Tuesday, May 29, 2007

3 Reasons To Buy Oil Painting Reproductions

People around the world want the beauty of original and classic art works in their homes or offices. It is not possible for everyone to spend on a Picasso original oil painting because it’s very expensive. But that dint stops them to look up to his paintings and would probably want to make them their own in some way or the other. Unluckily most original classics are so high-prices that they are way beyond the means of the average public. Oil painting reproductions is about as close as one can get without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for the original. Oil painting reproductions are earnest attempts to make works of art that has fascinated us for ages, more accessible. Oil painting reproductions are an affordable way to display replicas of favorite works of art in the home or workplace.

Although it is possible to get reproductions of nearly any artwork, still famous artists whose works are commonly used for oil painting reproductions are Monet, Degas, Manet, Munch, Vermeer, Fabian Perez, Cezanne, Gauguin, Renoir, Botticelli and Van Gogh. People buy oil paintings mainly for three very important reasons: decorating, collecting and investing.

One way to add color and elegance to your home or office decor is to hang beautiful wall paintings. Oil printings can be purchased online or in high street galleries and shops. Oil paintings have passion to their color that no print can reproduce. Wall paintings come in different shapes, sizes and themes and enable you to add bright colors to any room of your home. The living room, dining area and bedrooms can each be accented with large wall paintings. Small paintings can be hung on your bathroom walls and kitchen walls to meliorate and create a reposeful atmosphere.

If you are collecting then you would really need to decide on some themes for your collection, what kinds of art and what sort of artists are you going to build your collection around. You can try looking online as there are now many galleries displaying original art from all sorts of artists at every price level. The important thing is to buy art, which you really like and enjoy, and at the same time select pieces that go together in some way to form a collection, which feels like it belongs together.

If you are buying for investment, then buying art for purpose of making money is an unsafe thing to try. At times you can earn some quick cash but at times its very dangerous ploy. It has to be said that anyone who thinks they could invest in contemporary art and then sell it on swiftly at a profit is likely to be disappointed. It is always best to collect art that you really like and perhaps, if you are lucky, a long while in the future some of it might be worth something.

Oil painting reproductions are earnest and true efforts to make paintings more popular. Talented painters punctiliously recreate the magic of sacred paintings. Indeed, some of the reproductions are so good even the most discerning viewer will not be able to tell the difference from the original. There are large number of companies available online which produce oil painting reproductions. It is believed that oil painting reproductions brings a certain flair and look to any room that highlights the beauty of the art and creates a powerful ambience.

Wain Roy is an internet marketing professional expert in various industries like real estate, web design, finance, medical tourism and Vietnamese contemporary art

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wain_Roy

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Caring For Your Oil Painting

Paintings and their frames are made of several different materials.

These oil paintings include: varnish, glue, paint, canvas, wood, metal, gilding and plaster. Put all together they would form a complex structure, which could be easily damaged if dropped or knocked. The materials are also too sensitive and could be damaged by its surrounding atmosphere, extremes and changes in humidity and heat, amount of light and dirt.

Survival of an oil painting depends on:

• Keeping the painting in a good environment.
• Sensible usage, storage and display.

What can go wrong with your painting?

• Tears, punctures and holes, drooping canvas, bulges and dents, crack canvas edges.
• Splits distort and break in wood. Insect damage (wood worm):
• Cracked, loose or peeling paint, lost paint, desertion, yellow varnish, dirt and dust, whitening, mould or mildew on the facade, disintegrating flames.

What can be done?

• If you feel that these is a problem with your painting or you wish to find out more about its condition contact a paintings conservator.
• Save any pieces if they have fallen off, even if they are small. Keep them safely in a bag or an empty envelope as they could be fitted back on painting.
• Do not ever try to repair or cleaning yourself. This is a skilled procedure and need to be done only by fully skilled conservator.
• The use of backboards is suggested as a vital preventive conservation measure.

Moving your painting

Tears, holes, cuts and dents are most probably to happen when your oil painting is off the wall. If you plan further, these damages could be usually avoided.

• If you are decorating, take your painting out of the room before you start work on it.
• When off the wall rest face out beside a clear wall or padded facade, away from doorways, furniture and passing people;
• Always ensure your hands are very sparkling and dry, or wear clean gloves;
• Make sure the painting is steadily fitted into the frame;
• When moving your painting; it has to face towards your body and use both hands. one to hold the edge and the other to support it from beneath;
• Paintings with glass or those with envisage frames could be heavy, you might require two people.

Vijay kanth is a seo copywriter having more than 3 years of experience in this field who is currently working for the site 1artclub.com. For further information on oil paintings and Solvents please visit http://www.1artclub.com/ or contact me through mail: 1artclubpainting@gmail.com

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Monday, May 21, 2007

Start a Painting Business - How Do You Get the Experience You Need?

The best part about starting a decorative painting business is that you can turn something you enjoy doing into a moneymaking business. Being paid to do what you love to do is the greatest job to have.

You don’t have to be a painting expert to start a home-painting business but it helps if you have been practicing your painting skills for some time. That way you will have a lot of pictures in your portfolio to show potential clients. This also will help you develop more self-confidence in your work.

Before you tackle walls it’s a good idea to start by painting smaller objects like ceramic pots, candles, vases. Then, gradually work your way up to larger projects. If you’re feeling uncertain about how to handle the scope of a larger project you could try painting a large piece of cardboard or appliance box.

As you gain experience, try your hand at painting placemats and floor cloths. These surfaces require more planning and placement and are great practice for pre-wall painting. You can use canvas or the back of linoleum flooring as a surface.

You can prepare yourself to paint on walls by painting the floor cloth or placemat as if you were painting a wall (i.e. don’t turn the surface as you paint.) Instead, practice turning your wrist and doing the strokes outside of your comfort zone as wall painting requires you to be skilled at painting vertically.

The best way to perfect your talents is to start transforming rooms in your own home. Start with a small room such as a child’s room. Starting out doing a bathroom is not recommended, as working around all the bathroom fixtures can be very frustrating. Additionally, in bathrooms you must use the correct type of paint or your finished masterpiece may soon start to peel off the walls.

If you’re renting your home, you probably won’t be able to practice painting on your own walls. This is where friends or relatives come in. It’s great to be able to learn your craft on their walls while at the same time practice your client consulting skills for future use.

Paint sample boards and use pictures from magazines to show your friends / relatives the design you envision for their walls. You need to walk them through step by step and get them to see the design in their minds too.

Have fun while you learn and then take everything you’ve learned from practicing to launch your own decorative painting business.

Sylvia Jaumann is the author of “How to Start Your Own Decorative Wall Painting Business” Click here now => StartWallPainting.com Download this free report: "5 Surefire Ways to Advertise Your Decorative Painting Business"

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Friday, May 18, 2007

Popular Faux Painting Techniques

Add some color, depth, elegance and charm to your home using one or more of these popular faux painting techniques.

*Combing - Combing can give your walls a very dramatic look. First step is to paint your walls your base color and let dry completely - overnight is best. Next, mix your texture color with finishing glaze. Now when you start rolling on your next color, be sure and go from ceiling to floor for about three feet. Next, you take a dry comb or a wallpaper brush and drag it from ceiling to floor in one continuous motion. Wipe off your comb and repeat.

Straight lines are just one of your options with the combing technique. You can do a basket weave look, create a plaid pattern or use your imagination and come up with your own unique design!

*Sponging - Sponging is a very easy and fun technique that gives a room a pretty textured look. You first want to choose your base color. This can be any color of your choice. Prepare the walls and apply the base paint. Be sure and fill in nail holes or other imperfections for a smooth finish. Let dry overnight.

After the base coat is dry, you are ready to begin sponging. You can sponge one, two or more colors. It is up to you. Be sure you have an actual sea sponge, not a synthetic sponge. Always keep your sponge damp for smooth application.

Mix the paint with a finishing glaze. Dip the sponge in the paint but do not "over dip". Remove excess paint. Start in the corner and work your way out. Lightly dab the sponge in a random pattern. Do small areas at a time so the paint does not dry where you are working. Be creative with your color combinations and your dabbing patterns. Make those walls come alive!

*Ragging - Ragging is similar to sponging and can produce a very soft, romantic look. Try your rag in several different positions to get the desired effect. Paint the wall with your base color and let dry overnight. Mix your texture color with a glaze finish to soften. Soak your rag in the glaze mixture and blot off the excess. Start dabbing the rag on the wall in various patterns. Add more paint to the rag when it becomes dry.

You can produce a soft effect with less paint or you can use more paint to create a dramatic effect. You can experiment with other materials as well to get a different effect - paper bags, plastic bags, canvas, etc.

*Crackling - This painting technique produces a distressed, aged look. Paint your wall with the chosen base color. Keep in mind that this color will show through your "crackle" cracks. Let dry overnight. Cover your walls with a crackle faux finish. Let dry until there is no tackiness. This will take about 4 hours. Now you will need to apply a second coat being careful not to overlap your brush strokes. In a few minutes the paint will start to crackle exposing your base color underneath.

For fine cracks use a thinner topcoat and for heavier crackling use a thicker topcoat. This technique is great for furniture as well.

*Color Washing - Color washing can give a room a smooth, flowing, graceful look. Paint your walls your base color and let dry overnight. Mix your second color with a faux finish glaze. Start painting with short, overlapped strokes. The more varied and random, the better. Let dry. If you have chosen a third color, repeat the process.

Faux Painting Tips

Practice on some scrap boards or cardboard before you try it on your walls. This will give you some practice and allow you to get comfortable with the technique.

Always have enough supplies on hand and be sure to have everything you need to do the job.

Tape your baseboards, windows, etc. with painter's tape to prevent accidents.

Take your time and be sure to pick out the right colors. You wouldn't want to change your mind in the middle of the job and have to start all over.

Most of all relax and have fun. You will love the look these painting techniques can give your home and be proud that you did it yourself!

For pictures and more painting techniques, please visit: http://www.homedecorexchange.com/HomeDecorDirectory/Directory_PaintWallTechniques.htm

Lesley Dietschy is a writer, jewelry designer, and the founder of a network of popular websites including http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com and http://www.HomeGardenExchange.com. Both of these websites feature valuable information and resources to assist you in decorating your home and garden.

Also visit http://www.TheJewelryPlaza.com for your ultimate jewelry resource.

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Sunday, May 13, 2007

Caring For Your Oil Painting

So you finally painted an oil painting you are proud enough to display or bought an oil painting that you fell in love with. Before you hang that painting up or even put it in storage here are tips about hanging, storing, cleaning and moving your oil painting.

Before you hang your painting remember that wide variations in temperature and humidity are not good for any painting so, avoid hanging pictures near a fire or radiator, in direct sunlight, near heating and air conditioning vents. Displaying paintings close to candles or a fireplace or in smoking areas like a den or game room can deposit nicotine and soot onto the surface of the painting.

Be careful when choosing lighting to display your painting as many lights will put off enough heat to damage the artwork over time. In addition some dyes and colorants used in the paints will discolor from prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, so do not use ultraviolet light to display your painting.

Whether you are displaying your oil painting or putting in storage, it is important to try to stay between the following temperature and humidity ranges; 65-70 degrees F and 40-55% relative humidity during the winter and 70-75 degrees F and 45-55% relative humidity during the summer.

Store your paintings in a dry, dark place with a constant cool temperature. Never store your oil painting in the attic, garage or basement. If you are storing framed paintings, make sure to remove the picture hooks before stacking to avoid harming other frames or paintings. Stack the painting upright using acid-free board between each work of art for protection. You should not store directly on any floor surface, stack on bricks or racks. Cover with a clean, non-plastic dust sheet to prevent dust settling and mold.

Oil painting cleaning should only be done by a skilled professional, but it is advisable to dust your painting once every 4-6 months. Do not use feather dusters or any type of liquid on your oil on canvas artwork. A new, unused typical makeup brush or new soft paintbrush can be used to lightly dust your painting, being care not to brush off any loose pieces of paint chips. A soft dry cloth can be using to dust the frame.

If you plan on moving your artwork, always make sure your hands are very clean and dry, or wear clean gloves. Remove jewelry and watches to avoid damaging the painting. While moving your oil painting, hold the painting on both vertical sides not the top of the frame or hanging wire. Before you even think of picking up the painting, move any objects or furniture that may block your path and have a place picked out to set the painting.

Using these tips you can keep your oil painting looking great for generations and avoid accidentally damaging it.

For more oil painting tips and info please visit the author’s Oil Painting Blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mel_McGee

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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Famous Paintings

Even if you have little interest in art, you have probably heard names such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. These were, after all, the greatest painters that ever lived.

Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper is the most famous of his 30-odd pieces of work, apart from the Mona Lisa. It depicts the horror on the faces of the 12 men Christ had gathered together to tell them that one person of this group would betray him before sunrise. The painting is a massive 15x29 feet, and it covers an entire wall in the dining hall of the Santa Maria della Grazie convent in Milan, Italy. A procrastinator who left many of his works unfinished, Leonardo had no choice but to finish this painting, as it was commissioned to him by the man who had been paying his wages for 18 years – the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.

Vincent Van Gogh was considered by some to be the greatest painter in European history. His produced his most enigmatic painting, titled The Starry Night, during his stay at a psychiatric center in France, where he was recovering from mental problems. His other well-known painting is of a bunch of sunflowers, which he painted when he moved to Arles, where he hoped to found an art colony. None of his work was ever appreciated during his lifetime; in fact, he lived a life of utter poverty, hopelessness and despair, and eventually took his life when he could not bear the suffering anymore.

No story of famous paintings can ever be complete, for there are so many things and so much work to write about. Yet, without a mention to Pablo Ruiz Picasso, the story would be more incomplete that ever. Of all the maestros, the famed Spanish painter is one of the most popular of the 20th century. His most famous work is the painting he made of Germany bombing Guernica during the Spanish civil war. It captured the brutality, inhumanity and utter hopelessness of war, in his typical cubist style.

There is still Rembrandt and his The Raising of Lazarus to consider, and Monet and his famous nature paintings, and Raphael.

Paintings provides detailed information on Paintings, Oil Paintings, Famous Paintings, Abstract Paintings and more. Paintings is affiliated with Oil Paintings For Sale.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Marlborough

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Monday, May 7, 2007

Impressionist Paintings

Impressionism was one of the most important art movements in the 19th century that began when a certain section of artists from Paris began a public display of their art. This name was coined after the famous painting of Claude Monet. In the late mid-19th century, artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir began painting in a new style, which was later coined Impressionism. Monet named his painting of a harbor at dawn as Impression: Sunrise. This term was also used by a critic Louis Leroy in a satirical article in Le Charivari to describe the Paris-based artists.

Impressionist paintings have distinct characteristics such as light colors, visible brushstrokes, and open composition. Impressionist painters lay a lot of emphasis on the light and its variations. Generally, the subject used for impressionist paintings can be very common. Impressionist painters paint in short and thick strokes to produce the desired effect. The focus is more on the essence of the subject instead of the details.

Impressionist painters usually work outdoors to be in close proximity with nature. While painting landscapes and other outdoor scenes, they work for a short period of time. When the light changes, they discontinue painting and come back again the next day at the same time. Impressionist artists usually paint rapidly to capture the effects of changing light.

The works of Impressionist artists were contemporary and often involved modern subjects. Impressionist painters utilized raw and unmixed paints. They followed their impulse while selecting a particular subject. They depicted ordinary surroundings in their paintings and used techniques such as uneven colors, shadows, and varying light. Some painters even painted the same subject several times in a day to demonstrate the effects of changing lights.

Broken brush strokes create a variety of textures, which look very natural and appealing. Impressionist paintings look bright and radiant as many painters avoid the use of earth and black colors. The colors are usually unmixed to give the paintings a natural look.

Some of the most popular Impressionist artists are Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, and Edgar Degas. They have produced some of the finest impressionist paintings.

Paintings provides detailed information on Paintings, Oil Paintings, Famous Paintings, Abstract Paintings and more. Paintings is affiliated with Oil Paintings For Sale.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Marlborough

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Friday, May 4, 2007

Photo To Oil Painting

The world of painting can be complex to the uneducated eye as there are numerous terms and practices that can confuse you. To help understand you must learn what the various terminology stands for. This is crucial in defining the genre that your artwork falls into.

There are different genres in painting such as landscape, portrait and still life. Portraits are creating a painting of a life model, landscape is the painting of the environment and the last genre is still life which will be discussed in this article.

When creating still life paintings, the artist has full control of the subject. The artist would need to set the subject in a proper place where lighting is good, most likely north facing a window, having artificial lights or reflectors. When the artist has established this he can now be able to focus on his art.

First thing you’d need to ensure is that the painting is just how you want it. Try having a practice drawing first with sketches since painting it is completely different form looking at it. Then try to analyze the tonal values and make sure that the light patterns are just right. After the practice sketch and the tonal values, you will now have to deal with the color schemes.

After all those have been done, you will need to finalize. Finalizing includes making sure that the lighting and composition is correct. Many artists will not paint exactly what they see; they will in fact have some modifications to either make it better or to be able to express their personality in it.

The next step will be completely up top you; it all depends as to what style you will be using. You may want to handle the approach via the old master which is time consuming because it requires repeated layers of paints and glazes. But it allows great control and variety.

Here are some suggestions to make your still life painting more realistic, that even some people might think it’s the real deal.

1. Don’t light all objects equally; choose an object that will be the center of interests.
2. Decide on the concept, give the object some mass and paint some shadows.
3. Create a distinctive shape for every different object. Don’t make all your different fruits look all like apples. If the grape and lemons you plan on making seems to look like an apple I think you have a problem.
4. The object can either be across looking shallow or into the canvas.
5. Start your painting with the center of interest.
6. for objects to be lighted, the surface in which they are on must also be lighted
7. Try to add other colors by using the monochrome to make the object more realistic and prevent dullness.
8. Decide and understand how you will be able to bring what you want pout of your subject.
9. Establish the ground plane because it is also important.
10. The darkest part in the picture is the line of shadow in the objects.

http://www.photo2all.com

If you are able to create a still life fruit painting that even your friends tried to eat it, you should be proud of yourself. If the painting you made on the other hand looked more like a cartoon, cheer up, maybe your just suppose to join the kinder art class first and develop your art skills gradually.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Hu

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