Whimsical Accessories: Paintings for Children

Children's artwork and paintings often times can make even the most jaded of adults feel a sense of whimsy. Throughout my career I have crossed paths with many artists who have demonstrated this fact again and again.

Children's painting can definitely inspire or reignite ones sense of whimsy one such artist once told me. He was asked to overhaul the waiting area in a children's hospital. He was floundering badly to come up with ideas when he ran across a few paintings depicting scenes from one of his long forgotten childhood books. The emotions and memories brought about from these paintings seemed to trigger his long lost sense of childlike whimsy, enabling him to complete the project ahead of schedule. To date that project remains one of his favorites.

A friend who worked at a rehab center as an administrator once confided that the simple addition of children's paintings to the physical therapy lounge seemed to lift the spirits of their patients - Adults and children alike.
Children's paintings can also spark a sense of joie de vive as well, as told by a decorator friend of mine. She goes on to tell the story of a couple who wanted some wall hangings for their home which could only be described as minimalist in theme/style. The couple was reviewing her portfolio when they ran across some Lollipop Art prints and were thoroughly enchanted. Adding the prints to a hallway seemed to warm up the house and couple alike.

Children's paintings can also act as a catalyst for change. Another decorator friend told me of a family who had lost their sense of togetherness. Every member had such a busy schedule that they rarely did anything together--not even meals. She was hired to redecorate the daughter's room. She added several children's paintings illustrating families enjoying outdoor activities together, which inspired the family to incorporate family events into their own lives.

Artistic inspiration is yet another effect of children's paintings. A fellow artist once told me of how he was commissioned to paint a mural of ballerina on the walls of a dance studio. The studio owner was delighted that the mural seemed to have such a positive effect on her young students. The wanted so much to be just like the ballerinas in the mural that they were more focused during class.

As we can see children's paintings can often be used to inspire a sense of whimsy in one's life--young and old. Everyone can benefit from the inspiration these whimsical accessories can bring.

The right piece can be a great conversation starter or make people laugh when they see it.

Author: Diane Potter and Charlotte Holder

About the author:
Visit Cathartic Desgins to view Charlotte's work and display beautiful conversations starters on your wall while creating a smile for all who see them.
See these unique pieces by visiting Cathartic Desgins and receive 10% off your first order when you sign up for Charlotte's newsletter.

Article source: Free Painting Articles.

Find a portrait artist painting oil paintings based on photos

Did you know that you can commission a hand-painted custom oil painting for just a few hundred dollars? The Internet has made it possible to work with portrait artists from anywhere around the world. They use photos as references to create their work, and use email and websites to let the customer give feedback on the painting and request modifications as necessary.

Up until a few years ago, anyone who wanted a custom-painted oil portrait needed to find a portrait artist located in their geographic area. That often meant high costs and sometimes the need to be on a waiting list until the artist had time to start a new project. The Internet has changed that, opening up access to the best portrait artists world-wide. Customers send pictures to the artist, he or she starts with a pencil drawing to set the overall composition of the painting, reviews that with the customer, then starts adding oil color and can give the customer regular updates via email. Once finished, the portrait artist can then ship the painting directly to the customer's home.

The main differences of course are cost and speed. Customers can choose to work with portrait artists living in countries with much lower costs of living and thus get custom-made artwork often at higher quality but for lower prices than the local alternative. Also, it's much easier to find a portrait artist who will be able to start work immediately without any waiting lists.

Author: Avril Luc at Linden Alley

About the author:
Avril works at the Linden Alley portrait artist group. A portrait painting artist creates hand-painted custom oil paintings from photos.

Article source: Free Painting Articles.

How to Pick a Tattoo Artist

Tattooing is a hot trend and there are many tattoo shops to pick from. While looking for a tattoo artist you need to pick one you trust so here are a few suggestions for picking a top notch artist. While we would love if everyone reading this could visit our tattoo parlor in Naples, we want everyone to have a positive tattoo experience regardless of where they get their tattoo done.

Remember once you get a tattoo done, it will remain on you for a long time. So, the artistic and communication skills of a tattoo artist will definitely matter. Hence, rushing to tattoo parlors at random is not the smartest thing to do. Try the following tips for getting the best artist to do the coolest tattoo for you.

Different ways of finding the best tattoo artist

Word of Mouth Ask for recommendations from friends who had a good experience getting their tattoo. Tattoo artists with the quality and skill from these shops should be your first choice.

Dropping at various tattoo shops If you do not have good references, visit the tattoo parlors yourself to find out which artist has your favorite designs. You can get a feel of the style of artist by asking him about his portfolio the sterilization process and looking at his sample art.

Surfing the net Before you visit various tattoo shops, you can even get an idea of reputable tattoo parlors from the internet along with samples of their design styles. By seeing their samples you can shortlist 3 or 4 tattoo shops and then visit them for to see which studio is the cleanest and friendliest.

Even if you get your tattoo done from parlors other than our tattoo shop in Naples, we want people to get the coolest tattoo possible. Ideally, you should choose the artist with whom you feel most comfortable. Just be sure the artist is licensed and their studio is clean so you don not end up with an infection or something worse.

Author: kyle burke

About the author:
Webbworks Tattoo Studio - a friendly, clean, no-attitude Naples tattoo parlor.


Article source: Free Painting Articles.

Advantages of College Works Painting

Ever supposed of getting a make-over for your home or perhaps managing numerous of those precarious out house painting of your home? If you've answered yes to thes queries, then let College Works Painting do the task for you. The succeeding enquiry that could be postulated is, why? Many persons could think that these are students in college who are inexperienced with exterior painting, but in reality, it is not entirely proper. College Works Painting uses college students who are conditioned with the job they are applied to. These are college students who do work to get money for school and are good at serving it. These are well-trained students who have learned skills in house painting as well as good skills in dealing with business.

T benefits are extended with College Works Painting. Having College Works Painting for your jobs related to painting both within and outside your home will entail that you are in reality adding to the future of these students who have to gain their way to graduate college. These programmes are intentional to aid the students to develop efficiency when it comes to business as well as assist them become a superb leader and manager as these types of platform and assist them to discover how to become a good leader and manager. As College Works Painting also helps to contribute to the handicapped, other charity organisations, or those who have special necessities.

The program allows for quality painting services at a less expensive price equated to those firms that have rates that are way above your budget. The College Works Painting program offers reasonable rates that require top quality workmanship with pleasant client service to add with.

Meanwhile, college students who are looking to cover all the fees to be paid while going to school that are weighting down their parents are studying a couple of hints on business, leadership, managerial skills, also the quality of the work they are serving. Not to mention the function they do for the community. The human relationship between contractor-client amends when students are openly conscious of the consequences being tackled and that they are able to convey messages with their clients about the needs, likely problems the task might place, and other matters that are necessitated to be dealt with

Author: Alberto Maeses

About the author:
Written by Alberto Maeses. See more about College Works Painting and College Works issues today.

Article source: Free Painting Articles.

Painting a Ribbon Stroke

This is a good stroke for a beginner to practice on. It is actually a great stroke to use if you want to paint a ribbon. Maybe that is where they got the name!

You will be using a flat brush for this stroke. Typically, you will double load your brush. It is also possible to do this stroke with more than two colors. You will just add a different look to the results. Adding more than two colors is a wonderful way to create a different look and add more interest.

You will begin on the chisel edge of the brush. The beginning will be very similar to painting the S-Stroke. You will be going from the chisel edge and pull the brush, while pushing it down to the flat part of the bristles. You will continue with the downward pressure. When you are ready to create the ribbon, you will flip the brush over and continue on the flat part immediately. Do not come up to the chisel edge while doing this. This may take a little practice to get a smooth transition from one side to the other without stopping.

Play with this a little before starting on your project. You can even add a twist to this stroke, using only one color when you start, add shading by side loading your brush with another color. Just apply the new color where the stroke flips. Try it out and see which way you like it best.

Author: Amy

About the author:
I am decorative painter and the owner of The Painted House and More. I paint on many surfaces from walls to wine glasses. I have over 16 years of total painting experience.

Article source: Free Painting Articles.

Painting With Dots

You probably do not even realize how creative someone can get painting with dots. There are some artists who can paint entire design with dots, never using any other type of strokework. It may sound crazy, but it is true. They are actually very pleasing to look at and really quite interesting.

This is a great way for someone who might not be able to paint freehand, to actually be able to paint and still turn out a lovely project. You could begin by tracing out an outline of a design, and then filling in the spaces with dots. You could use all of the same colored dots, or vary them. For example, if you wanted to paint a tree, why not use a brown dots for the tree trunk and branches? Once that part is complete, fill in with green for the leaves. Some artists will use black for the tree and vary the color of dots for the leaves based on the seasons.

You can make a variety of other designs such as flowers and hearts with polka dots. Use one color for the center of the flower and circle that part with a different color, simulating the flower petals. For a heart, you can place two dots side by side with just a little space in between, then place a dot at the bottom of those to complete the heart.

Dots may be created using a variety of items. Pencils tips make nice dots, as do using a dulled end of a tooth pic. For large dots you could use the eraser part of a pencil, which has not been used for erasing. The end of a paint brush also is a nice dotting tool. You will also find tools which have been made especially for this job, at your local craft store, such as a stylus.

It really is not necessary to spend money on tools to be used for this purpose. It really is up to you. It might be fun to look around your home, to see what all you can find to use for your design.

One important item to keep in mind when painting with dots, they will typically be more dimensional than regular painting. This will cause them to be thicker, needing more time to dry. Make sure you allow for this when you use this technique.

Author: Amy

About the author:
I am a decorative painter and the owner of The Painted House and More. I have over 16 years of painting experience. I paint on many surfaces from walls to wine glasses.

Article source: Free Painting Articles.