Leaderboard

If you are into arts or into planting, then this is the best thing for you. Aside from recycling you can also put paint on it and be creative. This quarantine got me so bored and our bin for bottles is full cause there is no collector of junk, so I decided to do something about it. The materials that you needed are plastic bottles, of course some root or plant if you want to transfer it; then optional - paint for the design -- Think green -- , then optional – paint for the design. You can save some money from buying a plant vase. These are the designs that I made, see photos below.

If you want a nice photos on your modelling portfolio, you need to hire a professional photographer or at least a person with a knowledge about camera and photography. You need a photos with different angles and shot. This are the shot that you need ( clean head shot, full length body shot, swimsuit shot, smiling shot, and strong closing shot ) you also need to include your body statistics on your portfolio. You need a hard copy of your portfolio so you can show it personally and easily view as well as a website or online portfolio so you can easily send it to email when they ask for it. You can visit my online portfolio : michellerolfe.portfoliobox.net and if you want to create your own online portfolio you can use this free online website: portfoliobox.net pictures below are example of my portfolio (hard copy)

First separate waste materials so that the recycle products can be transformed into something new. This are the products that I made using paper bags and boxes of different store like starbucks, j.co and krispy kreme doughnuts. This is one of the best way to recycle things. Instead of throwing it away why don't you just make it like scrapbook, scratch, notebook or something useful. Well obviously this is for personal used only, I am not allowed to make things like this for business cause I'm still using their logo and design. The mainly purpose of this is to recycle and save money instead of buying some new notebooks or scrapbook. Credit to this different store for having great design of their packaging.

MY ARTWORK IS AN ARTSITE WHICH FOCUSES MAINLY ON PAPER ART. ALL MADE FROM PULPED PAPER. WHERE EACH PIECES IS PURELY CRAFTED LOVINGLY BY HAND TO CREATE A ONE OF A KIND WORK OF ART. HENCE NO ONE PIECE IS THE SAME, AND A ONE OF A KIND COLLECTION OF ORIGINALITY AND CREATIVITY. A RECYCLED ART WITH EMBELLISEMENT AND A FUSION OF THE OLD AND THE NEW, THUS A TIMELESS PIECE OF ART. IT IS A WORK OF LOVE. HOPE YOU CHERISH IT AS I DID IN CREATING IT. WOULD YOU BELIEVED THAT WHEN I MEMBERED IN A PAPIER MACHE ARTIST GROUP. NO ONE CREATION IS EVER THE SAME. I WAS REALLY SURPRISED BY THE VAST CREATIVITY OF THE IMAGINATIONS OF THE MEMBERED ARTIST. ALL ORIGINAL WORK OF ART. ANYWAY DO YOU KNOW THAT PAPIER MACHE ART IS A FUSION OF DIFFERENT ARTS. ITS A FUSION OF DIFFERENT MEDIUM OF ARTS. SUCH AS CARVING(WOOD),POTTERY(CLAY), SCULPTURE(ROCK/METAL), AND PAINTING ALL ROLLED INTO ONE CREATION. HENCE ITS A ONE OF A KIND WORK OF ART.

I have been reading where Google has released information that it may start putting it's first page ranking up for bids on search. To me this would hurt the small business people that do not have the budgets of the large corporations. The example that I saw used one dollar per click as an example which could be bid as high as five dollars per click. Man...I can just see Google sending me a bill saying today 5000 people clicked on my sight and bought nothing...that will be $5000 please. No way! From the statistics I have seen that 70% of potential customers will not click on adds that come up under search anyway. I suppose this is a way to hide paid advertising from customers by charging for search ranking. Plus they do not guarantee first page ranking anyway-even with the paid search plan. For those of us trying to maintain a sight I suppose we could try for page 2 or 3. I could better understand the system if it was a commission on sales results of some sorts. My humble opinion is that Google in it's largeness is becoming very greedy. I understand that they must make a profit but it should not come at the expense of putting the small business out-of-business. Google should remember that Yahoo and Bing are waiting in the background for the opportunity to become # 1. Papadan

Death Ever since I was a little child I was afraid of dying. The thing that scares me the most is the fact you are no more; your just not here anymore. I’m terrified of leaving everyone behind once I go; just that thought alone scares me to death. What happens to you after you die? I am also worried by the unknown of dying and, what happens to your soul. I have had many people in my family pass away. The one that had me face my fears the most was my dad’s own passing. My dad passed away when I was eighteen years old; it will be two years in February. My dad had cancer and was put into remission, but about six to eight months later he was diagnosed again and was terminally ill. After we found out he was terminally ill the doctors said he had a month to live; in the end that’s all we had left with him. When we brought him home we got hospice in right away. Hospice is a service where they bring in a death bed, have a nurse that comes in a few times a week and I want to say she was a social worker who came in to be there for us. My mom, brother and I all witness he slowly pass away. The only good thing about him passing that way, instead of a freak accident, is that we all got to say good bye to him. It’s hard to admit that there are good things that can come from someone close to you dying. After you go through something like that it changes you; sometimes bad but also it can be a good change. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I haven’t faced that; it has also made me face my own fear of death. I believe that my dad is still with us; I believe his spirit is here watching over my family and me. I have always believed that there is some form spirituality out there; even through my own confusion with my belief of God. My belief of there is life after death became even stronger after my dad left us. When I didn’t believe in God anymore I used to picture where my dad was. I would imagine a lake in the middle of the woods, at night time, even though it was dark outside it wasn’t freighting. Knowing my dad is with us gives me comfort for when I die one day. If I were to die tomorrow I know my dad would be there. I wouldn’t be with the rest of my family and friends, but I would still be with people I know. I would love to see my dad again but I can’t until I met my end. Just to hear him say I love you again would be amazing. I hold on to the hope that we will see each other again one day. After watching my own dad die I am less afraid to die. I know he will be there for me when I need him, just in a different way now. Of course it stills scares me, but I feel a little less scared of it now. It’s going to happen one day, so why not try to see the positive from it. That’s how I like to view the world; always look for the positive in a bad situation.

So, first entry. New here, so on and so forth...I'm a hobbyist photographer, with main interests lying in photographing insects/other invertebrates. I don't have a fancy camera, but I do spend time making sure everything that needs to be in focus is the light conditions are just right etc etc. So yes, will hopefully be uploading some images soon.

Well, I did say that it would be a while before I managed to get around to uploading the photos from my brief little break in Denmark at the end of July/first week in August this year. September is nearly over now, but I have been busy with work - (which, for me, working on ships, generally means very poor to non-existent internet...) And, aside from that, I had to earn some money first, in order to be able to renew my subscription for the software that artfreaks.com runs on, so that I could get it upgraded to the latest version. Now that's done, I have found uploading photos to be a breeze - on my laptop, at least! (Hopefully, the have done something to improve photo handling on mobile devices too? I will let you know, next time I give it a go.) After leaving my previous ship in the port of Kalundborg on the island of Sjaelland - (the same one where, København - or Copenhagen, is located) - I needed a few days to finish-off some reports and decide just exactly where I was to head next. I found this very inexpensive, comfortable and quiet little B&B just a few miles outside town: Holmehuset Bed & Breakfast Kåstrup Holmevej 23, Illerup, Kalundborg, Denmark, 4400 I nice four mile walk through the glorious late summer rural Denmark countryside to the King's Pub in the centre of town. (Well, why walk two mile to the nearest supermarket when you can walk four miles to the nearest pub?!!) Needless to say, I enjoyed those walks. The photos tell a better story. Beautiful countryside and not much traffic on the roads - on average, about four or five between Kåstrup Holmevej and Kalundborg! I must go back there some day...

This photo album is 100% recycle, made of carton boxes from public market and grocery. I painted it and put design to look like a camera. Aside from having photo album, you can also use it as your room decoration. Instead of putting those boxes in the trash bin, why dont you just try to create this amazing photo album. While doing things like this I enhanced my creativity and practice the three R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Think green.

I am a new artist member of this site, and I joined in hopes that I would be able to connect and share ideas about other artist's work and the work that I produce. I look forward to creating strong bounds with fellow artists and look forward to viewing and showing art. I have linked two examples of my art so to give an idea of what kind of work I produce. I have also linked my web site. Thank you. http://rlouism.com/

The completion of my latest painting represents two 'firsts' for me! Firstly, having been struggling with issues of lack of inspiration, finding the time and actually being able to complete my previous painting, (started last year sometime) - this is my first complete painting of the year 2012 Secondly, this is my first ever painting that was not based on a photograph - and no photographic reference material was used - not even for the large (lily-like?) flower... The koi pond, right in the middle of that lovely, rough and very green cottage garden lawn was just my idea of a perfect view from my ideal kitchen window! Let me know what you think! Window With a View

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69618608@N08/ My grandparents have come under some major financial stress and they're house is in jeopardy. They had these paintings they have collected over the years and are trying to find out if they have any real significance and might have something that could help them financially. There is one that appears to be one of the "Highwaymen" from Florida in the 50's and 60's that I have had someone on the Highwaymen website verify that it is Livingston Roberts' work, but he never replied back to me to give me a title of the painting or any other information. Any help anyone can offer would mean a great deal to me and my family. All the pictures in the link above have all the information I have under them. I think most of these were purchased in Florida if the helps any. Thanks in advance, Kevin

This is where I live exactly...My link

There are many styles and trends in fine art in the world (from naive art to hyperrealism). Ufolism is a young trend in the visual arts. Its founder is the Russian artist DiezelSun (Alexander Tatarnikov). In his paintings, he depicts ancient Gods (representatives of the extraterrestrial world). Ancient artifacts are good sources for the realization of creative ideas. Many ancient artifacts depict an extraterrestrial world. In some of the artist's paintings there is romanticism, because beautiful women are depicted (Goddesses of love, Goddesses of fertility, etc.) Also, this topic is related to the theory and hypothesis of Paleocontact, all this is very interesting and you begin to think about the history of the Earth, and the Earth's history is not simple. Ancient symbolism in the artist's work.

Well... Like most people, I haven't had a lot of travel to write about over the last year. I finally got off a cable ship where I had been stranded for months, in Dubai on the 2nd of June 2020 - and I have been in sunny Somerset ever since. Added to that, I have had a severe bout of illness, (not Covid), for the last three months, whereby I have been virtually housebound - with or without travel restrictions. Anyway, it is still cold but the sun is shining. There are signs of spring all around - and I am finally well "on the mend" from the illness that I have been suffering from. Step by step... (Or pedal by predal!) The first thing that I am really looking forward to is being able to get out on my bike as the weather continues to improve. Then maybe, just maybe; we can start looling at some travel, photography - and maybe even some art!! Here are some photos that I took out and about on my bike last summer.

This art work is my fathers. He has not been doing well so I offered to get his artwork out to the masses. I hope you like it and please give any comments you may have. More here: Gallery -> Members own albums -> Cover

'Not too much time for painting in recent years... I have a portrait of my youngest daughter on the go - and I will definitely finish it one day. (I started it when she was 16. She is now 19 - so I will have to finish it while she is, technically at least, still a teenager!) Photography... Well, this little blog of mine is also supposed to be about some of my attempts at photography, so here are a few snaps I took of the Shinkansen, on a recent (work-related) trip to Japan. Welcome, to the Shin-Kan-Sen!! (You have to pause for a very brief moment after "Welcome" - and say it with pride!!) The photos I posted on Facebook created quite a few comments and I have reproduced some of these below: Vic Rolfe I was talking about the Shinkansen to a friend in Kokura. He said he couldn't understand what was so special about the Shinkansen! "It's just a train, right?" Just a train??!!!! Well... I suppose - for Japan, yes!! Luis Reyes Ordinary train lng sa kanila FB Friend:" Beautiful, wish we had those here in Australia. " Vic Rolfe Ideal country for it... Japan has spent a stupendous amount of money over the years building that network. At least, you wouldn't need too many tunnels, for a start off! Vic Rolfe City center to city center, all over Japan. Every station on the Shinkansen network is surrounded by hotels, so you just get off the train and walk for two minutes to your hotel. In Japan, unless you are going from one end of the country to the other, it is actually quicker than flying, by the time you get stuck in a traffic jam just getting to the airport. Then you have to check in and get through security. Luis Reyes Ganda ng train Vic Rolfe These things don't spend all day in the station, either. They arrive on time and they have to leave on time - exactly to the second. Hence the announcement as you slow down on the approach to Hakata (Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, Japan) "If you are planning to get off at the next station, then you need to get all your stuff ready NOW and start making your way towards the doors.." (or words to that effect!!) I am not sure how long they stop for - but it can't be very long! That's for sure... 1 minute? 2 minutes max!!

I got into the field of animation because animation is beautiful. Taking something that is still or something that you have created and moving it. You are creating and bringing life. I've always loved movies and I've always loved animations. The stories were great, but there was more to it. I could feel what the character felt and it felt like they were real. The movement was beautiful, close to life but not quite, it was very different. Anyway, animation opened up a whole new realm of opportunities for me. There's so much more to it than people realize. It allows me a chance to indulge in all of my senses and forms of expression. Background design, character design, object design, hands-on sculpture, stop motion animation, texture, sound effects, music, story, writing, and more and more, the possibilities are endless. That's all I wanted to say for now. My gallery is small right now but I have tons of projects in the works (I have so many unfinished ideas) as well as some projects that need to be finished for my freelance clients. But check back often as I will keep on updating. Be sure to check out my other places on the web as well! If you ever want to find me somewhere, just search ShinyHubbCap (my internet handle!) Meaning of ShinyHubbCap- Well, my name is Julie Hubbard. My nickname is Jewels, everybody calls me Jewels. Jewels are shiny. "Shiny" is another nickname somebody gave me. When I think "Hub" I think Hubcap. My last name is Hubbard. so ShinyHubbCap is like my name. 'Get it?

The title to this entry is an allusion to the break-up of my first, slightly unsuccessful marriage - and my descent into the pits of hell with the second. That was all over ten years ago but, today, I find myself wondering why I devote so much time and energy, (never mind money,) to a bunch of websites... It costs me well over $US 400 a month, just to keep them "on air." I can only take so much of my paid job, so could this just be a diversion to keep me busy and keep my mind away from thinking about the past? Then there is the fact that I invariably, deliberately mess-up any kind of developing a relationship with the opposite sex. I certainly don't feel ready to get hooked again. Not just yet... Maybe not in the next ten years. Maybe when I am already dead?! Then there is the art. Making amateur art, without any kind of pressure to pay the bills with the proceeds, is quite a relaxing pass-time and, like the web sites, it does keep my mind occupied on mundane things. Sometimes though, it is a real struggle just to get motivated; pick-up a stick of pastel and make some kind of mess on a sheet of paper. Even that takes a real effort when I am not in the mood. It's just as well that I am not into oil painting... I'd never even get all that gear set-up!!

I wish I knew what year Norm Darwish made this photograph. I tried to contact him on his website but, no response back. I can find information on a lot of his work, just not this series. I guess it might have came from his flowers theme. It is so beautiful, it is so mind boggling that he does this flawless of work with color pencils

This painting was in my Grandfathers estate. It is signed by T. Fulop. Behind the name is either a "54" of "Sr". It's 35" wide and 24" tall. Does anyone know of this artist??

picture it as a tattoo (attachments)

This is first ever portrait I tried at my age 6.

Seems lately that I have so many distractions that I find no time left to paint. First it took me quite a while to learn how to put up my own website. http://www.papadanart.com. This I finally accomplished with the help of yahoo's small business tools. You will not realize the accomplishment of building a website for a guy that still carries a dumb phone. Then we have the distractions of other folks, usually family, that think every little snag in their life should be a great emergency for ME. These seekers of opinion do not realize that I gained my wisdom from making many of the same dumb mistakes that they are making. Soon I know there will come a day that I can turn once again to my painting and the gradification it brings to me. I hope to start another series. Maybe the last series(Crazy Island) is out of my system. I have no idea what the next series will be but I am sure it will be a learning experience for me. Suffer through those anoying distractions that take us from our painting or whatever our method of expression may be. It just makes the return more enjoyable. Have a great day. Papadan.

04-07-2012, Today I took a step in my plan to make a difference in the art world. Over the years I have worked in sales and marketing but my heart has always belong to the world of art. As a high school art student, I fell in love with copper etching. oils and pastels were ok but I could not get enough of the copper etching portion of the class. Once the class ended and I could not find a way to continue on my own, I experienced withdrawals. My desire to be an artist begin to burn out and finally I turned to sports to file the void. Over the years I would dabble in oil painting projects but I could not rekindle that fire that once burned within me. It was not until I met an unknown artist by the name of Jay Burley that I begin to understand my place in the Art World. That brings me to The Curator's Shadow, the Art Book. I begin trying to help Jay get his work seen by the world. We put his work on Tee Shirts and other clothing, even coffee cups. His work was all over the web, Youtube, Myspace even Facebook. Working with Jay reminded me of all the talented people I have come across with limited or no way to get their work seen by the public in a way that would do justice to their talent. The Art Book was the answer, a way to record a piece of history that would last and be shared for years to come. The Curator's Shadow will become a National Treasure, showcasing the work of artist the future may someday label great masters. To give our new website a look see click here

I recently purchased a painting from goodwill (kind of vintage looking) I think it might be by an artist who was experienced in hand painting reproductions of famous artworks. I found another painting that was a reproduction of "The First Kiss" and was sold with the same signature as the artist on my painting (which was also sold to soneone on goodwill). I have tried to research this artist but have been unsuccesful. I guess my question is, does anyone know the name of this painting, or what is it a reproduction of? Or perhaps, does anyone recognize the signature. I am planning to keep this painting concidering that reproductions are a highly priced item sometimes, and it is soo beautiful. But since I know that the artist does reproductions, I really want to know if this is a repo. too, or an original of the artist. Thank you for any response back. With all the ship paintings to research, after a while, they are starting to look the same.

Hi! It's me ShioriWolf. I am kinda new here I guess. I joined and then forgot about this website.... Theres not much that goes around here is there? hmmm.... Anyways i will be putting up more art soon... maybe..... if i remember.

http://kielnhofer.com http://timeguards.com http://kielnhofer.at http://fotopark.at http://artpark.at http://contemporary-art.at http://lightart-biennale.com

My first complete painting of 2011... Pretty Po Kami 001 From a selfie taken by a pretty young teenage Filipina girl member of the Pretty Po Kami girls group on Facebook.com There was another painting that I finished in January but it was started back in November of 2010. It was supposed to be erotic art - but it is certainly one of the worst paintings that I have managed to produce in recent years: The struggle continues, as they say!

Originally posted in the forums: May 10 2006, 08:36 PM I've been getting a bit carried away with my pastels lately. Here's a fairly recent painting that I was quite proud of: This was based on a newspaper photograph, depicting a couple of children trying to keep warm around a camp fire after an earthquake in Nepal.

Originally posted in the forums: Nov 13 2006, 03:42 AM Rembrandts are a soft pastel? I don't think so!!!!! Depending on the colour, they range from hard to rock hard. You can keep them! And where did this all come about from? I've just wasted a PHP250.00 sheet of 300gsm watercolour paper and God only knows how much fixative and poxy Rembrandts - on a painting that I have just burned. Sorry... I should have taken a picture first, in order to show you how bad it was? In all fairness to the makers of Rembrandt Pastels, I can't blame them for my failure. But, to be honest, I DON'T enjoy painting with them. They are too Damned HARD! They are, however, about the least hard of all the pastels that you can buy in the Philippines - which is the only reason that I use the things! But Soft, they Ain't! Postscript Edit - dated November 18, 2007: Having just re-read the above entry, I think it was actually a little unfair! I have to say this, because I have, in fact, been using Rembrandts, (usually in conjunction with Schmingke and Unison pastels,) ever since I wrote that - over a year ago!!!!!!! OK. The Rembrandts are certainly NOT as soft as Schmingke. However, now that I have developed my technique a little, I find that quite useful in certain circumstances - like, for instance, when I specifically don't want to apply too much colour. I also use them as blending sticks. (I never did get on with those rolled-paper stick things - whatever they call them?) One other area that I do use Rembrandt a lot, is in the initial stages of a pastel painting when working on a heavy watercolour paper. These are usually landscapes. Because the paper is invariably white or off-white, I tend to block in large swathes of background colour with my Rembrandts - then turn these into very rough watercolour washes by going over them with a large "mop" type watercolour brush with plenty of clean water. That way, I create my own multi-colour tinted paper before I start the painting. So, whilst what I wrote in the original post above was what I found to be true at the time of writing, I have now revised my opinion of Rembrandt pastels. I DO find them very useful and I sincerely apologize to the makers of Rembrandt pastels for my previous, hasty, and not very accurate comments!

I'm just on my way back to Manila after spending a very pleasant week in a very remote farm in Davao del Sur, Mindanao, (in the Southern part of the Philippines). 'Extremely primitive conditions but the hospitality was great and I had a whole stretch of clean, clear and warm river water to myself! And it was great fun riding a motorcycle with four of us on it, going to the local market... Me, the driver and two very pretty and innocent country girls - one 17 years young and the other one just turned 15. I only wish someone could have photographed the smile on my face!! Whilst I was there, I decided to give the family and the other people in the village a break from my prying camera. But I did manage to get loads of photos of light shining through tropical foliage, the rice paddies, the river etc., etc. I also spent a lot of time and effort trying to get a decent shot of a very beautiful cockerel. The chickens there are totally free range and the damn cock kept roaming around! I also spent some time taking photos of different types of light, (morning, noonday, evening, sunny, cloudy etc.,) shining through the water onto the river bed. Hopefully, these will provide some good practice material for learning how to paint natural bodies of water. I only have two regrets with that trip - and both of these were missed photo opportunities caused by my own stupid shyness and lack of confidence with people photography... The first one was when I was sitting in a nipper hut, right beside the path through the woodland along the riverbank. My camera was in my hands and I was already busy snapping away at the early morning sunlight shining through some banana tree leaves. Like I said earlier, I had already decided to give people photography a rest during this recent trip - but then some opportunities are so fleeting and too good to miss. So you really have to grab the moment and take the shot? I was suddenly amazed to see three very young children, (probably aged between about 5 and 7 years old,) riding along the woodland path on a fairly large horse. No doubt, they were riding to school and they just looked so care-free and confident on that big beast! By the time I had rustled-up the courage to brave their inevitable shyness and laughter the moment they should see my camera pointing at them, it was too late and all I could see was the backs of the children and the horse's great bum! I hadn't even raised my camera from my lap... The other missed photo opportunity was when, early on my last morning there, I was down by the river - busy trying to get some close-ups of some riverside flowers... So, obviously, I was ready and obviously, my camera was with me - primed, in hand and ready to go... But I wasn't expecting the family's 15-year-old daughter to come down to the river to say goodbye to me before leaving for school. And it wasn't until Jelyn turned to go that I realized what a pretty picture of carefree youth and innocence she was. With the beautiful, unspoiled rural scenery and that wonderfully soft, early morning light on her cheeks, this was another rare and not to be missed photo opportunity. All I had to do was to call back to her and just mention the word "pictures!" It would have been so easy and Jelyn loves having her photo taken. But, again, I was just too damned shy to ask- and then she was gone... Mind you, these lost photo opportunities may just be the prodding that I really need, in order to encourage me to start painting from the memory and using my imagination? Now that is definitely going to be a big step for me - getting away from painting exclusively from photographs...

This thing had been sitting around in my living room, half finished for about nine months: Mindanao palayan - almost ready for planting rice I finally got around to finishing it a few days ago. 'Feels good to be back in the swing... I was almost starting to get really cheesed-off with the thing, as I frantically tried to get it finished the other day. But I managed to resist the temptation of over-doing it and ending-up with a complete mess. It's only a bit of crappy amateur art. And having taken 9 months over the thing, it is hard to say that I really enjoyed doing it. (Well, I always enjoy the actual time spent working on a painting but I couldn't get in the mood for art for months on end when I was supposed to be working on this one.) But, I have to say, I am pretty well satisfied with this painting now that it is done... I quite like the richness of the colors - especially the greens... And the half-finished work almost became a fixture in my living room for such a long time; I might even frame this and put it up on my wall!

Originally posted in the Forums: Nov 13 2006, 03:51 AM Oh, Here's one that I didn't burn... A sexy, very pretty blonde girl with lovely breasts!! I know that most people will think it is a pretty corny painting but, who gives a damn?! I enjoyed doing it, and I like it! And, I have to admit, it was done mostly in Rembrandts... So why am I getting hot under the collar about Rembrandts? Because I have completely run out of my Schmingke SOFT pastels, I can't afford to order any more over the internet, at the moment - and I couldn't have done this... without them! ...Reason being that the above painting uses a lot of acrylic modelling paste, mixed with sand, in order to get the textures for the grass and the rocks. If you try to use anything other than a really soft pastel for this, when you try to cover up the sanded modelling paste, most of the pastel ends up as dust on the floor. And, if you are not careful, you can wear your fingers down to the bone!!

Originally posted in the Forums: Dec 25 2006, 06:08 AM Here's my latest attempt... Sheine Mae and Jelyn It should have looked something like this... Sheine Mae and Jelyn I'm not aiming for photo-realism here - (even if I did have the skill and the patience to do it). In fact, I like a little bit of style... But, looking at the photo and the painting together like this, I realized that I made Sheine Mae's head far too big. I'll have to try this one again sometime... The struggle goes on!!

I love the Philippines. Filipinos are, without a doubt, some of the friendliest, most fun-loving, outgoing and easygoing people in the world. And that is quite an awesome combination! I call Manila 'home' - and PAL (Philippine Airlines) also happens to be my favourite airline. I also quite like Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)... It's nothing special in terms of modernity or facilities but checking in, Security, Immigration, Customs and all of the usual rigmarole generally work pretty smoothly. You can even get a smile out of an Immigration Officer - sometimes! Now that is saying something!! And you always get a nice welcoming chorus somewhere in the arrivals area at Christmas time. But... (Moaning Poms!!) How long will it be before Watsons realise that they do need to stock up on antacid tablets before Christmas and the New Year? (Not in the middle of January.) IE, When the demand is bound to be higher and supply chains are always severely disrupted? Or, how long before suppliers in general start to realise that essential supply chains do need to be maintained over the Christmas and New Year period? ...Or that it is actually quite a good idea to have more than two or three taxis working NAIA, the main international airport, on New Year's Day? (Not just let them all take the day off because they have hangovers from celebrating on New Year's Eve?) Funny as hell, that! When I cleared Customs at NAIA (MNL) the other day and saw the state of the queue for the official airport taxis, I managed to bluff my way past the guard who was insisting on preventing people from going upstairs to the Departures area - (where you can generally hop into an incoming, non-airport taxi that has just dropped off a departing passenger) - even though the queue for taxis at Arrivals was probably about five or six hours long... Basically, I used the momentum of my heavy suitcase to get myself onto the escalator up to the Departures level. Then, once I was safely on the escalator and moving steadily upwards, I made a big show of looking for my onward domestic ticket... By the time the guard realised what I was up to, I was already halfway up and it was too late! There was no angry exchange and there were no hard feelings. I just lamely explained to the Guard that the queue for regular taxis was ever so slightly on the unbearably long side - and we both smiled as we said goodbye!! The Philippines! I just love this place! ❤️

Originally posted in the Forums: Oct 16 2007, 09:44 PM I just had my first - (totally disastrous!!) exhibition - where I didn't even sell a single painting... I was ripped-off for PHP40,000 by the Lilet Artista Art Gallery in MH Del Pilar Street, Ermita, Manila. The half page press release that I was supposed to get in the Manila Bulletin, ended up as a single paragraph in Tikatik - or some such cheap rubbish tabloid newspaper. ? No flowers, as promised - and not even a tin of Skyflakes for the opening ceremony... ? All my paintings were crammed together on 3/4 of ONE wall of the gallery in question. No attempt at any form of curating - and they were up for less than 36 hours!!!!!!!! Almost enough to put me off panting for life!! (I gave the bloody lot away - every single one of them!) ...'Only saving grace was, there were plenty of eager takers for the free paintings among some of the Ermita bar girls! When one potential customer tried to haggle the price of one painting down to, basically, the cost of the frame - I decided to withdraw the whole lot from sale! Later that same day, I got a friend to come around with his little "owner" jeep. We gathered up the entire collection of exhibition paintings and proceeded to go around Ermita, Manila - giving them away for free!! I am very happy to report that Hotel La Corona were willing recipients of two of my paintings, (although, I suspect - because I have been a long-term guest of the place - this may have been more out of politeness than anything!?!!) Anyway, the rest of the paintings went to various people like, as I said, some of the local bar girls - who really could not afford to buy one; not even at cost price for the materials. I am happy to report that there was something of a scramble for the paintings - with the whole lot gone in less than an hour and nowhere near enough to go around for all the people that wanted one! It done me a power of good to see my collection going to grateful recipients and, for the time-being at least, I am going to forget about even trying to sell any of my own work, for the time-being - and just concentrate on painting for fun... Basically just giving away the finished paintings to anyone that wants them. Cheers! Help to support ArtFreaks.com as a free website for amateur and professional artists and photographers: Shop discount arts and crafts supplies at MisterArt.com!

I've been manically busy with this and some of my other websites for most of my present vacation, (from my work as a seaman.) And yes - I have also been going through one or two pretty minor depressions. Nothing serious, you understand - just the normal stuff that anyone would suffer, when they have been putting their heart, sole, all their energy and almost every waking hour; day after day into a task that they know may or may not eventually reap rewards - or might just as easily end-up in complete failure!!! Not to mention the fact that although I do enjoy building websites - I'd much rather be painting. Or taking my lovely Pit Bull terrier for long walks! Anyway, when I was just about at breaking point with the amount of time and energy I was spending on constructing and running websites, I decided it was time to take a break and get back into some painting before I got called back to my job at sea. The below effort was about my third attempt at painting a pastel portrait from a photo of a lovely Thai girl, called Tussinee. Each attempt was getting progressively worse than the previous. When I finally realized that I just wasn't in the mood for painting, I lost my patience with it and defaced the thing completely. Then again, when I looked at it, I just thought; "Hey! I'm going to keep this one!" Tussinee - One (The Manic-Depressive Art Version!) The disaster with "Tussinee - One" did help to get something-or-other out of my system. Somehow, I quite like that painting. I decided to keep it, as it represents a small part of my life... Anyway, the fact that I had something that I actually wanted to keep - rather than burning, along with all the other failed attempts, prompted me into starting my 4th attempt at doing justice to the lovely Tussinee... Tussinee - Two (The 4th Attempt!!) Still not quite what I wanted... In many ways, more scary than my "Manic-Depressive" version of this painting in Tussinee - One!! Still... I feel myself getting back into the mood to paint - which has to be a good thing. At least, it has to be more healthy than sitting in front of a computer screen the WHOLE day?!! Help to support ArtFreaks.com as a free website for amateur and professional artists and photographers: Shop discount arts and crafts supplies at MisterArt.com!

I haven't had much time for painting lately but one I did manage to finish recently was a little commemorative pastel for a lovely dog... Jumong and Shoubi Just a small pastel painting that I done as a way of remembering Shoubi's best mate, Jumong - who sadly died while I was away on my recent commission at sea. The official story that I was given was that Jumong got sick and died. Not surprising really, as he spent most of the last months of his life in misery, tied up on a short piece of chain and hardly cared for. More likely though, he would have been killed for food? Despite the appalling conditions under which he was being kept, Jumong was a tough little dog... Anyway, whether he died, or was killed, I know for a fact that Jumong's carcass was not wasted. He did not get buried and he certainly had no flowers. So I decided to use a bit of artistic license and put some in the painting for him... Whilst in the mood for painting dogs, I decided to do a portrait for my Pit Bull Terrier cross, Shoubi. The first one came out a bit dark and Shoubi ended-up looking quite "foxy." I had another go and, for the first time ever, my second attempt at a painting resulted in an actual improvement over the first. Shoubi - Two Still far from perfect, I managed to get the coloring of her coat a bit more like the real thing. I need to work on getting the texture of the fur right, next time I try to paint a dog - but this will do for now...!! Help to support ArtFreaks.com as a free website for amateur and professional artists and photographers: Shop discount arts and crafts supplies at MisterArt.com!

Originally posted in the forums: May 29 2005, 02:20 AM At the tender young age of 47 years, I've finally decided to have another go at making some art... I was never any good at drawing but, at around age 14, I did once produce what I considered to be a pretty good oil painting of an A4 Pacific- (steam locomotive) hauled train, speeding down the tracks (supposedly! ) on its world record-breaking 126mph run. Having spoken to a few artist friends, I have come to the conclusion that I need to brush-up on my drawing and sketching skills before I can take my art any further. I was touched by Hermes Alegre's story of how, when he was a boy, his mother had to fork out on a blackboard and some chalks for him when he got into a fight with one of his friends. Apparently, his family didn't have enough money to buy paper and pencils so he used to draw by scratching his sketches into the earth. The fight started when his friend erased one of his drawings - as kids do!! :roll: I've bought a couple of books on drawing and I'll be giving you my reviews on these - together with some pretty awful "before" and, hopefully, slightly less awful "after" examples of my attempts at drawing and sketching - when I have finished reading these books and (tried!) to put some of what I have learned into practice. Watch this space! If any one else would like to share their story, tips, suggestions - or comments on mine or others attempts at making art, please feel free to post your comments here or, if you prefer, you can also start your own thread in this forum. Please check-out the top tips for artists and photographers in the Articles section of this site. (The link is in the main Navigation Bar at the to of this page - or in the Main Menu, if you are using a mobile device...)

Originally posted in the forums: Jun 4 2005, 04:45 AM Ok... Now I have exposed myself to ridicule!!! It's about 33 years since I last attempted to make any of my own art so these are very much the "Before" drawings. Hopefully, the "After" (reading a few books and a lot of practise) ones will be a little better... Learning to draw is an exciting challenge for me. And although the standard of my work is a bit of a joke at the moment, I have to say that I am NOT in the least bit disappointed with it. Far from it! I just feel chuffed that I've finally managed to pluck up the courage and have a go at doing something that I have always admired in others - drawing life-like images. I am currently working my way through an excellent book called "Drawing on the Right side of the Brain." I'm well impressed with it so far and I'm planning to do a review of it, once I have finished it. What I can say already, though, is that far from being a big heap of technical instructions, it is an excellent tool in breaking the psychological barriers that can prevent people from drawing. Right...! Time for a beer to celebrate!!!!

In my gallery, is the official online addition of my first graphic novella. In it I carefully laid out a 50-page graphic novella as a series of questions and answers between a character named Kyle

I envision that my external blog, combined with this blog, will afford me a greater opportunity to bridge a connection between my art website, this site, and my external blog. My external blog is a great platform for me to entertain and hopefully inform viewers by discussing and sharing my critiques and reviews of artwork, books (including articles/editorials) music, movies (including TV shows, social and political issues; basically any interesting content I can get my hands on. But ultimately I hope that interested parties that do view my original art website will find my work as aesthetically appealing as I do. http://rlouism.blogspot.com/

Oil paintings and oil painting reproductions at best price. Find thousands of genuine hand-painted oil paintings on canvas and oil painting from godpaint.com. We

We are a professional and qualified oil paintingsupplier from China and we can offer all categories of genuine hand-painted oil paintings, oil painting wholesale, oil painting reproductions,canvas oil painting. It includes: group oil painting, abstract oil painting, modern oil painting, flower oil painting,decoration oil painting, person oil painting, animal oil painting, portrait oil paintings, still life oil painting, children oil painting,nude oil painting, seascape oil painting, street oil painting, palace oil painting and venice oil painting, and so on. Oil Paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley and more

When you think of art whats the first thing that comes to your mind??? the correct answer is...EVERYTHING.everything is art nothing on this earth could be possible without art, i look at any and everything as an "art opportunity". and i guess this is why im getting better and better everyday. here is a challenge i want you to do. i do this everyday at school. next time you see an object by itself i want you to draw it. it can be as simple as a cup, but draw it 5 times, the first time drawing it as it is and the next 4 times drawing t different than before. don't get frustrated if it didn't turn out how you wanted it to. there is no such things as mistakes in art only mis-perception.this activity will start to really spark your imagination and increase your ability. in about a weeks time you will see yourself free-handing better than when you started!!! send me comments on ideas to help an artist or tell me how this little activity helped you. -Spyder

In an early morning painting on the famous Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, the shadows are made up of warm colors. Artist, Rod Cameron, offers this insight into the color temperature that he used in the painting, and gives artists a good rule of thumb when selecting colors for shadows. At sunrise and sunset, the color of the light is changing very quickly. For even very ambitious plein air painters who manage to set up their easels at the crack of dawn, it's nearly impossible to finish the painting and capture the lighting effects on the landscape before it changes. And it's hard to remember exactly how it looked when you got the inspiration for your creation. Rod Cameron, travels with other artists all the way from his home on the Big Island in Hawaii to central Europe and the Czech and Slovak Republics, to paint in Prague. Knowing how to handle the shadows in certain colored light can be very helpful when painting en plein air, and the time and the light is moving too fast. Rod Cameron tells his students, "The magical light of Prague this early in the morning had a cool predominate cast, which brings the shadows to the warmer hues of the palate. Cool light equals warm shadows, or warm light gives cool shadows. This is the general rule." See Painting Even experienced plein air painting artists can benefit from this little reminder, especially when it's early, and you're in the moment. You want to capture the look and feel of cool, early morning, before the sun is up, and a few good rules of thumb can help take the guesswork out! "The incredible buildings of the city create an interesting sky line across the horizon and I used the tall statue on the left, which had a natural gaze into the scene and the focal points of the painting," said Rod Cameron while describing his painting titled, Charles Bridge. This Rod Cameron painting of the Charles bridge in Prague can be found on the web. Go ahead! Travel halfway around the world. Get up at the crack of dawn, and capture in your paintings the beautiful places that you travel to with confidence! The light may be changing too quickly, but the architecture, skylines and statues aren't. Create great value and color harmony with complimentary colors, then nudge the color in the shadows either warm or cool. Notice that it gives your shadows a "real presence". Painting Tip, Plein Air Painting in Europe, Expert advise on Painting, Painting Shadows, Painting workshop, Rod Cameron Art,

Here are a few more sketches, please check the Members Album on Gallery-- My art's named - ' My Quest to become an artist'. Thank u for spending ur time to read this. Love u.

Hi, Each day is a new day. We do the same things or things happen differently or different things happen to us. I am making a conscious effort to do things differently every day. I am on my week off today. However, i ended up doing the same thing. Ohhh! how sickning! Anyway, i will still continue to keep up my zeal and learn to do things differently. Thats my quest at the moment... mY day has been pretty good. Well i know no ones interested to know that, but i would still like to share...Share my dreams.. I plan to sell my ART to fund my NGO. I have not yet thought of the cause for which i would work selflessly.. i will share it with you once i realise..I always wanted to do something interesting and i feel art is the one now.

SOVEREIGNTY When Rudyard Kipling died in January 1936 and his autobiography was published the following year, the Baha