How to deal with artist's block? I often struggle with deciding what to draw. Sometimes even prompts don’t work when faced with artist's block, or I am struggling with coming up with ideas on what to draw. What are some strategies you recommend to help come up with things to draw?
More specifically, I like to draw people and landscapes mostly, so how do I decide what type of person or what kind of landscape (e.g. the physical appearance or attributes of a person, or the type of terrain, weather or scenery for landscapes) to draw?

Depends on what your problem is:

If you have too many ideas and cannot commit to one, I would recommend sketching out thumbnails to then decide which one.

If you feel like none of your ideas are good enough, I would recommend doing something simple to warm up. Draw the room around you or do some still life or draw a character doing something dumb.

If you feel like you are forcing yourself to draw, just do something else. Play a game or go for a walk. Nobody's forcing you do draw (unless somebody is, and that's a different situation), so just chill.

What I do to prevent this situation: I keep a written list of ideas of things to draw when I got nothing else to draw. It has all my ideas from "eyeball people" to "3pp woods backligting sunset Wirt & Greg." I also have a list of challenges and things to get better at. But if I don't feel like doing any of these lists, I do something else.


Weatherproofing metal I have some large galvanized metal disks that I going to grind into an outdoor decoration.

Grinding will destroy the zinc covering.  It'll be painted afterwards.

How can I weatherproof the metal?

i've been decorating some metal mailboxes which have been outdoors for 1.5 years and are still looking good.

the process

i started by removing old paint/lacquer that was about to fall off. i did this by mounting a wire wheel brush on my drill and brushing the mailbox.
next, i cleaned the mailbox with white spirit followed by cleaning it in water and drying it.
i applied several layers of molotow spray paint.
i used molotow actrylic pens for drawing illustrations on top.
finally, i applied three layers of clear spray paint for outdoor use.


What is the difference between these watercolor papers? I heard that watercolor papers are sized with different things.
I want to know what the difference is between watercolor papers sized with gelatin and sized with starch.

Gelatin used in paper is made from animal hide cooked down into a gelatin form, while starch is made from wheat and chalk. So for a cruelty-free/animal friendly option, people do prefer to use starch over gelatin for paper-making.
Because starch kind of puts a layer/barrier on the paper, it helps with the watercolor not saturating the paper and absorbing into the paper, which can be beneficial.


Sequins and pop rivets I am a sequin naïf.
Sewing sequins on one at a time is laborious.  I see that one can use glue but I am sure the sequins shed like mad.

Can one use a pop rivet gun to attach sequins?  Are there special tiny rivets?

Sequins are wonderful and magical, but do take a lot of time to attach by hand one-by-one.

Gluing is not a great option, but can be a good quick fix.  One problem with glue is unless you are surgical in your technique, the glue can get on the front of the sequin and make it cloudy.

Another watch-out with glue is that the glue tends to be stronger than the sequin, and unlike using thread where the sequin can adjust to pressure, the glue holds the sequin firmly in place which means it can be easily crushed or broken.

It is possible to attach sequins with a sewing machine (see No. 10 method of attaching sequins in the link below), but that method also requires some precision and attention to detail, and it's debatable whether it is really faster than sewing by hand.

It is also possible to attach sequins with a very small crochet hook (Method 7).  Once you get the hang of this method it might be pretty fast, but I have never tried it.

The answer to your question about rivets is, "probably no."  Rivets would have one of the same problems as glue - a rivet will be stronger than the sequin, the rivet will hold, but the sequin will break.  The hand-sewing equivalent to a rivet is the bead.  Instead of bringing your needle up through the center of the sequin and down over the edge of the sequin, you wrap the thread over the edge of the bead and back down through the hole in the sequin.

The bead technique (Method 5) has the benefits of not having the thread showing on the sequin, not holding the sequin so tight that it breaks, and a clear bead can add even more shine while a colored bead can add interesting color effects.

You don't say what you are attaching the sequins to.  If it's decorative art that will be looked at or displayed but not worn or handled too much, the glue might work as long as you apply the tiniest amount it takes to attach the sequin, and being sure not to get any glue on the front of the sequin. But even in this case, the glue will hold the sequin in place and can reduce some of the shimmer that comes from the sequin moving and sifting.

For decorative art, a rivet might work, you might come up with some cool "rivet" ideas, e.g., maybe modifying a clear plastic "bead and string" gun like those used to attach price tags to clothing.

It is possible to buy "strings" of sequins (Method 9 in the link), but they don't look as nice as the individually-applied sequins do.  That might be an option though if time is your biggest concern.

https://sewguide.com/how-to-sew-sequins/
•   Which Needle to use with sequins?
•   Which Thread to use with sequins?
•   Method 1.Attaching individual sequins
•   Method 2 Attaching sequins in a row with back stitches
•   Method 3 Attaching sequins in a row – with two straight stitches
•   Method 4 Attaching sequins  – with straight stitches
•   Method 5 Attaching sequins with a bead
•   Method 6 Attaching large sequins at the edge
•   Method 7 Attaching sequins  with a special needle
•   Method 8 Attach sequins with fabric glue
•   Method 9 Attaching sequin trim
•   Method 10 Attaching sequins with a sewing machine


How many two-page spreads (160gsm A4 paper) should be bound together in one signature? I'm binding a sketch book as a birthday present. This is my first experience in book-binding. I've bought 16 A4 sheets of 160g/m2 black paper and I wonder how big should be one signature of sheets. I was planning to bind four pages in one, so the book will consist of 4 signatures of 4 sheets each, but they may be too thick to be folded after binding in such bundles. So should I do 8 signatures of 2 sheets instead? Or maybe I just have to fold or bind them a bit differently?

"Normal" signatures are often 4 pages, but with 160grams paper, I prefer signatures of 2 since it makes the book lay more flat. It also helps to make a very sharp fold.


Is it possible to drill a CPU cleanly with a plasma cutter? I would like to know if it is possible to cut a clean hole into a standard CPU with a plasma cutter, without damaging the plasma cutter.

I am making CPU keychains but I need to drill a hole through them first. If it is possible, it would make it way more efficient.

Use a diamond drill bit. Cheap plated bits are good to learn on, but if you're doing it a lot, invest in sintered. Look at a lapidary or jeweler supply store/site or eBay


How much noise does an airbrush compressor make? I'm looking into buying an airbrush for miniature painting. For this I need a compressor. I understand that this is an opinionated question, but can I use this airbrush and compressor inside without disturbing the rest of the family to much regarding the noise the compressor will make? I'm aiming for a mid level type, and I'm willing to pay some extra for quietness.

Your question is almost impossible to answer, since we don't know how much noise will disturb your family (small baby sleeping? kids running around? partner concentrating on a difficult math problem?). But normally the sound level is shown on compressors and here is some references to help you imagine how much it means:

0dB Weakest sound heard
30dB Whisper Quiet Library at 6'
60-65dB Normal conversation at 3'
80dB Telephone dial tone
85dB City Traffic (inside car)
90dB Train whistle at 500', Truck Traffic
95dB Jackhammer at 50'
95dB Subway train at 200'
90 - 95dB Level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss
98dB Hand Drill

Source: The Relationship of Voltage, Loudness, Power and Decibels
You might also be interested in this article on quiet compressor: Quiet Air Compressor – Some Facts You May Want To Know


Paint for stencils on black fabric I'm thinking of making some stencils on black fabric, but I'm not sure what paint would work best.
On the internet tutorials say fabric paint is best, but I've painted with white fabric paint on black T-shirts and I wasn't very pleased with the result - I couldn't get the white to be, well, white enough and it looked faded (black paint on white fabric was alright, but not the other way round). I was thinking of using spray paint instead or something similar.
Any suggestions what paint could give me a solid bright white stencil on black fabric?

Your problem is the opacity of most fabric paints; most liquid ones are only designed to work effectively on a white or light-colored shirt, and the thick plasticky "puffy paint" writers aren't going to be effective over large areas or in stencils.
If you're working with just white, opaque white screen printing ink for fabric works very well. It will handle similarly to paint, and like paint you'll need to be careful about it bleeding over the edges, but it will bind to the fabric and retain its white color. Unfortunately, most other colors of screen printing ink tend to be translucent, with the expectation that they would be applied over a layer of the white ink. While aligning the two layers is fairly trivial in a professional setting, it may be more challenging with a hobbyist setup using regular stencils. As you mention just "solid bright white" in your question, however, this is likely your best bet.
Screen printing ink can be purchased in most places that sell art supplies, as well as some crafting supply stores; be sure to check that the type you are purchasing is for use on fabric (Speedball brand has distinct formulae for paper vs fabric printing, while Jacquard branded inks are formulated for both grounds; other brands may vary). Follow the instructions for setting as described on the container for your best results.


How do you properly install canvas keys? As we discovered in What are the little pieces of wood that come with pre-made canvas for? those wood pieces are called canvas keys.

One of the answers links to a site that covers installing them. I don't get how they are working since it states I am supposed to put them in the mitre slots of the canvas. Would that not break the frame?

Information seems to suggest that canvas keys only have a place for cheaply manufactured frames. Is there something wrong using them on more expensive frames? Do they get used on larger frames as well (ones that are more than 20ft square)?

What are the conditions that would make you want to install canvas keys? How do you install canvas keys properly?

Canvas keys work by expanding the mitre joints at the corners of stretcher bars (see sketch below). As the canvas keys are driven into their recessed slots on the stretcher bars the canvas, which is fastened to the stretcher bars, slowly tightens.

This action "depends" on the mitre joint of the stretcher bars not having been nailed or stapled together.

If the joint is glued, nailed, stapled or rigidly fastened then installing canvas keys will not be able to do their job. Actually, as you point out, driving canvas keys into stretcher bars that have been nailed will break the bars.

Note, once you nail the mitre joint closed you no longer have a stretch, you now have what is called a canvas strainer.

Large painting canvases, ones with cross members, are more the strainer then stretcher variety.

The benefit of a strainer is you have a large ridge frame onto which to fasten your canvas. Large canvases shrink quite a bit as you work with them. So a rigid strong support is required.


Restoring a wooden box with metal inlay I have a couple of small wooden boxes with metal inlay that I would like to restore.
The wood was originally black and the metal silver in colour, but the black has faded and the metal has corroded.
So, can anyone help me with how to:

Remove the copper oxide without further damaging the wood?

Stain the wood black again without staining the metal?

Is it as simple as rubbing the metal with something acidic, restaining the wood and then polishing the stain off the metal?

Let me start with a disclaimer.  If it was my box, I wouldn't try to restore it.  There's a good chance of turning it into a mess.  Right now, it shows the character of age.  Trying to restore it could leave you with something very unattractive.
The wood seems bare, but if it had any kind of sealer (possibly including the stain), you will end up with a blotchy finish if you don't sand it first.  It would be tough to sand it without damaging the sheet metal, which looks like it isn't removable without damaging it.
If the sheet metal has any kind of protective finish, the results will be blotchy.  If it has a copper patina, it's likely solid copper sheet.  If there are irregular small blotches of dark patina that aren't consistent with natural sources like finger prints, that would suggest that there might be a protective finish (or it could have been something in contact with the metal at those spots).  The proper way to restore it would be to first strip any potential finish or coating, but it isn't very practical to do that without removing the metal.  So you will be taking a chance with any kind of cleaning.
There's a potential for creating a mess on the wood from what you do on the metal, and on the metal from what you do on the wood.  It's risky to do this kind of stuff after the fact.
So I would advise against trying to restore it, but I'll provide some tips and ideas on doing it if you're set on doing it.

Remove parts that can be easily removed without damage so you can access the surface of the box unobstructed and work on the removed parts without messing up the box.

Do meticulous masking.  Seal off the metal when you work on the wood, and the wood when you work on the metal.  Regular painters tape isn't good enough.  I would put down an edge strip of something like rubber cement to seal the surface, then something like FrogTape, which blocks water-based materials from getting past the edge.

If the filigree had been a surface decoration, you'd be out of luck.  Since it's the edge of embedded metal, it theoretically would allow you to re-stain the wood.  But it won't be as simple as slapping on some stain and wiping it off.  The stain will soil the metal, and cleaning it off the metal will mess up the stain on the surrounding wood.
You can try to apply stain and wipe it off while it's still wet, and see how cleanly it comes off the metal.  You may need to employ a procedure like using a penetrating stain, letting it soak in deeply and dry, then lightly sanding the surface with extremely fine grit sandpaper.  You could also try using a tiny brush to apply the stain around the filigree, being careful to avoid the metal (a very slow process).

Cleaning copper isn't the problem.  The problem is keeping it that way.  Copper starts to oxidize as soon as you stop cleaning it.  Cleaning dissolves the oxidation, and leaves a microscopically rough surface with a lot more surface area.  So every time you clean it, it oxidizes faster.  And every time you clean it, you remove some of the copper.

Many weak acids will remove copper oxidation.  Lemon juice, orange juice, or vinegar are popular.  People use tomato sauce or ketchup (the tomatoes are a little acidic; ketchup also contains a little vinegar).  Commercial cleaners often use citric acid.  For heavy oxidation, people add salt, or use a baking soda paste as a mild abrasive.  You can mix the acid with a little flour to make a paste that you can apply and let it sit for awhile.  There's an interesting comparison of the effectiveness of various popular mixtures: Compare Home Made Copper Cleaners.
Commercial products may clean copper faster, but that's not necessarily a good thing.  They do it by using stronger, more aggressive acid, which will lead to a need to re-clean sooner.  Some also contain a chemical used to purposely create patina.  I'm guessing that's in there to create the need to use the product more often.

If you don't protect the metal, it probably doesn't make sense to clean it.  You can coat it with oil (which will also be good for the wood), so you can do the whole box.  If you use a permanent finish, it will need to be something impervious to air and moisture.  If any air or moisture gets through, the copper will oxidize under the finish, and the finish will make it all that much more difficult to clean it again.

You don't necessarily need to restore everything to it's original appearance.  You can do things to merely improve how it looks now.  For example, touch up the most worn areas of the wood to be consistent with the rest, or restore only the aspect that bothers you the most or is the least risky.  It may improve things just to clean the box.
Sometimes, it's sufficient to just make things more uniform.  For example, the wood has some dark blotches.  Rather than staining all the wood, you may be able to lighten the blotches.


Name for technique of scribbling, then drawing of bits of scribble I remember there being a technique for scribbling on paper (semi-absent-minded-ly), then looking at the scribbles to find shapes and inspiration.

This is an example of it: https://youtu.be/4JnssoinaUI?t=57s

I cannot remember what it was called or find any information on it.

Any idea what it might be called?

I think what you mean is called ‘automatic drawing’ - it was something done by the surrealists, among others André Masson (the pioneer) and André Breton (probably most famous).

Edit. Then you are probably thinking of the so-called ‘rest-of-the-owl’ technique. Look it up on reddit. Here’s an example:


What tool is available for protecting the box cutter and the surface of the table while using box cutter? Which tool is most suitable for cutting thick cardboard with ease?

  The tool you are looking for is called a box cutter which is just a razor blade in a handle. Make sure to put something uncuttable under the cardboard before slicing it with the blade or you will ruin your work surface, tabletop or floors.

What tool is available for keeping under the cardboards by which we can prevent the damage to box cutter and the table?

Cutting mats are avilable in a wide range of sizes.  I have A4 and A5, but even A1 (59.4 x 84.1 cm or 23.3 x 33.1 inches) aren't expensive at around £/$/€20. They provide a reasonably non-slip surface (Link is to a UK shop, just happens to have a range on one page).

If you want even bigger, a layer or two of vinyl flooring can work in the short term, but you will get through that with a craft knife eventually, so its best mounted on scrapwood.

Another large, cheap option is hardboard (masonite), but it will blunt the blade faster than a proper cutting mat.  MDF is worse still, but either of these can be useful if you have a few very long cuts to make.


Making earrings and a pendant with rubies. Materials to avoid for the prong fitting I bought a few cheap pear-shaped synthetic rubies and want to craft a pendant and earrings. (They are real and I'm assuming as safe as CZ)

(Image license: Public domain)
What type of material should I use for the prong fittings?
I'd rather not use a very expensive metal like gold or platinum. However, I  definitely want to avoid contact dermatitis which is usually caused by nickel based alloys with about 17% of females being allergic to it.
Other metals can cause allergies too, like cobalt, palladium, etc.
Other fitting options?
I went with prongs but are there any more suitable fitting options for those gemstones? They are 10x12 mm.

You could create a wirework bezel setting or prong setting, whichever you choose.

For the choice of metal, you could use copper wire, or copper wire which has been plated in gold or silver.  These options are available from jewellery making suppliers such as Jewellery Maker and Create & Craft


Adhesive suggestions for pebbles and shells on cardboard I'm looking to suggestions on what glue would be best to stick smooth stones and shells to a reasonably sturdy piece pf cardboard to be put upright in a shadow box/deep frame. Would epoxy be the best way to go? I'll need something pretty strong as I certainly don't want any to fall ofd! I'd really appreciate any information anyone may have. Thank you

I would think that some standard silicone would be strong and cheap. They are all guaranteed to stick to cement, bricks... And pebbles and shells are made of similar materials.

Of course, you need to clean the pebbles and shells properly, before applying any glue.


What wire would be suitable for a papier-mache armature? The project involves making a papier-mache tree, about 50cm high. So, I need to make a wire armature first but I'm not sure what type of wire would be ok to use (naturally, I don't want it to get rusty inside or something). Perhaps copper?

I suggest aluminum : moderately corrosion resistant, inexpensive, easy to bend and cut, easily available. Look for it at farm supply store as electric fence wire. It does come in a fairly long spool but I find other uses for it like holding chicken and roasts on a rotisserie and in the garden holding branches etc. Aluminum is not very strong but you would have a lot of it so double and triple it for strength. And corrosion products are white so would not show unlike any copper corrosion near a surface which could cause blue/green stains. For limited size and number of items , insulated solid (not stranded) copper ( electric wire) should not be too expensive. Size near 12 gage should bend and cut without difficulty. Also coated steel wire is sold for bonsai plants but I expect it is expensive.


Which technique was used to paint the picture? Recently I saw the following drawing on Etsy and I was wondering if I could do a similar one in acrylic:

Do you have any idea/tips how the background was done? At first I thought it was achieved with a spatula. But now I don't believe that anymore - there are too many color accents which can't come from a spatula.

Therefore I would love to hear your ideas or tips on how I could repaint this drawing.
My specific questions are:

How would you create the background (technique)?
Would you texture the canvas before (structure paste) to give it a bit more depth, or would that be too much?
How would you do the vertical "lines/sprinklers"? I could imagine that the paint is too thick to press it directly from the tube onto the picture like this and therefore I have to thin the paint down before making those stripes?
Would you do something different / is there something in the picture that bothers you?

Link to the images

I would be very happy about suggestions and tips! :)

I believe the background was created by the use of randomly layering acrylic paints from darkest to lightest on the background canvas using something like sea sponges, waiting for each paint layer to dry, then adding the next lighter color. Turn the sponge frequently & use different sponges as well so that you get more random patterns all over. Given that this is acrylics, you may not have to wait for the paint to dry; it won't mess up the layer below like watercolor would.

The "lines" definitely look like slightly thinned paint dropped on and the canvas tilted to allow the paint to run in a line.  A spatula knife may have been used to pull the paint into lines as well - use it to put a small dot of slightly thinned paint on the canvas, tilt the canvas if not already tilted, and pull the spatula knife towards you and/or in a downwards direction in a relatively straight line.


What steps do I take to prepare a plaster block? In school, I once made a subtractive sculpture from a plaster block. Actually, the block was in the shape of the large yogurt container it set up in (about 4 inches in diameter at the top, at least 4 inches tall).

I used knives and files to slowly make an abstract sculpture that I really loved, but the preparation for the plaster was done completely by the instructor.

I did some searching on plaster, but the mixing information was generally about creating plaster to put on something else to create a mold. It wasn't about simply creating a piece to carve from. I'm not sure of search terms to use to narrow it down.

Should I just mix the entire thing in the container I want to use for the block shape? Do I mix it in a larger container and then pour it into the final one? Do I add less water since I won't be pouring it over an object?

Here's an example of what I'd like to be able to do again. Although my block started quite large, I made this quite small piece:

Eternity by CreationEdge 2005

The first thing to bear in mind is that different grades of plaster have different properties. They can broadly be divided into (harder) alpha plasters and (softer) beta plasters. Obviously for carving there is a compromise between how easy it will be to work and how strong the finished article will be. A softer plaster will obviously be easier to carve but a harder one will allow you to create finer detail and be stronger overall.

there is also a large rage of specific formulations in between hard and soft. Specifically Herculite may be a good compromise for carving.

It is important to use the correct ratio of water  to plaster, follow the manufacturers instructions and take the time to measure out the quantities accurately.  You can also get various polymer additives which strengthen the plaster further.

Be aware that mixing even quite small quantities of plaster can be a messy business. It's not especially hazardous, but as with any fine dust avoid breathing it in too much and prolonged exposure can dry out your skin a bit.

It is a good idea to keep a bucket of water handy for washing utensils as plaster in an excellent way to block a sink. Rubber mixing bowls can easily be cleaned by knocking the plaster out, rigid containers are much harder to clean.

If you sieve the plaster before you mix it that will help to prevent any lumps in the mix. It's usually easiest to mix moderate quantities by hand as this allows you to feel any lumps, wear rubber gloves if you wish. Hand mixing also tends to introduce less air. Make sure that your mixing bowl is thoroughly clean, any traces of set plaster in the mix can cause lumps and hard spots in your casting.

It is probably best to mix it in a separate container from  the one you mould it in as you will get a neater mould. Try to make up the correct amount as pouring a new batch onto setting plaster can cause problems. Once the mould is poured and before it sets gentry tap it a few times to help release any bubbles.

If you want to colour the plaster it's usually best to colour the water with a water soluble dye or pigment before you mix it, if you want to obtain an even colour.

As well as casting into a mould you can let the plaster set a bit and then mould it by hand like clay. A few minutes after mixing it goes from a fluid to something a bit like soft cheese. At this point it will hold a shape reasonably well and can be formed into shapes without needing a mould. You do need to work quickly as you will only have a few minutes before it sets.


Are there any techniques established for doing perspective on a spherical surface? I'm interested in the perspective of large objects, spanning enough distance that the spherical nature of the earth comes into play.

How would one do the proper constructions to accurately draw this curvature? See this curve for example. How would one actually accurately represent the red line in a composition?

The vanishing point, provided the parallel lines are on the ground plane, is on the horizon and it will always be eye-level . The horizon can be looked at as the sum of all of the vanishing points. For someone standing at 5'7" the horizon is 2.9 miles away from the viewer.

I think it is possible the curve you see above is because the ground is not flat (relative to the curve of the earth,) ie. there is a slight hill there, or the line of the shore is not perfectly straight. The curve of the Earth is so gradual you will not see its effect from the ground. So unless those shacks are over 2000 feet apart the horizon is not 2.9 miles away in this image. Keep in mind the camera lens has a big part in how distorted the perspective becomes. Think of a picture from a fish-eye lens.

However, to get the kind of perspective effect you are talking about, where you are fitting an exaggerated perspective onto the drawing plane, you would use curved lines. This is called Spherical or Curvilinear Perspective. M.C. Escher is a great artist to study to see this technique in action. The fish-eye lens distortion previously mentioned is a perfect example of spherical perspective.

The wikipedia entry for Curvilinear Perspective is a bit dry. But here is a nice artistic perspective on it, pun intended.


How to draw eyes shape - more-or-less formal algorithm What is the shape of an eye like exactly?

I am learning to draw (portrait in pencil, front face view).

Occasionally and intuitively I can draw an eye correctly (real-like), but I cannot explain how even to myself.

Yes, I understand it is some "artistic line", but maybe it is possible to explain it more specifically?

Say, "draw two circles, then ellipse 1 on the left tangent to circle 1, ellipse 2 on the right which is shifted a bit relative to ellipse 1...", etc.

So far I saw the following ideas fail, but (2) and (5) seem a bit close (but not enough).

vs

The real shape is very tricky!  But painters draw (reproduce it) perfectly and easily!

P.S. Mathematically seems like Conchoid of Nicomedes looks a bit like:

But I need some practical solution, like this (maybe any better):

Welcome to the A&C, Code Complete.

The thing about eyes, is that all of them are not the same shape. Sometimes the eyeball can be referred to as, 'football shaped', 'almond shaped', and many different other types. Here area  few different ideas below (You can even Google "Different eye shapes":

Like the image you provided above, there isn't that many 'dark lines.' in the eyeball, eyelid itself. Most of the 'dark areas' are only in the eyelashes, and pupil. If you look at the bottom eyelid there is no dark lines at all. The only dark parts you see in the bottom eyelid is the eyelashes. The corner right part of the eye is darker(where it attached to the upper lid. But is not black either. It is more of a medium brown.

Having to learn about blending and shading, tortillon AKA blending stumps can help. Also looking into drawing pencils that do not write as hard.

(tortillon image below)

(Different hardness of drawing pencils below)

Those tools will get you in the right spot to begin to draw the human eye.


How can I reconstitute old polymer clay? I'm terrible at using my supplies in a timely manner (maybe a couple years late... sometimes more, sometimes less), so my polymer clay (generally Sculpey III or Super Sculpey) get a bit dried out, even though it's sealed in original packaging.

Is there a way to get it back to being workable? I tried mineral oil once, but couldn't find a ratio that was effective. I ended up with very sticky clay, or clay that was virtually unchanged. I've used both hands and pasta rollers to try and do this, but no luck.

I don't know if there's something else I could use as an additive, or a certain way I should try mixing it in? Is there a good ratio of additive (such as oil) to clay?

The generally accepted practice, as I've read on numerous websites and through books, is to break up the dried up clay into small pieces, add a little mineral oil (or baby oil), and massage/work the oil in. (If you're not wearing gloves, this will 'stain' your hands but it will wash off with a little effort). After the smaller pieces are softened, merge them back together and continue to work the larger lump to spread out the oil evenly, as you normally would to soften the clay.

Sculpey also markets a clay softener that helps with this process, however if too much is used it can affect the color of the clay, or make it slightly translucent.

When adding oil it is possible to add too much, and this will be evident in the clay. To remove excess oil, wrap the clay in several layers of an absorbent material, such as paper towels, and put it in a ziplock bag. Leave to rest for a day or two, checking the consistency occasionally and replacing the absorbent material, until you have the consistency you desire. This process will tend to wick the oil out of the outer portion of the lump of clay more than the inner portion, so after removing the absorbent materials and massaging the clay again, it will be slightly softer than indicated before massaging (how much will depend on the size of the lump prior to wrapping it.)

Adding mineral oil to soften clay also makes it easier to blend different colors to make a custom color, and then remove the excess oil using the process described above.


Can I use gel pens on acetate sheets? I want to trace the outline of buildings on a printed map onto something transparent, to then put on black paper. Will the ink from white gel pens stick to sheets of acetate? Or will I have to use a different transparent material?

Acetate is waterproof, and gel pens work by having pigment suspended in a water-based gel. So, intuition is that if the pen applies at all (it may not even grab to the surface), then it would be heavily prone to smearing.

An alternative could be vellum, which is often used just as you described: to trace something on a nice surface that can be used for something else.


Trying to find a sewing pattern or style name for this style of dess Hello I am trying to find a sewing pattern that has the same type of style for the chest area of this dress or just the name of the style so that I have something to go on. I'm not too worried about the skirt just the chest.
Any help would be greatly appriciated.

A company that makes them, Lindy Bop, calls them their "Ophelia" style dress and they have a similar one that's called "Sloane". It's a vintage style from the 50s - "Rockabilly swing".

The description of the bodice they use in various places include:

  Sweetheart neckline with ruched satin inset
  a sweetheart neckline with turquoise ruched bust panel.
  sweetheart neckline with contrasting crossover ruched bust panel

Google search returns a fair number of similar dresses when you search for "Rockabilly dress"... including the image that you posted, which is on a site here where they describe it as "ACEVOG Women’s 1950s V Neck Vintage Cut Out Retro Party Cocktail Swing Dresses"

Other than that, I'm not sure there's a specific name for the style.


Complex plaster molds for ceramics I've got a shape that I want to have cast but I don't know how to achieve this:

I know the basics of regular casting but this shape has an open interior.
The picture is the master shape.
How can I make a plaster mold for it, in order to be able to pour a liquid clay in it?
And how will I be able to get it out without damaging the hardened clay?
Are there any known ways of achieving such a casting? And - especially - what would the correct terminology be to make me able to search more about that certain way of casting?

It looks like you could blow up a ballon to get the shape of the interior.  Then glue hex shaped objects to the surface of the ballon in the pattern of the holes.  Then build a wire framework over the tops of the hex shapes to hold them in position and to support your mold's outer shell.  Finally apply that outer shell as a series of glued vinyl sheets or paper mache.  Once that outer shell is dry, you can reinforce it with clay or silicon.

You should then be ready to pour in the liquid clay.

This will be a sacrificial mold, so you will mostly need to destroy it to get your casting out.  To de-mold, remove the reinforcing material and paper mache, then the wires.  Then pop the balloon and push out the hex shapes.

The exterior of your casting may have some lines from both the wire framework and any seams in the vinyl/paper mache.  It might also have bits of vinyl or paper mache stuck to it unless you washed the interior of the mold with lubricant before adding the clay.  Those problems should all be pretty easy to fix with a little sand paper.


Do certain markers work better on felt? I'm about to start on a project made of felt. I'm making caterpillar segments out of felt, and I need to mark alphabet letters on the back.

This project is for kids. They'll make their caterpillar by putting the alphabet in order or spelling words.

What type of marker will best show so that it will not fade and be clear enough for the kids? (For instance, fine tip won't work). I'm using light colored felt patterns.

I'm thinking fabric markers may be okay, but the color assortment is expensive. On the other hand, there are permanent markers (cheap and on hand) and paint markers. I'd test it out myself, but I'm on a budget.

I tried an experiment on a square of random tan felt I had sitting around. I chose the letter B because it has a good mix of straight and curved lines, so I could also get an idea of how easy a particular marker was to use.

Clockwise, from top left:

Permament Marker (Sharpie)
Washable Marker (Faber Castell)
Fabric Marker (Marvy)
Fabric Paint (Tulip)

Permanence: The washable marker easily transferred color from fabric to finger. To my surprise, even the permanent marker could be smeared if rubbed with a thumb. The fabric paint and fabric marker didn't transfer color to my fingers, though.

One additional note: Because of the nature of felt, the surface threads can be rubbed around in such a way that the letter looks smeared -- even the fabric marker version. The fabric paint, however, also "glued" the threads in place and so the letter couldn't be distorted.

Ease of Use: This was sort of a tie. The fabric paint was the easiest, because I only needed one pass for each line I made. However, the felt really wicks up paint, and so it took a couple attempts to figure out how much to apply (a thin paint line expands and becomes thicker as it dries). See the purple blob to the left of the letter? That was attempt #1 :)

Bleedthrough: Fabric paint and permanent marker showed through the most; all could be seen to some extent, though.


How to age playing cards? There are already very nice answers about paper on this and the rpg section, but playing cards are a little bit different and at the same time more specific as they have a special finish and a certain type of paper used.

There are numerous recommendations about roughing up the surface and then using tea bags (for an aged brown look and to oxidate the ink, this sometimes has the sideffect of a teasmell though which of course should be avoided for realism), scratching up the surface and using oil (simulating the play history, as in handoil and nailscratches) and applying coffee to the edges (as they are more exposed there is more wear on these parts),

but how do you get the best results now if you want to make your playing cards seem as if they have been regularly used for a long long time (but this, in a preferably quite short time)?

Work the cards. That would be the only way to make them seem used for a long time.

What you would want to do is learn a few ways of shuffling (ie. overhand, riffling and cascading. There are tons of examples on the web.) No need to use any fancy techniques, just basic card handling. Then just constantly work the cards until they are broken in.

It may take some time (maybe a day or two) but you can shuffle as you do other things. You just need to flex and rub the cards together for a length of time, concentrating the working of the cards over their lifetime into a few hours. That combined with the visual aging methods you describe will give the cards a used look and feel.


Advice on transferring technical drawing/line art to dark paper, possibly metallic or white lines I have a vector file of technical drawing consisting of detailed line work that I'd like to transfer to a dark paper or card stock. Tracing, making stencils, etc. won't work due to the fine, complex lines.

I don't have access to a screen printer that would do a one-off so I was hoping someone might have some suggestions. In case it helps, I do have access to Photoshop and Illustrator, and there are local sign shops that may have some options but cutting vinyl isn't the effect I'm going for. I'm hoping to get a more textured effect, not a faux texture created digitally.

I was thinking it would be great if the line work could be transferred somehow as an adhesive which I could then sprinkle white or metallic powders over to make the drawing appear on the dark paper.

I'm at a loss to figure out how to do something like that which could allow more textured line work to appear on the page so I'm open to suggestions.

Look around the city you live in for a MakerSpace or other tech-tools club.  Such places often have tools which would be prohibitively expensive for an individual to own.  As a one-time visitor or for a small membership fee, you might get access to any of the following tools which would assist in your project...

A Laser Cutter or Laser Etcher
A photographic-quality CNC Machine
A Vinyl Cutter (to create a stencil over which you can apply metallic paint)
A Photo-Etching Rig (to create a better stencil than vinyl)
A large form factor Laser Printer to use with the foils which @fred_dot_u suggested.

Such equipment might also be available at a local university or even in the public library.


Any ways to damping metallic snap fastener domes afterwards? I bought  handmade cushion covers, but what I did not realize to expect was that at the back, they're closed with a row of half an inch wide snap fasteners, and their metallic dome backs protrude.

On a typical fabric sofa, this would probably not be a problem, but I meant them for an armchair with quite sensitive faux leather upholstering on the arm rests, and I'm afraid that the metallic caps could end up scratching or even breaking the puffy but relatively thin and elastic leather.

Is there anything that I could do about this without having to consider removing the snap fasteners completely?

I suggest concealment. Take a strip of very fine leather and sitch it over the line of metal domes. You might be able to find a cloth that would do the same, but the combination of suppleness and toughness needed would be hard to find in a woven product.


What should I look for in a paper for a complex origami model? I'm thinking of stepping up to folding complex origami models, such as those by KAMIYA Satoshi, HOJYO Takashi, and Robert Lang, but obviously 10" origami paper (kami) isn't going to cut it, as you typically need much larger paper (60cm x 60cm being not uncommon a requirement).  What should I look for (thickness, weight, fiber types, sizing) when hunting up paper sources for this kind of model?  I'm not interested in making my own  or other DIY solutions (e.g., methyl cellulose, foil tissue, etc.), or going super-expensive high end, like Origamido paper.

If I have to buy paper over the internet that I can't touch/feel, how can I judge if it's suitable for folding complex models?

When rejecting DIY solutions, you are limiting your choice a lot. Methylcellulose (MC)-glued double and triple tissue and well as self-made tissue foil are very popular and relatively inexpensive materials for folding exactly the kind of models you describe.

The situation is not hopeless, however. There are ready-made papers which may suit your needs, but you will usually have to pay dearly for the benefit of not having to prepare paper yourself.

For practice, Kraft paper is often very good. It is widely available, strong, and you can get it in a range of thicknesses, including thin (e.g. 40 gsm). It does not look too good, but its folding properties are quite nice and it is inexpensive. You can usually get some variant in a local art supply store and save on shipping fees. This kind of paper often comes in rolls in which case you can get large formats, even above 1 m, easily (you have to cut the square yourself in such case, though).
Nicolas Terry Tissue Foil is a ready-to-use replacement for self-made tissue foil and seems to be thinner than what you can make yourself.
Various mulberry papers can be good for this sort of models. They are available online and sometimes in art supply stores (depending on where you live).
A broad range of Washi papers are suitable for complex models. Be careful, however as Washi can mean a lot of different things, from very thin to rather thick. Be sure to check the weight / thickness of the paper.
A number of hand made papers may be suitable but since they are all unique, and often do not even have an official weight rating, it may be hard to find the right one without touching it or having a qualified seller who knows origami choose one for you.
And of course at the high end there's some Origamido available online. That's what Robert Lang often uses for his best models, though it comes with a price tag of €13 per sheet.

These were some specific paper types which may (or may not) fit your model. Note that each particular model may have different requirements on thickness and stiffness of the paper. For example, Shuki Kato's elephant can certainly be considered a complex model (196 steps) but it can be, and very often is, folded from Elephant Hide paper (110 gsm) which is an absolute no go for most insect models.

So, think about a particular model. What you can do is search flickr or other places where lots of origami models are displayed for your model. People will often add the paper type and weight to the model's description and this can help you choose paper for your own folding. When you buy online at a specialist origami store, you can also ask the shop about particular paper's suitability for certain kinds of models. No one can guarantee you a good fold (it depends very much on your own work), but they can give you hints which paper may be good and which you should avoid.

Ilan Garibi has a series of paper reviews on OrigamiUSA where he has reviewed a number of commercially available papers. I have found these reviews to be very helpful when I started to get interested in origami papers myself.

Finally, here are some properties of the paper you should look for. Generally, you want your paper to be thin, yet strong and crisp. In more detail, this means paying attention to:

Paper weight, usually expressed in gsm (grams per square meter). These values are only approximate ratings but they give you an idea of how thick the paper is. 80 gsm is the weight of standard copy paper and is too much for many complex models, for which you should look for 40-60 gsm paper. Some very fine papers used for insects go as low as 20 gsm. Elephant Hide, a thick and stiff paper, is rated at 110 gsm. Papers around 160-300 gsm are suitable for wet folding but hardly foldable dry.
Fibre types: hand-made papers have long fibres which is usually a good thing. Longer fibres make the paper stronger and make it behave better when you need to wet fold some detail.
Crispness: it should be possible to make a sharp, well-defined crease at exactly the place you want it and paper should hold the crease well. This is especially important for complex folds like sinks where you precrease a line and then collapse along it. Soft paper has its benefits too, but too soft may make folding difficult.
Aging: one of the reasons I started using better papers was I noticed I had to throw away a number of old models which had faded and become very ugly. If you invest a lot of time into folding a complex model, you want it to stay looking fresh for a long time. Chlorine-free and acid-free papers are expected to last longer than those with the extra additives. Hand made papers often avoid these chemicals and age quite well.

The first paper review by Ilan Garibi describes these and many more properties which affect how origami paper behaves when you fold it and which make it suitable or not for particular model types.


What should I keep in mind for storing wool roving? My wife recently went crazy for wet felting and bought a fair chunk of wool roving in a variety of colours.

Likely it will take a while to get through it all and I want to be sure that it is still usable for a while. Currently it is just being stored in sealed plastic bags. They do not appear to be air tight. She did try to vacuum seal the bags, which I am not sure is good or bad, but since they are not air tight it didn't take.

How can I store wool roving to maximize its shelf life in my home? I will assume there are considerations for temperature, humidity etc.

I live in Southern Ontario Canada. I get dry winters and humid summers. While the house is regulated, in general, every nook and cranny is not e.g. basement, closets etc.

When it comes to wool, I think the biggest issue is moths. You don't want the wool to be eaten, so to store it somewhere where the moths cannot come, is a good idea to start with.
Then, constant moderate temperature and humidity sound like a good idea as you don't want the wool to dry out, become less soft, those kind of things. You're mentioning that the wool has a variety of colours, so I assume that it's painted and not all natural colours in different shades of white and brown? In that case, the wool grease has probably been removed, and drying out is less of a problem.
I myself have a lot of raw wool (including grease, dirt, pieces of grass and sometimes a dead beetle) for at least 10 years and I actually never did anything special to store it. The wool gets less greasy over time, but as long as there are no moths in the wool, you can do with it whatever you want.
(P.S.: Be aware that felt is a moth magnet!)


What is this long free arm machine called? This post about sewing tubes without a presser foot or feed dogs suggests using a specialized machine.
What is the second machine in Elmy's answer here called?

"Feed-off-the-arm sewing machines – A feed off the arm sewing machine’s design is unusual in that its arm bridges a u-shaped bed. Such machines are ideal for seaming the inseams of pants and jeans as well as the sides, sleeves, and shoulders of shirts."
https://www.abcsewingmachine.com/blogs/features/62525253-the-different-types-of-industrial-sewing-machines-body-design


Hard foam pad replacement I think this is an Arts and Craft question.

I am looking to replace a hard foam pad on a sander. Manufacture wants over $20, but I know I can make one for a lot less.

The pad would need to be 4 x 4 x 1/8 inch thick and fairly hard.

I can trim a sheet down.

Appreciate any ideas. :-)

I bought a piece of 1/16" rubber sheet. Glued it to bottom of old pad on sander.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ggm4j56fym0mdl/20180827_122005.jpg?dl=0

Because of the extra thickness, the sand paper is a little harder to fit between clamps.


Will 20 psi get out air bubbles when resin casting? I’ve been trying to figure out how much psi I need to get air bubbles out of resin when casting. Does anyone have experience with this? Can anyone tell me what amount of pressure will get rid of air bubbles?

The amount of vacuum pressure required to draw out all the bubbles is likely dependent on the specific weight and chemical composition of the resin you are using. That should be in your resin's spec. sheet or technical data available from the manufacturer.

Or you could just eyeball it like blacksmith37 says.


What is the following pattern called? I very much like this kind of pattern and I would like to recreate it or buy fabric which already has this pattern.

If you need to see the pattern at different angles then you can find more photos here .

What is this kind of pattern called?
Where could I purchase fabric which already has this pattern? (I’m from England  , U.K.).
Do you know of any resources which teach how to sew this pattern into fabric?
I’m a beginner in creating clothes but am I correct to say this is a type of quilting pattern?

Yes, that is a quilted pattern. Quilting refers to the process sewing three layers of fabric together, usually two layers of woven cloth on the outside, with a layer of insulation sandwiched in between.
You can absolutely buy quilted fabric. Any sewing supplier with a large selection of fabric should have some, but usually not a huge selection. You might find some in the "home décor" section of the store as well as in garment fabrics. You can also sometimes get "quilted insulation" or "quilted batting," which is quilt batting / insulation with fabric only on one side of it. You can use it as the lining for another garment, but the quilting pattern would only be visible one side.
Bedspreads are often made of quilted fabric; in fact the specific stitch pattern in your example is exactly the same as a quilted bedcover I had years ago. So if you don't find what you're looking for as "by the yard" fabric, have a look at premade bedspreads. In fact, it can sometimes be less expensive to buy a finished item than fabric by the yard. (Why? Ask an economist.)
As to the actual fabric material, that looks to me like a synthetic fiber. The fabric might be rayon or nylon. Ideally you would want to go to a fabric store, feel the fabrics and talk to a salesperson about which fabrics would work best for a coat. Second-best would be talking to someone on the phone, at a store dedicated to selling fabric for sewing, so they really know how to advice you on what fabric would be best for a given purpose. If you have to buy online, look for fabrics that are specifically intended for outer garments. The main concern is that you buy something that looks great in a photo, but that isn't actually sturdy enough to hold up as an outer garment. However you buy your fabric, you'll get the best advice about specific products from a store that's dedicated to selling fabric and sewing supplies, rather than a more general "arts and crafts" store. This list in The Guardian of "Top ten fabric shops in the UK" might be a good place to start.
If you quilt your own fabric, it's important that the fabric layers are densely woven enough to hold in the insulation. If you make a quilt with loosely woven fabric, the insulation will work its way out over time, creating unsightly "pills" on the outside. Outdoor DIY gear suppliers usually sell both fabrics and insulating layers, and they usually provide guidelines on which combinations will work together. A few of my favorite suppliers of materials for making my own outdoor gear are: ripstopbytheroll.com, therainshed.com and diygearsupply.com. Sorry, I have no idea if any of them ship from within the UK. Note that if you start with a waterproof outer layer of fabric, then quilt it, it stops being waterproof because you just punched a bunch of holes in it.
Making your own quilted fabric will take at least as long as sewing a jacket out of it. If that doesn't sound like fun to you, I definitely recommend just buying premade quilted fabric. If you want to make your own quilted fabric, keep reading.

How to make quilted fabric
This is just a short summary. As with most hobbies the additional information that exists could fill a small library. I include a few links to more references at the end. Quilting as a hobby has been popular for centuries, so your local library surely has a few books.
Materials:

two layers of woven fabric - these can be the same fabric or different
a layer of quilt batting
large safety pins
thread
a sewing machine, or a quilting hoop and a hand sewing needle
a fabric marking pencil (or other fabric marking method; more details below)

Get your two layers of woven fabric. As with most sewing projects, before you begin the fabric should be washed, selvedges trimmed off, and ironed. Get a piece of batting the same size (don't pre-wash it).

Lay the bottom layer of fabric out flat, with the "good" side facing down. The "good" side is whichever side of the fabric you want visible; the other side will be hidden.

Lay the batting on top, smoothing out any wrinkles.

Lay the top layer of fabric on top, with the good side facing up. Again, smooth out any wrinkles.

Tack the three layers together at regular intervals. The point is to secure the layers so they will stay in place when you move the quilt to sew it together. Large safety pins work well for this - they actually make special quilting safety pins that are bent, which lets you more easily put then into the fabric. Regular pins aren't a great idea - some will fall out, and you'll stab yourself a lot as you manipulate the quilt.

(Optional) Mark your stitch pattern on the top of the quilt. Make sure whatever you use to mark the pattern is 100% removable. Quilting suppliers sell a wide variety of supplies for this, and there are lots of DIY methods.

To draw the design freehand, a scrap of white bar soap or a piece of white chalk works okay for a few marks, but if you're doing a lot of marking a fabric marking pencil is worth the few dollars it will cost.
You can draw the design freehand or use a stencil. You can buy premade stencils or make your own. Premade stencils come in a huge variety of designs, from simple to very intricate. For a simple design like in your example, I would make my own by cutting a wavy edge on a long piece of cardboard.
A stencil with lines cut out of it (as opposed to a simple edge-trace stencil) allows you to mark the fabric by just wiping chalk powder over the stencil. Brand names include "Miracle Chalk" and "Pounce Pad."

If you buy a fabric marking tool like the pencils or dust pads I mentioned, read the reviews and be sure to get one that's easy to remove. White chalk fabric pencils or marking dust tends to come out fairly well, but blue or other colors of chalk have a reputation staining the fabric.

Fold or roll up the pre-quilt from both edges, leaving the middle unfolded and exposed. Working from the middle of the quilt out to the edge, use a straight stitch to sewing along the marked lines (if you marked them) or freehand sew it. There are a lot of tips and tricks that will help you do this smoothly and efficiently, so instead of trying to list them all here, I made a list of references.
Quilting on a home sewing machine:

https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/how-to-machine-quilt.html
https://suzyquilts.com/how-to-machine-quilt/
https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2019/03/how-to-plan-your-quilting-from-christa-watson.html

Quilting by hand:

https://suzyquilts.com/how-to-hand-quilt/
https://www.thimblelady.com/hand-quilting/

In case you want more references or these links go dead, useful search terms include "machine quilting" or "sew a quilt on a home sewing machine" (if you're using a sewing machine) or "hand quilting" (if you're sewing by hand).

Note also, that many people who make piecework quilts will either send out their assembled quilt to be professionally quilted, or they will rent time on a long arm sewing machine at their local quilting supply store. Quilting by hand or on a home sewing machine is just not everyone's cup of tea.

Offset Wavy Line Top Stitch Pattern
The actual top stitch pattern in your example is just made of wavy lines, with each wavy line offset from the one next to it, so the bottom of one "wave" almost lines up with the top of the "wave" in the adjacent line. It's such a basic design I couldn't find a name for it, even though I'm sure it has one. I made these outlines in Microsoft Paint.
To draw it, make a stencil with a wavy edge, like this:

Stencil one wavy line, then add a second wavy line offset, like this:

Continue adding wavy lines until you hit the edge of the fabric. Notice how the "onion bulb" shape appears as you add more repeats.

With a bit of practice, you could probably sew this design freehand. You might want to mark out a grid on your fabric to keep your midlines parallel and your peaks and valleys lined up, but you could do that by placing your safety pins in a grid pattern.
Tip: Curves are difficult to sew. Straight lines are much easier. If you're not wedded to this specific stitch pattern, consider using a simple diamond grid pattern. You don't even need a stencil for this one, just a ruler and long straightedge. Use the ruler to draw evenly spaced  marks along one edge. Draw marks along the adjacent edge, using the same spacing. Use the straightedge to draw lines connecting connect those marks. Repeat for the other two sides. Using the same spacing on both sets of sides will give you 45 degree oriented square diamonds. Using different spacing on each set will give you different angled diamonds.
45 degree diamond grid:

(image source)
60 degree diamond grid:

(image source)


What are good methods to attach glass to wood? I'm a woodworker and I really like turning.  While I've made some beautiful goblets on my lathe, I'm always a little leery about recommending them for actual drinking.  On top of that many of them do crack because of flaws in the wood.

However, I've seen where people will buy fairly cheap wine glasses and cut the stem off, and attach them to some hand turned base.  This can look nice and opens up a host of possibilities.  However, I don't know the what method would work to hold the two materials together securely.  Epoxy?

Epoxies are the essential answer to your question.

Since you are affixing two materials that can expand or contract quote a bit, you need to choose an epoxy that will not shrink and risk cracking the glass.  The wood should be ok.

From here, the answer would turn into a bevy of brand recommendations.  I think you should look for what is available to you, and decide one that matches your 'mechanical properties', color, hardening process, etc.

I have used "Acraglas" for a nearly-identical purpose.  It only comes in brown color, from what I know.


What are the pros and cons of wearing a robe vs a cloak (sleeves vs sleeveless)? I'm thinking of buying or sewing a new hooded garment that I would wear both for everyday occasions as well as general cosplay uses.

I'm familiar with wearing a robe (a full-length, hooded garment, with sleeves). I've never tried however a cloak (a full-length, hooded garment, without sleeves).

What practical and aesthetic reasons exist for desiring or not desiring sleeves on such a garment?

I used to larp and always opted for coats/jackets rather than cloaks whenever feasible. Here are the considerations I used to make frequently about outerwear, listed from highest to lowest priority for myself:

It is easier to add useable pockets (whether hidden or visible)
Fitted garments with sleeves are less likely to get caught in doors or get accidentally stepped on (eg. when ascending/descending stairs)
Fitted garments are likely to be warmer than a loose cloak in most cases
Fastening a jacket/coat etc is easier and more secure than most cloak fastenings
Cloaks are unusual in most modern cultures and will draw more attention than a sleeved garment, which may not always be wanted

I would like to add that a lot of these pros/cons rely on subjective opinion and context.

I have some limited experience with sewing garments that have hoods, and have found it to be quite challenging to get the exact shape of hood that I want! I have found it comparatively easy to produce sleeves, so this is why I have not discussed whether sewing a cloak or sleeved garment would be easier, because in my opinion if you are making a garment with a hood, either option will be about the same difficulty.


Why does the thread keep snapping on my Silvercrest sewing machine? I started using my mom's sewing machine for the first time a Silvercrest SNM 33 B1 sewing machine, but the thread on it keeps snapping.
Why does this happen? Is it my needle's fault or are the threads bad?

Many sewing machine issues can be resolved by simply removing the thread and re-threading it. Your machine's manual should have a diagram showing how to insert the thread. Even if you're sure you already know how to thread the machine, find that diagram and follow it step by step. You may find that you've been missing a step, or putting the thread in the wrong place.
Even if you don't figure out what the issue was, sometimes re-threading will solve it anyway. The thread may have been getting snagged or dragging somewhere along its path, and by re-threading it, you may fix that issue.
As you feed the thread, watch for any places that seem rough, or slots that seem tight. Manually pull the thread back and forth through each slot and around each turn, checking to see if it snags or tugs anywhere. It should pull smoothly through/around each point.
Here's a troubleshooting guide for the Silvercrest SNM 33 B1 machine. It basically says what I mentioned above, but it has diagrams for how to re-thread.
Make sure the bobbin is inserted in the correct orientation, as you can see in this snipped from the troubleshooting guide. My machine (which is a different brand) will work when the bobbin is in the wrong way, but the thread snags and snarls much more frequently.

Also check to make sure your needle is not bent, blunt, or damaged. If you can't tell, swap in a fresh needle just to be sure.


How do I get a perfect finish to hair clips painted with acrylic paint? I painted on top of a hair clip using acrylic paints. It looks nice but not as nice as store bought hair clips. I'm looking for a glossy finish that would make it look nice and also protect from indents and notches.
Not sure if using canvas varnish would be the right thing.

A transparent protective layer would be ideal. I propose acryllic based coatings because they bond well with the painting and are soft enough to not chip away when bumped into. They are also elastic enough to not indent permanently, unless you have a go at them with a sharp object.
Glossy acryllic varnish or Mod Podge are ideal.
Instead of slapping a single, thick coat on the hair clip, you should apply several thin coats and let each coat dry completely. 4 or more thin coats, applied evenly with a soft and wide brush give you a better result than 1 or 2 thick coats. To avoid enclosing dust an other particles in the varnish, put the object under a cover like a plastic box to dry.


Paint or glue porous floral Styrofoam? Floral Styrofoam comes in some shapes perfect for a craft I'm working on (colorful noodle dinosaurs), but I'm having a really difficult time getting anything to stick because it's so porous.

This type of foam:

Is there a type of paint or primer I can apply, first, so they decorative paint and glue stick to that?

Is there a certain glue I should use?

You need to create the initial surface coat that can both smooth the rough surface of the Styrofoam and create a surface for further material adhesion. There are actually a number of safe and simple approaches that you can do which all have a similar outcome. First though you need to be aware of what you should not do.

Be wary of products that will dissolve styrofoam

There are a number of products that react to Styrofoam on a chemical level and cause it to melt. Many spray paints can do this as well and products that contain paint thinner. Many product labels will mention what materials they are and are not designed for. If you are not sure sticking with one of the suggestion below would be advised or at least test in a controlled and well ventilated environment if you must.

Initial coating options

It does not need to be any sort of heavy coating but something that will try and provide a more uniform surface. In no particular order:

Mod Podge / decoupage: Mod podge will work on its own with one or two layers built up. Some light sanding in between layers will help create a smoother surface. You don't need to use the glue alone. You can decoupage as well.
Paper mache: Using the foam as a base paper mache onto it. I would likely do the entire object (all sides) as this might not adhere to the foam well or at least not long term. Doing all sides would give it no where to go. Not my first choice but this is a fun option for kids.
Styrofoam safe paints: I don't have any specific suggestion here. You will have a hard time using a brush given the rough surface. You might need to use a cloth or something similar to work the paint into all the holes. Let it dry and repeat the process. It will get easier each time as it gets smoother. Water and Acrylic paints apparently work just fine here.
Plaster of Paris / Geeso / Drywall compound: These should be easy to apply to the surface. Don't put it on too think. Much like other approaches Let dry and sand. Drywall compound would be the last choice of these options as it would be brittle. Should still work though. I am putting Geeso in this list as I think it works almost the same although I have no experience with it.
Commercial Options: There is a specific product called Foam Finish which is marketed for use with Styrofoam and related foam products. Likely there are similar products under different names.  Consulting a hobby store will help you get the variants. From the container you can see it would work well in this situation and you can read more at one supplier's site. :

  Repairs dents & nicks in all foam including Depron EPP, EPO, Styrofoam & more.
  Helps make foam stronger with virtually no extra weight.
  Creates a smooth surface for decals or paint.

In almost all cases the key is to keep your initial coats thin and build up to strength and uniformity you desire.

All of these should get you a good working surface that you can paint whatever you want. You should be able to glue object as well to the new surface of your foam.


How can I blend soft pastels without removing too much colour? I want to know which is the best blending tool to work on soft pastels. Every time I try to blend the colour seems to lighten. I use normal brushes or my fingers.

I'm not sure why it is lightening: is the paper showing? Does the paper have enough 'tooth' or grip to begin with? How hard are you pressing into the paper and pastel? I've found gentle pressure with fingertip is enough. With softer (more expensive pastels) they tend to be the easiest to blend. If you have not tried a high-quality pastel like Schminke, then you are in for a huge treat: they have a creamy soft consistency, which make blending a real joy. Just buy one or two and see.

I have sometimes used a piece of soft foam to blend soft pastel as well, but this tends to drag the pastel off, the reverse of what you want. Perhaps try a few experiments on a scrap piece of paper (the same paper as the actual work).

Several other things to consider

Have you tried layering, using a fixative or hairspray? This allows you to keep working on an area, after the paper is 'full' of pastel. Once the pores or 'tooth' of the paper is filled, it will lose its gripping ability. This approach allows you to keep building layers.(Although it will slightly darken/flatten the luminous quality of the soft pastel.)
Sealing the surface is also useful for adding a final highlight when there is already as much pastel as the paper can hold.

For something different/fun, mix pastel with oil

I have also used linseed oil to mix colours with on the paper itself: pastel is after all, mainly pigment. This eventually seems to dry out or spread itself through the paper.


DIY Leather engraving Is there a way to engrave or carve words into leather without the use of professional engraving or stamping tools?

I want to make one similar to the one in the picture, but can not find the kit to do so anywhere in my local stores.
I read somewhere that it could be done by heated knife but I'm not sure. Any help, please?

(Any link to a tutorial would be appreciated, too)

The one in the picture appears to be laser engraved, so I assume that that is infeasible. You could get a similar result more easily if you tried to brand it, but that still requires your design to be shaped out of metal and then heated really hot. If you really want the professional look, I would suggest just buying a leather stamp online.


Tool for sealing paper ends Is there a tool that can seal paper similar to a paper wrapper on a  plastic straw. Or how else can a fold the end that will look neat?

There is... do a search for "stapleless staplers."

Pretty sure they work by interleaving little tabs of each sheet or side of the fold through the other sheet/side.


Concrete for mold making Concrete for making concrete molds
concrete cement
I am trying to make some concrete items such as trays, vases, bowls etc. Can anyone please advise on recipes/ratios for this? I would like to make these in white, black and grey and want a smooth finish (lump free and non gritty)
I cant get quikcrete in the uk.
Thanks,
James

Don't use quick-crete mix your own, for one thing you don't want gravel in detailed or smooth are casting, just sand, the finer the better. I have had a lot of success using a mix of sand and marble dust but I was casting giant pacific clam shell replicas so I wanted that very white sparkly surface.
Getting it really smooth requires a sealant, concrete by itself will not be perfectly smooth just because of the sand. Using a vibrating table will help a lot with getting a smooth void free surface.
I use a pool lining mix ratio since it is a gravel free minimum void mix, something between 1:2 or 1:3(portland cement:sand) but a little experimentation is best. The water ratio is more important, you want as little water as possible, 1:3 or less, but it is effected by climate so again experimentation is best. the DIY stack has help for counter-top cement which is pretty much what you want. https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/90389/whats-the-best-ratio-for-sand-only-concrete
I have heard good things about plasticizers but have not used them myself.


Adding a custom paint job to an umbrella A friend of mine is celebrating her birthday next week, and since she is kind of an art person, and I love giving hand made gifts, I decided to add some color to a white, plain umbrella.

I have searched the web for instructions and one such can be found on Instructables. Here the maker suggests using acrylic paint, which I believe would be prone to cracking due to folding the umbrella. After much research I however did find what seems to be the  Solution. Here a user suggests using fabric paint, which is much more elastic. I have found a local dealer which sells Iberia fabric paint. I had in mind to use waterproof markers to outline the design I will be putting on the umbrella, then fill it with color using the above mentioned fabric paint.

Does anyone have suggestions on other kinds of paint that are both waterproof and durable that could be used for this little project of mine? If I do end up using the fabric paint, do I still have to add a protective, waterproof layer on top of the fabric paint? If so, please feel free to leave any suggestion you might have.

That's an imaginative gift!

The silk screen industry has been applying paint to fabric (umbrellas included) for some time. You might be able to by a small amount from a local shop.

The inks (paints) used are reducible to some degree and may be your answer, as they are both flexible and impervious to water. Your timeline is problematic though, as it does not allow for experimentation and I will not give you a guarantee that one can paint with the medium.


White material comes out of steam holes When I used the steam feature with my iron, some white material came out right before the steam did? What is that material?

I live in a hard water area and always get limescale from my iron.  You can buy demineralised ironing water, but I tend to use the condensed water from my dehumidifier or melted frost from the very top of the freezer


How to invisibly join superwash singles yarn? I know of several methods of joining a new ball of yarn, but I have trouble with some long-repeat colored yarns available as singles, be it thin ones like Amitola or even thick ones like Schoppel Reggae.

Knots show up, especially in lace or reversible knits.
Russian, braided, etc. joins require at least two strands of yarn.
"Spit and rub" is the traditional method for lace, but only works with feltable yarns.
taking the two ends together has never worked well for me. The ends slide against each other, creating too small an overlap, and the overlap knits up really thick and noticeable.
leaving a tail and weaving in the ends works somewhat, but the stitches around the change become very loose, and the weaved ends are visible in some kinds of knitting (lace, rib).

Is there something I am missing? How can I join the yarn invisibly?

Superwash single is a somewhat tough one, yes.

In those case, I usually start ten or so stitches before I change the yarn, I use the same technique as when doing jacquard to have the new yarn follow in the back of the work, I knit one stitch with both yarns, and knitting with the new yarn, I have the old yarn follow the stitches on the back for like ten stitches.
On the next row, I try to have the loose yarn follow on the back, so that it holds more.


Intentionally letting watercolor paints dry before using them? My wife uses Van Gogh watercolor paints in what I think is a really strange way. She squeezes some paint from the tube, lets it dry on the palette for 48 hours, and then uses a wet brush to paint with it.

I've certainly seen lots of information about reusing dry watercolor paint, but I've never encountered anyone intentionally waiting or the paint to dry before starting to use it. She says this is the way to get the right consistency. Waiting two days sounds like a huge pain.

Has anyone else encountered this?

Many people do this, it is common practice among watercolorists.
Watercolor paints can be used in their wet form via a tube or they can be used as a dried over consistency. It has nothing to do with the paint being cheap or kiddie as another commenter said. It’s just preference to which consistency you prefer.
I prefer to have the watercolor dried out as it causes you to use less paint than if it was in liquid form. It’s also great for travelling purposes as you don’t have to worry about waiting a long time for your paint to dry before putting it away or having to worry about the colors mixing together in their wet form.
It’s also more cost effective if you buy the paints in the tubes and then put them into half pans versus buying already dried half pans as you will get more paint for your buck buying them in the tub compared to buying them in half pans.


How can I stop my air drying clay from losing its shape as it dries? I am using air dry clay more precisely Thai clay.

How to make sure the shape is not disturb while drying? I had made a cornet shape similar to this one:

When I left it to dry overnight the shape distorted and formed a base so that the clay could stand up. However, I don't want it form a base as I want it to keep the circle shape. How can I accomplish that?

You could use a support armature to hold up your sculpture while it dries.

I notice, in your photo, there is something that looks pink icing. That might be how that artist hid where the armature was inserted to hold up their sculpture. After the sculpture dried the armature was removed and the hole that was left behind was hidden by the icing.


Which is warmer for slipper socks—wool or acrylic? I've read a bunch of pages for what seems like a simple question but haven't been able to find a definitive answer. My main confusion comes from the (in my newbie mind) conflicting statement, where wool presumably is warmer, but acrylic doesn't breathe. The intended use is indoor slipper socks (not for use with shoes).
My understanding is that acrylic not breathing should make it warmer, since it's better at storing body heat.
Am I missing something?

Warmth in clothing comes mostly from trapped air, which is a good insulator.  Water is a good conductor of heat, and water vapor can transfer heat.
With acrylic, depending on the characteristics of how the fiber was made and how the fiber is used to create a fabric, it can be a better insulator than wool.  However, clothing presents a challenge because the body perspires and gives off moisture.  Depending on what happens to that moisture, it can defeat the insulation properties of the trapped air.
"Breathability" is kind of a misnomer.  Fabrics aren't an air-tight seal around your body.  The term really describes more what happens to the moisture.  In the summer, you will be coolest if the perspiration is evaporated, removing body heat.  Synthetics, like acrylic, aren't as good as many natural fibers at getting the moisture away from your body and evaporating it, so you feel hot and sticky.  It isn't so much the insulation value of the fabric preventing the hot air from warming you, as not getting much wicking to keep you drier, and the benefit of evaporation to make you cooler.
It would seem logical that holding that moisture in better would help keep you warm in the winter, but there's more going on.  Heat moves from a hotter area to a cooler area.  The bigger the temperature difference, the more heat moves.  Its ability to do that depends on the material its doing it through.  An insulator slows it way down.  During the summer, there typically isn't a huge difference in temperature between your body and the surrounding air, so the heat isn't under a lot of "pressure" to move, and the insulation value of the fabric doesn't play a big role.  It's ability to wick and evaporate moisture is the most important characteristic in keeping you comfortable.
A different process is at work when you're outside in the winter or inside using slipper socks at floor level and want to keep warm.  There's a much bigger temperature difference between your body and the surrounding air, and your body heat wants to move to the surrounding air.   The moisture is very efficient at transferring heat away from your body, whether or not it evaporates.  Think of something like water-cooling that uses a closed loop of water to transfer heat without evaporating it.
A synthetic material like acrylic can become saturated with moisture, so it's basically just holding a heat conductor against your body.  Wool has a unique property.  The fibers have a crimped structure that traps a lot of tiny air pockets.  At the same time, it has the ability to absorb and wick a lot of moisture.  Eventually, there will be enough moisture to reach the outer surface and evaporate, but there is a very long, convoluted, capillary path between you and the outside air, so the moisture can't do a good job of siphoning heat.
This makes wool warmer for a purpose like slipper socks.  There are also blends of wool (particularly Merino wool), and synthetic fibers, like acrylic, that do a good job.  The wool manages the moisture, allowing the synthetic to provide good insulation.  The synthetics are much less expensive, so you get the warmth at a lower cost.


What kind of bamboo should I use for making a Chinese fan? I've started making a functional fan, and I was wondering what kind of wood or bamboo (I prefer bamboo) I should use to make the body of the fan.

I kinda searched around using words like "thin", but the kind of thin in woodworking is not really what I'm looking for. Here's the drawing I made for now (I'll probably redraw it), any feedback/ideas are appreciated.

From bamboogrove.com

  There are many different opinions on how many species of bamboo that there are. Some experts say there are approximately 1000 species of bamboo, while others say there are more than 1600 species on the planet growing naturally.

It would be hard to make any specific recommendation on bamboo species as there are so many and I am not sure of your local. I have no real opinion on what is available in North America other than the kind that grows at my parents place, in Ontario, is weak and not good for much.

You see things like bamboo poles for fencing. You could split those with a knife fairly easily to get the lengthwise strips that you would need for this. Buying an entire fence seems excessive though. However for where and what it is used for it should be more than sufficient for what your are doing.

You might have better luck if this is a one off project by using something simpler like a bamboo placemat. You should be able to find one of these easy.

You can take that apart and get (almost?) the lengths you need and there should be enough strength in there to get the job done. Also would not have to finish or cut it yourself.


What are some waterproof materials that meet my criteria for folding origami stars and cranes eggs? One of my future projects involve folding A LOT of origami stars and crane eggs and turn it into a curtain. However, I want to insure that my hard (and very tedious) work do not go to waste by making it waterproof.
Here are images of both the origami star and cranes egg:

To fold these you start with a thin piece of paper about 5/16 - 1/2 inch wide and about 8-11 inch long.
Criteria (in order of importance):

Waterproof (enough to withstand some splashes of rain if the window is ever left open accidentally)
"pliable" enough to fold but firm/thick enough to keep the shape of the origami
Come in long strips of about 5/16 - 1/2 inch wide
Able to come in multiple colors
Relatively inexpensive

Some materials I've tried:

Waxed paper(used in the kitchen) - These fit the waterproof and inexpensive criteria but needs to be manually trimmed to size. They also don't have enough weight to really hope the shape of the origami too well.
Satin ribbon(used in gift wrapping) - These were beautiful and water proof but were too cloth-like and unable to hold the shape of the origami.
Laminated strips of paper - These were annoying to prep and too rigid and thick to fold into the origami.

I'm willing to compromise on one or two criteria if it at least greatly meets three of my criteria. Optimally hoping theres some magical material that perfectly meets my needs though.

You could try using palm fronds, which can be woven to make beautiful stars and patterns:

For more details about the craft of palm weaving, see this question and the links given in its answer (disclaimer: answer posted by me).

They're obviously waterproof, since they come from plants which are naturally found in wet conditions. They come in long strips, which are (perhaps surprisingly) pliable enough to be folded into intricate shapes but also strong and tough enough to stay in shape. They should be inexpensive, at least if you're living in the right region (e.g. somewhere there's a strong Catholic community with a tradition of palm-weaving). The only criterion they don't meet is being able to come in multiple colours, but it might be possible to paint the palm fronds before folding them, if you can find a paint that works well on organic material like this.


How to mix burnt umber with the 3 primaries and black/white For the last 2 sessions I have been trying really hard to create a deep brown/deep red fur.

I have gone back and forth many times trying to create this colour but feel I am just mixing something so clear.

I can sense it has a red almost orange feeling to it, but everything I try gets me nowhere..
I'm using golden cyan blue, primary yellow and red. Titanium white and a standard black.

How can I create burnt umber with these colours?

Thanks guys :)

To get a kind of burnt umber, I think (I can't test it now) you need around 3 parts black, 3 parts red, 1 part blue and 1 part yellow.

Let's assume the first picture I found googling for fur is the kind of reference you have:

For painting fur, and especially to get a warm glow in your painting, I suggest painting a layer of red (with yellow mixed in as desired). Let it dry. This will be your base layer.
Mix some black and red (or use the 'burnt umber' recipe, as the cooler colour will contrast nicely with the warmer one, emphasizing it), and dilute it with water, as you want the next layer to be quite transparent (at first, anyway). Apply this mix to the cured base layer, using a brush to create the texture you want. You can change the proportions of the solution to get darker and lighter areas.

Alternatively, you can apply a much darker, semi-transparent layer on top of the warm red base layer, giving you the dark area as seen in the image to work up from. Using a small brush, you can paint in the strands to get a more detailed picture, mixing it with white to get the sheen, which is quite important for the realistic appearance of any kind of hair.


What would be a good way to bind a A8 notebook? I would like to make a A8 notebook (52mm x 74mm) with about 50 sheets or more, but I'm not sure which binding would be the most suitable to use.

I generally use the Japanese binding for my A4 notebooks but I don't think it would be the best choice for something as small as A8.

I would like to keep it as simple as possible, since I don't have proper bookbinding tools (and the suggestions I've found on the internet all require some sort of bookbinding tools for a decent result).

The cover material doesn't matter (although I'd probably go for transparency sheets, since I have some around). As long as I can turn the pages and use a good amount of their space anything would do.

I ended up using the coptic binding and it went surprisingly well. The only thing about it is that (unlike the Japanese binding) it needs something to hold the notebook close (but it has 8 x A4 sections, after all). It seems that, being similar to the coptic binding in a way, the section sewn hardcover binding would have also been a good choice. Contrary to what I previously thought, not having special tools does not seem to matter for the final result.


Baby oil or glycerin for snow globe? According to my online research glycerin is often used for snow globes. However, some mention that baby oil can also be used.
Which one is preferable, and why?

Glycerin has a density of about 1.2gm per cm3, while baby oil has density of 0.8.

The less dense baby oil offers less resistance and I imagine will give quicker falling flakes of snow. How much difference you actually notice is the real test. I’d be trying both.

There may be no difference at all. If that’s the case then go with the cheaper liquid.

PDF hart listing glycerol densities at various dilutions. 100% glycerol is the first entry

I can’t see an authoritative figure for baby oil but the answer is given by several online contributors who offer the same number.


Caring for Kneaded Erasers How does one keep a kneaded eraser "healthy"?
They say things like "don't let it lay on the carpet," what else do I have to do? Is there proper way to store it and how long will a kneaded eraser last kept that way?

Since a kneaded eraser works by absorbing the pigment you are erasing along with a little friction to lift the stuff, to keep it healthy keep it away from things it can absorb. Like sand or dust. You also want to keep it dry.
Keeping it off the carpet may not be not so much about keeping it healthy as keeping it from getting stuck in the fibers.
Temperature wise you really do not have to worry. Normal room temperature is fine, it will get soft if you get it really hot, but keep it away from flame or hot surfaces seems obvious. If it gets cold a few minutes in your hands will bring it up to working temperature. I do not think they freeze.
Again, they work by absorbing pigment, though the rubber can get stiff with time (many months as you have noticed). When they get stiff often just stretching them for a while, like stretching taffy, will refresh the eraser. At a certain point they will have absorbed too much and will become useless. It is more a usage thing than a time thing. So expect an unused eraser to last over a year, longer in its wrapper. Keep in mind though, they are designed to be expendable, not archival.


Differences between silver jewelry alloys I have bought 2 necklaces from the same place.

The necklace on the left is 3mm width, has a dark metal color similar to that of stainless steel and tarnishes in a matter of days on me.

The necklase on the right is 2mm width, is very light, bright color and tarnishes in a matter of years on me.

Both of the chains are marked 925.

Is there any reason the wider and bigger necklace would be made from a different type of silver alloy as I see it very commonly used in bigger pieces of jewelry or was I just fooled by the seller?

Stainless steel ( assuming 316 ) is more corrosion resistant than silver and would not darken in air. Silver darkens with exposure to hydrogen sulfide ; yes I know there is "no" H2S around the home. However some smell from eggs is a ppb ( part per billion = not very much)  of H2S , and most of that and sewer gas H2S finds and reacts with any silver turning it dark. Most have experienced putting silver in a drawer or box and finding years later that it has darkened ( from sulfide). 92.5  % is the minimum silver content to be called sterling silver, so presumably both items are silver, the balance is primarily copper,  but may have a little nickel or zinc. My guess is that the brighter piece has a plating like rhodium to prevent the usual darkening of silver. But the real answer is that a jeweler would need to examine it.


Overcoming the 6mm rule in glass fusion I am trying to pull off glass magic. I am trying to take fine glass frit (System 96) and turn it into thin ~1-2mm plates without bubbles. I have been reading about the 6mm rule and how the glass will move to accomedate the surface tension. Since I am going for thinner plates my guess is it will run to the edges.

I wish to prevent this some how. Are there techniques to force the glass to stay in the thin plate? My best guess would be to put a top on the mold that restricts the flow of the frit.

I would welcome any assistance in this matter.

Thanks in advance.

The results may depend a lot on luck, practice, and trial and error.  You might need access to a machine shop to prepare whatever will serve as the "mold".

I wouldn't count on using a process that requires trimming after the glass is cool.  The glass can build high internal stress as it cools, and it may have a tendency to shatter if you try to trim it.

To some degree, you can work molten glass at a workbench; press it flat, etc.  But your goal is to get it thinner than it wants to be on its own, which means flattening or molding it, and keeping it that way until it cools.

The thinner it is, the faster it loses heat through the surface.  You won't be able to put a blob of molten glass on a room temperature metal surface, and press it with another room temperature piece of metal down to 1 or 2 mm thickness.  It will lose fluidity or break before it gets there.  If you want to press molten glass to your thickness outside the kiln, you would need some high temperature insulating material as the mold.  The "practical" approach is to heat the mold along with the glass.

You also need to deal with the air between the frit particles.  As the glass melts, the air needs a place to go or it will be trapped in the glass.  So you probably can't start with the frit already contained top and bottom.  That suggests melting the frit, then flattening it to the desired thickness.

So everything would go into the kiln.  When the glass is melted, the top of the mold would be moved and pressed into place.

I can think of a couple of possible methods using this approach:

Create a thin irregular shape, whatever that turns out to be.  You might be able to do that with two large, polished metal plates ("large" being something larger than the finished object).  The top plate would need to have some weight to it.

Mound the glass frit on the bottom plate, and have spacers of the desired glass thickness in the corners.  You might want some external guides to keep the top plate aligned once in place.  After the glass melts, move the top plate into place on the glass, and press it down to the spacers.  Maybe leave the assembly at full heat for a bit before starting the cool down process.  Whatever "organic" shape the glass ends up is the result.
Contain the shape in a polished metal mold with a heavy top plate that fits tightly within the sides when cool (when it's hot, the expansion will leave a gap for air to escape when you insert the top).  Play with the amount of material to determine the thickness.  The process would be similar to the first case, but the mold would control the shape when the glass is flattened to a uniform thickness by the top.
I suspect you would need this to be somewhat of a hybrid of the two methods.  The bottom portion of the mold may need to be a bottom plate with removable sides. This would be not just to get the glass out.  A metal mold would contract more than the glass when it cools, which would mean that the mold would become smaller than the material it contains (see where I'm going here?).  Unless the mold is a TARDIS (bigger inside than outside), I'm not sure the glass would survive the necessary change in shape to convert cross section to height.  The process might require flattening the molten glass inside the mold, then removing the sides of the mold and using some form of spacer to maintain the height of the top.  Hopefully, the glass would maintain its shape from the mold.

Perhaps an "easier" way to accomplish this would be to start with the first approach, where you set the height between the top and bottom plates.  Once the top is in place on the molten glass, use adjustable sides (which will be a known thickness), to push the molten glass into the desired outline, then remove the sides.

I've never done this, and don't know if, or how well, it would work.  But the processes at least deal with the obvious issues, and provide a starting point for experimentation.