How to dye or tint epoxy resin to produce translucent colors? A while ago I started crafting with epoxy resin. At first I just coated objects with clear resin, but recently I experimented with adding colors to it.

I got nice results with powders (like glittery eye shadow) and a tiny bit of acrylic paint, but the result always loses the crystal clarity of the resin and gets somewhat cloudy or opaque.

Next I bought transparent liquid glass paints in the hopes of mixing a more transparent but colorful resin. But to my surprise the color didn't mix with the resin at all and instead formed tiny flakes of (still liquid) color in the otherwise absolutely untinted resin. The effect is not bad, but not at all what I wanted.

The glass color was water soluble, but probably not acrylic paint. It didn't say exactly what was in there on the packaging.

My goal is to find something that will tint the resin but keep it translucent. If I go shopping in my craft store, how do I know which colors will mix with epoxy resin without having to buy a bunch of material for experimentation and ending up not using most of them?

I'd appreciate general answers like "acrylic paints mix well but oil paints don't" instead of naming specific brands of paints that might not be available where I live.

Since I got the best results with powders so far, I thought about buying high quality aquarelle paints (the solid blocks) and grinding them into powder, but I'm afraid the resin will get cloudy / opaque again and the money will be wasted.

You need something that's soluble in the liquid epoxy, or possibly a liquid that's miscible with it.  Water isn't miscible with epoxy, and if you try too hard to mix it you'll produce cloudiness. I suspect that rules out acrylic paints as well.  Typical solvents don't dissolve epoxy; some may be miscible.  I'm not sure what the liquid phase is to investigate solubility.

Powders in general - unless you want a glitter or speckle effect - are unlikely to work however fine you grind them.

There are specific dyes for epoxy (Amazon example), and this article also recommends alcohol inks - you can try making your own from old marker pens if you just want a test batch, though I'd use solvent-based markers to start with (such as Sharpies or cheap equivalents).  It would appear that alcohols mix with the solvents used in the epoxy components and in fact can apparently be used to thin epoxy.

You may have a little more trouble getting bubbles out than normal - a vacuum system is one way to help with this, but thinning should also help.


Paperweights used to hold down Art, Posters, or Maps for framing My local frame shop uses weighted leather discs to lay prints out flat.
These paper weights are essential for keeping rolled posters flat on a table. I can also see them being used in the map / cartography hobby. They're soft, so as not to damage the paper, small enough to cover only the corners, but also heavy enough to hold down a rolled poster and not move.
I'd like to buy some for framing at home, but I'm finding these items to be surprisingly difficult to find. I can find almost no pictures of them in use. The ones I can find seem overly expensive or rare.
What are these items called in the framing world?
Where do frame shops purchase these paper weights? Are they available at craft stores?

I might describe them as paper weights, bean bags, sand bags, shot bags, weighted leather disks, etc. But there are not many results for any of these terms. It seems like these should be a common item.

Weight bags/Paper weights to hold down art
as pkamb said in the commments.  Also, I searched "paperweights to hold down art" and the ones you're looking for are there. Take a look at it, that's what you're looking for.


How do I mix charcoal and graphite correctly? Using graphite is somewhat risky. I've seen that when I use graphite it ends up very shiny, am I doing anything wrong? If im correct, the process is: apply the charcoal then the graphite, but how can you "dim" the shine of the graphite without using said products? Can you add x layer to make it more like a
"matte grayish" tone? (if that makes sense?)

Depending on the paper and pressure you apply to your pencil, when you use graphite over charcoal, you will just scratch away most of the charcoal powder. Fixating the charcoal first won't help much, since the charcoal particles are much larger, and this process will just mess up the drawing more.
On the other hand, using charcoal over graphite won't work well either, since the charcoal might not get a sufficient grip on the graphite wherever it has been applied heavily: using pencils applies pressure that flattens the paper, while the remaining texture will be filled up with graphite - the glossier the pencil marks, the harder it will be to apply charcoal over it.

You can combine both techniques, but will have to do some planning in advance so the two won't mix as much.
Instead of using regular pencils, you can use grey or coloured pencils, which will have a much more matte effect.
If you're using pencils because of the reversibility, and using mediums is out of the question, the only real option you have is to only draw very lightly, preferably with softer pencils (e.g. 9B).


Ultra thin stiff wire Where can I get wire that is very thin (needle size, 24-26 gauge), but is stiff (like a needle)? Does it have a name?

The wire of this diameter available at craft and home stores (which comes in rolls) is too pliable. I'm looking ideally for something that is essentially a really long needle in that it is thin, stiff, and can hold a fair amount of weight without warping.

Context: I wish to suspend fairly heavy beadwork with this wire (think clothesline but with the wire running through the top row of beads).

A needle may not be as stiff as you think. One reason a needle seems so stiff is that it's short. A needle of the same diameter and material that was a foot long would not seem stiff at all by comparison. This is just the mechanics of materials at play.

The design problem is a trade-off between wire diameter and material strength. The stiffness of the wire is increased with the wire diameter and also by the strength of the material; a wire of stronger material will deflect less than one of a lesser strength, given the same diameter.

The strength of steel is strongly affected by the alloy and its state of hardening. At the low end would be baling wire, which is mild steel (low-carbon) which cannot be hardened. At the high-end would be tool steel (chrome-vanadium alloy perhaps) that was hardened to maybe 60 Rc (really darn hard). These would exhibit really different deflection characteristics, from bending (permanently) with mild hand pressure to really making you work for it and probably snapping before taking too much of a bend.

A generally good compromise on these is available in music wire, as Matt mentions. Music wire is high-ish carbon steel hardened to a spring temper. This makes it good for springs, which is what a piano string is. It can be made harder, but this comes at the cost of increasing its brittleness. (If you snap a good needle with pliers you'll find that it snaps suddenly, aka. a brittle failure.)

Additional strength can be obtained using a tool steel, which I expect what the best needles are made from. This is most easily obtained as so-called "drill rod". It is supplied unhardened (but still quite strong) and can be hardened to your specifications using a propane torch and either water or (vegetable) oil.

None of these options will be absolutely rigid over any distance. You'll need to decide where to trade off a graceful curve with wire thickness. If you can prevent the wire from rotating, you may be able to "pre-stress" the wire (bend it upwards) such that it appears quite straight when loaded.

I would start with the music wire. It's much cheaper and easier to find. If it's important enough and music wire won't get it done you can look into tool steels.


What type of paint to repair my wooden veneer? I have a cool Ethan Allen wooden entertainment center. A few weeks ago my kids knocked something large and heavy into the front drawer leaving a divot and a loss of veneer for about 2 square inches (12 square cm). The divot seems simple enough to repair with wood fill.

The veneer is made from maple, or something similar, and waxed. The color scheme is yellow/tan, orange, and brown stripes for the grain.

What kind of paint should I use to try to match the surrounding veneer? Between kids and dust, a damp rag or weak cleaning solution will be used from time to time. My initial instinct is acrylic, but perhaps oil or Duo Aqua would work better.

Matching paints and colours can be a science in itself. No matter what you do the chances of it match perfectly are close to none. I don't have much advice to offer when it comes to painting. But...

Not an answer to your exact question but wanted to offer a different suggestion then painting. Why not just patch the veneer? One the first obvious questions would be I can't find something that matches. You don't really need to anyway.

There are plenty of people who patch veneers are both old an modern furniture whether the end result is meant to be a simple repair or to add an accent.

It does not have to be a simple square patch either. You have the opportunity to make something truly special and unique. In it simplest form find some existing veneers, thin scrap wood etc.

Severally simplified steps

I don't image you are going to do this anyways.

Cut a shape you would like that compliments the damaged area. It is actually preferred that it be slightly thicker than what you are replacing.
Remove any extra remaining veneer are the area. Use the patch you created in the previous step as a template.
Clean the "void" and fill in if damage is severe. (You could use plastic glue in your case)
Glue in place.
Sand down. Card scrapers are useful here but not something everyone has. Careful around the existing veneer.
Finish as desired.

There are many tutorial examples out there but here is one where a table with a cigarette burn was patched and finished.

Mid Century Table Veneer Repair


Pirate sword painting So, I've thought of using glue to stick pieces of cardboard together into a sword and then putting aluminum foil on it and painting it to look like it has rusted. Turns out, for paint to stick to aluminum you need to make sure there is no aluminum oxide and treat the aluminum. Paint won't stick to bare aluminum but acrylic paint is the best type of paint to use on aluminum. Is there any inexpensive metal foil for which I could just paint it on and not have to worry about treating the metal?

I want to get this type of color on the sword blade:

So you can see, there are some areas where I would be using black paint and others where I would be using orange paint and I think I might want to like do a whole layer of black paint and then after drying, put the orange paint on in another layer. But I don't want to go through the expensive process of getting rid of the aluminum oxide and treating the aluminum so is there an inexpensive metal foil that paint will actually stick to without treating the metal?

Do you mean paint won’t stick to aluminum foil? Because any two-component epoxy based paint will stick to aluminum and aluminum foil. But I think your approach is flawed from the get go. You should look into the way cosplayers build swords. They have a skeleton-like frame (sometimes a solid wood dowel) underneath the sheathing which is very often a type of foam matt like you would find at a camping store for underneath a sleeping bag or a type like that which is used for yoga. They cut shapes and glue them together, perhaps even screwing them to the dowel, paint them, apply decals from model kits etc. The videos can be quite entertaining.


What fabric can I use for these clothes? (The picture bellow is from a costume on-line shopping[ https://www.buycostumes.com/products/mens-steampunk-gentleman-costume ]. I don't want the exactly same thing, but it's close enough.)

I don't know what fabric to use for this steampunk outfit (suit, trousers and spat). I want this to be from a nice quality fabric. First I thought about wool, but it is expensive.

I don't want it to be a costume, I really would like to have the "feeling" that it is legit.

Any advice?

I'm not really going to address your question, but the underlying problem.

The fact that costumes usually look like costumes and not like "legit" outfits, is because they are produced for temporary use: their cheap materials (and often cheap manufacture) keep prices at a minimum.

You can indeed improve on the fabric, but, combined with the working hours you'll have to put in it, you will have to see if this option is preferable to buying a higher quality costume.

My advice, depending on where you live, would be to visit a couple of thrift stores. Find pants, a waistcoat, a hat, a long coat, and any additional accessoires (since you're assembling your own outfit, you might even be able to wear parts of that outfit in daily life, making the investments even more worthwhile).
Whatever you still need you can now make from higher quality fabric, since you'll need less. You might even be able to find proper types of textile in those very same stores.

As a last tip: I believe you can get convincingly good-looking steampunk glasses and pocket watches for relatively low prices online.


How can I prevent my drawings and paper from yellowing over time? Some paper just yellows over time, especially if left out somewhere where it sees sunlight.

Acid-free paper is a partial solution, but not terribly budget-friendly.

Is there something else I can do in order to ensure the longevity of my work? I'd be using a variety of pencils and pastels, including charcoal. Is there something I can apply to the paper before or after drawing on it?

I posted an answer to a similar question on this Exchange.

"The reason [paper turns] yellow is because the paper is made from wood pulp and not cotton. Wood is made up of lignin and cellulos. The yellowing in the result of lignin, still present in the fibres of your paper, oxidizing when exposed to sunlight and air."

"To save [the] paper I would recommend two things, 1) Neutralize the residual acids and 2) Seal the paper from contact with the air."

Details here:

How to remove the yellowish color from my old drawings?


What is this antique thing? It's very light weight and folds nearly flat. My first thought is that it's a temporary holder for skeins of yarn used in a weaving factory. There was some kind of circular object tacked to one of the legs, maybe a label? The "shelves" are held up by cat-gut or some other natural cordage. The longest side is 24"

It looks like a camel saddle. Numerous designs exist, for different camels & intended use (long riding trip, short ceremonial riding trip, pack animal, etc) and different regions. Some are made only for use as ottomans in houses, though! I remember the fashion for these was big in the 1970s. (I will never forget the one my piano teacher had near her grand piano in 1975, as she let me sit on it to wait, when my mom was late picking me up after my lesson)

One example: https://www.etsy.com/listing/603906532/old-camel-saddle-collectible-saddle


Wood used for Christmas Colored Flame Yule Logs? What type of wood and its' thickness would be get the best results for making Christmas colored flame yule logs?

I would like to try and make colored flamed yule logs this year. What type of wood would get the maximum amount of absorption of the mixture of colored solution into the wood? What would be the thickest circumference that would enable the colored flames last the longest?

Most internet sources suggest newspaper, wood chips or pine cones. I would like to do the same using wood in the form of small logs, in order to make it resemble a real Christmas yule log for a fireplace. They may take up to a month to dry, prior to using.

Helpful Sources:

How to Make Colored Fire

The History of the Yule Log

Add Color to Fireplace Flames for Christmas

Yule log (Wikipedia)

You want a wood with high porosity to take up as much of the mineral laden water as possible. Perhaps balsa if you can find a block of it, poplar or willow would be good too. Cedar might work.

Hardwoods will definitely not work well .. nor will any pine variety as their natural pitch will resist water uptake.


Name for a retractable spring What is the name of the type of spring used for trinkets that are retractable? Like a measuring tape or those key rings that will retract.

A quick search for "tape measure spring" resulted in a list of various products, but also included the term "recoil spring." Changing the search term to "recoil spring" really threw a wrench in the works, however, as some of the returns presented items related to gun-type weapons.

More appropriate to the question is that recoil spring also appears when dealing with pull-start engine mechanisms. As with a tape measure, extending the spring loaded portion (starter rope, tape measure, etc.) causes the recoil spring to tighten up, providing the retraction force in the expected and desired manner.


Acrylic paint is becoming oily when drying I am using Liquitex basic Black acrylic. I’m simply pressing the tube and draw thick lines directly on the canvas. No brushing, no palette.

I let it dry but after a few days the result is very shiny and when I pass the finger over it there is a kind of oily layer. I can definitely see it on my finger after touching the “dried” paint but it has no pigment in it.

What is surprising is that I don’t get this with green or red, and I get it less with yellow from the same liquitex collection.

What is wrong with the paint? Could it be linked to the humidity in the air ? (I live in a very humid place)

I don't think anything is wrong with your paints. I have experienced it as well at times, even though I rarely work with acrylics.
Acrylic paints go through different stages when drying, slowly forcing all of their 'volatiles' (water and co-solvents) out. But even after drying it will hold a relatively large amount of water, that can still increase and decrease:

  a level of incomplete coalescence causes acrylic films to be somewhat
  porous, leaving channels that run along the walls of the hexagonally
  deformed particles. These pores are then passageways for water to move
  in and out of the film.

This occurs more prominently in environments with higher humidity, since the evaporation process will be inhibited. This inhibition might cause water escaping from the paint to remain on the outer film of the paint.
Another possible cause is condensation: the water vapour of the humid environment turns to a liquid state as it meets the water escaping the paint film.

As for the differences in the forming of a wet layer on the skins of the various pigments, I think they might be attributed to them reacting differently to temperatures, or altering drying times. More likely, however, is that the batches have varying proportions of water, pigments and additives.

The quote was taken from this page on justpaint.org. It offers a good overview (of the different stages) of drying acrylic paint.


Necessity of Pre-Washing Fabric to Create Folk-Art Shawl I hear lot about the importance of pre-washing fabric before making a dress to get the shrinking out of it.

But what if you want to make a stole, i.e. sew a border, embroider (in my case, I wish to make a phulkari)

Honestly, would any of you pre-wash fabric? Did anyone in any culture say 50, 100, 100 etc years ago pre-wash fabric before embroidering it?

In particular, I purchased this one, 3 yards.

Please advise

To wash or not to wash ... it depends on the materials you want to combine.

If you want to stitch a cotton yarn onto a cotton fabric, both react very similar to being washed: they shrink by roughly 5% in length (in extreme cases up to 10%). If you want to stitch a different yarn (maybe silk, acrylic or wool) they might react very different to the same treament. You should factor these changes into the planning of your embroidery project.

In embroidery, each individual stitch is relatively short. It shouldn't be much of a difference if the fabric shrinks by 5% but the yarn doesn't. It will be a little loose and incorporated objects like beads might pull strands looser than others. But overall the finished piece should still look alright.

If, on the other hand, the yarn shrinks more than the fabric, the result will be very unshapely. A stitched border might curl or pull in areas. Big motifs in the center of the fabric will pull areas together and deform the whole fabric. The more stitching there is on the fabric, the stronger this deformation gets.

As a rule of thumb, I suggest using a yarn that does not shrink. If you're not sure how much your yarn and fabric shrink, cut a small piece of fabric off, embroider a small motif on it, then measure it's size before and after washing and see if it deforms.

You should see the efford for the preparations in relation to the effort for the actual execution. If embroidering takes several weeks, maybe months, saving a single day for testing the shrinkage of your fabric and yarn can have catastrophal consequences after all these weeks. For something as work-intense as a phulkari, I would go out of my way and pre-wash the fabric and (if possible) the yarn as well.


What is the best way to sew knit/stretchy fabrics? I’ve done my research and actually tried some of them but the end results are the same: wonky.

I’m using needles specifically for knit fabrics, I have used a knit foot. I have tried adjusting the tension…I have also tried placing a paper underneath the fabric. They all failed.

I have ordered a walking foot online so I’ve yet to try that route.

So for the meantime, I thought I’d ask here.

I would suggest iron-on soluble interfacing. That should keep the fabric stiff enough that it won't stretch while sewing (and suggested to use zig-zag stitch if using really stretchy stuff like spandex). When you're done sewing, just wash it and it'll dissolve in the water.


What is the name for this type of chain? I am making a necklace with a bunch of chains. I found a picture of a type of chain that I want to buy (on Etsy or at a craft store), but I don't know what to ask/search for. I would describe the chain as kind of a flat mesh look, like alternating bricks.

Here are the pictures: I am looking for the tiny gold chain that appears a few times in this larger necklace in the first picture (it's four bricks 'tall', you really have to zoom in - sorry I wish there was a way I could circle it), but I've added two other pictures with similar chains to better see what it looks like.

(Click to see larger images)

I am in no way a jewelry maker, or jewelry specialist. Mostly good at looking up information. Since art is in my field(of enjoyment), spent some time researching the types of chain that was described above.

It seems like the type of chain you are looking for is called, "panther chain."


How Do I Save This Shirt This is the shirt I purchased when I was heavier:

I was able to slim the sides.

Unfortunately, fixing the shoulders was a train-wreck (now I've learned the hard way: I need to take-in the shoulders)

When I tried to sew along the thread seams, it was crooked and I couldn't put on the shirt. However, when I tried removing the threads, it made a nice hole in the shoulder area.

How to darn this hole so that it is not noticeable?

It's unlikely that you'll be able to disguise the holes in any way that's not noticeable; instead, I would recommend looking into the Japanese process "sashiko," a mending process made deliberately visible. Based on your other questions, you are quite new to sewing and embroidery, so you may wish to start with a more simple pattern like the one shown on the bottom; with practice, a wide range of more complex patterns exist that you can use in the future.

A wide range of online tutorials exist to get you started, frequently focusing on a diamond or square pattern similar to the bottom example; the repair will be solid and should help prevent further damage to the area, and will make your shirt uniquely your own.


Options for gluing thick paper to acrylic sheet I would like to mount a photo to a clear acrylic sheet. The way I am planning to do that is by first gluing the photo to a thick paper sheet, and then gluing the thick paper sheet (e.g. 250 gsm) to the back of the acrylic sheet.

What are my options to glue the thick paper sheet to the acrylic sheet such that the whole thing has a professional look (not a kids project look :) ).

To prevent warping, you can dry mount, or use high-quality double sided adhesive sheets.
Cut the sheets to size beforehand (leaving, if desired, a small border of a couple of millimeters around the sheet to prevent it from sticking out from underneath), place the sheet onto the photo carefully, applying pressure from the center outwards.


How do I prevent chalk pastel from getting smudged? I made a piece of work with chalk pastels recently. Sadly, I left it unattended on an occasion and my cats ended up approaching my sketchbook. Some of my work was smudged. On another occasion when I brought it to school for my exam, two students came to see it on two random occasions, tried to see if it's "real" by smudging it with their finger. By the time I tried to tell them not to, they had already done it.

Is there anything I can do to protect the chalk pastel from getting smudged?

Do take in mind that I am not looking forward to ideas about covering the work with another sheet of paper, primarily because of the situation I spoke of above. Rather than preventing hazards from getting to my work, I want to know if I can stop my work from smudging.

Once you've finished your work, if you need to protect it from being smudged, use Fixative Spray that is made for specifically this purpose. Hairspray will also work in a pinch.

Only do this once you're finished though - since it will make it near impossible to add more chalk once it's done. If you need to transport unfinished work, do so in a tight folder, with another blank piece of paper placed carefully over the top of your work (with a bit of masking tape around the edges for extra security).


Is there a grade or type of paper that will take glue without wrinkling? Most of the question is in the title: I'm trying to find a kind of paper that I can slather in wet glue without it wrinkling.

I've seen this question - How can paper be glued to cardboard without creating wrinkles? - which suggests either giving the paper a coat of acrylic or using spray adhesive but neither is ideal for me.

I'm hoping to produce something at scale, so spraying individual sheets isn't a great option. And I need to paint the glue on, so spraying it is not an option. I'm currently using PVA but if there's an option for a wet but non-wrinkling glue, I'd accept that.

Presuming there isn't, is there a kind, weight or grade of paper that will take glue without distorting? High-quality paper is expensive, so I'd rather know up front what to go for rather than experimenting.

I have some experience with these materials. Paper made with cellulose absorbs the water from the glue and wrinkles. You can try using styrofoam glue or other alcohol-based glue, this way the paper will not soak up with the glue. You just need a thin layer, if you apply a lot of glue the paper may wrinkle. This glue is wet, transparent and allows the use with a paint brush.

Additionally you can use paper made with cotton. I use this kind of paper to paint watercolor and I layer lots of water on top of it. Make sure the paper you're going to use is 100% cotton too! (there are 60% cotton / 40% cellulose watercolor papers that are not that great )


Which kind of pencils should be used by a beginner for drawing? I am curious what people would consider a basic / standard pencil type to have in their toolbox for pencil sketching.

There are a ton of variants I see with different hardness/softness etc and I don't plan to do anything advanced just want to sketch things out but I feel like while a regular pencil is just fine maybe there is a common type that may be more appropriate to learn with.

If your answer is 'use a regular pencil until you feel it's holding you back' that's fine too, just looking for a little guidance.

Trying to understand how to see things differently (mainly perspective) as coming from a technical and CAD background everything I try to sketch comes out reflecting that.

Edit:
If it makes a difference I am used to drawing lines firmly on paper.  So based on my understanding a harder pencil may be more appropriate? Or maybe a softer one to teach myself to not try and stab the paper?

I am not an expert but here is what I gathered from my experience.

Pencil have different hardness rated as follow:

Harder (very light strokes) 7H -> ... -> 2H -> HB -> 2B -> ... -> 7B Softer (dark strokes)

Start with a 2B or HB to "draw" (contour, shape, ...)
Then add a 4B or 6B for your first shadings (I would go with 6B to widen the range of shade you can achieve). Do the lighter tones with your "first" pencil and the darker with this new one.
If you want "real black" instead of the grey provided by graphite pencil you can add a charcoal pencil.
completed with 3B, 4B, 5B etc. depending where you think there is a value (grey level) you can't achieve with what you have.


What is the proper way to sharpen a pencil? I wasn't aware that there could be a proper or improper way to sharpen a pencil till I read this (Keep pencil leads from breaking during transportation?):

  I sharpen my drawing pencils the "proper" way, with a knife.

Why is sharpening with a knife considered better than sharpening with a sharpener?

Alright, full disclaimer. I wrote that original comment:

I sharpen my drawing pencils the "proper" way, with a knife.

I was intending to be tongue-in-cheek, because you may find a lot of comments or tutorials online insisting that this is the right way to sharpen a pencil.
I don't think that it's the case, but I've now written a little tutorial about the "proper" way to sharpen a pencil, and also some pointers about sharpening pencils in general.
Why use a knife?
Using a knife to sharpen your pencil allows you to control the length and the shape of the exposed core. This, then, gives you more control over the types of strokes you'll be able to make. Longer points mean you can lay down wider lines.
A knife is very helpful for sharpening graphite, charcoal, and pastel pencils. These types of materials hold up to the process better, and wider lines are more likely to be sought from them. As John Cavan pointed out, colored pencils don't really hold up to the process.
What you'll need:

A sandpaper pad or block
A pencil
A very sharp knife
A quick way to get rid of the shavings

The knife needs to be very sharp, because you don't want to apply much pressure to the pencil at all. The more pressure you have to apply, the more likely you are to break the exposed core or cause internal stress fractures that don't show up until much later.
Since the knife is very sharp, please be careful. I prefer to use a utility knife, as shown, because the blades are sharp and easily replaceable when dull. I have used pocket knives before, but sharpening them is a whole other process. If you've never used a utility knife before, be aware that they generally come with spare blades inside them, so you don't have to buy extras right away.
If you've only just started sharpening pencils this way, please use cheap pencils. It's very common to break pencils until you get the hang of this. Practice the technique on something you're fine with throwing away. That said, be aware that some cheaper pencils use really cheap wood, which may be harder or more prone to splitting. You generally won't have that problem with actual art pencils.
I usually sharpen directly over a small trash can, but today I'm doing it over some scrap paper I can just pick up and shake out.
1. Starting
Always hold the knife with the blade facing away from you. If you're concerned about the shavings flying into your eye, wear safety goggles.

Hold the knife at about a 90 degree angle to your pencil, with the blade laying nearly flat against the wood. With the hand holding the pencil, put your thumb against the back of the blade and apply a slight pressure. You will start sharpening by pushing against the knife with your thumb, but holding the knife completely still. The hand with the pencil will do all the work, adjusting the speed and pressure.
Do shallow but long strokes:

You should end up with plenty of shavings, as you can see.
2. Refining the tip
As you start to expose the core, be careful not to nick it. At first you'll start with only a small bit exposed, but then slowly work your way to exposing the full length you want. Make sure you're not just taking wood off the very front, but going back further up the pencil.

As picture above, I started by exposing only a small amount, but then shaved portions away from the entire tip to have more lead exposed. If you only work towards the front, the cone of the wood will be too short and increase the likelihood of breakage.
Once I have what I feel is about the correct length, I test the angle of the wood against a flat surface.

If I can't get the wood flush with the surface, that's no good. The purpose of this type of sharpening is to allow for strokes using the full flat of the lead. If the wood is curved inwards (as seen above) or too short, then trying to use the flat may cause breakage. If the slope doesn't flow well into your actual core, then trying to lay the flat of the pencil down may only yield strokes with part of the tip.
I wasn't happy with my slope, so I worked at it some more. At this point, I do small, quick shavings while rotating the pencil. I'll do this by using the knife to do the work, instead of pushing with my thumb, as it's much faster. However, I've practiced on a bunch of pencils and I'm confident I won't gouge my wood or break the lead.
I ended up with a much smoother slope.

3. Perfecting the point
As you may have noticed, my point is still blunt! You don't need to sharpen that with the knife, as that's where the sanding pad comes in.

Hold the pencil between your thumb and two fingers and roll it so that pencil rotates. You'll do this while rubbing the lead point along the sandpaper. Make steady, even strokes. Like before, only the pencil should move, and not the sandpaper. As you roll the pencil, the goal is to get a full 360 degree rotation, or close, in one full stroke.
The reason for this rotation is that it keeps the point centered in the core and keeps it conical. If you don't rotate enough, you may end up with more of a wedge or oblong shape. Those can be quite useful, if it's your goal, but generally you don't want those other shapes.
You can also sharpen the point by sanding with your strokes following the length of the pencil, instead of perpendicular to the pencil. (I think of it as "up and down" instead of "side to side").

This lets you more easily match the point to the slope of the wood, if that's you're intent. You still need to rotate the pencil as you do this. I spent time making my slope nice, so I used a combination of strokes to get the point to match.
In the end, I made a nice, long point.

As you practice, you may end up making short or longer points, depending on your preference (or skill). The longer the point, the wider the strokes you can make, but also the more likely you are to have breaks while sharpening, using or storing your pencils.
4. Clean up
Your sandpaper pad may look pretty grim after this. But if you bang it on your table or inside your bin, a fair amount of dust will come off. You can use one sheet for a considerable number of pencils, so don't throw it away too soon.

Before

After
Then, before actually using the pencil, you need to clean it off, too. I typically make a bunch of test strokes, and even rub just the wooden part on the paper. A lot of the dust from your core will laying on the surface, and if you don't wipe it off you may end up laying down some accidental, very dark lines.
You can use a cloth for this, but I usually just use scratch paper.

The proper way, in general
The keys to a sharp pencil, without breakage, are generally the same whether you're using a knife or a hand sharpener:

Have a sharp blade
Move the pencil, not the blade

I have a handful of sharpeners just like this:

They work great for me. I just keep it steady in my offhand, and turn the pencil with my other. The blades are replaceable, but I have so many sharpeners that I haven't had to do that, yet.
In fact, I only sharpen one set of by 9B - 9H range of pencils with a knife, and the rest get the hand sharpener treatment.
I avoid electric sharpeners for anything but writing pencils. They violate one of my guidelines, because the blade moves and not the pencil, so I already distrust them. Something about the process seems to increase the chance that the lead cracks internally, and I just end up sharpening them over and over.
They also get gummed up by colored pencils. Some companies make electric sharpeners just for colored pencils, but I haven't tried them so I can't comment.


What is the artstyle called where they have the protagonist large and all the other characters within the perimeter of the protagonist? A great example of this is the box art for Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience (see image below).
I've seen it used sometimes on movie and video game covers, but never knew the name of it.

Click for larger version

It's a form of hierarchical proportion:

Hierarchical proportion is a technique used in art, mostly in sculpture and painting, in which the artist uses unnatural proportion or scale to depict the relative importance of the figures in the artwork.
source

Larger figures in these images play a larger role within the context, have a higher value or authority, are wealthier, more powerful, &c.
It has been used throughout the history of the visual arts:
Well-known examples include religious depictions (e.g. Madonna with Child, the Last Judgment), societal depictions (where those with higher ranks or power are relatively larger, such as family group sculptures from ancient Egypt, or the donors of an artwork), depictions of royalty (think about Egyptian reliefs, or the Stele of Naram-Sin), and narratives (like posters of Star Wars).


Can I microwave polymer clay to harden it? Boiling washes the color down, and baking polymer clay in a classic oven is troublesome in my situation. Can I use a microwave though? If so, what settings? Any precautions needed? (say, a glass of water to create a "load" for the microwave)?

Maybe, but it's probably not a good idea.

For one thing, the package says not to do it. The manufacturer isn't just saying that because they want you to buy a toaster oven -- putting it in the microwave will result in burning.

  Because microwaves don’t heat evenly, parts of the mass will begin to
  cure and harden while others remain soft. Microwave ovens heat the
  inside of clay just as much as the outside, so as the cooking
  continues, parts of the mass will begin to superheat, melt, and
  actually bubble and boil while other parts of the polymer clay mass
  will merely begin to harden.
  Source: Can you Bake Polymer Clay in the Microwave?

Not only will that ruin the project, it releases fumes which at best smell terrible, and at worst can cause respiratory distress and damage. For health and safety reasons, you shouldn't microwave polymer clay on its own.

Some crafters do say you can microwave polymer clay as long as it is completely submerged in water. Basically, this is boiling the item to heat it and cure it, but in a microwave rather than on a stovetop.
Sources: [1] [2]

But, some crafters say you still shouldn't -- the quality of the final piece will suffer.

  Some people advocate using a microwave to boil water which contains
  the polymer clay. The problem with this is that ... boiling water
  never heats above 212°F (100°C) ... [below] the proper curing
  temperatures of most brands of polymer clay. While you may find that
  the item is hard after boiling, it will be incompletely cured and will
  be weak and easily broken. (This is true for stove-top curing as
  well.) Some brands of polymer clay will get an icky white residue when
  boiled... I think there’s room for experimentation there, but it’s
  very difficult to control the amount of heat the items would be
  receiving.
  Source: Can you Bake Polymer Clay in the Microwave?


Keep pencil leads from breaking during transportation? I sharpen my drawing pencils the "proper" way, with a knife. This leaves a large portion of exposed material (graphite, colored pencil, charcoal), usually 3/4 in. to 1.5 in. long.

My issue is finding a way to keep the leads from breaking while I'm taking them from place to place. When I'm just working from home, I keep them point-up in a cup, or laying flat in a tray.

Putting the pencils in a hard case hasn't helped exactly how I want, because I still feel the need to be overly gentle so that the tips don't get smashed into the side.

Is there a more reliable way to get my pencils from place to place without sweating about breaking the leads and needing to resharpen them?

If possible, I'd like to be able to transport them in a backpack, so long as I'm gentle about setting it down.

A colleague of mine carries her 100+ colored pencil collection in a fabric pencil roll. The pencils slot into little rectangles or elastic along a rectangle of fabric, and then the rectangle is rolled up. It ends up about the size of a water bottle, and fits easily in purse, shoulder bag, or backpack.

While most of these I've seen are for colored pencils (due to the large number that are often transported at once), they should also work for graphite or charcoal pencils. For more delicate exposed tips, a layer of reinforcement or padding can be added to further reduce chance of breakage.

These are available commercially made:

Image from Blick

You can also find a number of tutorials online to make your own (or ask a crafty friend with a sewing machine to help you out):

Image from Love me Sew pencil roll tutorial


Glue for leather parts I want to glue pieces of leather together, but I am looking for a glue that won't burn the leather or make it rigid.

The glue will be applied on the edges, for a few millimeters long(4-5mm).

Can anyone recommend a brand of glue which fits the described scenario?

There are specialist leather glues available that are ideal for this application (on Amazon, for example), but if you don't want to buy glue just for one small join then ordinary contact adhesive will do a good job. Epoxy resin will also join the leather, but is less flexible.

Many people also swear by Barge cement, but I've not used either so can't really comment as to their effectiveness.

Avoid superglue and PVA, which will both do a poor job of sticking the leather together and will make it brittle (superglue moreso than PVA).

However, bear in mind that gluing is normally not as strong as stitching or riveting; if you expect the join to be under any kind of tension I would recommend that you stitch or rivet it instead. (thanks to Matt for reminding me of this)

Sources: experience, here, here and here


What is this liquid called in my India ink? I recently discovered that India ink/China ink dries up in the bottle after many years, leaving an almost clear liquid on top (most likely shellac). This liquid works a wonder as glazing liquid.

I searched for glazing liquids for paintings, but all I found are gloss mediums to use with the paint to increase flow and give a glossy finish.
But I'm looking for a simple thing which will allow a subtle to medium glaze after being applied on top of the finished painting, like a polishing liquid. Not varnish.

What should I look for precisely? Are there such things?

India ink has only three ingredients: lampblack, water and gelatin or shellac as a binder(in fact, traditional India ink doesn't even contain this), with shellac being much more common. As you've guessed, this means that the clear liquid on top is probably a mixture of shellac and water.

Shellac can be found easily online (if you can't find it in person) either as flakes or a liquid.


Submitting Fabric/Yarn Craft Items to be Judged What should be done when delivering items to a fair or similar for judging?

I have a ~15" doily I want to submit, but I don't know if they want it in an envelope, sack, or nothing. It's sandwiched between two cake boards right now.

I could also mount it, but I'm not sure I want to go to the trouble, since I was planning on using it, not displaying it, after the fair.

The instructions I have offer no help nor means of contact (in fact, the website to submit to was incorrect on their documents this year). My searches return submission details for other places, but even those documents are lacking.

If anyone has some experience, I'd love to hear it.

I have no experience with this medium, but I would use the packaging problem/opportunity to present your work in the highest possible style.  Instead of sandwiching it between cake boards, consider using a sheet of acrylic for the top bread and thin wood, stained to a shade which compliments your yarn as the bottom bread.

If you have a makerspace ( or library with a laser cutter) near you, you can buy the acrylic sheet and plywood from a hardware store (or amazon) and then cut it to the shape and size you need.  You could also drill small holes in the corners of each "slice of bread" and fasten it all together with yarn, using bow knots which can be easily untied by the judges for closer inspection of your work.


Is it legal to make portraits of people for indirectly commercial purposes? There are a lot of famous people who are my heroes. I love to make portraits of them. Some of them are dead, some are alive. There is no easy way to get the appropriate permissions to draw them. I want to be a professional artist. It would be nice if I could use those portraits I made to show people what I'm capable of, so they might get interested to hire me as a portrait artist. I want to know if it's legal to use photos of (portraits of) famous people for these indirectly commercial purposes.

The problem lies with interpretation. If your take on a photo of a certain person (famous or not, we all have the same rights) is deviating sufficiently from the original - which is, in itself, an artistic take on it - there shouldn't be a problem (although you might want to credit the original author).
If you copy these photos directly (i.e. without reinterpretation), you're copying an artistic interpretation, and that is only legal if you have the permission of the original author, or if this copy falls under fair use.
If you only use these portraits to show to potential customers, it will probably be considered fair use: crediting is still legally required, but you won't get in trouble as long as you don't offer them for sale.

Artsy has a nice article about artwork copyright here. An excerpt:

  Then there is Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. Known
  as fair use, the provision provides a legal defense to copyright
  infringement.
  Put simply, that means that I admit I’ve taken work from
  other people, but I can argue that my use of that work still deserves
  protection. In the case of an artist’s image being taken without
  permission, its acceptance under fair use is contingent on four
  factors. All four inform a judge who makes the final determination of
  the fair use argument’s validity. This means that there is always a
  degree of uncertainty to what constitutes fair use.
  But the most
  important question is, are you using the image for commercial purposes
  (if so, you’ll likely be in trouble) or non-profit and educational
  purposes (if so, you’re more likely to be in the clear)?
  It also
  depends on the nature of how you’re using the copyrighted work. The
  “less original” or less creative your use, the weaker your fair use
  claim.
  Another important factor is the total amount of the copyrighted
  image being reproduced. The more you reproduce, the less likely you
  are to be protected by fair use. Judges will look at the extent to
  which that reproduction impacts the market and undermines the economic
  value of the author’s original.
  Lastly, if the image is being
  transformed or parodied, it can also be protected under fair use.

Also note that, naturally, different laws apply in different countries.


How long to dry juniper before working with it? I would like to carve something out of juniper cut down last week.  I intend to make something like a hiking stick or some small decoration pieces, so nothing big or critical.

How long should the wood dry before I can start to work with it?

Usually you should let green wood dry for 2 years before carving objects out of them or using it to build something. Depending on the local climate, the size of the wood block (or tree) and how you dry it, the time may shorten to several months or extend to 5 years.

Wood shrinks and warps as it dries. If you cut or carve it green, the size will be different once it's dry. If one side dries quicker than the other, the object will warp and deform.
Wood rips along the grain as it dries. If you cut planks or disks out of green wood, they may rip and break (due to the shrinking and warping). If you carve an object out of green wood, delicate pats may break off.
The moisture makes green wood harder to carve. You need more force and may end up with mistakes.

But if you have branch or stem and want to make it into a walking stick, such a long wait won't be nessecary. First remove the bark and let it dry for a few days. Add ornaments only after the surface feels dry or you'll end up with splinters.


Can I make doublets with a Genie and a trim saw? I've never made doublets before, but I'd like to try.

My concern is that I don't have a flat lap.  I only have a trim saw, and a 6-wheel Diamond Pacific Genie.

Is it possible to attach the dome to a backing without using a flat lap to grind them smooth?  If so, how do I ensure a proper fit before applying the epoxy?

I'd like to be able to use a variety of materials for the doublets, ranging from very soft (like opal) to hard (like agates) (e.g. opal with quartz domes, plume agates with turquoise backings, etc.).

It seems that, according to their website, your Diamond Pacific Genie is able to flatten and polish gemstones using the "right hand wheel" as a platform for, e.g.,

"Lapcraft "No Hole" discs [like this one]. They screw into the right hand wheel adaptor of the Genie, giving you a 6" diameter lap with no bothersome center hole."

You could also look into exchanging your trim saw blade with a polishing stone, something that is probably dependent on the model and type of connection.
Not to mention that it can be dangerous, as trim saws have different speeds and were designed for different pressure types and lighter attachments.
Try at your own peril :)

There is also a multitude of tutorials on homemade flat lap machines available online.

Although I have no experience with gemstone crafts, and contrary to rebusB's answer, I suspect two not completely flat surfaces will bond perfectly fine and invisibly when using the right bonding: a slow-curing epoxy might work, or G-S Hypo Cement, with which - provided they can be made fluid enough to fill even the smallest visible imperfections - you will be able to join the compounds without a clear visual boundary. As long as the bonding is clear and as thin as possible, I don't think this will be very obvious. You can heat up the glue a little to get rid of air bubbles, as mentioned here.
It's hard to find anything to back up this claim, though, so I suggest trying it out with inexpensive materials (some pieces of glass, perhaps, as this will make any imperfection readily visible).

Lastly, as a friendly reminder: be sure to wear respirator masks when polishing. You don't want metal fume fever, silicosis, or similar illnesses.


What material to use for a prop sword? This was posted after a discussion of whether assassins' questions about deadly weapons would be on-topic here.

If I wanted to make a sword, say as a prop for a theatrical production, what would be the best material to use that satisfies the following criteria?

It must be relatively easy to make:

can be made at home
requiring only materials and tools which are relatively easy to procure
shouldn't take too long to make

It should also be realistic:

rigid, not bending or flopping about even when it strikes a solid object
the same colour and appearance as a real sword would be
preferably reasonably heavy, so that it feels as well as looks realistic

How would I go about making such a 'weapon'?

Edit for clarification: the type of sword I'm imagining would probably be classed as a broadsword: not thin and pin-shaped like a rapier, but not a massive greatsword either. Example pictures (randomly picked off the internet - it doesn't have to look exactly like either of these):

Wood. Adam Savage (whose non mythbuster stuff I love to bits) has a tendancy of making them - see his hellboy sword. He used thin plywood for a base and shaped it with bondo, covering it with aluminum ducting tape. He has another video where he shows process of making a shiny not weathered 'metal' sword from a solid wood sword - the process where he covers the sword in tape starts here, but the whole video is awesome.

There's actually a precedent for this with solid boken, and many modern sword shaping techniques might work with wooden swords.


How do I maintain my oil paint brushes? How can I keep my paint-brushes fresh and clean, soft and so on?

Some people clean them with soap while others let them lay in oil over night.
You can save a lot of money by taking good care of you brushes. What should I be doing?

When I'm done painting, this is how I clean up. I've kept some brushes for years like this:

Soak the brush in white spirit for a minute or so
Gently massage the bristles to loosen the paint and make sure as much as possible is dissolved in the spirits
Put a good dollop of liquid soap onto the bristles, and gently scrub into a lather with a bit of warm water (not hot), separating the bristles to get as much paint out as possible
Rinse out with warm water
Repeat if necessary

Make sure the flow of water is always from handle to tip, make sure you're never pushing paint up towards the handle as it can collect there where it's almost impossible to get out, and it will harden and splay the bristles over time.


What kind of painting tools does one need in order to make these fantasy art drawings? I like drawing as a hobby and after practising sketching with a pencil for a year or so I recently started using colour pencils and soft pastels and I was wondering what kind of painting tools would I need to create as beautiful a picture this one?

English is not my native language and I don't really know about artist`s terms, so please forgive any errors thank you all in advance.

While the specific example you found turns out to be digital art, the style it's reproducing is oil painting. (And acrylic, but acrylic arose as a way to paint in oils minus the long drying time.)
Source

Note that a talented artist can achieve the same effect with watercolors, too:
Source

... but IMO such painting is hard enough without pushing your materials to their limits.


Which glue works for acrylic painted slate and mdf I have used acrylic paint on broken used roofing slate and have tried to attach mdf cutouts with a hot glue gun and then pva glue but neither adheres.  Is there a glue which would stick the slate and mdf?

You could use a 2 part epoxy. Like some "jb weld". They make different kinds that will stick to anything. Even some that will work underwater, others for metal, containing steel fibers. I doubt they wont have a product that will not solve your problom.


How can I protect the mixed-media surface of my table? I asked an artist to paint on a table. So, I have now a wooden board (90x150cm) with a nice drawing/painting (he used different types of paints, pens, sprays, etc.)
Since it is a table I'd like to use it (don't know yet if it will be a kitchen table or an office table).

How can I protect this masterpiece so that I can use my board as a normal table?

I have been thinking about glass (heavy and not very handy) or lacquerware (nice but is it really food safe?). What are some other options?

Some additional context:
So, I looked for the official website of the artist and discovered that the tables are listed there together with the painting materials used: aquarelle, ink, acrylic and wood varnish.

So apparently they are already varnished but my question still holds: is it safe enough for the masterpiece? Is it food safe? Should I consider other options?

-Note-: I started this answer before there was mention of potential of varnish on the table. This answer would hold outside of that.

While you can usually epoxy over almost anything if you already have a varnished surface you might not need to bother. "Varnish" a little vague so it would be hard to be exactly sure. I would like to think the artist is aware of this so it should not be an issue.

I think one of the better choices here would be epoxy resin. You could also call it a bar-top finish. They are essentially the same thing. I had some initial hesitation in offering this suggestion until I saw multiple artists used epoxy resin to give a glass finish to their own acrylic paintings. (One such example)

They are meant for strength and longevity. However they are more susceptible to sunlight and UV rays then other finishes. You see this in other crafts as well like penny tables. Epoxy resin is usually food safe once fully cured check your individual product information to be sure. .

If you have never done this before this should not be your first large project with epoxy resin

You need to work in an area that would be relatively free of dust and debris. Epoxies come as two liquids that need to be mixed together: a resin and a hardener. Most require a mix of 1:1.  Hard to say exactly how much you would need to cover your entire surface.

If you can remove the legs off your table I would do that and then use some small blocks or other objects to prop the table off the ground. Epoxy resin is self leveling so it is imperative that you ensure your table is level before application. Use a level or series of level to help ensure that. At the same time you need to put down something under the table so that the resin has something to drip onto. This is supposed to happen to ensure an even finish.

Mix/stir your epoxy resin and pour over the table. You can use a brush to help the resin get around the whole surface. You are not "painting" the surface but helping the resin get complete coverage. Again, it will drip over the edges and that is fine as it helps coat the edges. You have a few minutes so if you need to add more resin to your surface you have a small window to add more without harming it.

Bubbles are bound to happen so have a blow torch or heat gun handy to help pop them before the resin starts to cure. I even heard breathing (not blowing) on them helps them pop. This can especially be an issue for a mixed media table as there will be plenty of places for air to hide. Make sure that whatever you are using that you don't want near surface contact and stay in motion. You don't want to burn it or cause wrinkles if the epoxy is starting to cure.

You can sometimes thin your epoxy to give it a longer curing time which both allows it to seep better and gives you more time. Note this can affect its overall strength.

Once you have your surface coated and bubbles removed then you typically would leave it to cure over a couple of days to be sure. If you have the means to tent the table this will help keep dust off. Be sure whatever you do that there is no risk of the blankets or what not falling onto the table.

Epoxy resins can be a complex subject if you want them to be. There is a lot of scenarios that would be too hard to cover hear. Do you research and always pay attention to product labels. So, if you are curious about this I would recommend reading up on it more. If you wanted to explore this in more detail I would recommend asking specific questions about your particular quandary.

Art-Resin has some starting videos on the subject.


Effective adhesive material to splice cardboard shipping boxes? I want to splice two cardboard shipping boxes to make a bigger shipping box. Is using hot-melt glue a fast, strong-holding, and cheap way? Which type should I use?

The pre-applied adhesive under the peel-able strip in USPS-produced Priority Mail boxes can be left unused at room temperature for years and still be effective. What is this material and is it better at splicing than hot glue?

The boxes from USPS are of consistently flat and relatively thin material, while the adhesive strip is also quite thin. As such, this material would not work well on coarser surfaces such as corrugated cardboard, especially as that material is not particularly flat.

Hot melt glue is thicker in general, certainly more fluid and able to spread and fill any surface irregularities. Using hot glue, you can get away with a relatively thin stripe that will flatten upon closure and provide substantial bonding.

You can purchase double sided tape of many types, from thin, paper-only bonding up to heavy duty carpet bonding tape. The latter would work quite well in the cardboard arena, as it is designed to bond irregular, not-particularly-flat surfaces, but it's also going to be more expensive.


How does one approach drawing mountains for landscape/environment concept art I feel like I'm about to answer my own question, but I'll ask anyway.

I find that when I draw mountains, I'm not really sure how to proceed.
Because of how textured mountains look from a distance, it almost seems chaotic, as if they don't have a pattern for the rocks they are made up of.
I'm also not sure whether or not the reference that I'm looking at has trees, grass, or dirt going/growing up the mountain.
Then there is the problem of atmospheric perspective, which can be a little strange as I am not exactly sure what color it is the more distant a mountain is (not knowing how dark or light it is).
Also, the colors of the mountain, and the different types of colors that are used at different times of the day and during different kinds of weather, are hard to discern. I have trouble picking out the colors for the sunny side of the rock of the mountain and shadow side of the mountain witch is lit up by the reflection of the sky.

I have heard that when working from reference you shouldn't completely copy colors and maybe add your own things in, but I'm not very confident and not experienced enough to do that yet.

I work in Photoshop, if mentioning that is of any help.

Here are a few reference images

I don't have any experience with Photoshop textures, so I'll limit my answer to general information.

Colors

First pick the "pure" color of the rock in bright daylight, which will be the base color of your mountain. In the first reference image of your question, that's a dark grey with a tint of brown. For other types of rock (like sandstone or marble) the base color can be a very different one.

Then adapt the color according to where the sun is situated in your picture:

The mountainside facing the sun reflects the yellow sunlight. Add more yellow or light brown to the color on this side
The mountainside opposite of the sun reflects the blue sky. Add more light or dark blue to the color on this side.
The sides perpendicular to the sun (neither facing the sun directly, nor facing away from it) should be painted in the base color.
If you want to paint a mountain at sunset, the sky is darker and the sun is red instead of yellow, so add red to the base color for the sunny side and dark blue to the shaded side.
When painting snow, the base color of snow is pale blue or grey. only the snow facing the sun is bright white.

Perspective

The common way to add perspective to a mountain range is to put a thin veil of sky color behind each mountain. That means:

The rock base color for the mountain closest to you is unchanged
For the mountain behind that, add a little light blue to the base color, then further mix this adapted base color as described above.
For the next mountain behind that, add even more blue to the base color
If the sky has a different color (like sunset), add this color to the base color instead of blue
If you want to paint a foggy / misty scene, add light grey or white to the base color (your 8th reference image with the horned spires shows this well)

Traditionally, you would start painting from the background to the foreground. When working with Photoshop, you can add a new layer, stick with the same base color and add a semi-transparent veil on top of the layer.

Bare Rock Texture

This becomes relevant at a closer perspective than the general chunky outline of a mountain. It determines how you fill in the outline with a pattern that looks natural.

Here you need to imagine how the mountain was formed during millions of years. Reference images from different places in the world may give you a feeling for how rock corrodes in different ways.

Is it a fold mountain? Then there should be regular, reoccuring lines running in parallel (as shown in the snow deposits in your first reference). These lines can be at any angle you choose and even curved (as in this reference).
Is it a fault block mountain? Then there should be high cliffs with vertical fracture lines. There can also be horizontal deposit lines in different base colors, depending on the different kinds of soil that formed the mountain.
Is it a volcanic mountain? Then the lines should all originate from a central point slightly above the top and spread out towards the base, reflecting how the volcano expelled lava and how corroding rocks and ash deposits slowly slide from the top down to the base.

Other "Stuff"

A mountain is never just a structure of bare, clean swept rocks. There are deposits of soil, snow, ash or other things accumulating on the rock surface. There are plants growing on this soil. All this adds a rounded slope to the area and another color.

You can purposefully leave this stuff out to create a more jagged, dramatic landscape or you can add more of it to give the landscape a wheathered and rounded off look.

These kinds of deposits tend to be few on the top of a mountain, filling occasional gaps at a steep angle. Towards the base they become more and filled with more material, resulting in flat angles and round outlines.


I am looking to melt some leftover acrylic into a mould, at home. Are there fumes that I should be worried about? So, the title just about sums it up.

I've cut some acrylic sheets to make vitrines for some painting frames and I have some leftover strips of acrylic.

I have an idea of what to use the acrylic for, but that would require melting it into a mould to make it into a small block.

I've read that acrylic melts at between 160ºC to 190ºC - which are temperatures that any oven at home can easily reach - however, I'm concerned about whether melting the acrylic will release any noxious fumes or not. Because, if so, I certainly won't be doing it at home.

There are lots of links that describe toxic fumes from burning or laser-cutting acrylic.  Apparently, the risk also applies to the molten plastic, as you would encounter with 3D printing or molding.  According to Everything You Need To Know About Acrylic (PMMA):

  ...fumes from 3D printing with acrylic or from the molten material used during injection molding should not be inhaled and ... should be conducted in a well ventilated facility to avoid the potentially hazardous effects of gaseous polymer.


Converting a new, large perfect bound paperback to a durable hardback I bought a book which is paperback and very large: 697 A4 pages. It appears to be what is called perfect bound, that is, where the spine is adhered directly to the back of the pages. At a minimum, I am going to put a hard cover onto it to protect the corners which I know will otherwise inevitably be damaged in the normal course of use. I am not anticipating excessively heavy use, but I'm definitely going to use the book and at 700 pages there's a lot to use.

In addition to the cover, I am worried about the binding. I am wondering:

If I do a good job putting hard covers on it, but leave the current binding intact, how much should I be worried that it will break down, considering the size and weight of the book, and the nature of perfect binding? Is there anything I can inspect to get a sense of how good the binding is?
If the binding is glued, is it even possible to sew it instead? Would there even be signatures? Or is there some other way to solidify it?

That looks like a lot of different questions, but they are just different angles on this question: If I want this large book to last, should I rework the binding in addition to the cover?

This sounds like a much better candidate for honing your book-repair/book-binding skills.  If your goal is solely to increase the book's durability, then you have several options available...

If the book is recently published, it may be available as an e-book.  Author's will sometimes offer discounted e-book versions of their books to owners of physically printed copies.  E-books are the ultimate in durability as even if your e-book-reader gets destroyed, as a registered owner, you can usually just download a new copy into your new reader.

Alternatively, you could use a blow dryer to separate the pages of your perfectly bound copy, then put them in sheet protectors and mount them in a three ring binder.  I did that to some of my college textbooks thirty years ago and they are still perfectly readable today.

For a real binding solution, it is pretty simple to add cardboard reinforcements to the currently soft covers and spine.  Here is a very complete tutorial on that process.

Beyond that level, you will need to separate the pages as in the 3-ring binder approach, but once you have done that, a number of diy book binding techniques become available.  There is a youtube channel called Sea Lemon which goes over quite a few string binding techniques.


Printing a PDF for proper book binding I have a 600 pages e-book (PDF format). The size of its pages is 155 mm x 235 mm, and the left and right margins are of equal size (see the following image).

I want to print it (on A4 paper and in actual size) for hardcover binding or perhaps paperback binding for my own use.
When printing, should I add some extra white space to the left of the odd numbered pages and to the right of the even numbered pages, such that the output looks exactly like the Amazon or Springer pub. books? And how should I print them? For example: top-left of A4 paper for odd pages numbers and top right of A4 paper for even pages number? If so, is it 1/4 inch?

Browse your local bookstore and have a look at the most popular formats for hardcover books, mass market and trade paperbacks before you decide (if you are looking to publish and sell your book).
When it comes to copies for your own use, pick the format that is most comfortable to your eye / reading style (and your wallet, of course, some formats are more expensive to produce).
Most decent desktop publishing software have a selection of standard/ popular layouts for book and booklet printing you can use, even MS Publisher has some that are not too bad.


Why and how do some people use circular knitting needles when working flat / not in the round? Some people use circular knitting needles when they are working flat, aka not working in the round. Why is that and how does it work?

I personally only use circular knitting needles. To work flat on circular needles, you do not need to do anything special. Just turn them around when you reach the end of your row, as you would normally, never join. If you think of it as two separate needles with a string holding them together, it may be easier to imagine how it works.

I believe there are quite a few advantages to using just circular needles:

You only need a set of circular needles rather than a set of straight needles and a set of circular needles.
You can't lose the "other needle".
Once your work starts getting bigger and heavier, it will rest on your lap instead of on the end of your long needle with seemingly increased weight due to the lever effect.
You don't poke the person next to you.
You can get long cables that support big items like blankets.
Various brand of circular knitting needles have removable cables. This allows you to move the knitting to the cables and remove or change the needles. This is especially helpful in a few small ways, for example picking up dropped stitches with a smaller needle becomes easier, but you can also store your knitting away on the cable white reusing the needles.


How can I draw realistic hair with pencil? I've always loved drawing people and my medium of choice has been standard drawing pencils, but I often struggle with hair - specifically long hair. I've come across a couple techniques that have helped me make it look a little bit more three dimensional and given my subjects some body and shine, but I would like to know what you're techniques are for perfecting long hair in a pencil drawing.

Do you draw the hair in large chunks? What are some techniques I can use to make it look realistic e.g.: soft, reflecting the right amount of light, not too perfect, etc.?

There is a natural temptation when drawing hair to think in terms of individual hairs and equate these to pencil lines. However this tends to get in the way as there is no reasonable way to draw every individual hair even in hyper-realistic styles.

Instead forget that hair is lots of individual strands and concentrate on what it looks like as a surface/form/texture and in terms of light and shade. It is often easier to draw smooth, glossy hair as this tends to have more defined highlights.

In this example image you can see distinct bands of light and shade which are far more prominent than individual strands.

It may also be useful to look at ways in which hair is represented in sculpture and more abstract graphic styles such as comic strips and art nouvea. This may help you to think in terms of the form and texture rather than the material.

also bear in mind that photographic realism is not always the goal in portraiture and often you are trying to capture an impression of a subject rather than just mechanically reproduce an image.


How to repair wood carving At the time I bought this snake carving, it was already split and as it was cheap it's fine as it is.  BUT I wonder if trying to patch this up would be worth trying.

I've added some photos which have a UK 1p piece for an idea of scale (approx 21mm - 3/4")...

This is the main one I thought about trying to fix as it's more visible.  The front edge will need to be trimmed back if I fill it, but shaping it should (hopefully) be OK.

The back is much worse, but also less visible...

Any ideas, suggestions (even if it is to leave it) would be great.

Edit:

Some extra photos, one inside the large crack

and another of the base

Some thoughts.

The big crack on the back looks like it might be amenable to replicating the adjacent area of the coils.  Make a narrow silicone mold of the coils to the left of the crack.  Then position the mold over the crack  and seal it against the snake.  It looks like you will also need to seal off the crack that extends into the base so resin doesn't leak out there.

Lay the snake with the mold down, and slowly fill the crack with casting resin from the "inside face" of the crack (i.e., the side toward the center of the carving).  Use a syringe to get the resin into the crack, and some tilting, vibrating or tapping, and maybe a thin stick-like applicator or piece of wire to get the resin to flow all the way to the end.  Do this in stages so the resin is free to run through the crack and build up at the far end.  If you add the resin too fast, you may get a trapped air bubble that blocks the resin before it can flow everywhere.

It looks like there's sort of a dome in the center that's lower than the top of the coils.  Orienting the snake so the mold is down will let the full height of the coils get filled without overflowing onto that dome.  Fill the crack in the dome as a separate step.
That leaves three cracks shown in the pictures -- the head, the dome in the center, and the base under the split in the coils.  Those would be hard to fill with liquid resin because they're curved surfaces and you're working against gravity.

The split in the head is big enough that you may be able to use a hardening filler putty.  The same with the dome.  The type of epoxy putty used for car body repair might be good because it doesn't shrink, bonds to most materials, and can be finely worked.

All three look like they would lend themselves to another type of repair.  Since the split in the head goes all the way through, you would need to seal the bottom of the split during the repair.  The repair method uses baking soda and super glue, which you build up a layer at a time if the crack is too deep to do in one step.  You pack a not-too-thick layer of baking soda into the crack, then saturate it with super glue (use a fine-tipped applicator to get it into the crack without getting it on the rest of the carving).  The super glue reacts almost immediately with the baking soda, turning the mass into a hard plastic.  Do this in a well-ventilated space because it releases a lot of fumes.  If needed, repeat the process to build up the material to the level needed.

The result can be worked with a Dremel tool to restore the matching surface pattern.  BTW, this type of repair can be used on a lot of materials.  It's strong, but a little brittle, so it isn't suitable for repairing things that flex.

Note that any type of repair will not match the finish of the snake.  You would need to add a matching finish (which will be almost impossible, or maybe paint the repairs gold, Kintsugi-style; not a serious suggestion).

Having suggested how a repair might be accomplished, I agree with rebusB's comment that repair isn't really a good idea.  Even the best possible repair will be noticeable and would probably cheapen the appearance.  The cracks are part of its character and history.  Filling the cracks will make it a repaired broken item, and potentially less attractive as art.


Remove scratches from a (resin or plastic) stuffed animal eye I recently visited my childhood home and brought back some of my old favorite stuffed animals.
One of them, Snip the Beanie Baby, has noticeable scratches/dents/nicks/chips on her eyes.

What is the best way to repair scratches like these without resorting to a full replacement of the eye?
Do I need to know if it is resin vs plastic? If so how can I find this out?

EDIT: In my case specifically, this toy will remain in a child-free home so I do not have to worry about choking hazards/mouth hazards. I will care a bit about toxicity because she will continued to be snuggled (and thus have human skin contact).

The eyes are almost certainly molded thermoplastic of some kind rather than a cast resin (casting resins are too expensive and time-consuming for a high-volume, mass market item like these eyes, and are generally risky for items that may end up in a toddler's mouth).  The specific plastic probably depends on how old the stuffed animal is, and where the eyes were manufactured.
Without knowing the plastic, it will be hard to fill the deep pockmarks.  The fill material may not bond to the eyes, and may have a different refractive index so repairs could end up as very noticeable dots.
However, there are a couple of things that might make the damage a little less apparent.  You would probably want to remove the eyes for repair and then sew them back in to avoid damaging or staining the fabric (if it's synthetic fabric, the heat suggestion will likely melt it; if it's natural material, polishing the eyes will soil it).

Heat: Thermoplastic can be remelted.  You don't want to apply so much heat that the eyes melt into a blob; be careful to use just enough heat to soften the surface.  If the heat is too high, you can scorch the surface, so use a heat gun at the low setting.  Hit the surface for a few seconds until you see signs of the plastic getting shiny.  Then stop and let the eyes cool back to room temperature.  You can repeat this a few times.  This may make some of the damage less noticeable, but don't expect to be able to have deep scratches or pockmarks level out.

Polishing: Fine scratches and damage with a "frosted" look that makes the damage very visible can be improved to make it less noticeable by polishing.  There are plastic polishes, but you can use ordinary toothpaste, which is mildly abrasive.  Polish the surface with an old toothbrush and some toothpaste.  Clean off the toothpaste residue, then buff the surface with a cloth (a soft, natural material like cotton; synthetic materials may scratch the plastic).  It will help, but this won't work miracles.

Or, don't "fix" it at all.  This is a sentimental item.  The scars tell a story.  Love it for what it is and its history.  Don't try to turn it into something new.


LED pasties, 3v circuit board lights Apologies for being a noob. This set (3v lithium battery, color interchanging light & circuit board) was taped inside my pasties. I had customized the front, and they were supposed to light up for an event. However, upon molding it to my body, one of the wires connecting the battery to the circuit board snapped. I have attempted to use E6000 glue to reattach but feel certain this is a bad idea. Can anyone please tell me if I can find this circuit board/battery set on Amazon, or do I need to buy the individual pieces and make this set myself? TIA.

Using the number visible in the photo, I discovered that the item is sometimes called a "disc golf light" and found that there are single LED and triple LED versions. You can use the same search terms to find a resource of your choosing.

I found an inexpensive US-based resource here:

disc golf lights

Some of the search returns that reference Amazon result in a 404 error, others do not.


What is the correct converter to fit my Inoxcrom fountain pen? My grandfather left me an old Inoxcrom fountain pen that was given to him as a gift. I have been using it as a dip pen to write with, but am hoping to find a converter so I can use it on the go. I am not interested in cartridges.

I can't seem to find the model of this pen online, and it doesn't seem to fit the standard cartridge/converter size. The reason I say this is because I bought a fountain pen from an old man who hand makes them, and I suspect he sizes them to international cartridge/converter sizes.

Here are some photos of the pen:

Nib says Inoxcrom Iridum, ring around barrel says Inoxcrom, Spain written on gold part of lid.

There are no logos or symbols on ends of cap or pen.

Seems like everything online says these use the Standard International size cartridge. There are some complaints of leaks though unless you get them from the original maker.

If you have an old original cartridge, you could try cleaning and refilling it.


Correcting an error when using a Faber and Castell Pitt artist pen I am quite a long way through a picture I am producing using Faber and Castell India ink Pitt artist pens. Last night I accidentally dropped one of the darker brown pens onto the picture, leaving a line about an inch and a half in an area that is supposed to left uncoloured. The picture is on thick white card with an ever-so-slightly shiny finish.

Changing my plans to mask/hide the line with another colour is not an option. Is something I can do to remove the line or mask it somehow so that it appears white?

Semi-gloss white paint is probably your best bet.  First color-match the dried paint on a separate scrap of the same paper.  You may need to color-match the paper.

Since you've used semi-gloss paper, you cannot use a single-edged razor blade to lightly scrape away the ink.


How to repair scruffed sides of a hardback book cover? How do you repair scruffed sides of a hardback book cover? Here is an example of what I mean:

I usually get them covered by another binding (a cute paper or inverted blank side of the paper of a calendar) or seal the edges with transparent scotch  tape (half inside of the cover, and half outside) to prevent it from further fraying.


What markers are like sharpies without the fumes? My 5-year-old's gotten really into drawing all kinds of things with sharpies, but the smell is pretty awful (and mildly unhealthy).  What marker has the look-and-feel without the fumes.  The super-permanence of sharpies is not necessary.  In fact, not bleeding through typing paper would be a plus!

If I was looking for such markers in my area I would go to the shops where they sell toys and craft items for kids, specially the kind of shop where they sell the cheaper items.

They are not always available but often one or the other shop has markers with wider barrels and chunky tips.
Look in the toy section rather than in the 'grown up's' art section.

I would go for toy or kiddies supplies as you get many more markers for the same money and I do not think a 5 year old child minds if it is a lower grade, as long as he gets replacements while he still likes the activity.


Light fastness in NuPastel I am new to pastel drawing.  I have a few Nupastels that I purchased a few years ago.  I am interested in purchasing more of these, but I read a few posts on the web that Nupastels are not light-fast in reds and blues.

My question is whether or not Nupastels are actually light-fast, in general or compared to alternate brands, and if different colors matter.

TL;DR

About a quarter to a third of the pastel colours visibly change when exposed to natural light for a period of several months.
Among pastels (of any brand), reds and pinks seem to suffer the most from light.
In reaction to a test (referenced in this answer), NuPastel removed the 17 least lightfast colours from their product range somewhere in or before 2019.
No official lightfastness testing has been carried out by NuPastel, since they're (still) not legally obliged to.

Back in 2013, a 90 day light-fastness test of 95 specimens of NuPastels was performed by Rick Petersen, and the results were posted on his blog.
Petersen placed a sheet with streaks of the 95 different colours in a south-facing window (from January to April, in what I think is Florida, U.S.A.), meaning they received a lot of direct sunlight.
The results were judged by eye after 90 days.
The colours that showed the most change ("significant change in hue and value") were Pale Vermillion, Salmon Pink, Orchid Pink, and Old Lilac; the outlier being Madder Pink which seems to have almost completely faded.
Orange, Maroon, Burnt Orange, Carmine, Rose Pink, Carnival Red, and Flamingo also didn't fare well, showing "slight change in hue and value".
"No changes" were observed in most ochres and other earth tones, the greens, browns, and yellows, however. This is likely due to them containing iron hydroxides, which "are the most stable lightfast materials in any media" (source).
66 of the 95 colours passed this 3-month test without visible changes.

Another test of the PrismaColors NuPastels was performed by Colleen Wampole in 2015, over a period of six months. Her conclusion was as follows:

Some colors within the Prismacolor Nupastel line faded dramatically during this six-month period. This was expected, since this lightfastness test was inspired by my observations of these pastels fading within the store at which I work. Pastels have a reputation for being fugitive, and this line of pastels was no exception.
The colors which faded the most were: B[urnt] Orange, Deep Orange, Madder Pink, Salmon Pink, Pale Vermilion, Scarlet, Persian Rose, Orchid, Eden Green, Carnival Pink, Orchid Pink, Rose Pink, Crimson, Old Lilac, Maroon, Pistachio Green, and Neptune Green.
I noticed slight fading in the following colors: Light Naples Hue, Chrome Yellow, Burgundy, Light Sap Green, Carmine Madder, Flamingo, and Carmine Red.

(The results can be seen here (unfortunately these photos there are of very low quality).*)
71 of the 95 colours stood this 6-month test.
It's interesting to see how a bunch of these colours overlaps with Petersen's results, but others acted completely differently: Eden Green, Pistachio Green, and Neptune Green, specifically. Do these react differently to other environmental conditions, or is their reaction to UV non-linear?

Comments posted by customers who bought the NuPastels and left a review, support these findings or speak of similar conclusions.
Even though there are relatively few users mentioning the light-fastness, do note how most of these comments are based on hear-say or personal tests of which the results are inaccessible.

A 2-star rating on DickBlick mentions "I have done my own tests and have found that the majority of the Nupastel colors fade. I encourage anyone who doubts this to do their own tests and see for themselves".
A 3-star review tells how "the company has told [the user] they do no testing on their pastels for lightfastness as it's not required."

On WetCanvas user PeggyB opines "Are they using NuPastels as their “underlayer”? Now there is a brand I’d question the quality of! There are way too many of them that are known to be not lightfast."

More interestingly:

In 2019, a customer review on Amazon mentions how, based on Petersen's test referred to above, they "removed the 17 colors in the 2-5 categories".

However, while this reflects badly on PrismaColor NuPastels, the problematic lightfastness of certain colours is not unique to specific brands. Disappointing as it is, a lack of lightfastness testing also seems to be the norm.
Someone on WetCanvas states the following in this thread:

I’ve come across Jackson’s house brand of soft pastels. They have the pigments listed and lightfast ratings for each stick. Though I’ve been confused and wonder if there are mistakes in the information they have listed. They’re listed as Excellent, Good or Fair, similar to their watercolor and gouache ratings. I understand what that means at least in the water media, and am not sure if it is the same for pastels, though I would imagine so. I haven’t gone through every color for their pastels, but so many of the pinks, lilac, violets, Carmine’s, magenta’s are considered fair, which at least for watercolors means not lightfast enough I would use it for any serious works. I understand these are always the problem colors in terms of lightfastness.

A lightfastness test of almost 5 years of Charvin Paris pastel sticks here shows a remarkably similar result. In her summary, Jamie Williams Grossman writes:

The good news is that the earth colors and grays did not change. [..] The yellow ochre is beautiful, and held up perfectly.
Only one blue showed significant change, in spite of the fact that most of the blues are rated only "***Good."
Three of the greens I felt did well enough to hang onto. The others either lost much or all of their yellow component, or in one case lost blue.
Now for the really bad news. All of the pinks, reds and violets have got to go. The only bright yellow in the set is also completely fugitive, and nearly disappeared like a magic trick. (I'm sure it would be gone completely if left a few more years in the window!) Most of the yellow tints also faded.

The results can be seen here: yellows, reds and pinks, greens, greys, browns, and blues.*
All of the findings and conclusions mentioned here are repeated in this post.

An interesting read is the following comment written by Michael Skalka, chairman of the subcommittee of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) D01.57, Artists' Materials, in reply to Katherine Tyrrell, which was published on the latter's website. She had contacted him after making the claim in a WetCanvas thread that no ASTM standard exists for pastel lightfastness.

No lightfastness standard from ASTM exists yet. Manufacturers, not consumers, have been the driving force behind getting oil paints, watercolors, gouache, acrylics to have lightfastness standards. Standards create a level playing field and that brings out the best from all concerned. Companies that can’t conform stand out when a standard can be used as a yardstick to determine overall quality.
Nobody has the edge on lightfastness for pastels yet because no standard exists. You can argue that some manufacturers knowingly put fugitive materials in pastels but without them conducting a well -formulated testing protocol, they cannot know if the colors they use are lightfast. So for right now ignorance by the manufacturers is bliss.

* I've uploaded the images of the specific tests on Imgur for longevity's sake. The credits and rights of these are for their specific authors, of course.


What are the different pencil/pen holding techniques for drawing? Which should be followed in which case? I have seen on Instagram that artists are able to draw curved lines which appear as if drawn by machines.
I have also observed artists holding their pen in different ways than what is taught in schools.
Here the artist has covered the pen by their thumb in some way.
I want to know what are the ways of holding pencils/pens for drawing are, and also what kind of grip will result in what kind of drawing.
Please add pictures too for a better understanding.

There is a previous discussion here: What exercises can I do to improve the line quality of my drawings?
Holding a pencil is mostly up to the artist's preference.
Discussed in the link above, if you want to have shorter strokes or finer detail, you would want to use more of the fingertips. If you want a more fluid motion in a line/drawing, you would want to use more of your elbow.
Holding the pencil closer to the tip would also help more for finer detail, while holding it towards the middle of the pencil, would be for longer strokes.
Holding a pencil or pen in my own experience, the hand/fingers can start to get stiff/or arthritic over time. Finding myself holding the pencil differently (than we were taught in school) is for comfort, more than a specific effect.


How do I smooth, cut, and drill holes in glass found on the beach? I’ve collected lots of glass and stones from the beach near me and would like to make jewelry with it. I’d like to be able to cut the glass into shape, drill small holes into it, and also be able to polish it so it’s smooth and see-through. Can anyone help? Thank you!

For drilling glass, drill bits for tiles (the spear-point type) work. Work wet and go slowly. I've seen them down to 3mm. You need to hold the glass steady, but a cordless drill will be adequate.

If you want a smooth (as opposed to facetted) piece, jewellers rouge on a cloth will polish glass, worked by hand, though it might take a while. For a little reshaping, such as to remove a sharp edge, you can use wet/dry paper (silicon carbide paper) or emory cloth. Start coarse and work down to a fine grade before polishing. I'm much more familiar with machine polishing, but that's good for flat surfaces.

If you really need to cut it, small cuts can be made with a dremel or similar, with a carbide cutoff wheel. There are also coarse hand saws for tiles that cut glass. They're like a file made of thick wire (coated in abrasive) in a frame, rather than what you'd it think of as a saw.

Safety glasses are a good idea when cutting or drilling.


Neoprene rubber finishes I have two squares of neoprene rubber as non-slip mats.
Needing a larger area, I bought a large piece off of a metre-wide roll.  On arrival, instead of the slightly tacky shiny finish of the smaller mats, it has an oily residue over its entire surface, both sides, and is matte in appearance.  Have I bought different materials or is the newer larger piece "unfinished"?
If unfinished, how would I go about preparing it to have similar non-slip qualities as the older, smaller pieces?  I have considered washing it in soapy water in  hopes the residue is only on the surface, but not sure if this is the correct or wise approach.

There are lots of variations on neoprene.  It can have different additives that affect characteristics like softness and surface appearance.  Sometimes it is bonded to a fabric.  There are variants that are very soft and a little tacky that will grip a surface for extreme non-slip.  But as long as it's rubbery and soft enough to conform to the surface, it will act as a non-slip material.
An oily residue could be either oil of some kind used in the manufacturing, or an additive that's leaching out.  Many rubber and plastic materials will release some additives, either mostly right after manufacturing or much later, as the material ages.  In some cases, it's designed to work that way to serve a purpose, like acting as a mold release.
Neoprene doesn't receive a "finish".  Whether the surface is shiny or matte, that's the characteristic of what was made.  You can't change that, or the tackiness, later (although you could apply some temporary adhesive to make it tacky if that's required).
Oily residue, though, can be cleaned off.  It's a contaminant, not part of the neoprene.  There are a few solvents that will damage neoprene, but soapy water or alcohol will be safe for cleaning it.


How do I prevent pencil colour drawings from fading away while I'm still drawing it? This is one of my main problems.
I've been working on quite a detailed sculpture drawing which would take time.
I've already coloured the pillars, but while I'm drawing the main temple above it, the pillars have already started fading in colour.
Here's a photo comparison:

Building on @Joachim's comments above, yes, the direct sunlight can affect the color and make them dull. Hence, when you are not working, you should store the paper in dark
(or use some protective varnish)
Also, Do you wear any artist's glove while  (A glove that covers ring & pinky finger)?
-> If you are not using it, then it might help you with smudging and fading of colors.
-> If you are using it, you might want to check the fabric and see if that's what affecting the pigments.
Also, placing some other paper to cover the already drawn part, when working on details might help.