Romanticism - Buying Paintings

Romanticism is a style that focuses on the artist's individualistic and emotionally wrought point of view. Though sometimes referred to as the “anti-classical” movement in art, it is found to oppose the art movement known as Neoclassicism. Even though there have been many artists to combine elements of both. Some of the more renowned names around this movement, which utilized strong emotion to convey meaning, were Francisco de Goya and William Blake respectively. This particular art form became a reaction to the outgrowth of reason by homing in on imagination and feeling.

It is not difficult to see the value in the paintings by these artists, and there have been many examples of how other artists have influenced one another over time. As the whole category of Romanticism refers more to the trends of artists, poets, and philosophers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries than as much to an artistic movement. Though one has definitely influenced the other and vice versa rather equally as time went along, there are very few areas in modern life that can be said to stay untouched by the Romantic period, and many agree that this was a vital point in the world's development as a whole.

Where the people of the period at the time were involved in an overwhelming interest in things of a rational or enlightened nature, the Romantic ideal favored intuition instead, and has been the subject of many differing characterizations of the movement for intellectual and literary histories. There are many varying attitudes on how Romanticism has affected the modern world, and what place this movement has had in the greater picture of history. Some cite Romanticism as being the originating moment of modernity, while others seem to think that it is a beginning to a resistance to the enlightened age, and still others date the movement as a direct aftermath of the French Revolution that is completely continuous with the present.

Romanticism was previously mentioned as affecting music and literature as well as art, but this is less understated than it might seem at first, Romanticism is very prominent in the music and literature of this period. As the age moved along, more than a few critics have considered composers such as Mozart, Hadyn, and Beethoven as being the three Romantic composers. In literature all over the world, the Romanticism movement deeply affected every writer from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe through to even the 20th century's Ayn Rand, and many more writers between those times when Romanticism was most prominent.

As it became apparent that Romanticism was going to stay a strong influence for many years to come, many critics have taken to confirming that the Romantic period has been elemental in the progress of art to the present day, and that there is almost no famed artist who has not been in part affected by these potent periods of artwork and creative purpose. This rebellion against social and political standards of the age was instrumental in the changing over from those same standards, and created a lush place from which to draw inspiration for the next centuries to come.

Romanticism has become a piece of history that cannot be overlooked for very long as every place that one can turn has somehow been affected by the progress from this one particular time period, though that is certain for many artistic movements that have been present throughout time, and seems to put more clout into the common statement of art imitating life and life imitating art. Neo-Romanticism worked itself out through artists' reevaluation of the earlier works by those like William Blake, and especially in areas like Britain, creating a new underground of writers, artists, and composers.

Neo-Romanticists have been considered the contrast to naturalism as Romanticism was considered the opposite to Neoclassicism in its' heyday because of the movement seems to stress feeling and internal observation, as opposed to the naturalistic tendency to stress external observation, and utilize historic rural landscapes to react to the modern world of machines and its' urbanization. Post-romanticism is an outgrowth of passionate art that refers to a postmodern re-enactment of romantic themes and motifs in contemporary art up to today, and combines the best of traditional artwork with a more modern flair.

In regards to the 20th century turns that Romanticism has made, Romantic realism has evolved out of Romanticism to incorporate elements of themes of value while referring to objective reality and the importance of technique, and was popularized though not coined by the writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. This lead to artists incorporating Romanticism and Realism, though they seemed more weighed to the Romanticist side of the equation, and is considered more as a branching of the Romanticism movement today.

Buying Paintings and Cubism

Buying paintings has been on for a long time. What started out as a rather avant-garde art movement has become one of the greatest examples of artistic forms breaking that mold of convention, revolutionizing European painting and sculpture up to the present century, and was first developed between 1908 and 1912 during a collaboration between Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso with influences from the works of Paul Cezanne and Tribal art. Though the movement itself was not long-lived, it began an immense creative explosion that has had long lasting repercussions, and focused on the underlying concept that the essence of an object can only be captured by showing it from multiple points of view simultaneously.

The movement had run its' course by the end of World War I, and influenced similar ideal qualities in the Precisionism, Futurism, and Expressionistic movements. In the paintings representative of Cubist artworks, objects are broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form, and the artist depicts the subject in a multitude of viewpoints instead of one particular perspective. Surfaces seemingly intersecting at random angles to produce no real sense of depth, with background and object interpenetrating with one another, and creating the shallow space characteristic of Cubism.

French art critic Louis Vauxcelles first used the term cubism, and it was after viewing a piece of artwork produced by Braque, the term was in wide use though the creators kept from using the term for quite some time. The Cubist movement expanded from France during this time, and became such a popular movement so quickly that critics began referring to a Cubist school of artists influenced by Braque and Picasso, many of those artists to Cubism into different directions while the originators went through several distinct phases before 1920.

As Braque and Picasso worked to further to advance their concepts along, they went through a few distinct phases in Cubism, and which culminated in both Analytic and Synthetic Cubism. With Analytic Cubism, a style was created that incorporated densely patterned near-monochrome surfaces of incomplete directional lines and modeled forms that play against each other, the first phases of which came before the full artistic swing of Cubism. Some art historians have also pegged a smaller “Hermetic” phase within this Analytical state, and in which the work produced is characterized by being monochromatic and hard to decipher.

In the case with Synthetic Cubism, which began in 1912 as the second primary phase to Cubism, these works are composed of distinct superimposed parts. These parts, painted or pasted on the canvas, were characterized by brighter colors. Unlike the points of Analytical Cubism, which fragmented objects into composing parts, Synthetic Cubism attempted to bring many different objects to create new forms. This phase of Cubism also contributed to creating the collage and papier colle, Picasso used collage complete a piece of work, and later influenced Braque to first incorporate papier colle into his work.

Similar to collage in practice, but very much a different style, papier colle consists of pasting materials to a canvas with the pasted shapes representing objects themselves. Braque had previously used lettering, but the works of the two artists began to take this idea to new extremes at this point. Letters that had previously hinted at objects became objects as well, newspaper scraps began the exercise, but from wood prints to advertisements were all elements incorporated later as well. Using mixed media and other combinations of techniques to create new works, and Picasso began utilizing pointillism and dot patterns to suggest planes and space.

By the end of the movement, with help from Picasso and Braque, Cubism had influenced more than just visual art. The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was inspired by Cubism in some examples of his music that reassembled pieces of rhythm from ragtime music with the melodies from his own country's influence. In literature, Cubism influenced poets and their poetry with elements parallel with Analytical and Synthetic Cubism, and this poetry frequently overlaps other movements such as Surrealism and Dadaism.

Audio Books - A Lot Of Benefits

In many ways audio books have experienced the same trend toward affordability that movies have. Now that audio books have fallen in price and are also available in downloadable formats it is easier to collect on your digital player or computer.

The popularity of iPod and MP3 players has boosted the market of audio books in recent years. Some book publishers even predicted that audio books would outsell paperback books or e-books one day. Indeed, this trend is understandable when you consider the benefits of audio books over paperback books.

Shopping for audio books is relatively easy nowadays due to the prevalence of stores on the internet. Creating your audio book library can also be made easier by browsing through audio book catalogs provided by some of the online bookstores like mine. An audio books catalog can provide you with an easy way to find books that you might be interested in without having to be online and without having to search for specific titles. If you want to see what is available in the business area you can look at that catalog. If you are a health and recreation addict you can flip through and see what's hot in that area.

The benefits of audio books are:

1. Listening to audio books is convenient and it fits the busy lifestyle of modern people. You can listen to your favorite novels anytime anywhere, while you are walking, shopping, waiting at a doctor's clinic or doing housework.

2. For many people, listening to an audio book is more entertaining and exciting than reading a paperback book.

3. Listening to audio book is more relaxing. You can sit down, take a rest and close your eyes while listening to your favourite book.

4. Downloading audio titles is easy and quick. You don't need to wait for the shipment to arrive or look for a particular book at the bookstore.

5. Audio books are affordable. Many audio book clubs provide audio book download and rental services at low cost. You can rent unlimited audio books or download 1-2 audio titles for less than $15 per month. In addition, there is no shipping cost involved.

6. Audio book is a good learning tool. You can improve your listening skill and vocabulary by listening to the audio book alone or reading the paperback book at the same time.

7. Parents can listen to audio books together with their kids and have fun. An audio book can substitute a bedtime story.

8. For the book publishers, audio book recordings can be duplicated easily and downloadable audio books will never run out of stock.

9. Unlike paperback books, audio books can be kept for indefinite period of time, they are easy to store and do not take up space.

To sum up, digital audio books provide hours of entertainment to listeners at low cost. More and more book publishers now produce digital audio titles simultaneously with the release of the paperback version. If you have not listened to an audio book before, try this new way of entertainment and experience the difference.

The benefits of building an audio book library are very similar to those of building one for printed books. A library as defined by wikipedia is "a collection of information, sources, resources, and services: it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual." For the most part we will be discussing the benefits of collecting audio books as a private individual. Books have been written and produced in spoken word for a variety of topics and therefore the mix of audio books will be different for everyone but why have one at all?

Audio Books - How To Download Them To Your Mp3 Player

Audio books make life easy. MP3-technology portable players are not only good for playing cool tunes downloaded from the internet. They also offer an alternative and a convenient listening addition to audio books on tape or CD.

What used to take days or weeks of waiting for the mail carrier to deliver your audio books on tape or CD, it now takes no more than a few minutes. You can be listening to your favorite MP3 books straight away. And it's going to get even better, easier and quicker, judging from the giant advances in audio and web technologies in recent months.

The hard-core audiobook listeners may take a while to “convert” from using tapes and CDs to an MP3 format. The sheer convenience, perfect control and the size choices MP3 players offer, the “change-over period” is likely going to be a short one. So, if you are a budding MP3 book pioneer and want the latest portable audio technology conveniences, they are waiting here to serve you without having to spend a fortune or extra time to do it right.

To download audio books in MP3 format to your computer and over to your MP3 player, look at the exact steps you need to take to do it quickly and easily.

Just note the following instructions use Windows Media Player - Version 10 as an example. Let's assume you are already good at downloading files from the web onto your computer. Let's also assume that you already own an MP3 player, but don't know how to do this transfer correctly yet.

1. If you are using an older version of Windows Media Player and need to upgrade, surf over to Microsoft and download it at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download. Follow the installation instructions.

2. Download the MP3 books to your computer. It is a good idea to create a separate folder, say in “My Documents” folder and name it “My Audio Books”. It allows you to keep your audio book downloads all in one location.

3. Now, connect your computer (switched on) to the MP3 player using the USB cable supplied with your player.

4. Once the connection between the two is live, your computer will show that it has found a new piece of hardware. If it doesn't say this, just unplug everything in the above sequence and try again.

5. Is it working now? Okay. Open your Windows Media Player and open the audio book MP3 file you want to copy. This will open your audio book in the main display area of Windows Media Player.

6. Add the audio book to the Sync List of your Windows Media Player.

7. Go ahead and click on the Sync tab on the Windows Media Player. It brings you to a pull-down arrow menu on the left-side box of the Sync tab. Make sure you select the choice "Removable Disk (E)", or the name of your MP3 player as the source where the audio book will be copied to.

8. Do you see a display with the choice to "Start Sync" right now? Great! Go ahead and click on it. Once you've done this, the Windows Media Player will let you know that it's sending the audio book to your MP3 player.

9. As soon as the sync (or copying) of the audio book file is complete, you can check to assure it is on your MP3 player. See it there? Excellent. One more step to go.

10. To finish this process properly, ensure you click on your PC's hardware icon (found in your system tray - in the right bottom corner - usually a small icon with a green arrow) to "Safely Remove Hardware".

Don't remove the USB cable until you get a clear signal saying "Safe To Remove Hardware".

Removing the USB cable without following this step may damage both your computer and the MP3 player.

Perhaps you are using an older version of Windows Media Player, you can still follow the steps above. The only major difference is that instead of having "Sync", you will have "Copy" in the menu. You can click on it and follow the same steps above to have your audio book copied to your MP3 player.

If you have a portable MP3 player that uses a drag-and-drop file method instead of Windows Media Player synchronization, then the steps are easy to follow. Simply connect your player to the computer as above. Open the player's window by clicking on its name or on “Removable Disc (for example E or F) under “My Computer” icon.

Then, open the MP3 books folder (the location where you have them saved) in a separate window. Keep both windows open side-by-side. Now, left-click, hold and drag the audio files over to the open window of the portable player. Once you release the left mouse button, there will be a short file-transfer moment. Done? Now, your MP3 books are on your player, ready for you to enjoy listening to it.

LCD HDTV - How To Enjoy The Right One

In an LCD TV or "transmissive" display, a light source shines through a panel of liquid crystals in order to display an image. A white diffusion panel behind the LCD redirects and scatters the light evenly to provide a more uniform image than most competing technologies.

The LCD face consists of two transparent layers which polarize a liquid crystal layer sandwiched in between. The front layer of glass is etched with a grid pattern on the inside surface to form a template for the liquid crystals. Liquid crystals are rod shaped molecules that bend light in response to an electric current; the crystals align so that no light can pass through. Each crystal acts like a camera's shutter, either blocking light or allowing it to pass through. A pattern of transparent or dark crystals forms the image. This same technology has been around for awhile, even in such unsophisticated items as digital watches.

LCD TVs use an "active matrix" LCD; the most advanced type of LCD. The active matrix design is based on TFT, or thin film transistors. These are tiny switching transistors and capacitors that are arranged in a matrix on a glass substrate, they switch the LCD pixels on and off. In a color TV's LCD, each color pixel is created by three sub-pixels with red, green, and blue color filters.

One of the biggest challenges for LCD TV manufacturers has been speeding up the pixel response time, (how fast an individual pixel's color can change without blurring) so that fast moving images don't exhibit motion lag or "ghosting". This is especially critical for larger-screen LCD TVs, or for LCD TVs on which much of the viewing will be HDTV, or DVD movies.

An important difference between LCD technology and Plasma is that an LCD screen doesn't have a coating of phosphor dots; LCD TVs color is created through the use of filters. This keeps image burn-in from being a problem--- which is good news in-particular for people who might use a video gaming system or PC on their TV. Another benefit of owning an LCD TV is the energy efficiency of this technology. LCD TVs typically consume 60% lees power than comparably sized tube-type, direct-view TVs.


How To A LCD HDTV

Everybody requires quality and low priced LCD HDTV (liquid crystal display high-definition television) and all LCD HDTV producers say that their televisions are both of superiority and low priced. So does that mean every LCD HDTV out there is worth purchasing? How will a buyer select the right LCD HDTV? Well the answer is, it all depends on what you want .Are you going to use it to play video games or an alternative computer monitor or just only to view television programs? When you are eager to purchase your first HDTV take a big breath and loosen up. You will need a cool head to select between all kinds of LCD HDTV that are for sale.

All right, let's begin. A few things to search on an LCD HDTV are it's max resolution, color depth, and refresh rates. The bigger the figures the better. First is the maximum resolution. Modern LCD TV market primarily provides 720p and 1080p resolution. Nevertheless, if you want the maximum definition, that would be 1080p (1920x1080). You will see this resolution more and more being a standard on monitors, but it will come with a larger price tag. You will be able to see the difference in image resolution between a 720p TV and a 1080p TV. So, do not waste your cash to buy cheaper and eventually lower resolution televisions just to become disillusioned with it in a few months and then dig out your wallet again to buy a 1080p HDTV.

The next thing to consider is the color depth and refresh rates. You'll want the greatest conceivable color depth and refresh rates. High color depth intends that the pictures will have unaffected colors. Red looks red, green looks green, black look coal black rather than dark grey and white looks virgin white rather than light yellow color. High refresh rate is particularly detectable when you're viewing fast movements either in motion pictures or video games. The high refresh rate permits the image transition appearing fluent.

And so, now that you have the resolution, color depth and refresh rates done, it is time to consider the other facets for example the loudspeaker. The inbuilt loudspeakers you will notice in a LCD HDTV commonly have acceptable quality. And so if when purchase the TV, it is probably best to go to your local television store and hear to the audio. Ask the salesman or woman to hook up a DVD and play a action movie and listen for yourself. If you are not really certain what a great loudspeaker should sound like then you should read the online reviews about the televisions. Studying from other people experience and thoughts can make your purchasing decision a good deal easier.

Additional things you might prefer to think about before purchasing is the television design (will it fit in the design of the room you are placing the TV?), whether it has a inbuilt Digital Tuner (so you are able to make the best of the brand new Digital broadcast signals), is there a wall mount included (so you will be able to hang it on the bedchamber wall) and other accessories. They might not be all that significant but you certainly want to obtain the biggest bang for your buck right?

In most ways that really matter there isn't much difference between LCD TVs and Plasma TVs. Both of these highly popular types of flat panel TVs are thin enough to be placed virtually anywhere, and both produce images that are startlingly clear, sharp, and bright. The most notable difference is screen size. The majority of LCD TVs have a screen size measuring 30 inches and smaller. Plasma TVs are, for the most part, uninhibited by measurement restrictions.

Basically, LCD and Plasma TVs are different approaches to the same result because the both create superior images using radically different technology.

Still Life - How To Paint It

Still Life is an art term, that refers to a special kind of picture. It represents an arrange of inanimate objects (hence the name) such as a bowl, a cup or fruits. Usually the arrangement is made according to the artist's purpose. A Still life pencil drawing can be symbolic, with an underlying meaning, or aesthetic, in which case the purpose is to communicate beauty.

About Still Life Pencil Drawings

A still life work can have many purposes. If we work in color it can help us understand how color acts in real life, how the light bounces, and how an arrangement of colors can bring a special mood to the painting. Using colored pencils we can begin studies about color, and work in the finest details. But in the case of black and white pencil drawings, the purpose of the still life pencil drawing is different. A still life pencil drawing can help us study shapes and see how they interact on our eyes, we learn how to measure correct proportions and how they can make the difference betwen a good drawing and a remarkable drawing.

When we get into shading, we then study tonal values. There are no colors here so we must learn how to see things in black and white mode, and correctly define which are going to be the dark and light areas on our still life pencil drawing.

Painting Still Life

So you want to be known as a painter of still life? Still life painting gives you, the artist an opportunity to render spirituality or poetry to seemingly mundane objects. Though the final creation seemed less intricate than portraits or landscapes, the process of composing a still life involves manifold preparations and specific requirements.

One of the specific requirements is the light source. It should be steady and the artist is allowed to use artificial lights and reflectors. A window that faces north is good rather than one that faces east. The reason for this is quite obvious. The rapid change of the sun's position affects the lighting and after awhile, the you will lose the first image that you sought in the first place.

Another thing to prepare is the composition of the subject. You must be sure that it is how you want the objects to be arranged. You may draw several preliminary sketches using different compositions and carefully study each of them. Choose the one that would give the most balanced and harmonious pattern of light and dark.

The next step is to decide what approach you will use. Except when you're aiming for “photo-realism”, you don't really want to paint the subject as exactly as you see it. Therefore, decide what is your purpose, concept, or even message for making this still life. This step is most crucial because, based on your decision, you would determine how you would proceed.

The oil painting technique utilized by many old masters involves applying repeated layers of paint and glazes. Some examples of works done by this technique are “Still Life: Lemons, Oranges and a Rose“ by Zurbarán and “The Silver Goblet” by Chardin.

Or you may wish to use the direct painting approach. Should you decide this, a good thing to remember is to decide one center of interest. This center interest ideally is the most lighted of all objects and others are partly concealed by shadows. Of course, the surface on which the center of interest lies should be lighted too. But the line of shadow beneath the objects should ideally be the darkest in the picture.

Another thing to keep in mind are the distinct shapes of your objects and the ground plane. Establish these early on and never lose them in the process.

Finally, after you have applied all the necessary strokes and colors, step back and scrutinize your work. Add finishing touches. For example, if the overall impression is rather dull, consider adding another color, perhaps a complement to one of the colors you've applied.

Still lifes are the most available subjects in the world, and while some people may consider still life drawing boring, the fact is they teach us a lot. When you have no idea of what to draw, just make an arrangement of things you have at your house and start your still life pencil drawing. Don't take just as bring cups and fruits, but instead focus on what you can learn from this. If you keep practicing on drawing still life scenes you will find out that you have a much better understanding on how light works, and how objects relate to each other within a composition and color scheme.

Home Theater Systems - How To Have A Nice Time

Home theater systems can make a difference in your activities. Home theater experts state that the most important consideration in setting up a home theater system is the size of the room where you will set up the home theater system. The most important component of the home theater system, which is the television, is dependent on the size of the room. Although, the recommendation is 27 inches television set at a minimum is necessary for your home theater set up. It is also a recommendation that a flat television is good for a home theater system because it exhibits fewer glares and produces a crisper image.

Another major component of a home theater system that depends on the size of the room is the speaker. The number of speakers for your home theater system is dependent on the size of the room. You may add up to six speakers from the basic three speakers if you want a more lifelike sound. Adding a subwoofer may also be good to achieve a complete surround sound like in the movie theaters. Three speakers should be the minimum; you may go up to six if the room is big.

Another major for your home theater system is the DVD player. It is a recommendation that DVD players with progressive scan will be the best choice. This is because progressive scan produces sharp and flicker-free pictures. This however points back to the choice of television unit; you may need to check if the flat television set supports progressive scan signals. You may also acquire a five-disk carrousel DVD player. This will avoid having to stand up from your seat to change discs every so often.

A minor consideration is the power rating that will determine how loud your speaker can be. Of course, almost all these depend on the size of the room to where the home theater system is going to be set up. Small room requires from few types of equipment, bigger rooms may require more and adding home theater furniture to your home theater system may be best. A bigger room thus requires more investments. A smaller room might require fewer but of good quality equipments to avoid the too basic feel of the home theater system.

Finally, you may acquire a beautifully designed home theater system if you consider hiring a home theater expert. If you can afford this, it will be best for you because the home theater expert will be able to effectively design and set up your home theater system. Your home theater designer may also add some features like home theater seating and other home theater furniture to be able to give the complete home theater package that closely resembles a real movie theater. Having the finest and high-quality home theater system will give you the most sought after set up that you could flaunt and enjoy to the max.

Entertainment and Media Production - How They Can Help Your Business

Entertainment and Media Production are very important. You are a business. You do well. Why do you need to worry about what Entertainment and Media Production companies can do for you? Why would you need to hire some weird artist to make your company's exposure to the public more attractive? Let's get to the bottom line. Revenue! You can actually increase your revenue through the way that you expose yourself in the media. This is not a new idea it's just advertising.

Entertainment and Media Production companies can do a lot for your business. They can make you literature more visually appealing and easy to read and understand. They can make your TV and radio commercials for you. They can even make great designs your internal newsletter. How does this affect the bottom line? It draws people in to what you want them to read, see or hear. That generates more sales leads, which in turn generate more revenue.

Good and attractive media helps your company look professional. Looking professional helps customers trust you. These customers can be individual buyer or business to business customers. People are more likely to buy from you if the trust you. Many times all the customer sees is your literature. In many businesses they don't see you office building, or your factory, all they see is your literature and your product. Make your product look great. Then, make you literature look great too.

Good entertainment media, like ads and TV spots can actually work hard for you. A good ad can raise the top of mind awareness for your company or product. As it does this it also positions your company in their mind. Let's say you own a bank and you ask your entertainment media production department to come up with a TV spot promoting your bank. If they create a TV spot that looks like it was done in a garage, then your bank will be positioned in the minds of the consumers as an unprofessional banking firm. However, if they do an excellent job and make a TV spot that has the feeling of solidarity, then the consumers will position you as a secure bank. In short, find your position then let your ads, TV spots and literature exemplify that position.

Be careful with entertainment media. Vulgarity, offensiveness and even humor can get you in to trouble. You media should never be vulgar or offensive. You are trying to entice people to trust you not turn them away. Humor can be a great tool but it can also be a stumbling block. When you use humor, make sure that it has a purpose (i.e. sell a product or position you company in the mind of the consumers). If it is funny but unrelated. Don't do it! It won't help.

Here are a few guidelines about how to use entertainment media.

1. Make it look professional

2. Don't be uptight. It is okay to have fun as long you don't forget your purpose

3. Be Fresh but tight. Make all of entertainment media productions clean and appealing

4. Make it memorable

5. Make it friendly (this applies to most businesses

6. Don't put anything in that is vulgar or offensive

7. Make it fun. Remember that it is called entertainment media production, there should be an element of entertainment.

8. Make your views feel like you are a long-time friend

9. Make it speak your company values. Make your media speak volumes about your company by their layout and design not just the type.

10. Get it done professionally

Entertainment media production is a powerful tool in helping generate revenue. Let me close with and example. A few years ago BMW took an interesting approach to advertising. They produced a few of short films that featured their cars. These were actual films but every drove BMW cars. They offered these for free to whom ever wanted one and on the DVD was a brochure for their cars. The films were a great way to promote their cars. Be creative when you work with media and it will serve you well.

Visual Arts - The Benefits For You

Visual arts should come to mind when talking entertainment. Art has long been a source of peace and prosperity for many people in this world. Visual arts are a big draw for many as they create the aesthetic appeal to the nature of the artist that most find fascinating. Knowing the artist on a more personal level through their work is how many will associate a great artist from one who lacks confidence and talent.

The visual arts encompass things like sculpture, painting and so on. The basis of visual arts is that of productions meant to entertain through the eyes without use of song, speech or writing. The artist is trying to make a point by the concept he or she has put together without having to speak about the topic. So in truth the artist is telling a story by using the visual images and how they transform into words in our brain. The feelings aroused when a person sees a particular piece of art is the idea behind visual art.

Throughout the history of the world there has been visual art in one form or another. Even the early days of man have shown us that we were interested in communicating with one another through art. Cave drawings depict hunts and so on that we as the modern day people attempt to interpret to learn more about the times. Art was thought to be the only form of communication that was available making it more appealing to the other people alive at the time.

When you move forward through history you see that visual art has played a major role in the culture of the countries around the world. This comes on the heels of the fact that many artists never realized any kind of fame or fortune during their lifetime as their work did not become appreciated until centuries later.

Case and point of this would be Vincent Van Gough. He was plagued by his own insecurity and addictions. His work was outside of the norm and hence it was not accepted by the art community of his time. Van Gough would spend his relatively short life painting but never selling. Today there is nothing shy of an extreme demand for his work. Examples of Van Gough's paintings sell in the millions of dollar range and are highly sought after by serious art collectors.

The other side of the coin would be those artists that found fame and fortune during their life time and still have a huge following to this day. Leonardo Da Vinci is a prime example. Da Vinci was a highly popular painter and sculpture in his time and he had the attention of the royal family which gave him carte blanche on his work. Besides art he was known as one of the greatest thinkers who actually invented many of the things we use today though he never built any of his own. Da Vinci was also a highly sought after teacher of the arts and many masters owe their talent to his schooling.

Visual arts make up a large portion of the artistic world and provide solace for those with tormented souls. All one has to do is visit an art gallery and learn to understand the way that artists view the world and interpret it for us.

Artists - How To Achieve Marketing Success

Artists deserve success in their career. Are you an artist who seeks more from their art than it just being a hobby? Then getting interest in your work for it to produce an income is a must. To do this you need marketing and promotional success, which will enable you to start earning a living from your artistic output.

Today we are going to talk about 10 ways you can find a market for your work and where you can learn more about what is required of you to be successful.

1. Before you do any painting at all, afford yourself the time to do your market research. One of the biggest reasons for artists failing in their pursuit to become professional is a lack of understanding of what the market wants. Don't be so arrogant as to assume you know everything and that what you paint is “right”.

Chances are that it isn't, so don't assume anything. Go out there into the World and see what's on offer and, more to the point, what is selling. Galleries are full of pictures that don't sell so ignore those. Ask the proprietor to show you what sells best and why and to whom?

2. Secondly, remember that what you are seeing for sale is what was created for last season. Most galleries stock prints these days for the mass market so you need to know what is coming next rather than what is on show now. Imagine taking inspiration from a style on display only to return with a new offering to be told that is now “old hat”.

3. You must ensure that you visit the trade shows to see what the publishers, independents and importers are offering next seasons market. Even this will meet you a step behind as the artists on display there are already working on next season's ideas.

However, by taking guidance from the trade show you can at least sell to the galleries armed with colors and themes in current context. Most importantly, talk to the publishers about your work and ask them about the process of presenting yourself for consideration.

4. If you are satisfied to sell your work as “original only” you will need to form relationships with good and reputable galleries. The value of art is in its perception by the viewer. For example, if you hang your work in an exclusive gallery, you will expect to command a much higher price than in your local town, side street, so aim high and get the best wall space you can.

Talk to several gallery owners and listen to what they have to say. Most will be honest about your work and tell you exactly how likely it is to sell in their establishment. Wall space is valuable so they won't waste it. You will need a thick skin at times so be prepared for harsh criticism. No matter who you are, some will love your work while others will hate it.

5. Discuss a fair retail price based on a fair price for you and the gallery. If you are happy with a price don't start flinching when the gallery says they will sell it for maybe over double your price. They have to charge tax for a start, then cover all their expenses and actually find you a buyer before they see any profit for their trouble. So, don't begrudge them their share.

6. Wherever your work is on show, make an effort to accompany it so you can talk to prospective customers. Art buyers love to meet the artist in person and you can do yourself a great deal of good by putting in an appearance if only at weekends. Talk to the Gallery, they are sure to welcome such proposals.

7. If you are going to sell your work yourself, make use of every opportunity to gain exposure.

8. When you create new works try and adopt a theme for a collection. Single pieces do little to help the buying public form an opinion about you or your work. Some will want to find an artist to collect, so unless they can see more than one example of your work they will find this difficult to do. So, don't settle for one painting, aim for at least three or four in a set, it will do much for your credibility and will considerably assist your success.

9. Whatever you display for sale, make sure it is accompanied by a Title and a Written Explanation. The buying public love a story, it helps them to understand your work, gain more from the imagery and, believe it or not, such background information will assist them with a good subconscious reason for purchasing. Your information will make them an “informed buyer”. This will in turn allow them to impress their friends when they come to call.

10. Finally, in my experience the biggest mistakes artists make is to try and be something they are not or to try and convince the public of such. Painting a woman with an eye on the side of her head does not make you Picasso so don't try to be. Artists like him are famous as much for their creation of “the style” as they are for any integral artistic ability.

The first rule of creativity is to be true unto yourself, unsuppressed by the need to conform to what others expect or may perceive as “art”. If you do not allow yourself this right of expression you will rarely find joy in painting.

But then you must be able to step out of the “real you” and find a way of harnessing your talent in a commercial way that may have more chance to support you until such time as your own passions are recognized as desirable enough in their own right to earn you a living.

Lower Back Tattoos - What are the pros and cons?

Lower back tattoo designs are extremely popular among young women. For one, the designs are sexy and draw attention to a woman's backside. Lower back tattoo designs are extremely difficult to choose from and while they look amazing on your body, you really have to figure out what you want to get done. Lower back tattoo designs for women are desired by most women because they can be hidden. People want to have a tattoo so that others can see but in some situations it may need to be hidden with clothing.

Lower back tattoos are often oblong with shape, following the slope of the back on either side of the woman's or man's spine. Worn almost exclusively by the women, the lower back tattoo functions as body decoration with the intent of emphasizing sexual attractiveness. Lower back tattoos for women have a vast number of design types that are available, any individual can perfectly depict their or her personality in the pictorial form. Some of the most popular forms of lower back tattoos include flowers, butterflies and fairies.

The Advantages Of Lower Back Tattoos

In general, the placement of most tattoos means that they're either permanently on show or hidden by clothing. But due to modern clothing trends including low cut jeans and crop tops, the lower back is the perfect place for a tattoo if you want to achieve a "now you see it, now you don't" effect. This subtle approach to tattoo placement is similar to the growing trend among men for tattoos on the underside of the forearm. Unlike a front forearm tattoo which is highly visible, an inside design will be hidden for much of the time. But once you've seen the design, it will be more visible.

Another reason for the popularity of lower back tattoos is the sensuality of the placement. Some people find the "should I have seen that" glimpse of an exposed lower back tattoo extremely alluring. This is a major advantage if you want to project a sexy, adventurous image.

Placing a tattoo on your lower back also means that you won't be able to see it under normal conditions. In fact, you'll only see it if you're extremely flexible or when you catch a glimpse of it in a mirror. So if you want a tattoo, but don't want to see it all the time, a lower back placement might be the answer.

The Disadvantages Of Lower Back Tattoos
Lower back tattoos carry one major disadvantage - they're extremely unoriginal. The trend has lasted for so long that millions of women all over the world have tattoos placed on their lower back. In fact, it has become almost impossible to find a new way to place a tattoo design on your lower back.

But beyond that, certain unflattering slang terms have developed to describe lower back tattoos and the women who have them, including "tramp stamp", and "gramp stamp", which refers to the idea that in 40 to 50 years, the world will be full of elderly women with lower back tattoos. So if you're looking for something a bit more original, it's best to avoid lower back tattoos.

Another major disadvantage of tattoos placed on the lower back is the fact that you won't be able to see your tattoo unless you look in a mirror. This may be an advantage if you want a tattoo but don't want to look at it all the time. But if you want to see your new design on a regular basis, avoid getting a tattoo anywhere in your back.

An Original Alternative To Consider
If you like the idea of a lower back tattoo, but want to retain an element of originality, try placing your tattoo design further round your torso, so that it sits on the sound of the body above one or both of your hips. At present, tattoos placed in this location are relatively rare, so if you're looking for something original, it might be worth considering.

Lower back tattoos are fun to show off when you want to. They are easy to hide or show off, whichever you choose. They are easy to cover up with clothing in case you are going somewhere a tattoo would be inappropriate, such as to church or a formal dinner. They are easy to cover up as well, which is great for those who aren't allowed to have tattoos at work. Unlike other areas of the body, the lower back is completely covered up by a shirt.

Lower back tattoo designs are in heavy demand because they look sexy and seductive on a female. It is the most erotic design on a female figure that actually fascinates people. Lower back tattoo designs are one of the most popular tattoos amongst women but it doesn't mean you can't use your imagination and get one elsewhere. Actually, once you get one, you will almost certainly want to get another one. Lower back tattoos are often oblong in shape, following the slope of the back on either side of the woman's spine. The lower back tattoo is body decoration with the intent of emphasizing sexual attractiveness.

Shoulder Tattoos - A Lot Of Benefits

Shoulder tattoos are getting more and more popular with today's women. There are a wide variety of sexy tattoo designs for women to get on that especially beautiful part of the body these days, and shoulder tattoos are very diverse. Shoulder tattoos have become more popular recently as they can be flaunted easily and most of the time you do not have to struggle to hard to make them visible across others. They are funky and you can choose to get shoulder tattoos that speaks your style so that people attracted towards you can get to know what kind of a person you are.

Shoulder tattoos are probably one of the most common and sought after designs. Shoulder tattoo designs can be quite versatile, since they are used for smaller tattoos or can be expanded to encompass a larger area. Sometimes it becomes part of a sleeve tat that extends all the way down the arm. Shoulder tattoo designs come form many sources and there are many websites but not like this one.

The advantages of the shoulder tattoo are:

1. Heat Wave Clothing - Shoulder tattoos are great for those who want or need to cover their tattoos periodically, for work, school, or to keep a significant other happy. Unlike upper arm tattoos, shoulder tattoos don't require you to wear long sleeves in the middle of a heat wave in order to avoid offending people, and unlike back tattoos, they don't require you to go topless in order to show them off. A tank top is ideal.

2. Not Painful - If you're concerned about the level of physical discomfort associated with getting a tattoo, the pain is usually proportionate to the amount, or of lack of, padding on the area being tattooed. Shoulder tattoos are generally considered, after upper arm tattoos, the least painful.

3. Longevity - Another advantage of shoulder tattoos is their longevity. One of the realities of getting tattooed is that the location of a tattoo correlates directly to the length of time it keeps its brightness and definition.

4. Sunlight - The two most important factors you should consider in positioning your tattoo for a long and eye catching life are how much sunlight it will receive and how much bending it will have to endure. The less sunlight and tanning your tattoo is forced to undergo, the better, because this sun is a notorious fader of tattoo ink And the less bending it experiences, the less likely its inks are to “migrate,” and cause blurring of its details. Having shoulder tattoos, however, does not excuse their wearers from protecting themselves with sunscreen.

5. Easy - They are some of the easiest to do

6. Cheap - Beacause they are easy to do, shoulder tattoos are some of the least expensive. Location has always played a part in the cost of a tattoo, because some parts of the body are simply harder to access and work on, and will require frequent touch-up work, which is usually free.

The biggest positive abut shoulder tattoos, however, is that the contours of the shoulder lent themselves to some truly stunning tattoos. Floral garlands; shooting stars; never ending Celtic knots and dragons; or abstract tribal designs; in fact, any tattoos to which you'd like add a three dimensional look are all perfect ideas for shoulder tattoos!

Shoulder tattoos are great for those who want or need to cover their tattoos periodically, for work, school, or to keep a significant other happy. Unlike upper arm tattoos, shoulder tattoos don't require you to wear long sleeves in the middle of a heat wave in order to avoid offending people, and unlike back tattoos, they don't require you to go topless in order to show them off. In addition, shoulder tattoos are getting more and more popular with today's women. There are a wide variety of sexy tattoo designs for women to get on that especially beautiful part of the body these .

Tattoo Designs - Ideas To Consider

Every day thousands of people elect to get a tattoo, but can't decide which design to use. It's a difficult decision unless you know what you want. Not only are there an unlimited number of tattoo designs available, you've got the permanency factor to overcome. In all likelihood, your new tattoo will be with you for life, so you've got to be certain that your choice of design will be as relevant to you years into the future as it is today.

Tattoos are a highly personal items and can mean so many different things to each person. For example, some people use tattoos to express their personality, some people use them to show their love for another person, while some people see tattoos as art and their body as an empty canvas.

Perhaps the best way to go about finding your perfect tattoo design is to ask the basic question, "Why do I want a tattoo?". Hopefully that should help you to narrow down your options.

The next stage is to look at as many different tattoo styles as possible. Weed out the styles and the types of design that you don't like and see what's left. At present, some of the most popular tattoo designs include;

1. Celtic Tattoo
This design is having the taste of growing popularity. Day by day people are getting more interested in Celtic taste in the section of tattooing. It is said to have universal appeal and many tattoo lovers have shown overwhelming passion for this kind. The signs and symbols of this design is often mixed with tribal types of tattoos to create a brand new style.

2. Dragon Tattoo
Before we get to tattooing of dragon we need to learn a little lesson on the myth of this creature. Centuries ago Asians, to be more specific Chinese used to believe dragons are warriors for goodness. Meanwhile, Europeans had a different view about it and thought it as evil. No matter what the believe was both sides considered it as an awesomely powerful force. That was the base of dragon tattoos those days and funny, it is still the inspiration for many people who has dragon tattooed in their body. There are types of dragons which represents deep meaning like even having control over natural elements.

3. Rose Tattoo
Just like the flower rose tattoos display a different type of passion, emotion, view and most of all beauty. It is yet another form of tattoo which has survived the consequences of ever changing nature of human taste. Roses painted in the body have different colors. Each symbolizes something according to the color. While red rose announces blooming love white rose is the symbol of innocence and purity of the heart and soul.

And finally, if you want the ultimate in personalization, some people have their tattoo custom designed by an artist to combine several items that represent the various themes of their life. So in effect their tattoo or tattoos tell their life story.

Popular Tattoo Design

Tattooing has been existing for a long time and this long time means only thousands of years. It is the art which is used to modify body and add beauty to the natural look by enhancing physical looks.

There has been tattoo designs gained popularity for short time and there have been designs and styles which are meant to stay forever in human bodies. Let's take a look at some latest and traditional body piercing or painting art approaches which have been loved and hailed by people at this time.

1. Angel

Angel tattoos are popular with people who want to reflect the religious or spiritual side of their personality. Alternatively, if you would like an angelic design without the religious overtones, why not consider a fairy tattoo?

2. Butterfly

A butterfly tattoo represents grace and freedom. They also symbolize beauty, which makes them popular with women. They're also perfect for people who have never had a tattoo before or those who want a small tattoo.

3. Celtic

These ancient patterns and designs, which are often represented by elaborate knots and crosses are perfect for anyone with Scottish or Irish family connections.

4. Cross

Again, these designs can symbolize religious faith, but they're also commonly used with eternity symbols to show enduring love or friendship. So they're good if you want to get a tattoo with your children's names on it.

5. Flowers

Flower tattoos are a sign of beauty, growth and regeneration. And if you want a bright, vibrant tattoo with plenty of color, flowers will give you an endless number of possibilities.

6. Stars

Star tattoo designs are extremely popular and as such have come to symbolize a different cultural, social and religious meaning for many millions of people. In general, star tattoos represent positivity, dreams and high ambitions.

7. Tribal

Tribal tattoo designs have got a long and diverse history. Over the years different styles and shapes have come to represent many different historical tribes and cultures. So they're great for people who want to show a connection with their past ancestors. But beyond the actual design that you choose, there are a number of factors that will help to personalise your tattoo.

Some tattoos, mainly the larger designs, such as dragons, angels, birds etc, are much more elaborate and intricate. The attention to detail is amazing and the end result is a highly lifelike piece of artwork. Alternatively, many tattoos, mainly the smaller designs, such as hearts, stars, flowers etc, are much simpler and more like a cartoon character in style. Colorful but with less detail.

Which brings us to the issue of color. The colors chosen for your design play a large part in the overall look and spirit of your tattoo. In general, women tend to select smaller tattoos with bright, vibrant colors. On the other hand, men go for larger designs with more muted color and extra detail to make the design look as lifelike as possible.

If you want to emphasize a side of your life, such as your beliefs or your culture, it's possible to combine traditional tattoo designs with items that reflect these values. For example, your design could incorporate a small cross, tribal lettering or even the colors of your home country's flag. Each type of tattoo represents something, so it is important you have your type of tattoo in your body.

Chinese Tattoos - What To Avoid

Chinese tattoos are quite popular now. Chinese tattoo symbols are an interesting and unorthodox means of expression. However, it isn't rare that people get misused or wrong tattoos. Although the art of tattooing has been present in China for many centuries it is today that the Chinese tattoo symbols are receiving world wide acclaim. Chinese tattoos are admired by many, there is something about Chinese characters that make people line up in the tattoo parlor, ready to set their stamp of powerful meaning that a Chinese tattoo portrays.

A tattoo in China is known as Chi Shen or Wen Sheh, literally translated the terms mean to puncture the body. Chinese tattoos have an attraction and is liked by many even though people don't usually know their meanings. The Chinese have created thousands of different symbols to represent feelings, objects and words. Chinese tattoo symbol meaning details.

Chinese tattoos that include authentic characters and symbols can form the basis of beautiful designs which carry a deep and personal meaning. But due to the complex nature of Chinese writing it's extremely easy to end up with a permanent embarrassment trapped under your skin unless you take a few basic precautions. So to help you avoid these Chinese tattoo disasters, here are the top five mistakes to look out for;

1. Poor Quality Designs

Chinese writing is extremely complicated so the design of your tattoo has to be precise otherwise the meaning will be lost. One slight alteration or a missed stroke can completely change the meaning of the design.

Unfortunately, due to a combination of poor quality tattoo designs and western artists who try to add their own style to the Chinese characters, thousands of people end up with Chinese tattoos that are incorrect and meaningless.

2. Not Knowing What They Mean

There are many people walking around who don't know the meaning of their Chinese tattoo. Tattooing is a form of self expression, and if you don't know what your design means it becomes rather pointless. So if you plan to get a Chinese character tattoo, make sure that you know what it means before the treatment begins.

3. Misalignment

Chinese characters become meaningless if they are applied upside down or back to front. But this mistake is often made by tattoo artists who don't understand the symbols that they are using. Once they lose track of which way round the designs should be used, it's just luck whether your design is applied correctly.

4. Standard Tattoo Parlour Designs

Most tattoo studios offer hundreds of Chinese symbol designs to choose from. The different options fill binders and walls in tattoo parlours all over the world. Unfortunately, many of these designs have been wrongly translated or have missing strokes which renders them meaningless. And even if the design that you choose is correct, there will be thousands of people around the world with the same design.

If you want a Chinese writing tattoo that enhances your individuality it's important to avoid these standard designs and get a native Chinese speaker to create a custom design which will express your own personal values. Consult two or three native Chinese speakers about your design. Tell them the message that you want your design to convey and ask them for suggestions.

Drawing Tips for Beginners

A child's first scribbling is something which it tries to express if you give a pencil in his hand. Drawing is relatively very simple and an easy skill and is something with which you can have great fun. It is also relatively not a very expensive hobby and can start with paper and a pencil. It can go on till acquiring costly pen and tablets - a computer hardware through which you can draw on your computer. It is very costly; however the precision for perfection is very high.

Unlike earlier days, getting information on drawing and sketching is very easy and inexpensive. You can search information on Google and get various sites which teach drawing. Also, nowadays this art form is liked by many youngsters. Like all other art forms, with constant and systematic practice one can become a great artist.

Listed below are few drawing tips which can help anyone improve their skill and become an artist. Reading and practicing these in your daily routine will improve your skill.

1. If you are drawing and you are right handed person, ensure that the light is from your left side. This will prevent your hand shadow falling on your paper.

2. First step when you practice drawing - you should practice drawing line, straight line, curved line, scribbled lines, and your hand should obey the command of your thoughts and visions. You should control your hand and you should be able to bring out what you want.

3. You should further develop drawing circles, oval shapes, crossed lines and bold and thick lines. Just like how a baby develops from crawling stage to walking stage, your art should also develop step by step.

4. These lines and curves are like pillars to a building. The foundation should be strong enough to have a good building; similarly these initial small lines and curves will go a long way in your career. You should also start controlling the stress on your pencil. You should be able to bring the correct darkness and thickness in the lines what you draw.

5. Initially you will not be able to draw a circle or an oval shape correctly, nevertheless don't get discouraged. You should practice and practice until you get perfection. You should also keep all your drawings carefully from the start to know how you are improving. You could also date your sketches and preserve it for the future.

6. You should concentrate in the area where you feel you are weak. If you are not able to shade properly then learn more to do that. You can try out your own style of shading. Build your own individuality, never copy from another artist.

7. Last but not the least, use good quality materials. 4B and 6B pencils and good chart paper or note book with good quality paper should be sufficient to start with. Quality definitely matters hence never compromise on quality.

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.

How To Draw The Human Figure

Figure drawing is challenging. The act of rendering the human form accurately on paper can be intimidating and frustrating if you try to tackle everything all at once. It is for this reason that you should take things one-step at a time and most importantly, practice! The following article will provide you with some of the basics for understanding how to approach your next figure drawing project.

The very first thing you will need obviously is your drawing supplies. Drawing does not have to be a very expensive art form. You can get started with a pencil and paper if you so desire, but there are certain supplies that will produce better results. It is quite difficult to recommend the perfect materials as every artist is different and therefore will have different preferences. Only time and experience will tell you what materials work best for your particular style. Your choice of materials will also depend on the chosen subject matter.

The best advice would be to get a variety of different pencils and papers and simply experiment. You will eventually come to like certain materials over others. Get your self a pad of newsprint paper. Newsprint paper is fairly inexpensive and excellent for practice drawings, although you should not expect these drawing to last very long. They will more than likely yellow over time. For your permanent drawings, a good quality paper is recommended. Strathmore is a good brand to look into. You may want to start with a medium textured paper as it has enough "tooth" to hold a fair amount of medium, but smooth enough to allow for detailed work. You will also need a good size drawing board that is smooth and flat for your drawing surface.

Before you even lift a pencil, you should have a basic understanding of human anatomy. When you study anatomy, you will learn more about the construction of the human body and its proportions. You will also have a basic understanding of the muscles and tendons and how they direct and control the body. There is no need to get carried away and memorize every muscle, bone, and tendon in the human body; just a fundamental understanding should suffice.

Getting the proportions correct in your figure drawing is one of the biggest challenges you will face as a beginner. It is for this reason that a unit of measurement was established using the models head. This is the distance from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin. 7 ½ to 8 heads is the standard measurement that has been developed for the height of an erect figure. This measurement can vary depending on the subject so you may have to make adjustments to your figure drawing. You should realize that the measurement of 7 ½ heads corresponds to the figure when it is standing erect. If the pose of your figure changes, adjustments will obviously have to be made.

Artists will often use a pencil to take the head measurement. Stand a reasonable distance from your subject. Grab your pencil from the bottom as if you were holding a hammer and extend your arm out fully in front of you toward the subject. Try and keep your head as still as possible. Make certain that you are standing in the same spot each time you take measurements. Now closing one eye match the tip of the pencil with the top of the subjects head. Place your thumb on the pencil and slide it down until it matches with the bottom of the subjects chin. You now have taken the "head" measurement of your subject, which will now serve as a reference for measuring the rest of your subject.

When deciding on the type of pose for your figure drawing make sure you choose one that looks natural. Your model will be holding his or her pose for a long period of time and should be comfortable and relaxed. Give your model adequate time to move around and get settled. The more relaxed and natural the pose, the more believable the final drawing or painting will be. If your model looks uncomfortable or awkward, your painting or drawing will reflect that as well.

There are number of different lighting situations that you can create for your figure drawing or painting. Will you be working indoors or outdoors? If indoors, will you be working in a room that has natural sunlight or will you be using artificial light? What direction will the light source come from? Will there be multiple light sources? If you are a beginner, you may want to create a lighting effect that strikes your model from only one direction and illuminates your figure only partially, thereby creating more shadow. This will make for a much easier figure drawing. As you gain more experience, you can then move on to more complex lighting effects.

When you begin your drawing, you should not be overly concerned with getting every detail correct in your figure or other objects that make up your drawing. Many beginners fall into this trap and ultimately wind up with a drawing that is out of proportion or that just looks wrong. Study your subject, squint your eyes and try to locate the basic shapes that make up your subject.

Figure drawing and painting is a vast subject and this article only touches on some of the basics. You should definitely take classes or workshops and practice your figure drawing with live models. Purchase a few good books on figure drawing and anatomy. Join discussion groups and ask questions. Most importantly though, keep practicing and never give up.

How To Use Use Lyrics

Lyrics come up when talking entertainment. Often times music lyrics are simply used to create catchy words that people hear. These words are designed to appeal and convince people to buy CDs and attend concerts of a certain artist. There are other reasons, however, that artists choose their lyrics as they do. Lyrics are heard by all of an artist's audience and can occasionally be beneficial to a cause or an idea. This article will explore the different reasons artists create lyrics in the way that they do.

A common usage of lyrics in this day and age is to critique the current state, or even form, of government in a country. It is quite common for folk of any nationality to be unhappy with their governing powers for one reason or another. In the United States there is much concern over the way President Bush has handled the issues of terrorism, oil, and even immigration in recent days. Rather than coming out publicly with speeches, many artists hide messages of their disgust into their lyrics. Often times people will hear their message more often and more clearly through music than in a boring speech in which people can simply change the channel. A musical group who created these type of lyrics often was Rage Against the Machine, although they have been broken up for quite some time now.

Lyrics can also be used to reminisce about good times or bad times had as a child or teenager. Often times these years are the ones that shape a person and who he or she is going to be when they grow up. So it makes sense that as an adult, many artists feel the need to pay homage to this crucial part of their life. Many of these song's lyrics focus in on past relationships long forgotten, good times had with best friends, and even sometimes traumatic experiences with abusive or uncaring parents or relatives. Whatever the topic is, being able to sing about their past memories allows artists to release whatever emotion they are feeling.

Of course it would be a mistake to claim all lyrics are meaningful and are made with some ulterior message underneath. Often times artists are simply looking for songs to make them more money and just garble together some nonsense about dancing and making money into a song. While these lyrics certainly do not have any real positive message, most of the time, they are still among the most popular of the youth today. There is no real problem with this, however, as kids shouldn't be worried about deep meanings at every point of their life. They should be able to feel good about themselves and have fun for no reason when they are young!

Song lyrics are something that almost every genre of music has, and it is important to realize that some songs are made with interior meanings. Without recognizing that a song may mean more than simply the words it displays from the exterior, it is easy to overlook an artist's true creation and art and to give them less credit than they deserve.

How Make Artwork Print-Ready

It is important you follow these guidelines as any errors made are likely to cause a delay or cause unnecessary stress should the final print quality be sub-standard.

1. Check your files
Check your artwork for spelling mistakes, grammar and ensure all images used are high resolution. Double check to make sure as any errors found will delay the turnaround of your product.

2. Bleed
Bleed is the extra bit of the design page which you design on, as normal, with the knowledge that it will be trimmed off the finished flyer. Any images on your artwork should bleed off the page, and essential text should be away from the trim edge by a good few mm's. We use a 2mm bleed area on each edge.

3. Text
Keep essential text away from the edge of the flyer, by about 8-10mm for best results.

4. Print Resolution
Ensure your artworks resolution is at least 300dpi. The higher the resolution the better.

5. File Formats
If you are using un-common fonts, ensure you supply your artwork as a flattened jpeg or tiff. This will ensure there will be no font problems when your artwork is checked. The most commonly accepted program formats are Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop, Corel Draw, Corel Paint, Freehand, InDesign and Paint Shop Pro. Vector files such as .eps and pdf's are becoming more common and ensure a better end product.

6. Colours
Unless you have a calibrated monitor your artwork is likely to have slightly different colours when printed. Ensure your colour choices are correct before sending to print.

7. A Final Check
Before sending to your printer, have one more final check that everything is as expected.

WARNING
There are two things you should consider when designing your flyers:

Due to the quick turn around of our flyers, they are trimmed down not long after they are printed, in most circumstances we try to give a printed sheet 8 hours to dry completely, this isn't always the case. This is noticeable when one side of the flyer is left white, and the other side bleeds rich colour to the trim edge. This will cause slight powdering of the rich ink over, on to the white side. In this circumstance we recommend the use of borders.

Borders on the edge of a flyer, can sometimes give the flyer a classic look. But make sure the borders are a good few mm in from the trim edge, because of the way we print flyers (up to 32 at a time) and the speed at which we turn them round (from payment, to your door) these borders may not be an accurate trim to the exact 10th of a mm. This is why we ask for a 2mm bleed. The cutting blade could go either way. We cannot be held responsible for imperfect results if these borders are slightly uneven.

Briana Banks' Relationships

Loyalty, fidelity, and security are very important to Briana Banks in love relationships. She is cautious about giving her heart away but true to the one who does win her love. Her tastes are simple, even austere, and she does not appreciate frivolity. Banks is interested in a person's character and inner qualities far more than their appearance. Casual or superficial relationships do not interest Briana Banks at all, for love seems to get deeper and richer and more satisfying for her with time.

Though she wants close relationships very much, Briana Banks often closes herself off and does not really trust others who may wish to get to know her. Banks is very wholehearted in her feelings and responses to people, and she wants all or nothing from the people she cares for.

In love relationships, Briana Banks is steadfast and loyal, especially if she has a warm, demonstrative partner. She is very sensually oriented and needs lots of touching and physical affection. Briana enjoys being pampered with a good meal, loving massage, or other sensual delights. She is a wonderful lover, very attentive to the comfort and enjoyment of the one she loves. Briana Banks is tremendously responsive to beauty and physical appearances, and the physical attractiveness of her partner is very important to her.

Briana Banks is extremely amorous and it is difficult for her to go without romantic relationships for very long. When she is attracted to someone, Briana Banks pursues them very ardently and sometimes comes on too strong. Doing creative work or artistic work can also satisfy the very strong desire for love and beauty that Briana feels.

Briana Banks shares freely whatever she has, and her friends know they can always count on Briana's generosity and support, both emotional and material. Her good-hearted acceptance and tolerance of others' foibles goes a long way in maintaining harmony in her relationships. Briana Banks also has a lazy streak and sometimes she avoids confronting difficult issues in relationships simply because it seems like too much trouble and too petty. Briana likes to socialize and will use any excuse to celebrate with friends. She cannot tolerate too much restriction by her love partner, and encourages her partner's freedom as well.

Briana's pleasure-loving nature and her emotional and material generosity are counterbalanced by a certain caution or restraint in expressing her affection, and by a fear of heartache. At times Briana Banks is likely to be the jovial, friendly, rather extravagant person mentioned previously, but at other times she is far more contained as described here. Because she is upbeat and fun-loving, people probably do not suspect how sensitive Banks is to being left out or unappreciated.

Anna Kournikova's Relationships

Ánna likes to feel at one with the whole world and is cordial and warm-hearted in collaborating with others. Public-spirited, Anna Kournikova seems to be real content and happy only when she is among other people. Yet, she frequently withdraws from contact with the world, and needs a healing, peaceful environment in order to blossom and come out of hers. Her own feelings and emotions are something of an enigma to Ánna, and it is often difficult for her to share with others what she is feeling.

Sensitive and sentimental, Anna Kournikova is deeply attached to her family, old friends, familiar places, and the past. She is romantic and tender in love relationships, and seeks caring, emotional support, and security in her love relationships. Ánna likes to be needed, to cherish and protect her loved ones, and she is somewhat possessive of them. She has very deep feelings and profound attachments to people she cares about. Her relationships to her mother, sisters, daughters, and other females in her life are apt to be incredibly close and intense. Anna Kournikova may be easily manipulated too, when it comes to one of these important relationships, because she is so emotionally invested in it.

Anna Kournikova shares freely whatever she has, and her friends know they can always count on Ánna's generosity and support, both emotional and material. Ánna likes to socialize and will use any excuse to celebrate with friends. She cannot tolerate too much restriction by her love partner, and encourages her partner's freedom as well. However, her pleasure-loving nature and her emotional and material generosity are counterbalanced by a certain caution or restraint in expressing her affection, and by a fear of heartache. At times Anna Kournikova is likely to be the jovial, friendly, rather extravagant person, but at other times she is far more contained. Because she is upbeat and fun-loving, people probably do not suspect how sensitive Kúrnikova is to being left out or unappreciated.

Warm, loving, and generous in her relationships, Anna Kournikova inspires tremendous devotion and loyalty in her loved ones. Ánna wants to be adored and worshiped like the royalty that she feels you is, and it is difficult for anyone to resist the warmth and attention Kúrnikova lavishes on those she cares about. Anna Kournikova has a great deal of pride and need to be recognized and appreciated. The way to really hurt her feelings is to ignore her. She is genuine, sincere, and has a strong sense of personal integrity. She also hates emotional games and dishonesty.

Promoting beauty, the arts, or entertainment can make Anna Kournikova very happy. Ánna wants to contribute something positive and loving to the world at large and she wants to be recognized for her beauty, artistic gifts, or loving generosity. The beauty and harmony of her surroundings has a very powerful effect on Kúrnikova's emotions. She is very sensitive and cannot stand to be in an atmosphere where there is discord or dissonance. Kournikova will give or sacrifice much in order to avoid a fight and to make everyone happy.

Jenna Jameson's Relationships

Jenna Jameson has a great interest in everything and everyone around her and is constantly looking for people with whom she can establish deep inner relationships. Her judgments are based on her personal feelings and she has a strong need to be with others.

She is prone to get involved in highly intense, even obsessive relationships - "fatal attractions", so to speak. At its darkest, this urge for intensity in the personal arena may compel Jenna Jameson to choose friends or mates who are rather dangerous or dishonorable characters with a penchant for manipulating and inflicting pain on their "loved ones". On the other hand, Jameson may be tempted to use her own sexuality or charm to play the same sort of game, to use love or friendship as a bargaining chip or to gain power over others. Even if her intentions are basically good, Jenna Jameson will find that her closest relationships are rather tumultuous affairs in which some rather unlovely aspects of her (such as jealousy and the desire to dominate or to be a victim) keep showing their faces. These are qualities that need to be understood and ultimately outgrown.

Tremendously softhearted and sympathetic, Jenna Jameson gives very selflessly and devotedly to those she loves and often allows others to become overly dependent upon her. More compassionate than passionate, Jenna Jameson may become romantically involved with a person because she or she expresses a need for love, rather than out of mutual pleasure or attraction.

She is drawn to sensitive, imaginative, gentle souls - poets, musicians, dreamers - or to someone Jenna feels she can have a deep spiritual relationship with. Jenna Jameson idealizes love and has a very beautiful, romantic vision of what love relationships can be.

Jenna Jameson craves very intense, deep, emotional relationships, and would even prefer stormy, tumultuous relationships to ones that are smooth but lacking vitality and passion. Jenna loves wholeheartedly and expects all-consuming, total devotion and attention from her partner. Casual, light relationships hold no appeal for Jameson.

Loyalty, fidelity and security are very important to Jenna Jameson in love relationships. She is cautious about giving her heart away but true to the one who does win her love. Her tastes are simple, even austere, and she does not appreciate frivolity. Jameson is interested in a person's character and inner qualities far more than in her or her appearance. Casual or superficial relationships do not interest Jenna Jameson at all, for love seems to get deeper and richer and more satisfying for her with time.

She is kindhearted and generous with both her money and her affections, and she is not happy if she has to budget or restrict herself in any way. Pettiness or stinginess is foreign to Jenna's nature and Jenna Jameson feels most comfortable in an elegant, beautiful atmosphere. Asceticism is not for Jameson. Gracious and charitable, she enjoys sponsoring social events or cultural activities. Jenna Jameson has an optimistic, friendly attitude towards others and tends to bring out the finer side of people. She is likely to fall in love with someone who is successful, noble and idealistic.

Jenna's pleasure-loving nature and her emotional and material generosity discussed above are counterbalanced by a certain caution or restraint in expressing her affection, and by a fear of heartache. At times Jenna Jameson is likely to be the jovial, friendly, rather extravagant person mentioned previously, but at other times she is far more contained as described here. Because she is upbeat and fun-loving, people probably do not suspect how sensitive Jameson is to being left out or unappreciated.

Johnny Depp's Relationships

Johnny Depp tends to surround himself with people who are gentle, sensitive, peace-loving, and artistically or spiritually inclined, and there is a strong element of mutual compassion and sympathy in his personal relationships. It is easy for Johnny to tune in psychically to other people's feelings and emotional worlds. He enjoys emotional intensity and is attracted to the mysterious, the unknown, and to dangerous or challenging experiences which draw on all of his inner resources. Johnny is able to handle an emotional crisis very well, and he is interested in the deep roots of emotional problems and how to cure them. Johnny Depp insists on bringing feelings between people out into the open, for he wants real closeness and intimacy in his relationships, without barriers or secrets.

Johnny Depp's romantic relationships are inclined to be rather stressed. He longs for new experiences on one hand, but feels restricted or thwarted by circumstances on the other. Depp tends to fight against limitations and may frequently be irritated by the conduct of others. Yet, Depp has a sympathetic nature and instinctively reaches out to people in need of help. He also has a deeply ingrained tendency to want to improve (or fix) other people's lives, which can be annoying to the person who has no desire to be changed or helped in this way.

His emotional needs are very important to Johnny Depp and he tends to seek approval and recognition from the people in his immediate world. Depp will derive more benefit in activities with others than by keeping to himself. His thinking and acting are also strongly influenced by his feelings. Johnny has great mental energy, is somewhat restless, curious and impatient, and at times he may need to slow down. He loves debate and argument and also has good writing ability.

Johnny Depp has a magnetic personality, is unconventional, and a bit unpredictable. Johnny loves to flirt and is likely to have sudden romantic relationships that do not always last. Johnny Depp likes variety and always is seeking new experiences with people. Yet, in love relationships, Johnny Depp is steadfast and loyal, especially if he has a warm, demonstrative partner. He is very sensually oriented and needs lots of touching and physical affection. Johnny enjoys being pampered with a good meal, loving massage, or other sensual delights. He is a wonderful lover, very attentive to the comfort and enjoyment of the one he loves. Johnny Depp is tremendously responsive to beauty and physical appearances, and the physical attractiveness of his partner is very important to him. Along the same line, For Johnny, affection and caring must be expressed in tangible acts or service of some kind.

Serious and responsible, he tries to carry the world on his shoulders and rarely let others know that he needs help and support. Johnny Depp denies or ignores his own emotional needs and feels that others will not accept him if he appears voulnerable.

Promoting beauty, the arts, or entertainment can make Johnny Depp very happy. Johnny wants to contribute something positive and loving to the world and he wants to be recognized for his artistic gifts, or generosity. However, being so serious, he often finds it difficult to enjoy himself in a lighthearted, open and playful way with others. Johnny Depp rarely does something purely for pleasure, and can be very close-fisted and parsimonious.

Johnny Depp has a somewhat excitable disposition and his moods and thoughts change rapidly. Enterprising, original and intuitive, Johnny Depp has an instinctive correct grasp of a subject. He is intellectual, resents interference and it is hard to deceive him. But perhaps due to painful separations in his early life, Johnny is very cautious about becoming involved in close relationships and sharing his feelings. Though Depp craves love and affection, intimacy is difficult for him. He may become romantically involved with people who do not value him or treat him well. Johnny Depp needs to learn to love and value himself before he will find happiness in love.

Jennifer Lopez's Relationships

Jennifer López inspires others to take positive action in their lives through her own enthusiasm and eagerness to meet life's challenges, and she is attracted to people who are adventurous, courageous and independent. Jennifer is rather bossy but does not like to be with people that she can boss around too much. She enjoys a good fight sometimes. Relationships that are built on mutual respect and emotional freedom are ideal for López.

Her strong enthusiasm for life affects everyone around her. Jennifer López has a sense of well-being, a harmonious sex-life and she is likely to enjoy healthy and affectionate love relationships. Jennifer López also has a lot of creative ideas and could do well with art projects.

López depends a great deal upon other people for emotional support and she has a large "family" of friends that care about her and treat her as kin. The women in Jennifer's life are particularly important to her, and her relationships with them powerfully influence her sense of security and happiness. Jennifer López may be overly dependent and unsure of herself without a close partner.

Jennifer López has a dreamy nature and an inclination to be influenced or led easily by other people. Jennifer looks for the perfect mate and dream of fulfillment. Jennifer López must learn to deal with her extreme idealism and to face life a little more realistically.

She is quietly devoted and faithful to her loved ones and often becomes subservient to her love partner. Jennifer López is more comfortable showing her love by doing or making something for her loved one, or simply being there for her, rather than by making any romantic, soul-stirring declarations. She is timid about expressing too much sentiment or emotion. Jennifer López also underestimates her attractiveness and lovability and doubts her own worthiness of love and appreciation.

Jennifer López seems to be happy in her environment and is likely to be the center of attraction in her surroundings. Jennifer López has a kind, warm-hearted and cordial nature and she treats others with sympathetic and compassionate understanding. She is a very sociable, congenial person and she wilts very quickly without relationships with good friends and people to share good times with. Jennifer López thoroughly enjoys working with others on group projects or community activities. She is quite happy when she is a part of a club, support group, or team of some sort.

Jennifer López has frequent emotional outbursts due to her fiery temper and emotional impulsiveness. López expresses herself very directly and honestly and no one has to guess what her true feelings are. However, Jennifer López dislikes showing any personal weakness or her need for support, comfort and nurturing. She is often impatient with herself and others. Jennifer abhors emotional dependency and dislikes "complainers".

She becomes very cross if she lacks vigorous physical activity. López feels her best if she frequently "does battle" on the tennis or racquetball court (or engages in another form of competitive sport). Also, her artistic feeling or perception gives Jennifer López a strong creative potential. Jennifer has the ability to think in forms or shapes and also to tune into rhythms such as dancing, gymnastics and song. Her physical coordination could be excellent as well.