Oil Paintings Tips - Appreciate Art And Its Beauty

It is in our innate nature to appreciate art and its beauty. Some even collect works of their favorite artist. Oil painting is one of the most amazing artwork. An artist allocates tremendous amount of time in order to complete one artwork. He has to translate the image in his imagination through the strokes of his brush.
Its value is high because of the time and effort he puts in his masterpiece. If you are wondering why many love to hang an expensive canvas oil painting on their wall, here are some of the reasons why:



1. It adds color and interest on the wall. This is why most interior designers love artwork. One piece of artwork can add so much to the room. It is like an instant makeover. If you have a blank wall, an artwork can definitely add more color to it. It will also draw the attention of the people who will enter the room.
2. It transforms a room. For example, your wall painting is dark; installing a painting with light colors will brighten the room. If you have a room with a modern design, a landscape painting will bring balance the stiffness of your space. It also creates drama in a very simple area. Bedrooms look more inviting with the installation of paintings with warm sceneries.
3. It adds a touch of sophistication and elegance. This is the initial reaction you will get from the people who will enter your room. Paintings are classic displays. If you are going to put one in your room, you will surely achieve this type of environment.
4. It is an investment. If you have notice, the value of paintings increases over the years. If you have invested in genuine painting, you will surely take advantage of it in the future. Apart from that, these pieces are timeless. If you do not want to sell this piece of furniture in the future, you can always pass it on to your children.
5. It evokes various emotions from people who view it. People have different choices when it comes to art. This is because their emotion at that time is different. Usually, people choose a design of a canvas oil painting base on their emotional state. If they want to be happy, they will want to look at paintings that will make them feel that way. If they want to achieve a peaceful environment, they will consider that in making their choice.
Painting is a very nice decoration for your home. This will definitely add a new dimension to the room. It adds beauty in the room. You will also have something to look at when you are relaxing.
What is great about paintings is that it goes well with almost everything. You can find a beautiful design for a traditional or contemporary space. You can even paint your own to make it more personal. If you want to add more character, interest, and color to a room, hang a painting on your wall.

Free Tips on How to Paint Pine Trees

Pine trees are one of the easiest trees to add to a painting and are often the first tree that new artist’s attempt. Pines add color and are very common trees, so to add them to almost any painting is a good way to practice.
I usually start with the trunk. Use the side of a fan brush or any narrow brush and paint in a vertical “line” or trunk. This trunk may only be slightly visible when the tree is finished. Use an off white or gray color.

There are several types of pine trees. If you are striving for a specific type, study pictures and try to get the general shape of the needles correct. Remember, painting is about illusion, so you do not replicate every single needle! In general the branches are perpendicular to the trunk and widen as you go lower. There are not too many off branches of each main branch so don’t over do it.
Painting in the needles can be done in a couple of ways. I always start at the top though. The simplest way is to use the fan brush – turned on it’s side and dab. You won’t have detail of individual needles, but it will look like a pine tree. Leave some bare or negative space on your tree. This is as important as painting the tree in the first place! Another way to create the tree is to paint in the branches and the clusters of needles. Needles are painted in with quick strokes using a very fine brush. Let them over lap and grow from different directions. Look at samples before you start. It might be good idea to sketch in the branches and needle locations if you chose this method.
Another tip for realistic looking pine trees is to add shading and highlights. For shading, you can darken the color of the tree either towards the base or on either side depending on the direction of light. For highlights, it is simply a matter of dabbing on a color lighter than the tree color on select spots where the sun or light would be hitting it.

Bayeux Tapestry - The Norman Conquest Immortalised

One of the oldest and most unique tapestries in the world is the magnificent Bayeux Tapestry. It stretches to more than 70 metres long and depicts the story of the events leading to William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. The tapestry is currently displayed in a purpose built museum in France.
The Bayeux Tapestry is not technically a tapestry but an intricate embroidery. Stitched in eight colours of woollen thread on linen it has survived for more than 900 years and is the only surviving relic detailing this significant historic event.



Origins and aesthetics
The exact origin of the Bayeux Tapestry has never been truly confirmed, however most of the historical evidence now points to Bishop Odo, the half brother of William the Conqueror, as the original commissioner of the masterpiece around 1070. This intriguing work of art was displayed in the Cathedral of Bayeux for a further 700 years where it served as a way of depicting the story of the conquest to the illiterate and uneducated masses.
Originally the embroidery was made from eight sections of linen which were then joined together. The stitching was worked in wool using couched work, stem, chain and split stitching. In sharp contrast to other examples of medieval embroidery the scenes stand out clearly against the linen and depict the events leading to the Norman Conquest and defeat of King Harold by William the Conqueror, and ends with the Battle of Hastings itself.
Inspiring NapoleonThe Bayeux Tapestry has served as an inspiration to Napoleon Bonaparte during his war against the English and he ordered the tapestry to be transported to Paris, apparently to motivate his planned attack on England which never occurred. The tapestry returned unscathed to the people of Bayeux, not for the first time. During the French Revolution the masterpiece ended up as a wagon cover until, rather fortuitously it was recognised and returned. This led the citizens to form an arts council to protect the work.
Northern France was devastated during both World Wars and the tapestry found itself hidden away during that time. It is now on display in Bayeux. The town of Bayeux was one of the first to be liberated during the Second World War by the Allies. Rather poignantly, the war cemetery at Bayeux has an inscription on the memorial to allied forces in Latin which translates as, “We the descendents of the people conquered by William, liberated his homeland.”
The story within the tapestry
On the surface the tapestry depicts a historical event. Looking in depth at the characters, the armour and the expressions, one sees much more. Each scene is a work of art in itself and could stand alone as a story in isolation. The work has a timeless appeal to generations, probably explained by hidden meanings, and the character woven into the fabric itself.
In one scene as William sets out for battle the tapestry appears to give an impression of gathering momentum as horses charge across the linen, an anticipation of the devastating events to come. The violence of war is evident in the depictions of fallen soldiers, horses, weaponry and the expressions on the faces. In another scene great detail is placed on the shipping, some decorative, others with emblems and mast heads, all adding to the preparation of and anticipation of events to come.
A captivating work of art
The Bayeux Tapestry has timelessly appealed to people for hundreds of years and has relayed a tale of a momentous battle and conquest to generations. On the one hand the brutality of war and humanity is displayed, on the other the artistic appeal of the masterpiece itself. Yet again there are still many unanswered questions about this work of art that will continue to intrigue and fascinate for many years to come.

Source: The Tapestry House

Alexandra Nechita - Makes Art Really Good

On a recent Princess cruise my wife and I decided to go to the art auctions since this particular trip had a lot of sea days. We were introduced to Alexandra Nechita pieces, both originals and numbered reproductions. We watched several videos about her in our cabin. At first we were quite taken in by the whole story and her Picasso-style paintings. But by the end of the trip I was soooo over her, and wondering if the whole thing is a sham.
I guess that would naturally lead to the question of whether Picasso himself was a sham. I mean this style of artwork reminds me of LSD-induced hallucinations while staring at a colorful carpet. It’s that imagery from the mind’s third eye captured in a still shot, and I guess that’s why it’s considered genius. But is it really any good, or is it only good because everybody else says it’s good?



It isn’t really fair to compare Picasso to Nechita. I have been to the Picasso museum in Barcelona and it takes you through the periods of his life. The man was a brilliant portrait and landscape painter much of his career. He developed the abstract style which he is so popular for slowly over the course of years. It was the final segment of his legacy, but is what he became famous for. So he was actually a well-rounded painter.
Nechita started off by painting that style. I mean, right out the gate like when she was five years old. They called her a child prodigy, a genius. She didn’t even see Picasso’s work until after she started having shows of her own work. It’s said that the first time she saw his paintings she tugged on her mother’s dress and said “Mommy look! That man paints like I do!”
Cute story, yes. And the paintings do have a uniform quality with good use of colors. But are they worth tens of thousands of dollars? Are they really pleasant to look at? Or do the people who buy them just collect paintings because certain artists are trendy? Are her paintings the emperor’s new clothes? Do those crazy half-cocked images with heads sticking out of shoeboxes and kindergarten-like hands constitute quality art any more than your kid’s crayon drawings on the refrigerator? I guess the answer is in your own eyes. Providing, of course, you have the ability to use them in an unbiased and purely observational manner.
By the way if you are interested in collecting art and buying it right, you can’t do better than on those Princess cruises. The exact same pieces are going to cost hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands more from land-based galleries. That doesn’t mean the land-based galleries are ripping you off – they have high overhead and are in the art business. Princess buys in huge volume for their large fleet of ships and is in the cruising business, so there is no real overhead to have to justify. Just a parting tip.

The Lady And The Unicorn Tapestries: A Medieval Mystery

Full of mystique and beauty, the Lady and the Unicorn series are among the best examples of medieval tapestry in existence. Many interpretations have been put forward through the ages, but there is no definite explanation as to the mystery behind the Lady and the Unicorn.
Dramatic Medieval Art
Each tapestry in this striking series shows a unicorn interacting with a woman in some way with the unicorn representing the six human senses in some way. These are sight, smell, touch, sound, taste and love.
Throughout history unicorns have been a mysterious force and have been considered a representation of Christ. Many people believe in unicorns, although their existence has never been proven. Unicorns are said to possess magical powers, and the Chinese believed the rare sighting of this creature signalled good fortune ahead. The horn is considered particularly magical with an ability to recognise and neutralise poisons with an antidote. During the medieval era the unicorn was linked to Christianity. According to legend it could only be tamed by the scent of a virgin.

The Lady: elegance and tranquillity
Unicorns were only attracted to purity and being connected with Christ and his spiritual integrity meant that only a woman with virginal attributes could be linked with the creature. The tapestries have been interpreted in several different ways. One belief is that they are a representation of the Virgin Mary with Christ. Another suggests the representation of a woman embracing the spiritual world by renouncing the physical one. These tapestries in their own classical and elegant way have widespread appeal, perhaps because of their pure and spiritual nature. People need to feel that which is good and these tapestries give the impression that good will prevail over evil.
The origins of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries
Originally the tapestries were made for a French nobleman, Jean Le Viste during the 15th century. The family coat of arms is visible in the tapestry serves. What is less clear is who designed the work, which family member they were intended for and how they came into existence.
Based on the style of the clothing in the tapestries it is thought the tapestries come from the late fifteenth century, and possibly designed for Jean le Viste himself in celebration of his promotion to the French Court in 1489.
When Le Viste died the tapestries were probably passed on through family connections, although the exact whereabouts was unknown for 200 years. In 1841 they were discovered by a member of the French government who recommended the purchase of this magnificent work of art. Following restorative work and a purchase for the nation the government donated them to the Cluny Museum where they can be seen today.
The mystique of the tapestry
The origins of the tapestry remain a mystery to this day, with interpretation based on clues within the art itself. Perhaps the mystique of the work combined with elegance and purity affirms the appeal of these timeless pieces.

A History of Tapestries

A tapestry wall-hanging in your home brings not just interior beauty but also a sense of history. European weavers have produced these textiles for centuries, including the medieval, renaissance and Arts and Crafts periods.
Tapestries have been woven for hundreds of years in diverse cultures. Both ancient Egyptians and the Incas buried their dead in tapestry woven clothing. Important civic buildings of the Greek Empire, including the Parthenon, had walls covered by them. However it was the French medieval weavers who brought the craft to fruition.

In the 13th and 14th centuries the Church recognized the value of tapestries in illustrating Bible stories to its illiterate congregations. Few of these have survived. The oldest existing set is the Apocalypse of St John, six finely woven hangings 18 foot high, totalling 471 foot in length which were woven from 1375 to 1379 in Paris. This was the centre of production until the Hundred Years War (1337 - 1453) caused the weavers to flee north via Arras to Flanders (now Belgium and northern France).
Tapestries became status symbols amongst the aristocracy in the Middle Ages. They also had much practical use, providing insulation for castle walls, covering openings and giving privacy around beds. Kings and nobles took them on their travels from castle to castle for reasons of comfort and prestige. Tapestries often changed hands after battle, and since the victor's door and window openings might be a different size the acquired hangings might be cut up or even joined to other tapestries.

Many of the best known works such as the 'Lady with the Unicorn' series were woven at the turn of the 15th century in the Loire valley. It has been estimated that 15,000 people were employed in the craft at this time. Many were itinerant and passed their skills from father to son. Their charming 'mille fleurs' scenes had backgrounds of small local flowers, perhaps inspired by the practice of strewing roadways with flowers on local fete days. At this time it would take a skilled father/son team two months to weave just one square foot of tapestry - and, remember, these were on a large scale.
Medieval weavers extracted their dyes from plants and insects in a range of less than twenty colours. For example, red came from madder, poppies or pomegranates and woad produced blue (a process that was so profitable in 16th century France that importing woad from the East was punishable by death).

The most popular medieval images were Biblical stories, myths, allegories (the ever-popular unicorn represented purity), and contemporary scenes of peasants working or nobles hunting. Battles were commissioned by victorious monarchs after the early 1500's. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was even accompanied into battle by his court painter who made sketches at the site for later weaving. Hunting scenes led to 'verdure' tapestries of lush landscapes which later became romanticized with increasing Italian influences.
Medieval weavers used working sketches which they freely adapted with imagination and sometimes humour. By the Renaissance these had become full-sized working drawings ('cartoons') which were rigidly copied by the weavers. Thus tapestries became mere copies of paintings rather than independent works of art. In 1515 Raphael was commissioned by the Pope to paint cartoons for the 'Acts of the Apostles' tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. His introduction of perspective and composition together with the use of finer yarns dyed in up to 300 colour shades led to the subservience of tapestry to painting for over 300 years.
In 1663, during the lavish reign of Louis XIV, Les Gobelins factory was founded in Paris employing over 800 artisans in the production of tapestries for the royal court. Other European countries followed, opening factories on behalf of their rulers. They employed Flemish weavers who by now had to complete a twelve year apprenticeship. Louis XIV's estate inventory at his death listed 2,155 Gobelins tapestries. Henry VIII's collection totalled over 2,000 in seventeen royal residences.

Martin Vernon http://www.tapestry-art.com

Frame Your Art Prints

Let's start by addressing the seller of art prints. As an art seller, you have the option of offering framing options to your customers. The price of the art print may vary depending on the type of framing that the customer chooses.
So should the seller offer framing options to the customers? To answer this question, the art seller needs to know if offering framing to his customers will increase sales. In other words, is it worth the time and effort to offer framing? Note that there's the consideration of time and cost to offer framing services

Is it worth it to put in the time and effort to offer framing then? Here's how the process works. Once a seller offers framing options, the customer has the chance to choose. He may ask the seller questions about the different types of frames and finally decides on the frame that he likes best. This interaction and time for consideration means additional time from the seller.
Once the frame is chosen, more time is needed to frame the art print. When the frame is ready, the art priint will then be shipped to the customer. But because the frame carries weight, this means additional shipping costs for the customers. Will the customer want to pay for this additional cost? Some will, some will not. The seller has to take the time to understand the behavior of his pool of customers here.
Now let's consider framing from the buyer's perspective. What would you have to consider if you're looking to frame an art print that you're buying?
As mentioned earlier, you'll have to consider the additional time you need to wait for the framing to be done, and will most likely have to pay extra for the shipping cost.
If you've already decided to frame the art print, and want to save some money, you may want to consider ordering the art print and then have it framed at a local art store. Most art stores offer framing services.
Butthis also means additional work on your part, because you'll have to take the print down to the store and collect it later. If it's not worth the trouble, let the vendor frame the art print and then ship it to you.
Darren Chow is an online website that offers free drawing lessons, home study courses, and other drawing related resources. For more free resources like the one you've just read, please visit MyArtPassion.com for free online drawing lessons.

Dragon

Dragon is a symbol of Chinese nation and culture.It is close with Chinese history,culture and civilization.Well,when did the culture of dragon appear?
From paintings of bronze ware in Shangzhou Period,we can know that dragon was set,it has lots of shapes.Early in Xia Dynasty,image of dragon was mature.Through ruins of original society,the mastery about its origin is clear.Dragon originated in late of original society.
Long long ago,as ancestors couldn’t explain most of natural phenomena,they imagined an animal that could control and manage other animals and astronomical phenomena.They concentrated lots of animals’s features on that certain animal,so dragon formed.It has head of camel,body of snake,horns of deer,eyes of tortoise,scales of fish,plams of tiger,claws of eagle and ears of cattle.The composite structure means that dragon is the god of everything.
The indistinct process for dragon’s concentration beagn in New Stone Period,In Qinhan Period,the image was fixed gradually.Later,it developped and improved continuously on the base of its primal characterization.
At present,there are some sayings about dragon’s primary form,and the common one is the keynote of dragon is snake.So here we should know first what’s the keynote.In briefly the keynote is the main trunk of dragon’s development.No matter how it developped,dragon still keeps the basic one.Some parts of its body may be changed in different periods,only body of snake still keep the same.Clans and tribes in the ancient worshipped snake most.Snake has strong vitality,it just fit with the ancient’s wishes.What’s more,snake has huge threat to humans,especially the poisonous snake.People are afraid of it.In the Shanhaijing Book,there are lots of gods which have the bodies of snake.Snake has the multi-nationality,thus we can say it has large mass-based.Therefore dragong keeps the most important part as the body of snake.
Most often we are called descendants of the dragon.Dragon is a supernatural animal.It is the head of phoenix,unicorn and tortoise.It stands for imperial power.Emperors regarded themselves as dragons.During Chinese thousands of years development,dragon has permeated every aspect of Chinese society,being a cultural accumulation.It is a sign and emotion.Chinese people are proud of its culture.In addition,it is spread around the world.Culture of dragon won worldwide recognition.

Effective ways for cleaning your oil painting

First and foremost thing you should consider before trusting any oil painting method is that it must come with disclaimer. More than any other types of do-it-yourself process, oil painting cleaning must actually be trusted to professional conservators. On the other hand, if your painting does not carry expensive tag, or it is not really old, or not too critical, there are few options to make it look cleaner and brighter yourself. In addition, modifying true antiques in fact decreases their value, whether they look better to you or not.
During 1940s, paintings made from oil on canvas were normally covered with the layer of varnish to incorporate sheen and guard the thick layer of paint, name Impasto. However, varnish usually reacts differently to the surroundings than the paint do, so such varnish seals end up cracking, staining or gumming up over time. It could make the real tint of the oil paints appear dull or discolored.
In case, it looks that your painting has gone older, assess whether your paint is in good condition but the varnish has gone old. Here, try using mild solvent name conservation liquid. Art selling stores would usually sell an "emulsion" intended to clean and take away varnish. There is forever option that this solvent would as well harm or take out the oil paint. If you are eager take this risk then wipe the emulsion with a cotton scrub very carefully. Try to do spot-testing one bend before going on to the total canvas painting. Work in an area where you find sufficient ventilation.
When it comes to recent paintings, you might come across the trouble of build-up of smoke, dust, stain, pet hair (in case you have pets at home), dander, and even fungal development. Here, you need to make sure that none of the paints is prepared to come about the board or canvas, in the sense that it does not display any flakes and cracks. After that, you could watchfully clean up the surface with very dry and soft bristle brush, may be with baby toothbrush or shaving brush.
When the painting surface is steamy, mucky and oily, you might desire to take some steps for cleaning by means of detergent solution. However, usually it is not an good idea to mix up water and oil as the moisture could damage both the impasto and canvas. Moving with caution, you can use fresh cotton cloths dipped in a mixture of dish soap and hot water. Then next you need to lightly blot the base, make sure you don’t scrub or rub on the painting. Never should you allow submerging any part of painting, nor must you let the moisture to drip or pool.
Ben Jonson is a Copywriter of www.paintingmax.comHe had written many articles in various topics. For more information visit: Oils on CanvasContact him at paintingmax.ben@googlemail.com

You Can Learn to Paint

We all admire paintings. Our tastes may very our preferences be diverse but we all like to look at paintings. Secretly we wish we could produce the kind of work our favourite artists seem to be able to churn out at will. Well the good news is you can. Painting, contrary to the popular myth is not some secret gift given by the gods to a select few. It is simply a skill that can be learned by anyone who is prepared to put a little time and effort in.
Most people are intimidated from picking up a brush. Their self confidence about their ability to paint has probably suffered a number of knocks beginning at the school art class where they may have been led to believe that they didn't have the "gift". That mysterious "gift" that doesn't exist. This belief may have been reinforced by others so they go through life been able to learn new skills for their job but not daring to pick up a paint brush.
They may learn complex engineering skills, computer skills become successful in business but mention art and they can't do it, because art, so the myth goes, requires a special gift. This is one of life's greatest myths. Learning to paint is just like learning to drive. Nobody jumps into a car on their first lesson and drives straight for the motorway.
Remember when you first started to learn to drive. How complex everything seemed to be. The clutch control that you thought you would never be able to master, the gears, that three point turn. After a few years on the road driving becomes automatic. Because driving is a skill. And like all skills it can be learned by anybody.
Art is the same. It is just a skill and nothing more. Learning to draw requires the student to learn to master certain techniques. With a little time and effort these techniques are easily mastered and was seemed out of your reach becomes second nature to you. If you haven't picked up a brush since you were at school you are missing out on a wonderful experience. If you've always wanted to learn to paint but are intimidated from going to an art class then there are numerous other ways to learn.
Art instructional dvds are a great way to get to grips with the basic techniques. It was this method that got me back into art. I too believed that art required a special gift and that only a few people could do it until I bit the bullet and had a go. I soon realised that the techniques of painting are easily learned and I surprised myself at how quickly I was learning. If only the art class at school had been so instructive.
Art instructional dvds are a good way to get back into art. You can play them on your computer with an easel set up at the side and follow the artist as he instructs you. If you don't understand some point you can replay it until it sinks in. Within a short space of time you will surprise yourself at how fast you can acquire the skills to paint a good painting. Before starting though, the first thing you have to do is dump the belief that been able to paint requires some special gift. It doesn't, like anything else in life it's just a skill that can easily be mastered.
Paul Merry runs http://www.artscraftsandhobbies.co.uk/