The Best After Tattoo Care Strategies

Filed Under (Art) by David Tony on 14-10-2008

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by David Tony

Many people, when they get tattoos, don’t consider the fact that after tattoo care is very important. Tattoos are so popular, in fact, that many people don’t think at all, before they get one. Tattoos are everywhere and everyone wants to get in on the popular craze. They get caught up in the excitement, without considering the consequences.

Not only do many people not consider after tattoo care, but many of them don’t even think about which tattoo design to get. They just get the first tattoo that they see or the first design that pops into their head. If you go that route, you’re going to deprive yourself of many choices and opportunities, though.

Everything from choosing a tattoo to after tattoo care is, after all, very complicated and important. There are thousands, perhaps even millions, of tattoo choices, so make sure to do some research, first. You might even choose to design your own tattoo or modify a tattoo pattern that you find. That will ensure that you get a completely different look from other people.

Internet tattoo galleries are also a great source of information for you. You can browse through as many tattoo designs as you could possibly think of online. You can take patterns you find online and show them to your tattoo artist, who can put a totally unique and original spin on the pattern. Not only that, but Internet tattoo galleries and forums can even provide you with lots of after tattoo care tips, as can your tattoo artist.

Before you deal with after tattoo care, though, you need to first consider where on your body to get your tattoo. Depending on whether the tattoo you choose is small or large, it can change where you plan to place it. For example, the back or the stomach are the best places for large tattoos. Small, on the other hand, can go almost anywhere.

Since tattooing involves puncturing your skin with needles, pain will be a factor and infection could happen. If you want to avoid infection, you need to follow after tattoo care tips.

When it comes to after tattoo care tips, one of the most important ones is to walk a line between keeping it moist and getting it too wet. You shouldn’t take a bath or swim when the tattoo is first healing. However, you should use ointments to keep it moist and clean it with a wet cloth.

The next after tattoo care tip to follow is to keep your tattoo out of the sun. Tattoos can easily fade over time, especially when they are exposed to too much sunlight. You should, therefore, stay inside, at least when the tattoo is first healing.

If you got a tattoo on your foot, you need to follow a unique after tattoo care tip. You need to take time off from work and stay off your feet until it heals. That’s because walking or having your shoes rub on your foot tattoo will be quite painful. In fact, you should try not to wear shoes at all until it heals.

So, once you’ve chosen the perfect tattoo for you, remember that the process doesn’t end there. You don’t want something to go wrong with your tattoo, so you need to be very careful about after tattoo care.

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Spice Up Your Life With Handmade Pottery

Filed Under (Art) by Jen Evans on 13-10-2008

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by Jen Evans

Wedding and anniversary plates, wedding bowls, customized pottery, mugs, communion sets, crocks, teapots, oil lamps, bowls, and pie and tart plates are some of the interesting and varied products that make up handmade pottery. These come in a dazzling array of colors, styles, shapes, and prices. In addition, it is important to realize that hand thrown pottery products feature various products and product prices to satisfy varied consumer tastes.

Some of the colors used on hand thrown pottery include plum, black, sage green, sky blue, earth, and cobalt blue. Other eye catching colors, either glossy or satin, are white speckle, deep teal, and bittersweet. Many different designs are used as well, such as willow for bowls, rose for plates, and iris for assorted platters. Good handmade pottery gifts are microwave safe, as well as safe for dishwasher use.

Other examples of hand thrown pottery include cheese and butter keepers, jars, for sugar, cookies and so on, colanders, bowls, creamers and sugar dishes, ladles and casserole dishes, mugs and apple bakers. For tea lovers, tea sets are available at online hand thrown pottery stores, while vases and pitchers, planters, lamp bases, lanterns, flower arrangers, amongst others are also available.

Things that all receive the handmade pottery treatment are serving ware like berry bowls, bake ware like bean pots, wide bowls, wine chillers, dip and chip bowls, and mixing bowls. Gifts for mothers or children at baby showers are specialties such as canister sets, piggy banks, baby sets, jelly sets, and more.

Gift ideas that make other great gifts that are handmade are, fruit and salad bowls, wine chalices and goblets, egg separators, garlic pots, and utensil holders. All over the country clay can be found and used by potters. Each clay gives its own unique feature to the pottery. Shaping the clay take many years of experience to perfect.

The pottery is fired in kilns at very high temperatures for several hours up to several days. There are many different sizes and types of kilns. Novices can also create one of a kind pieces by taking local pottery classes. Handmade pottery is a fading art form.

Websites run by potters also offer food specialty items like crocks, casseroles, and tortilla warmers. Handmade sinks are the latest trend of luxury hotels. They sinks accentuate bars and bathrooms to bring the decor to a new level.

Custom made sinks can be personally requested from designs on a potters website. Many are now using one large sink in bathrooms to replace two smaller ones. Glazes on sinks is always evolving as artists continue to further develop the form. They can be a great addition to any home.

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How and why children draw

Filed Under (Art) by Wendy Tsao on 06-10-2008

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by Wendy Tsao

Children feel the need to express themselves. They fulfill this uniquely human trait by interacting with different people, by responding to the things they observe in their environment and most importantly through drawing.

Drawing not only enhances the developmental skills of a child, it also aids in the ability of the child to express himself creatively. His thinking and communication skills are also being developed because drawing motivates him to discuss his creations. Children who are involved in the expressive act of drawing are participating in their own learning. When given choices and ample time to create, they will construct their own realities, communicate their feelings and ideas which in turn make sense of and give meaning to their world.

Children are able to learn very quickly how to use the different mediums and techniques available in drawing. They have a wide selection of tools to choose from, and almost intuitively understand how to make marks on a blank piece of paper. Coloring materials such as crayons, pastel colors, paint, colored markers, colored pencils, watercolors and chalk are the most popular choices for young hands.

When a child begins to make drawings with meaning, he or she is entering an important stage of creating and communicating. The inspiration of a child stems from the hundreds of ideas running through his mind - which most of the time can result in bizarre pictures that only the child can personally understand.

These ideas can also result in colorful, recognizable drawings of people, animals, objects, places, and so on. Whether or not every drawing that a child makes is a masterpiece, it is through this repeated activity that children learn to experiment and practice different drawing techniques that can further fuel their creativity. Through drawing, children increase their understanding of colors, shapes and even spatial concepts.

While there is an urge in parents and society to develop a child’s creativity by enrolling them in art classes, there is just as much value in simply letting children draw whatever they think and feel. Children feel the most joy in drawing spontaneously, that is without any rules or limitations. The benefit of free drawing is that it cultivates within a child the independence to create images, characters and dimensions that they can relate to and think of.

Drawing helps a child to filter the things that he likes or dislikes. Through his drawings a child can set out his dreams and wishes on paper, and make them seem a bit more real. Children, like professional artists, can also draw according to their emotions. Children will produce happy drawings of their families or other familiar subjects but they can also create drawings depicting sad or scary thoughts. How can parents respond to this form of creativity in children? By simply showing a genuine appreciation through listening to the child talk about the ideas in the drawing, and by asking the child how they feel about their drawing, the parent is nurturing a positive form of communication.

Drawing is thus an important tool for very young children, by providing them with opportunities to represent intricate personal narratives and to use them to communicate with significant others in their lives. Drawing offers a window into children’s preoccupations, passions, problems and possibilities. Many adults can listen and respond to these narratives and appreciate the power and meaning of children’s drawings, and thus help in the development of these young thinkers.

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Plush toys from children’s drawings

Filed Under (Art) by Wendy Tsao on 06-10-2008

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by Wendy Tsao

Custom plush toys abound in the retail market. But what sets Child’s Own apart is that we get the inspiration from the drawings that were made by your child and customize it as a one-of-a-kind soft toy to be cherished for a lifetime.

Child’s Own understands that childhood is a onetime life stage when children play and explore the world with their unique child’s view. As busy parents concerned primarily with making sure that our children are eating enough, keeping safe and meeting milestones, we sometimes miss their precious moments of self discovery. Creating a soft toy from your own child’s drawing is a great way to celebrate an important creative stage in their life while providing an opportunity for bonding with your child by showing him how much you appreciate what he does.

Stuffed toys have been made as presents for young children for centuries, using whatever scraps of homespun fabric and yarn were on hand. Little rag dolls and soft toys with simple shapes are very easy and fun to make. To guide you on this activity, here are the materials and steps on how to transform your child’s drawing to a custom plush doll:

Materials:

Child’s drawing Tracing paper Fabrics (any fabric scraps will do.) Stuffing, such as polyester fiberfill or beads available at fabric and craft stores Buttons, sequins, rhinestones or beads for accessories and detailing Thread and needle Ribbons, tassels or any fabric trimmings Scissors Glue Kid’s photo (optional)

1. Have your child make a drawing or select one from your collection. Some children go through drawing phases, where they will constantly draw the same character, such as a mermaid or a dinosaur. These drawings are great for remembering these times. For special occasions such as your child’s birthday, you can choose their favorite animal or character.

2. Select and lay out the material for the soft toy. You can use or re-use any material, such as leftover scraps, an old blanket, table cloth, linen, an old favorite piece of clothing, etc. The softer the fabric, the softer the plush toy will feel. Kids are enticed with bright hues so use “pick-me-up” colors such as yellow, red, pink, green, blue, and so on. If you use felt, there is no need to hem edges. The important thing is to keep shapes simple and to find the right materials to help lend character to your creation. 3. Trace your child’s drawing onto the tracing paper, or redraw your child’s drawing to a larger scale if desired. Put aside your child’s drawing, and use the tracing paper drawing as your pattern.

4. Transfer the pattern to the fabric, cut out and sew the pieces together, right sides together. Leave a gap in the seam to flip it inside out and then stuff with fiberfill. The more you stuff the better. After stuffing, sew the gap closed.

5. The stuffed toy is now ready for you to sew on the eyes, mouth, nose and any other details that were drawn by your child. You may use buttons, colorful sequins, rhinestones, beads, etc. You can also embroider the details using thin wool or embroidery floss.

6. If you would like to further personalize the doll, you can add a little photo on the doll. You can paste the photo on a separate fabric and frame it using ribbons or fabric scraps before sewing it on the doll. If you are good at embroidering, you can embroider your child’s name on the doll. Another good idea is to embroider a message on the doll. Sew “I love (your kid’s name)” on the doll’s body and see your kid’s face instantly light up!

There you have it, your child’s very own custom plush doll! Enjoy the satisfaction of creating a toy that your child will truly appreciate for its sentimental significance. And of course, you might want to make one for yourself!

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8 Principles for Choosing a Portrait Photographer

Filed Under (Art) by Peter Swanson on 02-10-2008

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by Samuel S. Peters

For most occasions, our own point and shoot camera is sufficient to record an event. Yet there are special occasions, like family reunions, when you will probably want to pay a professional to be sure it is done right. Of course, it will cost more than taking it yourself and having your own pictures enlarged. But the enduring quality of a good portrait will be worth it. After all, you are investing in the future by recording a memory of the past. Therefore, selecting the right photographer will be important. Consider these eight principles in making a wise choice.

1) Location- Is the studio within a reasonable distance from your home? You won’t want to drive hours to get the picture made, then return to get it. Then too, does it have sufficient parking and is it accessible so that you don’t have to wait long in traffic to get there?

2) Facility- A family with several children got up early on a Saturday morning to be on time for their appointment for a family portrait. But once they arrived, they learned that the studio was too small to get everyone in. Is the studio a store front or an established facility that is prepared to photograph whatever size group you have?

3) Punctuality- You will want to be on time for an appointment. Are they? Are you allowed all the time promised to get the picture right? Are the proofs and final prints available when they say they will be? It might be good to check with others about the reputation of the firm in these matters.

4) Personality- Do the employees look sharp? Is the receptionist and/or photographer friendly? Do they treat you with respect? Are they personable? Are they patient with small children and babies? Are they willing to accommodate special needs people? Usually portrait time means the whole group has been under stress to get clean and dressed and there on time. That means smaller children may show it by refusing to smile. The photographer should be able, under most circumstances, to overcome these everyday occurrences.

5) Skill- Is the lighting professional? After all, that is usually one thing you can’t imitate so it should be right. Is the photographer skilled at arranging the scene so it is balanced, key people are highlighted, and everyone can be seen? Their job is to get a picture worth framing if you so desire. They should know how to do that with one scan of the group.

6) Choice- A good photographer will take enough pictures so that you have ample choices from which to pick your favorites. How long do you have to wait before the proofs are available? Some companies will allow you to select your favorites while you are there. Are their recommendations motivated by money or what is best for you? Are they able to present the options without making you feel under pressure?

7) Integrity- Do they keep their promises? For example, if they promised one free picture if you posed for them, do they keep that promise? Are the pictures ready on the promised date? If you know someone who used them before, ask if their overall experience was good or bad?
8) Price- Obviously, professional photography will be more expensive than taking the pictures yourself. After all, they must pay for quality cameras, staff, and facilities. Just be sure that their price is competitive. If you call several firms and compare prices, you will at least be sure you are not cheated.

From our experience, getting a good family portrait can be a stressful time, but is worth the investment. If you follow these principles in selecting a photographer, you will likely be glad you had it done professionally.

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The power of a simple sketch

Filed Under (Art) by Wendy Tsao on 02-10-2008

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by Wendy Tsao

According to animator Dieter Mueller, “In animation the essence of a scene is often best captured in the initial rough drawings…” Visual artists often use sketches as preliminary studies for the final finished work of art. Sketches are done quickly, with less attention to detail and more to the spirit of the subject matter. Simply defined, a sketch is the outline or general delineation of anything. Sketches serve as rough drafts for what would eventually become a fully designed finished product.

Sketching is also a process which sets the artist to start thinking from a broader base, which may allow for more innovative, “out-of-the-box” concepts. A sketch is never a position of commitment; the artist has produced an idea on paper, but is still quite free to build on it or, to reject it. Sketching provides the freedom to venture with different methods and approaches. Because they are done quickly, sketches give the artist ample time to contemplate different ways to illustrate an idea.

A sketch is usually done very freely, and is a very effective and efficient means to communicate important ideas. By beginning with a sketch, an artist, animator, designer, etc, is able to express and explore a concept without being bogged down by measurements and logistics. The sketch is thus a tool to explore the heart’s desire.

Even a three-year old can produce a design with a sketch. Child’s Own Studio works from children’s sketches in each and every project. Some of these drawings made by children are indeed truly sketches with scratched out changes and scribbled messages for Child’s Own to take note. These drawings or sketches are effective and powerful enough to generate the soft toy making process and to yield a finished product. In this unique collaboration between artists (Child’s Own and child), the child provides a sketch that can only be described as a true expression of his heart’s desire.

Child’s Own enjoys the challenge of turning the sketch into a three-dimensional finished product that embodies the essence of the child’s drawing. I personally enjoy the children’s drawings and treat them with care, and when done, return them to the artist. The final product, based on a child’s sketch, is of course, meant to capture the spirit and essence of the child. This is what makes Child’s Own soft toys unique and more characterful than mass-produced store bought products. The power of the simple sketch is made very apparent by every hand crafted soft toy at Child’s Own.

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