How would I cut out lettering from a stamped piece of thick-sheet metal I have a piece of thick-sheet metal that has letters stamped in it that looks like this

to which I am looking to cut the lettering out of the metal.  I am curious what tools would work for this?  The metal itself isn't too think, but is thicker than a normal piece of sheet metal.

I have seen a few metal cutting tools, such as snips and nibblers, but they cut through the metal to get to their point of interest, which I only want the lettering to be cut.  I have also read that laser/water-cutting nozzles can get caught in stamped grooves, which could damage the nozzles, so that option is out.

I originally was looking to get one of these tools

https://www.amazon.com/SCRAPER-SC-1000-DEBURRING-TOOL/dp/B006KLGZJI/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1475102130&sr=8-15&keywords=deburring+tool+noga

and try to shave off little bits of metal alone the way.  This would be the most tedious, but would probably produce great results (I hope).

I am curious if anyone have any recommendations on what tool would be useful for my needs?  I think the grooves would provide good support for this tool so it wont cause mistakes, and I think that since it's stamped, it should be easier to cut through?

I also am looking to provide additional lettering (non-stamped) and curious if this tool would work if I had some sort of stencil/guide as well?

Thanks.

A jewelers saw (also known as a piecing saw) should do the job these have very thin, fine toothed blades, almost a like a flattened wire which can handle very intricate cutting jobs.

Image from micromark.com

You may also want some needle files to tidy up the cut edges afterwards.

You will need to drill a small hole where you want to start the cut. Then you can disconnect one end of the saw blade from the frame, thread it through the hole and reattach it.

These saws to take a bit of skill to use effectively but if you get the basic technique right you can achieve good results with care and patience even if you don't have much experience. The big advantage over power tools for something like this is that you have a lot more control over the rate at which you cut so there is less chance of making mistakes. It is also important to use the correct blades for the job, which is largely determined by the thickness of the material. If you use too coarse a blade for the thickness of the material it will tend to snag and jam. For metal around 1.5mm thick you are looking at around 50 teeth per inch.

Similarly you need to set the correct blade tension (do this by flexing the frame of the saw against the bench as you attach the blade), it should give a clear 'ping' when you pluck it like a guitar string.

Also bear in mind that the teeth are directional and conventionally you should be cutting on the pull stroke (downwards if you are using a bench peg) this means that the work is pulled into the peg, keeping it stable and the blade is only loaded in tension.


Spray-painting polystyrene for outdoor use I want to make false stone looking planters from polystyrene heads. I bought the stone spray paint to use, but reading the instructions it says it's for indoor use only! I want to put my heads outside, what other type of product can I use on them?

First of all, using regular spray paint on polystyrene will melt the material, damaging it significantly!

So, before anything else, I'd suggest either coating your polystyrene head, or using a polystyrene-safe spray paint.

To coat the polystyrene object, use gesso (or another acrylic primer), plaster, a polystyrene-safe primer spray paint, or even white glue.
Now you can safely apply the fake stone layer. You can opt for a spray paint that's suitable for outdoor use, or use your current spray paint, and coat it afterwards.
After the recommended amount of drying time, you can protect your creation with, for example, a clear acrylic coating spray.


Adhesive for applying keyboard keys to wood I have a mosaic made of keyboard keys that I made by gluing the keys to a piece of cardboard. After some time, the cardboard has begun to warp under the weight of the affixed keys.

I now have a similarly shaped piece of plywood that I plan on affixing the keys to so it won't buckle under the weight and will stay flat when I mount it.

My question: What type of glue/adhesive should I use to affix the keys to the plywood?

I originally used tacky glue to affix them to the cardboard and that seemed to work pretty well. Would tacky glue also work in this case? Or should I use something like wood glue?

I always recommend two-component epoxy for this kind of bond (PE plastic with laminated wood), however if you have a lot  of keys it can get pretty expensive (and messy).

A cheap approach would be to use plumbing silicon (the kind in the tubes). Put a drop in the back of the key and press it firmly onto the board. It should hold for a long time!


How can I pre-wash/dry bolts of fabric in a way that will prevent the cut ends from unraveling? Given large pieces of freshly purchased fabric, how should I wash/dry them before using them to create things?

Every book, article, and other piece of advice I've heard is to always wash your fabric before cutting/sewing. I personally only use natural fabrics (usually cotton, rayon, linen), and look at what the care instructions are for the given fabrics online.

However, I've often had the cut ends of the fabric unravel and get tangled up to turn the large uncut piece into a ball of wet mess. The selvage is normally just fine.

How do I prevent this?

To prevent fraying, use a z-stitch (zig-zag stitch) with a standard sewing machine or serge the ends of the fabric before you wash it.
I've recently read a lot of guides about washing fabric before sewing and, while they often disagree about whether washing is necessary or not - generally depending on the type of fabric and the end use, the one thing they pretty much universally agree on if you are washing fabric, is that if you want to prevent fraying, stitch the cut ends. Some sites don't seem to be bothered by fraying and recommend simply cutting the strings off afterwards but this seems like a great way to get your fabric tied up in knots.
One guide notes to consider the weave tightness:

First, remember that fabrics will fray depending on how tightly they are woven.  Loosely woven fabrics like Linen and some cottons can fray a 1/2 inch or so.  But some cottons and polyesters with a tighter weave might only frizz out on the ends.  And knit fabrics won’t fray at all.

Other common notes are:

wash the fabric in large pieces rather than small ones as the small pieces can be sucked into the machine's agitator
wash the fabric in the same method you plan to wash the garment - so (as an example) if you're planning to dry clean your wool, dry clean the fabric rather than machine washing it.

As a note, with all methods, your results may vary. This quilting site has a forum with a topic where many quilters are discussing preventing fraying and the results are mixed.
Different methods mentioned include clipping the corners, using pinking shears, sewing/serging, and simply not doing anything at all because fraying is inevitable... so the top suggestion is to always make sure you have extra fabric to allow for losing an inch or two to fraying.
Here are a few of the comments I thought seemed helpful:

auntpiggylpn: I also tried the "Clip the Corners" method and my fabrics still frayed, didn't seem to be any less or more than if I did nothing to the edges. This was also LQS type fabric. I tried the pinking shears trick and it didn't stop the fraying. I've also sewed along the edges prior to washing but it still frayed. Some fabrics don't fray at all and then some others I will loose at least an inch off the total cut. I ALWAYS was in cold on a delicate cycle and only put in the dryer until damp them iron. sorry, I don't have any positive answers for you!!
MaryAnnMc: I agree, everything I've tried still frays. But I've decided to stick with pinking: it does cut down on the fraying considerably, and I can always tell which fabrics in my stash have been washed. that alone is a good reason.
M.I.Late:I also just let it fray and just rip off the threads. When I wash fabric, I open it all the way up. I find that some manufacturers don't get it rolled on the bolt completely straight. So, I open it up completely, wash and dry it, refold it so there are no diagonal waves when held selvage to selvage, (I usually lose 1-2 inches here - but it has been as much as 3.) Then I trim it with the rotary cutter and iron it and it gets either used then or stashed for future use.
bearisgray: I finally learned to either serge the raw edge or overcast the raw edge with a long, narrow zigzag stitch before washing. I lose - at the most - about 1/8 inch of fabric when I zigzag the edges - none when I overcast if I remove the stitching.


Does paper have tooth levels? I was told in the other question that cold press paper means paper having tooth.

So, I want to know - are there any levels of tooth in papers?

I have paper in the house. It is not glazed. I want to know how much tooth it has.

Google search resulted in tooth decay information.

Yes! Different papers have different "tooth" -- this is another term for the roughness of the paper. The smoother a piece of paper feels, the less tooth; the rougher, the more tooth.

Most writing or copier/printer paper has very little tooth. It's not common for a tooth "value" to be shown on a package of paper, but different levels of tooth are sold for different purposes:

Image from Hello Artsy: How to choose quality drawing paper


From what material/s I need to create a mold so that I can pour in it safely any kind of molten plastic? I want to create a mold, so that when I want to make for example, planet Earth in plastic in 3D, then I can pour the molten plastic into mold. So that I can give a form. Not only this, but… when I buy Pepsi, or something with hard plastic, I can use that hard plastic to melt it and then create something with it. I want to be creative.

Questions:

What do I need to make a mold so that I can pour any molten plastic in it?
It is even possible to make a mold so that you can pour in it any molten plastic?
It is possible to make the mold in the you want?

CLARIFICATION

What I’m trying to tell is, that I have found out that you can melt at home any plastic, and then you only need is a mold so that you can give a form to it.

Problem

The only thing is that I don’t know what type of material I need to use so that I can create a special mold for this. From clay I can create mold so that I can pour a molten plastic? Don’t know.

NOTE: I have put “material/s” because, I’m don’t know what kind of materials I need so that I can put with plural or singular. Got me?

Injection molding can in fact be done at home. But judging from the OP this method would be far and above beyond the scope of his current knowledge on these types of things.

The easiest way to cast plastic parts at home or in your workspace if that’s the case would be with the use of a commercially available product such as SmoothOn.

Simple. Sold on amazon as well as most other online retailers.

I suggest doing at the very least some cursory research into the process’ used when casting/molding with SmoothOn products, as they offer a variety of materials such as polyurethanes, rubbers, silicones etc.
a quick google search will lead you in the right direction. YouTube aswell.

Also, just as a quick tip to lead you in the right direction, try finding some videos of sculptors and character designers using this stuff for they’re own casting/molding needs and you’ll have a good point of reference to start from.
Good luck :)


Storing large format art in the smallest space possible I've been storing my life drawings in an old portfolio bag but I'm running out of space in it.
What are some other ways that I can store 100+ 21x27" unmounted drawings? Also my studio space is very limited, so the less the floor space the better.

If the old portfolio bag worked well, I'd suggest getting another one. It seems to be the most practical solution since it's mobile.
An alternative would be having a drawing cabinet and installing it atop an existing closet or a tall wooden construction so the space underneath is still available.
There are also vertical drawing cabinets (e.g. image 2) available, that won't take up as much floor space, and might be easier to hang from a wall.

Image 1 (source)
Image 2 (source)

These are usually quite expensive, though, but you can often find them as second hand offerings on online market place websites.
Alternatively, you can use them as references to build your own - that way, you can adapt them completely to your desired volume, shape, and location.


What happened to slant-needle sewing machines? Slant-needle sewing machines used to be all the rage, and it's easy to see why: being able to see what you're sewing better is great.

But nobody makes them anymore. Instead, most modern machines have a big chunky arm hanging right over your work area, forcing you to bend your neck down to see. Why is that? Were there problems with the slanted design? Which?

I wasn't able to find any definitive answer as to why the company stopped making slant shank machines. However, I was able to come up with a logical answer.

Answer: I can only assume its due to production costs. Many sewing machines today come out of the same manufacturing plants. It just makes it easier for all the domestic machines to be on the same low shank, Snap-On presser foot system.

After World War II, the US started accepting mass imports of cheap sewing machines from Japan. This created stiff competition between Japanese producers and American ones like Singer.

Singers' response was to differentiate their expensive sewing machines from the cheaper Japanese imports with the slant shank system, which was patented in 1951. They also made their product unique by using aluminum to lighten the weight of their machines (this also made production costs cheaper).

From there, it was a downward spiral because Singer just could not compete with the cheaper prices of Japanese imports. They too started using Japanese manufacturers and this was the beginning of the end for slant shank.


What can I do to avoid brush strokes in my Mod Podge? If I am using Mod Podge as a finish on something small, like 2x4 letter blocks, I apply the adhesive with a paint brush. When it dries, I can clearly see the brush strokes.

Is it the brush I am using?

Is this just something that happens when using Mod Podge?

When applying the Mod Podge, use a soft, wide brush and as few brush strokes as possible, as it begins to set quickly. If you can brush it on with only one or two strokes, that is best. Use very thin coats.

Ideally, use a different medium. I think part of the problem is just the Mod Podge itself. I no longer use it because I think it has a haze when it dries. I like to use Delta Ceramcoat Varnish or Annie Howes Glamour Seal. The Glamour Seal can also be used as an adhesive.


Best way to attach EVA decals onto a stretchy synthetic fabric? I have bought a stretchy synthetic body suit and want to attach decals from EVA foam and possibly fake leather onto the suit. The decals vary from large pieces of fabric and foam to small iron-on like decals. What would be the best way to do this while still keeping it wearable?

I am afraid sewing will cause tearing while wearing, but I guess glue might do the same?

Will glueing a non-stretchy piece on stretchy fabric cause tearing?

The comments are all good - and in answer to your question "Will glueing a non-stretchy piece on stretchy fabric cause tearing?" the answer is most likely yes, or at a minimum, it can cause "runs" (torn yarns that pull through the bodysuit fabric).  Also, when the bodysuit fabric stretches, the glued decal might just pop off.

Your potential decal materials from foam, iron-on, and faux-leather will behave quite differently from each other.  The foam will have some stretch, the iron-on and faux-leather will have no to very insignificant stretch.  You may need different attachment mechanisms for each type of patch.

Even if your decals are stretchy (e.g., thin foam), they may not have  have the same stretch factor and in the same direction as the fabric of your bodysuit.

Two ideas:
One thing that might work is to adhere the decals with spots of glue or a few tacking stitches (one stitch tied off),  sort of like spot welding.  This will still allow some stretch of the suit fabric underneath.  The fewer attachment points the better to allow for base-fabric stretch, but the more attachments points you have will probably look better.

Another thing to try would be to loosely attach the outline of the patch with running stitches using clear elastic thread.  Use as few stitches as possible to still achieve the look you want.

Running Stitch
https://www.thespruce.com/working-the-running-stitch-1177571

Clear Elastic Thread
http://www.michaels.com/clear-elastic-38-x-5-yards/D010864S.html?mkwid=s9ha3UAHp|pcrid|221603638463|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|D010864S&cm_mmc=zadv_PLASearch--google--sewing-and-fabric-_-sewing-and-fabric-sewing-and-quilting-notions-elastic&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=sewing-and-fabric&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=s9ha3UAHp|pcrid|221603638463|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|D010864S&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyYLx8uWx1wIVhGx-Ch2yIgrmEAQYBSABEgL64PD_BwE

Good luck!  Let us know what you try and how it works out!


What is the pre-computer version of Photoshop's blending modes? Before computers, to blend two pictures into one, I'd imagine the painter would have used some sort of mirror setup to reflect the one picture onto a mirror containing the reflection of the other picture. Does that sound right?
What about different blending modes that Photoshop has, like "Difference," "Pin Light," etc. What are the pre-computer origins of these?

Example of blending modes

I think the origins lie in many places. In photograms and photocompositing, each image component is burned-in over the initially white surface and the edges can be blended by using to umbra of the shadow of the hands or stencil controlling the burn.

Blending tones is an important technique in drawing with pastels. I think a lot of the blending tools come from the color blending realm, perhaps even more than from the collage and photogram realm. So even things liking mixing paints have their computer analogue, which can then be applied to edges due to the converge of the two sub-topics.


How to describe this style of pencil art? There is a style of art that I have seen occasionally on wine bottles, but I do not know how to describe it.  Here is an example:

source
I would like the name of the style because I would like to commission some pieces in this style, but I just don't yet have the words to describe it.

That is a Landscape Illustration, member of the Illustration family in Arts. You can get more information on the related wiki page, although not all members are listed there (it's a big family):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illustration
If you're looking for an "art style" wording, to describe it for example on a resume or on a commission service offer, I would say "Pen-and-Ink Illustration for Advertising" for example. Can you say with pencil? Sure. But Pen-and-ink is the better term for resumes ("he who draws with ink, will draw with pencil").
Here is a great link for you to dive in, good luck mate!
https://graphicmama.com/blog/types-of-illustration/


What kind of glue works for stones and shells? I have a collection of many small stones and shells of different shapes and sizes picked up from various beaches, and it'd be nice to glue some of them together to make some sort of arty model. But these are unusual materials and I'm not sure what type of glue would work best on them.

What sort of adhesive works best for sticking together stones and shells?

(I'm implicitly assuming the same sort will work for both stones and shells, but if not, I'd be grateful for an answer covering both materials.)

As both material are kind of mineral, I think the same glue should work on both. The surface must be clean, in other words free of grease and dust. Ethanol or isopropanol work usually well. It will glue better on rough surface, so if it fits in your work sand paper the surface before cleaning and applying glue. For the shell, depending on the type, maybe some vinegar can make it rough (acidity will attack the calcium of the shell).

I am gluing small stones on substrate with cyanoacrylate (Superglue). It is a thin glue, so it won't fill the "holes" between the stones but will be almost invisible and should also stick if the contact surface is small. Time for the glue to set is extremely quick.

If you want to glue and fill the hole at the same time, 2 components epoxy such as Araldit should work and some are transparent. Those glues are usually quite "thick" but you can make them thinner by heating them (with a hair dryer for example) but they will also set faster with the heat.

I also had success gluing gravel on substrate using PVC glue (wood glue, or "colle blanche" in French), but I don't think it will do if the contact surface is small.


How to get the perfect center pull? Whenever I try to get the center pull of a commercial skein of yarn, it ends up tangling and I just have to untangle the whole ball.

Are there any tips for a better center pull?

Assuming this is a  commercial skein, I don't generally have issues. I am usually able to pull out the center of a skein. I would never guarantee that you can do this though.

This can be manufacturer specific. There is no mandate to ensure that you can get a center pull from a skein. However, when it comes to most of the skeins of the following style:

Image from paradisefibers.com

I can go in a grab the middle chunk and find the end in there. Sometimes you can find ones where they are specifically assembled for you to do this i.e. there is a tail stick out from the center. In many cases there is not a simple thread to pull but a small unorganized ball that you have to unravel first so don't give up too soon when looking for it. Once you unravel that chunk or ball then the rest is easy.


I need an alternative to leather This is my first time trying to make a costume out of anything other than cardboard and sheets. I wanted to make Greek armour out of real leather but my mum said that real leather is very expensive and very hard to work with. So I started searching for alternative materials. The problem is I can’t find a material with thickness and sturdiness similar to real leather. I’m only thirteen years old so I have a very limited budget. My dad says I should go with fiberglass but I’m very worried that it’ll be too stiff to bend over in. Any ideas?

What you're looking for is EVA Craft Foam sheets; these are the typical choice for costumers who want to create leather or metal-look pieces without using leather or metal. They're widely available from most craft stores, typically in the "kid craft" sections under brand names like "Foamies;" lately, more deluxe versions are also available in some stores in the newly-forming "cosplay" sections, often under the "YaYa Han" brand. The sheets are sufficiently thick to replicate leather, but soft and flexible enough to cut with regular household scissors (as opposed to using knives and leather shears). EVA foam won't be as durable as leather, but with care should hold up well, and there are a lot of tutorials available for crafting costume armor pieces using it.
You definitely don't want to do fiberglass; it's very difficult and hazardous to work with, and gets very heavy very quickly.


Are there any "permanent" or close to permanent rollerball inks? I use both rollerball and fountain pens for journaling and note taking.  For journaling I use a fountain pen with Noodlers Bulletproof black ink because it is supposed to be at least somewhat permanent.  I can't seem to find any permanent or close to permanent ink refills for rollerball pens, do they exist? What are the "permanent" options for rollerball pens?

All Uni-ball rollerball inks seem to now be permanent (vs. water, UV, fading).  Pentel has permanent ink too.  Most manufacturers make this a clear selling point if you search 'permanent rollerball ink'.


Eliminating or mending breakage when working with jeweler's wax I want to make a detailed pendant out of cast silver as a gift, but when doing detailed work, and the wax starts to get thin, it breaks.

Is there a way to minimize breakage when working with this wax? some sort of medium to hold it on? If this doesn't exist, is there a way to gently mend it so it can still endure being cast in a kiln after repair?

For reference, the work always has one flat 'face' that can be laid on a table or other surface, but for accuracy in detail work, I often have to hold it or easily control if it moves or not. The item I'm working on currently is roughly the size of a quarter.

This is what the wax looks like:

As I recall there are grades of microcrystalline wax available in different hardnesses and melting temperatures, so do try others.

I have always used a moldable base to support detailed work. Pitch mixed with Plaster of Paris is the old reliable method. This can be softened with a propane torch, the work pressed in, and upon cooling - you have firm support and if you slip, the pitch won't damage your tools. It's also black which provides strong visual contrast so you can see what you're cutting. If need be you can cut away the pitch in areas where it's in the way. Use chisels for this, a rotary burr will gum up unless you're using a coarse tooth at low speed.

Bees wax is used similarly either pure or mixed with stiffeners like plaster or diatomaceous earth. Plasticine works on some jobs, but vibrations from rotary tools tends to loosen the fit more than beeswax or pitch.

Pitch can be removed with turpentine or mineral oil which won't affect most waxes.

See "The Complete Metalsmith - An Illustrated Handbook" by Tim McCreight, Davis Publications, 1982


Drawing with white ink on a colored/pastel pencil artwork without the pen clogging up I am doing some work in pastel and colored pencils. I like to finish the fine white details with a white pen. At the moment, I'm working with a white gel pen.

However, either the ink (the gel) isn't flowing properly on the heavily burnished parts, or it clogs up when drawing on the dusty pastel layer. So, in short, drawing the final white details is a battle and takes a lot of time.

So I was wondering, does anybody here have a solution for adding the fine white details in such a drawing?

I'd suggest you use white acrylic ink with either a dip pen or a fine pointed brush (whatever suits you better).


Align concentric holes of different sizes in 2 pieces of metal on drill press I'm trying to make a file guide using 2 steel blocks that I want to connect using bolts, like this:

The bottom block will receive 2/4 (still experimenting what works best) 5mm holes that I'll tap with an M6 tap. The top block will get 6mm holes so the bolt can move freely and lock using the bolt's tension against the upper face. In order to make the file guide work, obviously the bolts need to align in order to be able to connect them, but the two front faces need to be exactly aligned as well.
I've drilled a few test pieces, using my drill press. I marked out the top of one piece and put it in my vice. I put the piece in the vice aligned on the left side using my combination square. Drilled the first 5mm hole, swapped out the pieces and drill bit, drilled the 6mm hole using the same combination square alignment. Keeping the vice fixed, I drilled the second 5mm hole, swapped out pieces, drilled the 6mm hole. My assumption was that since I kept the fixed jaw of my vice fixed in relation to the spindle, and I aligned the pieces from the same side both times, I would get perfect-ish alignment. The result was that the spacing between the holes was good, but the front edge was off on one side by about 1mm.
Things I can try:

Stick both pieces together and drill a pilot hole through both, then proceed as above aligning on the pilot hole
Mark out both pieces accurately as possible, and align the drill on the markings using a center finder.
Centerdrill all holes to prevent drift.
Drill both holes at the same time at 6mm, use a nut instead of threads.
Proceed as before, file/sand the fronts flat and even afterwards.
Cry as everything goes out of alignment after hardening anyway.

Any ideas/tips on how I can align these two pieces accurately?

Working with my very basic press, I'd clamp the two pieces together very well, and drill all the pilot holes. Then separate the pieces and open out the clearance holes. I wouldn't go straight in with a 6mm drill in steel anyway.
Note that you'll need a little over 6mm for a clearance hole. 6.5mm is common though might be too loose for you. In thin aluminium you might get away with drilling to 6 and forcing the bolt in, but probably not in steel, unless your drill chatters and makes an oversize hole.
When opening out the clearance hole, allow the drill to self centre, i.e. don't clamp it down hard before you start drilling (assuming you're using a normal drill bit and not an end mill). This is where a heavy machine vice or toolmaker's vice is really useful, as a roughly aligned work piece can move a little as the conical tip finds the hole. You can then clamp down the vice if you feel the need.


Homemade fixative for chalk pastel After I make a piece of art with chalk pastels, it gets smudged all over. I don't want to go out and get fixative, and we don't have hairspray, so I was wondering if there is any household item that works well as a fixative for chalk pastels?

Here are some additional recipes to complement fixer1234's extensive answer:

The easiest and most likely candidate for a homemade fixative is milk.
Van Gogh protected a lot of his drawings using regular milk (and water)1 - at times pouring out entire glasses over them. The reason he opted for milk was because he wanted to get rid of the sheen of charcoal and graphite.
If you happen to have any casein lying around, a casein fixative might be a good alternative.
Mix casein with (grain) alcohol and (distilled) water, in a 1:2:5 ratio.2
See here for more experiences (and likely some troubleshooting).
And in case you have any shellac at home, you can try mixing it with isopropyl alcohol in a 1:4 ratio to create a shellac fixative3, which you can apply using a spray can.

1: http://vangoghletters.org/vg/terminology.html, see under 'fixing'
2: https://dbclemons.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/homemade-casein-fixative/
3: https://www.ehow.com/info_12066271_homemade-fixate-charcoal-drawing.html


How should I be planning my reduction print designs? I'm having a hard time planning designs for reduction printing (carving a block for printing, carving more away for each colour). At the moment I draw the basic design on the block, but I keep cutting away bits on the first pass that I want darker on the next layer.

Is there a method people use to make this easier?

If the have a computer drawing program such as Photoshop, gimp or Inkscape you could use those programs layering ability to simulate the different cut and colour "layers" you are looking to achieve.

Each layer would correspond to a cut and color.

Different pen tools could also be used to simulate different cutting tools.

And the zoom feature would allow you to assess the graphic presentation and design quality at various scales. Software scale able thumbnail feature.


Cheap sanded pastel paper? I am a beginner artist, and have been exploring the medium of soft pastel and the different surfaces for some time now. Not long ago i came across the Uart sanded pastel paper; once i experienced the higher quality of the paper i was no longer able to paint on the cheaper Canson Mi-Teintes. The latter only takes two or three layers of pastel and the texture is rough and it gives the painting an unfinished look. The Uart paper, on the other hand, takes on many many layers of pastel, and the texture is so smooth and it makes your drawing look fantastic.

My only problem with the Uart is, that the are sooo expensive! I looked for a cheaper line of sanded pastel paper, but alas there is nothing cheaper. The colourfix and Sennelier are all in the same range of 25-30$ for a pack of 10 sheets of 9x12 (which i think is very very expensive). Since i am only a beginner and still learning through trial and error i think it is a waste to spend so much money on such a small amount of paper. On the other hand if i don't practice i'll never get better, and practicing on the cheaper Canson Mi-teintes is really not a solution for me (since it is so different than sanded pastel paper).

So i'm looking here for any suggestions on how i could practice my pastel art without spending too much money on the paper (mainly sanded pastel paper).

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Perhaps you could make your own version by mixing up a ground that you could paint onto less expensive paper. I am pretty sure Golden makes things that you can mix into their acrylic mediums to add tooth to the surface. If you build up a thick enough base you could hand sand that surface to get the different grades that Uart provides.

It would be tricky to match the even consistency of Uart but rolling your own seems the most economical approach. It also lets you control the base color of your surface as you can pigment the ground you are applying.


Is it possible to make a scissor-like hinge out of cardboard? I came up with an idea for a tool to measure how many heads tall a figure is.

Problem is, I don't know how to make the hinges work. What I mean by 'scissor hinge' (I don't know if that's the correct term or not) is a 'hinge' where two long flat pieces (let's just say cardboard for now) have some kind of rotational joint connecting them that let's them move like a pair of scissors.

I don't know how I can make such a thing. I'm sure that this isn't a new idea, but I'm certain that even if someone is mass producing these, that crafting one myself would be much cheaper. But I don't know how I can make such a hinge out of cheap materials. I mean, I'm building this thing out of cardboard (specifically the cardboard of a cereal box). And the thing will need a lot of these hinges. I estimate probably 31 will be needed. And its not that complicated of a device either. Its more like... a chain of simple devices. Also, this tool will have to be pretty small to make the measurements I need. So that also limits what kinds of materials I could use for the hinges.

Small brass eyelets could be quite durable in this application.

These are sold for card-making and scrapbooking and used to appear on certain kinds of office supplies in very similar applications. They might also be sold at leather crafting outlets.

They would require a hole be punched in the cardboard first, for best wear characteristics. Also, how far you set them is critical to getting the right resistance to rotation of the two cardboard pieces.

Their use requires a punch and die that would be sold at the same place for a few dollars. It's possible there is a pliers-like version as well.


Applying custom decals to plastic figures I'm having trouble getting decals to stick on action figures. Decals can be a decent alternative to painting, as they take much less skill to apply.

But I find certain edges or corners won't stay put, possibly from touching oils on my fingers, first.

How can I get those stubborn decals to stay? Is there a liquid or adhesive that would work?

The decals are foil-based, so they're essentially waterproof, if that matters.

In my scale modelling, I use Microscale Industries' Micro Set and Micro Sol which works great for clear decals.  These products increase the adhesion and slightly dissolve the decals which allows them to conform to curved surfaces better.  Once they are dry, I sand any visible decal edges very lightly with a 600 or 1200 grit sponge.  Finally, I repeatedly cover the whole model with light coats of an acrylic clear coat, building the coating up until the decal edges disappear.

I'm not sure if the Microscale chemicals will work with foil based decals, but the edge sanding and clear coat should help them stay where you put them.


What can I use to make watercolour brushes? I'm trying to find a way to make my own watercolour brushes, and Google is most unhelpful in finding the raw materials or advice; it just keeps showing me more brushes that are already made.
Does anyone know where to look for synthetic sable as a raw material, or an alternative material that would work, and advice on constructing the brushes?

THE BRUSHES
Animal hair
While it will be hard (or unethical) to come by kolinsky, wolf, red sable, or even badger or squirrel hair, some types of hair that are appropriate for watercolouring can be acquired more easily:

Boar bristles (taken from the ears of hogs) are commonly associated with acrylic and oil paint use, as they are very coarse and not particularly absorbent, but they are very sturdy and can be used to add texture or to lift colour.
Similarly, ox hair (taken from the ears of cows) is quite rough, and also has limited possibility when it comes to watercolouring.
The coarse hair of ponies is soft and strong (see this answer as well).
Japanese sumi brushes make use of goat hairs, which are soft, quite absorbent, and can be used to make pointed brushes, probably making this your best brush hair.

Some of these can probably be found online; as-is, or as part of a product that you can take apart. Alternatively, there might be someone in your neighborhood that breeds any of these animals.
Note, however, that all of these easier attainable animal hairs (except goat) cannot be shaped into pointed brushes as the hairs are of equal width along their shafts. For finer brushwork I'm afraid you have to resort to using blends or synthetic fibers (or find a place rich with any of the above-mentioned wild animals and really scare them).
Synthetic material
Most of the mentioned hairs can be replaced by synthetic variants, but I'm not sure it's easy to find those sold wholesale, as (I presume) they are usually produced by brush manufacturers themselves. And while making your own blend of synthetic hairs from household products and toys might be fun and educational, it is probably more time-consuming and wasteful than it is productive.
You can always buy brushes and take them apart to create custom brushes, and blend different types of hairs to get satisfying properties, but that might not be what you are aiming for.

THE FERRULES
For the ferrules, you can use (non-corrosive) metal plates, string or (non-corrosive) wire, plastic, or feather quills.
These should all be easy to come by. You can use the quills from duck or goose feathers, but those of most other relatively large birds should be fine too.
You can use epoxy to fix the hairs in place.

THE HANDLES
Finally, the handles are usually made of wood or bamboo, but acrylic is also quite common. They are sealed and coated, to protect them against the (artistic) elements.
The handle is traditionally fixed to the ferrule with glue, but here epoxy could also be a viable or even sturdier alternative.

For more information, see here or here


is there a term for graphics which can replace each other's sections or parts and result in two new graphics? Imagine you take the left side from graphic 1 and right side from the graphic 2, place them that the left and right side are connected horizontally, then you take the sides left from graphic 1 and 2 and connect those the same way and that results in 2 pairs of connected sides forming two new graphics representing something else than they did when connected with their previous side. Is there a term for these kind of graphics?
It doesn't strictly have to be left and right sides, it can be top and bottom. The two sides also don't have to be the same size or shape, as long as the connecting side "fits" with the other one.

The surrealist technique of combining sections of different images in order to create a unique composition is referred to as "Exquisite Corpse" or "Cadavre Exquis" (Ambrose & Harris, 2011). By aligning the sections creatively or along a similar outline, one can achieve very unexpected results, as in the following example

In these cup designs by Chloe Lee Carson, sections of different illustrations have been combined to create unique characters.
Note that despite the name of this technique, Cadavre Exquis is not limited to animal or human imagery. In fact, it began as a word game where sentences were constructed in a similar unxexpected fashion. According to the Tate website, the technique's name is derived from one of the first games that resulted in: ‘Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau’ (‘The exquisite corpse will drink the young wine’).

Reference:
Harris, P. & Ambrose G. (2011), Basics Design 02 - Layout, AVA Publishing


How to naturally fade very colorful paper? Does anyone know how/if you can fade the color from pages in for example old guidebooks with very strong colored photos? - and without using any chemicals.

I’ve tried using sandpaper or a hard brush, but it smudges the colors more than ideal, and also quite time consuming. I’m aware of fading the papers in the sun, but even more time consuming :-)

I would like to fade the pages, so that I can use them as notepaper while still keeping a slight view of the original photos.

Anyone with suggestions or experiences? Thanks!

I agree with Elmy's comment.  Not just toner, but most commercial inks are probably more stable than the paper they're printed on.  It would be hard to substantially bleach the printing without affecting the paper.

If you just want the image as a light background, you could scan it, lighten it with image processing software, and print it as a faint background on fresh paper.

Another approach you could try is give the pages a very light misting of white paint or semi-pigmented white wood stain.  It would be a challenge to get a uniform coating of the desired transparency; it would be worth practicing on some sacrificial pages.  It's also likely to affect writeability, so you might need to experiment with different kinds of pens, markers, and pencils to see what writes on it acceptably.

Your comment suggests something else you could try.  There is super-fine grit sandpaper (e.g., 2000 grit and higher), that's used for polishing.  You could try very gently buffing the paper with that.  It will remove some of the surface and the ink on it.  However, this will also affect the surface of the paper and change it's writing characteristics, so you might need to experiment with pens, markers, and pencils to see what works best.

I just tried that using 2000 grit sandpaper on a pretty page from a magazine (high quality photo printing on shiny coated paper).  The results were awful.  In this case, the colors might have been laid down sequentially, so rather than lightening everything evenly, it removed almost all of one color before attacking the next color.  Getting it light enough to be a background for writing, the result was ugly, unrecognizable blotches of color.  Also, the printing is only microns thick, so it's impossible to remove it evenly; by the time it was reasonably light, the printing was full of blotchy holes, where almost all of the printing had been removed.  So YMMV depending on the type of paper and the nature of the printing.


Alternative to self-adhesive corner 'bumpers' for the back of paintings & framed works? I have some 40" x 52" paintings to frame up and I am wondering what sort of "bumpers" to use for the corners (so the painting doesn't scrape the wall).

I've used those self-adhesive plastic "dots" on framed drawings and they are quick to apply but they seem to get knocked off easily. Is there a framing product "bumper" that is more secure?

I guess I could try drilling a hole in a "dot" and attaching with a brad but that's a hack. Or maybe using something intended for the bottom of furniture.

I haven't done that much framing so I don't know what is standard.

I cut 'dots' [or squares, or bits of scrap of any shape] from 100% wool felt and glue it down with whatever "crazy glue" kind of epoxy I have at hand. None have come off in 30+ years of hanging art & moving house four times.

On very pointed/raggedy corners or ill-fitted frames, I will cut a shape that covers the entire corner, not just a dot. I like that flexibility with the felt. (The ribbon or sponge methods suggested by virolino would take care of these too)

I like the wool felt over plastic bumps as I feel it prevents wall markings better than the bumps. I have no scientific proof for this, though! Just that I noticed when moving house that my own felted frames left no marks, and the art that came with pre-attached rubber dots lifted dots of stuck paint when removed, where years of trapped humidity & dust had made a tiny seal.

Though I find myself stumped by canvases that wrap around the frame completely, and some are even painted all the way around and meant to be left exposed. No ideas there...

Not sure how the craft store plastic felt would do, I always have 100% wool felt on hand from crafting projects so I use that. Felt dots with sticky backs are sold commercially for framing use and seem to be plastic felt, so using your own plastic felt should be ok.


What do you call "negative" paint? Many months ago, I came across an art medium used by painters. I cannot remember the exact term for this medium. It is white, but is transparent once used, I believe... having the consistency and appearance very similar to white liquid Elmer's Glue.

In essence (referring to this medium as Medium A), a painter would first sketch their desired image in pencil onto paper... be it typography or any image, really. Any spaces they wanted to remain white in the finished work (like lettering or small details, for example), they would paint and fill in with Medium A. Once medium A has dried, they would paint all over the paper (including over Medium-A-covered areas) with watercolor, typically with multiple colors. After the painting has dried, the artist would peel off Medium A areas from the painting, being careful not to rip up the paper fibers themselves along with Medium A. In essence, it has a resistance effect similar to a white wax crayon drawn underneath watercoloring.

An example of what the result after using Medium A could look like:

What is Medium A really referred to as?

I think what you are looking for is called a masking fluid. It is sometimes also called liquid frisket.

Masking fluid can be treated like paint which wherever it is applied will protect what is underneath. A feature of most masking fluids is that they are removable once dry.

Some masking fluids are strongly hydrophobic (water repellent), and water will bead on its surface. This can make it tricky to tell when the whole canvas is dry. Trying to remove the masking fluid but having some undried paint pooling on the surface can cause heartbreaking smears.

Some masking liquids change colour after they dry. This makes it easier to see where you have applied it, and easier to tell if you have removed it all after the work is complete.

Masking fluid is great for creating negative visual effects, like you describe.


How to apply rubber to wood? I have a pair of wooden geta I bought from Tokyo and would like to wear them outside. I tend to scuff all my shoes when I walk, regardless of shoe type, and I would really like to preserve these shoes as best I can.

According to an online geta sale website, you can glue rubber to the bottom of the shoe for this purpose.

What types of adhesives / materials would I need to achieve this?

What is the most non-destructive way to do this, assuming I will need to replace the rubber (possibly several times) over time?

Thank you.

You would want a flexible adhesive, as the rubber soles will have some movement throughout its thickness.

A good quality contact cement will bond well with both the rubber and with the wood, as long as you have a clean smooth surface on the wood. The rubber should also be cleaned with a solvent such as denatured alcohol or acetone, to ensure there is no oil or grease.

Unfortunately, a good quality contact cement will make it difficult to later replace the rubber.

That leaves a rather obvious option known as rubber adhesive. This is not to be confused with rubber cement, often used in offices and print shops to bond paper layers. The appearance of both products are similar, but the rubber adhesive products will be thicker.

Some of the adhesives work in a manner similar to contact cement, in that the layers are applied to both surfaces and allowed to become tacky, sometimes even requiring that the adhesive become dry. When placed into contact, the bond is quite strong.

When removal becomes necessary, it is likely that you will have to sand away the residual adhesive from the wood, or use a solvent that will not damage the finish of the wood. Goo Gone or similar citrus based removal agents may prove useful.


i'm having trouble drawing anthropomorphic animal heads i was asked to draw an anthropomorphic character for someone, but i'm having trouble drawing it's mouth part from an angle, could there be a guide how to do it properly?

I'd suggest you look up comparative anatomy, with regards to the species you are merging (a human and whatever animal/animals you have in mind), and the body part you have problems with (like the jaw, or the skull as a whole, etc).


What are some no sew hook and loop options, able to stick to fabric I am looking for hook and loop options that I don't have to sew but are able to stick to different fabrics. I was able to find self adhesive ones but they are only useful for hard surfaces and not fabrics. For fabrics, I read about iron on velcro but I was unable to find any commercial iron on hook and loop.

May be someone has had any experience with such hook and loops. Moreover, I am looking for these hook and loops to be in coin or dot form.

From experience, I can say that self-adhesive products work poorly on fabric. There are options available to you in the form of sew-on hook-and-loop fasteners that you would apply to fabric using liquid glue made for fabric.

A quick search for fabric adhesive resulted in a number of products of varying specifications. Some of the results, in question-and-answer form specific to different products indicated temporary adhesion and permanent adhesion, indicating that you can select the duration of your item's durability in that respect.

Another aspect that appeared in the search results was flexibility listed as a feature. I would be suspect of a product that did not list such a feature as being undesirable.

One product which appears well suited to your application is Fabric-Tac, a permanent flexible liquid that lists as being suited for leather, wood and lace. Leather is notoriously difficult to secure, as its flexibility frequently destroys any bond. Fabric-Tac lists at a bit more than eleven US dollars on Amazon for four liquid ounces. It seems like a small amount of product for a large amount of money, but the amount you use is likely to be quite small.

If you've read of iron-on hook-and-loop fasteners, it's possible that they are coated with heat-activated fabric adhesive. One such product is available on Amazon, called Therm O Web SpraynBond Fusible Adhesive Spray. It is priced lower than the liquid adhesive, but spray applications often results in higher levels of waste due to overspray.

Another search specific to iron-on application resulted in many false leads to coin/dot form, but a few tape and strip versions, almost exclusively Velcro™ brand products.


Is regular "wood glue" suitable for lighter woods (e.g. balsa)? My daughter's dollhouse, after years of fairly rough use by many enthusiastic children, needs some fixing up. In particular, the staircase has split in half. Luckily it's a clean break, and I should be able to glue it very easily.

Can I use the same wood glue (Elmer's, if it matters) that I'd use for general household repair (e.g., glueing a wooden chair leg back in place) for fixing this lighter craft wood piece? Based on how light it is, I think that it's balsa or a similar wood.

Wood glues are fine for balsa.
While there are stronger glues, the added strength is usually unnecessary and strong enough should be sufficient. It is hard to generalize but "white" glues, like Elmers, are just PVA glues that are advertised as craft or general glues. There are also yellow PVA glues, which Elmers also makes (and the one I generally use for my indoor projects), that are geared more towards wood. However there is many similarities between them and in some cases the yellow is just colour added (FYI white vs. yellow is a large debate.).
A common adage among wood workers is that the glue joint is stronger than the wood itself and that is true. Also true is that balsa is one of the weakest hardwoods but it is ideal for a great deal of applications.  Go ahead and use either white/yellow glue for this. Some people would even use cyanoacrylate or CA glues, like Super/Crazy glue (as well as some other glues),  for their balsa models.
What is more important is how you apply the glue.
You said that you had a clean break which is great. Whether or not this is the case for you I would recommend not removing splinters from the break. You want to glue joint to be as free of gaps as possible. Remove splinters from the break can introduce weak points where the glue might not get the best adhesion. Make sure when you put the staircase back together that you apply glue on both sides of the break enough to cover the entire surface area.
If possible you want to clamp the work, or apply pressure in some way as clamps might be excessive for balsa, to force some of the excess glue out from the joint (you don't need a lot in the joint). Clean the extra that does come out. Let it sit for as long as the glue states on the product label.


vacuum forming/thermoforming elastic materials? I need to create few dozen opaque domes/hemispheres of various sizes from 80cm to 120cm.
The shape is pretty basic, example:
http://www.cmspinning.com/images/hemisphere_landing_large.jpg
The domes have to be foldable into smaller pieces for easy transportation and storage. Think heavy duty rubber gloves but just dome shape.

Would like to know if there are elastic sheet materials available to create these domes I could vacuum form like we can vacuum form rigid materials such as ABS plastic.

I understand there might be rubber domes available for sale so I wont waste time making my own but I'm going to make slight changes to the perfect dome shape so I need to make my own.

Possible candidates: TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), TPR (thermoplastic rubber), TPO (thermoplastic olefin), low density polypropylene, low density polyethylene, vinyl aka PVC, Polyurethane, EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate). Some seller websites claim these can be thermoformed but there is next to none other source, video, etc. available online.

I'm not aware of any flexible rubbers which can be formed by vacuforming.  In my experience, when you start with a flat sheet of flexible rubber and press it against a mold, it pretty much returns to being a flat sheet of rubber when the pressure is released.

You can however cast flexible rubber (in liquid form) into a mold with your desired hollow hemisphere shape and then let it cure in the mold.  This will result in your hemisphere being the natural shape of the rubber to which it will return after each deformation.

You will want to use a two part mold (one part to provide the outer shape of the bowl and the other to occupy the hollow interior while the foam is curing).  Two nesting bowls can be used together as the mold with the difference in the bowl sizes defining the wall thickness of your final rubber part.


What is the best way of sticking card to a book front? I need to stick a piece of card 5" x 4" to the front of a smooth surfaced cardboard guest book.

The card will need to be a permanent fit.

What is the best glue to use and how can the job be done? I can't have the glue mark the front of the book or the card warp with the wet.

You don't mention the thickness of the card. Thinner stock will be more likely to warp. Regardless, my solution, where glue choice is concerned, would be to use PVA based glues. This can just mean many of the commercial white glues (Just not the ones necessarily marketed to kids or the inexpensive ones). They are good for paper crafts and are economical so can be an easy go to. They can also be forgiving for mistakes because you can just use some soap and water to clean them.

If you have some available some other choices would be cement glue or even something simple like Mod Podge. Careful that the former is vented properly during application before and after (it stinks). The ladder might not hold the test of time depending how you use it but I have plenty of crafting projects still holding up for several years now.

As far as making sure it does not warp I would suggest using an acrylic spray on both sides of the card. Let that dry before you apply it to the book. That should discourage warping and seepage if the glue ends up being too concentrated in one area.

With all things like this I would encourage you to test it out before doing something you might not be able to undo.


How detailed could we make a sculpture of the earth the size of a soccer ball? Say we had a couple of decades to make a sculpture, how detailed could we make a sculpture of the earth the size of a soccer ball?
Is it technologically possible to create human sculptures in proportion to our scaled earth such that can be seen using microscopes as we see humans from satellites in space?
If not, what could we see?
And if humans cannot be made, how big should we make the earth?

You could only strive to make as smooth a ball as possible. Maybe just paint it.
The tallest mountain on that scale will be 0.11 [m radius of the soccer ball] / 6371000 [m mean radius of the Earth] * 8848 [m Everest height] ≈ 0.15 mm. A thickness of a sheet of good paper.


Fade color in fabric I am trying to fade the color of this cotton cloth:

I tried a hot solution of bleach, but very little color comes out.
I also tried paint thinner, xylene, a fairly strong HCL mixture (a.k.a. muriatic acid) solution, and IPA.

Is there something else I can try?

Depending upon where you live, you could put it out in the Summer sunshine.  Might take a while, but sunlight seems to fade everything that I expose to it, including the sunshade fabric which is specifically designed to resist UV fading.


How to protect a diamond ring so the stones don't fall out when it takes a knock In the past I loved this silver ring I purchased in india, with a square top part and clustered with around 25 tiny diamonds. Unfortunately the odd diamond fell out after the ring took some knocks and I fell out of love with it.

So my g/f recently bought me a similar type of ring.

Looks like this

What I would like to ask is if it a good idea to paint clear nail varnish over the ring to stop the stones falling out?

Its Silver although the photo is of a gold one.

Thank You

Covering a cut stone with something like clear nail polish will diminish the shine of the stones. And you have to expect the polish to break or flake of at some point.

Instead you should go to a professional jeweller and explain the problem to them. They can have a look at the tiny metal protrusions that hold the stones in place and reshape some of them if needed. Or they can glue the stones in place (on the backside) with a professional glue that doesn't break off.


What is the name of these "offset" nibs and pens? I was looking into pen nib preventative maintenance and found a couple of pictures that I didn't understand. The first we see the nib on top is not the same as the rest as it has a crooked body.

Image from linktoink.wordpress.com

Then you have this pen which look like you get the same effect as the nib but the pen is specialized and normal nibs are used. This image was part of a "pointed pen" image. Searching for that did not help. So I know it is called something else.

Image from Reddit.com

What are these called and what are they used for? Is this something that is easy to handle for some?

It is called an Oblique Calligraphy Pen. It is used because it makes it much easier to hold the nib pointing in angles that are otherwise very hard to achieve if you're right handed (oblique angles):


What is the purpose of different needle felting needles? For needle felting there are different types of needle points and different sizes to choose from. How do you select the right ones/what do they do?

Here is a Felting Needle Chart, via Paradise Fibers, which describes each needle type, gauge, blade style, fiber type, and uses:

Additionally, here is a very helpful YouTube reviewing the types of Felting Needles, demonstrating their various uses, and mentioning safety when Felting.


Repaint eyes of a stuffed animal I have an old stuffed animal, that's eyes are quite rubbed off. What kind of paint is suited to repaint them and won't wear off fast? I guess acrylic paint or a black marker are not ideal... do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Edit: it is my animal I have since my childhood. Ofc I don't lick it and there is no child in the house, but it gets cuddled at night, so it is in contact with human skin. Additionally, it is washed very rarely (once every few years) by hand.

Probably the best thing is the acrylic paint uses for plastic models followed by a couple of coats of gloss acrylic varnish. This will be pretty durable and should give a good result. They paint system sold by Games Workshop is pretty good quality.

You will want to thoroughly clean the surface before applying the paint alcohol is probably the best thing for this. It will also help of you scuff up the surface with wire wool although this does mean that you will probably need to paint the white parts as well.

You may also want to mask of the fur around the eyes (assuming they aren't removable) you could do this with a piece of thin plastic cut from a drink bottle, food packaging or similar, Cut a large disk and cut a slit in it so you can slip it behind the eye.


How do you make a large grafitti stencil? When it comes to making large complex grafitti stencils (say, 2x2 meters or larger), how is it actually done? With small stencils with fine details I assume you can just get stiffer card to keep the small cut parts into place, but how do you keep a large stencil in place, so that all its cut details don't bend over and you don't get spray paint underneath them? Getting that size of a stiff cardboard would be expensive, heavy and difficult manage, so I doubt this is the best way to go about it.

I have never done one, but for a large stencil, I would probably use a program like the free Paint software which comes with windows.

Start by changing your image size to enormous proportions calculated by multiplying your desired stencil size in inches by the dot-per-inch resolution of your printer.

In the software, zoom out until you can see the whole image space and then draw some light colored lines both across the page from edge to edge and from top to bottom.  The resulting grid is going to help you align the printed pages with each other later in the process.

Now paste in your desired image and stretch it to fit the image size.

...then choose the print menu option.  On the option screen, turn off the "stretch to fit page" checkbox, then click the print button.

The program is going to do is subdivide your "too-big-for-a-page" graphic into a matrix of pages, each containing a portion of your image.

Cut off the unprinted borders and then line up the light colored lines until every page is in its' place.  Then tape them all together.

Next it is time to grab an exacto knife and remove the stencil parts where you want the paint to get through.  This is where the fine cut details are going get troublesome.  You might be able to glue (or tape) toothpicks (or thin wire) to the front of such details to strengthen them up a little.

When your stencil is completed, turn it over and spray the back with a repositionable spray glue.  Make sure that all the details get enough glue on them to hold them onto the target surface without curling.  Once the glue is sticky, you can apply the stencil to the target surface, rub down all the edges and get to painting.

The spray glue will make up for the flimsiness of your stencil material and as long as you apply your paint lightly, the printer paper should suffice to keep the shielded areas paint free.

You may need to trace your applied stencil with your xacto knife after the paint dies, just to assure clean edges and unwanted peeling.


What are joined and unjoined fonts? I'm recently learning font design and typography.
I found that even a same font style can have two font versions: joined and unjoined. I'd tried to google it, but got no explanation.

What's the different between those fonts? How do I use them?

I would greatly appreciate it if anyone can help me.

A 'joined' font may refer to a type of script typeface, where all characters of a word are connected by single lines. Most so-called 'handwriting' fonts make use of these glyphs. And some fonts, such as your example, may offer an additional isolated glyph version, like this font:

As the name 'script' implies, it is derived from handwriting, and can still generally be seen in writing exercises in primary schools.

Alternatively, those terms might be referring to fonts that offer versions with and without ligatures, the usually curvy lines that connect certain sets of characters:

  In writing and typography, a ligature occurs where two or more
  graphemes or letters are joined as a single glyph.
  source

Like script typeface, ligatures derive from handwriting.
A famous common example is the ampersand &.

Usage

Whenever you come across a font with different character sets, they are offered as separate fonts (under the same family name, sometimes archived together in .rar, .zip, or .7z files, which have to be unpacked first).
You install the fonts, and they will show up in your editing programs as separate fonts (e.g., using the example above, the fonts will show up like "Debbie Hepplewhite Print" and "Debbie Hepplewhite Joinit").

If you have any other questions, let me know, and I will update my answer.


Crochet/amigurumi: joining two pieces I've been crocheting for a while, and I've recently started giving amigurumi (basically crochet stuffed animals/things) a try. I've been able to do balls and variations, but I bought a kit to make a sloth. I'm having a lot of trouble understanding some of the instructions.
I'm really stumped on this step (please note, that at this point I've made two small, separate legs, and this part will be joining these legs as I make the body. One leg if fastened off, the other is NOT fastened off):

"Rnd 11: Join legs as follows: Ch 8, sc around the 9 sts of first leg, working in ch 8, sc 8, sc 9 sts of second leg, working in front loop only of ch-8, sc in next 8 ch - 34 sts."

I'm really lost on what to do here. I know what single crochet is, what stitches are, how to only work in the first loop, but all these small details are lost on me, so I don't even know how to start.
Here's a pic of the finished product, I'm working with the two bottom legs, which will be joined and continue to form the body:

Could anyone provide some more details? The instructions for this kit aren't very detailed...

"Rnd 11: Join legs as follows: Ch 8, sc around the 9 sts of first leg, working in ch 8, sc 8, sc 9 sts of second leg, working in front loop only of ch-8, sc in next 8 ch - 34 sts."

Here are the instructions broken down into separate steps. In parentheses at the end of each step is how many stitches you should have created since the start of the first step. The new stitches added in the current step are in bold.

Chain 8
8 ch

Place 1 sc in each of the 9 stitches of the first leg
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg

Single crochet 8 in the starting ch 8* that you made in step 1.
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg + 8 sc in ch8

Place 1 sc in each of the 9 sts of the second leg
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg + 8 sc in ch8 + 9 sc in second leg

Working along the starting ch8 again, place 1 sc in the front loop of each ch
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg + 8 sc in ch8 + 9 sc in second leg + 8 sc in front loops of ch8

*In step 3, be sure to work each single crochet stitch into the corresponding chain stitch, rather than just working them into the loop formed by the entire chain. That way you will have access to the front loop of each chain stitch when you get to step 5.
Here's a sketch of where these steps will fall on the actual body of the toy. The ch8 forms the start of the crotch. The next round will almost certainly be to work sc in the top of the first leg, then along the line of sc in the ch 8 from step 3 above, then around the sc of the second leg, then along the other side of the ch8 in the sc in front loop from step 5.


How should I select elastic for a sewing project? I want to adapt a pair of pants to add elastic to the waistband. I have a particular "stretchiness" in mind for this project, but don't know how that relates to a given thickness, width, material, or other characteristic of any particular elastic product.

Is there any standardized terminology for relative stretchiness that I could use when talking to a sales assistant? Are there better ways to choose what elastic to use for a project than standing in the store and pulling on samples to guess how well they would work?

I'm looking for general advice rather than "here's what's best for your pants" -- because this does come up in multiple projects :)

This is commonly called the "stretch percentage" or "stretch factor". The name comes from how much percent of the original width/length the material can stretch. For example, if you can stretch a 4" piece of elastic to 6" long, the stretch percentage would be 50%.

Here's a simple visualization from Patterns for Pirates:

As a side note, some patterns come with a "stretch gauge", instead of telling you a stretch percentage. It's usually printed on the back of the envelope so you can easily measure your fabric against it:

What elastic to use really depends on your particular application! A thicker or wider elastic may be more sturdy but less comfortable, for instance. As a general rule, thicker elastics seem to be less stretchy - but it's a very general rule. If you know the measurements you want for the finished pants, you can come up with the required stretch percentage: (fabric width / fitted width - 1) and bring that gauge to the store to find which ones are suitably stretchy.


Looking for a (non-yellowy) white chalk pencil for marker illustration highlights I am looking for a powdery, dry medium similar to a chalk pencil. However I notice that not all chalk pencils are pure white and often exhibit a yellowy tinge. I have seen "white charcoal" products advertised, but I believe these are a patented synthetic material?

Background:
I would like to add pure white highlights to studio marker illustrations, & charcoal illustrations on toned paper. I would like a non waxy/oily pencil that can be smudged/blended like charcoal. The last pencil I tried was a Stabilo Carbothello white chalk pencil.

Are there any pencils similar to chalk that are pure white?

I would suggest the Stabilo Carbothello Chalk-Pastel Pencil in Titanium White.

I found one for sale on Amazon for $3.84, here: http://a.co/gimVlHQ

But, I'm sure you can find it in most office supply and/or art supply stores.

There are several other brands, but I would seek out those pencils labeled, "Titanium White" to prevent the yellow-ish tinge you refer to.

Titanium White is known for being bright white. If you're looking for a more transparent, but also clean white, try to find a "Zinc White."


What is yarn weight? Fiber craft patterns always give a yarn weight. I've seen things like medium and light, but also "worsted yarn" or "DK yarn".

What does this mean?

Yarn weight is basically the thickness of a given yarn. There are several ways to refer to yarn weight, but the category, the number of plies, the number of wraps per inch and the gauge range (for both knitting and crocheting) are the most commonly used. The weight of your yarn will affect the size of your finished product, and the size of the needles or hook you will have the most ease to work with. You will always it on your skein package.

There are 8 categories of yarn as defined by the Craft Yarn Council: Lace, Super Fine, Fine, Light, Medium, Bulky, Super Bulky and Jumbo. Each category refers to a specific range of the measurements methods. Some categories will sometimes be substituted for a type of yarn, like Worsted for Medium or DK (Double Knitting) for Light.

The number of plies is nowadays probably the least consistent way to talk about yarn weight. Back in the day when knitting was done with actual sheep wool, yarn was measured by the number of single wool yarns in the finished yarn, but with synthetic yarn, it's more difficult to be consistent. For example, a 5 ply yarn in Australia will be called a 6 ply yarn in Germany, but not be standardized in the UK. Yarns below 5 ply are generally pretty consistent though.

Wraps per inch (wpi) is the the number of times you can fit a yarn within an inch. The thicker the yarn is, the lower its wpi will be.

The gauge range is the number of stitches you can make in a 4 inch or 10 centimeter swatch. This measurement is always double, once for knitting and once for crocheting.

Here is a table I made:


How to sew a knit fabric with a straight stitch machine? My sewing machine, a Singer Featherweight, only has the option of a straight stitch.  I can adjust the length and tension, but can't do a zig-zag stitch.  Is it possible to sew a stretchy knit fabric on this machine? My goal is to make a dress with a thin Rayon knit fabric.

Yes, you can sew knit fabrics with straight stitch. Notice t-shirts, they are made of knit jersey. When you sew woven fabric on the bias, that creates stretch on an otherwise non stretchy material. Here are tips, when I get somewhere with a better signal, I will upload pics to demonstrate.

You want to be sure to use a ball point needle for knit fabric.
Where you sew, will have less stretch the shorter the stitch-see pics not stretched and stretched.

Fray. The part that worries people about sewing knit fabric without a zig zag or overlock, is that it may fray. A few options - French seam, double stitch, use fray check
If you’re concerned about jamming your machine, do not pull the fabric or it will become wavy. You can use stabilizer to strengthen the seam.

Hope this helps. Here’s a pic of a jersey knit skit I made as well.

It’s an elastic waist and the ruffle at the bottom is woven eyelet fringe.
It’s great.
Good luck!


How to Clean Mod Podge off Plastic Crafts Table I purchased Modge Podge, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001681Z8Q/ to attach post it notes to muslin cloth.
I was working on plastic crafts table. Now Modge Podge is sticking. How to clean it off?

Mod Podge is a lot easier to clean off before it dries.  The version you linked to for fabric is designed to hold up to washing.  The instructions say it will stand up to hand washing, but user comments discuss it holding up to numerous cycles of machine washing.  So it sounds like removal could be a challenge, and you might need to try different methods.
The fact that the surface is plastic works in your favor.  Plastic furniture is typically made of polypropylene, which could make it easier.  It's hard to get a good bond on polypropylene, plus it will tolerate some of the solvents you could try.  It's soft, though, so you'll need to be careful not to cut or scratch it.
Here are some things to try:

Most water-based materials form a poor bond even if they stick.  They can often be peeled off.  Try getting under the edge of the Mod Podge with a razor blade, being care not to cut or scratch the plastic.  If you can get the edge up, you may be able to peel it off, or it might come up easily if you scrape it.  Remove as much as possible this way.

Regular Mod Podge can be resoftened.  I'm not sure about the fabric version, but it's worth a try.  Given that it's designed to hold up to washing, expect this to take awhile.  Saturate an old towel or thick rag with very hot soapy water and cover the Mod Podge with it.  Regular Mod Podge can take over an hour to resoften, so it could need to sit for a long time.  As the cloth cools or dries out, saturate it again with hot soapy water.
If the Mod Podge rehydrates, it will become cloudy or milky and softer.  You can try scrubbing it off with a sponge (an abrasive pad will scratch up the plastic), or try peeling it up as in the first bullet.  If the Mod Podge is thick and seems to be affected only on the surface, scrub off as much as you can and repeat the process.

If soapy water doesn't seem to have any effect per the previous bullet, try the same process using household ammonia diluted to the strongest strength recommended on the bottle for cleaning.

There are a few common chemicals that will soften, release, break down, or dissolve dried regular Mod Podge.

Alcohol: pour it on the Mod Podge or wet a sponge, paper towel, or rag with it.  Give it a minute of contact with the Mod Podge, then scrub.
Petroleum jelly (Vaseline): smear it on the Mod Podge and let it sit for a few hours.  Then scrub it off.
Adhesive remover like "Goo Gone": follow the product instructions.  This may leave an oily residue, so clean the area with alcohol when you're done.
Citrus solvent/cleaner (Limonene): use similar to alcohol.
Nail polish remover (usually ethyl acetate): use similar to alcohol, but it evaporates too fast to let it sit on the Mod Podge; just start scrubbing.  If you have a lot of area to clean, do it in a ventilated area.
Acetone: this is available in the paint section of hardware stores.  It is flammable and the vapors aren't good for you.  Use it in a well ventilated area with no sources of open flame.  Use similar to nail polish remover.

A few of these chemicals (acetone, limonene, probably ethyl acetate, maybe Goo Gone), will temporarily affect polypropylene (it may swell a little and the odor may linger), but that will disappear in a few days.  Also, if you use acetone, nail polish remover, limonene, or Goo Gone, use nitrile or polyethylene gloves to minimize skin contact.  Brief contact won't hurt you, but a lot of prolonged contact can be harmful to your skin.


What is the difference between poly poplin fabric and cotton poplin fabric? I am considering purchasing a custom pillow and the poly poplin is much cheaper than the cotton poplin. Since it's online I'm am wondering how noticeable the difference is. I am also wondering if poplin has a shine to it.

The main difference is that one is made of 'poly' (likely polyester) and the other is made of cotton.
How notable the difference is depend on how the poplin is made and how they handled the threads from which they made the fabric and the fabric once made.
Mostly man made fibers are more smooth and shiny but it is not a given.
I own a bag made from recycled pet bottles and when you see it you would say it is rough cotton. I own fine cotton fabric which is shiny and smooth like polyester in the way it looks.
Cotton mostly feels better to the skin, not as likely to make you skin sweat.
So best go with the descriptions and pictures on the site.


Drawing detail in dark hair? When drawing from reference photos, and the hair is photographed, the definition of the hair is muddled. No lighting on the hair. Almost like a silhouette.

Example:

I lightened the image up to see if I could get some more detail, as suggested, there is significant improvement of being able to see the braids on the right side of the photograph, as well as the hair line on the right side.

What techniques could be used to portray the semblance of the image? Hatching might be a good option, or using charcoal to replicate the dark hues. I've tried a lot of techniques such as these, but not overall happy without the out come. I've come across photographs like this over the years, and still not sure how to get around replicating it, without it looking flat, and lifeless.

Work in progress (beginning steps):

Work in progress (after lighting and hatching):

As fixer1234 mentioned, in your photo reference, all the hair falls in the darkest area of the spectrum of light values. It actually won't matter once your drawing is complete: once all the light values are on a similar scale, just filling the silhouette of the hair with the darkest value you've used elsewhere in your drawing will create an effect similar to that in the photograph - the flat character won't stand out anymore since we humans are accustomed to images having a limited value range. A famous (and quite rare) art historical example of this, is Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring:

See how the nose bridge just disappears into the cheek? Yet, it's not conspicuous at all (this is actually one of the reasons the artist David Hockney convincingly reasoned Vermeer used a camera obscura to paint most of his works. But that's a different story altogether :).

If you do want to draw it, you first have to understand the structure of the hair. For this, you can easily find reference material online. Here is an image that shows at least a little of how her braids are structured:

Hatching is a viable option, if you follow the direction of the hair as it curves around the volume of the braids. As the light source in your image is on the right, you can add slightly lighter patches on the right sides of the 'lobes', by hatching with less pressure, by leaving small gaps as you hatch so the paper shines through, or by using an (kneadable) eraser.


How to remove excess glue from around the edges of paper? To make a post card, I like to stick small pieces of paper on a card. I put glue stick on the whole paper, because if the corners don't have enough glue, it will not be strong enough. However, when I stick the paper on the card, often some glue comes from beneath on the card.

What tool can be used to remove glue stick?

I have seen people use a cotton tissue, a toothpick or a craft knife. What are pros and cons?

cotton tissue: I find this to be the most messy option, since it's difficult to regulate where the glue ends up, which means you might get glue on places where you do not want it

a toothpick: The sharp point might damage your paper if you press too hard

craft knife: might make your knife dull!

I mostly use thick scrap paper (or craft sticks) to scrape the glue off and haven't had any problems with that.


How can I force metal sheet to rust rapidly? Basically my metal sheets are new and I need them to be with that rust effect rapidly.

Thanks

The corrugated certainly looks like galvanized steel where some galvanized has corroded. You need to remove the remaining zinc . Dissolving it with hydrochloridic / muriatic acid would be fast , 10% should be strong enough.Salt water, vinegar, citric acid etc, would do it but slower. Once the zinc is gone it should rust pretty fast , a little dilute salt or acidic water spray will speed it up.


How to repair heavy duty nylon seam? I bought a heavy sandbag which is supposed to be able to be dropped. Given the good ratings it has, I assume it had a manufacturing fault as the seam exploded the first time I dropped it.

Luckily, as insurance I bought this sewing awl, that comes with waxed thread that is thicker than what the sandbag is sewn together by.

Will this thread be suitable, and can you please point me to the best stitching method/pattern for repairing this seam, given that I only have this awl to hand?

Edit: I also have 50mm wide nylon webbing to hand, perhaps I can use that to reinforce the seam?

The way I see it, even the base material is not cut / prepared really properly. Even if you make a very good stitching, there is a chance that the material itself will fail during the next "shocking experiences".

I would do it in two steps:

stitch as good as possible, to make sure that the sand will stay inside. Please stitch each layer individually, for increased strength;
Wrap the area with strong ribbons (let's say, similar with the safety belts in cars; similar to wearing belts for pants). Be sure that the belts close with good quality metal, not with cheap plastic.


How to copy game box art prints to wall posters? I have some old, classic computer games ranging from the 1980's to the late 1990's (eg. Shadow of the Beast, Starcraft, Total Annihilation, Awesome, etc.) with the original boxes. Some of these boxes have extremely cool graphic art printed on the front. I have the idea to decorate the walls of my home with enlarged versions of these works of art. I don't want to destroy the boxes in the process.
I Googled "how to copy games box art for wall picture" but there were no results. I'm at a loss for how to alter my query to be more effective.
What techniques might one use to copy and enlarge box art images to wall posters? Also - any legal or ethical issues with this? (I'm in the UK.)

You can either scan the boxes with a high DPI setting, or take photographs of them with a semi-professional camera. In both cases you'll end up with a high-definition digital reproduction.
You might have to perform some post-processing in software like Photoshop to properly isolate (crop and adjust the perspective of) the cover, adjust the white balance and/or the colours, and, if required, increase the size of the image and add some noise or light blur to disguise the (Ben Day) dots that are likely visible.
Send/take the files to a printer shop, make sure the colours are displayed correctly on their calibrated monitors (use the same colour profile - ask an employee) and you're about done.
We can't give legal advise here, but doing something like this for personal use is generally considered legal, as far as I know.


Best archival product for wood panels to oil paint on? I'm considering painting with oil colours on wood panels, but I'm a little concerned about the known drawback involved, i.e. warping.
Not being an expert, I watched some tutorials on YouTube and learned that the most common thing painsters do is laying three layers of acrylic gesso on all sides of the panel.
I also found other people who prefer oil or lead priming, claiming they are far more effective. But the strangest was Rust-Oleum Automobile Primer (see video here at 3:18  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mldb4rqL9I&t=199s), which the man in the video says is the best, cheapest, and easiest way to protect the wood from any weather adversity.
So, I'm a little confused. I was about to start with the most common way, that is gesso, but then my research led me into a rabbit hole. Isn't gesso good enough against warping?
I just wanted to find the best way to make sure my painting would last. I know that linen also is good in this respect, but I needed a smooth surface to paint on. And linen with fine texture is really too expensive.

Wood is live material and unless you wrap it in something like hard lack deeply soaked into or acrylic resin, then it will wrap a bit here and there according to grain orientation.
So it depends on what is your tolerance and how big warp is still OK for you.
As you plan to go with oil painting, I would stick to the oils not reinventing wheel.
Lighter the oil, deeper it penetrates, and it also depends on wood in panel and its hardness.
I like natural materials so as base layers and finish I'm using various combinations of linseed oil, Tung oil, turpentine or some thinner oils to lighten suspension so it soak to wood more easily and stays deeper once turpentine vaporize out. Bees wax, is good to more final layers as it let's you polish the wood to glossy surface, but as you are going to paint on it I'd stay away from wax based things in material prep/preservation phase. Tung oil is good for finals as well as it hardens over time. Camelia oil (camellia sinensis) in contrary do not almost dry, so I use it more for tool preservation. Might be useful, but panel might catch more dust over time. Linseed is fine, but in natural form it almost don't dry and so is sticky for weeks, boiled one dries quicker, but still in days and so is used in carpentry, commercial ones usually also contain a good chunk of desiccants to make it dry even faster, but I do not like those much. For interiors I like saflor oil, does not smell, it's light, could be purchased in food grade quality for stuff like wooden kitchenware.
So my favorite would be turpentine (or some lighter oil like grape oil) + linseed (that boiled but natural one) or saflor instead of linseed.


How to make black paint marks over another colour How can I make the black paint marks on the side of this sign as shown in the photo?

I can't seem to make them identical to the photo. I have tried using a foam paintbrush, a rag, and a sponge.

That is called a vignette. Basically it is a soft blend of the dark edge that frames the outside of a picture (or any image like a photo or movie frame) into the outer areas of the front face. Here I would say they used a rag painting technique.

Apply the black paint along the outside edges of the board and along the bevel or rounded edge of the outer face of the sign.  Then with a rag rub toward the center of the front face a short way (around 1/8 - 1/2") to get the heavier dark edge. Do this with some randomness and skip areas to make it uneven. The action is a little like applying shoe polish.

Then wipe a little further in toward the center with just a touch of paint on the rag. Likely you will then want to wipe those areas away with a clean rag, maybe with a little solvent on it, to reveal the base color and create the wider faded parts.

The base color has to be dry and oil based paints will work better than acrylics since they dry slower giving you more working time. By varying the pressure as you wipe away the top layer you will get darker and lighter areas. The grain of the wood helps since the valleys hold the paint and the ridges will be wiped away. Do some test runs on a practice board because there is a some finesse to the amount of paint and touch to use.


Question about subtractive color mixing I've been reading about subtractive and additive color mixing and one thing is still confusing me. When I mix red paint, which reflects red light and absorbs all other light, with white paint, I get pink.

From what I read it almost seems like mixing white paint with red paint should result in red paint. Here's what I'm thinking: When two subtractive colors mix, their properties for what colors they absorb mix.  White paint absorbs no light and reflects everything. Red paint absorbs everything other than red. When you add these hue's properties together for light absorption and reflection, you're left with the properties of red, essentially the lowest common denominator of sorts.

Where am I going wrong?

The pink color of the mixed red and white is an optical illusion, similar to how inkjet printers create all the colors from inks of three primary colors by printing combinations of tiny colored dots close together.

The color in paint is particles of finely-ground pigments (colored powder), suspended in a liquid that dries into a film.  When you mix red and white paint, you get a suspension of red particles and white particles.  There is a mix of those particles on the surface of the paint.

The red particles reflect just the red light.  The white particles reflect all the colors.  The individual particles are too small to differentiate with the naked eye.  What you see is a blend of the light reflected by the different particles on the surface.


Will a children's pullover rescale for an adult? I bought some natural-grey handspun wool in a Slovenian village and want to make a rustic pullover with a classic aran pattern out of it. The problem is that, although the wool wraps to 9 wpi (which is "worsted" on Ravelry), it knits up to 14x18 on 5 mm needles. But the patterns I find are in the 18 to 24 stitches range.

I know well that your first thought will be "change the needle size" but I don't want to do that. So the question is asking specifically about getting the pullover made at the current gauge.

I cannot just knit less stitches in the circumference of an existing pattern, because the aran patterns have narrow vertical stripes of stitch patterns which cannot be reduced well. So I will have to scale. I calculated that to make a generously-eased pullover of 100 cm circumference at my gauge, I could use a pattern which is intended to make a 55 cm chest circumference at a 24 gauge. This would be a children's pattern.

If I follow such a pattern, is there a good chance that the pullover will scale properly for me? Also, will some pattern constructions work better than others, e.g. should I avoid raglans because they give me less controll to adjust the length in the shoulder area?

P.S. Please note that this is not a question about alternative ways of getting the size I want. I am asking for answers which address specifically the questions in the title and in the last paragraph.

No, it almost certainly will not scale to fit you appropriately. But it could work with some reasonably simple adjustments.

Explanation

In general, garments for babies and toddlers have shorter arms and shorter torso-length compared to the chest circumference than garments for adults. They sometimes also have a wider neck opening, and the size of the arm holes may be larger for ease of dressing and movement.

If you scale a small child's pullover up to adult size based on the chest circumference, the arms and torso will be too short. But, if you can find out from the pattern the relevant dimensions of the finished garment, you can scale it all up, then work out how much extra length is needed.

It would also be worth checking that the neck and arm hole sizes are appropriate, although if you are making a loose-fitting pullover, then these won't be as much of an issue. But different constructions will behave differently around the shoulders, as you expect. I expect that raglans and drop shoulders would be fine. I think round yokes are likely to be less easy. But the only way to really know is to do the maths!

Adding length

It would be easy to add length to the torso by adding some extra rows, although it may take some care to make sure you get whole repeats of any pattern(s).

Arms are likely to be tapered from the shoulder to the wrist. You should probably keep the same number of decreases, so you should add rows between decreases, to make the tapering appropriate for an adult.

Worked example

By comparing patterns for the same raglan pullover sized for adults:

https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2014/02/16/lauras-loop-the-purl-soho-friendly-fair-isle-sweater/

and children:

https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/01/02/friendly-fair-isle-sweater-now-sized-for-toddlers-kids-too/

(Note that I round to the nearest quarter inch and to the nearest 0.5 cm)

The adult size 40 has:

chest circumference of 40'' / 101.5 cm
total length 23'' / 58.5 cm
arm length 18.5'' / 47 cm.

The child size (12 months) has

chest circumference 22.75'' / 58 cm
total length 12'' / 30.5 cm
arm length 6.5'' / 16.5 cm.

If you scale the child size up to match the adults chest circumference, then you would have

gauge 7stitches x  9 rows per 4'' / 10 cm (very chunky!)
total length 21'' / 53cm (2'' / 5.5 cm / 4 rows shorter than adult)
arm length 11.5'' / 29 cm (7'' / 16 cm / 16 rows shorter)

So you can see that you would need to add 16 rows to the arms and 4 to the torso to match the adult size.

In your case, you could compare your scaled-up child's pattern to a different adult's pattern, or to a pullover that you own.


What material can I use to dye paper to look older? My son wants to have a treasure hunt themed birthday party (we'll be geocaching at a local park). For the invitations, he wants pirate treasure maps to tell guests where to go.

I'm going to be typing up the directions and information and map and printing multiple copies. What paper should I use (compatible with a printer or copier), and what dye could I apply (presumably after printing) to make these "maps" look aged, handled by many generations of pirates?

tl;dr: tea!

Yup, that's right, good ole' Lipton (or whatever other type of black tea you happen to have on hand). Diluted coffee can also work, but will smell like, well, coffee-stained paper.

Note that this shouldn't be used on inkjet printouts, as inkjet ink isn't waterproof. So I would suggest printing out the master map (in black and white) and heading out to your local office supply store to make copies.

After applying the tea, you can hang up the maps to dry. The paper will get crinkly, but that's actually a good thing for this application. If they get too crinkly, apply a cool iron (barely above its lowest setting) to smooth them back out.

As a final step, go out to your garage (or a similar well-ventilated but sheltered spot) and use a candle or a lighter to burn away the edges of the maps. Keep a bucket of water handy, just in case. Don't go overboard - just do the corners and a little bit of a few edges. After blowing out the flames, break off most of the black stuff, leaving only a browned, ragged edge.

Note that the results will not be archival: tea is acidic. But for a prop for a birthday party, that shouldn't be an issue.