Curtains lined with the same material: where should I put the seam? I'm making some small curtains with both sides facing inside the house (they're for a cabin bed).  Normally the inside (fancy) fabric would be folded over and slightly larger than the lining fabric, so the edges are the nice fabric, the lining is smaller, and the seam on the lining side away from the fold.
When lining with the same fabric, should I do the same, or cut both pieces the same and have the seam at the fold?
(Apologies for poor terminology; I'm new to this)

If you will mostly view the curtain from one side, handle that as the 'side you look at in normal curtains', do have that side a bit bigger and fold the edges over to seem them.
On the other hand, if you will see the whole of the curtain from both sides and you will want both to look nice, two pieces of fabric the same size, put the good side on the good side and sew around the outside, I would leave either the top or the bottom open for now. Turn and top stitch just inside the edge.
Most likely you will do something in the top seam to hang the curtain. If you have the skills to do that with the two layers of fabric finishing it nicely at the same time, keep the top open.
Otherwise, close the top and keep the bottom open and 'only' top-stitch that closed. (You can even seam both sides individually and leave them open at the bottom, your call, if will fall better but is more likely to get out of shape.)
If the side seam is shorter or more out of sight you can use that as the last instead. You can play around quite a lot, as nobody but you will judge your quality of work.


Hem pants less expensively I feel that sewing is a form of craft, so here goes.

I have some jeans that I want to shorten the length of.

I would like to do so without hemming.

I've "cheaped out" on occasion and just folded them in and up, sticking them into place with ordinary masking tape and ironing the pants at the fold afterwards. It's amazing how many washes the tape can go through before it needs to be replaced.


How to get germs off of paper? I made a little drawing which I accidentally dropped on a floor which must have been loaded with tons of bacteria. To make matters even worse, I had a hard time picking it up, so it must have been on the dirty floor for a good 30 seconds or so.

Anyways, I was wondering if it would be possible to disinfect my paper drawing so that I can kiss it without worrying about getting sick. (It's a drawing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so I often kiss her feet in veneration.) Of course, washing the image with soap and water is out of the question, as that would basically destroy it.

One thought I had was to heat up the paper image to kill the germs, but how would I do that? Is it possible to do that without destroying/deforming the image?

I hope I'm on the right .SE site to ask this question. (If not, please tell me where to go.)

Your best bet would be to laminate the picture at a local print shop.  That would seal whatever has gotten onto the paper behind an impermeable barrier of clean plastic.

Barring that, you can probably get rid of most of the bacteria by exposing your drawing to ultraviolet light.  UV light is used in many industries as a disinfectant.

As for the amount of time that your picture spent on the floor, according to MythBusters, time isn't as important as it appears.


Art books about Irezumi drawings? As far as I know Irezumi are Japanese tattoos. I really like them but I'm not interested in the tattoo part but in the drawings.

I would like to read and see some art book about this style of drawings but I don't know what I should search for.

Irezumi itself is not an art style but rather a technique and a craft - tattooing onto skin which is traditionally done with tools originating from woodblock printmaking.

The esthetics and imagery you refer to originates from the very famous Japanese art style Ukiyo-e which developed and rose to fame in conjunction with japanese woodblock printing in the Edo period (17th-19th century) in Japan.

Some Masters of the art of Ukiyo-e:

Hiroshige
Hokusai
Yoshitoshi


To do direct animation on clear super 8 mm film, can i just bleach some old film? I have a direct animation project I want to do using super 8mm film, but I'm struggling to find the right kind of film. I am wondering if I can buy some super 8mm film, leave it in bleach so it removes the pictures -- will that leave it clear?

Has anyone done something similar to get blank film?

No, the gray and black light-sensitive chemicals are embedded on the film media and won't simply wash off or "turn clear" in bleach.
What you are trying to do is known as Draw-on-film animation, but I've also seen it referred to as cameraless animation, clear leader animation, marker animation, scratch film, and direct animation. I enjoyed trying this in my early experimental-film days. It was a lot of fun and you can create some interesting experimental media projects using various techniques.
Draw-on-Film Animation Media
Typically you start with clear film leader (comes in acetate, polyester/mylar) where you essentially draw or paint your animation frame by frame. Folks also scratch animated pieces into black exposed film and (optionally) add color later. Folks have even added hand-drawn animation over traditional black & white films, so if you have some footage available to you, that's an intriguing option.
Here are some examples and techniques to help get you started:

YouTube (instructional video) : How to do Animation by Drawing on Film
Exploriatium (Instructional PDF): Scract Film: Direct Animation
YouTube (amazing example): Process of making direct animation
Search: Clear Acetate Leader


Photo of Ruins, how to Paint it as if it is in original Time period I found this breath-taking photograph.

It is photograph of ruins of haveli (big house, mansion), in Northern India, built pre-1947 (before India split into India and Pakistan).

Hasn't been lived in since 1947, and architecture like this is no longer built (not that I know of, at least)

Luckily we live in digital age where people post all sorts of photos from around the world

I wish to paint a photo of this as if the haveli is in it's original, pristine condition, without modern technology, i.e. see those power lines on the top left.

As if I took a time machine to early 1940s Northern India, sat in front of this haveli, and started painting this with my oil pastels.

Any ideas how to do this?

I can tell you with certainty that architecture like this does exist, is still being built and is pretty common in Europe, for example in Halle or Leipzig, Germany. You can also see examples of it in Normandy (France).

The technique of mortaring brick and coating it with cement or mud is pretty common. I imagine the biggest problem you will have is finding out the color used at the time. In order to keep buildings cool, the southern walls would usually have a light color - as white (a so-called lime wash) was easy to produce - I would go for that, unless someone with more experience in Indian architecture can add their knowledge...


Can boiled linseed oil from hardware stores be used for oil painting applications or cleaning brushes? Home Depot/Lowes, etc., have boiled linseed oil at a much cheaper price than the local art store that I go to.
Are there any problem using boiled linseed oil from these home stores for oil painting applications, cleaning brushes etc?

Since you tagged this as oil-paint, I assume that is your intended use.

Actually, the BLO that is sold  in art stores is the same stuff that is peddled in hardware stores, be they large or small.

So you can use the BLO from the gallon cans for anything that you might use the BLO purchased from anywhere else.

Edit:

Note that not all linseed oil is "boiled linseed oil".  BLO is not even actually boiled, but has additives that cause it to dry faster. Raw linseed oil is a slow drying product and may be refined.  Stand oil is heated and is lighter in color.

Most hardware stores carry only BLO.

Raw linseed oil is harder to find except in specialty stores (e.g. art supply houses).  Art stores are likely to carry multiple forms of linseed oil, but the one with the "Boiled linseed oil" label contains the same stuff as from the hardware stores.


How I can calculate how much fabric I need to buy? I am planning the materials I need for the skirt mentioned in my question here. It is a pencil skirt with false cuts and I want to order the appropriate amount of fabric.
But I do not know how I can calculate how much fabric I need. Do you have an idea how I can calculate the right amount of fabric I need?

There are rule of thumb estimates for standard items of clothing.
If you go to a good fabrics shop the experienced staff may still know them. I do not expect to find them in the instructions for buying online.
They were rough estimates at best and mostly you would buy more than you would need.
The best way to work out what you need will be making the pattern pieces and placing them on a table as wide as your fabric. But remember that many pattern only give half the pieces and you use the fabric folded.


What is the difference between normal single crochet and single crochet into back loop only? I just came across an amigurumi pattern that specifically asks for a single crochet into back loop only and it made me question what the difference is.

So, what is the difference between normal single crochet and single crochet into back loop only?

Most amigurumi patterns are worked in the round, not flat.
For flat items the difference between regular and back loop only (blo) crochet stitches is striking, it creates horizontal ridges, which are often used to imitate ribbing, like in this sock:

In items worked in the round the difference is more subtle: a horizontal line appears between rows of stitches, as in this ilustration:

For the most part this is a decorative element, so you can include it or not, as you feel like. Try both kinds of fabric and decide which one you like more.

Sometimes this is a functional element. Toys are usually evenly stuffed, so the feet are rounded and working one round of blo sc will give a gentle emphasis showing where the sole ends and the top of the foot begins, like here, in my own work from last year:


Can I make handmade invitation cards on a tight budget? I'm planning on making DIY cards for invitations to my sister's 8th birthday party. I want it to be special so I decided to do everything myself. But I'm really on a tight budget right now, and so I need advice on what materials I can use which will not exceed my allowance.

If you have plain white paper that is thick enough to make invitations cards, you can do the rest with free materials.

Cut and fold the paper into cards, then neatly write the invitation.
Cut decorative forms like hearts, lollipops, bonbons or Hello Kitty heads and glue them onto the cards. You can cut these forms out of colorfull sheets of ads or catalogs or anything colorfull you have lying around.

Catalogs for clothes or furniture often have single items printed very big (like a carpet, windows drapes or a t-shirt). The only disadvantage is that the pages are often so thin you can see the backside through.

An alternative is wrapping paper. If it's the birthday of your little sister, you probably have a gift to wrap for her. Use some scraps of that paper to decorate the cards. Pieces of gift wrap ribbons add a special flair.

Depending on what you have lying around at home, you can also repurpose things like confetti, glitter, small beads or golden makeup powder do decorate the cards.

Take care not to add too much to the card. 1 - 3 decorations are enough to make the card look special.


How I can calculate the hand position on a clock background? I have an old quartz clock mechanism and I want to use it in a custom clock body.
I can easily calculate and place the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions, but how I can calculate the other positions?

If you have a compass, the drawing kind, not the magnetic kind, you can create the intermediate locations for the hours.
https://youtu.be/2Vshz0kqZh4
The video above shows the process, but I was skeptical until I realized that it's a collection of overlapping equilateral triangles. Equilateral triangles have 60° in each vertex. You want to segment the 90° of the currently created locations (12, 3, 6, 9) into three pieces, 30° each. 90° - 60° = 30°
If you create an equilateral triangle with the base on the 3:00 line, for example, the 60° line of the triangle becomes the 1:00 position. If the triangle is created with the base on the 12:00 line, the triangle provides the 2:00 position.


What thicknesses of leather are suitable for book binding? I have a large quantity of veg-tanned 2-3mm (5-8oz) leather, and I would like to try bookbinding with it. One thing that concerns me is that this is much thicker than the leather I normally see used for binding, so I'd like to know whether this leather is suitable, and more generally which thicknesses of leather are suitable for book binding?

Traditionally leather should be about 1.00 mm thick for bookbinding. I have used leathers that are much thicker as well as leathers that are thinner. The thinner leather poses its' own problems. It can tear quite easily.

Years ago I did some bookbinding with some rather thick leather. Probably something comparable to what you have at the moment.

You should be able to use the leather at hand, but there are a few things one needs to be aware of first.

You need to learn how to tapper the edges of the leather with a sharp paring knife to finish the  turn-ins and corners. It takes some practice and patience. The paring knife must be sharp at all times.

The paring knife (third from the left) is similar to the one I used to use for tapering the leather.

More Paring Knives!

Basic Paring Stages for Leather

Do the leather tapering (paring) in five stages and practice on some old pieces until you feel comfortable working with the knife.

PS. Be very careful.


At a minimum what would I need to repair a fracture in a gold pendant? I have a dragon pendant that I am sure is 10k gold. I have had for at least 15 years. The tail of the dragon is exposed so it bends from time to time. Some time in the past a small fracture started. I do not wear it anymore since the fracture is quite large (in comparison to the width of the tail ~3mm).

It has been in a box for the longest time. I could take it to a jeweler but that is not something easily found in my town. It would be nice to know what is involved in the repair of this tail.

So, assuming I am correct about it being 10k gold, what tools and materials should I use to try and repair this? I have an old micro electronics soldering iron and some flux and solder but I dare not risk using them on something like this.

It is very likely that I will not be comfortable to do the repairs myself. It still would be nice to know what I can do though.

In my jewelry making course way back in 2000, heating metal for soldering required actual flame... a torch. You wouldn't want to do this with the equipment you have at all. It's a totally different process.

There are two different soldering methods in jewelry making: soft solder and hard solder. While many craft-y projects can be assembled using soft solder (that is, solder that can be melted using a soldering iron), working with silver and gold requires hard solder and a torch. There's a guide to it here.

  "Hard" solders are alloys that melt at slightly lower temperatures than the corresponding metal pieces to be fused. Silver and gold jewelry require hard soldering. Copper, brass, and bronze components can also be fused with hard solders. In addition to requiring flux, hard solders generally also require the use of pickling solutions to clean and remove surface oxidation from the finished piece.

This matches my experience pretty much exactly. While we largely worked with base metals - copper, brass, nickel silver, etc - we did all of our soldering using a torch setup, flux, and pickling solution.

  Metal workers typically use oxy/propane or oxy/acetylene torches with hard solder, but many soldering tasks can also be achieved with butane torches. Use a butane torch to solder jump rings, create ball-end head pins, make custom wire links and chain, create small bezels, fuse together small metal components, etc.

For your little project, based on this section, I'd guess that you could get away with using a butane torch but you'd also need to buy gold solder (to match the color), flux, pickling solution... which was always kept warm in an old Crock Pot.


I am trying to identify / describe this wool thread / yarn This is a commercial fabric, I would like to produce something similar. When I search on the internet the closest I find is lace weight wool yarns for sale (retail or wholesale), which are 2 to 3 times thicker for the smallest lace weight yarn found.
I measured it at 72 WPI (wraps per inch), when in the woven fabric it has an epi (sett) of about 44.

Imperial ruler on fabric

Metric ruler on fabric
The thread/yarn is two-ply.

It is supposed to be wool, what I will weave will be from 100% wool.
How can I find similar yarn in order to weave similar fabric?

Weaving yarns are described by two numbers separated by a slash, eg 2/5, 3/10, etc.

The smaller number is the number of plies
The larger number represents the size of each ply.

So, a 2/5 yarn has 2 strands of size 5 thread. A 3/10 yarn has 3 strands of size 10 thread. Different sources are inconsistent about which number comes first. Usually the smaller number is the number of plies and the larger number is the size number, but for very fat yarns the size number can be larger than the number of plies.
Each fiber type has a different scale for the size numbers, so you have to look at a table of wool yarn sizes. This table from woolery.com has the smallest wool weaving yarn sizes I could find listed:
Material | Weight | yds./lb. | m/kg   | SETT
Wool     | 20/2   | 5,600    | 11,289 | 20-30
Wool     | 18/2   | 5,040    | 10,160 | 20-30
Wool     | 8/2    | 2,240    | 4,516  | 12-16
Wool     | 8/3    | 1,490    | 3,004  | 10-15
Wool     | 6/2    | 1,600    | 3,225  | 8-16

As you can see, your desired sett of 44 EPI is tighter than the smallest yarn on this chart. I couldn't find a chart that goes any smaller than this, but I know that wool yarns smaller than that do exist. So you know you want a 2-ply wool yarn smaller than 20/2 or 2/20.
When you purchase weaving yarn, sometimes they don't tell you the yarn size. Instead, all they tell you is yards per pound. So it would be useful to know how many yards per pound your desired yarn will have. It will have about twice as many yards per pound as a wool yarn with a sett of 22 EPI. So, probably around 10,000 yards per pound.
The yarn you want is much smaller than what is usually sold for home weavers. Yarns this small are more common in commercial weaving. So, you may want to shop for mill ends, which are yarns leftover from commercial weaving. Suppliers that sell mill ends may also have regular product lines that meet your needs.
Typically with mill ends, once a yarn is sold out it's gone for good. So be sure to buy enough for your project. Here are a few sources of mill end weaving yarns. Some of these I already knew about, but I found others by googling "weaving yarn mill ends." You might also have success with terms like "remnants" and "production excess."

Colourmart.com - At the moment they have a 2/42 wool yarn with 10,320 yards per pound. (They don't provide yard per pound measurements, but they do tell you how many ounces and yards each cone of yarn is, so you can calculate yards per pound yourself.)
Oldmillyarn.com has a more limited selection, but they do show the yards per pound right on the search page. At the moment they have some in the 12,000+ YPP range, and some in the 7,000-8000 range.
WEBS is usually a good source of mill end yarns, but they don't have any at the moment. Probably something to do with COVID and supply chains. In their regular weaving yarn section they have a 40/2 linen, but no wool yarn even close to as small as you want.

Note: If you are making a garment or something you want to be soft enough to touch skin, be sure the wool you purchase is garment-quality wool, not rug-quality. If the product description doesn't specify, contact the seller before buying. Rug-quality wool (often just called rug wool or carpet wool) is very scratchy.
If you have a hard time finding wool yarn for your purpose, consider looking at other fiber types. The narrower sizes of yarn are more commonly available in silk, linen, tencel, cotton and rayon than in wool.


Using leather to bind books with substrate I have acquired some leather that seems to have been made to be in vehicle interior. I want to use it to bind books with some tooling done to it. This leather seems to be thin compared to the hide that is normally used to bind books. This makes me think that a substrate is needed to allow the leather to be tooled. What sort of material works best? I was thinking of using compressed paper Machee.

Here is a picture of the leather for reference.

If you are very careful with the tools you can do some shallow tooling. Tools with rounded tips would be best. You might be able to just kind of smooth out the texture of the leather in certain areas to create contrast. Even if you back the leather, deeper lines and sharper tools will cut through. You might be able to get creative with some colored leather backings so that when the tool breaks through the color underneath will show.


What would happen if I machine laundered dry clean only fabric before making it into a garment? Common wisdom is to wash your fabric before sewing in the same way you plan to wash the finished project. This way any shrinkage from machine washing will happen before cutting out your pieces, and it won't shrink more after you've sewn it up.

Along those lines, I recently read a sewing blog post about how the author was making a jacket from fabric marked "dry clean only", so she took the fabric to a dry cleaner before cutting out her pieces.

That got me thinking. What if I didn't want to take my jacket to a dry cleaner? Could I just pre-wash the fabric in a machine, sew the jacket, and it'd be safe to machine wash? What would the consequences be?

I think it really depends on the fabric.
If the manufacturer of the fabric states that it should be dry cleaned, that's probably a signal that they're serious about it. Silk and wool can often be hand-washed in very gentle shampoo as a way of pre-shrinking the fabric... but some fabrics simply don't tolerate washing well. They lose their look or shape when soaked in water, so even pre-washing won't do much for you. Another consideration is colorfastness... apparently some brightly-colored silks can lose their color when washed.
From a dry cleaner's website:

The first determination is whether or not the fabric can be submersed in water. Fabrics such as cashmere and wool are susceptible to losing shape in full submersion and will likely shrink, so typical washing should be avoided. Another gentle fabric is silk. An extremely delicate material, silk can be hand washed; however, it should never be complete submerged nor agitated in a washing machine.  [. . . ]
While some fabrics may be washed, like certain chiffon, satin, and lace articles, additional care must be taken when ironing. A dry cleaning process offers a safer alternative to typical ironing, making it more effective for a wider variety of products.

If you're making a structured jacket and you want to retain the crisp lines and smooth drape, you probably don't want to machine wash your jacket as it may destroy the cut and the work you put into it. Now, if it's a casual jacket that doesn't need to look "neat" or "sharp", your washing regimen likely won't matter but keep that in mind.
I found another quote that sort of peeved me - it's tangentially related and I thought it might be valuable here...

Q: I was wondering, does it mean all the Big Designer Labels pre-launder all their fabric before production?
Graceful Sewing
June 1st, 2015
No, they do not. That is often the only reason that garments purchased from them have to be dry cleaned. If they had preshrunk the fabric, we could toss it in the washer and it would do fine. But because they skip this step, we are left with huge dry cleaning bills so they could save a few dollars and make us think we are. Also, on clothing that is washable, you will often find the the seams are a just little gathered coming out of the dryer, or that the garment is not quite on grain like it was (that why our garments tend to look old quickly). The best way to handle these is to gently tug on each end of the seams (particularly in knit fabrics) and straighten it out while warm. The lay the garment out flat or neatly fold it without wrinkles and let it set until it cools completely. If the garment is twisted off grain, gently tug on the two shorter corners to pull it back into alignment and then proceed as above. Your clothing won’t have the advantage of custom-made (and preshrunk) does, but it will look better and last longer.

So, my interpretation here is that, yes, to a degree, if the fabric is pre-washed, it may affect the final outcome's washability... so it's not only the fabric type that determines the washing method on store-bought clothing.
Another interesting source is on The Laundress where they go through various fabric types and garment styles to hash out what can and can't be washed at home. The ones that relate to fabrics specifically include

Don't wash viscose (it shrinks, often unevenly)
Don't wash polyamide blends (they grow)
Don't wash "structured" items - ties, blazers with shoulder pads
Don't wash suede & leather - if marked "not washable" or "Dryclean only"
Don't wash fur with skin

There's actually not too much on this list, amusingly... so it seems that, provided you do some research on how to wash anything else properly (that does not mean you can toss everything in your washer, though), you should be able to avoid dry clean only clothes to a large extent.


Rerooting dolls; needle keeps breaking? I created a homemade rerooting tool as found on google somewhere. It's an exacto knife with the blade removed, filled with some cork and a needle stuck in with the sharp end. I cut the eye of the needle to form an irregular V shape. I let the needle stick out so that I have room to push through the holes in the head.

My problem is the needle keeps breaking. I need quite a small needle to make sure the cut eye fits in the holes in the head, but the smaller the needle the thinner the needle. Some of the smaller holes require more pressure, causing the needle to break. I went through a full pack of needles already and I need some help.

Is there a way to keep my needle from breaking?
Would wrapping it with something like ductape, paper, fabric or anything give it some extra strength?

I can add a picture later if I am able to buy some more needles.
I made a sketch for now:

This is what I had for the current length

And I think the next one should be a little shorter:

You can try a long, somewhat flexible needle for basting beads. I think it's less likely to break.


What glue should I use with acrylic and transparencies? I have a set of laser-cut clear acrylic pieces and matching transparencies (with designs printed on them). I want to glue the transparencies atop the acrylic pieces, but I have am unsure which glue is suitable for this job. I (naively) used superglue at first, but soon learned that it leaves foggy residue and splotchy remnants of the glue. What type of glue should I use to bond the acrylic and transparencies together that will dry clear and leave little to no residue? If possible, I would prefer an affordable solution that dries quickly.

There are specific glues manufactured for gluing clear and colored acrylic. It is thinner than water and will spread via capillary action when used appropriately. Consider when locating and purchasing such an adhesive to also purchase the needle-tipped dispensers often offered during the transaction.

image courtesy of linked Amazon source.
Ensure that your parts are solidly joined and carefully tip the applicator while the end of the applicator is in contact with the joint. You'll be able to see the glue spread throughout the length of the joined pieces.
Due to the very fast curing time, any excessive quantity that spreads to a surface will damage the surface if removal is attempted. Consider to practice on scrap or test joints to get a feel for the process.
If you intend to layer the acrylic, the same process applies, as the glue will wick into the entire surface contact points/area.
Drying time can often be measured in single-digit seconds.


What Faber-Castell Polychromos color codes do I need to paint this? I started to draw and paint this famous historical picture of Raising a flag over the Reichstag Berlin 1945, and I am stuck with the red flag and blue haze in the far background:

I am using FaberCastell Polychromos 120 pencils:

I have spent hours of trial and error, using GIMP on Mac OS X, but continue to have difficulty with:

the entire red flag
the blue and gray haze in the far background

I was wondering whether someone could help me choose the right colors.  Any advice would be appreciated.

There are a couple of ways that you can go about matching...

The first is trial and error testing on scrap paper. It's tried and true, really, because all you do is look at the color options in your set and get close, then work with additional blending with other colors to match up. Take notes. :)

The more "scientific" way is to use an application like Photoshop, The GIMP, or similar that you can use to color sample. Use the color sampler tool to get the value of the color and match it up with this chart: http://colour.granjow.net/fabercastell-polychromos.html and test the result on scrap paper.

Bear in mind that in many cases, you're likely to be layering one color over another, so the sampler may not always be accurate. Test and use your own judgement, always, before applying to your art piece. Make sure your scrap paper is the same as the paper you're using for your work.


Does grid drawing help with drawing from imagination? I've taken art classes in high/middle school where I did a couple of grid drawings and I've even done a couple on my own. I also had an art class in college last semester and everyone there loved my grid drawings and said they were highly detailed or had a photographic quality.

I don't know though if it actually helps, as I'm not sure if it's helping me improve on drawing from imagination. I want to try figure drawing and do concept and anime art, but my skills in that field are like a 50/50 hit or miss and I want to get into more dynamic poses that look good.

Would using grid drawing to draw people and poses help me achieve these goals?

Perhaps the main benefit of grid drawing is the accuracy it lets you achieve, but it also helps train your eye to see what's actually there, as opposed to what your brain thinks is there.

When you analyze the contents of each individual square, you're forced to focus more on the lines and spaces that make up the subject. It helps guides you through measuring those angles and proportions, like I mention in this answer about portrait drawing. Instead of comparing lines simply to themselves, you can compare lengths and angles to your clear, consistent grid lines.

It also helps you to get a better understanding of scale and proportion, especially when dealing with perspective and foreshortening. Your brain may know that a leg is longer than an arm, but in 2D representation this is not always the case.

So, while drawing from imagination you may think "I know the leg will be shorter than usual at this angle", you may over/under-estimate how much to adjust the limb for foreshortening. However, drawing from the grid will give you experience to help you make a more accurate decision.

These skills will be applicable to any drawing you're doing from reference, but also help train your eye to see what's right/wrong about things you draw from imagination. It's just another way to build up your ability to critically analyze what's actually there.

However, it's just one component that will help you in your drawing from imagination. For figure drawing in particular, it's helpful to learn how to construct figures using some type of method, such as blocks-and-cylinders. Drawing from life, in general, is going to give you a better understanding how the world actually looks and works. For instance, you may be able to construct great mannequins, but without having a good mental repository of real facial features and body types, you'll likely have very stale figures.

Since your focus is drawing people and poses from imagination, I personally would pursue other forms of practice over grid drawing. If I were to compare drawing by grid to drawing from materials by artistic anatomy masters such Jenó Barcsay and Stephen Rogers Peck, I'd pick artistic anatomy as a clear winner.


What kind of artistic style categorises such paintings? What do you call these kind of painting (attached below)? What is the genre of such art works? I'm absolutely in love with this artistic style, the exaggeratedly tall houses and long trees in some old village, typically depicting a cool season like winter or autumn. It has that bleak yet warm feeling? I don't know how to describe it.

Pertaining to this, what are the techniques used to paint such artworks? Oil painting on canvas or water color on drawing paper?

The artist, Debbie Criswell, calls it Primitive Folk Art.


Is there an easy way to get my computer/printer to do booklet imposition? I'm getting into bookbinding, and I'd like to make my own sewn signatures, but I'm having problems with finding a good way to use my computer and printer to print out pages so that I can simply fold them in half and sew them into book signatures.  With double-sided printing, this often requires that pages be rotated between the front/back pages on the leaf, and that pages be printed in a stair-step order, so that 1 and 16 are side by side, 2 and 15, and so on and so on, if I'm making four-sheet signatures of 16 pages, folded and sewn down the middle.

Is there any way to get my computer/printer to print out pages for single-fold and double-fold signatures easily?  I have a laser printer that can handle duplex printing, and I do have the full Pro version of Acrobat, and an InDesign license, but it's an old one, and I don't have any imposition plug-ins.

I looked into this years ago when I was printing out some books to test my leather binding skills. Back then you likely would have used dedicated software to perform this function.

Software has changed since then and Adobe Reader DC does this as well as InDesign from what I gather. Depending on your Acrobat version it should be able to do this well. In short form: the instructions from Adobe Reader DC

In the printer dialog select Booklet. This is found under Page Sizing and handling.

In the Booklet Subset pop-up menu select "Both sides" if you have duplex printer.
Leave the numbers in the Sheets From boxes as they are.
Select Auto-Rotate Pages to automatically rotate each page for the best fit in the printable area.

InDesign has instructions to do this as well. That link is for CS6 and other versions might have similar UI or more specific instructions sets. The Indesign wizard for booklets is more in depth than Reader DC's and covers topic like bleeding, page spacing, magins etc.

Another possible solution is that many modern enterprise copy machines do this natively with their drivers. A place like a copy center likely would do it on the cheap. My old Ricoh at work does this function. It is about 6 years old now and was not top of the line at the time. This might be cheaper depending on your ink/toner costs and size of the book you are making


How to carry the yarn in stripes? So, I’m knitting a swatch with both vertical and horizontal stripes, basically a plaid that’s fully knitted and not with the third color woven in. For most multicolor patterns, I have done it by just cutting the yarn at each color change. But for this swatch, I think I want to carry the yarn up. Here’s the swatch currently from both sides:

Knit Side, you can see the 2 color cast on I used.

Purl Side, you can see the floats of the stranded colorwork I’m doing for the vertical stripes. On the first purl row, I caught the longer black floats by doing this:

Purl 2 red stitches
Slip third stitch purlwise
Pick up black float
Slip the third stitch back, again purlwise
Purl the red stitch together with the float

I did that to make sure that the floats didn’t become visible on the Knit side.
After a few more rows, I plan on knitting a green horizontal stripe. And this is why I’m asking about carrying the yarn, I might need to cut a few ends, but not as many if I don’t carry the yarn and only 1 color would have to be cut that way.
So, how would I carry the yarn up when I have these vertical stripes going on?

I hope you were able to figure something out! If you're talking about carrying the red yarn up as you knit the green stripe, you could do something very similar every other row on the right side as you did when catching your floats; twist or wrap the red yarn around the green once before you begin working the row. This is (slightly) better hidden from the right side when you're slipping the first stitch too. You may see a little of the red on the edge of the object, but I've never had enough to bother me.


What's the difference between crochet, knitting, and tunisian crochet? What's the difference between crochet, knitting, and tunisian crochet?

At the end of the day it seems to me that all three crafts results in similar knitted texture fabrics. What makes the key difference(s) between these crafts, if anything?

The distinction between the crafts are the tools used and how many stitches are held at the same time.

Crochet is done with a single hooked needle and typically only a few stitches are held at one time before being crocheted off.
Knitting is done with two or more needles, and rows of stitches are held open before being knitted off.
Afghan/Tunisian crocheting used a single hooked needle, but keeps an entire row of stitches held open on the needle.


What can I expect from a fixative? I finished a charcoal drawing and want to paint over it with a clear coating (of acrylic gesso). For that I first used a fixative so that the drawing will not smudge when I apply gesso with a Brush. However, it seems that the fixative does not work the way I intended. The charcoal is still (after a couple of coatings with fixative) not fixed, meaning that when i slightly rub on the surface it leaves a trace.

What might be the reason for my drawing not being fixed completely?

Could it be that the fixative is not good? Do I have to apply a couple more coatings of fixative?

Is it even possible to fix a charcoal drawing in such a way that it is unsusceptible to rubbing or brushing? If yes, how can I achieve this?

Yes, it is absolutely possible to completely fixate the pigment on its support, but there is a lot of difference in quality between brands and purposes. So, yes, you probably have a low-quality or inappropriate one - assuming your support is not wet or too smooth, which can both impede the fixation.
A couple of coatings is usually the recommended application. Apply the fixative evenly, about 30 cm perpendicular to the paper.
I stumbled upon this blog post on jacksonart.org with an extensive comparison of several brands and types, offering information and insight in the process.


Cleaning and oiling a Singer 3002 I would like to properly clean and oil a borrowed Singer 3002 machine! I have the instruction manual but it only says clean and oil, without much instruction on how to do that. I've been looking for an instructional video online for one of these older singer machines but haven't found one that corresponds with this model or a similar one. If you have any advice on what to use for the cleaning and how to do it, I would be very grateful! Thank you!

Most of the time you don't need a cleaning manual dedicated to the specific machine. What you need is a basic understanding what cleaning and oiling is intended to achieve and what the mechanical parts of the machine have to do with it.
Sewing machines, especially the older models without electronics, are masterpieces of mechanics. The rotation of one single motor is transferred to the base of the machine and the needle, and additionally translated into different needle positions that create sewing patterns. The top thread is transported into the bobbin case by the needle and must slide smoothly around the bobbin. All these movements should me as smooth and unimpeded as possible for the machine to work well.
What could impede these delicate movements is: lint, dust and old oil.
To clean the machine you gradually remove all removable covers and parts to access the mechanical innards. How to do this depends on your individual machine. Keep screws and small parts in a saucer or small bowl so you won't lose any. Open and clean one section after another, then put all removable parts back in and close the cover before opening the next part to not confuse any parts. The main sections to open and clean are:

The base, including the bobbin case, feed dog and needle plate itself (most often opened from the side you sit in front of)
The sewing arm (most often opened from the top)
The needle holder and mechanics just above it, including the lamp (sometimes opened from the side, sometimes from the top)

Hopefully the instruction manual contains instructions on how to open the machine. I was unable to find any material explaining how to open and maintain a Singer 3002.
The cleaning itself is simple: Carefully remove all dust and lint using either a soft cloth, dry brush or a gentle vacuum. The cloth can be dry or slightly dampened with clean water. Detergents or other cleaning products are not required.
Usually it's sufficient to wipe oiled parts off to remove the outer layer of oil that caught dust and lint particles. Use the hand wheel to slowly move the parts and wipe any old oil away that you couldn't access before. Then add a drop of fresh oil and you're basically done. You should only use special machine oil or mineral oil for sewing machines, because it stays liquid for a very long time. Organic oils become rancid and viscous over time and are not suited for sewing machines.


How can I dry my roses properly? Roses are expensive. At least they are where I live. When I buy them I would like to try and keep them for longer. So I dry them.

I usually just hang them flower down from a coat hanger and leave them for a couple of weeks. Sometimes they don't dry properly and smell or just fall apart at the lightest touch.

What can I do to my rose drying process to increase my success rate? I am sure the odd issue will happen but I am also sure there are things I can do to try and make the process better beyond "just hang em'".

Once they are dried properly is there anything else I can do to them to help them last longer?

There are a few things to keep in mind, starting with which rose to pick for drying:

Roses that are too old, too wide open or about to loose their petals will have a higher tendency to fall apart after drying.
Wide open flower heads will collapse during drying. Also the then clumped-together petals have a higher risk of staying moist too long and getting musty or moldy.
Flower buds will stay very compact, again with a risk of mold.
Not all colours dry well - whites and light yellows tend to develop brown spots, very dark reds become blackish. As a rule of thumb, colours get darker during drying.

So a semi-open rose in a medium pink, orange or red is a good starting point.

For drying, the main issue is to ensure a good airflow and low humidity. Cooler is actually often better than hot and humid. By all means, keep the flowers out of direct sunlight.

It might be tempting to take that bouquet and just hang it upside down (and it sometimes works), but taking it apart and hanging individual flowers is the safer way to go. Whether you use pieces of string or clip them with clothespins on your laundry rack is up to you. Also, think about removing the lower leaves, they tend to get in the way or crumble when arranging the dry flowers.

Some prefer to spray the blooms with hairspray or laquer, but while it preserves the colour, it can increase brittleness.


What are dry inks and dry pens? Because of its dry nature, it cannot be recommended for use in any pen that is also considered 'dry' as the rate of ink-flow is likely to be too low; that is its only practical restriction.

From: PELIKAN ink bottle review
What are they talking about when they say dry pen and dry ink?
What kind of pens are dry pens? Are there wet pens and wet inks too?
Please give examples.
How do I verify before purchasing that the ink and pen are dry or wet?

'Dry' and 'wet' refer to the flow of the ink.

Regarding inks, the terms 'dry' and 'wet' give a relative idea of the viscosity of the ink: wet inks flow more freely, whereas dry inks have more friction. The difference, usually caused by the amount of lubricant (depending on the amount and quality of the dye used), can be very subtle, and hard to spot, but you can feel it quite easily in your fingers, as wet inks give a smoother glide to your pen.
Wet inks, as the name implies, will stay wet for longer, whereas dry inks dry much quicker. Among other differences, dry inks allow for an improved application of details, as it is cleaner and finer. Wet inks will feather more. And if you happen to be a left-handed person, it will also facilitate sinistrodextral (left-to-right) writing, or vice versa, as the ink will likely smudge less.

Calling a pen 'wet' or 'dry' gives a relative idea of the transfer of ink. The nib is the crucial element here: wet pens will allow for the ink to flow copiously through their nibs, whereas dry pens have nibs that deposit ink less freely.

Obviously, this binary attribution - dry/wet - of what is essentially a range of fluidity is not particularly accurate.
It is now probably clearer why it is not recommended to use dry ink in a dry pen: both traits will counter each other, or, indeed, "the rate of ink-flow is likely to be too low".


Will alcohol based paint ruin my brushes? I have some fairly expensive brushes (Newton & Windsor series 7 with kolinsky saber). If I use alcohol based paints with these brushes, will they be ruined, or can I just clean them out with turpentine and all will be ok?

It depend on your brushes and if :

they contain glue or not to hold the hair
the hair are in synthetic material (should not be your case since you have kolinsky sable brushes)

In both case I would not use turpentine or other solvent on the brush since it will damage the glue and hair will go out and if the hairs are synthetic it will damage them.

The safest would be to have an old brush of the same brand of the one you intend to wash and make a test on them.


Using an underpainting and painting a gradient on top of another, with gouache Premise:
When we paint with gouache, previously laid layers of paint will get re-wet, and dissolve again, mixing into and strongly impacting (usually, for the worse) whatever we are trying to create on top.
I know one advice is applying layers in a specific order: starting with very diluted, and using less and less diluted subsequent layers: starting with "watery" and progressing towards "buttery" consistency.
Yet I'm afraid even this layering discipline won't help sufficiently when I'm:

trying to use an underpainting
trying to create a gradient (I mean "blending") (which, with gouache, is challenging already in itself) on top of a previously laid layer of a gradient.

Casein? Very close, but...
I know James Gurney likes to use casein, which will not dissolve once it dried. He uses it as underpainting under gouache pieces, and for entire works too.
But: casein does not seem to be widely available in my region (and I'm not big into online ordering paints), and anyways I'm also discouraged by the challenges that its organic nature imposes on handling it (like its quite short shelf-life). So I would rather look elsewhere.
What other approach can one take?
What other thing could I do, what additional material(s) should I bring in to achieve my above introduced goals?
I am interested in solutions that:

do not compromise the archivalness of the finished works: I wish uncompromised lightfastness (as good as the original paints'), and reliable, long-term adhesion to the carrier material (paper, gesso'd panel, etc.)
(preferably) leave the painting's surface similar in character to the original gouache's: I might still would like to apply some color pencil strokes on top, as part of the final steps

Use acrylic paint as an underpainting. It can be safely used in combination with gouache. To retain as much as possible of the character of a gouache painting (the matte look and texture), I suggest diluting it nevertheless, which, in addition, will help keep an eventual underdrawing visible and improves adhesion (based on the discussion here, it otherwise seems best for adhesion to use a matte medium over the acrylics before continuing with the gouache, or to add gum arabic to your gouache). Please do some tests with this in advance, though: too much dilution will compromise the binding properties of the acrylic.
Shelf-life is not optimal, but better than casein and tempera, and you can cover your palette/dish/container with cellophane to effectively slow down the drying process whenever you take a break.
Acrylic is flexible even after drying, and can be safely used on paper, canvas, and panel.

Use tempera to create your underpainting. After drying, it will be insoluble. It is known for its durability. During the renaissance, even after losing its popularity, this was still regularly used as underpainting for oil paintings because of this characteristic.
On a layer of tempera it's easier to create gradients using gouache.
Egg tempera is also fairly easy to make, and it won't interfere with the appearance of the gouache that's applied on top of it.

Another way to keep your underdrawing intact when working on panel, and without having to resort to (organic) mediums, is by engraving or incising your linework. You can also indent lines on non-hardened gesso. You will be able to see the depressed lines even after several layers of thin paint, but of course they might remain
Of course, this technique is dependent on your artistic style.


Finishing leather edges I've got few unfinished leather sheaths for knives and axes, but they're all unfinished because of the unfinished edges. I've read forums about finishing edges, but I've read on 20 pages about 20 techniques and all I could sum up from pages is that I shouldn't be using Edge Kote, because someone told me, that "Nothing screams amateurish like Edge Kote.".

As far as I've come with the techniques is, after I sew it together (like my latest axe sheaths in the picture #1 below), I should take off edges with an edger tool (V cut on edges, picture #2) and then use the spinning wood (picture #3), but I didn't get the desired finish as I wanted.

Has anyone had any similar problems or it's own technique, which would work better?

Top view from the axe sheath:

Desired edge finish on leather products:

Looking great by the way so far!

Personally when finishing any leather edges, I find the tiniest bit of Eco-flow gum tragacanth (brand not specific but it's just the one I've used) with a quick
hand burnish with a cloth gives the best finish. Yes, it's a lot harder and you need elbow grease, but I think it's worth it. I don't usually bother with edge colouring as I feel it doesn't much improve the look of the end item...

I'd also recommend spending some time burnishing the leather by hand just in general, using a cloth and light pressure but very quick movements over the edge you want to finish. Then try with different cloths, and dampen them a little, and then try with the tragacanth.

Hope this helps! Any other questions I'll try to be sure to come back and check if this helped. :D


How can I cover a large posterboard with glitter? I have a 22"x28" posterboard that I'd like to cover in glitter. What can I use to get the glitter to stick to the posterboard?

If you want the poster to be solid glitter, not simply speckled, I would use a spray adhesive, which is best with large surfaces. It also will not add additional weight or bow the the poster like a liquid or paste glue.

Spray adhesive and glitter are extremely messy. Work outside with plenty of ground cover (I suggest paper) and a large over-spray zone (don't spray near cars, etc.).

I recommend working the entire surface of the poster at once and not in sections. Previously glittered sections will get over-spray and you'll end up with sections of the poster with thicker layers of glitter than others.

The key to doing the whole poster will be to follow the directions on the spray glue can and to get a good solid covering of glue on the entire surface before applying glitter.

You'll need to literally dump a pile of glitter on the sticky poster, pick up the poster and shake the glitter around like you're shifting for gold. When the surface seems covered, turn the poster up facing you and tap the bottom edge a couple of times on the ground to release extra glitter. You should get a good view as to how well it's covered.

Above all, test your technique! Get a second poster, cut it in quarters, and begin testing your technique until it works the way you want.


How to give a mitt knit in the round a pointy finish? I'm trying to recreate a certain style of historical mitts:

Click here for bigger image.

I have worked from the bottom edge (at the ellbow) up in the round and are now at the point where I need to form the pointy finish. Since I don't have any instruction or pattern to guide me, I'm at a loss.

The images I have all indicate that one half of the mitt (at the palm) is bound off in a straight line. Doing that would open up the round and leave me with the other half (back of the hand) on a single needle. But how do I knit the rest of the top to give it a seamless look?

Should I knit the additional rows to create the triangle at the back of the hand first and bind off all rows in one go? Or should I bind off half the stitches and continue  decreasing the rows until I'm left with a final stitch at the top?

My mitts are knit in simple stockinette stitch and are supposed to have a simple knit bind off, so there won't be any fancy lace or any of those tiny loops you can see in the pictures.

The pointed shape you seek could be achieved in many ways, as with all things knitted.  Three possible strategies that come to mind are short rows; knitting back and forth with symmetrical edge decreases; and a scalloped edging pattern with symmetrical increases and decreases to form the pointed shape. I am going to suggest the latter, in which the shaping of the point is achieved whilst continuing to knit in the round. This will allow for a continuous bind off, all the way around, which offers a prettier finish than would be possible if you bind off the palm side separately.

I mocked up this example pattern to confirm it would work; it is a modification of a scalloped edging stitch pattern. You will need to mock this up in your specific yarn, needles and gauge, to experiment with how many stitches and rows will provide the depth and width of pointiness you want. This can be modified by the frequency with which the increase/decrease sequence is performed: if performed on every other row, the steepness of the point’s angle will be shallower than if performed on every row.  Also keep in mind that the drama of the point on the back of the mitt can be increased with thorough blocking.

The concepts of shaping knitted pieces can sometimes seem mysterious, but in this case can be explained as follows: to change what would have been a set of straight stockinette rows into a “mountain” or “uplifted” point shape (a scallop), the direction that the stitches lie must be changed from a vertical aspect, to stitches which symmetrically angle outward from a central imaginary line. To achieve this, mirrored increases must be placed on each side of the line.  In order to keep the stitch count the same (which creates a tube of consistent diameter, which does not flare out toward the bind-off edge) there must be one decrease for every increase.  There can be no decreases next to the middle line, or a valley would be formed instead of a mountain.

Mirrored increases and decreases are used, which here in my sample are unfortunately not well-represented, as I inadvertently transposed k2tog and ssk on the first few rows; my apologies...

What this mock-up does show nicely though is how uniform the bind-off is all the way around.  You will want to begin the bind-off on the palm side so that that little transition where the bind-off is completed is not highly visible on the back of the hand...

This little cuff is only about 12 rows, with the increase/decrease sequence performed on 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th rows.

In case you are interested, here are links to some very good tutorials on how to perform the mirrored increases and decreases in the pattern: Tutorials on increases.  Tutorials on  decreases.

Here is the example pattern, to get you started.  This can certainly be provided in written form, if reading charts is not your preferred format.  I hope this helps!


What is the term for an art show featuring two artists? An art show with one artist is a solo show. One featuring many artists is called a group show. What in the generally-accepted industry term for an art show that only has two artists? A dual show? A duo show?

A "group exposition" or "collective exhibition" could be used to describe a two person art show ... BUT (after searching the internuts a bit) it seems that "Duo Exhibition" is the most common term for a two artist show. Group Exposition or Collective Exhibition applies to shows which have three artists or more.

Examples:

In the exhibition guidelines for the MacDonald Island Community Art Gallery Exhibition they list three categories of exhibitions which depends on the number of artists showing: Solo, Duo and Collective
SEÇİL BÜYÜKKAN gallery discussing the Seçil Büyükkan and Deniz Aktaş "Hande Şarman" show  refers to the event as a "Duo Exhbibition".
The CV for visual artist Yooree Yang gives a listing of Solo Exhibition & "Duo Exhibitions" the artist has participated in the past


Acrylics in the drain? In an imaginary scenario, I paint with acrylics, let's say on canvas board or similar.
I don't use any fancy techniques, like impasto. Just the "normal" amount of paint and commonly used acrylic mediums.
I would like to know, whether I should be concerned about what these materials do when they get into the drain pipes (in the kitchen sink, or in the bathroom), when I wash out my brushes, and maybe some jars.

I know that as soon as acrylic painting materials get wet and then get a chance to dry, they end up forming a solid substance.
As far as I know / can imagine, drain pipes are not always soaked 100% in water, rather they have patches that get non-submerged from time to time.

Is it possible that acrylics materials could form dried-on layers within the drain pipes? That they could build up with time, decreasing the cross-section available for water flow?
Is this a valid concern? If yes, what could I do to mitigate it?

Yes, that concern is very valid, and it has always been a problem in any school art room I've ever been to (even though we used only water paints in school).
You should never wash big amounts of paint down the drain. The safer method is to simply let it dry and dispose of the remains in the household waste. Bigger amounts should be left to dry in a disposable container or plastic bag. Smaller amounts can be transferred to some old newspaper, paper towels, or similar disposable surface.
Brushes and mixing palettes should be wiped clean with a paper towel and then rinsed in fresh water. After you finished rinsing, continue letting the water flow for another minute to wash all the residue down your pipes. This is also useful for rinsing the pipes of old soap or fat residues (for example, after washing very oily dishes).
One solution I personally use: My mixing palette is a common glazed saucer. I let the paint that I no longer need dry on the saucer and then soak the whole saucer in water the next day. The acrylic paint won't dissolve in the water, but it will release from the glazed surface, and I can easily peel the paint remains from the saucer and dispose of them in the waste.


What's a flexible, strong string or yarn I can use in this toy? I made this flexible geometry toy based on one I saw in a learning store. You can bend it into different shapes, and it's fun.

Unfortunately, all I had on hand was some yarn to make the inside support.

I'm concerned that the yarn is eventually going to snap, or the knot is going to unravel. It's also not water-proof, so it might not be that great for extended kid use due to the messes they make.

What can I use instead?

I'd like something that:

Is strong, so it doesn't snap
Has some flex, so the toy can bend like it's supposed to
Is somewhat waterproof
Can easily be knotted in a way that won't unravel
Be able to have at least 3 strands of it threaded through a 4mm wide straw

Here's the toy, to give you an idea of my requirements:

Instead of yarn or thread, would fishing line work for you?

Different strengths available.
Is flexible.
Is made to be in water.
Can be knotted.
Variety of diameters available.


Keep yarn slack from developing in my work as I perform a basic knit stitch I am a very novice knitter trying to do a small blanket with a basic knit stitch. I am working with 100% cotton yarn and I have 16 inch bamboo needles. I cast on fine and where I am getting stuck is on the knit stitch. I do the first stitch and as I pull the loop onto the second needle I develop this slack in my piece. between the two needles that worsens with each stitch.

How do I fix this?

UPDATE

Please see  the image below, I am developing slack after the first stitch that grows with each iteration. I have just pulled the loop off my non working needle. I make my loops fairly tight as well so I do not think the slack is coming from there. After I put my working needle through the leg in the knit direction I pull the thread through and I tighten the thread going towards my yarn ball.

I am beginner but this is preventing me from even getting a scrap knit together let alone a real project.

On the topic of yarn and needle size, I have really long needles and made the amateur move of just grabbing a set and throwing out the wrapping so I cannot give you a diameter either. The yarn brand is Sugar 'n Cream 100% cotton, it does not list a needle size on the package.

Thank you for the advice thus far... I am determined to get something going eventually.

From the image you've shown it looks like you're on the first row of knitting after casting on, and it also looks like you've used a loop (a.k.a. backwards loop) cast-on method.

It's common to get an ever-increasing amount of slack on the first row when using this kind of cast-on. A loop cast-on is easy to do, but hard to do well because the tension used when casting on is fiddly. If you keep knitting this piece the knit stitches will even out, but they might not even out completely.

I recommend starting with a long tail cast-on. It will take a little longer to get the hang of, but you won't have the slack problem.


Is it possible to make a collapsible origami bellow/sleeve without using glue? Is it possible to make a collapsible origami bellow/sleeve without using glue? I am interested in that because i want to make a plunger engine that would use such a sleeve made of fiberglass sealed with tar. Any use of glue is precluded cause it would not withstand the pressure.

It is not a problem about origami so much as a problem of topology. If you are starting with a sheet of material its topology is genus 0. The shape you want, a sleeve, is genus 1 like a donut. The two are topographically unique and you cannot get from 0 to 1 without connecting the sheet to itself at some point, thus the glue.

If you had a seamless tube of fiberglass material, then you could get into the folding process that would give you the sleeve shape you want, but it is impossible with a flat sheet.


How to properly glue wood to a silicone mold to later fill with another material? I have a silicone mold that I want to use for a concrete piece. I want to add a piece of wood to that mold, which will leave a negative space in the concrete. Later, I will fill that with resin.
Is CA glue the best practice to stabilize the wood piece in the silicone mold? Or is there a better way?
I also want to be able to remove the wood from the mold if I decide not to use it, without damaging the mold.

Silicone works well as a mold material because virtually nothing adheres to silicone other than silicone.
CA glue may not be a good choice, as it certainly will not adhere, but also may damage the surface of the mold.
Your best option is to attach the wood to an outside jig or bracket of some sort, which has reference points to the mold that are not adhesive dependent. For example, if you can encase the mold in a box of plywood and drill holes in the plywood for attachment, the insert with an extension arm would drop into the mold in the correct position once the holes on the outside align with the arm.
Without drawings of the mold and insert, I can't generate a mock-up drawing. Words will have to suffice.


Cameo 4 not cutting exactly on the printed line I bought the Silhouette Cameo 4 desktop cutting machine a few days back and tried using the Cameo 4 with pepakura.
I followed the steps specified here.
But when the machine cuts the line on the printed paper, the cut is a bit off of the printed line: it is not exactly on the printed line, but always slightly to the left of it.
Am I missing any configuration settings on the Cameo 4 or in Silhouette Studio?

In the comments you wrote that all cuts are always slightly left of the printed lines. That means the cutter uses a different 0-coordonate (the starting point of all measurements on the page) than the printer. This 0-coordinate is usually somewhere in the upper left corner of the page and the Cameo uses Registration Marks to mark that point.
You need to understand that the cutter cannot see the printed lines. Instead the coordinates of the lines are fed into the cutter via a seperate file. The cutter cuts along the coordinates in the file, irrelevant of what is printed on the paper.
I do not have a Cameo device, but even if I had one, I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly what configuration is incorrect in your setup. You'll have to check your configuration and find the error yourself.

What paper size do you use? Is it A4 or US Letter or something else? Make sure you have the same paper size configured in Pepakura and in Silhouette Studio.
Update the Cameo firmware. That's the software that runs on the Cameo device and people have reported that an update solves several issues. Go to the official homepage and follow the instructions there.
Check the print settings in Pepakura (in the menu "Settings" -> "Print and Paper"). Make sure you selected the correct paper size. Set the margins to 15mm for the registration marks. Activate the option "Print lines smoothly" and set the transparency to 0%.
Create a new version of the DFX cut file with the new settings in Pepakura. It could be that the cut file you used to cut the paper includes wrong coordinates. By creating a new file you can be sure that your current settings are reflected in the file.
Check your settings in Silhouette Studio. Again, make sure you set the correct paper size. In the "Defaults" options activate "Registrations Marks On" and "Cut to edge of page". In "Import Options" activate "As Is". Open the "Registration Marks" settings and set the Left, Right, Top and Bottom Inset to the lowest value possible.
Register your paper. There is a small black square printed on the paper, which is the Registration Mark. Once you placed the paper on the cutting mat, you have to move the cutting blade over this black mark before you can start cutting. Please read the manual on how to do this correctly. If you don't register the paper like that, the cuts can easily be off the way you describe in your question.

If that still doesn't solve your problem, here is a Youtube video that is somewhat lengthy but goes through all the important settings and steps.


How to remove coating from metal ring? I've got this here ring.

It's covered in some sort of grey paint or varnish that I can scrape off to reveal a copper base. I'd like to remove all of the varnish, and scraping will only do so much - I cannot, for example, scrape off the varnish on the inner edges.

What can I use to remove the varnish?

Start with acetone (nail polish remover) and see if that does the trick. Agitating with a Q-tip can speed things along. It all depends on what the coating is, but acetone won't hurt the copper so it's a good place to start. If it works but isn't fast, you might try soaking it for an hour or so.

A more aggressive approach would be oven cleaner, but it's likely to remove any patina from the copper and shouldn't be left on there too long. Also make sure to rinse thoroughly with water afterwards to remove any caustic residue.


What is this holographic material I have some decorations that have standard fairy lights behind some plastic which creates a kind of holographic effect.

There is a similar product here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JB979HD

What is this material and what types of places sell it?

It's called "3D star effect foil" or "3D holographic foil" and can be found in well-equipped craft stores (especially around christmas time) or online:

Amazon
Dannells


Are all ruffles gathered, or are there different types of non-gathered ruffles? Are all ruffles gathered, or are there different types of non-gathered ruffles? I am new to sewing and I was wondering if all ruffles are gathered or not. By ruffles, I mean the ruffles we often see in skirts and other female pieces of clothing.

There are many ways to make ruffles, but some of them are out of fashion now. Ruffles went through several hundred years of development and changing fashion, and sometimes went by different names, depending on the construction method and where they were attached to the garment.
The most common ruffle (today) is a long strip of fabric that is gathered along one long side. Stephie has already listed various ways how to create them. Pro tip: If you sew 2 gathering stitches in parallel and pull both of them, the ruffle will be neater and easier to attach to the straight fabric.
If you sew your gathering line in the middle of the strip of fabric, you end up with a double ruffle or frill.

A ruffle that is not gathered can be achieved by cutting a big circle, spiral or halfmoon shape from fabric and sewing the inner edge in a straight line to the piece of clothing. Since the inner circumference is smaller than the outer one, the fabric is longer on the outer edge and falls in waves. Technically this is called a flounce or circular ruffle.

Image source
You can achieve a very similar effect with knit fabrics. Knits like jersey are stretchy, so by stretching the edge of the fabric while hemming it, you automatically create a ruffle.
To create a jersey frill, cut a long strip and stretch the fabric along the short width while feeding it into your machine. This automatically gathers the center of the strip. Have a look at this video tutorial.
Historically, there were also pleated ruffles, but they are not very common anymore. Knife pleated ruffles can be made relatively easily on a sewing machine and there are even special sewing foots that automatically pleat the fabric while it's sewn. Box pleated ruffles are a little harder to make because (as far as I know) there's no way to automate the pleating (at least not for a hobby sewer). Often these are simply called pleats.

Knife pleated ruffle, image source

Box pleated ruffle, image source
As with the gathered ruffle, you can move the gathering line to the center of the fabric to get pleated frills.
One very special way of pleating is the cartridge pleat, which is most prominently seen in historical ruff collars. If you make your pleats very small and tight, you end up with a ruffle that stands perpendicular to the fabric it's sewn to (if it's sewn in the correct way).

Cartridge pleats, image source


Touching up the coloring on my American nylon flag Touching up the coloring on my American, nylon flag. What is the best way to do this? Thank you.

Perhaps try fabric paint available at a serious art supply store. In Australia, I'd would by these, as they set permanently.

Matching your colours will be difficult, so experiment on a scrap of paper,
fabric or even a paper plate first. (My experience with plastic paints is that they dry darker.)

Another option is fabric markers, although heat setting the ink with an iron would need to be done carefully and on a low heat setting for nylon. Again, test your technique on a scrap of nylon first.


Charcoal and Pastel Drawing Storage I need to store a lot of charcoal and pastel drawings as I've recently gotten back into drawing.

I can't afford a proper solution such as a flat file at the moment.

I'm worried about stacking the drawings on top of each that can lead to possible damage on the drawings. I also don't want to leave them exposed to dust.

Is there a cheap solution that I can place between and on top of the drawings for the moment until I can afford a better solution?

I would lean toward using acid-free tissue paper.  It comes in all sizes and you can cut out sheets large enough to separate your drawings.  I think this is similar to what my sisters use.

Of course one of the things that could help preserve them is spray a fixative on them, to help keep them from smudging.

Last if you need a physical container, there are plenty of different shaped plastic boxes, many big box stores have different options for $5-10 a piece.  Combined with the acid-free tissue paper you can store quite a few drawings in a safe location away from the elements, dust etc.


What's a good fabric to use for an outdoor canopy? I'd like to create my own outdoor canopy for my small deck. This canopy is going to be a large swathe of fabric that will attach to a wall and the deck fence, creating a sloped shade. What are good fabric options for this sort of purpose?
Things to note:

I don't care if the fabric is waterproof because I'm planning on only extending the shade when I'm underneath it, and I won't be going outside in the rain
I do want the fabric to be able to dry relatively quickly
I don't want the fabric to totally obscure the sunlight, I'd like partial shade
Ideally I would like to be able to sew additions to the fabric without special tools like an industrial sewing machine

There are fabrics of different materials and weaves designed specifically for that purpose. They hold up to UV and wind, dry quickly, are resistant to abrading through where they are secured or in contact with supports, and offer different levels of light filtering. They are sold as "outdoor canopy fabric" and "awning and shade fabric". Here are a couple of links to get you started (I'm not personally familiar with these specific products): Amazon Outdoor Canopy Fabric and Sailrite Awning & Shade Fabric.
I would expect that you could use a regular sewing machine to attach trimming to virtually any of these fabrics.  The fabrics are often a bit thick and heavy-duty, but they are still cloth, and many upholstery fabrics are thicker.  An industrial sewing machine isn't needed to perform the sewing for a one-time job.  But it would be used in a factory setting making canopies, mainly because it would have a much longer service life under those operating conditions and workload.


Estimating the amount of wool stuffing needed for a project I've just acquired a new loveseat for my apartment that's in desperate need of reupholstering. Here's the problem: the cushions are (or were) stuffed with wool. I have some experience with reupholstering furniture in the past, but I've never worked on something like this before and I can't seem to find any information that might give me an estimation on how much I'd need to re-stuff these cushions.

Is there a rule of thumb for this?

It seems, from casting about online, that the use of wool stuffing for refurbishing furniture cushions is somewhat outmoded, even for a restoration project such as yours where authenticity is desired. Other than several blogs mentioning wool when discussing the pros and cons of various cushion materials, especially those which are emphasizing natural furniture materials for health and green reasons, there is not much expertise being shared online on this topic...

I did however stumble upon this most wonderful site, which just might be the ultimate source for your specific question on quantity estimate: Home of Wool.  They offer wool stuffing and batting, as well as custom wool cushions and mattresses, not to mention their shop bursting with cool stuff made of wool and other natural fibers.  I am certain these friendly people would very happily assist you on your quantity question.

Foam Order is another source for organic wool batting, including one manufactured with cotton backing.  (They do not offer wool stuffing, though. They do discuss how to fold wool batting for the stuffing of a pillow, however, which sounds intriguing...)

Lastly, I will just throw in this little tutorial on how to stuff a cushion with wool.

And of course as you pointed out, there are wool battings available at Joann.

Happy reupholstering!


Murals in the classroom I was recently commissioned by two of my 11th grade teachers to paint them wall murals in their plain classrooms.

One is not very specific with what they want, and the other is overly specific.

The Chem. teacher wants a few of his walls painted, how long does that mean I'll have to stay after school to get that done?

I am not a teacher, but I too am impressed with your willingness to commit.. Do not take this as permissive, but my belief is that your education begins with your interests and the rest can be garnered in college, where you can apply yourself.

If you intend to be an artist, then this is your launching pad.

Time is always a problem when stepping into a new endeavor.  Please consider using a grid and transferring the entire image, in pencil or chalk, onto your surface.

I suspect you can google all you'll need to know about using a grid for reproducing an image onto a wall, so I won't elaborate to much here.

Sketch your idea or use a commercial photo.
Then overlay clear velum, glass, plastic, or draw a grid pattern directly onto the sketch.
With a chalk snap line, make a larger grid on the wall.
Now, imagine each square on your sketch or photo being copied onto the corresponding chalk line square on the wall, then draw it.

This will save you an enormous amount of time in every step of the mural process.  Designing, transferring, and painting can all be done on your sketch, and preparation, the key to success, is covered.


Blend colors with markers I have experience with drawing with color pencils, water colors and pastel. Now I want to try it with markers. As I am a newbie to markers, I have a lack of knowledge about those. I wonder if it is hard to blend colors when using markers?

It is possible to blend using markers, though like any new medium it can take some practice as well as depend on the type of marker you're using.

Water-based markers

Blending water-based markers requires little to no additional special equipment, just some water and a way to apply it. As you mention experience with watercolors, this may feel fairly intuitive to you. You'll use either a standard brush or a water brush (a hollow brush pen that can be filled with water) to apply water to your paper and fade or blend your colors. Additionally, you can use a non-porous surface to build up some ink from the marker and use it very similarly to paint by picking the ink back up off that surface with your brush/water brush.

The blog The Frugal Crafter has an entry showing a wide variety of samples of both test blending and artwork done using inexpensive water-based markers and brushes to blend.

Brands include Tombow, Marvy LePlume, Crayola, Mr. Sketch, etc.

Alcohol-based markers

With alcohol based markers, the key to blending is to work while the ink is still wet; this can mean working quickly from one color to another on the page, touching the tips of two markers together, or applying one marker to a nonporous surface and picking the color up with another. Additionally, many brands feature a "colorless blender" pen that contains only the solvent and can be used to help fade a color into the paper's color.

User Khallandra on DeviantArt offers a nice rundown of various blending techniques with a large number of sample images.

Brands include Copic, Prismacolor, etc.

Solvent-based markers

Solvent-based (xylene, etc) markers may behave fairly similarly to alcohol-based markers, and even may include the option of a colorless blender for them. Their blending is not as smooth as that of alcohol-based markers, however this may vary to some degree by brand. I'll note that while I personally have used them in the past, it was briefly and some time ago due to the heavy fumes released by the solvents, which can cause eye and lung irritation.

The Curiously Creative blog has a guide to general marker types, which has the best general, neutral information I could find on solvent-based markers.

Brands include Sharpie, Chartpak, etc.


How to make a stone (or something similar) and put there electronics? I'm an electronics hobbyist. I'd like to put a Wi-Fi module in my garden. It would be awesome if it would be possible to put that electronics into a stone or something similar. It doesn't need to be able to open.

Things I considered:

1. There's a rock for hiding keys available on the market:

The seller says that it's made of synthetic resin. But I'm not sure how to make that in home conditions? This specific product is too small. I'd require something a little bit bigger.

2.

  You might just take a watertight hobby box and an adhesive, perhaps like the foam used by pond hobbyists, and 'glue' rocks over the box. – user2448131

IMHO that wouldn't be ideal enough? I mean you could easily see that it's just a bunch of stones that are glued, right? I think I'm looking for something more plain/consistent.

The idea is good in general but this time I'm looking for something that would cover it from every angle. Such a whim.

So, how to make such a thing like the box for hiding a key or something similar easily at home/garage workshop conditions?

What about Feather Rock? That is lightweight and easy to alter. Or check out some of the hidden outdoor speaker ideas and simply convert them for your project.


Why do complementary colours desaturate each other? I'm only just recently getting into colour theory, and so far I have found this to be the most shocking and confusing part.

Just to get some terms defined:
Saturation:

Color saturation refers to the intensity of color. When color is fully saturated, the color is considered in purest (truest) version. Techopedia.com

Complementary color

a color that combined with a given color makes white or black OED

In painting, here's why a color's complementary color reduces intensity (desaturate)

First, each of the six pairs of Complementary Colors always contain one cool and one warm Hue. This means they are the colors with the most contrast.
Each pair of Complementary Colors always contain some combination of all three Primary Colors. For example, in the pair Yellow and Purple, Yellow is one Primary and Purple is a mixture of the other two Primary colors Red and Blue.
When you mix all three Primary Paint Colors together you get a dark neutral. So because Complementary Colors always contain all three Primary colors,  they quickly neutralize each other when mixed together.

From Color-Wheel-Artist.com There are some very good illustrations at the link.
Bottom line: When you mix complementary colors you are blending all three primary colors which reduces intensity/saturation.


Plastic/Glass for a very large, custom frame I am working on a large poster to display my original Pokemon cards, but because of the size of the cards and the way I wanted them to be laid out, store bought frames are out of the question.  The poster is not 100% done so I am not sure what the final measurements will be once I trim down the poster board, but it probably will be 49 inches by 29 inches. All of the cards are in sleeves, but I still want something over all of it to keep the cards flat against the poster.  What kind of plastic or vinyl or glass (though I don't know how I'd cut it) would be cost effective (at most $25), easy enough to cut to size, and not a pain to apply (like with phone screen protectors, it is hard to get the bubbles out).  Thanks!

A clear Mylar sheet could work.

Clear, moisture resistant, acid free and archival.
And available in the size and price range you are looking for.

Here's an example available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027A3HKG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473127673&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=clear+mylar+roll&dpPl=1&dpID=31N50Emps-L&ref=plSrch


How do I keep my ink from smudging when I draw? When I try to make sketches with a fountain pen on printer paper, it keeps smudging, so I have to restart.  What do I do to prevent smudging?

If this helps, I'm ambidextrous.

There are four things I can think of which will help you avoid smudging your inks are: how you hold your hands over your working surface, controlling the amount of ink on your paper, helping the ink dry quicker, and being present at all times in the drawing process.

Keep away from wet areas.

Always keep your hand above the surface of the paper, never resetting the edge of the palm on the paper. Only the tip of the pen is allowed to make contact with the paper. If you do need to stabilize your hand, for some fine detail work, you either stabilize your hand using the tip of your pinky balanced in an area free of ink or you use something like a painter's maulstick which gives you a stable surface that is balanced from the outer edges of your working area.
Remove any excess ink helps speed drying time.

Fountain pens can place generous amounts of ink onto the surface of your paper. This pooled ink takes a long time to dry. To help the drying process you can use something called an "ink blotter". An ink blotter is a special pad of paper used to soak up excess ink from the surface of the paper. Helps to dry the remaining ink faster.
Evaporate the moisture.

Use heat to help the ink dry quicker. A heat gun, or blow dryer, passed gently over the surface of your working surface will help remove the moisture from the ink.
Stop and think.

It's easy to get lost in a drawing and forget what areas you have recently gone over. It's those recently drawn areas which have the greatest change of being accidentally smudged. Be present in the moment, slow down your drawing and pay attention where your pen has been recently and where you want to go to next. Knowing what you have drawn and when it was drawn will help you avoid inadvertently running into still wet ink.


How important is hand/finger position in fiber crafts? I've been learning to knit and crochet by looking at various tutorials online. In the pictures and/or videos, the fingers are often positioned with respect to the needles or yarn in ways that don't feel comfortable or natural to me.

Is the relative position of fingers, yarn, and needles very important to get stitches right, or is this more of a recommendation and I should find my own way to get the loops where they need to go?

The finger positioning—actually the way the yarn loops around the fingers—controls the overall tension of the yarn. Think of it like the path the thread takes on a sewing machine—all those ups, downs and arounds between the thread spool and the needle to make a nice even stitch on the fabric.

Fortunately the yarn path around the fingers is much more forgiving than the thread path on a sewing machine—get that wrong and…yikes, thread ball and swear words! If you find a finger/yarn position that you're comfortable with while you're learnings knit or crochet, go for it!

When I was learning to knit and crochet the finger positions never made any sense to me either, I just kept getting all tangled up! My solution was to hold the yarn out of the way between my index and middle fingers until I learned to get all the loops in the right place. Not very elegant but it worked for me because I had some tension control as the yarn ran between two fingers. Eventually I naturally settled into the "proper" finger position as my stitch technique improved.


Method for embedding rock mosaic in transparent material I am looking for a way to do the following.
1. Arrange a pattern of semi-precious stones.
2. Embed it in a transparent medium so that it can be hung up, say in front of a window.

Someone suggested I use ClearCast epoxy in a silicone mold. I sort of like this idea, but the problem is that if I just pour epoxy over the stones, the whole thing will have exposed stones on one side. I'd like to have it smooth on both sides. Another thing that occurred to me is to lay the stones on a sheet of glass, and then pour the epoxy over that, but I don't know how well that would work. How well would the epoxy bond to the glass? Also, what would be a good way of keeping a rectangular shape on the sides?

Another option would be to do two pours. After pouring onto the stones and letting it harden, I could turn it over and then pour a second layer. Any ideas on how well the second pour would bond to the first, and also would I expect a visible fault plane in the middle?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Feel free to alter the tags.

Another option would be to do two pours.

This would be what I would have tried/suggested with epoxy resin. Make the first pour and let it harden. Do your best to try and remove bubbles during both pours obviously. You don't want to pour to fill half but slightly less then that so your object appear suspended in the middle of the finished piece. This will be harder to accomplish if your objects are of greatly different thicknesses. What works against you here is that most epoxies are self leveling.

Once the first pour has hardened you can start the next one. Depending on the contours of your rocks you will need to be wary of trapped air bubbles. You could either put the rocks in first and pour or place the rocks mid pour. The ladder should mitigate the epoxy moving your rocks around during the pour.

The two+ pours method is used frequently with painting to create the illusion of 3 dimensions. One example is this video showing the artist filling the bottom of the box with resin and a painted goldfish.

Emil Hauge - Painting 3D fish

While looking for something else I found another video showing how to make a rock embedded coaster with resin and a silicone mold. Seems to line up with the suggestions given above. Only difference being the rocks were set before the first pour cured completely. If you want your rocks to be suspended it might be better if you wait until it has hardened.

  Also, what would be a good way of keeping a rectangular shape on the sides?

Using some sort of mold would be your best option. You see them commonly used in resin jewelry. Large rectangular molds do exist. A cursory search found a 7 inch square mold that was 3/4 inches deep.

I saw someone use a mini red solo cup as a mold and it worked perfectly. You would need to test your resin first to see how it reacts. Not all resin products are created equally.

I am not sure of other materials or home brew options for molds. It would have to be something non permeable. This could easily be another question.


Will a die cutter work for intricate 'lace style' cut outs in paper? I have 9 months until my wedding, and I adore the laser cut wedding invitations but I do not like the prices at all. I am big into crafts, especially doing things myself when it comes to parties, weddings etc. So, I thought why not just buy a machine. Crazy expensive, can definitely see why they charge so much for the invitations. But I came across the "Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine", it looks as though it does just about anything and it is affordable and I could use it for many other occasions, but I am unsure if it would do the lace like paper. If anyone has this machine, or knows about it, or knows another way I could go about doing these invitations, please let me know! I attached the picture of the machine, and the invitation I am trying to get close to:

The Cricut and similar machines such as the Cameo Silhouette use very sharp knife blades mounted in a manner to allow the tip to rotate to follow the direction of movement.

They are nearly perfect for the pictured type of work. You may find it necessary to experiment somewhat to get ideal machine settings for your specific paper type, but that is easily accomplished, generally speaking.

For fine detail such as in the photo, you'd likely keep the travel speed on the low side. If it takes you three minutes to successfully cut the card instead of two minutes to gouge great tears in it, the difference in time is minimal.

The limitations of such a device are more based on one's ability to locate suitable designs on the internet, or to create one's own designs using the bundled software.

More deluxe versions (higher prices) usually mean the software accepts input from a greater variety of image formats.

The typical hobby cutter uses a plastic mat with an adhesive covering similar to very powerful Post-It note glue, which eventually wears out. Also, if one uses incorrect settings, the blade tip cuts more deeply into the plastic mat, leaving gouges that will later affect the craft results. The mats are more-or-less expendable, but not inexpensive, typically in the $15 and up range. It's far better to know your settings well, and save a dollar in the process.

The adhesive is quite strong, as it has to withstand the knife trying to move the paper off the mat. One should be prepared to use a tool to release the item from the mat, rather than peeling it by hand. Thinner materials are especially prone to ripping. Some of the cutters include such a tool, which resembles a tiny pancake flipper.  A quality palette knife may not have as thin an edge but can be used.


Is there a name for a pattern which alternates circle and square tiles? Google search doesn't give any results or it does but for a different pattern type :

Checker board with checkers. (It does not appear to be a pattern with an official name.)


What is the difference between cheaper oil paints and more expensive ones? I use Winton oil paint that I get for £8 for a 200ml tube (for any colour). Some tubes from other ranges (from the same shop) cost up to £160 for a tube the same size - and there is different pricing for different colours. There are several different ranges in between at different prices.

Why the huge disparity in pricing for paint, and what do you get in the more expensive ranges that you don't in the cheap stuff?

There are many things that can set apart great paints from others:

working-qualities of the oil
specific source of the oil
chemical pigments
pure-mineral pigments
colorfastness of the pigments
metals in the pigment
consistency of pigment grain-size
pigment density / fillers.

Each of these can mean different things to the rest of the materials you will use in producing your painting, which is a bit beyond the scope of this question.


Are you supposed to remove the sheets from oil painting pads? I had my first go at oil painting on the weekend.I was given some basic beginner supplies for Christmas. This included a "Belle Vous" Oil Painting Pad with 12 sheets. I thoroughly enjoyed my first go using a wet-on-wet style but was taken by surprise how long it can take oils to dry properly.

This may seem like a non-question to some people, but when using a pad like this, would you pull a sheet out from the pad before painting so you can use more before it's dried? Would you have multiple pads and rotate them whilst another is drying so you can have a sort of "art book" of completed pictures at the end? Or am I greatly over worrying about the fragility of oil paint and leaving it for a day will make it "dry enough" to just flip over to another sheet? Or perhaps am I supposed to do something so it dries in better time?

You paint on only one sheet at a time, removing it and placing it on a table, easel, or other surface of your choice. You can use a hard or stiff backboard if needed. It does take a long time for oils to dry.