Arts and Design
March 9th, 2010 at 02:02pm
Under Arts and Design
While most people would agree that most meditation techniques are a mental practice, the objectives of different people and different religions vary. Each religion has different approaches of how to meditate, but the end result is pretty much the same.
In this article, we will discuss the differences among major religions on how they view the practice of
meditation.
1. Hinduism
- this religion probably has the oldest texts that deal with meditation. While there are several types of
meditation in Hinduism, they generally focus on achieving a calm state of mind.
This is one of the more popular perceptions of meditation.
2. Buddhism
- founded by Buddha in 500 BC, this religion’s take on meditation is that which aims to attain enlightenment just like its founder.
3. Christianity
- this religion treats meditation as a prayer. Thus practices such as praying the rosary can be considered as
meditation in the Christian world.
Another form of meditation practiced by Christians is by pondering upon a certain religious passage. It has a
striking difference against
Eastern religions since Christian meditation involves an active mind while the opposite is true for Eastern
practices.
4. Judaism
- what is referred to as Jewish meditation is in fact a collection of practices that revolve around practices such as contemplation, visualization, analysis and gaining intuitive insights.
5. Taoism
- while most religions practice meditation while remaining still, Taoism takes a physically active take on this. It is evident in the practice of Tai Chi wherein practitioners do what is called ‘meditation in motion’.
As you see, there are basic differences among religions on how they approach meditation. However, a common thread that keeps them together is that they treat meditation as a mental practice.
By Kym
July 18th, 2009 at 04:00pm
Under Arts and Design
It can be hard to find art to decorate your house or give as a gift. You don’t want to but some generic, artless painting that is sold in hundreds of stores across the country. You want something that will pop. Luckily, there are ways to find unique art in your own proximity. If you want to fill your house with lovely watercolor art, all you have to do is take some time to discover a watercolor artist in your area. You can do this in a number of ways. The best way to attend craft fairs and artisan showings. These are places you will find lots of small, home-run artists. Another way is to visit the closest town with art studios near you. If you can find these, you may be surprised at what you find.
Going to be craft fares can be overwhelming, but only if you let it be. You just have to get you bearings straight and you will be just fine. There is a lot of art and artists around, so it is easy to fall victim to indulge. If you are a person who tends to buy things on a whim, you may want to take only a limited amount of money with you. If you don’t do this, you may accidentally go home with a big hole in your pocket.
Also, keep in mind when going to craft fairs that it isn’t uncommon for them to not accept credit cards. You may have to pay with a cash or credit. Art can be fairly expensive at times as well, so make sure to plan accordingly. If you only take small bills, you might not be able to afford the piece you like. However, that is one great way to keep your spending in line.
You cant let the first two booths you visit take all your money. This art is how most of these artists pay their bills, so they are quick to try and get you to buy their work. However, even if it is beautiful, you cannot buy the pieces at the first booths. You don’t want to spend a lot of money, and then find something even better later on, but not be able to purchase it. The worst feeling is regretting buying a piece for artyou bought. The great thing about craft fairs is that you can go back to a booth after looking over all of them.
Craft fairs are so fun and funky! It is a really fun way to spend a day. What is better than spending the day in the sun with lots of crafts around. They are the perfect place to find your home decorations or Christmas gifts. Giving art as a gift is such a great idea too. People really appreciate it, because you had to put thought into it and into the people. If you haven’t been to a craft fair before, its time you go!
By joanne
July 17th, 2009 at 09:48pm
Under Arts and Design
Taking pictures at weddings is a very important thing to do, and for that you will most certainly want to hire Utah wedding photographers for Salt Lake City wedding photography, but at other times you can take your own great pictures. There are some things to remember that can greatly improve your pictures.
Choosing your subjects is of course an important part of taking photos, you will of course want to take pictures of the people who are close to you so you can reminisce later on in time, but timing has a lot to do with the pictures you take because after all, a picture is just a representation of only one moment in time and since there are going to be high times and low times at any event that you are part of, you will have to get a sense of when those are and be sure that you are taking pictures during that time. Take pictures of your friends when they are having fun, and they don’t necessarily have to be posing and smiling for the camera as that creates some level of artificiality and awareness of the picture that is being taken of them and will not be as endearing or as honest to the moment of whatever activity is occurring at the time because it is posed for rather than just a snapshot of those people enjoying themselves without a care for the camera or not. Another important thing to consider is focus, and a lot of cameras these days have a very short exposure time so that your pictures will have time to focus and so that you will not miss a moment that will never happen again in the course of time because your camera was too slow to focus for the brief time that you needed it to do its job. Another thing you will want to do is to pay attention to the way you compose your picture because having something in the exact middle of the photo with symmetry does not make the picture come out as looking like a unified piece, so you will probably want to mentally divide what you see into thirds so that there is a better balance between the background and foreground and this will also contribute to people’s sense of dimensionality in the picture, so that it will not look too flat.
By joanne
July 16th, 2009 at 09:37am
Under Arts and Design
Art can take numerous diverse forms. A few the different kinds of art include original art, modern paintings, and art from the Impressionist era. Art that is original, by definition, is work that is one-of-a-kind and it can be any kind of art, not just a painting as long as the art is generated by the real artists themselves. Modern art is defined as art “of the present times.” Finally, impressionist artwork is work in which the artist paints the piece like he or she has just viewed something very quickly. Art can be a technique to help lose yourself in your thoughts, either when creating it or when viewing it.
Original art is the one-of-a-kind painting or piece of art done by an artist. Original art is anything that is created solely by the artists themselves. Imitations of well-known paintings like the Mona Lisa have been created, but it is easy for true art connoisseurs to know the subtle differences between an original and a replica. Most likely, the best form of art is in its original form. Almost all of, the original pieces of famous paintings can be found in museums all around the world. Case in point is the “Mona Lisa” is located at the Louvre in Paris, along with other Da Vinci works.
The contemporary art era can be described as all forms of modern art created from the 1900s to the present. This type of work creates the possibility to call almost anything art. Modern art is also viewed as a method by which to escape from political and social turmoil of the present era. Some of the other kinds of modern art include expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. A few contemporary artists are Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keefe, and Pablo Picasso, to name a few. Contemporary art seems to be a form that people either like very much or despise very much. Quite possibly the most interesting thing about contemporary art is that it can be anything. Before contemporary art, there were very stringent rules about what could and could not be art. After the modern art era, was started there were no more boundaries.
It is interesting that impressionism is a form of contemporary art. Impressionist art should appear to be an image of something as if the person had just seen it briefly. Impressionism came about in France, during the nineteenth century. Impressionist art characteristics include bright colors and scenes from outside. Impressionist art also is characterized by real-life images, but it does not focus on the details of painting. Impressionist era painters consist of famous artists like Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The sorts of art discusses in this article are only three of numerous different types of artwork. Original and contemporary art have only lately become popular, where impressionist art has been pretty much extremely popular ever since it’s beginning in France. Anytime you are able to view incredible art by visiting a museum, you should take advantage of the opportunity. Viewing different kinds of art can reveal the type of person you are. Creating art and viewing art may be some of the best techniques when attempting to lose yourself in your thoughts.
By joanne
July 15th, 2009 at 09:54pm
Under Arts and Design
Basic Principles and Practice of Dress Fitting
If you have cut and marked your material properly from your dressmaking pattern- you are now ready to proceed in finishing your dressmaking and then have your first dress fitting.
Baste or pin in all darts, tucks, and any other inside design form shaping details.
Stay-stitch all curved and bias edges to prevent stretching material out of shape. Remember to handle your material lightly at all times.
Pin or baste shoulder and side seams of bodice. Baste sleeve seams and put aside. Pin or baste skirt seams.
THE FIRST FITTING
Drape bodice on dress form or living figure. Make any changes necessary in the fit of the garment by removing original pins or basting as you go along and replacing them at proper places.
These changes may be made at constructions seams, or at the darts, or other shaping seams. Don’t make the mistake of over fitting - remember to leave room for action.
When you are satisfied with the fit of this part of your costume, drape the skirt over your form, turn down seam allowance at waistline and attach to bodice at the waistline by matching your side seams, center front and center back, and other markings inherent to your design. Make corresponding alterations in the same manner you followed in fitting the bodice.
CHECK ON YOUR STRAIGHT OF GOODS. MAKE SURE THIS AT CENTER FRONT AND CENTER BACK IS EXACTLY PERPENDICULAR (AT RIGHT ANGLES) TO THE FLOOR. THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT IF YOU EXPECT TO HAVE YOUR GARMENT HANG OR DRAPE PROPERLY.
When your design calls for a bias cut pattern - the exact line of true bias must be perpendicular to the floor in the same manner - either at the center front and back, or at the design center as, for example, the center of each gore or godet.
Mark any changes you have made with chalk. Remove garment from form and take the next step to the finish line. Before you remove any pins, make sure that you have marked all seam allowances and all changes.
Detach skirt from bodice and take apart side and shoulder seams - BUT DO NOT DESTROY OR REMOVE ANY OF YOUR MARKINGS!
Begin with sewing in all your darts and inner lines of design.
Don’t forget to press as you go along.
PRESS EACH DART, SEAM, OR LINE OF SEWING BEFORE ATTACHING ANY CROSS SEAMS OR ASSEMBLING THE ADJOINING PART.
Press darts from the wider part toward the tip. Use your press mitt or tailor’s ham. Press waistline and shoulder darts toward the center of the garment; and bust line or sleeve darts downward. When working with very heavy material or very wide darts - trim dart to about 1″ of sewing line and press open, leaving a triangular fold at the tip of the dart.
In pressing seams - first press them open and then toward the direction desired; or leave them open if this is your intention as a designer. When one edge of seam has to be eased to match the length of the opposite edge as for example the top edges of sleeves or fullness over bust - in order to achieve neat shaping, gather in the fullness with a small running stitch to the length desired and steam shrink to shape by pressing over a curved surface such as your tailor’s ham.
ALWAYS PRESS BIAS SECTION WITH THE GRAIN OF THE MATERIAL TO AVOID STRETCHING OUT OF SHAPE.
TIPS FROM A PROFESSIONAL DRESSMAKER
Time for a second dress fitting.
Complete the bodice in all details except for final finishing. Sew in the interfacing if use of it is necessary to hold and reinforce the shape of your design.
Sew in facings wherever required.
If your design calls for a collar - baste it in.
Set in your sleeves and baste.
Have another fitting to check on collar and sleeves - Do the sleeves fall properly? - Is there enough ease for movement? - Does the collar lay smooth or roll the way you planned it? Measure off the length of the sleeves. Mark any changes necessary.
Now finish the bodice completely.
Remember to press each seam before sewing on a cross seam.
Now you are ready for a fourth dress fitting. Your dress will then be complete and you have learned how to sew a dress.
By joanne
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