How to Hang Pictures on a Wall

For any of you doing some home redecorating or you're looking to hang some new art, check out this video. Useful information from Lowes about hanging pictures AND the tools and hardware necessary.

Going to Ikea? Take some breadcrumbs

*This is a part of the Thursday rant series, a tongue and cheek look at my life*

The official Ikea map.  Seriously?  I need a map??

I had my first visit to Ikea over the weekend.  A few of my artist friends have mentioned getting some of the art show booth materials (shelving, fabrics, etc.) there, so while I was in Orlando, Florida for other reasons, I decided to stop by and go on a fact finding mission.

Here's a few of my random thoughts from the experience.

• I should have known that it was going to be an exhausting experience when there's a restaurant in the store.
• There was a big "START HERE" sign.  Kinda like a race.  Pace yourself.
• Don't get off the path!!!  There are all sorts of short cuts.  Don't be tempted.  You might want to bypass living rooms only to find yourself making circles for hours.
• Take breadcrumbs.  They will help you find your place and can serve as a food source in the event of the trip taking longer than expected.
• The Swedes must be short people.  That's the only way I can possibly explain why the majority of their furniture is only 3 inches off the ground.
• Just because you can shove a living room, kitchen and two bedrooms into 550 square feet of space doesn't mean that you should.  I would kill somebody by the end of the afternoon.

At the end of the day, I found a few baskets that I liked.  Everything else was just too much.  Can you order online then go pick it up?  That might work.

How to flatten rolled artwork

*I know I'm not a painter, but I found this great little article on how to flatten posters or prints that come rolled in a tube. Thought my readers might find this article helpful!*

Shipping artwork is a tricky business. While shipping artwork in a flat container is ideal, it makes shipping the item more expensive. Rolling the artwork and shipping in a tube is more economical, but it requires the recipient or framer to flatten the piece before displaying. Today's art article of interest from Wiki How shows to how to flatten a piece of art in order to frame or display it.

How to Flatten a Rolled Map or Poster

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Rolled wall maps or posters are hard to put on the wall if they're trying to roll back up. Here's how to get them to straighten up.

Steps

• Roll your poster opposite from the way that it curls. Start loose and tighten it up as you go, to avoid creasing it. Sometimes this is enough to flatten it, depending on the paper and how long it has been rolled.

• Wrap rubber bands around your opposite-rolled poster.

• Let your poster sit like this for a few hours.

• Remove the rubber bands and place your poster flat on a clean surface. Put it so that the side towards which it's curling.

• Smooth out the poster and place weights on the corners and in the center of your poster for 2 to 4 hours. Books are a good choice.

• 

  Remove the weights.

• Hang the poster.

Tips

• If your poster continues to curl after completing step 5, keep the weights on for longer.
• Good substitutes for paperweights include smooth rocks, glass jars, bean bags, and heavy books. Don't put heavy weights on the poster on a soft surface. The poster could crinkle.
• Work gently to avoid crinkling the poster.
• If you place the poster on the floor to flatten it, make sure it is out of the way so that nobody steps on it.

Warnings

• Ironing does not work for flattening posters.
• If you want to flatten a vintage poster, please take it to a professional.
• If you want to laminate a poster, flatten it first.
• Do not use rubber bands that have ink stamps on them, as they may stain your paper.

Related wikiHows

• How to Cover Your Room With Posters
• How to Mount a Map or Poster Without Damaging It
• How to Center a Heading on a Poster or Other Headline
• How to Make a Poster

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Flatten a Rolled Map or Poster. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To Choose the Right Frame For a Picture

Since I'm busy getting ready for the Downtown Festival and Art show today, I didn't have time to write a good blog post. However, this is a really good video I found when I was searching YouTube trying to get some ideas for framing some pictures.

Enjoy! (P.S. I'll have show pictures up next week.)

Art Appreciation 101

I found a great little article the other day on art appreciation.  I thought it would be a good read for anyone wanting to learn more about viewing and appreciating all forms of art.

I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ART BUT I KNOW WHAT I LIKE?

Perhaps you've gone to a gallery or art museum, looked at the artwork displayed and said to yourself, "What the heck is that? I can't understand it! Why is this here in a gallery?"

Or, maybe you've gone to a gallery or art museum and your reactions was, "Wow! Great stuff! I like this! I don't know why, but I do!"

Or, maybe you've gone to a gallery or art museum, and, after viewing the exhibits, you walk away feeling bored and disinterested. You may have said to yourself, " Why do I bother with looking at art? I never understand it. It's beyond me."

Like any other discipline, art requires the viewer to be knowledgeable about the information it presents. Sometimes we think we should just automatically understand art. After all, there it is, just hanging there on the wall and all we have to do, we think, is just look at it. But do we really SEE it? Often, our response may be, "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like."  That is just another way of saying, "What I like is really just based on my ignorance."

THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE MORE YOU CAN ENJOY

Liking a certain artwork is a pleasure. You have communicated with visual phenomena and really enjoyed the experience. It can be a very enriching, rewarding experience to know how and why an art form developed or have some knowledge of how and why an artist works in a particular way. More than likely, your perspective is quite limited if you have never studied art or know how it has developed in not only, our Western culture but all over the world.  What if you could gain information on the many forms of art that have been produced since humanity began, and how it developed over time to the present day? What would this kind of study mean to you? It would mean that, equipped with that knowledge, you would be able to enjoy a lot more art!

Here's why.

The more you know about art and its development, the more you can enjoy looking at art! You will see much more and understand the context, content and style of the art form. And this is the basis of Art Appreciation-a study of how to expand your knowledge of the art world, past, present and future and, with that perspective, be able to communicate with the rich visual/creative world!

HOW TO BEGIN

So, how do your start gaining knowledge of this vast art world? Where do you begin?
Begin by dipping your toe into Art History. With a basic Art History 101 knowledge you will be able to see how art, as we know it, was not really a term until the science of Art History was developed in our western culture. And, when it was developed, as you can read in many art history books in the library, art has existed as long as humans have been able to pick up a stick, brush or chisel and record their lives and experiences.

There are several ways of learning how to appreciate art:

ONE -- Learn about the basics of art history. How art developed, from the Lascaux cave paintings to modern art today. Older art history books deal primarily with artistic development in Western culture. Newer books add developments in Asia, China, Russia and the mid-East. The study of Art History has, over time, become global. In learning the time lines and factors that produce new perspectives and styles in art, you will not only gain a new historical perspective, but also become acquainted with the various art forms produced over the past centuries.

TWO--Choose a certain period or style in art history and learn about it. Perhaps Impressionism interests you. Or maybe you've always wanted to know the difference between Op Art and Pop Art. Through studying the cultural impact of a certain style on a specific period in time, you can understand why that particular art form developed and appreciate the artwork in a broader context.

THREE--Take a tour of your local art museum. Museums offer a wide variety of art educational programs and tours of their exhibits. Or travel and see the actual art in its setting. There are many websites on the Internet listing global art tours and travel, often by geographical location or specific art and architectural styles. On site art tours offer a unique and interesting way to travel and can give you an intimate, one on one perspective with the historical art and culture of the area. Tour groups are generally small in number and conducted by very knowledgeable guides delighted to respond to all of your questions and comments.

FOUR-Visit your local art galleries often. Galleries are supportive of their artists and gallery owners and attendants are usually quite pleased at your interest in their exhibits. They will be glad to give you information on the artists, such as whether they are local, where they have shown their work, what awards they have won, and who has purchased their artwork. Keep informed of present and future exhibits. This hands on approach, connects you closely with affordable art that is available where you live and often created by artists who live in or near your area.

DISCOVER A RICH VISUAL WORLD

Art Appreciation is as big or small a study as you want to do. Whether you want to make it an occasional outing or a serious study, whatever you choose, learning how art forms have historically developed and understanding what is on the walls in your local gallery will definitely change your perspective.
Wouldn't it be great to be able to discuss a painting on the wall in a gallery, instead of shrugging and muttering, "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like."

Think of it. Perhaps your response would be more like, "I like the way this artist uses color in an Expressionistic style. The brushwork is so vigorous! There is a lot of energy in the composition. Also, the use of thick paint produces an interesting texture."

Through Art Appreciation you can discover a rich visual/creative world that will inspire you and beckon you to learn more.

Lois's website offering free online art classes and many art resources, includes a gallery of her own paintings and pastels, as well as her videos demonstrating a wide variety of skills and techniques in the lessons: http://www.free-online-art-classes.com

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

Decorating on a budget

With the spring cleaning does the urge to redecorate enter your mind? I know it does for me.  In addition to purchasing new art for a space, there are some low cost ways, budget friendly ways to freshen up a room. I like to watch the HGTV shows to get ideas for color schemes and the like, which I have found comes in handy when planning resin jewelry colors.  I always like seeing someone else's experimentation with colors and textures and find that it spills over into my home decorating habits. 

I wanted to share the article "Low Budget Decorating, High Style Looks" by Kahi Lee of the Home and Garden Television show, Design on a Dime. She details a few simple tricks "do-it-yourself-ers" can do to give any room in your home a fresh, new look.  She definitely shows that redecorating doesn't have to be expensive.