Pixel Paint Scrapblog – Scrapbooking Tips and Ideas

* Value and form – are two 2 of the four elements of drawing. The other two are line and texture.

In this article we will talk about the notion of plasticity or tone and how it relates to the concepts of value and form.

* Plasticity or tone – is the visual push and pull of lights and darks which, when presented in a interconnected and harmonious whole, defines the 3-dimensional forms of a portrait.

The human eye can discriminate between many more values than the 12 we usually employ in a drawing. That means that the artist must “mislead” the eye into believing that it is seeing more than is actually on the drawing paper. To this end we must understand how light acts and values are perceived.

The trick is to manipulate the eye’s natural tendency towards closure, i.e., towards finishing a drawing even if parts are not actually there. But the eye only does that without objection if the plasticity is harmonious. Only then will the viewer emotionally engage.

The subject of creating harmonious plasticity is broad. In this article we limit ourselves to realistic portraiture.

* Values – are just degrees of darkness and lightness. We usually limit ourselves to 12 discrete values.

To understand how a form is rendered we need to understand how light behaves and how values enter into this. There are 2 characteristics of light relevant to drawing:

(1) Light travels in a straight line and bounces off surfaces.

(2) The intensity of light diminishes quickly with distance.

From these characteristics it follows that:

* As a form turns away from the light source it darkens.

* When two planes face the light they will have dissimilar values if their distances from the light source are different. For example, the eye closest to the light source will have a lighter value than the one further away.

* The lightest light on a form is the “highlight”. The highlight is always on a plane that is directly facing the light source.

* The bulk of a portrait’s value is so-called half-tone. That is, anything in-between pure white and pure black. Halftone rendering is concurrently the most enjoyable and the most frustrating aspect of drawing.

* As a form turns fully away from the light source it increasingly descends into shadow, towards totally black (i.e., the absence of light). However, there is more to it.

* There is also reflected light from one surface onto another. Keep in mind that light bounces off surfaces but with reduced intensity. So be careful not to overstate your reflected light.

* There is also the crest of the shadow which is the darkest value on the form. This band of darkness lies between the darkest halftones and the reflected light. This band of darkness is called the Line of Appelle. It is important to capture its shape correctly because it determines the form’s volume.

* As a form turns away from the light, the half-tone plane changes have a soft edge. The quality of this edge is determined by several factors the most important of which are the degree of plane change, the intensity of the light source, and the texture of the surface.

* In portrait drawing there are also cast shadows which are hard-edged and very dark and are cast by one form onto another. An example is the shadow that is cast by the nose onto the cheek.

An excellent exercise for understanding the notion of tone is to draw a white vase. For a more prescribed situation you can construct yourself a black box with one side open that fully controls the light of one source and blocks out the light of other sources that could contaminate the situation.

In conclusion, the use of the 12-value scale together with the above guidelines allows you to produce the necessary plasticity or tone for your subject.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: Remi’s Free Pencil Portrait Drawing Course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Remi’s Pencil Portraits.

For the artistic creativity in video games and how to get the machine to see it – please go to PlayStation 3 pre order blog post.

No Cricut product beats the Cricut Expression. This machine can do whatever you want it to. There is no equivalent to the Expression in terms of its features. The Cricut Machine is also a smaller machine than the Expression is. Would you like to learn how to sketch your own wall décor, etch on glass, make unique gifts, create amazing scrapbooks, and much more? Then don’t stop learning about the Cricut Expression the best product made by Cricut.

The Cricut Expression stands in a league of its own in terms of the cutting products world. It’s super simple to use. Cutting can be done in just three steps. You really get a great bang for your buck with this thing. Add a personality to any room. You could buy cards from the store, but how much more special is a personalized card? Nothing can hold you back. All kinds of greeting cards can be made by you. And don’t forget to make great cut-outs. Fonts are very easy to use as well. You could even create wall décor, stencils, customize your cut-outs to mix and match words, you can label your mail box, advertise your car, organizer storage bins, and much much more. I wouldn’t believe my eyes if we saw the Cricut Machine do that!

Glass surfaces can be etched on by the Cricut Expression. This opens up such a realm of possibility. And let’s not forget the options it opens up for scrapbooking. There is nothing standing in the way of your creativity now. You can easily and quickly create the most professional layouts you’ve ever imagined. There is no precedent for scrapbook creation before this machine. The Cricut Expression is even able to cut fabric! Make some of the prettiest quilts you’ve ever seen. It’s also very easy to create large signs. Merchant signs, Church signs, and much more. What a great machine by Cricut a visionary company.

Using the Expression in the classroom could be a very smart idea. There is no doubt that the Cricut Expression is a fantastic tool for young kids. The Expression cuts all kinds of card stock. The Expression is very good at reusing scrap paper, so as to not waste. The Expression can easily cut most image sizes. From under an inch to over 23 inches. This machine comes with everything it needs to opetate. This one machine is a whole system unto itself. What an intelligent piece of machinery.

This article will tell you all you need to know about scrapbooking. Are you a new user of Cricut items? Cricut Cartridges are a great tool for everyone to use. They give you so many options. Cricut Cartridges bring your game to the next level. They simply make scrapbooking so much simpler. The versatility available by using different Cartridges is astounding. Use them in conjunction with the Cricut Expression to produce top-notch scrapbooks.

Among the various types of Cricut Cartridges, you have fancy fonts and home décor solutions. They really add that perfect last detail to any scrapbook. You cannot fail with the Cricut Cartridges. Bring any idea you want to life with these amazing tools. There is such a wide range of options from which to choose for Cricut Cartridges including indie art, calligraphy, foreign letters, and more.

What’s the next scrapbook you’re tackling? With Cricut Cartridges, any possible subject can be done just right. They are the perfect accents for a scrapbook. Paper is not the only thing one can use the Cricut Cartridges with. With the Cricut Expression machine, you can also etch on glass, make wonderful awards, or even wall décor! Is there anything the Cricut Cartridges can’t do? When you use the Cricut Jukebox, you can really take things to an even higher level than before. This contraption enables you to switch between 6 Cricut Cartridges all at once. The Jukebox really enables you to take it to the next level. You can use different Cartridge styles in the same work. One such Cartridge may be girl themed, and include flowers, turtles, trees, bees, caterpillars, ladybugs, etc. You could have something geared at young boys. Some Cricut Cartridges are expensive, while others are cheap; from $15 and up, you can even get used ones online, all the way up to $100+ for newest ones. The cheaper ones are certainly a great value. There are no denials of the fact that Cricut hit it out of the park with the Cartridges.

The Cricut Cartridges are compatible with any Cricut Machine. You can keep using them with no problem. The Jukebox is just as easy. So simple. What’s your next Cricut project going to be? How lovely these products are. They really have changed the world of scrapbooking. The average joe’s life really has become a little bit simpler due to the invention of Cricut products. All kinds of people can produce gorgeous scrapbooks now, even if they themselves are not super craft-oriented.

One of the hottest new names around right now when it comes to art for children is Kootie Bug Kids Art. Created by Kristen Sloop, the business is based out of Raleigh North Carolina, where Kristen makes all of her art. Kootie Bug Designs have been in business for over twelve years, specializing in paintings, murals, personalized baby pillows, and other kid accessories. Recent studies show that Kootie Bug Kids Art ranks very high in the category of children’s art. In my opinion, it is because Kootie Bug art it is more endearing, charming, delightful, and lovely than anything else on the market. One advantage Kootie Bug has is that it is created using Giclee reproduction, which allows for batter color accuracy than other methods. Further, the canvas is hand stretched onto wood stretchers, while the sides are decoratively finished, so no framing is needed. Also popular with Kootie Bug Kids Art is the kid safe design of the art. The design is glass free, and the art can be wiped clean, which makes it easy for parents to let their children touch and explore through this art, which they may be compelled to do.
Asides from boasting designs that are fun, vibrant with color, and perfect for children of all ages, Kootie Bug Designs also provides a product that is made in the U.S., using fine production methods, and is child friendly.

Eliminating blinking from photos has always been a huge challenge for photographers. And as far as challenges go, we can also add looking in the wrong direction, sneezing, and last-second movements to the list.

So when I ran across the Blink Eradication System, I HAD TO EXAMINE IT. I won’t keep you in suspense until the end of this review…

Their Approach?

I was ready to hollar “waste of time,” thinking that the Blink Eradication System would consist of the typical… “make sure you count to 3 so they know when you’re taking the shot” type of “wisdom.”

Instead, they use a logical 2-Phase Approach that addresses every eventuality:

1. Practical information for “Minimizing” blinking before taking the picture (They actually say Minimize not Eliminate, which gained credibility points, since eliminating it is impossible.)

2. A software tool that easily eliminates blinking afterward, if any blinking made it through

What Do They Do And How Well Do They Do It?

For the “Minimizing” phase, it works pretty well. They begin with a scientific conclusion:

“For groups smaller than 20, divide the number of people by three if there’s good light and two if the light’s bad. That’s how many shots you need to
take.”

Then, they address a lot of ground on how to minimize blinking BEFORE taking the image. Categories include equipment set up, preparing the environment and subjects, and even some posing tips. I give this phase a 4 out of 5.

For the 2nd phase, they knock it out of the park! The software worked flawlessly during the 9 times I used it. Even though they didn’t write the program, they were very upfront about all aspects of it.

Two animated tutorials are provided that eliminate the need of reading Help files. This phase gets a 5 out of 5.

Conclusion

Does it Work as Expected?
Yes, and quite well, with an overall score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

Are There Any Drawbacks?
Note that I can find drawbacks to anything. With that said, the only point to be aware of is the software only operates on PCs that use the Windows XP operating system.

Given the state of Vista, that may not be an issue anymore. If you do use Vista, and would still like to use the software, they provide some ideas for workarounds. The simplest one is to maintain two operating systems on your PC (sounds very scary, but after using their software, you just might be tempted).

Is it Worth It?
If you take nothing but landscape shots, the answer is “no.” But if you take photos of people, especially groups larger than 2; the answer is an unmistakable “yes.”

For what you’re getting, the Blink Eradication System is a bargain. In addition to what I’ve mentioned, they include a clever way to remember everything required prior to taking any photos — two “Cheat Sheets;” one for Indoor, and one for Outdoors. Anyone who doesn’t have a photographic memory will find these helpful.

And, as is the custom of online digital offers, they provide a few bonuses to sweeten the deal. Their 5 bonuses actually provide some value. Plus, they stand behind the Blink Eradication System with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Final Conclusion
Imagine I’m shouting: age-Old photography problem finally solved! The Blink Eradication System is a product that I wish I had 10 years ago. At what they’re charging, all I can say is better late than never.

Despite never really promoting herself as an artist or actively trying to sell paintings, Beryl still managed to become a very popular artist. This was mainly thanks to prints and postcards of her work that were both affordable and accessible to the people that bought them. It wasn’t until her later life that she became an internationally recognised artist that is loved across the globe.

Beryl Cook is considered to be one of the UK’s most loved artists, producing work that didn’t alienate anyone. She simply painted everyday images of people that she would see around her. Her artwork ranges from women getting on the bus for a night out to the dustbin men coming to pick up the rubbish in the morning. She was an everyday person; this could be seen in her art and is why she is loved so much by people in the UK.

Beryl’s first love was a man called John Cook who lived across the road from her house in Surrey and they started seeing each other when they were 15 years old. John was signed up in order to serve his country during the war as a member of the Merchant Navy. They kept in touch while he was away and then in 1948 they got married but it was not until Beryl’s son John was born that she discovered her talent. In 1950 their son John was born and soon after the new family moved to what is now Zimbabwe. Over the 9 years that they lived in Zimbabwe, Beryl would use her young child’s paint set to paint the odd picture to pass the time.

When they returned to England John took a job in the motor trade in Bodmin, Devon and they befriended a local antiques dealer. The antiques dealer noticed Beryl’s artwork and asked if she’d be interested in selling some in her shop. All 3 paintings sold quickly and this inspired Beryl to start painting more often and sell her paintings through her friends shop.

Beryl Cook passed away before the summer of 2008. Her husband was shocked by the amount of coverage this event received in the media and the national and global out pour of support and sadness for their family. National newspapers from all over the world reported her death and her husband John has kept a scrap book containing the obituaries. Beryl Cook Prints have since seen an increase in sales and the recent retrospective of her work being held at Plymouth University has received joyful praise as the best way to say goodbye to a much loved artist.

Enter a few key search terms into Google, and you’ll find a wide selection at the touch of your fingerprints. There’s no need to have to scour every part of the city for that hard to get item. Everything that fits in a studio can easily be found through a search engine, with such a wide selection competing for your business that bottom dollar for top quality has become the company standard.

Chicago is a Mecca of art, and artists know how to take care of their own. Thanks to the versatility of the Internet, however, you no longer have to be within the city limits to take advantage of its art possibilities. The resources of Chicago are readily available on-line. A few seconds of research unbolts unlimited possibilities.

From easels to a mat cutter to printmaking supplies, Chicago artists have been finding the root ingredients for their work in an encompassing market that’s the pride of the industry. Thanks to the digital age, the art resources of Chicago are accessible to everyone, conveniently accessible.

Why pay retail for art supplies that are readily accessible at a third of the cost? The prices of elite brand name products vary according to supply and demand. As the web turns the marketplace for art supplies world wide, you can take the best opportunities to take advantage of competitive pricing. Buy more elite resources for less.

Artists have to be versatile, making the most of every penny. That makes discount bargain hunting imperative to survival. Affordable art supplies in Chicago react to the seller’s market. As the web makes first-rate use of supply, keeping you up on bargains even if they are on the other side of the world.

It’s a small world after all. Affordable art supplies in Chicago in Chicago are accessible to all, no matter how far you live from the windy city. Make the most of the discounts accessible on the web. You’ll save money and headaches, knowing these supplies are accessible at the touch of your fingertips. Finding affordable supplies, no matter how long it’s been since you were in Chicago, is as simple as an Internet search.

Are you used to the convenience of the Cricut Machine? If you answered in the affirmative, then maybe what you desire most from the Cricut is the ability to turn your artistic ideas into reality. And that’s exactly what Provo Craft has in store for you. The way these cutters are designed to work with cartridges, it can be stifling at times. The Cricut Jukebox is helpful, enabling you to store up to 18 cricut cartridges. This gives you the option of utilizing the abilities of 18 cartridges. The Jukebox is simple to operate. The interactive menu is there to make things go extra smoothly. This is an excellent move by Cricut and it is not a shock.

6 cartridges at the same time can be employed through your use of the Jukebox. To hook it up with any Cricut product is no trouble at all. Pressing a button will allow you to switch cartridges. Even if you are not super tech-savvy, operating this will not be hard at all. The kids can even use it! No long books or graphs needed. It is convenient, easy, and lets you stretch your imagination as far as it can go. It’s very convenient that it works so well with the Cricut Machine because now it is so easy to do so much.

Truthfully, there is so much you can do. The limits are determined only by how artistic and innovative you can be. The previous features of your Cricut Machine are still accessible for your continued use. But there are so many new fonts at your disposal! The cartridges offer so many new possibilities. The Cricut Jukebox not only caters to the craft equipment requirements of your child. A note to you professionals: it will look right at home in your office. You could of course use the Jukebox for you and your child if you want. Remember to be courteous if there are multiple users, however. Also convenient is that the Cricut Expression can work with the Jukebox with ease.

The Cricut Jukebox can easily be docked to your Cricut machine and does not need anything else than a cable. It is easy to connect in three easy steps. The pictorial guide is quite easy to follow and understand. Updates of the guide are easily available on the Cricut website. The Cricut Jukebox is compact and offers the convenience of easy transportation and simple storage.

Will it be very dear to get one?

Certainly not the case. The Cricut products are all priced very reasonably. Consider what you can do with this machine, and then decide whether the machine is worth it to you.

The result of any bedroom makeover will be made personal with the thoughtful addition of custom draperies options from FashionWindowTreatments.com. Our choices are as numerous as the clients we serve. Whether you are a traditionalist, a modernist, new trend-oriented, country classic or desirous of a Hollywood boudoir, we can outfit your bed, chaise, windows, and decorative pillows with the most gorgeous fabrics, at affordable prices and with excellent customer service and attention to all the finest of details.

Your room’s fabrics reflect your personality and will set the overall design tone for the room – even more than its children’s bedrooms, nurseries, college dorm rooms. You name it. If you can dream up a look, or find an inspiration in the pages of a book, we will most certainly have something perfect in our inventory to mimic your favourite styles, and at a fraction of the price you would expect to pay for custom bedding and home decor from a decorator.

Go ahead and dream. Our professional consultants are happy to help you bring everything together for a truly customized, unique, decorator look. You can afford it. Our pricing is so competitive, and your friends and family will think you hired a pricey interior decorator from that place no-one can afford to shop at!

Haven’t you always wanted to design a room from the bottom up? We can create custom pillow shams, comforters, fabric blinds, swag curtains, and decorative touches that speak to your aesthetic, your image, and your budget. The team of seamstresses at FashionWindowTreatments.com are highly skilled and industrious; taking extra special care with the professional finishing touches that make the difference between off-the-rack at your major department store, and the quality you expect from custom bedding experts like us.

Do you like sparkling beads, luxurious piping, braided rope detailing, satin, or durable, washable synthetics? We have it all, and then some. Our custom bedding inventory is massive. The most difficult decision may be which rooms you want to start with first. Working with us at FashionWindowTreatments.com is easier than working with an in-home decorator because you can browse all the samples at your leisure, and you don’t need an appointment. Our customer service department is ready to serve you, and we can even send out fabric swatches so you can look up close to see the quality and beauty of our product materials. They can even make suggestions on accessories such as area rugs if you like.

The holidays are coming, and that means you will probably have out-of-town guests and family visiting. You can impress them all and create a haven of style and comfort in time for the season! Why not begin to dream about your new custom bedding by taking a browse through our incredibly sumptuous, quality selections. Get inspired by the rich colors, textures, light-reflective qualities and special trims that await your experience in creative custom bedding with the help from our expert design team at FashionWindowTreatments.com.

How to Draw with Pencil Fundamentals – Drawing Cones

Any scene can initially be seen as a composition of a series of forms that are all related to four basic geometric solids: the brick, the sphere, the cylinder, and the cone. In this article we concentrate on the cone, i.e., we will detail its properties and its place in the overall scheme of a drawing.

In this article we discussed how to produce a line drawing of a cone-like object. What we outlined above should be enough to get you started in the right direction. It should not take more than a couple of days to draw just about any cone-like object in a very convincing and correct manner.

A perfect cone is a three-dimensional solid that has a circular base on one end and terminates in a point at the other end. Invariably, the first example of a cone that pops into the mind is that of an ice cream cone. But there are bottles, glasses, lampshades, bowls, and many other man-made objects with shapes based on a cone.

When you begin to draw conical objects, remember that a cone is a solid mass that tapers uniformly from a circular base to a point. In the beginning, when you identify an object that has an underlying conical form, you should draw a perfect cone first. The cone can be long and thin like in a beer glass, or short and broad like in a lampshade. Only after you have drawn the cone in the right orientation and in the right proportions start adding the deviations you observe (bulges, stretches, etc.). Pretty soon you will not need this crutch anymore and you will be able to immediately start with the object. Nevertheless you will have instantly recognized the underlying shape and you will be using your memory of the perfect cone and use it as a guide.

The cone has also an axis of symmetry. To first lightly draw this axis will help you tremendously with the rendering of the correct geometry. The elliptical base should be perpendicular to the axis and the whole cone should be perfectly symmetric around the axis of symmetry. You can mark off a point on the axis where the tip of the cone is to be and then it is a simple matter of running two diagonal lines from the tip to the ends of the ellipse. Of course, the cone should also comply with the laws of perspective and should also be rendered according to those laws. A correctly drawn cone should fit into the overall perspective of the scene and the drawn ribs on the cone should converge with all other parallel lines to the same point at infinity. The same perspective rules apply to the planes in which ellipses drawn on the cone lie.

Ultimately, with enough practice, all you have to do is observe correctly, and all things will fall in place.

Identify a number of conical object and practice drawing them. Champaign glasses, ice cream cones, lampshades, party hats, etc. are all excellent examples. Pay attention to the proportions, lengths, curvatures, perspective, etc.

The three-dimensionality of a line drawing of a cone can be simulated by adding a number of ellipses along its body. Of course, when you have learned the skill of shading you will be able to create a much better solution. In fact, you have a chance to create the perfect illusion because, in essence, the only thing there is in a black and white scene are shades of different values. In other words, if you can draw the perfect geometry and add to it the perfect values then you have the perfect drawing (at least in terms of likeness if not in terms of creating a piece of art).

This is all you need to know about rendering line drawings of objects that have the cone as their underlying geometric form.

Read more beginners oil painting tips.

Want to see great visual art in real 3D action? Learn preorder PlayStation 3 tips.