Ezy Win

When it comes time to decorate your babys first room, you probably already have a lot of ideas in your head. You may wish to paint the walls pink or blue as is traditionally done, or you may want to go another way completely. Some families choose yellow or light green because they are great for either gender, and others go a completely different way. If you really want something special, you might want to consider nursery wall murals as an alternative. These are usually more colorful than your average nursery, and they can be a lot of fun.

You can create nursery wall murals in almost any theme you want. You can use soothing colors at first, and that is probably the best idea. If the colors are too bright, you are going to stimulate your baby when they need to be resting. Go for soothing colors like pastels. Once your baby gets a little older, you can do nursery wall murals in almost any color you want. You may find that the bolder the colors, the more your child will love being in that room.

When it comes to choosing your nursery wall murals, the sky is the limit. Many parents like to go with their children’s favorite themes and shows. I have seen beautiful nursery wall murals done with the Wiggles, and I only wish I was talented enough to do something like that for my little Wiggles nut. I have also seen great ones that feature Winnie The Pooh and Thomas the Train. No matter what you choose, remember that as long as your baby likes it, you can’t go wrong, even if the mural is not perfect.

You can hire someone to do nursery wall murals for you, but it is also something you can do yourself. If you know anything about painting, this will be something you can do in a snap. If you don’t think you have an artist bone in your body, you can still do it. All you need to do is trace a scene out of a coloring book on clear paper and then use a projection machine to project the image on to the wall in the size you want. After that, you can trace the image onto the wall and fill in the color. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be done in love. The rest is just details.

Materials are important to the artist and like a lot of things in life, it is better to obtain the best that you can possibly afford. Painting isn´t always an easy craft – so your tools are very important to you.

For example, if you choose mediocre materials the final result reached will probably reflect this.

If you go for quality it should certainly obtain improved results.

As a contemporary artist I can tell you that you must have a firm support to paint on, together with a mixed selection of colours and certainly high quality brushes. Brushes are important! You need one that is both clean, a naturally good shape, but that is also flexible. With a good brush you can draw freely and not only make a certain size brushmarks.

If you use short, bristled brushes they do not usually seem to give a particularly good finish.

If, for instance, you want to draw a persons head you ought to have an amount of flexibility and a precise touch. To achieve this you need to be drawing with the paint continually and in small accurate strokes.

As brushes go I find that it is great to have a few sables that are pointed, as well as a few hog hair brushes. If you use a flat brush you can get delicacy by lying it on its side.

If you want to draw well and put down patches of colour, you need brushes that have fairly long hair, filbert, round or flat, so they are flexible.

When you buy good quality brushes then they should stay in shape well, but it is a an absolute need that they are washed at the end of each painting session. It is pretty clear they will not be good for long unless you treat them well.

What will help you? Well, being a contemporary artist, I usually keep an old jam jar filled with turps substitute at my side. This you can use for cleaning out used brushes whilst you are painting and of course when you finish your work for the day. It is recommended that you should clean them thoroughly in this, preferably dry them on an old piece of rag and then finally it is usual to give them a wash with some soap and water.

It is better to hold the soap in one hand and rub the brushes across it, then clean them gently in your hand with your fingers. Then rinse in water and then start to reshape the bristles with your fingers.

This sounds a lot to do, but usually should never take long to do, but it is important.

At times if you are tired you may forget to do this and then find you will be mad with yourself the following day.

Actually most people seem to collect quite a varied collection of brushes but end up using only six or seven at a time. As with everything else you have your favourites and really you do not necessarily require a large stock. You find that you still use your very old ones. These are very nice on wide areas of painting as they are well worn and this saves on your newer brushes as it tends to wear them down.

This article was written by Anna Meenaghan of http://annameenaghanart.com

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Jack Vettriano is one of the {UK’s|United Kingdoms} most {liked|popular} {painters|artists}, with a public {connection|appeal} {not matched|unsurpassed} by {other|most} artists that are {at present|presently} {working|painting}. The {problem|issue} is that the {lowliest|most common} of breeds the {UK’s|United Kingdoms} critic, doesn’t {approve of|like} what he {paints|does}.

This isn’t {saying|to say} that Jack Vettriano isn’t a {brilliant|fantastic} artist who {produces|captures} {scenes|moments} that {the public|people} {connect|relate} to and love, Or that Jack Vettriano Prints don’t have a {huge|massive} {fan base|following} {across the globe|worldwide} with {upto this point|to date} more than {half a million|500,000} posters of his {paintings|work} being {bought|sold} {worldwide|globally}.

{Equally the|The} fact that in April 2004 one of Jack Vettriano’s {paintings|pictures} was {auctioned|sold} for just {short|shy} of 750,000 pounds at Sotheby’s and that Jack Vettriano {was awarded|received} an OBE for his {work provided|contribution} to the arts. {Appears|Seems} a {bit|little} {weird|strange} that {somebody|someone} that {paints|produces} this {sort|kind} of work has been {rejected|ignored} by {many|several} British National Arts Collections and Museums.

Jack Vettriano {came into the world|was born} in 1951 in Fife, Scotland, he {left|eventually left} school at the {tender age|age} of 16 to {start working as|become a} mining engineer at the coal fields {close|near} to {the place|where} he {had his home|lived}. A girlfriend {bought|gave} him a {pack|set} of watercolour paints for his 21st Birthday {that|which} he then {began|set about} teaching himself to {work with|use} ({it seems obvious that|obviously} {a person|someone} that teaches themselves how to {create|do} {a painting|something} is {straight away|instantly} going to have a {difficult|hard} time from academia, elitists and art snobs alike).

{At the point|When} he {felt|was} ready Jack Vettriano {chose|decided} to put in|submit} {2|two} of his {paintings|canvases} to the Royal Scottish Academy annual show in 1988 and they were {quickly bought|snapped up} on the {1st|first} day. Jack Vettriano was then {contacted|approached} by {a number of|several} galleries that {asked|wanted} to sell his {paintings|work} and his {following|success} has {slowly|gradually} {bloomed|blossomed} from these {unassuming|humble} beginnings.

In 2004 “The Singing Butler” {eventually|finally} {quieted|silenced} the critics even if {only for a short time|briefly} with its {purchase|sale} at Sotheby’s. It seems {particularly|fairly} {ignorant|ridiculous} that {someone|somebody} that is {evidently|obviously} well {respected|liked} by the {population|public} at large should {be forever|constantly be} {struggling with|fighting} {individuals|people} that {are unable to|cant} fit him into a {category|box} or tick their self {regulated|imposed} guidelines for what’s {of worth|good} and what’s not. If Shakespeare hadn’t been {well liked|popular} do you {really|actually} think he would a/ have got any {commissions|work} or b/ still be {influencing|gracing} our {everyday|lives today}.

{Regrettably|Unfortunately} for us the {individuals|people} that {purchase|buy} for “our” public art collections are {precisely|exactly} the {sort|type} of {critics|people} that I have been {highlighting|mentioning} and to this {point in time|date} I am {not aware|unaware} of Jack Vettriano’s {paintings|work} {showing|featuring} in any of Scotland’s national galleries. Jack Vettriano is {a highly skilled|an accomplished} artist that despite the {arrogance|ignorance} of the art world at large is {painting|producing} {pieces|work} that not only has {presence|depth} of character but also {a life|vibrancy} that {makes sure|ensures} his {status|popularity} with {individuals|people} that see beauty as real {instead of|rather than} some formula {understood only by|known only to} an elite (so called) few.

Drawing hair is dictated by several aspects: the type of hair, its hue, texture, quantity, the arrangement and styling of the hair, the character and disposition of the sitter or the photo, and the light effect upon the hair.

The arabesque of the hair is part of the overall construct. A correct construct is significant to the likeness of the hair. Many starting draftspersons begin with the face and grow outward from there. This is however a poor approach and instills bad practices that will prove hard to overcome.

In fact, the arabesque is especially significant when render a hairdo. Attempting to render the hair working from the inside out, bit by bit, is a recipe for failure. The hair will result in being either too small for the skull or too large.

Working within the construct of the hairdo, first put in the primary darks. These darks are best seen by squinting until a general pattern of light and dark is seen.

Next, you need to blend the graphite in a painterly manner following the general gesture and motion of the hairdo. For this you can employ your fingers, a tissue, or a paper stump. If you employ a paper stump be cautious not to dull the look. If you employ your fingers make sure they are dry and also wipe them constantly with a paper towel.

Then, employ your putty eraser like a loaded paint brush to lift out the important lights. Do not be overly picky here. A more bravura approach effects a sense of life and rhythm into the hairdo. If you make a mistake just blend the graphite again with your fingers or stump and do it again.

Occasionally when you block-in the hairdo other light parts of the skull pop out. This is one reason why sketching the skull as a whole is necessary.

French braiding is a gorgeous hairdo style, but extremely complex and hard to sketch. The idea is to render these French braids fluidly and with motion. A balancing act is required here: the complexity of the hairdo’s styling is best handled by first line-rendering the main locks and braids. As you map out the braids make certain to plumb and carefully size and situate each main lock and braid.

When sketching from a photo there is the pull to duplicate it down to the smallest detail. You may or may not give in to this pull but you should always make sure that the hairdo maintains its liveliness. However, in most cases, you will not need to sketch every detail.

Further block-in the darks paying attention to the bearing and motion of the important locks of the hairdo. The most difficult thing is to refrain from plunging into an area of detail. Not to do this requires mental discipline. Best is to follow a layered approach that progressively stacks the arrangement of the hairdo, lock by lock.

You also should soften the edges of the hairdo line so that it blends into the forehead and sides of the face. Hair does this naturally.

Make sure you used sharp pencils because dull pencils lead to dull, lifeless coiffures.

Having first mapped out and blocked-in the important locks of hair makes the rendering of the finer regions much easier, but is still labor intensive. You should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time on a hairdo.

Also, step back from the drawing to preserve an overview of the principal light/dark pattern because detailing can result in a flat mess in which the values close in on each other.

Hold back from rendering bangs too early in the process. This helps ensure that the hairdo and flesh can be unified into a coherent sense of spirit.

Drawing coiffures so that it reads naturally and has a rhythmic gesture is hard. Generally it takes as much time and effort to render the hairdo as it does the face and neck. You must spend as much care in preparing the hairdo as you would for the remainderof the portrait. If you draw from life make sure you do the hairdo before your model takes a rest because the hairdo will very likely have changed when the break is over. The strategy, then, is to devote a whole 20 to 30 minutes of a pose segment to the hairdo.

With these guidelines you can be certain that in time your sketched coiffures will look authentic and energetic. Do not forget that rendering hairdo takes time so that you do not get impatient.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing tutorial.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at pencil portraits.

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A pencil portrait drawing from life starts with the drawing of the arabesque. Striking the arabesque means drawing the outer contour of the head with the correct proportions, shape, and the appropriate symmetry.

Once you have drawn a reasonably correct arabesque it is time to place the main landmarks of the head. That means that we will correctly locate the most important points of the head. These points will then be used as references for mapping out the rest of theheadfeatures.

Here is something that may help you with this undertaking: work with your eyes somewhat out-of-focus. This is called looking with a “soft eye”. Somehow this makes it easier to correctly determine shapes and proportions. It also helps you to suppress the preconceived notions we all have of certain objects.

Let us assume that we are working from a 3/4 head profile.

* The Brow Ridge – is the first critical landmark. To locate the brow ridge you must first take your best guess at where you think it is then to check it by sighting.

Note that to teach your eye it is better to first guess lengths, angles, etc. and verify them second. There is nothing to gain from pre-measuring.

Sighting means to use your pencil with locked arm and marking distances along the pencil with your thumb and index finger (starting from the tip down) and one eye closed.

So then, first sight from the lowest point on the chin to a point on the brow ridge (just choose a random point on the ridge, but once chosen you should stick with it).

Now raise your pencil vertically so that your thumb is on your point on the brow ridge and note where your pencil point is. It should be a small distance above the top of the face. Mark on your drawing where you can best place that point above the head. This point is called the “check point”.

Note that whenever there is a choice, you should always measure the smallest length because doing so tends to be more precise.

Your point on the brow ridge should, if it was placed correctly, be exactly halfway between the bottom of the chin and your check point. If it isn’t – then correctcorrect the placement of your brow ridge.

* Hinge of the Jaw – Now you can determine the width of the face. In the 3/4 view the hinge of the jaw is a critical landmark. Again, take your best guess then check by sighting horizontally from the jaw hinge to the far edge of the cheek bone and vertically relating that measure from the bottom of the chin.

* Top Nasal Bone – Since we have already established the brow ridge we now only have to estimate a small distance to fix the top of the nasal bone. If you placed the jaw hingecorrectly, it should equal the distance from bottom of the chin to the nasal bone. If you’re off a bit, then correct the placement of the hinge of the jaw. Again, assume that the smallest distance estimated is the correct one.

Now that these primarylandmarks are placed you can further work out the arabesque. I find it best to resolve only the back, least intricate, part of the head at this early stage.

* Facial Angle – Finally, you need to the facial angle which is the center line of the face. Draw a slightly arching line from the middle of the mental tubercle up through the center of the brow ridge.

The precise placement of the facial angle is very significant. You have to feel your way through this because as there is no way to accurately measure it.

Once the facial angle is drawn continue resolving the arabesque carefully observing the shape of the mouth area, the forehead, and all the other features that are expressed in the shape of the arabesque.

With this, we have drawn all the basic landmarks that will help us to map the rest of the features such as the nose and teeth.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: 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 Portrait Web Site.

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Beryl Cook is one of the UK’s best loved artists, creating work that didn’t alienate anyone. Beryl simply painted pictures of everyday life and 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. Beryl was an everyday person; this could be seen in her artwork and is why she is loved so much by the British public.

Beryl’s first love was a man called John Cook who lived across the road from her house in Surrey and they began a relationship 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. Whilst John was away serving his country they kept in touch and then in 1948 they got married but it was not until Beryl’s son John was born that she found her artistic talent. In 1950 their son John was born and soon after the new family moved to the country now known as Zimbabwe. During the 9 years they were there Beryl would use her son John’s paint set to paint the odd picture to pass the time.

On returning to England John found a job in the motor industry in Bodmin, Devon where they befriended a local antiques dealer. The antiques dealer loved Beryl’s artwork and asked if she’d be interested in selling some in her antiques shop. They sold all 3 paintings and this inspired Beryl to start painting more often and sell her paintings through her friends shop.

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

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.

I went to one of Mackenzie Thorpes exhibitions last year and was thrilled at how the places and characters he paints just link in with you completely. The images and influences of his work whether its cloud like or Japanese prints are all gathered up and made very Mackenzie Thorpe in a delightful array of colours and emotions.

Mackenzie Thorpes Exhibitions over the last few years have sold out, and he is now seen for having the biggest one man show ever held in the north of England. That being said after you look at Mackenzie Thorpes work you don’t get any sense of premise, just an intimate take of a second in time reflected back at you via the skills of a very accomplished artist.

Having come from a history of struggle, Mackenzie Thorpe brings a scope to his pieces that truly captures the dark and light tones. Born in Middlesbrough in a time of economic hardship back in 1956, Mackenzie Thorpe found school tough as he struggled with dyslexia, but discovered an outlet through his pieces which enabled him to articulate himself, and looking at his pieces I’m glad he did.

Mackenzie Thorpe has a brilliant skill of embueing tension into a still moment that just has you staring at his work for ages attempting to discover just what he was pontificating about when he decided to paint his image, I love them. If you have the chance have a look at Mackenzie Thorpe’s work it is something that im sure you will see as very inspiring.

Enter a few key search terms into Google, and you’ll find a wide variety at the touch of your fingerprints. There’s no need to have to scour every segment 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 variety competing for your business that bottom dollar for top quality has become the industry 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 chances. The resources of Chicago are readily available on-line. A few seconds of research disperses 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 available to everyone, conveniently accessible.

Why pay retail for art supplies that are readily available 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 national, you can take the best opportunities to take advantage of unbelievable pricing. Buy more elite resources for less.

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

It’s a small globe after all. Affordable art supplies in Chicago in Chicago are available to all, no matter how far you live from the windy city. Make the most of the discounts available on the web. You’ll save money and headaches, knowing these supplies are available 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.

Many events have happened in the 20th Century, the space race, the birth of rock and roll and the civil rights movement. We as humans have a lot of different achievements we can be proud of. We don’t always make the right choices, we as a species have been extremely creative in all aspects of our lives from art to music and acting.

Art came to life in the 20th Century as it became part of our everyday lives as more everyday people became excited by art and as many couldn’t afford originals they wanted cheaper prints. Previously art was reserved for royalty and the rich, but in the 20th Century art became more accessible as well as more acceptable for normal people.

Beryl Cook was an artist from Plymouth, Devon in the UK who sadly past away earlier this year. She was originally from Surrey and spent time travelling as a performer before having a job in the fashion industry and then planting her roots in Plymouth with her husband John Cook. Her works was well known for featuring depictions of every day life and the people of Plymouth. They would produce colourful Beryl Cook prints that focus on the things everyday people do, such as waiting to get on a bus or the bin men collecting the rubbish.

Doug Hyde was born in 1972 and he has made big waves in the art community for someone so young as the BBC named him the UK’s Best Selling Artist. He uses a simple but effective technique, he is inspired by the emotions he has felt in certain situations and this is part of what has made Doug Hyde prints so popular. As well as producing prints he is also an accomplished sculptor, producing sculptures that follow the same themes and often feature similar characters featured in his canvas artwork.

Peter Smith is an artist that comes from Mansfield near Nottingham. Peter Smith has had a varied career path working as a information technology programmer and a designer in the fashion industry. Peter Smith prints are inspired by the likes of Dali as some of his artwork features surreal ideas and imagery. Peter Smith prints also feature animal characters sometimes called impossimals,that look like a mix between a hippo and a zebra. These creatures have become vastly popular in both print and sculpture forms.

Your Free Beginners Oil Painting Tips – Solvents Mediums and Varnishes

If you paint with oils you will need a solvent to clean your brushes and thin your paints. Of course, if you paint with water soluble oils then your solvent will be water.

Turpentine is a standard solvent used to thin ordinary oil paints. You can purchase turpentine in any art supply store or hardware store.

Some artists work with mineral spirits. These are also available in hardware stores. To save money, buy the largest available quantity and use a smaller container when you do your actual painting.

Tube oil paint can be difficult to manipulate. Some colors are stiffer than others and may be hard to evenly distribute over your canvas. To solve this problem, artists often need to mix their tube paints with a so-called painting medium.

A painting medium is a liquid solution that makes the oil paint smoother and easier to manipulate. Adding any one of a number of different painting mediums changes the consistency of the paint. Some mediums are meant to make the paint thinner for glazing and others are meant to make the paint thicker for impasto painting.

The most basic medium is regular turpentine. Adding a little turpentine thins oils paint. Another frequently used medium is linseed oil, which makes the paint more fluid but, over time, it also tends to yellow the paint. The most commonly used medium is a combination of turpentine and linseed oil, sometimes with the addition of a little damar varnish.

Begin by experimenting with a half-and-half mixture of turpentine and linseed oil. Because linseed oil slows down the drying process, you may want to increase the proportion of turpentine. A good mixture is three parts of turpentine to one part of linseed oil.

Once you find the medium you like, mix a batch and store it in a tightly sealed jar. As you paint, dip your brush into the medium, then add a little paint, then mix them together on your palette.

Preliminary compositions can be drawn on your canvas with a so-called thin turp wash, i.e., a little bit of paint with a lot of turpentine. A turp wash evaporates very quickly, so you can quickly paint over them.

In general, the more turpentine you use the matter the finish will be and the more linseed oil you use the glossier it will be. If you like robust, permanently visible brushstrokes, you may want to use less medium. Dry brush is one technique where you do not add any medium at all.

Special painting mediums are also available that change the oil paint in different ways. The most common are those that shorten or lengthen the drying time of the oil paint. Check your art supply store or the Internet to see the available types of mediums. All medium bottles will show instructions on how best to use the particular medium.

Oil paintings must be varnished to protect them from undesirable elements such as dirt and toxins. Varnish is a clear solution made from a resin and turpentine or some other solvent.

In art-supply stores you will see two major types, retouching varnish and picture varnish. Depending on the paint layer thickness, it can take six months or more for an oil painting to dry. In the meantime, the surface of the painting needs to be protected with a coat of retouching varnish. After the varnish is applied, the turpentine evaporates, and leaving a thin protective coat.

Picture varnish contains more resin than retouching varnish. It should be applied about six months after you complete a painting. If you paint with impasto-like brushstrokes, you may have to wait as long as a year before applying the final coat.

Both types of varnish are applied in the same manner. Using a broad, flat nylon brush, apply the varnish evenly using horizontal strokes. You can also use retouching varnish to brighten dry dull patches in your painting.

Learn also how to draw with pencil and read these upper back tattoos publications.