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04 28th, 2006| 
Today I came across an amazing website, http://realcolorwheel.com, which describes many art related subjects in detail. The example to the left is a color wheel that I pulled from the site. This is just one example of many detailed pages you can find. Below the color wheel, on the site, you can find an extensive list of color names with links to their temperature ranges. Besides the extensive color charts you can find all kinds of great resources by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page. The Perspective Diagrams really caught my attention. The explanations and pictures are clear and descriptive. I also found a link to “Making Mediums” where you can read about the structure of different painting mediums and their qualities. I could continue writing a ton of reviews on this site but I would like you to see it for your self. Click on the title at the top of this review to go straight to the page. Great information, enjoy!
Received this last week from Noell Hammer, founder of Art Without Boundaries:
The Art Without Boundaries Foundation awards matching grants to deserving visual artists wishing to train to become Certified Mnemetecnic Therapists. MT is a new, multidiscipline therapy for Alzheimer’s patients. As a CMT, artists can earn $100 an hour, own their own business and enjoy a rewarding career that…
An entire story of characters are told with sand drawings. Absolutely amazing!!
If that is not cool I don’t know what is.
Animation takes patience and skill. Anything you ever do in animation, even if it is computer animated, starts with a drawing. If you want to get good in animation then start drawing everything. Once you draw enough of the world around you or photos out of magazines you will gain more mental mass on drawing cartoons. Animation is really just an exaggerated reality with creativity and imagination added together. The best way to get good at drawing cartoons without having to spend too much money is by checking out books for free from your local library. You can check out a good variety of children’s books to start. Children’s books are a great resource for animation because they tend to be packed with animated characters. You may want to check other parts of the library because they may have “How To Draw” books. If you don’t have access to your local library try looking online. There are a ton of great resources online about “Drawing Animation” and “Learning How to Draw.”
Watch this video as an animated character comes to life on paper.
Another great drawing, this is all done digitally in the computer! Awesome!
Well I hope you enjoyed these demonstrations. Now it’s time to draw, draw, draw!
-Three Simple Steps to develop creativity and endless imagination-
There is an inborn talent that every individual on this planet has, it is the ability to create. You may not realize that you are a creative person by nature, but you are. Have you ever had a dream while sleeping or suddenly remember a moment from the past? This is your mind being creative. The simple act of deciding what to wear in the morning, making dinner, or making decisions in your work place are all creative activities. These simple actions put your mind into motion and help create what you call life. So, with all that said, you can now agree that YOU, yes you, are a creative person.
-Technology and Creative Thinking-
With technology these days everything we do is becoming automated. From simple calculators, to cell phones and automated check-stands, our brains are doing less and less work as time goes on. Unless you work in a technology driven industry like computer programming, building websites, or electronics your brain is becoming a couch potato as we speak. These days you can buy anything online with a click of mouse and never step one foot out the door. Technology prevents many people from doing physical exercise, which is a key factor in strengthening your creative mind. Cars and people movers make it easy to get a coffee at the local Starbucks without having to walk even if it is right across the street. What does all this technology mean? It simply means we as humans no longer have to use our intelligence because we have machines to do the thinking for us. Think about how good you would be at math if you never used a calculator your entire life. How many phone numbers could you remember if you didn’t rely on your cell phone. Our brains are being used less and less. If you don’t believe me, next time when you see a friends ask them what your home phone number and cell phone number is. I guarantee you that only one out of every ten 10 to 20 people, if that, can recite your home and cell phone numbers from memory. What would we all do if the wireless networks went down and our cell phones stopped working? Is it possible that our technological society could ever go back to using only home phones and pay phones to communicate, I seriously doubt it. To strengthen your creative mind you must stop relying on technology. I am not saying not to use it but use your brain first. I-pods and other audio devices are not a problem, it is the cell phones, palm pilots, and pocket PCs that we store data in that take away our mental strength to remember.
- Goal #1: Memorize phone numbers before you put them in your cell phone.
-Brain Food For Art -
Okay, ready for the good stuff? Lets ignore all the technical jargon, put down your cell, stop hacking away at the Internet and get ready for some brain food. The brain is an amazing organ, if you treat it right it can do amazing things. If your breakfast, lunch and dinner consists of Starbucks you can almost guarantee you are killing your brain with all the caffeine and sugar. Fast food is the number one killer of brain activity, so if you find yourself in love with McDonalds, Carl’s Junior, or Burger King you might as well stop reading. You will never be able to develop creativity with a “fat” brain. Just like any other muscle in the body your brain can gain weight, excess fat from eating junk food.
So for starters just get rid of the bad diet and find something loaded with protein and other vitamin to feed your brain. Okay now that your diet is corrected and your brain can actually function you can put it to work.
- Goal #2: Consult with a health physician or get professional advice on a good diet plan. Protein is good for the brain.
-Keeping a Journal-
First, get yourself a journal, or some kind of book that you can write in. I am not talking about your school books and notes, you want something that you can devote just to your creativity. The journal is so you can keep track of everything you do, dream, and think of. One of the biggest problems with our brain is that we train it to ignore good ideas. How often do your encourage your brain to think up brilliant ideas? Not very often right? You are probably wondering what I am talking about. Over your entire life how many times have you written or kept track of dreams or ideas? Like most people I am sure you haven’t, I know I didn’t for the longest time. Take your journal everywhere you go, even to bed. It might feel a bit strange at first, but soon you will get use to it and enjoy having your journal with you. It is important to have your journal at your bedside so when you awake first thing in the morning you can write down any details from the dreams you had. If you awake suddenly in the night from a dream, you will have your journal next to you. This action will encourage your brain to dream more. If you don’t dream the first couple nights or the first couple weeks, don’t sweat it, the process takes time. Take the journal to work and write down any ideas that pop into your mind. If you feel strange about taking your journal to work, at least have some scratch paper nearby. I don’t care if you have to write on the back of a receipt or a napkin, get your idea written down. I like sketch books because I can write in them and also draw any pictures that come to mind. I don’t let my day dreaming get in the way of my work and neither should you, so don’t get fired over this. If you are too busy and can’t get to a piece of paper when you have your ideas just repeat it three to six times mentally. Repetition can help you remember until you have the chance to write your ideas down. Try to get your idea documented within the first 15-20 minutes of thinking of it. Try not to go a whole day without writing ideas down, otherwise you will forget.
Remember, repetition is key so you must not forget to write your ideas down. At the end of each week review you idea list and see if you can create anything out of it. I have taken written ideas and dreams and turned them into paintings. While you read over your past ideas you may end up thinking of more, so add them to your new list.
- Goal #3: Get a journal or sketch book to draw and write in. Write every idea and dream with as much detail as you can.
So just follow the three above mentioned steps and you will be on your way to generating ideas and creating beautiful pieces of art. Enjoy!
How many times have you finished painting and end up with tons of left over paint that you don’t want to waste? Here is a solution! Go to your local camera shop or Costco, and ask for some empty film containers. You can get them free of charge. I would load up since digital cameras are so popular these days and film containers are disappearing. These containers are practically air-tight if you use them correctly. Get a small tube or container of petroleum jelly, I like the ones that are for traveling. The jelly will act as a vacuum sealer for the container. Once you have placed the leftover paint in the film container tube, smear a generous amount of petroleum jelly around the rim of the tub. Close the lid! Your paint is now safe and will not dry out. I am not saying this will work for years or anything, but it will save the paint for several weeks or months. If you want to save the paint for more than a 3 months you can place the small film tube in the freezer. This will completely preserve your paint, even for years!
What is art? Find out what art is and the true definition. See on Wikipedia.com
Have any of the below ever happened to your canvas.
- You bought a canvas and went you went to paint it was loose on the stretcher bars.
- You finished a painting that is now drying and the canvas is rippling.
- You dropped the painting against something and how it has a dent on the painted side.
These are all fairly common problems. There is an easy fix to all of these. Canvas that is pre-made and pre-packaged usually has a glue like substance married into the fibers. Cotton and linen canvas usually shrinks when wet so here is what you do:
- Remove frame the painting if already framed.
- Turn the painting to the back-side and locate the dent.
- Spray the dent with a generous amount of warm water using a spray bottle.
- Take a clean cloth and gentle massage the water into the fibers.
- Blow-dry until dent is gone.
- If needed do this several times with larger dents.
(Note: Thick canvas materials like linen may need more than one application.)
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