotion. The first part of this is right, art does have to be a physical creation. That is an essential aspect of it; if someone were calling something non-physical a work of art, they would be incorrect. This will be explained further after a few other points.

As far as expressing the artist's emotion, of what value would that be to anyone? What would be the point of knowing the artist's emotions at the time they created a work of art? Why would they make a whole painting for that? What is important about any of that?

Whether someone was happy or sad at a particular moment in time is of no real concern to me, and does not warrant artistic creation. This idea makes art all about the artist and excludes everyone else from any real value. Art is not just about the person who creates it.

The problem most people have is they concern themselves too much with the creation of art, not the work of art itself. Most people assume that works of art in themselves have no purpose, so they focus on the action of their creation.

But works of art do have a purpose. We know this because they have been part of human existence since before language or civilization or just about anything. Something without a point would not be so intertwined with human life.

So what is that purpose? It is to express values. A work of art, if it is a work of art, should express mental ideas of values in physical form. It makes complex and deep abstractions on life available to the five senses. These values will elicit emotion, just as they do in other forms, just like when someone tells you a political belief that you strongly disagree with you get angry.

So it is not the artist's emotions that are being expressed, it is their ideas on what's important and valuable in life. The focus on emotion has lead to some of the worst art ever created being accepted by people.

When people see a modern artist making random splotches of paint, they assume that the artist is expressing their emotion, and they let the work be considered art. This is a mistake. Art is far too important to not think about and analyze. Modern art has gone astray and people need to have the courage to point out when something should not be called art.

Author:R Stevens

The Origins of Glass Art

2009-10-26T07:40:00.000+07:00

Cut glass and glass blowing production came from ancient techniques and were gradually refined over the ages. Cut glass objects were used as commodities, gifts, and jewelry in past millennia. Today exquisite cut crystal is sought after for its heirloom qualities and gifting allure.

Natural glass, like obsidian, is a dense volcanic glass, and has been used by man for millennia. To early man, obsidian glass was an extremely rare and valuable commodity, Because of the way volcanic glass fractures, sharp edges occur. This inherent quality of natural cut glass was put to use and was often made into sharp spear points and blades.

Man-made rudimentary glass was made from silica sand, plant ash and lime. Over time it was discovered that if glass was heated until it became semi-liquid, it may be molded or shaped and left to cool into a solid new piece or vessel. In ancient times glass pieces were valued as a substitute for precious stones, gems, and gifts.

During first century BC, the craft of melting and blowing glass into useable objects was developed. Glass pieces and items gradually became more common after the discovery of glassblowing. Objects such as vases, bottles, and cruets were mouth blown and mold blown during the Roman Empire, usually for ordinary purpose and daily use.

Common glass normally has a greenish hue. The green tint is caused by miniscule amounts of iron impurities in the sand used to make glass. Glass producers learned to make decorative and colored glass by adding metallic compounds and mineral oxides such as cobalt. Colored glass of reds, blues and greens became prevalent. After craftsmen learned to score and cut glass, they found clear glass refracted light in spectacular fashion. Thus, clear cut glass became popular, and demand for colored glass plummeted.

Around 1000 AD, a new development was made in glassmaking. The glass making component of soda-lime, was replaced by potash obtained from wood ashes. From this time on, glass from the northern part of Europe differed greatly from that made in the Mediterranean area, where soda-lime remained in common use. Centuries later in Bohemia, ashes from beech trees were used. The production of Bohemian "forest glass" was progressively refined over the years.

During the 11th century new ways of making sheet glass came about in Germany. Glass blowers would blow spheres, and then form them into cylinders. They would cut the glass while still hot and then flatten the glass into sheets. Glass makers in Venice, Italy improved this method in 13th century. By the late 1300's there was as many as 20 glassworks in Bohemia and Moravia. The 12th century saw the arrival of stained glass production. Stained glass, another form of colored glass, was made by adding metal impurities. Church and monastery applications of stained glass can be traced back to examples that remain today, i.e. St. Bartholomew church in Kolin. A glass wall mosaic is preserved there from around 1380.

Venice became the dominant center for glassmaking during the 14th century. Here new glass making methods were developed and export trade such as mirrors, tableware, and decanters flourished. Secrets of glass making were highly guarded in Venice, but eventually glass workers moved to other areas of Europe taking their knowledge and skill with them. As ornate glassworks became more popular, Royalty began ordering decorative glass articles to be made, to give as gifts of distinction for occasions.

A technique called "the Crown glass process" was used to make glass until the mid part of the 1800s. A glassblower would spin around 9 lbs of molten glass at the end of a rod until it spread out into a flat disk nearly 5 feet across. The glass disk would then be cut into panes. Glass from Venice was highly prized for over four centuries as they managed to keep this technique secret. In 1688, a method for casting glass was invented. This led to glass and glass panes in becoming a much more common material. The glass pressing machine was invented in 1827 and facilitated mass production of relatively inexpensive glass items. The glass pioneer, William J. Blenko, is recognized as first glass producer in America to use the cylinder method of creating flat glass by the 1920s.

The Bohemian countries of Czech and Slovakia are still known today as two of the finest cut glass and cut crystal producers in the world. Cut crystal pieces are prized as elegant anniversary and birthday gifts.

Author:John Simon

Health and Safety for Artists

2009-10-21T15:07:00.001+07:00

Know the potential dangers of the materials you use

Many of the chemicals found in art supplies are carcinogenic, and can present health risks if not handled properly. Some are potential skin irritants (some Acrylics contain a small amount of ammonia or formaldehyde), some should not be inhaled (pastel dust is very nasty), while others are highly flammable (turpentine).

Most art supply manufactures are extremely safety conscious, and publish full details of possible risks associated with their products.

Don't be complacent: take the time and effort to find out what the health risks are for the materials you, and observe any recommended precautions.

Do you visit clients in their homes?

If you visit clients in there homes, never visit anyone without leaving details with a friend. Tell them who you are visiting and where you are going . Let them know what time you expect to return home, and arrange to phone when you return to confirm that you are safe. If possible, take a friend with you the first time you visit a new client.
Public Liability Insurance, protects the policyholder in respect of their legal liability for injury or damage to third parties arising out of, and in course of, their business.

Do you allow clients to visit you at home?

In today's compensation culture, when accidents happen, some people look to blame others. If you allow clients to visit you at home, you have a duty of care to ensure their safety, and there is always a risk they may trip or fall, which could prove very costly.

If you need to meet clients in your home (for example, you may teach from home), then you need third party public liability insurance.

Do you publicly exhibit your work?

Similarly to the above, if you exhibit work, it is always worth checking whether the event organisers have obtained appropriate insurance. You may be required to make your own arrangements.

Networking

The work of an artist is generally solitary, and anyone engaged in this occupation should consider the occasional need to network with other artists.

The benefits of networking

There are a number of benefits to networking, but briefly it allows the sharing of ideas, knowledge of best practice, and prevents feelings of isolation.

For example, you might need occasional technical advice, want to know how others deal with routine administrative tasks (say packing and posting pictures), or maybe just let off steam - to someone that understands!

Internet forums for Artists

There are a number of different means by which networking can be accomplished, but the simplest, and most accessible, is to find and join an Internet artist’s forum.

When choosing a forum, there are two broad considerations: the size and activity of the membership, and the forum’s focus.

The number of members, and number of posts, is usually detailed at the foot of the forum’s home page. A sizeable membership (1000s) is normally an indication that the forum is a lively hub. Small memberships (a few 100) tend to indicate a less thrilling and responsive community.

Membership of a forum with a reasonable level of members/activity, and a narrower focus, can be the most gratifying. You are more likely to feel a kinship with, and derive a benefit from communicating with people who share your particular branch of art. Conversely, with a more general forum there is a greater possibility of meeting people with radically different ideas (the realist and the abstract expressionist struggle to share ideas, or knowledge of best practice).

Author: John Burton

Taiko

2009-10-12T17:15:00.003+07:00

The Japanese Art of Drumming

For many years I have had an interest in Taiko, the Japanese art of drumming. The literal translation of the word taiko from the Japanese means "big drum." So when you hear someone refer to taiko drums, if taken literally they are actually saying, "big drum drums." Taiko is the generic term and is used when referring to the style of drumming.

I don't know if it's the sound they create or whether it is my amazement at the player's discipline, precision and stamina. Probably a mixture of all of the above.

My main hobby is the martial arts, and in my mind Taiko players share many of the same attributes as martial artists. For example, the commitment to practice and developing skills, the cultivation of stamina/energy and a certain amount of showmanship are shared by both. In Japan practitioners learn the art of Taiko in a Dojo; the literal translation is, "place of the way". Exponents of Karate will also attend a Dojo. In both instances the training and the transmission of the arts are rigidly structured and highly disciplined.

In recent years I have noted a rise in the number of opportunities to see Taiko troupes in Britain. Not all the groups are Japanese and there is a wealth of talented British players. Pretty much all of the events are well attended. There is even some fusion stuff going on, it may not be for the traditionalist but it is really interesting.

Taiko has even made it into the corporate world and companies or organisations can use Taiko as a team building exercise. There is also a number of Taiko Groups that run evening classes and weekend workshops for the enthusiastic amatuers amongst us.

One of the drawbacks in the UK is that drums are very, very expensive and equipment is hard to source. I should know I spent long enough looking for a pair of bachi (drumsticks) for my wife, in the end I made them for her.

This year we saw the 5th Annual Taiko Festival held in Exeter and was organised by Kagemusha Taiko. The 6th Annual Taiko Festival is already being organised and again it will take place in Exeter on 16-18th July 2010.

So what is the appeal of Taiko?
For some reason drums of all kinds from Samba to African seem to evoke an almost primeval instinct within many people. It may have something to do with the fact you can actually feel the music and rhythm.

Hey, it may not be for everyone, but you should go and see a Taiko troupe in action. You would need to be pretty cold not to be impressed on one level or another.

My name is Malcolm Murphy and I own and run http://www.ichinisanbachi.com a company that manufactures and sells bachi (Taiko Drumsticks). To the best of my knowledge Ichi Ni San Bachi is the only company in Britain where you can buy bachi online.

It came about by a strange quirk of fate: when trying to find a set of bachi for my wife it became apparent that nobody in the UK provided this particular service, and if I wanted to buy them I would need to pay through the nose for them as they would have to be imported. Once I had made them for my wife, other Taiko Players asked her where she had managed to get them and the rest is now history.

Three Rules For Creating Great Lively Drawings

2009-08-27T14:09:00.001+07:00

Even adept artists sometimes have a hard time when creating realistic three-dimensional drawings. Of course they know the fundamental principles and create naturalistic drawings intuitively. But sometimes even the most skilled discover parts in their artwork that appear distorted and not natural.

For novices it's even much harder, they have to practice hard to move up a training curve. It is well-known that outstanding drawing abilities are the outcome of hard practicing. Instead learning the three most important rules of three-dimensional drawing will make things easier . They will be a shortcut to improving your drawing skills and help even adept draftsmen to pinpoint parts that need reworking.

So what causes a drawing look naturalistic and third-dimensional? There are three rules that add to the realistic appearance of your pictures. Each of them has to be mastered. Collectively they ensure outstanding results:

* Composition
* Perspective
* Illumination and Darknesses

Composition

Does composition actually add to the three-dimensional appearing of your images? Naturally! The three-dimensional appearance of any picture has much to do with the relation connecting the various objects within the picture. You can produce an image with objects that all follow the rules of perspective and have perfect lighting and dark parts. But a weak composition will cripple most of the three-dimensional appearance.

There's just one important composition rule: let your drawing's objects intersect! Frequently I see beginning artists avoiding to let elements in their drawings intersect , because they are afraid to mess it up.

Sure - if your picture has lots of intersecting parts it gets more complicated to draw. There are more dark parts and also perspective and dimensions of the objects must be much more exact.

That's challenging sure enough. Closely arranged elements in your drawing may relentlessly reveal all weak points. On the other side if you cope to get the perspective, lighting and shades right, a closer composition will beef up the three-dimensional appearance.

So have courage to put your drawing's elements nearer together. Let them intersect and demonstrate how good you can draw them according to the rules of three-dimensional drawings.

Perspective

Creating a drawing employing accurate perspective is the point where a bit bit math comes into play. No need to worry - no complicated formulas, just drawing a few additional lines.

When creating a picture with the rules of perspective in mind you make sure that:
* your objects have the correct dimensions and size
* your objects have the correct distortion harmonizing with the viewer's distance
* your objects are arranged properly to one another

All this is achieved by following one simple rule:

"Picture elements and parts of them get smaller the farther they are away."

This rule cannot be emphasized too much. Once you fail to apply it correctly, your drawings will look distorted and strange. So drawing some additional lines will help you to employ this rule properly.

Light and Shadow

The correct lighting and shadowing is the 3rd important principle for realistic looking three-dimensional sceneries. It is for the lights in your drawings that shades appear. And shades are essential for a truthful looking drawing - except you depict "gray rainy day" sceneries only.

To craft realistic shades there are a few facts you have to consider:

* you have to recognize where the light comes from
* this enables you to find the right size of the shade
* the right angle and direction for the shade
* and the correct shape of the shade

Unfortunately realistic dark shades aren't that comfortable to realize. But there are a few helpful techniques. Just now I am writing on a tutorial explaining these techniques step-by-step. It'll follow here soon.

This is just a first draft of my conceptions on how to draw realistic.
You find updates, a comment area and more drawing instructions on my Website.
http://drawingsecrets.com

Professional Artist

2009-08-27T13:56:00.001+07:00

What is the artistic lifestyle all about. The real bonus of this lifestyle is experiencing the excitement and buzz that you get from being creative and free thinking. You will find that the ability to make art every day, whenever, however, and where-ever you want, is a mind blowing experience. Creative juices will flow and all your artistic ideas can be tried out. The spill over into your everyday life will astonish you. You will be thinking for yourself about your work, and you will find new ways of thinking about every other aspect of your life. You probably already know that artists are often philosophers, poets, musicians, designers, inventors, and writers as well as being artists. Being an artist encourages these other activities.-ever you want, is a mind blowing experience. Creative juices will flow and all your artistic ideas can be tried out. The spill over into your everyday life will astonish you. You will be thinking for yourself about your work, and you will find new ways of thinking about every other aspect of your life. You probably already know that artists are often philosophers, poets, musicians, designers, inventors, and writers as well as being artists. Being an artist encourages these other activities.

Where you can do it. You can be an artist where ever you like. An artist can legitimately travel to far flung exotic places to be able to paint them. You can follow in Gaugin's footsteps and settle on a south sea island, and the tax man will allow it as a justifiable expense. Or you can set yourself away from prying eyes in your own hidey-hole studio right in the centre of town, emerging to mingle with cafe society and the company of other artists. You can choose the town, you can choose the country. The world is your oyster.

When you can do it. An artist creates art when inspiration and circumstances are right. That means that you will not be a clock slave. You will probably want to work very hard because you are having a good time and enjoying the work. But you can take time off when other interests are foremost. You are the boss. The old nine to five routine is a thing of the past. Work all night then take a week off. Be prepared to have moments of frenzied activity before an exhibition, followed by periods of rest and calm when you will be preparing for the next one.

Who you will be. Do all this and bask in a respected and admired position in society. The international status of an artist has never been higher. You can experience the limelight in whatever size bites that you wish. If you are extrovert and enjoy being the focus of attention, or if you are introverted and wish to keep yourself to yourself, either way you can build a successful career as an artist, and still expect to receive the accolades of your fellow citizens. Artists command respect where ever they are.

Why being an artist is so good. Here is another bonus that you will find as an artist. You will find that you have access to new exclusive upper circles where the role value of being an artist is understood, envied and revered. Here you will meet and mix with the wealthy, powerful, and influential social leaders, where you can benefit from patronage and established good taste. You are rightly valued because you as an artist contribute to the well being of society. Your work will be sought out and collected because it could be a good investment, and because you are seen as a trend-setter.
Author:Darren Franklin

Guide to the Design exhibition

2009-08-19T15:03:00.002+07:00

September is the month when Earl's Court, London, plays host to 100% Design show, the leading design exhibition event that brings together the world's leading architects and cutting edge interior and object designers. It is a world class event that showcases on numerous exhibition stands how architecture is playing its part in sustainable design and how design has taken on the green agenda and is turning necessity into innovation.

Designers in London are at the hub of a revolution that is happening in design. Architects are leading the way and naturally incorporating many of the green issues that are essential to reduce global consumption and greenhouse gases. Architecture is moving to marry innovation and design with sustainability in the use of materials and the way that those materials are both manufactured and used. Eco development is no longer for hippies but is an integral part of the new wave of architectural design. Of course not all property developers are adhering to the new world order but there is legislation in place regarding insulation and energy saving lighting. Heat loss and noise pollution are now compensated by proper built-in insulation and renewable energy is encouraged through solar panels and wind turbines.

Interior designers and product designers have been slower to follow a green agenda and product manufacturers are guilty in some instances of designing with no thought for the natural world in terms of using up resources and the future disposal of an item. Today, design and engineering are working closer together than ever before and the scope for innovation in engineering has never been better. Much of the world's design generates from the UK and Britain has a great talent base of young designers that are keen for design to be green, functional and aesthetically beautiful. British design welcomes people from all over the world to work here and to bring their own unique perceptions to great design that is exemplified in exhibition forums such as 100% Design.

Design is more than brand identity. 100% Design is an interactive exhibition that draws people to products that give pleasure that lasts and is 100% functional. Some people regard interior and object design as sometimes frivolous rather than problem solving but 100% design is an exhibition for designers that have the courage of their design convictions. Not all design can work but sometimes design such as that of a paperclip simply cannot be improved. To understand good design is to also acknowledge that bad design like bad movies is never the intention of the designer.

100% Design is an interior design & architecture exhibition that always pushes the boundaries of contemporary innovation.

Catherine writes about Exhibition stands and services and Exhibition information.

Organic Art...painting with food !

2009-08-09T20:46:00.001+07:00

The other day I started experimenting with alternative art materials. There are so many ways to create really original art. With a blank white piece a paper in front of me there are no limits.

I immediately went to the refrigerator. I used broccoli scrubbed into the paper, then carrots, and beet juice. This led me to the spice cabinet where cous-cous seasoning put out a powerful, and rich ochre color. Cinnamon was lovely and soft and worked well for some shadowing effects. This was a fascinating experiment in the intensity and amounts of natural dye in food and spice samples!

I then took my color search outside. To my surprise the bright red geraniums that are outside my front door, when squished and scrubbed into the paper I was working with turn an amazing dark purple. Bouganvilla blossoms also a red variety turn a very lovely... rasberry. I use some yummy tree bark to scrub along side the bold colors to soften the transition of colors. It works, as does a wierd green seed, for some very defined green lines of direction. Kentucky blue grass scrubbed into paper leaves a soft chlorophyll smudge to play with.

So, try something new with art. Go outside, collect flowers, twigs, bark, seeds, grasses, soil, anything and everything. You will be surprised at the colors you get , the amounts of color contained in items, and it will be a step back into time. I was always intriqued by the very first airbrush paintings on the cave walls at Lascaux south western France, where pigments were blown thru a reed, and scrubbed on with mats of moss. These images were made of maganese and iron oxide and are over 17,000 years old.

There are so many options when considering painting with nature, you just have to give different elements a try.
Broccoli, carrots, cinnamon, tree bark, cous-cous seasoning, red geraniums, purple bouganvilla, curry powder, and a wierd green seed, on watercolor paper.

Art should not be comfortable, it should be something of the unknown, a challenge. Artists need to reach, to explore, to inspire, and investigate..... opening new frontiers in thought.

Go out and touch something new today.

Deb Haugen is a Malibu, California artist. Tagged the "Organic Artist" because of the content of her work. After 30 years of painting "My main focus is currently my organic art series inspired by the creek bed and horse trails I walk daily. Organic art is essential, vital, and rudimentary, it is all around us" Deb Haugen's artwork is in private collections in the US, Germany, Spain and Japan. http://www.theorganicartist.com

Find works of art

2009-08-02T17:13:00.002+07:00

A church with a valuable and interesting works of art can be found

Art is a subject on that one quickly can also argue, because not everything that one feels as great art, is also used by other people perceived as works of art. So should it also be because of the artistic field is an area where everyone can be omitted, as they like. In the past there were very many well-known artists whose works of art today in many churches and museums, even more can be admired. They are just in a museum in a great many works of art to see, because there are many museums that deal with a specific art direction, or even with a certain performers.

There are also museums that are thematically not only to do with art have always exhibits the works of art by a particular artist whole show. But not only in a museum you can admire art, because there are also many churches in which it is the most beautiful works of art on display there. In general, it is a church for the architecture, as works of art is understood. This refers to the interior as well as the entire shell of the church. In addition, the interior works of art as a means, as the impressive altars in churches are often very artistically designed. The works of art in a church as well as from a museum in an inventory taken. This list this as proof that a particular works of art in the Museum or in the church was, if something is stolen. The inventory must be very concentrated, and above all will be carefully implemented.

How to Keep your Oil Colors Pure

2009-07-31T11:49:00.004+07:00

One of the biggest hurdles for beginner oil painters is learning how to keep colors pure. How many times have you started an oil painting only to quit from frustration because things just didn't look right. Your colors were muddy or they just lacked brilliance. This is a very common problem for artists just starting out with oil paints. Hopefully after reading this article, you will no longer have to put up with this frustration any longer and will finally be able to enjoy oil painting.

BE CLEAN AND ORGANIZED

I know for some of us, it can be very difficult to maintain a clean and organized painting environment. Sometimes we can get very caught up in our work and things can get sloppy. The last thing you want is to become a sloppy painter as your work will suffer. Break the habit early and try your hardest to develop clean and organized painting habits.

Your Palette

First, you should get into the habit of laying out your colors the same way every time you paint. This is just good practice and keeps the painting process flowing nicely. Arrange your colors along the edges of your palette leaving a lot of room in the center for mixing.

Don't be afraid to squeeze out a good amount of paint, especially your whites. You will be more productive if you aren't continuously stopping to squeeze out more paint.

Make certain to include all of the colors you think you will need to complete that session of painting. Again, this will make you more productive.

When adding paint to the palette, I have found that squeezing the paint out in long lines, as opposed to puddles, keeps my colors cleaner. When you have puddles of paint, they tend to get soiled by other colors when mixing. With a long line of paint, you can just take paint from the end as needed and not dirty the rest. Keep some rags or paper towels handy for wiping your palette knife clean.

It's a good idea to continuously wipe your palette clean during the painting process. There is nothing more frustrating then trying to remove dried up oil paint. Keep some alcohol handy so that you can keep the mixing area of your palette clean.

If you don't want to fuss around with a regular palette, why not try a disposable one? They are basically paper with a plastic coating that prevents the paper from absorbing the oil. The beauty of the disposable palette, is that you can simply throw it in the trash when you are done. Using a disposable palette will definitely help keep your colors clean as you will be starting with a clean surface every time you start a new painting session.

When mixing your colors, use your palette knife and not your brush. A palette knife can be wiped completely clean so there is no chance of your colors becoming contaminated. Your brush is made for painting and not mixing and you can shorten the life span of your brush if you are continually mixing with it.

Brushes

I like to have a handful of clean brushes near by when I am painting. This way, I do not need to stop and clean my brushes when I am working with a different color and there is less risk of the wrong colors getting into the mix.

SATURATION OR BRILLIANCE OF COLOR

When a color is squeezed straight from the tube, it is said to be high in saturation or brilliance. This is because it hasn't been mixed with any other colors. The more colors you mix together, the duller they will become. It has been said that one should not mix more than three colors together and this a very good rule to follow. If you mix more than three colors together you are kind of defeating the purpose.

Why is this so? Let's say that you are going to mix a brown. You decide to use red, yellow and blue to create your brown. You then decide to mix in a bit of orange. As you know, red mixed with yellow will create orange. So there is no need to add the additional color.

No one ever said it is a sin to use color straight from the tube. If you are painting something that calls for brighter color, why not use paint straight from the tube without mixing. Sometimes we get so accustomed to mixing color, that we neglect the pure color that is right in front of us. When using pure color though, try not to over do it. Too many bright colors can create havoc in a painting. Try and add bright colors against a duller surrounding so that your bright colors really stand out.

LIGHTEN OR DARKEN WITH COLOR

What is it that most of us do when we want to change the value of a color? To lighten a color, we usually add white and to darken a color we use black. You should always look for the opportunity to use color to change the value instead of black and white. Adding white or black to color will diminish its brilliance, unless that is the effect you are shooting for. A great example of this is using Yellow Ochre. If you want to brighten and lighten this color, instead of adding white, try adding a little Cadmium Yellow Light.

I hope this article has given you a little more insight into keeping your colors pure. Remember to practice oil painting as often as possible and never give up, no matter how frustrated you get! ?

Author: Ralph Serpe is Webmaster and founder of two popular instructional Websites for artists: CreativeSpotlite.com - Visit us today for more free art lessons. ArtInstructionBlog.com - Visit today for more free art instruction on a variety of different mediums.

Individuality and the Artist behind Esoteric Art

2009-07-23T13:19:00.004+07:00

Interactive learning has taken root in many circles today. The sharing of thoughts and experiences between teacher and student, between mentor and apprentice, between parent and child, or among people in groups helps facilitate the learning process.

Play-acting and dramatization are forms of interactive learning. In a theater or drama class, for instance, a student may be asked to portray emotions like fear, anger, hope, or joy. These are exercises in knowing one’s self and identifying one’s emotions for what they really are. They are warm-ups to effective communication and free expression in the arts.

The interplay in esoteric art is very similar. There is a quiet but active interaction between the artist and you as the person looking at the artwork. The approach on the viewer is very individual. You as the viewer are literally being posed with a question that you alone can answer and face based on your own individual perception. The artist portrays a certain subject and you are invited to interpret this subject based on your own perception of reality. If the subject presented by the artist is a person, then you as the viewer may identify or inter-relate the posture or behavior of the subject with your own person, like you would with a mirror.

The esoteric artist must then be a strong individual if he or she were to act as a mirror. This artist must be honest and brave enough to deal with the subconscious and unconscious aspects of personality that are openly revealed to other people in his or her paintings. An esoteric artist must adhere not to what is trendy or fashionable, but to what is real and true.

Esoteric art is something of a psychological experience more than it is an emotional or intellectual one. Psychology basically tells you that your personality affects your behavior. Simply speaking, your thoughts and moods affect the way you react to events and situations around you. Our internal reality affects our external reality. What happens inside of us affects what happens outside of us. What we feel and think inside of us will become what we feel and think is going on outside of us. It is something like a chain reaction, wherein a positive play of good vibes within you will help reinforce good vibes in your environment.

In a way, esoteric art is a therapeutic medium towards healing some psychologically-based personality problems, especially in cases when there are unresolved issues within a person and there is still no closure on the past. It encourages you to take control of the situation rather than allowing the situation to control you. It sort of tells you that anything can happen and so whatever may happen, it is how you react to what happens which really matters in the end. It helps you believe that once you change something from the inside, you can change everything on the outside.

Esoteric art is meant to be a liberating experience, both for the artist and the viewer. The goal is always self-realization. Once an artist has portrayed an innermost reality and this long-forgotten memory has been triggered ie viewer, then an esoteric painting has truly realized its purpose for being.

Discover the meaning behind narrative art and how one artist uses it on her work at http://www.mazzoldi-best-acrylic-paintings.com/narrative-art.html
Contemporary romantic esoteric artist Aurora Mazzoldi shares her acrylic paintings and interpretations at http://www.mazzoldi-best-acrylic-paintings.com

Suthee Studio's Picture

The Performer Versus the Artist

2009-07-19T11:17:00.002+07:00

This afternoon was X's final rehearsal for the retreat performance. The rehearsal was at the College of Music, UCT. The room was a piano practice room, TINY! No room to move, so the audience, X's mother, the guitarist's mother and I sat outside in the corridor opposite the open door!

X was nervous, but sang like a dream, and moved like only a heartfelt professional star can move! There was no sound equipment, all the instruments were muted, and X used a dummy mike, but she held that mike and sang into it with ALL her heart, and without any strain projected into the words of the songs every fibre of her being! It was one of those rare moments in life, a moment that is never coming back - one and a half hours of heart-rending beauty SHARED with a few fellow travellers upon the Path with a Heart! A mere rehearsal on a Sunday afternoon, but for me personally so much more poignant than the glamour of a performance! Words can never express the RAW nerves, the OPEN VULNERABILITY of the artist in rehearsal giving his or her EVERYTHING with the CLEAR intent of being able to deliver an utterly IMPECCABLE performance, for perfect it is never likely to be, no matter how well rehearsed! I found myself fighting back the tears for most of the rehearsal!

Audiences only get to see and to applaud the FINISHED product, and although every artist LIVES for that moment of being on stage, yet deep within his or her innermost being there is always an indescribable melancholy and, all too often, a devastating sense of emptiness! This is something only a performing artist can grasp! Performances are like WONDER-FULL meals that take HOURS of preparation, but that are CONSUMED within a few short MINUTES by diners that, although more than generous in handing out compliments, nevertheless leave the table gorged and bloated, and thinking only of going to BED!

The performance is GREAT, yes, and the audience goes home well SATISFIED and already planning when they can attend the NEXT performance, but how does the artist SHARE the blood, the sweat and the tears that have gone into making that performance? How does the artist share the JOURNEY that has taken years and years of an utterly ruthless and most unforgiving training, the great many disillusionments and failures that threaten to strip one of any sense of self-belief, and the endless disappointments that eat away at a hope that is NOT allowed, CAN never be allowed, to waver even for one moment? Do those few moments of success upon the stage, even with thundering applause at the end, do true justice to a journey never shared, simply because it is NOT shared, and neither CAN it BE shared?

Hence the melancholy and the sense of emptiness! To walk onto an empty stage at the end of a performance in which one has given one's all, and to look into that empty auditorium is to KNOW with every fiber of one's being what it is to be alone, and what it means to empty one's cup so that finally it may be filled with that ALL-ONE-NESS that makes for the good, the bad and everything in between! Performers are LONELY people that seek out one ESCAPISM after another after every single performance! But the artist LEARNS to savour the JOURNEY until he or she has BE-COME the journey! How can one justify seeking to escape the Path with a Heart?

But by far the greatest source of the artist's melancholy lies in the difference between rehearsals and performances. When an artist walks onto stage and gives his or her everything, of course, the audience will be on its feet, shouting and screaming and clapping! Many will say this is only but RIGHT, for surely it is the artist's JUST reward for having delivered a truly MEMORABLE performance! But those few rare individuals who are in the know applaud more quietly, and do not shout bravo or demand encores, for they KNOW just HOW very EMPTY is that moment of success! This is the distinguishing MARK between the performer and the true artist!

The performer goes through the REHEARSALS so as to EXIST for the limelight and the recognition that comes with SUCCESS! The artist LIVES for the REHEARSALS so as to GIVE EXPRESSION to his or her innermost BE-ING, the performances being mere STEPPING STONES, mileposts, marking the JOURNEY! To the performer recognition is EVERY-THING! To the artist, VULNERABILITY to CRITICISM is the JOURNEY to ALL-ONE-NESS! The performer EXISTS for acknowledgement on stage! The artist LIVES to RECEIVE CRITICISM in rehearsal!

When I looked into X's eyes at the rehearsal this afternoon I saw that openness, that vulnerability that comes with WANTING to LEARN, and even though she had her nose up against a brick wall, and a dummy mike in her hand, she sang into that mike and to that wall with ALL of her heart, but also with the nervousness that is born of the EXPECTATION that she is going to be CORRECTED, CRITICISED, any moment! How does one express this in words, other than to term it HUMILITY in LEARNING what it is to LOVE? X's eyes were REFLECTED in the eyes of her accompanists, no matter how much older and more experienced than her they are! As I stood in the corridor facing these four people in that tiny rehearsal room, I was, like so many times in my life, totally overcome by the unspoken RE-QUEST in their eyes: "Tell us HOW we can IMPROVE our skills!" How can I possibly verbalise my feelings in that moment? The point is I can't! A handful of friends met, their hearts touched each other's ever so briefly whilst they shared for one and half hours the journey upon the Path with a Heart! When they meet again it will be for the performance, and another milestone would have been reached, another retreat will be over, and they will smile at each other, hug, and go their separate ways in pursuit of their LEARNING, their REHEARSALS, to achieve THE most impeccable performance they are capable of!

Strange how LIFE works! Why, at this precise point in my life was I taken back to the College of Music, with the Ballet School just across the narrow little street named Lover's Walk, to rehearse X for THIS retreat?! Never have I felt the impact of the Cry of the Eagle more profoundly than this afternoon! And to top it all, as fate would have it, I was alone, like all the many years during which this specific spot in Cape Town had been my "rehearsal turf." Yes, X's mother was present, and, yes, I could sense that with all her heart she was supporting my purpose in WILLING X to give her best! But strange how alone I was! Strange how the Cry of the Eagle sounded in my EARS! In being back at UCT after so many, many years, and specifically now that the Cry of the Eagle has been sounded, I truly felt the aloneness of the ALL-ONE in handing over to humanity its heritage! Consequently for me, the RE-TREAT started this afternoon! Never have I felt more humbled by the truly wonder-full privilege of being able to tread the Path with a Heart!

Théun Mares, Lightbringer, humanitarian and author, man of knowledge of the Toltec Tradition, is highly skilled in helping people to help themselves in building relationships. Mares has extensive knowledge of life and human behaviour and as an author of eight books, he continues to share a vast amount of the Teachings of the Toltec Tradition.

Author:Theun Mares

For more information on Theun's work please visit:
http://www.relationship-resolution.com
http://www.toltec-legacy.com

Three Exercises To Improve Your Drawing Abilities

2009-07-11T15:18:00.004+07:00

When you start learning to draw, soon you recognize: the major part of this artistry is just craftsmanship and technique. When you're expert in these primary methods, your creativeness can rely on these basics. This leaves you more freedom to develop your drawing skills and imagination rather than focusing on applying the basic methods decently.
So it's a good thought to practice these primary drawing methods regularly. Especially as you're starting to learn to draw, much practice of these primary methods will quicken your drawing success.

Learn How to Draw Hatchings and Cross-Hatchings

Hatching implies to draw a lot parallel running lines close together. Other than in normal shadings the lines are not allowed to touch one another! Although there's still white space 'tween the lines they build an region apparently shaded densely.

Cross-hatching goes one step further. When you're doing cross-hatching you overlay one set of hatchings with another set rectangular to the first one. Thus cross hatchings get a lot denser and solider than (single) hatchings.
Drawing hatchings requires precision. So practicing hatchings is as well a outstanding opportunity to train your draftsmanship precision. When starting begin to fill up empty sheets of paper with hatchings and cross-hatchings not having a concrete depicted object in your eye.
When you've acquired a certain level of proficiency, you ought to try first easy subjects. Pick out such scenes that contain enough shadow. Seek to depict this scenery not using outlines. Instead rely completely on translating the darknesses and dark areas into hatchings. Let the hatchings' direction play along the subjects you're depicting. For drawing blacker areas and darknesses lay the lines of your hatching closer together or use cross hatching.

Learn to Draw Shadings

To draw shadings is more common than hatching. It is more intuitive and needs lower experience. When drawing shadings you merely fill up areas of your drawing with your pencil. By varying your pencil's softness, the force you apply and the number of shading layers you create you manage the tones you create.
Similar as when creating hatchings you draw shadings by drawing lots of lines. This time you draw them so close to each other they intersection and blend completely. Shadings made out of lines still have a direction (though not as strong as in hatchings). So pay attention to adjust your shadings' direction with the forms of the subjects you're depicting. To get the shading more dense you have to apply the same techniques as when creating cross hatching.
A different way for drawing shadings requires to draw countless really little circles close together so they merge and blend. Shadings made this way are highly even and lack a visible direction. The advantage: you won't have to keep an eye on the shading's hidden direction.
Ideally you begin practicing shadings instantly. Choose some sheets of paper, outline some simple figures like triangles and begin to fill them with shadings. Seek to get them as smooth as possible and use the different techniques explained before.
Again once you have reached enough experience, try to begin using the techniques learned on real-world subjects.

Use Different angles and perspective types

In addition to creating hatchings and shadings the most important skill you have to know while beginning to learn drawing, is a sound understanding of perspective.
There are some rules that may help you in building perspectively sound drafts. But first it's necessary you practice your eye to acknowledge basic forms and structures.
Pick out easy sceneries mostly consisting of straight lines and not too much curves. And then draw those scenes by drawing only the silhouette. This way you can focus on understanding dimensions and perspective. But don't stop here, repeat this exercise by drawing exactly the same scenery again and again from different angles.
You will see with every repetition you'll apprehend the subject better and your ability to understand and depict the proportions of any subject will increase greatly.

What Next?

This trio of practices are the most crucial while studying to draw. There are more basic methods and techniques you could and should train. You could improve your drawing skills by yourself - simply get and draw life sceneries. Start with easy ones and increase the degree of difficulty as you make progress. Additionally you could learn drawing using exercises designed and tested to ensure ideal advancements for your drawing skills.

This is the 4rd article of the 6 part series on drawing and how to learn drawing. Visit the next part to learn to draw fast . Learn to draw today!
http://drawingsecrets.com

Author : Ruediger Schmidt

Posters Online and Add ‘Charm’ to Your Home

2009-07-04T13:25:00.002+07:00

It was not so long ago, you picked those art posters as souvenirs while you were out of the country on foreign trips. But today, while you return from your trip abroad you no longer bring those posters as they can be found online nowadays. Yes, with the emergence of a large number of online poster sellers you can have all types of posters at the click of a button, that too, sitting comfortably in your room.

If you are a wanderer at heart, vintage travel posters can be a very good thing for you to make a collection of. If you search online for travel posters, you will find different types of posters telling travel stories and errands from different ages. Real time travel snaps of renowned world personalities can also be availed at attractive and discounted rates.

As an admirer of beauty and artworks you may already have collected huge number of posters and frames over the years. If you are in a mood to multiply the numbers thus increasing the aesthetics of your home, you can easily buy the posters from the online poster sellers. They deal in very attractive and valuable works from the past getting which you can easily add more charm to your living or drawing room

Vintage posters of all categories now can be purchased online. Apart from vintage travel posters, you can choose your pick from a wide variety of poster categories like – entertainment, wars, sports, fashion, foods, contemporary, movies, transportation, wine and beverages, circus and magic, exhibitions and events, literature etc. And the best thing is that you can order your choice in different shapes depending on the availability. There are also good arrangements for custom poster order on the sites of many a sellers.

Now, you can also frame your selected posters online. Some stores specialize in framing solutions for posters as well. You can make your selection from mat, frames and glass in order to ensure durability and attraction to them. With the help of a professional poster framer you can thus give a complete look to your poster besides helping it protect from dust and external particles.

Your Art Poster Painting

Making of thangka paintings

2009-07-02T13:57:00.003+07:00

Most of the thangkas are painted on a canvas. Some are painted on paper or leather. Other are embroidered, appliquéd, woven and patchwork thangkas, but theSketching else forms are not discussed here. Technically making a painted thangka occurs in four stages.

Preparing the foundation:

The kind of thangka under discussion here, the canvas you buy, is made of a woven material: cotton, linen, and sometimes silk. A finely woven structure, made of a single piece of fabric, is best, because paint easily chips off of thicker to rougher fabrics when the thangka is rolled up. The painted canvas is rectangular in shape, taller than it is wide, ideally measuring on the average 30inches tall by 20 inches wide (75 by 50centimeters). The same 3:2 ratio f height to width can also be found in other formats: 12 by 8 inches (30by 20cm); 48 by 32 inches (120 by 80 cm); 120 by 80 inches (300 by 200 cm) for exceptionally large specimens. These proportions generally also apply to the huge thangkas - measuring up to 180 by 130 feet (55 by 40 meters) that are hung out side the wall of the monasteries during festivals. There are also elongated thangkas that are wider than they are tall, with a size ratio of 2:3.The edges of the canvas are folded over twice, rather than hemmed, to prevent them from unraveling. Then the canvas is fastened with thread to four laths that are firmly attached with twine to a wooden frame, and strung tightly, so that it looks like an upright trampoline.The front and the back of the cloth are swabbed with a sizing of anima; glue consisting of boiled bones and skins, often of a water buffalo. After this layer has been applied, it is polished with a smooth stone or shell. This produces a smooth, even layer on rough or uneven cloth that will function well for sketching and painting and will keep the paint from seeping into the cloth.

Sketching

For orientation, the painter will often first lay down a grid of coordinates in the form of eight lines: two diagonal lines with a horizontal and a vertical axis drawn through their intersection, and four lines drawn parallel to the frame. Sometimes the painter will do this on the back so that the lines show through when the canvas is held up to the light the next step is a charcoal sketch. When the painter is satisfied with the result, the lines will be accentuated with ink.There are separate drawings, of templates, available for many of the figures that are to be painted. They can be transferred to the canvas by pricking holes through them along the contours and on the most important lines and components. Powder is blown through these holes, resulting in a dotted outline on the canvas. Another technique for transferring figures uses block prints. The wood or metal blocks are painted black; the figures are colored in at later stages.

Painting

When the sketch is finished, it is time for the coloring stage. Large color area areas are often applied by brushing or writing numbers or syllables into the area in question. Black, for instant, is indicated with the number two or with the syllable Na, yellow with five or SA. When applying the colors, a particular sequence is commonly followed. First, the area furthest away in perspective, the sky, is colored. Then the closer landscape is done, followed by trees, rocks, and water. After this come the deities and other figures. The throne, clothing, and nimbus are painted first. Light colors are applied before dark colors, and then details in gold are added.

Framing

Once the painting is finished, the canvas is loosened from it’s stretchers and framed with textile edging. The silk or brocade trim is of an established width, so that the depth of the bottom trim is half the length of the painting, the top one fourth, and the sides are one-eighth of the length. Still, the framed thangka is not completely rectangular but splays out a little toward the bottom, and metal caps are usually slipped over the ends. If a thangka is not in use, but not rolled up either, a thin piece it from soot and smoky lamps, and to avoid the image being visually touched bye uninitiated eyes. Often the curtain will be yellow silk, with red or blue dots, or sometimes it has a flower motion on it. Over this lowered curtain two bands of red silk hang down to the very bottom. At the top between these two strips hangs a lightweight read cord with which the veil can be tied up. At the very top there is a cord by which the thangka can be hung or with it can be tied together when it is rolled up.

Ways to Make Money - Sell Your Art

2009-06-29T20:01:00.003+07:00

So you want to sell your art? Want to make extra money? Interested in finding effective strategies that will increase your bottom line?

Selling your artwork or your crafts is an incredible way to increase your income. Although it may seem like a daunting task at first, the reality is that there is always a market available for your products. Here are some effective techniques that will help you facilitate sales of your art.

Create a Collective Let's face it. You are not the only one in your community who has slaved over their art, creating incredible pieces, hour after hour. Chances are there are people on your street who are also artists. Try to seek out artist neighbors and friends who also might be interested in making money by selling their art. Approach these individuals to see if they would be interested in coming together for a collective art bazaar. Find a yard or a parking lot that is large enough. Advertise in local resources, on the Internet, or in coffee shops. In a sense, you are creating your own outdoor market to sell your art.

Local Cafes How many times have you walked into a cafe and seen art for sale on the wall? Or--better yet--how many times have you walked into a cafe and not seen art on the wall? Either way, approach the owner or manager of the cafe with some of your pieces and tell him or her that you would be interested in selling your art to the cafes customers. This is a win-win situation. You will bring in money once your art sells. And the cafe will not only have wonderful art hanging on their walls, but--obviously--they will benefit financially from the sale of your art. It is important that you negotiate a fee that you will pay to the cafe for each sale.

Flea Markets & Other Festivals Obviously, this is the most expensive route, but it also might possibly be the most financially lucrative. Flea markets or other festivals--such as municipal arts and street fairs--will bring thousands of people by your booth each day. And if only a fraction of the people decide to purchase your art, you will still make good money. Even if few sales come from the market, you will have increased your exposure to the community. Even if sales are not made initially, fellow community members might search you out in the weeks following to purchase your art.

Making money by selling your art is incredibly feasible. The number one thing that you need to do though is take action! No one can see your pieces if they are sitting stacked in your studio or in your garage. You need to get these portraits and statues in front of potential buyers in order to make a sale!
Author : J.R. Shanley

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Art of Raku

2009-06-27T13:56:00.003+07:00

Raku is derived from an ancient Japanese method of firing ceramics. A technique that creates unique patterns on the glaze. The unique pattern of colours and metallic finish comes from the interplay of flames, smoke and rapid cooling. Raku is strictly decorative and may not be used as food ware. No two pieces are ever alike. Each raku potter uses the same type of firing techniques, but individual styles are vastly different and each piece is certainly one of a kind.

The Raku firing technique differs from almost all other pottery techniques. Unglazed bisqued pottery is glazed and put into a raku kiln. The kiln is custom built in most cases as it will be opened at peak heat of the firing. Unlike traditional ceramic firings in which the pieces are loaded in a cold kiln and slowly fired until the desired temperature is reached. Then the kiln is shut off and cools down until the pieces can be removed.

Most kilns are built or jerry rigged to work. By that I mean custom built to open at the high temperature needed to accomplish this method of firing pottery. The kiln is loaded and fired between 960 and 1020 C depending on the glaze, technique and application. This is the temperature point at which the glaze reaches a mature state. Experienced Raku potters are able to visually know by glaze melt that the firing is achieved. Now things get exciting.

When the firing is completed, the pieces are immediately removed from the hot kiln, with the glaze still molten. The pieces are then placed in a fire proof container. The container can be steel or concrete and should be as air tight as possible. The container is lined with your combustible materials sawdust, paper, straw, leaves, pine needles, hay, peat moss and or newspaper. When the kiln is opened an instant draw from the kiln, the thermal shock will provoke cracks which will be revealed with the smoke produced by the burning sawdust etc. Carbon is driven into the crackle patterns of the glazes created during cooling
in the can.

The can containing the hot pottery is quickly covered allowing reduction to begin. Leaving your piece in this state for up to 20 minutes will produce very different effects throughout the process. It takes some experimentation to achieve what you are hoping. Each piece is unique to the next. When the piece is removed again it can be left in the air to cool slowly which will continue to apply effects, or placed in a water bath to arrest the effects and cool.

When the pottery is cool enough to handle it is washed. If there is tough carbon you can rub softly with a very watered down grog or fine wet dry sandpaper.

Current experiences with raku have only led to more questions. How much reduction is good? What combustibles do I need to use? How much material at a time? The potters answer to all of these questions. Whatever you need to accomplish the finish you are looking for. So I continue to experiment.
Author:J McEachern

Paint to express your innermost desires, beliefs

2009-06-25T20:52:00.003+07:00

Almost all of us have at sometime in our lives wanted to pick up a brush and just paint whatever came to the mind. But it is the inherent fear of criticism that prevents us. However, have you wondered why people while looking at the work of an artist don’t laugh? All one gets to hear is: “Oh, it is an artist’s expression of what is around him/her.”

The same applies to us. Just because we don’t belong to the category of ‘artists’ doesn’t mean we can’t find an outlet. After all colours are all around us and make our lives beautiful. While many take up gardening, pottery, or even cooking as an outlet there are many who pick up brushes, paints and a canvas. With an intention to provide an expression, Habitat Centre has organized a workshop that is being conducted by Kavita Jaiswal. While most workshops follow a set pattern and each person is made to do the same thing. Jaiswal’s workshop breaks away from the routine. Each person chooses his/her own style and medium.

And the interesting part is that none of the people who are in the class has any drawing background – they are absolutely raw. The only binding factor among the students (homemakers, teachers and even lawyers) is that that want to paint/draw. As a person can choose his own style and set his/her own work pace, a person can join the class any time of the year. Also, as each student has her/his own unique style and medium there is no competition. After all they are there to find an outlet of their expression and not to imitate the other.

“Most of the people who come to the workshop have had no previous experience of painting. All that they are looking for is a way to express themselves. There are many who come to the class having problems in drawing a form. I tell them to turn the picture upside down and then draw. Because then it is not as form, it is just another object that they need to draw,” said Kavita. The students on their part finding that they can paint whatever that comes to them, express themselves better. Looking around the work, the same is evident. The painting of each student has its own story to tell. Take the example of two identical drawings. One was in pencil and the other was water crayons. The artist was only experimenting with different mediums and get a feel of each.

Held every Friday at the Experiment Art Gallery from 10 am to 1 pm, the workshop is the right place if you want to play around with colours. After all, there are not many places where a teacher will teach you what you want and not the other way round.

The author is an entertainment news editor and works for many websites related to event, bollywood, music, movie, concerts and theater. Visit one more interesting article of author: Big B - Play or http://www.buzzintown.com/?112271

Everyone Can Benefit From the Arts

2009-06-24T15:41:00.002+07:00

Sometimes it simply takes being exposed to something to realize you have an aptitude or passion for it. When you look at professional sports players, musicians, or actors, do you ever wonder if they would have found their profession had someone not put a bat in their hand or shown them how to strum a guitar?

That question is debatable, but what isn't is the devotion many have to the arts. While loving pottery wheel clay may not get you a multi-million dollar contract, it's something that brings inspiration and beauty to many every day. So it makes sense that sharing this gift with as many people as possible is a goal of some of those that love the arts.

Whether you enjoy putting paint on canvas, writing poetry, sculpting, or using a raku kiln, there are many out there that have never experienced what you do. That's why offering up your time on a volunteer basis or teaching a course at a local community college might be a great way to get the word out. There are all sorts of establishments looking for volunteers, from nursing homes to daycare's. Sure, it might not be a way to earn extra income if you're volunteering, but you could be furthering the reach that your passion has. Wouldn't it be great if you inspired the next great painter or writer? If there aren't those that share what they know, these seed may never be planted or bear fruit. However, it isn't just looking for that next great artist. It's simply knowing that you introduced someone else to something you love. Isn't that enough?

Of course, if you have children, one of the best things you can do is expose them to many things and let them decide what they love to do. Sure, if they excel at one thing head and shoulders above the rest, it might be wise to let them concentrate on this. But how many of us know at an early age what we love to do and are good at? Instead, many parents find themselves giving their children ballet shoes and slump molds and seeing which activities they take to. Once the kids get old enough to choose for themselves, the activities they're not so crazy about are dropped, replaced by the things they truly enjoy. No matter what, make sure your kids at least get exposed to some part of the arts. You won't be sorry that they did!

Participating in the arts is great, and AMACO is there to make sure you have the supplies you need if arts and crafts is your thing. From pottery wheel clay to a raku kiln, you can find pretty much whatever you need at AMACO. Need slump molds? Then take a look at what AMACO has to offer online. Feed your passion with quality supplies from AMACO!
http://www.amaco.com
Author : Alice Lane

Photography Tips for a Great Pet Painting

2009-06-23T18:13:00.004+07:00

So you have decided to get your favourite pet immortalised in pet portrait or oil painting and now you want to prepare your photographs to be submitted to the chosen artist and you are wondering how best to photograph your fine feathered or furry friend.

Paramount to the success of any painting is the foundation work of understanding your subject, so having good reference photos from different angles is keyto achieving a great likeness of your faithful companion.

If you decide to commission an artist remotely located, then you are goingto need a good quality photo of your pet, as artists who work remotely don'thave your pet in real life to sketch from.

So in order to prepare a great shot then there a few tips you should follow, that will set you on the right path. Remember the better the photos you supply the better image the artist is going to have in their mind. Naturally any kind of special personality traits or favourite habits or tricks are also going to prove to be helpful as the painter needs as much information as you can supply to truly capture the spirit of your pet.

Make sure you do not use flash photography unless your pet has dark fur. Camera flash tends to flatten details, so it is best to photograph your pet outside in natural sunlight.

Also make sure your pet is close up for a few shots or head shots so that the facial detail is as clear as possible as well. Just like humans, animals havea different left side of their face when compared to the right side. Differences may be minimal, but this is the sort of important information the artist needs to be aware of, if a good likeness is to be portrayed.
Author : Greg Gillespie

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