A great party doesn’t have to be done on a great budget. It is possible to throw a memorable party that costs next to nothing. Be honest about your budget and work with it.
Even a low budget party has to have a budget. For example, if you are unable to spend more than $10.00 per guest and you have a $200.00 budget you can only afford to invite 20 guests. It is pretty straightforward. If you want to invite more people, you either need to decrease your expenses or increase your budget. Neither one of them is easy, but you are going to have to make a decision.
You have to make sure your budget covers the venue, the food and drinks, the decorations, the party favors, and everything else you may deem necessary. Be realistic about determining the expense per person. If you have a $10.00 per person budget, you are not going to be able to afford gourmet catering and Don Perignon champagne.
If you would like to host an elegant party on a small budget consider inviting less people. Your guests will reap the benefits of having less people, but better quality food and drinks.
You could have a small dinner party by inviting two or three couples. For such a small cook you can afford better ingredients, such as fresh seafood and a bottle of fine wine. Since most guests will bring a bottle of wine you don’t need to worry about spending money on several bottles.
Potlucks or barbeques are great low budget party options. If you plan correctly, your party is sure to be a big hit with your guests regardless of your budget. Your attitude, creativity, and effort will have as much to do with how successful you party is as your budget. You may not have a budget for an all around first class event, but you may be able to afford gourmet dessert, or the freshest local caught fish. Upgrading some aspect of your party can help your guests perceive your party as pricey and classy.
Final tip: If you are undecided about how much to spend per guest set your total available budget and divide it by the number of guests you want to invite.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Lovebird
For the last 8 years I've worked as a freelance record producer/sound engineer and before you ask, no, I haven't worked with anyone famous and no, I can't make a CD for your young Bennie who's just started playing the Harp but is "very good" and "even better" just after he tunes it... For those of you out there who think record production is all about fast cars, girls and mountains of money, please allow me to provide a reality-check. Yes, for a select few people, the high-rolling, big-budget, hit-making factory provides a very seductive lifestyle, but for the other 99.99% of us it's months of toil in crappy studios with small independent artists protectively mothering large, dependent egos.
Despite the economic and social disparity, there is one advantage to being one of the "small fish" in the big pond called the Music Industry.
The Lovebird.
A Lovebird is always an amateur who has humbly come into the studio to record something special for a loved one. They'll explain that it's for a birthday, wedding anniversary, or Valentine's Day, and there's an old song that means a lot to them that they'd like to record as best they can. Often they'd just bring the song in on a CD and ask me to remove the vocals and do a quick recording of them singing to that track. I'd record it as best I could, add a few effects and burn it to a CD for them.
Lovebirds used to come into the studio all the time. It was both a pleasure and an honor to watch them sing their hearts out; however, over time I noticed that they were coming in less and less. Initially, I feared that the gentle art of the serenade was dying, but as it turns out, they were still actively recording their own personal songs, but from the comfort of home, as opposed to the often intimidating domain of the recording studio.
Whenever a lovebird used to come into the studio, they were always surprised when they saw how quick and easy it was. I guess it was only a matter of time before someone like www.audio4fun.com came along and made the whole process possible at home.
Music Morpher Gold does everything I can do in the studio...without the studio. They've made it so easy that anyone can start recording in minutes! What's more, for this Valentine's Day they've cut the price by 50% to $49.95...It's enough to make any grown sound engineer cry. If you want to make an impression this Valentine's Day, here is your big chance. Be a Lovebird this time around; sing your heart out and make someone feel very special.
Despite the economic and social disparity, there is one advantage to being one of the "small fish" in the big pond called the Music Industry.
The Lovebird.
A Lovebird is always an amateur who has humbly come into the studio to record something special for a loved one. They'll explain that it's for a birthday, wedding anniversary, or Valentine's Day, and there's an old song that means a lot to them that they'd like to record as best they can. Often they'd just bring the song in on a CD and ask me to remove the vocals and do a quick recording of them singing to that track. I'd record it as best I could, add a few effects and burn it to a CD for them.
Lovebirds used to come into the studio all the time. It was both a pleasure and an honor to watch them sing their hearts out; however, over time I noticed that they were coming in less and less. Initially, I feared that the gentle art of the serenade was dying, but as it turns out, they were still actively recording their own personal songs, but from the comfort of home, as opposed to the often intimidating domain of the recording studio.
Whenever a lovebird used to come into the studio, they were always surprised when they saw how quick and easy it was. I guess it was only a matter of time before someone like www.audio4fun.com came along and made the whole process possible at home.
Music Morpher Gold does everything I can do in the studio...without the studio. They've made it so easy that anyone can start recording in minutes! What's more, for this Valentine's Day they've cut the price by 50% to $49.95...It's enough to make any grown sound engineer cry. If you want to make an impression this Valentine's Day, here is your big chance. Be a Lovebird this time around; sing your heart out and make someone feel very special.
Life Is As Musical As A Play
What was the last music you listened to today? How did that music, song or melody make you feel? Or more importantly, how did it make you think?
There is a study that is out to discover whether brains that have been trained musically are more stronger and able to resist the degenerative effects of dementia brought about by old age compared to those brains that are not in any way exposed or trained musically.
This Canadian-made study wants to discover if kids who are given early training in music has a more cognitive edge – in terms of writing, reading and over-all verbal skills – as compared to other kids who have no training in music in any way whatsoever.
The study has been given a grant of more than one hundred fifty thousand dollars by an organization based in California that is related to any and all kinds of research in music.
The researchers who want to conduct the study believe that the human brain is extremely moldable and extremely malleable especially when one is in his childhood and until one reaches full-fledged adulthood.
The researchers hope that once it has been proven that early training in music has a positive effect on how the brain functions – and this functioning goes beyond anything that is musically related – it is therefore essential that music be involved in a child’s early education. Music could also be well utilized as an effective strategy to rehabilitate a brain that has been, in any way, damaged due to disease or stroke.
Previous work done that is related with this study has been conducted in Germany wherein the brains of musicians were studied and wired in order to know how they process music and how music is actually able to trigger any changes – especially physical changes – in the hard wire of the brain.
This study was able to prove that musicians, believe it or not, have an enhanced auditory as well as sensory parts in the brain better than those who are not musicians. It was also seen that musicians who started early training have large areas in the brain, specifically the cortical, than those who started late.
The Canadian-made study will study children and the way their brains function as well as adults who are older and have prior training in music. The ages of the children range between four years old and six years old. The ages of the older group range between fifty to sixty five.
The children will be introduced to violin lessons as well as the piano. Both groups will be going through a battery of tests that will measure the degree of their perception and cognition skills. These groups will then be compared to those groups that are aged the same but have no training in music in any way whatsoever.
The EEG will be used to measure any electrical change in the rain. The MEG will also be used to measure any magnetic change. The MRI will also be utilized to obtain necessary information about the complex structures of the brain.
But basically, the goal of the study is to be able to find various ways and means to utilize music as an effective form of rehabilitation for human brains whose functions have been unintentionally hampered by degenerative diseases like stroke, heart disease, Alzheimers, accident or cancer, to name a few
There is a study that is out to discover whether brains that have been trained musically are more stronger and able to resist the degenerative effects of dementia brought about by old age compared to those brains that are not in any way exposed or trained musically.
This Canadian-made study wants to discover if kids who are given early training in music has a more cognitive edge – in terms of writing, reading and over-all verbal skills – as compared to other kids who have no training in music in any way whatsoever.
The study has been given a grant of more than one hundred fifty thousand dollars by an organization based in California that is related to any and all kinds of research in music.
The researchers who want to conduct the study believe that the human brain is extremely moldable and extremely malleable especially when one is in his childhood and until one reaches full-fledged adulthood.
The researchers hope that once it has been proven that early training in music has a positive effect on how the brain functions – and this functioning goes beyond anything that is musically related – it is therefore essential that music be involved in a child’s early education. Music could also be well utilized as an effective strategy to rehabilitate a brain that has been, in any way, damaged due to disease or stroke.
Previous work done that is related with this study has been conducted in Germany wherein the brains of musicians were studied and wired in order to know how they process music and how music is actually able to trigger any changes – especially physical changes – in the hard wire of the brain.
This study was able to prove that musicians, believe it or not, have an enhanced auditory as well as sensory parts in the brain better than those who are not musicians. It was also seen that musicians who started early training have large areas in the brain, specifically the cortical, than those who started late.
The Canadian-made study will study children and the way their brains function as well as adults who are older and have prior training in music. The ages of the children range between four years old and six years old. The ages of the older group range between fifty to sixty five.
The children will be introduced to violin lessons as well as the piano. Both groups will be going through a battery of tests that will measure the degree of their perception and cognition skills. These groups will then be compared to those groups that are aged the same but have no training in music in any way whatsoever.
The EEG will be used to measure any electrical change in the rain. The MEG will also be used to measure any magnetic change. The MRI will also be utilized to obtain necessary information about the complex structures of the brain.
But basically, the goal of the study is to be able to find various ways and means to utilize music as an effective form of rehabilitation for human brains whose functions have been unintentionally hampered by degenerative diseases like stroke, heart disease, Alzheimers, accident or cancer, to name a few
Little Known Uses Of Engraving – Tips And Techniques!!
Engraving and its Many Applications
What is Engraving?
When lines or grooves are carved, etched or cut into a hard surface, we say it has been engraved. Engraving is commonly used on materials like metal, wood and stone. There are many applications for engraving, both decorative and functional. For example, printing, manufacturing and jewelry making all commonly incorporate engraving to produce the final product.
Engraving in Printing
Engraving is often used for printing. Most paper money produced today is engraved, and wedding invitations, personalized stationery, business cards and birth announcements are commonly custom ordered and engraved. The words and designs to be printed are engraved in a metal die, and the grooves are filled with ink. The die is then pressed to a card or paper, transferring the ink onto the paper. If you run your fingertips over the paper, you can feel the raised ink of the letters.
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving is currently a popular form of engraving. A laser is used to cut designs into the surface of the object being engraved. It is easier to get into small or difficult spots with a laser than with a hand tool. The laser is often used in conjunction with a computer program that controls its movements. Laser engraving can be used to etch a logo and phone number on marketing tools such as pens, key chains and paperweights. Because the logo is engraved in the item, it does not rub off with use over time as printed logos often do. Leather, glass and plastic can also be engraved with lasers, and laser engraving can be used for industrial applications.
Engraving in Art
Engraving was commonly used to illustrate books and newspapers before photography was invented. Until the late 19th century, wood engraving was used to produce most of the pictures seen in printed material. An artist would draw the image on a wood block, then an engraver would engrave the picture into the wood. Engraving was also used to reproduce paintings.
Engraving Jewelry
Engraved jewelry has been around for a long time, and engraved designs have been seen on jewelry that is thousands of years old. It is common to give engraved jewelry as a gift. Silver and gold jewelry is often engraved with the name or initials of the owner or an inscription. Enamel is sometimes used to fill the grooves made by engraving the jewelry. Designs have long been engraved on gemstones, and jade and ivory are commonly engraved with beautiful images.
Engraving Gifts
Giving engraved items as gifts has been popular for years, and there are several shops that specialize in engraving gifts. Jewelry such as rings and bracelets are often engraved with initials or a short message. Pendants and lockets are frequently engraved with a dedication. Popular engraved gifts for men include cuff links, pocketknives, money clips and flasks. Aside from jewelry, popular engraved gifts for women include trinket boxes and key chains. For children, banks engraved with the child’s name are appreciated, and engraved photo frames make a nice gift for everyone.
What is Engraving?
When lines or grooves are carved, etched or cut into a hard surface, we say it has been engraved. Engraving is commonly used on materials like metal, wood and stone. There are many applications for engraving, both decorative and functional. For example, printing, manufacturing and jewelry making all commonly incorporate engraving to produce the final product.
Engraving in Printing
Engraving is often used for printing. Most paper money produced today is engraved, and wedding invitations, personalized stationery, business cards and birth announcements are commonly custom ordered and engraved. The words and designs to be printed are engraved in a metal die, and the grooves are filled with ink. The die is then pressed to a card or paper, transferring the ink onto the paper. If you run your fingertips over the paper, you can feel the raised ink of the letters.
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving is currently a popular form of engraving. A laser is used to cut designs into the surface of the object being engraved. It is easier to get into small or difficult spots with a laser than with a hand tool. The laser is often used in conjunction with a computer program that controls its movements. Laser engraving can be used to etch a logo and phone number on marketing tools such as pens, key chains and paperweights. Because the logo is engraved in the item, it does not rub off with use over time as printed logos often do. Leather, glass and plastic can also be engraved with lasers, and laser engraving can be used for industrial applications.
Engraving in Art
Engraving was commonly used to illustrate books and newspapers before photography was invented. Until the late 19th century, wood engraving was used to produce most of the pictures seen in printed material. An artist would draw the image on a wood block, then an engraver would engrave the picture into the wood. Engraving was also used to reproduce paintings.
Engraving Jewelry
Engraved jewelry has been around for a long time, and engraved designs have been seen on jewelry that is thousands of years old. It is common to give engraved jewelry as a gift. Silver and gold jewelry is often engraved with the name or initials of the owner or an inscription. Enamel is sometimes used to fill the grooves made by engraving the jewelry. Designs have long been engraved on gemstones, and jade and ivory are commonly engraved with beautiful images.
Engraving Gifts
Giving engraved items as gifts has been popular for years, and there are several shops that specialize in engraving gifts. Jewelry such as rings and bracelets are often engraved with initials or a short message. Pendants and lockets are frequently engraved with a dedication. Popular engraved gifts for men include cuff links, pocketknives, money clips and flasks. Aside from jewelry, popular engraved gifts for women include trinket boxes and key chains. For children, banks engraved with the child’s name are appreciated, and engraved photo frames make a nice gift for everyone.
Life Advice: A Lost Friend Speaks
When my friend sensed that in a few weeks the light of life was about to be extinguished, and that there was no more hope for him, he called me to his side and said, "If only I had lived my life differently, I might not have felt such an emptiness now. Promise me," he caught my hand, "Promise me that you won't make the same mistake." And when I asked him what mistakes, he asked me to get a pen and paper and to jot down his last words. Here they are in condensed form:
1) Talk less; listen more.
2) Listen to your grandfather's stories about his youth. When he's gone, you will relive the bond through these memories.
3) Invite friend over for a snack or dinner even if the house is a mess.
4) Eat popcorn in the living room even though its messy.
5) Invite the friends who have children home. Don't worry about their children creating a mess.
6) Sit on the grass even though it dirties your pants.
7) Never buy something just because it lasts for a long time or because it is practical.
8) Stay in bed and at home when sick and stop pretending that the world cannot go one without me for a day.
9) Light up the wonderfully crafted candles and let them burn out. Better this than they accumulate dust in the closet.
10) Share life's responsibilities with a partner, not only expenses.
11) (Meant for Women) Instead of waiting for the pregnancy to get over, cherish each moment in your heart. Understand that the life in you is the only chance you will get to help god create magic.
12) Let your children hug and kiss you whenever they wish to. Don't stop them by saying things like: later, go wash your hands first, we have to eat dinner.
13) Say the following two phrases as often as possible: "I love you" and "I am sorry."
14) Stop worrying about who loves or and who doesn't or about what others have or don't have.
15) Cherish all personal human relations.
16) Play with a pet every day. Laugh and run with it and take part in all its antics.
17) Spend more time with the people who love you.
18) Stop sweating because of all the small details and problems of life.
19) Grab every moment, look at it and live it. That moment will never return again.
Her name was Susan, and she had one six year old daughter. Susan taught me these few basic ideals that I have tried to follow in honour of her memory. It has made me a better man, a much nicer husband and in general, a happier person. Even now I can hear her say that God has blessed each and every one of us, and that we should accept these blessings and strive to become stronger both physically, mentally and also emotionally. I will always remember what she said to me the last time we met: "Jack, you are lucky. Don't blow it."
1) Talk less; listen more.
2) Listen to your grandfather's stories about his youth. When he's gone, you will relive the bond through these memories.
3) Invite friend over for a snack or dinner even if the house is a mess.
4) Eat popcorn in the living room even though its messy.
5) Invite the friends who have children home. Don't worry about their children creating a mess.
6) Sit on the grass even though it dirties your pants.
7) Never buy something just because it lasts for a long time or because it is practical.
8) Stay in bed and at home when sick and stop pretending that the world cannot go one without me for a day.
9) Light up the wonderfully crafted candles and let them burn out. Better this than they accumulate dust in the closet.
10) Share life's responsibilities with a partner, not only expenses.
11) (Meant for Women) Instead of waiting for the pregnancy to get over, cherish each moment in your heart. Understand that the life in you is the only chance you will get to help god create magic.
12) Let your children hug and kiss you whenever they wish to. Don't stop them by saying things like: later, go wash your hands first, we have to eat dinner.
13) Say the following two phrases as often as possible: "I love you" and "I am sorry."
14) Stop worrying about who loves or and who doesn't or about what others have or don't have.
15) Cherish all personal human relations.
16) Play with a pet every day. Laugh and run with it and take part in all its antics.
17) Spend more time with the people who love you.
18) Stop sweating because of all the small details and problems of life.
19) Grab every moment, look at it and live it. That moment will never return again.
Her name was Susan, and she had one six year old daughter. Susan taught me these few basic ideals that I have tried to follow in honour of her memory. It has made me a better man, a much nicer husband and in general, a happier person. Even now I can hear her say that God has blessed each and every one of us, and that we should accept these blessings and strive to become stronger both physically, mentally and also emotionally. I will always remember what she said to me the last time we met: "Jack, you are lucky. Don't blow it."
Learn To Paint Like A Child
All children love to draw or paint. It matters little whether the result is an exact copy of reality because at that very moment reality is in the mind of the artist. As they draw they are creators and each will stand back to admire what they have accomplished. It is not their desire to become an artist, they are there already!
There is that small child in all of us – an artist inside that holds a perception of the world as expressed by our feelings and thoughts. It differs from everyone else; it is unique. But during the years of maturity we became self-conscious about our abilities. Unfortunately, we might have been criticized and decided that our talents lay somewhere else. Because it was met with some form of disapproval, we stopped being so free with our expressions.
Picasso once said, “All of my life I have been learning to paint like a child”. Did he succeed? I think he did, because he never let go of his child-like images. He was the master of innocence. Today his artworks are priceless, but at the time they were created I’m sure some judged them harshly.
My first recollection of drawing or painting was around the age of ten. By high school I spent my meager earnings on oil paints and canvas. My passion was nature – animals in particular and that was my subject material at the time. Talent has two definitions--a natural ability or a developed skill. My parents couldn’t send me to art school, so I depended on the former.
I am still painting in my senior years without the benefit of schooling. There were times when I thought I should have learned the basics of form, reflective light, color-wheel importance, composition, etc. Still, not everyone can deal with the pressure of grades or a structured format. I paint from my heart, expressing what my mind dictates, and there are no schools that teach that. I give myself new challenges, just to see if I can produce this vision on canvas to my own satisfaction. You don't have to have a certificate to do that.
Often we look at things without really seeing them. After all, our eyes are merely lenses; they have no knowledge, no memories and no experiences. To see well we must open our minds as well as our eyes. Perhaps for that reason I like to paint the less-than-perfect subject material.
A broken sea-shell has more character than any perfect specimen. Models, just short of perfect beauty leave a little ‘yet to be desired’. My choice for portraits would be in the facial structure itself, eye or skin color and character lines. It’s been said that there are two times when a boy can be called beautiful -- at puberty, and when felled by the sword. I see in each of these a child-like perception and I am driven, at times, to put these images on canvas.
Henri Matisse put it this way: “Creation begins with vision. The artist has to look at everything as though seeing it for the first time, like a child”.
There is that small child in all of us – an artist inside that holds a perception of the world as expressed by our feelings and thoughts. It differs from everyone else; it is unique. But during the years of maturity we became self-conscious about our abilities. Unfortunately, we might have been criticized and decided that our talents lay somewhere else. Because it was met with some form of disapproval, we stopped being so free with our expressions.
Picasso once said, “All of my life I have been learning to paint like a child”. Did he succeed? I think he did, because he never let go of his child-like images. He was the master of innocence. Today his artworks are priceless, but at the time they were created I’m sure some judged them harshly.
My first recollection of drawing or painting was around the age of ten. By high school I spent my meager earnings on oil paints and canvas. My passion was nature – animals in particular and that was my subject material at the time. Talent has two definitions--a natural ability or a developed skill. My parents couldn’t send me to art school, so I depended on the former.
I am still painting in my senior years without the benefit of schooling. There were times when I thought I should have learned the basics of form, reflective light, color-wheel importance, composition, etc. Still, not everyone can deal with the pressure of grades or a structured format. I paint from my heart, expressing what my mind dictates, and there are no schools that teach that. I give myself new challenges, just to see if I can produce this vision on canvas to my own satisfaction. You don't have to have a certificate to do that.
Often we look at things without really seeing them. After all, our eyes are merely lenses; they have no knowledge, no memories and no experiences. To see well we must open our minds as well as our eyes. Perhaps for that reason I like to paint the less-than-perfect subject material.
A broken sea-shell has more character than any perfect specimen. Models, just short of perfect beauty leave a little ‘yet to be desired’. My choice for portraits would be in the facial structure itself, eye or skin color and character lines. It’s been said that there are two times when a boy can be called beautiful -- at puberty, and when felled by the sword. I see in each of these a child-like perception and I am driven, at times, to put these images on canvas.
Henri Matisse put it this way: “Creation begins with vision. The artist has to look at everything as though seeing it for the first time, like a child”.
Learn How to Draw with Crayola Crayons
What memories are conjured up when you get a whiff of a brand new box of Crayola crayons? The scent is so unique that it can transport you back to your childhood in a heartbeat. Although I'm well into what is termed "midlife," I eagerly anticipate the experience of my son opening a new box of Crayola crayons. When he does, I'm flooded with memories of my own childhood, and the thrill and wonder of having - if I was lucky - 64 pristine colors from which to choose. The choices weren't always easy, and the box seemed to hold some unanswerable questions. Should I use Thistle or Orchid? Yellow or Lemon Yellow? Why did I have a Red Violet and a Violet Red, or a Green Yellow and a Yellow Green? What, exactly, did Raw Sienna and Raw Umber mean?
Since my childhood, many colors have been retired and others added, so my son can choose from among 120 lustrous colors that range from Wild Blue Yonder and Unmellow Yellow to Purple Pizzazz and Laser Lemon. But, like generations of children before him, my son was set to learn to draw with Crayola Crayons. Learning how to draw was a delight, but he wanted to take his art education - and his Crayola crayons - to the next level.
A couple of years ago, as luck would have it, I was watching "Good Morning America," one day. Crayola was celebrating its centennial, and there was a crayon artist named Jeffrey Robert on the program. I was amazed at the portrait he created of Charles Gibson, and was astounded that such fine art could be produced with Crayola crayons. Through his amazing photorealistic crayon art and coloring techniques, Jeffrey Robert produced art featuring beach chairs, coastal decor, as well as personalized art, wedding gifts, and prints.
After seeing Jeffrey Robert's work, my son was able to learn how to draw with Crayola crayons in a whole new way. One of the techniques the artist used was to draw in a circular motion, applying either light, medium, or heavy pressure. This produced a unique pattern as well as three unique colors. Another technique was to use straight lines, again with light, medium, or heavy pressure. A third technique was to use gradient color, gradually applying more or less pressure to achieve a smooth grade of light to dark.
My son also learned how to color by applying layers of color, one on top of the other, starting with the darkest color and ending with the lightest. He also learned the technique of blending, so he could avoid the "paint by numbers" effect.
It still astounds me to think that fine art isn't confined to oil paints, acrylic paints, pastels, chalk, and ink. It can be achieved with colors like Purple Heart, Pacific Blue, Mountain Meadow, and Pink Sherbet. Not only can anyone learn to draw with Crayola crayons, but they can take those ubiquitous wax sticks and transform them into masterpieces.
Since my childhood, many colors have been retired and others added, so my son can choose from among 120 lustrous colors that range from Wild Blue Yonder and Unmellow Yellow to Purple Pizzazz and Laser Lemon. But, like generations of children before him, my son was set to learn to draw with Crayola Crayons. Learning how to draw was a delight, but he wanted to take his art education - and his Crayola crayons - to the next level.
A couple of years ago, as luck would have it, I was watching "Good Morning America," one day. Crayola was celebrating its centennial, and there was a crayon artist named Jeffrey Robert on the program. I was amazed at the portrait he created of Charles Gibson, and was astounded that such fine art could be produced with Crayola crayons. Through his amazing photorealistic crayon art and coloring techniques, Jeffrey Robert produced art featuring beach chairs, coastal decor, as well as personalized art, wedding gifts, and prints.
After seeing Jeffrey Robert's work, my son was able to learn how to draw with Crayola crayons in a whole new way. One of the techniques the artist used was to draw in a circular motion, applying either light, medium, or heavy pressure. This produced a unique pattern as well as three unique colors. Another technique was to use straight lines, again with light, medium, or heavy pressure. A third technique was to use gradient color, gradually applying more or less pressure to achieve a smooth grade of light to dark.
My son also learned how to color by applying layers of color, one on top of the other, starting with the darkest color and ending with the lightest. He also learned the technique of blending, so he could avoid the "paint by numbers" effect.
It still astounds me to think that fine art isn't confined to oil paints, acrylic paints, pastels, chalk, and ink. It can be achieved with colors like Purple Heart, Pacific Blue, Mountain Meadow, and Pink Sherbet. Not only can anyone learn to draw with Crayola crayons, but they can take those ubiquitous wax sticks and transform them into masterpieces.
Leadership: Be An Example
The greatest leaders in history were the ones who had the ability to command the respect of the people who followed them. This is something that they earned. It was not blindly given to them. One can be given authority by simply being in a position. However, no position can garner respect. It is the actions of the individual that lead to others providing it.
One of the most basic ways to gain the respect of those which you have authority is to be an example. Whatever you preach, be certain that you are living it. Management is not about issuing orders. It is about making decisions that are to the benefit of the organization. Sometimes, these decisions come in conflict with the “troops”. How these challenges are surmounted is partially contingent upon the respect the manager has from the personnel.
It seems that a lot of people in authority operate with the attitude “do as I say, not as I do”. This is a surefire way to instill resentment among those you are leading. They begin to question why should they do something that you are not willing to do. There is a lot of legitimacy to this. How can you expect someone else to do what you are not willing to do yourself? Under normal circumstances, this is a misguided way to run an organization.
Military history is littered with leaders of all kinds. There are those who excelled with a fair number who flopped. Nevertheless, the image of the battlefield offers a wonderful example of the different ways to lead. Picture a general on horseback telling the troops to charge while hanging safely in the rear. Compare this with the same general in front of his troops shouting “charge” and rushing forward towards the enemy. Obviously, the second is an example of a leader willing to do what he asks of others.
Leading through your actions is one effective way to gain the respect of your staff. Another, is to exemplify the characteristics that the organization is promoting. If you are seeking honesty, a willingness to work, and intelligence, it is best to have these traits yourself. People are more apt to stay and work late if their manager is putting the hours in also. Similarly, if a leader is willing to “get his/her hands dirty”, the organization knows that person is not looking down at them. Businesses make the lines of command clear. A manager who is a working part of them team will have the respect of those personnel.
Another way to garner their esteem is to keep the lines of distinction clear. Too often, managers become friends with those whom they are leading. This creates the situation where a mixture of emotions can come into play. Leading involves the making of decisions. Unfortunately, it is impossible to keep everyone in an organization happy. There will be some who feel that a particular choice negatively affects them. In these instances, if there is a “friendship” between the manager and staff, some will take it personally. In a healthy managerial position, the organization will realize that you selections are based upon what is best for the company without regard to personal likes.
The example you set is the one that will filter through your team. In the era of rapid change, one of the qualities needed is the ability to learn. When people work for managers who fall behind in terms of advancements, their respect dwindles. I personally incurred a situation where I worked for someone who had no idea what our business was about. To make matter worse, since he did nothing to improve his level of expertise, he was just as uninformed 6 months later. He had the authority that came with the position. However, he had did not have the respect of anyone on our team.
The days of operating in an “ivory tower” are history. People are too transient to work under such conditions. By the time individuals reach their mid 30's, they have worked under a variety of different managers. This gives them a wide scope of experience. If you can curry their respect, the chances of retaining them are greatly increased.
People watch what their leaders are doing. The papers are filled with people in positions of power who are caught behaving in an embarrassing manner. These individuals did something when they thought nobody was looking. Of course, someone was watching. The same is true within your organization. Like children, employees take notice immediately when your words and actions split. Effective leaders are most concerned about “walking the walk”.
It is difficult to be a living, breathing example of all that you want your team to be. However, to be the most effective manager, this is absolutely critical. A leader cannot lead if others are not willing to follow. Mutiny is not something that only happens on the high seas. Gaining the respect of your personnel is a guaranteed way to ensure they will follow you. Set the example for the behavior you want and them show them that you expect them to do the same.
One of the most basic ways to gain the respect of those which you have authority is to be an example. Whatever you preach, be certain that you are living it. Management is not about issuing orders. It is about making decisions that are to the benefit of the organization. Sometimes, these decisions come in conflict with the “troops”. How these challenges are surmounted is partially contingent upon the respect the manager has from the personnel.
It seems that a lot of people in authority operate with the attitude “do as I say, not as I do”. This is a surefire way to instill resentment among those you are leading. They begin to question why should they do something that you are not willing to do. There is a lot of legitimacy to this. How can you expect someone else to do what you are not willing to do yourself? Under normal circumstances, this is a misguided way to run an organization.
Military history is littered with leaders of all kinds. There are those who excelled with a fair number who flopped. Nevertheless, the image of the battlefield offers a wonderful example of the different ways to lead. Picture a general on horseback telling the troops to charge while hanging safely in the rear. Compare this with the same general in front of his troops shouting “charge” and rushing forward towards the enemy. Obviously, the second is an example of a leader willing to do what he asks of others.
Leading through your actions is one effective way to gain the respect of your staff. Another, is to exemplify the characteristics that the organization is promoting. If you are seeking honesty, a willingness to work, and intelligence, it is best to have these traits yourself. People are more apt to stay and work late if their manager is putting the hours in also. Similarly, if a leader is willing to “get his/her hands dirty”, the organization knows that person is not looking down at them. Businesses make the lines of command clear. A manager who is a working part of them team will have the respect of those personnel.
Another way to garner their esteem is to keep the lines of distinction clear. Too often, managers become friends with those whom they are leading. This creates the situation where a mixture of emotions can come into play. Leading involves the making of decisions. Unfortunately, it is impossible to keep everyone in an organization happy. There will be some who feel that a particular choice negatively affects them. In these instances, if there is a “friendship” between the manager and staff, some will take it personally. In a healthy managerial position, the organization will realize that you selections are based upon what is best for the company without regard to personal likes.
The example you set is the one that will filter through your team. In the era of rapid change, one of the qualities needed is the ability to learn. When people work for managers who fall behind in terms of advancements, their respect dwindles. I personally incurred a situation where I worked for someone who had no idea what our business was about. To make matter worse, since he did nothing to improve his level of expertise, he was just as uninformed 6 months later. He had the authority that came with the position. However, he had did not have the respect of anyone on our team.
The days of operating in an “ivory tower” are history. People are too transient to work under such conditions. By the time individuals reach their mid 30's, they have worked under a variety of different managers. This gives them a wide scope of experience. If you can curry their respect, the chances of retaining them are greatly increased.
People watch what their leaders are doing. The papers are filled with people in positions of power who are caught behaving in an embarrassing manner. These individuals did something when they thought nobody was looking. Of course, someone was watching. The same is true within your organization. Like children, employees take notice immediately when your words and actions split. Effective leaders are most concerned about “walking the walk”.
It is difficult to be a living, breathing example of all that you want your team to be. However, to be the most effective manager, this is absolutely critical. A leader cannot lead if others are not willing to follow. Mutiny is not something that only happens on the high seas. Gaining the respect of your personnel is a guaranteed way to ensure they will follow you. Set the example for the behavior you want and them show them that you expect them to do the same.
Laughter Is Best Medicine - Funny Videos Can Help Restore Laughter
In the past several years, many people have a reason to smile and be happy because of their investments. With the roaring super bull rally on the cards in the stock markets, many investors worldwide have every reason to smile and be happy with the way their stock prices were going, because the only direction stock prices were heading was up. But once the sub prime mortgage lending market fell, and housing investors could not service their loans, many americans lost their ability to smile. Billions of dollars were wiped off the stock markets, the futures markets and forex markets. Instead of a smile, there was a spirit of heaviness, instead of laughter, there was a deep sense of doom and pain.
Have you lost the ability to smile and to laugh and to be happy?
It is a developing trend that in the pursuit of raising a family and in the pursuit of self achievement, most parents are working and are income earners. If you are a mother, you feel the tremendous pressure of trying to cope with work and with the demands of the little children at home and in school. In the hustle of bustle of daily living, have you lost that ability to smile, and to enjoy a good laugh?
Sometimes it is not circumstances alone that make us live through life without the ability to see things in a brighter light and to enjoy a moment of laughter.
Recently, I read in the newspapers that there is hardly a female television personality who would make it to the beauty program of any established television if she is over 50 years unless she has had botox to help her maintain a feeling of youthfulness....but which may stiffens her appearance, and making her unable to show a sense of natural smile and laughter. While I do not know how true that is, we can in our pursuit of a sense of beauty, lose our ability to smile and laugh naturally by choice.
Instead, I was struck by the power of laughter and gaiety every sunday when I observed a very old lady at the church who was seemingly imbued with the ability to smile and laugh. She would be having a laugh on her face, as she begins to dance around the pews of the church, waving her scraf in the air, oblivious to whatever is happenning - and enjoying herself. All that she displayed was a sense of gaiety and freedom - freedom from the cares of this world when she started to lose herself in a deep sense of worship and of laughter.
Do we need triggers to help us regain the ability to smile and to laugh? After all, it is not just food that is the spice of life, but laughter makes the burdens light.
Look around you everywhere as you go about your work today. See beauty and life in the things around you. See love in the events that occur around you, and remember to smile and to laugh. Did something odd and dreadful happened to day to make you sad? Look at the brighter side of things and smile. You will find the burdens lighter. Laugh and the whole world will laugh with you. Just start to learn to laugh by consciously watching comedy videos, and funny movies and by seeing the lighter side of things for every event that occurs in your life daily.
Have you lost the ability to smile and to laugh and to be happy?
It is a developing trend that in the pursuit of raising a family and in the pursuit of self achievement, most parents are working and are income earners. If you are a mother, you feel the tremendous pressure of trying to cope with work and with the demands of the little children at home and in school. In the hustle of bustle of daily living, have you lost that ability to smile, and to enjoy a good laugh?
Sometimes it is not circumstances alone that make us live through life without the ability to see things in a brighter light and to enjoy a moment of laughter.
Recently, I read in the newspapers that there is hardly a female television personality who would make it to the beauty program of any established television if she is over 50 years unless she has had botox to help her maintain a feeling of youthfulness....but which may stiffens her appearance, and making her unable to show a sense of natural smile and laughter. While I do not know how true that is, we can in our pursuit of a sense of beauty, lose our ability to smile and laugh naturally by choice.
Instead, I was struck by the power of laughter and gaiety every sunday when I observed a very old lady at the church who was seemingly imbued with the ability to smile and laugh. She would be having a laugh on her face, as she begins to dance around the pews of the church, waving her scraf in the air, oblivious to whatever is happenning - and enjoying herself. All that she displayed was a sense of gaiety and freedom - freedom from the cares of this world when she started to lose herself in a deep sense of worship and of laughter.
Do we need triggers to help us regain the ability to smile and to laugh? After all, it is not just food that is the spice of life, but laughter makes the burdens light.
Look around you everywhere as you go about your work today. See beauty and life in the things around you. See love in the events that occur around you, and remember to smile and to laugh. Did something odd and dreadful happened to day to make you sad? Look at the brighter side of things and smile. You will find the burdens lighter. Laugh and the whole world will laugh with you. Just start to learn to laugh by consciously watching comedy videos, and funny movies and by seeing the lighter side of things for every event that occurs in your life daily.
Laughter: Use It to Pick Up Women
Humour, some say, is the fruit of life, and this is especially true when it comes to picking up on a girl no matter where the location. Make them laugh, and I guarantee, that you are very close to getting their phone number and even to getting them to go out with you.
But, as we all know, making them laugh, is easier said than done. Precisely for those who find it difficult to come up with something funny to say, I am adding some funny anecdotes and wise cracks that you can memorize and then use in those situations where you need to get the girl in front of you to laugh.
1) The Prescription:
Did you hear of the lady, who walked into the pharmacist and asked for arsenic?
The man behind the counter asked in wonder, "What do you need that for?
The lady calmly replied," to kill my husband."
The pharmacist was taken aback," Are you crazy? Do you want to get us both into jail? And, anyway, why do you want to kill him? Go to a counselor. Get help for your marriage."
The lady paused and from her purse she removed a set of pictures of her husband and the wife of the pharmacist in some very creative postures.
The pharmacist looked at the snaps, put them down and smiled," lady, why did you not tell me that you have a prescription?"
2) The Tip Book
A wife calls out to her husband, "Have you seen the book, 101 Tips to Live for More Than a Hundred Years?
The husband sheepishly replies, "I burnt it."
"What?" the wife shouted out," why?"
The husband whispered back," Because your mother wanted to read it."
3) Range of Food
Looking at his wife fry meat balls in all kinds of shapes and sizes, Tom tapped her on the shoulder, "Why?"
His wife turned," Because you asked for a variety of food."
4) Mushrooms
Tom was picking mushrooms from the forest floor with his wife, when she picked up one and showed it to Tom," Is this for eating?"
Tom smiled," Yes. As long as you do not cook it."
5) Driving Around
Tom greeted his wife when she returned home," So, my dear, how was your first time driving all alone?"
His wife smiled coyly, "Do you want to hear it from me or read about it in the papers?
6) Drama
A couple are watching a film in their local theater when the wife snuggles close to her husband and points to the screen," Do you think that they will get married in the end?"
The husband sighs," Yes. These movies always have bad endings."
7) The Library
Tom visited the local library, walks up to the librarian and asks, "Do you know where I can find the book, the Supremacy of Men over Women?"
The librarian conducts a short search on the computer and looks up," you will be able to find it in the science fiction."
Conclusion:
While some of these might sound offensive, if you use them well you will be able to display not just a sense of humour, but also that you are exactly the opposite of the stereotype. How? Immediately, after you done, lean over and whisper, But I am not like that, and if you allow me to take you out, you will see that for yourself.
But, as we all know, making them laugh, is easier said than done. Precisely for those who find it difficult to come up with something funny to say, I am adding some funny anecdotes and wise cracks that you can memorize and then use in those situations where you need to get the girl in front of you to laugh.
1) The Prescription:
Did you hear of the lady, who walked into the pharmacist and asked for arsenic?
The man behind the counter asked in wonder, "What do you need that for?
The lady calmly replied," to kill my husband."
The pharmacist was taken aback," Are you crazy? Do you want to get us both into jail? And, anyway, why do you want to kill him? Go to a counselor. Get help for your marriage."
The lady paused and from her purse she removed a set of pictures of her husband and the wife of the pharmacist in some very creative postures.
The pharmacist looked at the snaps, put them down and smiled," lady, why did you not tell me that you have a prescription?"
2) The Tip Book
A wife calls out to her husband, "Have you seen the book, 101 Tips to Live for More Than a Hundred Years?
The husband sheepishly replies, "I burnt it."
"What?" the wife shouted out," why?"
The husband whispered back," Because your mother wanted to read it."
3) Range of Food
Looking at his wife fry meat balls in all kinds of shapes and sizes, Tom tapped her on the shoulder, "Why?"
His wife turned," Because you asked for a variety of food."
4) Mushrooms
Tom was picking mushrooms from the forest floor with his wife, when she picked up one and showed it to Tom," Is this for eating?"
Tom smiled," Yes. As long as you do not cook it."
5) Driving Around
Tom greeted his wife when she returned home," So, my dear, how was your first time driving all alone?"
His wife smiled coyly, "Do you want to hear it from me or read about it in the papers?
6) Drama
A couple are watching a film in their local theater when the wife snuggles close to her husband and points to the screen," Do you think that they will get married in the end?"
The husband sighs," Yes. These movies always have bad endings."
7) The Library
Tom visited the local library, walks up to the librarian and asks, "Do you know where I can find the book, the Supremacy of Men over Women?"
The librarian conducts a short search on the computer and looks up," you will be able to find it in the science fiction."
Conclusion:
While some of these might sound offensive, if you use them well you will be able to display not just a sense of humour, but also that you are exactly the opposite of the stereotype. How? Immediately, after you done, lean over and whisper, But I am not like that, and if you allow me to take you out, you will see that for yourself.
Las Vegas: How to Have Non Gambling Related Fun
Last month, my wife, Anne Doe, took me to Las Vegas because she had to go for a business convention. Needless to say, she writes for an guide to casinos and I hate gambling. But then, she likes it and this supports us too, so I went along without any hassle. At first I was depressed, but then as I asked around and looked around, I ended up having more fun in Las Vegas than I would have thought. And no. I did not enter a single casino while I was there.
Entertainment:
One of the greatest things about Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City (but especially Las Vegas) is the number of shows that are available. You can get to watch top class comedians like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Tim Allen and even the likes of Bill Cosby and Chris Rock. If you are into music you can watch female singers like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Beyonc?, male performers like Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Snoopy Dog and bands like Oasis and Bon Jovi. I could go on and on but the list is endless. If you are into magic you can watch magicians like David Copperfield do their thing meters from you. Whatever you like, you can find it here from Western music to oldies to Jazz, Rock, Heavy Mettle to Trance. All you have to do is look at the itenary offered during your visit.
Food:
Chinese to Japanese to Korean to Jewish and even Vegetarian and proper meat eating establishments await your every delight in Vegas. Do not opt for the cheap and oily fried dishes served for free while you play. Stop a while and take in the delightful scenery and smells of East Asian or European dishes. What is wondrous is that you get to see man's ability to mix. A real melting pot if I may say so myself.
But is that all what casino cities like Las Vegas are about? Do you have to remain in the city to really and truly enjoy your stay?
No.
Here are some of the better attractions you must see on your visit to Vegas:
Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon:
Book yourself a seat on any of the many sightseeing tours available and go and watch the architectural marvel that is Hoover Dam built over the Grand canyon which is also a grand sight to see by itself. Black Canyon is another must see as is Lake Mead which is so beautiful just because it is a body of water all surrounded by desert-like nature.
Colorado River:
While looking at the Dam and Canyon is from above, to see the true beauty of the river, you have to go down. The Colorado river is excellent for river-rafting and water sports, but you do not have to take part if it is not your thing. Instead just sit back and enjoy another of nature's marvels.
Bonnie Springs:
Who can not resist going to one of the old towns like those in the Western gun slinging movies? Your destination needs to be Old Nevada. There you can delight in an old western town right in the middle of Red Rock Canyon. They host western shootouts too so come prepared, partner!
Conclusion:
I could go on and on about other attractions like the theme park in Circus Circus, the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Mt. Charleston but I think you get the picture. In Las Vegas and hate gambling? Do not despair. Just go out and have some clean un-gambling fun.
Entertainment:
One of the greatest things about Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City (but especially Las Vegas) is the number of shows that are available. You can get to watch top class comedians like Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Tim Allen and even the likes of Bill Cosby and Chris Rock. If you are into music you can watch female singers like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Beyonc?, male performers like Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Snoopy Dog and bands like Oasis and Bon Jovi. I could go on and on but the list is endless. If you are into magic you can watch magicians like David Copperfield do their thing meters from you. Whatever you like, you can find it here from Western music to oldies to Jazz, Rock, Heavy Mettle to Trance. All you have to do is look at the itenary offered during your visit.
Food:
Chinese to Japanese to Korean to Jewish and even Vegetarian and proper meat eating establishments await your every delight in Vegas. Do not opt for the cheap and oily fried dishes served for free while you play. Stop a while and take in the delightful scenery and smells of East Asian or European dishes. What is wondrous is that you get to see man's ability to mix. A real melting pot if I may say so myself.
But is that all what casino cities like Las Vegas are about? Do you have to remain in the city to really and truly enjoy your stay?
No.
Here are some of the better attractions you must see on your visit to Vegas:
Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon:
Book yourself a seat on any of the many sightseeing tours available and go and watch the architectural marvel that is Hoover Dam built over the Grand canyon which is also a grand sight to see by itself. Black Canyon is another must see as is Lake Mead which is so beautiful just because it is a body of water all surrounded by desert-like nature.
Colorado River:
While looking at the Dam and Canyon is from above, to see the true beauty of the river, you have to go down. The Colorado river is excellent for river-rafting and water sports, but you do not have to take part if it is not your thing. Instead just sit back and enjoy another of nature's marvels.
Bonnie Springs:
Who can not resist going to one of the old towns like those in the Western gun slinging movies? Your destination needs to be Old Nevada. There you can delight in an old western town right in the middle of Red Rock Canyon. They host western shootouts too so come prepared, partner!
Conclusion:
I could go on and on about other attractions like the theme park in Circus Circus, the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve and Mt. Charleston but I think you get the picture. In Las Vegas and hate gambling? Do not despair. Just go out and have some clean un-gambling fun.
Language in Websites - Do You Understand Pickles?
If you can’t understand I have pickles for sale, then I’ve lost the opportunity to show you my crisp, delectable, abundant supply of them. It’s best to research your customer’s language needs and characteristics before you start developing your website to help avoid costly mistakes such as, insulting, confusing, or angering your customers.
Language is important in all contexts. Not only do you need to communicate to your audience in their native language, but in a credible voice and in a way they identify with. You don’t need to go into excessive medical jargon to someone who wants to buy band aids. If it doesn’t make sense or fulfill their needs right away, customers will quickly click away to another site, to find one that will.
There are plenty of examples on-line that illustrate what can happen if the context of an advertisement can be interpreted in many ways. For example, it probably wasn’t a good idea to advertise, “the secret ingredient is our people,” in a Burger King® ad, even if the people make a tasty Whopper®, or a photography studio advertising, “Shoot the kids for Dad $24.95 each,” even if Dad would love the kids shot for father’s day. It’s important to understand your message from all angles and think ahead to avoid unnecessary embarrassment.
One way of emphasizing your message is to use pictures. Graphics and flash animation that relate to your company can help the audience comprehend quickly, without having to go into great detail. Using a professional graphic artist can help you get the attention and “wow” the audience.
The staff at Ardis Creative speaks seven different languages and has international experience that will allow your website to target a local and worldwide audience. This will ensure your message is understood and accepted by everyone who visits your site.
Language is important in all contexts. Not only do you need to communicate to your audience in their native language, but in a credible voice and in a way they identify with. You don’t need to go into excessive medical jargon to someone who wants to buy band aids. If it doesn’t make sense or fulfill their needs right away, customers will quickly click away to another site, to find one that will.
There are plenty of examples on-line that illustrate what can happen if the context of an advertisement can be interpreted in many ways. For example, it probably wasn’t a good idea to advertise, “the secret ingredient is our people,” in a Burger King® ad, even if the people make a tasty Whopper®, or a photography studio advertising, “Shoot the kids for Dad $24.95 each,” even if Dad would love the kids shot for father’s day. It’s important to understand your message from all angles and think ahead to avoid unnecessary embarrassment.
One way of emphasizing your message is to use pictures. Graphics and flash animation that relate to your company can help the audience comprehend quickly, without having to go into great detail. Using a professional graphic artist can help you get the attention and “wow” the audience.
The staff at Ardis Creative speaks seven different languages and has international experience that will allow your website to target a local and worldwide audience. This will ensure your message is understood and accepted by everyone who visits your site.
Landscape Painting Tips For Watercolor Artists
One of the biggest challenges beginners face with any type of art, is the ability to really connect with the creativity that is inside of them. It's difficult in the beginning to just let go and paint from your heart and soul. Your mind is being filled with techniques and systems for approaching painting, which in my opinion, tends to drown out your inner creativity. Learning techniques is essential, but there should be a point where you begin to draw from your own creative imagination.
When painting a subject, whether it is a person or a landscape, it is important to first observe your subject. You have to get close and personal to what you are painting. If you want to learn how to paint great landscapes, then you should spend time near the area that inspires you to paint in the first place. Only then can you really understand how to transfer what it is you see to canvas.
Take a ride out to the area you wish to paint. Bring along some pencils and paper. The best way to become really intimate with the scene is to just spend time there doing some sketches. This will really force you to observe what you see and burn the image and the environment into your senses.
Painting with watercolor on location is quite challenging, especially if you are a beginner. The scene is constantly changing. There are certain techniques in watercolor that require the paper to be at certain angles, or the paper needs to be saturated to a certain degree, etc. To get everything right within such a short time span is quite difficult, which is why you should bring a camera in the event you are not able to capture the scene. Once you find a composition that you like, take a bunch of shots at different distances and angles. When you get back to your studio, you will now have a few reference sketches as well as a bunch of great photos to work with. In the beginning, while painting on location, try to choose compositions that are not overly detailed or complex.
One of the best ways to immerse your self in watercolor landscape painting is to find people with the same passion. Search online for any groups or websites for landscape painters in your area. Start chatting and get to know everyone. Many of the artists in these groups love to connect with other artists and plan painting trips. This is a really great way to gain experience.
You do not need to bring your entire studio with you when painting on location. Many beginners will bring far too many supplies, which becomes more of a nuisance than help. Only bring the colors and supplies that you really need to work on a particular scene.
Remember, things change very quickly outdoors. Lighting conditions and weather can change in a matter of minutes. You must be able to paint quickly without being too sloppy. Block in all of your large areas first then go back and start adding your details.
Many landscape artists usually block in the sky area first. The sky is generally paler than the rest of the painting, which enables you to work from light to dark. The sky area also influences the way you paint the rest of the objects in your painting.
When painting objects in the foreground that require great detail, do not try and paint every single leaf or blade of grass that you see. This will usually create too much detail that will draw focus away from the center of interest in your painting. It is also far too time consuming if you plan on painting on location. Besides, a painting is not meant to be an exact replica of what you see, rather your unique impression of the scene. If you want exact details, you are better off taking a photograph.
Don't be afraid to use your imagination. If you are painting a scene and feel that you should add a few trees here, or a bush there, or a bird on a branch, then by all means go for it.
If you find one particular location appealing, and have already painted there once before, don't hesitate to go back and paint it again, only this time go out on a cloudy day instead. You will be surprised how different a scene can look when the weather changes.
I hope these watercolor painting tips have helped. If you ever find yourself getting discouraged or frustrated by your progress, don't give up. Instead, welcome and learn from your mistakes. It will make you a much better painter.
When painting a subject, whether it is a person or a landscape, it is important to first observe your subject. You have to get close and personal to what you are painting. If you want to learn how to paint great landscapes, then you should spend time near the area that inspires you to paint in the first place. Only then can you really understand how to transfer what it is you see to canvas.
Take a ride out to the area you wish to paint. Bring along some pencils and paper. The best way to become really intimate with the scene is to just spend time there doing some sketches. This will really force you to observe what you see and burn the image and the environment into your senses.
Painting with watercolor on location is quite challenging, especially if you are a beginner. The scene is constantly changing. There are certain techniques in watercolor that require the paper to be at certain angles, or the paper needs to be saturated to a certain degree, etc. To get everything right within such a short time span is quite difficult, which is why you should bring a camera in the event you are not able to capture the scene. Once you find a composition that you like, take a bunch of shots at different distances and angles. When you get back to your studio, you will now have a few reference sketches as well as a bunch of great photos to work with. In the beginning, while painting on location, try to choose compositions that are not overly detailed or complex.
One of the best ways to immerse your self in watercolor landscape painting is to find people with the same passion. Search online for any groups or websites for landscape painters in your area. Start chatting and get to know everyone. Many of the artists in these groups love to connect with other artists and plan painting trips. This is a really great way to gain experience.
You do not need to bring your entire studio with you when painting on location. Many beginners will bring far too many supplies, which becomes more of a nuisance than help. Only bring the colors and supplies that you really need to work on a particular scene.
Remember, things change very quickly outdoors. Lighting conditions and weather can change in a matter of minutes. You must be able to paint quickly without being too sloppy. Block in all of your large areas first then go back and start adding your details.
Many landscape artists usually block in the sky area first. The sky is generally paler than the rest of the painting, which enables you to work from light to dark. The sky area also influences the way you paint the rest of the objects in your painting.
When painting objects in the foreground that require great detail, do not try and paint every single leaf or blade of grass that you see. This will usually create too much detail that will draw focus away from the center of interest in your painting. It is also far too time consuming if you plan on painting on location. Besides, a painting is not meant to be an exact replica of what you see, rather your unique impression of the scene. If you want exact details, you are better off taking a photograph.
Don't be afraid to use your imagination. If you are painting a scene and feel that you should add a few trees here, or a bush there, or a bird on a branch, then by all means go for it.
If you find one particular location appealing, and have already painted there once before, don't hesitate to go back and paint it again, only this time go out on a cloudy day instead. You will be surprised how different a scene can look when the weather changes.
I hope these watercolor painting tips have helped. If you ever find yourself getting discouraged or frustrated by your progress, don't give up. Instead, welcome and learn from your mistakes. It will make you a much better painter.
Knitting : A Creative Work Of Art
Knitting is a creative work of art. It is a method of interlocking a series of loops of yarn or thread to construct a fabric. Beautiful patterns can be used for knitting fashionable and beautiful clothings, in various colors and styles.
Knitting is certainly fun, if you try your hand at it.
The origin of knitting activity can be traced back to the 4th or 5th century BC. From the court of King Henry VII to Charles I, knitted patterns were quite popular. Royal knitters spinned the rare knitting patterns for the kings, and the Queens to be worn on the special occasions. From the courts of king, knitted clothes reached the common people soon. In fact knitting has largely been the occupation of the shepherds in the past.
Traditionally, knitting has been done by hand, but it can also be done with the help of modern machines now. In fact hand knitting is a popular pass time activity in many parts of the world. Especially girls in Asian and African countries cherish this art from their childhood to create beautiful clothes such as sweaters, socks, hats and scarves. They also put their hand to creating pretty household items as well.
You can learn the art with the help of free knitting patterns available online as well as in many knitting stores. Materials like plastic strips, ribbon, rope and wire can also be knitted, to create jewelry, bags, art works, bowls and other household items. The range of knitted patterns is never ending. After all, it is all about the knitter’s creativity.
If you are looking for really interesting free knitting patterns, the internet is the right place. There are numerous free knitting patterns available in the market as well. For making a search on global patterns you must go online. There are several web-sites offering free knitting patterns. Various artistic designs and quality tips on free knitting patterns are also available there. A few easy knitting patterns and instructions from the net would prove to be beneficial for you.
You can find free knitting patterns for adults, children as well as toddlers. A wide range of clothing, accessories and household items can be made out of knitting art.
There are hundreds of free knitting patterns for adult clothing patterns such as adult sweaters and socks available on the net. Free knitting patterns for interesting motifs are also quite popular among the young girls for beautifying their most basic clothings such as Tees and skirts.
Knitting for babies is done on a wide scale, world wide. Free baby knitting patterns provide ideas and instructions to create really cute patterns. Free patterns can be viewed on baby pullovers, socks, and slippers on the net.
Various free knitting patterns are available for making pretty ponchos. Ponchos have made a comeback this season and knitted ponchos are widely preferred by modern women now. A few popular patterns include mesh-work pattern and open work patterns.
Double rib child’s hat, paneled pigtail hat, skater boy hat and ear flap hat are among the popular categories of knitted hats.
Knitted purses and bags are also in vogue. Club bags, pouch bags, cell phone cases and evening bags are on offer as knitted purses and bags. If one wants to knit a beautiful bag with clear knitting instructions, free knitting websites are the right place to find inspiration.
Scarves are a great place to start if you are new to knitting as a hobby. Free knitting patterns on scarves are available as ribbed scarf, checks and eyelets scarf, hooded scarf, reversible scarf and much more. Knitting a scarf is generally easier than knitting sweaters, socks or ponchos and a good place to start for a beginner knitter.
Free knitting patterns can also be used for making hot pads, dishcloths, kitchen towels and face cloths.
The range is never-ending. You just need to carry out an extensive search for interesting free knitting patterns that take your fancy. Knitted clothes and materials definitely add a classy style statement to your wardrobe.
Knitting is certainly fun, if you try your hand at it.
The origin of knitting activity can be traced back to the 4th or 5th century BC. From the court of King Henry VII to Charles I, knitted patterns were quite popular. Royal knitters spinned the rare knitting patterns for the kings, and the Queens to be worn on the special occasions. From the courts of king, knitted clothes reached the common people soon. In fact knitting has largely been the occupation of the shepherds in the past.
Traditionally, knitting has been done by hand, but it can also be done with the help of modern machines now. In fact hand knitting is a popular pass time activity in many parts of the world. Especially girls in Asian and African countries cherish this art from their childhood to create beautiful clothes such as sweaters, socks, hats and scarves. They also put their hand to creating pretty household items as well.
You can learn the art with the help of free knitting patterns available online as well as in many knitting stores. Materials like plastic strips, ribbon, rope and wire can also be knitted, to create jewelry, bags, art works, bowls and other household items. The range of knitted patterns is never ending. After all, it is all about the knitter’s creativity.
If you are looking for really interesting free knitting patterns, the internet is the right place. There are numerous free knitting patterns available in the market as well. For making a search on global patterns you must go online. There are several web-sites offering free knitting patterns. Various artistic designs and quality tips on free knitting patterns are also available there. A few easy knitting patterns and instructions from the net would prove to be beneficial for you.
You can find free knitting patterns for adults, children as well as toddlers. A wide range of clothing, accessories and household items can be made out of knitting art.
There are hundreds of free knitting patterns for adult clothing patterns such as adult sweaters and socks available on the net. Free knitting patterns for interesting motifs are also quite popular among the young girls for beautifying their most basic clothings such as Tees and skirts.
Knitting for babies is done on a wide scale, world wide. Free baby knitting patterns provide ideas and instructions to create really cute patterns. Free patterns can be viewed on baby pullovers, socks, and slippers on the net.
Various free knitting patterns are available for making pretty ponchos. Ponchos have made a comeback this season and knitted ponchos are widely preferred by modern women now. A few popular patterns include mesh-work pattern and open work patterns.
Double rib child’s hat, paneled pigtail hat, skater boy hat and ear flap hat are among the popular categories of knitted hats.
Knitted purses and bags are also in vogue. Club bags, pouch bags, cell phone cases and evening bags are on offer as knitted purses and bags. If one wants to knit a beautiful bag with clear knitting instructions, free knitting websites are the right place to find inspiration.
Scarves are a great place to start if you are new to knitting as a hobby. Free knitting patterns on scarves are available as ribbed scarf, checks and eyelets scarf, hooded scarf, reversible scarf and much more. Knitting a scarf is generally easier than knitting sweaters, socks or ponchos and a good place to start for a beginner knitter.
Free knitting patterns can also be used for making hot pads, dishcloths, kitchen towels and face cloths.
The range is never-ending. You just need to carry out an extensive search for interesting free knitting patterns that take your fancy. Knitted clothes and materials definitely add a classy style statement to your wardrobe.
Kids Today
Today's college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their
predecessors and that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.
This story has been spreading like wild fire. Kids are on Myspace. Kids use
YouTube. The Time Man of the Year is 'You' (the individual).
If we don't like our teachers, we can blog. If we don't like our jobs,
we can blog. If we don't like our lives, the people around us, the world
around us, we can blog.
We supposedly have coddled these kids. We told them they are special.
We have made them narcissistic. And now we are to believe that all of
this is going to break down their ability to be social? To live and work
together? Tear the very fabric of social order?
It's a phase, folks. The kids are fine. It is just another generational
thing. Let me remind you what a few past generations lived through, what
they were labeled and how they drove 'the adults' a little crazy.
Peace, Love, Dope (Hippies..free love)
Ban the Bomb (Anti-nuclear proliferation)
Hell No! We won't go! (Anti-war activists)
Turn on, Tune in, Drop out (Anti-society's rules)
Don't trust anyone over 30 (Anti-parents and the establishment)
Keep on Truckin' (Stay in tune, but mellow)
I'm OK, You're OK (Self-help is OK)
Followed by...
The ME generation
Greed is good/Think Rich
Generation X
Generation Y
This generation has taken the swing to being self-centered and
being reported by the people, industries and media that they have
affected the most.
This generation is killing newspapers.
This generation gets its news from the Internet, friends or alternative
sources.
This generation is sharing music instead of buying music.
This generation is watching less network TV.
This generation is playing video games more and interested in participating in sports less.
This generation's top TV show is a national karaoke contest.
This generation has accepted that reality TV shows are real entertainment.
This generation has a voice. Their own.
This generation does not mail letters.
This generation is connected. (Cell phones, Internet, emails)
We have put these kids through our own divorces, sex after Aids, the
acceptance of special interest groups. We tell them the national debt is
yours, war on terror will last past your generation and that when you retire
there will be no social security or gold at the end of the rainbow. And that
is why they have tuned us out. Just like the kid who is planted in front of
his video game and called to dinner, we have to face the fact, we have been
told "Whatever!" by the generation we created.
predecessors and that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.
This story has been spreading like wild fire. Kids are on Myspace. Kids use
YouTube. The Time Man of the Year is 'You' (the individual).
If we don't like our teachers, we can blog. If we don't like our jobs,
we can blog. If we don't like our lives, the people around us, the world
around us, we can blog.
We supposedly have coddled these kids. We told them they are special.
We have made them narcissistic. And now we are to believe that all of
this is going to break down their ability to be social? To live and work
together? Tear the very fabric of social order?
It's a phase, folks. The kids are fine. It is just another generational
thing. Let me remind you what a few past generations lived through, what
they were labeled and how they drove 'the adults' a little crazy.
Peace, Love, Dope (Hippies..free love)
Ban the Bomb (Anti-nuclear proliferation)
Hell No! We won't go! (Anti-war activists)
Turn on, Tune in, Drop out (Anti-society's rules)
Don't trust anyone over 30 (Anti-parents and the establishment)
Keep on Truckin' (Stay in tune, but mellow)
I'm OK, You're OK (Self-help is OK)
Followed by...
The ME generation
Greed is good/Think Rich
Generation X
Generation Y
This generation has taken the swing to being self-centered and
being reported by the people, industries and media that they have
affected the most.
This generation is killing newspapers.
This generation gets its news from the Internet, friends or alternative
sources.
This generation is sharing music instead of buying music.
This generation is watching less network TV.
This generation is playing video games more and interested in participating in sports less.
This generation's top TV show is a national karaoke contest.
This generation has accepted that reality TV shows are real entertainment.
This generation has a voice. Their own.
This generation does not mail letters.
This generation is connected. (Cell phones, Internet, emails)
We have put these kids through our own divorces, sex after Aids, the
acceptance of special interest groups. We tell them the national debt is
yours, war on terror will last past your generation and that when you retire
there will be no social security or gold at the end of the rainbow. And that
is why they have tuned us out. Just like the kid who is planted in front of
his video game and called to dinner, we have to face the fact, we have been
told "Whatever!" by the generation we created.
Key Concepts of Exhibitions
An exhibition may be broadly defined as a trade fair where various companies can showcase and demonstrate their newly launched and existing products in order to highlight their positive features to prospective customers. In an age where how well a product is marketed and campaigned about largely determines its commercial success, exhibitions are some of the major ways manufacturers and dealers can extensively market about their newly launched products. Unlike retail shops where products can be demonstrated only to a limited number of customers and prospective clients, since in an exhibition people from different regions all around a center come to view the products the number of visitors checking a company’s products is significantly higher.
In today’s corporate world of cut-throat competition, having a cutting edge over competitors within the same field is one of the most important tasks for a company to achieve. In an exhibition since numerous companies come together in order to market their products, designing and presenting resources and products in a unique, individual way in order to attract the attention of prospective clients is one of the major jobs before a company. Apart from manufacturing products marked with their own unique selling points (USP), they have to be presented at a trade fair in a manner most likely to catch the consumer’s eyes. For this reason, right from the basic structure of their exhibition stands to the smallest details of the interiors a company has to establish its stand in a unique way. While some companies assign their own creative departments to look into these designing matters, others often hire professional architects and interior designers for setting up their exhibition stands.
Interior designers dealing with setting up of exhibition stands usually operate in a series of successive steps. Once the basic design of an exhibition stand is decided upon, the infrastructure is set up in such a way that basic features like electric and water lines as well as safety measures and emergency exits are securely implemented. Workers then construct the outer structure out of the desired materials. Keeping the presentation factor in mind features like layout, shape, form and overall appearance are given primary importance while designing and setting up an exhibition stand. In order to attract the potential clientele some companies ask their architects and interior designers to implement various graphics and audio-visual features in their exhibition stands, others use various lighting schemes in order to create the desired atmosphere and interior environment. Companies may also opt for making proper arrangements for their customers to sit and relax and also arrange for various hot and cold beverages to be offered to their visiting clientele.
In order to make construction and other arrangement-making processes an easier job, many companies today like to buy ready-made exhibition set-up schemes directly from service providers. From carpets and walls to lightings and power points most of these packages include a large number of features. Although these packages make construction and set up of exhibition stands an overall easier job, since they are available ready-made at the market they can be accessed by a large number of companies at the same time. This not only loses the individual touch from a company’s exhibition stand get-up but also by making it no different from numerous others around, it loses the power of attracting prospective customers.
With the current trends where individuality matters most and caters best, the best bet for a company wanting to make its mark would be to employ professional designers for designing the structure and get-up of its exhibition stand. Most exhibition contractors, today, operate via small teams of interior designers who, once a project is explained to them, step by step implement all the details until the exact requirement is met. A company should first analyze its own unique motives and goals and based on these fundamental factors should design a plan with the help of exhibition contractors and designers. The basic layout of the whole project should be designed in such a way that the company’s individual goals are well met and simultaneously products are presented in a way best suiting the customers’ requirements. Whereas, some companies opt for building double-storey stand structures for better overall view, others prefer to keep theirs single storey.
As in other business dealings, in designing, structuring and carrying out an exhibition also the company should focus on simultaneously satisfying their customers and maximizing their financial profits and goodwill. Keeping all these factors in mind, deals should be settled with exhibition contractors for designing a company’s exhibition stands.
Once the specific requirements of a company are given, most exhibition contractors today, implement their programs by means of a large number of equipments and facilities. From designing the primary layout drawings and digitally preparing 3D CAD visualizations in full colors to detailing all the lighting, graphics and finishing touches exhibition contractors go about implementing their works in a series of meticulous steps. From constructing stands out of quality materials licensed by local regulations to installing fully functioning electric, telephone, internet, fax, water and waste lines, all necessary works are performed by exhibition contractors by their extremely efficient installation teams.
About Author:
Steve Brennen is a Director at Oakmace Ltd one of the United Kingdoms leading Exhibition Design and construction companies and has over twenty years experience in the exhibitions industry. For more details please visit www.oakmace.com
In today’s corporate world of cut-throat competition, having a cutting edge over competitors within the same field is one of the most important tasks for a company to achieve. In an exhibition since numerous companies come together in order to market their products, designing and presenting resources and products in a unique, individual way in order to attract the attention of prospective clients is one of the major jobs before a company. Apart from manufacturing products marked with their own unique selling points (USP), they have to be presented at a trade fair in a manner most likely to catch the consumer’s eyes. For this reason, right from the basic structure of their exhibition stands to the smallest details of the interiors a company has to establish its stand in a unique way. While some companies assign their own creative departments to look into these designing matters, others often hire professional architects and interior designers for setting up their exhibition stands.
Interior designers dealing with setting up of exhibition stands usually operate in a series of successive steps. Once the basic design of an exhibition stand is decided upon, the infrastructure is set up in such a way that basic features like electric and water lines as well as safety measures and emergency exits are securely implemented. Workers then construct the outer structure out of the desired materials. Keeping the presentation factor in mind features like layout, shape, form and overall appearance are given primary importance while designing and setting up an exhibition stand. In order to attract the potential clientele some companies ask their architects and interior designers to implement various graphics and audio-visual features in their exhibition stands, others use various lighting schemes in order to create the desired atmosphere and interior environment. Companies may also opt for making proper arrangements for their customers to sit and relax and also arrange for various hot and cold beverages to be offered to their visiting clientele.
In order to make construction and other arrangement-making processes an easier job, many companies today like to buy ready-made exhibition set-up schemes directly from service providers. From carpets and walls to lightings and power points most of these packages include a large number of features. Although these packages make construction and set up of exhibition stands an overall easier job, since they are available ready-made at the market they can be accessed by a large number of companies at the same time. This not only loses the individual touch from a company’s exhibition stand get-up but also by making it no different from numerous others around, it loses the power of attracting prospective customers.
With the current trends where individuality matters most and caters best, the best bet for a company wanting to make its mark would be to employ professional designers for designing the structure and get-up of its exhibition stand. Most exhibition contractors, today, operate via small teams of interior designers who, once a project is explained to them, step by step implement all the details until the exact requirement is met. A company should first analyze its own unique motives and goals and based on these fundamental factors should design a plan with the help of exhibition contractors and designers. The basic layout of the whole project should be designed in such a way that the company’s individual goals are well met and simultaneously products are presented in a way best suiting the customers’ requirements. Whereas, some companies opt for building double-storey stand structures for better overall view, others prefer to keep theirs single storey.
As in other business dealings, in designing, structuring and carrying out an exhibition also the company should focus on simultaneously satisfying their customers and maximizing their financial profits and goodwill. Keeping all these factors in mind, deals should be settled with exhibition contractors for designing a company’s exhibition stands.
Once the specific requirements of a company are given, most exhibition contractors today, implement their programs by means of a large number of equipments and facilities. From designing the primary layout drawings and digitally preparing 3D CAD visualizations in full colors to detailing all the lighting, graphics and finishing touches exhibition contractors go about implementing their works in a series of meticulous steps. From constructing stands out of quality materials licensed by local regulations to installing fully functioning electric, telephone, internet, fax, water and waste lines, all necessary works are performed by exhibition contractors by their extremely efficient installation teams.
About Author:
Steve Brennen is a Director at Oakmace Ltd one of the United Kingdoms leading Exhibition Design and construction companies and has over twenty years experience in the exhibitions industry. For more details please visit www.oakmace.com
Life Advice: Looking Through a Window
Living in today's metropolitan world of cellular phones, mobile computers and other high-tech gadgets is not just hectic but very impersonal. We make money and then invest our time and effort in making more money. Does it end? Not usually because we are never satisfied. How many times have we convinced ourselves that if only we had some more money, life would be so sweet? But then, after receiving a substantial raise, we realize that it wasn't enough and that we need more?
What Should You Do?
I have read many books on life such as Robin Sharma's Monk says this and the monk says that, and they all seem to say that money is not necessary. But it is. Can you do without cash and a lot of it? I know I can't.
So, I went to the neighbourhood Rabbi and asked for advice that will help me find my true way in life.
The rabbi nodded and took me to the window. "What do you see?" he asked me.
Promptly, I answered, "I can see people walking to and fro and a blind man is begging for alms at the left corner."
The Rabbi nodded and guided me to a big mirror. "Now look and tell me what you see?"
"I can see myself," I man answered.
The Rabbi smiled. "Now you can't see anyone else. The mirror and the window are both created from the same raw material: glass, but because on one of them they have applied a thin layer of silver, when you look at it all you can see is your own reflection."
The Rabbi placed his arm on my shoulders. "Compare yourself to those two pieces of glass. Without the silver layer, you saw the other people and felt compassion for them. When you are covered with silver, you see only yourself."
I looked at the Rabbi and stared. "I don't understand."
The Rabbi continued. "You will become someone only if have the courage to remove the silver covering over your eyes in order to again see and love others." He patted me on my back and sent me on my way.
I have thought of what he said and come to the conclusion that he had a point. Yes. We need money and we should not aim to lead a moneyless existence; its pointless and will only cause us and our families many heartbreaks in the future.
Instead, I suggest that we should follow the advice the Rabbi gave me. When we approach life through a silver covering, all we are able to see is ourselves. But discard that covering, and you will be able to see and feel everyone else.
Conclusion:
In life, we are allowed to and should be able to look at both kinds of mirrors, but we should remember that a mirror reflects only us; a window is the door to compassion, health and true wealth. In other words, seek wealth by all means, but don't let it dissuade you from life, people, children and the poor and needy.
What Should You Do?
I have read many books on life such as Robin Sharma's Monk says this and the monk says that, and they all seem to say that money is not necessary. But it is. Can you do without cash and a lot of it? I know I can't.
So, I went to the neighbourhood Rabbi and asked for advice that will help me find my true way in life.
The rabbi nodded and took me to the window. "What do you see?" he asked me.
Promptly, I answered, "I can see people walking to and fro and a blind man is begging for alms at the left corner."
The Rabbi nodded and guided me to a big mirror. "Now look and tell me what you see?"
"I can see myself," I man answered.
The Rabbi smiled. "Now you can't see anyone else. The mirror and the window are both created from the same raw material: glass, but because on one of them they have applied a thin layer of silver, when you look at it all you can see is your own reflection."
The Rabbi placed his arm on my shoulders. "Compare yourself to those two pieces of glass. Without the silver layer, you saw the other people and felt compassion for them. When you are covered with silver, you see only yourself."
I looked at the Rabbi and stared. "I don't understand."
The Rabbi continued. "You will become someone only if have the courage to remove the silver covering over your eyes in order to again see and love others." He patted me on my back and sent me on my way.
I have thought of what he said and come to the conclusion that he had a point. Yes. We need money and we should not aim to lead a moneyless existence; its pointless and will only cause us and our families many heartbreaks in the future.
Instead, I suggest that we should follow the advice the Rabbi gave me. When we approach life through a silver covering, all we are able to see is ourselves. But discard that covering, and you will be able to see and feel everyone else.
Conclusion:
In life, we are allowed to and should be able to look at both kinds of mirrors, but we should remember that a mirror reflects only us; a window is the door to compassion, health and true wealth. In other words, seek wealth by all means, but don't let it dissuade you from life, people, children and the poor and needy.
Is a Credit Card right for you?
So, you just received an application for a credit card in the mail or you happened to come across one on the internet, how do you know if you can handle a credit card or the many responsibilities that come with having a credit card?
There are some people that believe that there are certain personal characteristics that can help to determine if you are responsible enough to have a credit card or if you should hold off on getting one.
1. Excessive spender-are you an excessive spender? Do you have a problem with spending too much money? If so, than you should hold off on getting a credit card. Credit cards are great to have for an emergency or the occasional purchase, but not all of the time and for everyday use; unless you can keep up with the bills.
2. Previous Credit cards-Do you have several other credit cards that you have fallen behind on and/or are over limit on? If this is you, than maybe you should also hold off on getting a credit card unless you cut some of the others or pay some off.
3. Consistently late on payments-Are you ALWAYS late on payments on your bills or other purchases? This is another sign that maybe you should not have a credit cards just yet.
There are several credit cards out there specifically for those that have bad credit or no credit at all, but even if you are one of those people, think before you get a credit card. You do not want to get yourself in even more debt. Try and pay other things off first.
Above I have listed three personal characteristics that are great in helping to determine if you are ready for a credit card or not. If you fall under one or two of these characteristics, make sure you think twice before signing on the dotted line, otherwise; sign away, just don’t over do it on the spending and make sure you keep up with your purchases.
There are some people that believe that there are certain personal characteristics that can help to determine if you are responsible enough to have a credit card or if you should hold off on getting one.
1. Excessive spender-are you an excessive spender? Do you have a problem with spending too much money? If so, than you should hold off on getting a credit card. Credit cards are great to have for an emergency or the occasional purchase, but not all of the time and for everyday use; unless you can keep up with the bills.
2. Previous Credit cards-Do you have several other credit cards that you have fallen behind on and/or are over limit on? If this is you, than maybe you should also hold off on getting a credit card unless you cut some of the others or pay some off.
3. Consistently late on payments-Are you ALWAYS late on payments on your bills or other purchases? This is another sign that maybe you should not have a credit cards just yet.
There are several credit cards out there specifically for those that have bad credit or no credit at all, but even if you are one of those people, think before you get a credit card. You do not want to get yourself in even more debt. Try and pay other things off first.
Above I have listed three personal characteristics that are great in helping to determine if you are ready for a credit card or not. If you fall under one or two of these characteristics, make sure you think twice before signing on the dotted line, otherwise; sign away, just don’t over do it on the spending and make sure you keep up with your purchases.
Introduction to Pencil Drawing Supplies and Techniques
Drawing is a wonderful art form in itself, but it is also an excellent exercise for other forms of art, like painting for instance. Learning how to draw will truly open your mind to your surroundings enabling you to really see what is before you.
Choosing your drawing supplies
There are a variety of different drawing tools available for today's artists and what you choose to work with is based on your own preference. It comes to down to experimentation. You have to work with a number of different things before you find the tools that fit your style of drawing.
Don't go out and spend a ton of money on your drawing supplies in the beginning. You can really get started with a beginner pencil set and some newsprint paper. When you become more experienced, you can then venture out and spend money on better supplies.
Graphite pencils - Graphite pencils range in hardness and are labeled from 9H to 9B. The H pencils are the hardest. The higher the number in front of the H the lighter the mark. The B pencils are softest. The higher the number in front of the B the darker the mark. The H pencils are generally used for detailed lines where the B pencils will produce rich dark lines great for bold expressive drawings.
Charcoal Pencils - Charcoal pencils also come in a range of hardness and are labeled either from H to B like graphite, or simply as "soft", "medium" or "hard". They have a noticeably different feel to them and produce a rich dark line. Charcoal pencils tend to wear pretty fast because of their softness.
Blending Tortillions - Tightly wound stumps of paper with a point used to blend in your drawings.
Erasers - You may want to have a few different types of erasers on hand to fit every occasion.
Kneaded Eraser - A soft pliable eraser that can be kneaded into any shape to pick up and remove pencil and charcoal. May not be the best for erasing smaller details. The SANFORD Kneaded Rubber Erasers are very popular.
Eraser Pencil - These are wonderful for getting into small areas of your drawings. They can also be sharpened like ordinary pencils.
Fixatives - Fixatives protect your drawings from being smudged or ruined. There are two types of fixatives: permanent and workable. Permanent fixatives are used on a finished drawing to protect, where a workable fixative is used during the drawing process as you are working. Use great care while working with fixatives by only using in a well ventilated area. When spraying the fixative, make sure you do not spray any one section for too long and only spray a light mist standing about 3 feet away from the drawing. You should probably experiment on a few practice drawings first to determine if a fixative is right for you. There appears to be a difference of opinion amongst artists when it comes to fixatives. Some artists love to work with them and swear by them, while others feel they may actually alter the quality of a drawing. Again, you have to experiment yourself to see if fixatives are a good choice for you.
Paper - In the beginning, for the purpose of practice, you may want to consider purchasing some inexpensive newsprint paper. You should be able to get this at any local art store or online. When you are ready to purchase a more expensive grade paper, choose something that will work best with the medium you use. Paper comes in a variety of different textures from smooth to rough, often referred to as its "tooth". A really smooth paper may not work well for some mediums as the surface lacks texture, and will not grab certain drawing mediums very well. If the paper is too rough, the medium may simply slide across the surface. You have to experiment with different papers to find the one you are most comfortable with. Strathmore Brand makes excellent paper that is very popular amongst artists.
Horse Hair Drafting Brush - You should be able to purchase a horse hair drafting brush at any local art supply store or online store. This is a really helpful tool for brushing away unwanted eraser scraps from your drawing.
Basic Drawing Techniques:
There are two basic ways to approach a drawing: linear and tonal. The linear approach to a drawing focuses on line and outlines of shapes. In tonal drawing, you make use of gradations to indicate the various planes of your subject.
You should try to avoid smudging and blending in the beginning so that you force yourself to use your pencil more to achieve value in your drawings.
Avoid looking at your drawing too often. Make sure you are constantly focusing on the subject and only glancing at your drawing. By doing so, you won't constantly judge your drawing, or think something is wrong or out of place. Focus on the subject and draw what you see.
Never throw out any of your drawings. Keep a neat portfolio of everything you draw. This is an excellent way to see your progress over time.
Holding the pencil - Hold your pencil in a way that is most comfortable for you. Some hold the pencil just as you would hold a pen or pencil if you were writing. Others hold a pencil with the pencil between the thumb and index finger, with the rest of the pencil resting under the palm of your hand. Whichever method you use for holding your pencil, make certain that you do not hold the pencil too tightly.
Contour Drawing - This very basic technique is simply drawing the outline of your subject without any shading to indicate form.
Blind Contour Drawing - Similar to contour drawing, only you do not look at the paper. The point of this exercise is to force you to better observe what it is you are drawing. You should have no concern over the outcome of your drawing so it is important not to peek.
Hatching - This drawing technique uses a series of parallel lines drawn close together, in the same direction, which gives the appearance of value.
Crosshatching - Similar to hatching only you draw multiple layers of hatch lines at different angles that overlap one another.
Tonal or Value Drawing - In this approach to drawing we are indicating the various changes of light and shade in our picture without the use of strong edges and lines.
Upside Down Drawing - Drawing upside down is a wonderful exercise to awaken the right side of your brain. When you turn an image upside down, you are making it somewhat abstract and unrecognizable. This forces you to draw what you see as opposed to relying on your memory to draw something.
Negative Drawing Technique - This technique teaches you how to properly see the "white" or "negative" space in your picture. This is the area that surrounds your subject or "positive" space. Instead of drawing out the positive part of the drawing with line, you draw in the shapes that surround the positive part of your drawing.
Dry Wash Technique - This technique works quite well if you want to cover large areas of your drawing. It creates a nice soft tone. You begin by adding marks with a pencil or apply some graphite powder to the desired area on your paper. Then using a tissue or soft cloth pick up some of the graphite and gently rub it across the paper, almost as if you were painting.
Choosing your drawing supplies
There are a variety of different drawing tools available for today's artists and what you choose to work with is based on your own preference. It comes to down to experimentation. You have to work with a number of different things before you find the tools that fit your style of drawing.
Don't go out and spend a ton of money on your drawing supplies in the beginning. You can really get started with a beginner pencil set and some newsprint paper. When you become more experienced, you can then venture out and spend money on better supplies.
Graphite pencils - Graphite pencils range in hardness and are labeled from 9H to 9B. The H pencils are the hardest. The higher the number in front of the H the lighter the mark. The B pencils are softest. The higher the number in front of the B the darker the mark. The H pencils are generally used for detailed lines where the B pencils will produce rich dark lines great for bold expressive drawings.
Charcoal Pencils - Charcoal pencils also come in a range of hardness and are labeled either from H to B like graphite, or simply as "soft", "medium" or "hard". They have a noticeably different feel to them and produce a rich dark line. Charcoal pencils tend to wear pretty fast because of their softness.
Blending Tortillions - Tightly wound stumps of paper with a point used to blend in your drawings.
Erasers - You may want to have a few different types of erasers on hand to fit every occasion.
Kneaded Eraser - A soft pliable eraser that can be kneaded into any shape to pick up and remove pencil and charcoal. May not be the best for erasing smaller details. The SANFORD Kneaded Rubber Erasers are very popular.
Eraser Pencil - These are wonderful for getting into small areas of your drawings. They can also be sharpened like ordinary pencils.
Fixatives - Fixatives protect your drawings from being smudged or ruined. There are two types of fixatives: permanent and workable. Permanent fixatives are used on a finished drawing to protect, where a workable fixative is used during the drawing process as you are working. Use great care while working with fixatives by only using in a well ventilated area. When spraying the fixative, make sure you do not spray any one section for too long and only spray a light mist standing about 3 feet away from the drawing. You should probably experiment on a few practice drawings first to determine if a fixative is right for you. There appears to be a difference of opinion amongst artists when it comes to fixatives. Some artists love to work with them and swear by them, while others feel they may actually alter the quality of a drawing. Again, you have to experiment yourself to see if fixatives are a good choice for you.
Paper - In the beginning, for the purpose of practice, you may want to consider purchasing some inexpensive newsprint paper. You should be able to get this at any local art store or online. When you are ready to purchase a more expensive grade paper, choose something that will work best with the medium you use. Paper comes in a variety of different textures from smooth to rough, often referred to as its "tooth". A really smooth paper may not work well for some mediums as the surface lacks texture, and will not grab certain drawing mediums very well. If the paper is too rough, the medium may simply slide across the surface. You have to experiment with different papers to find the one you are most comfortable with. Strathmore Brand makes excellent paper that is very popular amongst artists.
Horse Hair Drafting Brush - You should be able to purchase a horse hair drafting brush at any local art supply store or online store. This is a really helpful tool for brushing away unwanted eraser scraps from your drawing.
Basic Drawing Techniques:
There are two basic ways to approach a drawing: linear and tonal. The linear approach to a drawing focuses on line and outlines of shapes. In tonal drawing, you make use of gradations to indicate the various planes of your subject.
You should try to avoid smudging and blending in the beginning so that you force yourself to use your pencil more to achieve value in your drawings.
Avoid looking at your drawing too often. Make sure you are constantly focusing on the subject and only glancing at your drawing. By doing so, you won't constantly judge your drawing, or think something is wrong or out of place. Focus on the subject and draw what you see.
Never throw out any of your drawings. Keep a neat portfolio of everything you draw. This is an excellent way to see your progress over time.
Holding the pencil - Hold your pencil in a way that is most comfortable for you. Some hold the pencil just as you would hold a pen or pencil if you were writing. Others hold a pencil with the pencil between the thumb and index finger, with the rest of the pencil resting under the palm of your hand. Whichever method you use for holding your pencil, make certain that you do not hold the pencil too tightly.
Contour Drawing - This very basic technique is simply drawing the outline of your subject without any shading to indicate form.
Blind Contour Drawing - Similar to contour drawing, only you do not look at the paper. The point of this exercise is to force you to better observe what it is you are drawing. You should have no concern over the outcome of your drawing so it is important not to peek.
Hatching - This drawing technique uses a series of parallel lines drawn close together, in the same direction, which gives the appearance of value.
Crosshatching - Similar to hatching only you draw multiple layers of hatch lines at different angles that overlap one another.
Tonal or Value Drawing - In this approach to drawing we are indicating the various changes of light and shade in our picture without the use of strong edges and lines.
Upside Down Drawing - Drawing upside down is a wonderful exercise to awaken the right side of your brain. When you turn an image upside down, you are making it somewhat abstract and unrecognizable. This forces you to draw what you see as opposed to relying on your memory to draw something.
Negative Drawing Technique - This technique teaches you how to properly see the "white" or "negative" space in your picture. This is the area that surrounds your subject or "positive" space. Instead of drawing out the positive part of the drawing with line, you draw in the shapes that surround the positive part of your drawing.
Dry Wash Technique - This technique works quite well if you want to cover large areas of your drawing. It creates a nice soft tone. You begin by adding marks with a pencil or apply some graphite powder to the desired area on your paper. Then using a tissue or soft cloth pick up some of the graphite and gently rub it across the paper, almost as if you were painting.
Introduction to Northwest Coast Native American Art
I had lived in Vancouver very briefly as a child and it was during that time when I was first exposed to the art of the Northwest Coast Native American Indians. It was the towering colorful totem poles out in Stanley Park that everyone gazed at with wonder and appreciation. It took about 30 years later during a return trip to Vancouver when Northwest Coast Native American art caught my eyes again.
I was in Vancouver for business and landed at the city's new airport terminal. One could not help but notice the huge native carvings near the arrivals area. Later on during my stay, I decided to wander around in the Gastown district. It was in these shops and galleries in Gastown where I fell in love with Northwest Coast Native American art. I saw many wonderful wooden plaques representing different animals. There were also art prints, paintings, masks, wooden bowls and even furnature with these animals either painted or carved right into the pieces.
The colors and designs, which might be considered a bit exaggerated to non-native eyes, were striking as well as bold. I knew at that time that I wanted to include some of this magnificent artwork on my walls back at home. So I bought two plaque carvings and carried them home like newly found treasure.
Historically, the native Indians who lived along the river valleys and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest were all hunters and gatherers. The region was blessed with abundant resources from both the seas and forests. These people captured in their artwork the animals they hunted and observed. These included bears, killer whales, eagles, ravens, salmons, wolves, hummingbirds and even frogs. Chiefs and mythical characters important in their legends such as thunderbirds were also included as art subjects.
Northwest Coast Native American art is just only recently gaining some major attention in some galleries and museums around the world. Compared to other native arts such as Inuit (Eskimo), exposure of Northwest Coast Native American art is still rather limited to the northwest coast of Canada and the United States. This form of artwork is virtually unknown to most parts of the world including many regions of North America. This will hopefully change as more people from around the world travel to Vancouver. The future winter Olympics in 2010 up in Whistler, BC will also have a positive impact on the region's Native Indian art. I personally believe that Northwest Coast Native American art has a lot of potential to be internationally recognized and accepted.
I was in Vancouver for business and landed at the city's new airport terminal. One could not help but notice the huge native carvings near the arrivals area. Later on during my stay, I decided to wander around in the Gastown district. It was in these shops and galleries in Gastown where I fell in love with Northwest Coast Native American art. I saw many wonderful wooden plaques representing different animals. There were also art prints, paintings, masks, wooden bowls and even furnature with these animals either painted or carved right into the pieces.
The colors and designs, which might be considered a bit exaggerated to non-native eyes, were striking as well as bold. I knew at that time that I wanted to include some of this magnificent artwork on my walls back at home. So I bought two plaque carvings and carried them home like newly found treasure.
Historically, the native Indians who lived along the river valleys and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest were all hunters and gatherers. The region was blessed with abundant resources from both the seas and forests. These people captured in their artwork the animals they hunted and observed. These included bears, killer whales, eagles, ravens, salmons, wolves, hummingbirds and even frogs. Chiefs and mythical characters important in their legends such as thunderbirds were also included as art subjects.
Northwest Coast Native American art is just only recently gaining some major attention in some galleries and museums around the world. Compared to other native arts such as Inuit (Eskimo), exposure of Northwest Coast Native American art is still rather limited to the northwest coast of Canada and the United States. This form of artwork is virtually unknown to most parts of the world including many regions of North America. This will hopefully change as more people from around the world travel to Vancouver. The future winter Olympics in 2010 up in Whistler, BC will also have a positive impact on the region's Native Indian art. I personally believe that Northwest Coast Native American art has a lot of potential to be internationally recognized and accepted.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Interesting and Attractive Scenery Painting Books
Word painting what brings first in your mind it’s non other than scenery painting. Even if you will ask any child to draw painting they will also draw a scenery painting. Its there in our mind form our childhood isn’t it. As well all think at scenery painting is easy than all other types of painting.
Scenery painting seems to be very easy, but in reality its not. Painting is a art to express your thoughts and if you are not able to show it properly then simply you are wasting your time and energy.
You can show your more ideas and creativity with scenery painting book. These scenery painting books are easily available in the market. This book has all the guideline step by step to help you in proper manner. So that you can use your time in give a good output.
Now you don’t have to go to any stores, one can easily find scenery painting book online and this books provides you all the information and guidance step by step so one can understand it. This book has all information related to using the type of brush and color schemes to your scenery painting to look your painting more attractive, good and interesting.
Scenery painting books are not only used by beginner but also by the professional painter to get some more knowledge to improve and express their thoughts in a better way. So if you are thinking about to improve you ability then today only get scenery painting book.
Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website Painting Book . For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com
Scenery painting seems to be very easy, but in reality its not. Painting is a art to express your thoughts and if you are not able to show it properly then simply you are wasting your time and energy.
You can show your more ideas and creativity with scenery painting book. These scenery painting books are easily available in the market. This book has all the guideline step by step to help you in proper manner. So that you can use your time in give a good output.
Now you don’t have to go to any stores, one can easily find scenery painting book online and this books provides you all the information and guidance step by step so one can understand it. This book has all information related to using the type of brush and color schemes to your scenery painting to look your painting more attractive, good and interesting.
Scenery painting books are not only used by beginner but also by the professional painter to get some more knowledge to improve and express their thoughts in a better way. So if you are thinking about to improve you ability then today only get scenery painting book.
Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website Painting Book . For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com
Importance of mobile phones!
With the advent of new technology the way of communication is also changed. In very early days of history, pigeons were used as means of communication. Later, written messages are sent through letters by post. As the time passed, telephone came into existence and today is the era of wireless communication which gives rise to mobile phones. Mobiles are the latest invention and common way to communicate now-a-days.
Mobile phones are long range, portable and wireless electronic device of communication. A few years back, when mobile phones were not so common, the device was expensive and communication costs pretty good to the user. But in last a few years as the use of mobiles increased, their cost is decreased considerably and this factor helped a lot to make them available for common men. Mobile phones are now inexpensive, easy to use, and comfortable and equipped with almost every latest feature we desire.
Mobiles are now every one’s first choice gadget, either an elderly person or a younger one. It is like a status symbol now. Every persons hand is equipped with latest mobile models and everyone has its own reason to have this magic gadget in his hands. Every day new models of mobiles come replacing the older ones to lure the users. The interested users especially the young generation is very fond of the latest features provided in new handsets. People like the new ring tones, hello tunes and wallpapers. With this, mp3 and video recording facilities, MMS and Internet facilities are attracting the users to mobile world. Mobile users can’t even imagine their world without their handset. The importance of mobiles can be imagined by the reaction of people if they are asked to leave their handset separate from them for a day. Their life got a comma if they are keeping apart of their mobiles.
In Japan, mobile phone companies provide immediate notification of earthquakes and other natural disasters to their customers free of charge. In the event of an emergency, disaster response crews can locate trapped or injured people using the signals from their mobile phones or the small detonator of flare in the battery of every cell phone; an interactive menu accessible through the phone's Internet browser notifies the company if the user is safe or in distress.
There is no doubt that the mobile phones have made the life more easy and comfortable. Everyone is in touch with their family members, friends and other known. If we want to talk with anyone, there is no need to write a letter and have to wait for days to send the message to receiver, just we have to pick the phone and press a number and start talking. Mobile phones are comfortable way of communication over a long distance. Life becomes so easy and fast by holding the mobile phones.
Mobile phones proved to be a big help in emergencies. Mobile phones are also known as lifesavers as helping people in emergencies. If you get stuck in the middle of the road and find no one for help, you can just use a mobile phone and call for help. Along with the obvious convenience and quick access to help in emergencies big and small, mobile phones can be both economical and essential for travelers trying to stay connected.
Like every coin have two sides, mobiles phones providing a lot of advantages also shows off few disadvantages. Mobile-phone use while driving is common. It is generally agreed that using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is a distraction that brings risk of road traffic accidents. So we need to use hands free sets to avoid such hazards.
A little attention is received recently towards the potential impact of the kind of electromagnetic fields generated by cellular phones on the human brain. Accumulating evidence indicate that microwave radiation from mobile phones may cause serious diseases and disturbances in the physiology. This includes an increased cancer risk and genetic damage, disturbed brain function and other effects. Mobile phone radiation and health concerns have been raised, especially following the enormous increase in the use of wireless mobile telephony throughout the world. Hence, the head set should be kept at reasonable distance from our head and prolonged use of mobile phone should be avoided.
REPRINT RIGHTS statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio box is retained as usual so that all links are Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.
Mobile phones are long range, portable and wireless electronic device of communication. A few years back, when mobile phones were not so common, the device was expensive and communication costs pretty good to the user. But in last a few years as the use of mobiles increased, their cost is decreased considerably and this factor helped a lot to make them available for common men. Mobile phones are now inexpensive, easy to use, and comfortable and equipped with almost every latest feature we desire.
Mobiles are now every one’s first choice gadget, either an elderly person or a younger one. It is like a status symbol now. Every persons hand is equipped with latest mobile models and everyone has its own reason to have this magic gadget in his hands. Every day new models of mobiles come replacing the older ones to lure the users. The interested users especially the young generation is very fond of the latest features provided in new handsets. People like the new ring tones, hello tunes and wallpapers. With this, mp3 and video recording facilities, MMS and Internet facilities are attracting the users to mobile world. Mobile users can’t even imagine their world without their handset. The importance of mobiles can be imagined by the reaction of people if they are asked to leave their handset separate from them for a day. Their life got a comma if they are keeping apart of their mobiles.
In Japan, mobile phone companies provide immediate notification of earthquakes and other natural disasters to their customers free of charge. In the event of an emergency, disaster response crews can locate trapped or injured people using the signals from their mobile phones or the small detonator of flare in the battery of every cell phone; an interactive menu accessible through the phone's Internet browser notifies the company if the user is safe or in distress.
There is no doubt that the mobile phones have made the life more easy and comfortable. Everyone is in touch with their family members, friends and other known. If we want to talk with anyone, there is no need to write a letter and have to wait for days to send the message to receiver, just we have to pick the phone and press a number and start talking. Mobile phones are comfortable way of communication over a long distance. Life becomes so easy and fast by holding the mobile phones.
Mobile phones proved to be a big help in emergencies. Mobile phones are also known as lifesavers as helping people in emergencies. If you get stuck in the middle of the road and find no one for help, you can just use a mobile phone and call for help. Along with the obvious convenience and quick access to help in emergencies big and small, mobile phones can be both economical and essential for travelers trying to stay connected.
Like every coin have two sides, mobiles phones providing a lot of advantages also shows off few disadvantages. Mobile-phone use while driving is common. It is generally agreed that using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is a distraction that brings risk of road traffic accidents. So we need to use hands free sets to avoid such hazards.
A little attention is received recently towards the potential impact of the kind of electromagnetic fields generated by cellular phones on the human brain. Accumulating evidence indicate that microwave radiation from mobile phones may cause serious diseases and disturbances in the physiology. This includes an increased cancer risk and genetic damage, disturbed brain function and other effects. Mobile phone radiation and health concerns have been raised, especially following the enormous increase in the use of wireless mobile telephony throughout the world. Hence, the head set should be kept at reasonable distance from our head and prolonged use of mobile phone should be avoided.
REPRINT RIGHTS statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio box is retained as usual so that all links are Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.
Imagination – without it, life would be unimaginable
To imagine the unimaginable is the highest use of the imagination. – Cynthia Ozick
We all have it, it’s just that we seldom use it.
We go about our day following the usual routine and rarely fire-up our imaginations to plan or develop something well out of our usual schedule.
Steve Joordens, a cognitive psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto, puts it this way - “It’s only a small percentage of our lives that we spend consciously considering things. We may go through 80 percent of our life without much conscious thought of what we are thinking and doing.”
Professor Joordens, points out that when you’re involved with your usual daily tasks, any effort to awaken your imagination for some creative purpose is “effortful and easily disruptable. In order to get to the creative thing you have to expend an effort. A lot of people don’t tend to make those efforts.”
For those however, who find the time and make the effort to ignite the power of imagination find the experience can be energizing and often leads to a successful conclusion of an creative idea.
In an article on the power of imagination, Andrew Chung writes – “Many of the greatest advances, like the theory of relativity were the product of an abundance of imagination....”
Another powerful creative tool is to combine imagination with visualization – this is the combo used successful by athletes such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus – they take the time and make the effort to imagine various shot possibilities, then after calculating the best opportunity, they picture making that shot in their minds – imagination plus visualization a powerful tool in developing a more creative, and happier you.
Imagination is something we all have but use sparingly, and when we imagine something, it habitually deals with the usual mundane concerns of our lives – it’s worth the time and effort to use your imagination to think outside the box – innovative ideas and creative challenges that will bring about a new lease on life.
There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I Love Watching Caricatures Being Made
I am not the most artistic person that has ever happened. In fact, my friends and family often laugh at me for how little I know about all things art. I cannot paint a picture to save my life, and any photographs I take usually end up off of center and unusable for anything. There is, however, one part of art that I cannot get enough of: caricatures. I absolutely love them. I cannot create them myself, yet I still never tire of watching them be made by other people.
I will never forget the day that I fell in love with seeing caricatures being made that truly reflected people. I was at a theme park with my family for vacation. I couldn' have been more than ten years old. I was loving everything about the theme park, but when we walked upon a station where artists were creating caricatures I was mezmorized. I could hardly believe the way the artists were making true yet silly representations of the people that sat before them.
I was so intrigued with the process of caricatures that I convinced my mother to let me stay a little while and just watch. Looking back, I am quite shocked that she let a ten year old stay by herself in the park, but she did. And I loved that hour of watching. My eyes moved back and forth from the face of the subject being painted to the face of the artist to the hand of the artist doing the work.
I have continued to be intrigued with caricatures of all kinds. In fact, I have started a growing collection of caricatures. These represent attempts at creating likenesses of myself, my family, some of my closest friends, and a variety of other people that I admire. The caricatures are wide in variety yet they are of the same essence. I have many of them framed in my office and they make for the most interesting conversation starters.
If you're looking for a new thing to collect or for a new hobby to pick up, then consider caricatures. I have taken two classes aimed specifically to help people learn to do proper caricatures. I am still a long way from considering myself an artist, but my skills have greatly improved. So consider the uniqueness and beauty of caricatures and incorporate them into your life however you can.
I will never forget the day that I fell in love with seeing caricatures being made that truly reflected people. I was at a theme park with my family for vacation. I couldn' have been more than ten years old. I was loving everything about the theme park, but when we walked upon a station where artists were creating caricatures I was mezmorized. I could hardly believe the way the artists were making true yet silly representations of the people that sat before them.
I was so intrigued with the process of caricatures that I convinced my mother to let me stay a little while and just watch. Looking back, I am quite shocked that she let a ten year old stay by herself in the park, but she did. And I loved that hour of watching. My eyes moved back and forth from the face of the subject being painted to the face of the artist to the hand of the artist doing the work.
I have continued to be intrigued with caricatures of all kinds. In fact, I have started a growing collection of caricatures. These represent attempts at creating likenesses of myself, my family, some of my closest friends, and a variety of other people that I admire. The caricatures are wide in variety yet they are of the same essence. I have many of them framed in my office and they make for the most interesting conversation starters.
If you're looking for a new thing to collect or for a new hobby to pick up, then consider caricatures. I have taken two classes aimed specifically to help people learn to do proper caricatures. I am still a long way from considering myself an artist, but my skills have greatly improved. So consider the uniqueness and beauty of caricatures and incorporate them into your life however you can.
Human Flaws and Absolute Power: A Combination For Disaster?
It has been said that giving a superhero the flaws of an ordinary person could only lead into inevitable disaster. The concept stems from the old adage “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” as superheroes tend to be in positions of great power. Arguably, any protagonist that exhibits human flaws is going to find himself subject to great scrutiny. People will always see him as being someone who must never exhibit weaknesses and flaws. Flaws and traits like social anxiety, status anxiety, mental health disorders, and psychosis can all have immense impact on a hero's actions, which in turn can affect countless others. The “flawed” hero, while an interesting avenue to take in the realm of fiction, can also become a walking disaster, with the level of damage only varying on how badly things go.
Frodo Baggins, from Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings” saga, can be taken as an interesting case of both status anxiety and performance anxiety. Presented with an all-powerful, all-corrupting object of pure evil, Frodo is made to embark on a journey to destroy the said object. It is made clear in several passages that Frodo does not want the ring and the inevitable burden of having to carry it and disposing of it. His status anxiety plays out in the subtle hints that he is willing to pass the burden on to just about anyone, if only it would let him get back to his normal “status” in his home.
However, he also exhibits mild hints of performance anxiety in that he is unwilling to undergo the long and dangerous journey to be rid of the ring in the first place. Even if he felt inadequate for the task, he slowly came to realize that pawning the ring off to someone else is merely going to delay the inevitable. However, in the end, he comes to realize that the “One Ring” is a burden he has to bear, and faces up to the task. He is corrupted near the climax by the promise of power, but by that point, he has finally accepted his fate.
Another instance of a combination of problems similar to Frodo's comes in the form of Paul “Muad'dib” Atreides, from Frank Herbert's “Dune” saga. Atreides, like Baggins, has the deadly cocktail of status anxiety and performance anxiety. However, unlike the aforementioned literary character, Paul's actions could have had more long-lasting effects for all of humanity. Paul, gifted with the ability to see the future and thus enable plans to ensure his visions occur, foresees what he claims is “The Golden Path” of humanity. However, he also sees that while his vision assures the continued survival of humanity, it also means that he would have to sacrifice his humanity to achieve it.
His performance anxiety comes into play when he realizes that he does not want to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure that his vision becomes reality, as he is too attached to his humanity to abandon it. However, his position as ruler of a galaxy-spanning empire places pressure on him to rule. His unwillingness to let go of his position echoes of status anxiety, as he feels that he must remain Emperor. Yet, by remaining Emperor, he effectively is playing right into the hands of his fear of losing his humanity. In the end, however, he find a way out of his own conundrum by distorting the very faith that made him Emperor in the first place.
However, both Frodo Baggins and Paul Atreides were permanently scarred by their actions. Frodo's emotional healing never really purged the trauma he experienced during his time with the “One Ring.” In the end, the stress and anxiety of the journey forced him to leave his home and his friends forever, as he felt he could no longer be part of “their” world. In the case of Paul Atreides, years of twisting and warping his own image such that he made himself a “god” had taken their toll on his mental health and how he viewed himself. He had become a hypocrite by enslaving the people he claimed he wanted to free, using religion rather than force to subdue them. His opportunity to make up for his mistakes and have some semblance of emotional healing came when everyone thought him to be dead. Changing from Emperor to a blind wanderer, he then began working on repairing the damage he had wrought by attempting to dismantle the religion he himself crafted.
Frodo Baggins, from Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings” saga, can be taken as an interesting case of both status anxiety and performance anxiety. Presented with an all-powerful, all-corrupting object of pure evil, Frodo is made to embark on a journey to destroy the said object. It is made clear in several passages that Frodo does not want the ring and the inevitable burden of having to carry it and disposing of it. His status anxiety plays out in the subtle hints that he is willing to pass the burden on to just about anyone, if only it would let him get back to his normal “status” in his home.
However, he also exhibits mild hints of performance anxiety in that he is unwilling to undergo the long and dangerous journey to be rid of the ring in the first place. Even if he felt inadequate for the task, he slowly came to realize that pawning the ring off to someone else is merely going to delay the inevitable. However, in the end, he comes to realize that the “One Ring” is a burden he has to bear, and faces up to the task. He is corrupted near the climax by the promise of power, but by that point, he has finally accepted his fate.
Another instance of a combination of problems similar to Frodo's comes in the form of Paul “Muad'dib” Atreides, from Frank Herbert's “Dune” saga. Atreides, like Baggins, has the deadly cocktail of status anxiety and performance anxiety. However, unlike the aforementioned literary character, Paul's actions could have had more long-lasting effects for all of humanity. Paul, gifted with the ability to see the future and thus enable plans to ensure his visions occur, foresees what he claims is “The Golden Path” of humanity. However, he also sees that while his vision assures the continued survival of humanity, it also means that he would have to sacrifice his humanity to achieve it.
His performance anxiety comes into play when he realizes that he does not want to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure that his vision becomes reality, as he is too attached to his humanity to abandon it. However, his position as ruler of a galaxy-spanning empire places pressure on him to rule. His unwillingness to let go of his position echoes of status anxiety, as he feels that he must remain Emperor. Yet, by remaining Emperor, he effectively is playing right into the hands of his fear of losing his humanity. In the end, however, he find a way out of his own conundrum by distorting the very faith that made him Emperor in the first place.
However, both Frodo Baggins and Paul Atreides were permanently scarred by their actions. Frodo's emotional healing never really purged the trauma he experienced during his time with the “One Ring.” In the end, the stress and anxiety of the journey forced him to leave his home and his friends forever, as he felt he could no longer be part of “their” world. In the case of Paul Atreides, years of twisting and warping his own image such that he made himself a “god” had taken their toll on his mental health and how he viewed himself. He had become a hypocrite by enslaving the people he claimed he wanted to free, using religion rather than force to subdue them. His opportunity to make up for his mistakes and have some semblance of emotional healing came when everyone thought him to be dead. Changing from Emperor to a blind wanderer, he then began working on repairing the damage he had wrought by attempting to dismantle the religion he himself crafted.
How to Start Your Own Small Business
Opening your own business can be a real big gamble. If you do not do your research well, you will wind up like most small businesses, and that is out of business in less then 6 months.
The most important thing to remember when opening up new business is the location. When doing your research for your new business you want to make sure you are the only business of your time in the area. If you are opening a video store you do not want to open near another video store. Remember if you are exclusive to the area, you will automatically get the business of those living in that area.
The next most important thing about opening a small business is you supplier. Do not have just one place to get supplies from, you should have several. By having more then one you can assure yourself that you are getting the lowest prices from them. And if they know about each other they will try to outdo each other to get your business.
Make sure that the products or services that you will be offering are desired, do not just decide to open up a store with out doing any market research is like playing craps, dangerous unless you really know what you are doing.
Advertising is important. Remember just like a casino you are trying to make money and not lose it. By spending some money on advertising you will increase your sales from your opening day. It is best to have a professional help you with your advertising rather then dong it yourself, there is no point in spending money on advertising if no one in your target demographic is going to see it. An example of this would be like using facial expressions to bluff in a poker game against blind players.
When picking your stock it is sometime better to have a better selection of items and maybe not so many of each item, this way you can see which items sell best and order more of those more popular items, and less of the less desired ones.
In business you should not try to open a business unless you already have experience running a related business. You may think you know how to, but to do it correctly you really need experience, after all if you were in a casino and looking to play poker you would not want a roulette dealer who is trying to figure out the rules as he goes would you? Chances are you would want an experienced poker dealer.
Depending on the type of business you are opening try keep your staff as small as possible, and if it is possible try to get friends and family to help you out. This will allow you to keep your costs low until you can really get a good idea of if you are making money or not. Once you are making money you can go out and hire people.
The most important thing to remember when opening up new business is the location. When doing your research for your new business you want to make sure you are the only business of your time in the area. If you are opening a video store you do not want to open near another video store. Remember if you are exclusive to the area, you will automatically get the business of those living in that area.
The next most important thing about opening a small business is you supplier. Do not have just one place to get supplies from, you should have several. By having more then one you can assure yourself that you are getting the lowest prices from them. And if they know about each other they will try to outdo each other to get your business.
Make sure that the products or services that you will be offering are desired, do not just decide to open up a store with out doing any market research is like playing craps, dangerous unless you really know what you are doing.
Advertising is important. Remember just like a casino you are trying to make money and not lose it. By spending some money on advertising you will increase your sales from your opening day. It is best to have a professional help you with your advertising rather then dong it yourself, there is no point in spending money on advertising if no one in your target demographic is going to see it. An example of this would be like using facial expressions to bluff in a poker game against blind players.
When picking your stock it is sometime better to have a better selection of items and maybe not so many of each item, this way you can see which items sell best and order more of those more popular items, and less of the less desired ones.
In business you should not try to open a business unless you already have experience running a related business. You may think you know how to, but to do it correctly you really need experience, after all if you were in a casino and looking to play poker you would not want a roulette dealer who is trying to figure out the rules as he goes would you? Chances are you would want an experienced poker dealer.
Depending on the type of business you are opening try keep your staff as small as possible, and if it is possible try to get friends and family to help you out. This will allow you to keep your costs low until you can really get a good idea of if you are making money or not. Once you are making money you can go out and hire people.
How To Start Your Own Art Collection On A Budget
It is amazing how the art world seems to have taken a hold of general society. Many more individuals are inclined to forgo reprints and posters and start collecting their own unique art pieces for their homes and offices.
Are you interested in starting your own collection of original art? If you do not have thousands of dollars to spend on famous original artwork then you may wish to consider some other ideas and sources for your art pieces.
One avenue to consider, especially if you have not spent much time cultivating your tastes, is to rent art from a local gallery. You can have an original piece from local artists for a fraction of the cost of purchase. You can also trade in your selection for new pieces which may be refreshing in a business environment, or even a smart way to select art for personal enjoyment if you are not sure which pieces will suit you long term.
Another avenue is to go to local art schools or check your paper for shows by student artists. Here you can buy original pieces by up-and-coming artists for much less than established artists. It also allows you to invest in the growth of local talent, and possibly make an investment that will appreciate enormously in value should the artist truly excel in their field.
If you have an artist's community in your area - studios that are rented by local artists, you may also find that they hold open houses during the year. You may find artwork on sale as they promote themselves through this avenue. It also gives you a chance to speak with the artist and get a real history on the work you select.
Often art collectors are interested as much in the career of the artist as they are in their work. Finding an artist that moves you may cause you to consider collecting from a single artist rather than creating a diverse collection. Following the career of a new artist may give you a more valuable, as well as meaningful, collection down the road.
You may also finding interesting pieces in antique shops, markets and consignment stores. Always keep your eyes open for artwork that appeals to you and do not be too concerned with the value. Art is always subject to individual interpretation and only you can decide if a piece is worthy of your investment.
Do enjoy immersing yourself in your art collecting. Whether it is simply an occasional hobby or becomes an ongoing passion, art is an extension of our imagination that is one of the few truly human pursuits - it fills no need other than emotional - and yet has an impact that intrigues and fulfills us like no other.
Are you interested in starting your own collection of original art? If you do not have thousands of dollars to spend on famous original artwork then you may wish to consider some other ideas and sources for your art pieces.
One avenue to consider, especially if you have not spent much time cultivating your tastes, is to rent art from a local gallery. You can have an original piece from local artists for a fraction of the cost of purchase. You can also trade in your selection for new pieces which may be refreshing in a business environment, or even a smart way to select art for personal enjoyment if you are not sure which pieces will suit you long term.
Another avenue is to go to local art schools or check your paper for shows by student artists. Here you can buy original pieces by up-and-coming artists for much less than established artists. It also allows you to invest in the growth of local talent, and possibly make an investment that will appreciate enormously in value should the artist truly excel in their field.
If you have an artist's community in your area - studios that are rented by local artists, you may also find that they hold open houses during the year. You may find artwork on sale as they promote themselves through this avenue. It also gives you a chance to speak with the artist and get a real history on the work you select.
Often art collectors are interested as much in the career of the artist as they are in their work. Finding an artist that moves you may cause you to consider collecting from a single artist rather than creating a diverse collection. Following the career of a new artist may give you a more valuable, as well as meaningful, collection down the road.
You may also finding interesting pieces in antique shops, markets and consignment stores. Always keep your eyes open for artwork that appeals to you and do not be too concerned with the value. Art is always subject to individual interpretation and only you can decide if a piece is worthy of your investment.
Do enjoy immersing yourself in your art collecting. Whether it is simply an occasional hobby or becomes an ongoing passion, art is an extension of our imagination that is one of the few truly human pursuits - it fills no need other than emotional - and yet has an impact that intrigues and fulfills us like no other.
How to start learning to play the guitar
It is not hard for a newbie to learn to play the guitar, the guitar is among the simplest instruments you can learn to play, know that 65% of the American people know how to play the guitar. If you are unaccustomed playing guitar then it can look a little bit overpowering, but take it from me when i tell that it is pretty well to do and if you are able to get past the learning curve it is truly a great deal of fun to play guitar.
What are the pits a starting artist have watch out for when they learn to play guitar? the 1st thing is that in the beginning it Is not much fun and since the fingers are not accustomed it they'll start to hurt, and that's enjoying when you're learning to play the right cords, getting the right cords in the beginning can be hard and discouraging from time to time, but there's no pleasure without pain and this is something that all new guitar players will have to go true in their travel to learn to play guitar.To assist you in your pursuit to learn to play the guitar I've mad a list of the things you should keep in your mind.
Tip 1, Buy a good guitar
Learning to play guitar will go better when you've a good guitar, this is truly significant, naturally you'll be able to buy yourself a guitar on the flea market for under the $200- but that does not make your efforts to learn guitar playing a any better, if you're serious in studying how to play guitar then you need to make a investment in a good guitar, it does not have to be the best and the costliest guitar in the market, but do yourself a favour and do not buy one from the flea market,The right guitar will give you comfort and a healthy sound and will keep you propelled to do tip two
Tip 2, exercise, exercise, exercise.
As you know the expression goes "practice makes perfect" and that is also on-key when you're learning to play guitar, try to practise as much as you will be able to, you'll see how much quicker you're improving and it will keep you propelled, keep in mind that you can merely learn to play guitar by practicing, leaving the guitar in the corner of the room does not make you a guitarist.
Tip 3, studying guitar playing by yourself.
This is also a serious tip i want to give, get the basic learning curve done by yourself, it's fund that folks that begin to learn to play guitar have a lot less pressure when they're on their own figuring out the first view cords, I'm not stating that you never should use a teacher or somebody to help you i just want to point out that it would be advisable if the student would knew some basics before taking group classes.
It all comes down to getting cracking and work your way true the basics, and then you'll see that learning how to play guitar is really well to do and when you have reach that point you'll discover that there's nothing so smashing as playing your own music on your own guitar.
What are the pits a starting artist have watch out for when they learn to play guitar? the 1st thing is that in the beginning it Is not much fun and since the fingers are not accustomed it they'll start to hurt, and that's enjoying when you're learning to play the right cords, getting the right cords in the beginning can be hard and discouraging from time to time, but there's no pleasure without pain and this is something that all new guitar players will have to go true in their travel to learn to play guitar.To assist you in your pursuit to learn to play the guitar I've mad a list of the things you should keep in your mind.
Tip 1, Buy a good guitar
Learning to play guitar will go better when you've a good guitar, this is truly significant, naturally you'll be able to buy yourself a guitar on the flea market for under the $200- but that does not make your efforts to learn guitar playing a any better, if you're serious in studying how to play guitar then you need to make a investment in a good guitar, it does not have to be the best and the costliest guitar in the market, but do yourself a favour and do not buy one from the flea market,The right guitar will give you comfort and a healthy sound and will keep you propelled to do tip two
Tip 2, exercise, exercise, exercise.
As you know the expression goes "practice makes perfect" and that is also on-key when you're learning to play guitar, try to practise as much as you will be able to, you'll see how much quicker you're improving and it will keep you propelled, keep in mind that you can merely learn to play guitar by practicing, leaving the guitar in the corner of the room does not make you a guitarist.
Tip 3, studying guitar playing by yourself.
This is also a serious tip i want to give, get the basic learning curve done by yourself, it's fund that folks that begin to learn to play guitar have a lot less pressure when they're on their own figuring out the first view cords, I'm not stating that you never should use a teacher or somebody to help you i just want to point out that it would be advisable if the student would knew some basics before taking group classes.
It all comes down to getting cracking and work your way true the basics, and then you'll see that learning how to play guitar is really well to do and when you have reach that point you'll discover that there's nothing so smashing as playing your own music on your own guitar.
How to Stage a Home Properly
One of the most daunting aspects of selling your home yourself is the staging of the home itself. It is possible to hire professional stagers that are trained to showcase the strong points of your home, but with a little time and effort you can stage your home yourself. The first thing to understand about staging a home is that you must attempt to disconnect yourself from the home on an emotional level. This is easier said than done, but it is necessary.
A good idea is to start with the most visual aspect of your home. The exterior. We will go into greater deatail about the interior in a moment. Cleaning up the facade of your home is an absolute must. ensure that lawns are mown and trimmed. Clear away any rough edges along the walkways and driveway. Also weed the gardens and plant some new flowers. Make the entrance to your home as welcoming as possible. After all, this is the first thing a prospective buyer will see when they look at your home. You want their first impression to be memorable...in a good way.
Now we move to the interior. The first thing you want to do is remove the clutter! Homes always have some sort of clutter that is best removed to showcase the home. This means you will have to spend some time going over what you need and don't need. Remember that a minimalist approach is a good idea. It can be difficult for buyers to envision their possessions in another home, try it yourself sometime at a friends home. Look around and think about what you would move or change. Now do this at your own home. Time to get rid of a few things? This must be done for every room, clean out all the closets and cupboards too. Buyers are nosey, and justifiably so. Like you did before they are investing in their future and they will go through closets and such to make sure there is sufficient room for their things.
Now to ensure that viewers have a great experience when in your home there are a few things that you can do. Lighting can set a great mood in a home. Be sure to have appropriate lighting for the time of day. Temperature is another good thing to remember. Viewers are less likely to explore a cold home. Set the temperature for a pleasant medium. If there is a fireplace, light it. This will add to the ambiance and showcase one of the most popular assets of a home. The whole point of staging is to make guests feel welcome and at home. Try leaving out some refreshments or snacks if you are so inclined. It is up to you how far you will go in staging your home, but the more effort you put in the better your home will show.
A good idea is to start with the most visual aspect of your home. The exterior. We will go into greater deatail about the interior in a moment. Cleaning up the facade of your home is an absolute must. ensure that lawns are mown and trimmed. Clear away any rough edges along the walkways and driveway. Also weed the gardens and plant some new flowers. Make the entrance to your home as welcoming as possible. After all, this is the first thing a prospective buyer will see when they look at your home. You want their first impression to be memorable...in a good way.
Now we move to the interior. The first thing you want to do is remove the clutter! Homes always have some sort of clutter that is best removed to showcase the home. This means you will have to spend some time going over what you need and don't need. Remember that a minimalist approach is a good idea. It can be difficult for buyers to envision their possessions in another home, try it yourself sometime at a friends home. Look around and think about what you would move or change. Now do this at your own home. Time to get rid of a few things? This must be done for every room, clean out all the closets and cupboards too. Buyers are nosey, and justifiably so. Like you did before they are investing in their future and they will go through closets and such to make sure there is sufficient room for their things.
Now to ensure that viewers have a great experience when in your home there are a few things that you can do. Lighting can set a great mood in a home. Be sure to have appropriate lighting for the time of day. Temperature is another good thing to remember. Viewers are less likely to explore a cold home. Set the temperature for a pleasant medium. If there is a fireplace, light it. This will add to the ambiance and showcase one of the most popular assets of a home. The whole point of staging is to make guests feel welcome and at home. Try leaving out some refreshments or snacks if you are so inclined. It is up to you how far you will go in staging your home, but the more effort you put in the better your home will show.
How to Put Video on your Website: Processing and Uploading
It's time to start using video files on your webpages. It will help you rank well in search engines and will enhance the quality of your website's usability. By far the most time consuming and difficult factor, when you want to put video on your website, is the process of digitizing the video. Let's talk about some key concepts for processing video files before uploading them to your server.
First you need to find a high quality video to process. The higher the quality the better. Consider the size of the movie. Don't go for a full screen with best resolution. You don't want your website's visitors wait for ages before the video is ready to be viewed. Look for small, clear images that will still look good with compression.
Processing the video requires specific software and some editing skills but anyone can learn some basic editing procedures. There are expensive sophisticated software packages for video editing like Adobe Premiere or AfterEffects. Ok, Premiere is by far the most professional editing tool out there but it's among the most expensive tools too. (Look at my bio for a much cheaper quality software).
The above software packages will let you do whatever you want with the video files. Add several clips, slice them, insert static images, use filters and transitions, sync up audio files are some of the features that these packages offer.
Now let's talk about an element that is neglected by many people who use video on their websites. This element is sound. It's better to edit the sound of your video separately using an audio editing software. This way you can have a better idea of what people will actually hear when they watch your video file. Poor sound quality will definitely affect the quality of your video.
After processing your video file and paying special attention to your video's sound quality you need to take a final step before putting the video file on your website. And that final step is compression. Again, what you need is a video compression software that will let you balance the image and sound quality along with some other quality and size parameters.
And now the easiest part. Uploading your video on your web server. Make sure you have enough disk space on your server. Also make sure you are allowed to use enough bandwidth because video files are real bandwidth consumers. For example let's say you have a 1 mb video file. You will only need 200 visitors to exceed a 200 mb bandwidth limit!
First you need to find a high quality video to process. The higher the quality the better. Consider the size of the movie. Don't go for a full screen with best resolution. You don't want your website's visitors wait for ages before the video is ready to be viewed. Look for small, clear images that will still look good with compression.
Processing the video requires specific software and some editing skills but anyone can learn some basic editing procedures. There are expensive sophisticated software packages for video editing like Adobe Premiere or AfterEffects. Ok, Premiere is by far the most professional editing tool out there but it's among the most expensive tools too. (Look at my bio for a much cheaper quality software).
The above software packages will let you do whatever you want with the video files. Add several clips, slice them, insert static images, use filters and transitions, sync up audio files are some of the features that these packages offer.
Now let's talk about an element that is neglected by many people who use video on their websites. This element is sound. It's better to edit the sound of your video separately using an audio editing software. This way you can have a better idea of what people will actually hear when they watch your video file. Poor sound quality will definitely affect the quality of your video.
After processing your video file and paying special attention to your video's sound quality you need to take a final step before putting the video file on your website. And that final step is compression. Again, what you need is a video compression software that will let you balance the image and sound quality along with some other quality and size parameters.
And now the easiest part. Uploading your video on your web server. Make sure you have enough disk space on your server. Also make sure you are allowed to use enough bandwidth because video files are real bandwidth consumers. For example let's say you have a 1 mb video file. You will only need 200 visitors to exceed a 200 mb bandwidth limit!
How To Produce An Abstract Image II - From Anarchy To Abstraction
I want to go into a little more detail of the different ways you can approach the enigmatic task of producing an abstract. In this article we will look at the Anarchist and the Abstractist.
If you have an anarchistic attitude within you then abstract art is for you. You will never run out of ideas - in fact even if you had NO ideas then your temperament alone would find a most fundermental mood swing or dark (and maybe on more rarer occasions - light) moment to enrap you within its aggressive drama and painful colours. Willem de Kooning's "Gotham News" is a good example of anarchistic abstraction - just look at this picture - http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/sKooning.html. Wild movement mixed with such vigorous aggression.
Anarchists tend to be wildly demonstrative in their approach to ... everything! They have the potential to be able to utilize almost anything at hand that might provide them with contradictory ideas and totally original materials.
However, there is a big "down" side to what might be seen as the almost perfect abstract artist. An Anarchistic attitude tends to come from a tremendous sense of lacking in many areas. So things like confidence can be a very fearful barrier to the power of a creative flow. Therefore I believe that by working on some of the practical ideas written below obstacles like shyness and fear can slowly be weakened until finally the real artist begins to rise out from the depths of darkness or light in an increasingly "louder" manner.
The Abstractist is in many ways similar to the Anarchist. The difference here is that the Abstractist mind has a colder capability of "seeing" completely non-representative imaginings. And although both the Abstractist and the Anarchist generally produce work from deep within. The Anarchist cultivates a more physical "anti" approach, whereas the Abstractist appears to have the knack of actually visualizing dots, lines, and shapes when looking at every day objects.
Notice the similarities between de Kooning's "Gotham News" and Peter Lanyan's "Wreck" - http://www.ablot.com/wreck.htm Then take another look and seek to find any differences. "Wreck" is very anarchistic, but there are at least two variants. First the colours of "Wreck" give off an almost tangible "landscape" feel. And secondly, Lanyan seems to have made decisions when placing of lines and shapes. This is a classical abstract attitude. Another fine Abstractist example would be Howard Hodgkin.
OK lets practice. Get yourself a large piece of paper - any paper ... even newspaper will do. You will need plenty of Red, Blue, and Yellow (remember the practicals in Part I) acrylics or cheap powder paints will be fine. A one fairly thin paint brush, and one fairly thick. With the first attempt do not "think" of anything other then lines. Place the paints in easy reach for you to work quickly. Ready? Thin brush first - dip it deep into any colour then quickly bring the brush into contact with the paper - do not stop moving. Move in any direction. Paint faster. Paint one continual line. As soon as the brush starts to run dry dip it into paint - any of the colours. Keep doing this until you have filled the paper with a mass of scribbles. Try this about five or six times - not caring what is produced (you can throw it away - no one needs to see it ... or you might want to frame it!).
Now repeat the above practical only this time try using what is sometimes called "short stroke" - which is precisely that. Rather than one continual line, produce lots of short lines - you decide on the length. But make sure you are still acting as though it is one continual line - you are just lifting the brush at the appropriate time. Repeat this a few times.
Next decide which you felt more at home with. Produce another image in that way only this time look for shapes. When you see one, load your brush and paint the outline of the shape - very quickly. Finally get the thick brush and load it with a colour and roughly fill in the shape. Carry on mark making - even if it runs over any painted shapes.
Finally try again with line and shapes, and this time adding something else - you decide. If you really cannot think of anything try choosing any of the following: Screwing up the whole paper, then unfolding it and carrying on painting; rip or cut holes into the paper - and carry on painting; spatter (a well used favourite) paint onto the paper; find rice, spagetti, sand, earth, dust ... anything - pour it or sprinkle it - then carry on painting ... the list is endless.
Of course you might not be at home with this ... too messy you might say. Then, perhaps you might be a Surrealist - or maybe a Visionary ... that will be the next article.
If you have an anarchistic attitude within you then abstract art is for you. You will never run out of ideas - in fact even if you had NO ideas then your temperament alone would find a most fundermental mood swing or dark (and maybe on more rarer occasions - light) moment to enrap you within its aggressive drama and painful colours. Willem de Kooning's "Gotham News" is a good example of anarchistic abstraction - just look at this picture - http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/sKooning.html. Wild movement mixed with such vigorous aggression.
Anarchists tend to be wildly demonstrative in their approach to ... everything! They have the potential to be able to utilize almost anything at hand that might provide them with contradictory ideas and totally original materials.
However, there is a big "down" side to what might be seen as the almost perfect abstract artist. An Anarchistic attitude tends to come from a tremendous sense of lacking in many areas. So things like confidence can be a very fearful barrier to the power of a creative flow. Therefore I believe that by working on some of the practical ideas written below obstacles like shyness and fear can slowly be weakened until finally the real artist begins to rise out from the depths of darkness or light in an increasingly "louder" manner.
The Abstractist is in many ways similar to the Anarchist. The difference here is that the Abstractist mind has a colder capability of "seeing" completely non-representative imaginings. And although both the Abstractist and the Anarchist generally produce work from deep within. The Anarchist cultivates a more physical "anti" approach, whereas the Abstractist appears to have the knack of actually visualizing dots, lines, and shapes when looking at every day objects.
Notice the similarities between de Kooning's "Gotham News" and Peter Lanyan's "Wreck" - http://www.ablot.com/wreck.htm Then take another look and seek to find any differences. "Wreck" is very anarchistic, but there are at least two variants. First the colours of "Wreck" give off an almost tangible "landscape" feel. And secondly, Lanyan seems to have made decisions when placing of lines and shapes. This is a classical abstract attitude. Another fine Abstractist example would be Howard Hodgkin.
OK lets practice. Get yourself a large piece of paper - any paper ... even newspaper will do. You will need plenty of Red, Blue, and Yellow (remember the practicals in Part I) acrylics or cheap powder paints will be fine. A one fairly thin paint brush, and one fairly thick. With the first attempt do not "think" of anything other then lines. Place the paints in easy reach for you to work quickly. Ready? Thin brush first - dip it deep into any colour then quickly bring the brush into contact with the paper - do not stop moving. Move in any direction. Paint faster. Paint one continual line. As soon as the brush starts to run dry dip it into paint - any of the colours. Keep doing this until you have filled the paper with a mass of scribbles. Try this about five or six times - not caring what is produced (you can throw it away - no one needs to see it ... or you might want to frame it!).
Now repeat the above practical only this time try using what is sometimes called "short stroke" - which is precisely that. Rather than one continual line, produce lots of short lines - you decide on the length. But make sure you are still acting as though it is one continual line - you are just lifting the brush at the appropriate time. Repeat this a few times.
Next decide which you felt more at home with. Produce another image in that way only this time look for shapes. When you see one, load your brush and paint the outline of the shape - very quickly. Finally get the thick brush and load it with a colour and roughly fill in the shape. Carry on mark making - even if it runs over any painted shapes.
Finally try again with line and shapes, and this time adding something else - you decide. If you really cannot think of anything try choosing any of the following: Screwing up the whole paper, then unfolding it and carrying on painting; rip or cut holes into the paper - and carry on painting; spatter (a well used favourite) paint onto the paper; find rice, spagetti, sand, earth, dust ... anything - pour it or sprinkle it - then carry on painting ... the list is endless.
Of course you might not be at home with this ... too messy you might say. Then, perhaps you might be a Surrealist - or maybe a Visionary ... that will be the next article.
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