vince’s ear

I think I have a new addiction. The other day I posted a method of “perfect binding” a paperback book using minimal tools and materials, and a printer. I highly recommend trying this if you love books and/or if you love crafty projects. But I must warn, you’ll get hooked…

I ran into Project Gutenberg about a year ago. I’ve found so many free books I’d like to read, but didn’t really feel like sitting in front of a computer to read them, especially the long ones. I also happen to be cheap so I either get a book at a library, or not at all. $24 for a paperback? Forget about it. But now I can make my own books for less than $3, and it only takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Here is a picture of the jig I made, in case you want to make one yourself. Except for the 2 bolts, everything was found around the house:

I wanted to share with you some links. The first is the DIY Book-binding site. On it, I watched a video (below) which not only made the project look easy, but convinced me it actually was. The guy went through these easy steps and in no time came up with a beautifully bound paperback book, which got me onto the project right away.

In case anybody out there isn’t into the paperback idea, I also ran into a bunch of sites with detailed instructions on how to make a nice hard-bound book. These books, when finished, really show how you can make more of an art than a craft out of these book-making projects, and really are great looking. You can bind them any which way you want and put some of your personality into them with decorate cover papers or jacket designs all the way down to the type of paper you use.

Here is a list of some of these hard-back book-making sites I found to be useful:

davethedesigner.net

briansawyer.net

papierdesign.de

A slide-show demonstration

A huge list of book-binding websites

And the most invaluable video I’ve seen on the subject:

Most book binders see their craft as a labor of love, an activity to which you can’t really put a price. Reading some “how to” articles it becomes clear why: to make a hard-bound book, one must go through a long list of difficult and cumbersome steps, each of which seem to need a good amount of skill before it accomplished, or well at any rate.

I had other intentions. What I wanted was a physical book to hold in my hands and I wanted it now. Sewing classes, making laundry lists of materials, and mind-boggling directions were not part of the itinerary.  So I quickly learned how to put together a “perfect-bound” paperback book, and I just as quickly made one.

The Plan

There is no shortage of book-binding sites on the internet, but like I said earlier, some are hard to follow, include unnecessary steps, and the directions may appear downright cryptic at times. By far the best resource I’ve found is diybookbinding.com.

You may have several reasons for wanting to make your own book:

• You’d love to read a bunch of free public domain classics, but don’t want to sit and read them off your computer. Thousands of great books can be found at projectgutenberg.com, ready for you to convert into real book form.
• You’d like to make a nice journal with some style. Design your cover how you’d like, print out ruled paper patterns, or even set a day-planner or dated diary entries.
• You have plans of self-publishing your book, collection of stories, or articles, and don’t want to pay Print-On-Demand publishers over $7 + shipping, when you could easily make your own for less than $2.
• Give personalized books complete with illustrations or photographs, or even classics or your own written poetry as gifts.
• You’re a crafty or DIY-type person, and just want to make some notebooks, journals, or photo-albums from scratch.

Materials

Now if I wanted to pay $15 for materials to make each book, I may as well either buy it from a book-store, or if it is my own writing I’d send it to lulu.com or something. So the plan is to spend as little money as possible.

• The most expensive tool you need may be the paper cutter. If you don’t have access or don’t want to spend the $20-$50 for one, you can get by with an X-acto knife and a metal ruler. My cutter is an X-acto 12″ guillotine which costs about $47. The cost is a lot up front but at least I have it to use for years to come. Check Amazon.com for some $19.99 cutters.
• Paper- you can use cheap newsprint or any kind of printer paper.
• The cover- pick up some cover-stock 11″ x 17″, or any size that is at least 8.5″ x 12.”
• Glue - Superglue 5 minute epoxy sets in 5 minutes and works perfectly. You can find this for about $3- $4. You can use contact cement, or maybe even regular white glue.
• Any inkjet printer.
• A press. In the picture above you’ll see I took two pieces of scrap wood and drilled two holes for bolts with wing nuts. If you don’t have the wood, you might get by with some clamps.

The material list seems like a lot of money at first. But just think of how many books you can make from just one trip to the store. The tools like the cutter, knife, press and printer you may already have and can be used for years. The cost of materials for one book: about $2.

Making The Book

1. The first thing you need to do is print the pages. With my HP Photosmart printer, there is the option to print a “booklet.” This arranged the pages for you and will make one big booklet which would normally be folded in half. If you have a PDF writer or reader (you can download CutePDF reader for free), you can do the same thing. The point is to have 4 book pages printed on one sheet of printer paper, which you would cut in half to make each leaf of the book.

Just open your document and leave it alone, without re-ordering any pages. Hit print and find preferences, options, or properties. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find an option such as this:

With my printer, the odd pages print out first, then I put that stack in, press “continue” and then the even pages print out. It couldn’t be easier.

2. Once all the pages are printed, cut each in half and stack in order. It pays to include page numbers in your document.

3. Print the cover. Most printers have options of choosing page size. In my case, I only wanted the front cover to print so I made my graphic upside down, with no borders, and printed on the card-stock which was previously cut to fit the printer. It came out oriented to be the cover of a “left-edge” book.

4. Put the cover on the book “block.” Take the stack of ordered pages and put together with the cover in the right direction. Score the part where the cover meets the book, so you can fold it. Place both the cover and the block in the press and tighten it. You’ll want the spine edge exposed and a little higher than the edges of the press.

5. Now you’re ready to glue the spine. Mix the epoxy, and brush it on the spine. Take the rest of the cover and fold over to press the spine together with the cover. Wait 5 minutes, then remove the book from the press. Now all you need to do is score the other side of the cover, fold it, and cut the excess off the ends of the book.

So that’s it. It may seem intimidating reading the instructions, but once you try it you realize how much of a cinch it really is.

After I took “art” class in high school you’d think I would have given up on the hopes that art or art history could actually be fun. The teacher was unenthusiastic and boring and gave the dullest assignments leaving most of those kids to think that that was it for art. Who cares about exact dates and quizzes? Who wants to draw a picture of their shoe? How could art suck this bad?

Good art isn’t academic and by the books. Likewise reading page after page of encyclopedia art bios and painting a stupid flower exactly the way an instructor tells you to isn’t going to be fun. What I hope to accomplish with this blog and specifically with this series is to let people know that enjoying art can indeed be a lot of fun.

1. Take the family to the museum

Chances are you are within driving distance to an art museum, so why not fill the family station wagon with the little ones and head on over. These museums are there to entertain you; they want you and your kids to come back, so they will likely have a calender chock-full of activities.

“Make and take” workshops are a big hit at museums. Many of these workshops are targeted at kids to let them get a hands on feel for some type of art such as clay, finger paints, acrylic paints on canvas, textiles, or even something like silk-screen printing or calligraphy. When was the last time you finger painted? Whether they are for your kids or just yourself, these workshops will let your inner artist burst free and allow to get instruction and experience with a new art.

Events such as dance theaters, ballets, and films are all good for you and the spouse while the kiddies play. Something like a puppet theater is enjoyable for the whole family. All of these things are on my museum’s calender for the first week of January alone. Your museum will surely have a similar lineup, so visit the museum or check out their website.

2. Nothing planned for Friday? Go to Art After 5

Once again at the museum, the Art After 5 program has been going on at every museum I’ve been to, and is a fun way to spend the first part of a Friday evening. From 5 o’clock, after normal museum hours to about 9 o’clock, you can sip some wine or liquor while enjoying a live jazz band, or piano, or even something like traditional Japanese music, all depending on the theme.

They might show a silent film while the music is playing or some other type of entertainment. The nice part is, after listening to some live music, you can head on over to the galleries and browse through the collections in a more exclusive way without bumping into rooms full of people. And checking out classic art while a little tipsy can give you a whole new perspective.

3. First Friday fun

This is something I used to frequent around my local area which is whole lot of fun. The first Friday night of every month, a few blocks of the historic part of my city opens up its art galleries to the public. Some galleries can host quite the part with music, alcohol, food. One place had a Celtic Irish band playing some diddies on fiddle, squeeze-box and guitar.

People just hop from gallery to gallery at their leisure, eat some good food and get a look at some local up-and-coming artists, some of whom will be there for discussion. All the art is priced depending on the gallery and the artist for serious buyers. First Friday lacks the stuffy, and sometimes pretentiousness of usual galleries, because people aren’t expected to buy, and there is no pressure. It’s mostly just a fun way to spend an early Friday night.

4. Art games for all ages

Who said all those video games are just for kids? While targeted at a young audience, and sometimes a little cutesy, there are several art video games which can be quite fun and addictive at all ages.

Mario Paint for SNES is one that requires mention. This is more than just a game which brings back some familiar characters, but a complete art program which even includes a mouse. It allows you to paint with an infinite number of brushes and effects, compose music, and even make animation. It gives your brain a total workout, and since it’s Nintendo it’s bound to be a lot of fun.

Another one I used to love is a little obscure program for Windows 3.1 called Microsoft Fine Artist. This one is definitely directed at little kids but the concept is a good one. It is a thousand times better than Microsoft Paint. It includes an impressive collection of ClipArt, which can be put into the paintings, allowing you to create your ClipArt, or stickers,  for use in future paintings.

5. Art movies for movie night

Good movies involving art can be an excellent way to learn about famous artists and give you a splash of culture at the same time. Check out 6 Films About Painters, and 6 More Films About Painters for my list of good art movies.

6. Be creative

Creativity and the act of creation releases endorphins in your brain which make you feel not just satisfaction for accomplishing something, but an overall warm and fuzzy feeling. In other words: it’s good for you! There are so many ways you can be creative:

• Get your hands dirty: get some clay and see what you can come up with. If you want to go all out, get a kiln or a pottery wheel and make your own projects.
• Take an art class. Community colleges provide an inexpensive way to learn an art such as drawing or painting.
• Play with Photoshop. Photoshop or its spinoffs can be a lot of fun to tinker with. Take a couple of unlikely pictures and splice them together in a funny way. Then print it out as a birthday card, etc.
• Go to workshops. Like I said earlier, find a museum that has adult workshops for art. You can take all kinds of workshops such as quilt-making and textiles, or even tea tasting!
• See 10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity

So I’m sure you can find all kinds of fun things to do with and about art. Check out Have Fun With Art, Part 1, and Part 2.

Making a cast of an object such as a sculpture is easy as long as you have the right materials. It took some product testing and trial and error but I do believe I’ve found some decent mold making and casting supplies.

Hobbies, Crafts, or Small Business

There are any number of reasons you may want to make a mold of something: you may simply want a copy of a keepsake; a duplicate of a tool or other useful object; some molds for soap, candle, or candy making, or you may have another crafty purpose such as making chess sets, as was the reason for my pursuit. Many people sell their handmade crafts on sites such as Etsy.com.

I started sculpting as well as turning chess pieces a little while back when I got my mini lathe (Turning Chess Pieces 101). As an amateur turner I can turn a decent piece and even duplicate one fairly close to the original, but chess pieces can’t be close; they need to be exact. So I needed to find a way to cast the original many times over for accurate copies. This would also make it easier in the long run- I’d only need to make 6 pieces on the lathe.

Finding The Perfect Material

Like an engineer, I needed to find the best and least expensive material for the project. Other factors are considered such as time and effort, re-usability, and difficulty. As you can see in the pic above I went through a fair amount of products to find the right stuff, and it was by no means cheap. But you have to crack a few eggs…

I rated the materials from 1 to 5 stars for several categories: 1 being the worst, as in a “1″ for time means it takes a long time, a “5″ for difficulty level means it’s easy, etc.

The Casts

1. Permastone- By and large this is the material I was most pleased with. This is a stone-like plaster which mixes with water 3:1 and dries quickly to give you a smooth, heavy cast which retains minute detail.

Quality: *****

Re-usability: ****; nice and durable finished product

Difficulty level: *****

Time: ***; 1-2 minutes mix, about 15-20 minutes for a solid cast

Price: ****; About $5 for 28 oz. box

2. Castin’ Craft Casting Resin- Ack! Don’t get any on your hands, this stuff is beyond sticky. You have to mix a catalyst just right or the resin won’t cure properly. It took three days before it even began hardening. In the end, the clear plastic finished product has potential- a good substitute for glass chess pieces, but using this resin doesn’t seem practical.

Quality: ***; the piece doesn’t look too bad

Re-usability: ***; solid and durable, but a week later the bottom is still sticky

Difficulty level: **; the stickiness and the mixing make it difficult to work with

Time: *

Price: **; Something like $12 to $15 for 16 oz., catalyst sold separately for some reason (?)

The Molds

1. Castin’ Craft Mold Builder- Very nice liquid latex mold builder, good for making molds of small, detailed objects, preferably flat, but not suited for my purposes here. The liquid is brushed on (no mixing reguired), and captures the finest detail. Depending on the size of the original, many layers may need to be applied. I made a cast of penny with the Permastone- every detail was preserved and the cast popped right out.

Quality: ****

Re-usability: ***; if only a few layers were applied, the latex is fairly flimsy and warps a little

Difficulty: *****; only setback is the washing of the brush in between each coat

Time: ***; each layer must dry completely before applying another. This may take some time if it’s a large object and needs 10 + coats

Price: ****; About $7, enough latex for many small molds.

3. Alumilite Quick Set Silicone- Now here’s where I need to make a managerial decision. Is the excellent quality of the mold worth the 4 hour wait? Silicone is the main material I sought on my shopping quest, I even bought some silicone caulking tubes to try out later as a cheap alternative. A catalyst is needed to mix, but isn’t very difficult, and this one comes with measuring cups which is a major plus (I had to weigh the casting resin earlier). One thing is for sure- the mold itself is probably the most durable, so even if it takes 4 hours at first, I should be able to get many uses out of each mold.

Quality: *****

Re-usability: *****

Difficulty: ***

Time: **

Price: *; $35 for 14 oz., just enough for a couple molds.

4. Webster Group 3D Gel- I certainly found treasure with this one, hidden amongst the little kiddie clays and molds. I think I have a winner: it was $4 for this packet (1 large mold and one small mold, $15 for a larger container), it took about 2 minutes to mix and2 minutes to completely harden (need to work fast), and the quality of the mold seems about the same as the Alumilite silicone- should be able to get many molds out of this. Plus, all I had to do is mix 3/4 cup of water.

[Update: Unfortunately after about a week, the mold dried up, reduced in size about 1/3, and became brittle. Looks like this is a great one time mold, but nothing more.]

Quality: *****

Re-usability: *

Difficulty: *****

Time: *****

Price: ****; $15 container ought to yield a decent amount of molds

5. Amazing Mold Putty- Another treasure found in the kids section. It shows a baby on the front so the store must have thought babies are supposed to play with it. But they didn’t notice the picture actually shows a mold being made from the baby’s hand. Very professional product, and very easy- 2 tubes of A and B, mix equal parts, knead until uniform, then embed an object, sets in 20- 25 minutes. When hardened, it made an excellent and durable mold. The only problem was a crease which came when I wrapped the putty around the chess piece. Instructions didn’t say youcould wrap, but I think I can find a way around this.

Quality: ****; we’ll see if the creases persist

Re-usability: *****

Difficulty: ****; 4 stars only because it is super durable, and for my purposes harder to make the cut line to get the piece out. Depending on how you look at this, the extra good quality makes up for it.

Time: ****

Price: ****

6. Instamold is made by the same people as Permastone. It is mixed with either 1 to 1 powder and water for a strong mold, 1 to 2 for average, and 1 to 3 for a weak mold. It appears that the 1 to 3 may save money, stretching the amount of molds possible from one box. I used the 1 to 2 average mix. I don’t know if it was because of the mix ratio, but this material was extremely bubbly. Luckily, only one minor defect resulted on the piece, which was easily sanded away. The set time for this was very quick- about 10- 15 minutes. However, while easy to cut away the original, it ripped a little.

Quality: ****; made a good piece, a little weary of the bubbles though

Re-usability: *; When I opened it up, it tore, and while I could be a little more careful, I’m doubtful the mold can be used more than a few times. [Update: After about a week, the mold dries up and shrinks.]

Difficulty: *****; easy mix, easy set, easy release

Time: *****

Price: *****

7. Sculpey, and generic modeling clay- Before I went shopping for the real mold supplies, I made a mold of a chess piece with Sculpey clay. This clay never hardens until you bake it, so is ideal for making a cheap one-time mold, which you can demolish and use for any other clay sculpting. The material is very pliable so makes for easy original removal, but difficulty in resealing the mold for the pour. In the end, an interesting duplicate is made, but nothing that can be sellable. A first attempt at chess piece mold making.

I also tried some modeling clay just in case I can make the absolute cheapest option work in any reasonable way. As I imagined the molds did not capture any real detail and crumbled the first time I removed them after the cast was dry. The clay molds of the smallest pawn pieces (about 3/4″ tall) actually turned out better than the Sculpey ones, which utterly failed beyond recognition.

Quality: **

Re-usability: *

Difficulty: *****

Time: *****

Price: *** for Sculpey, ***** for Modeling clay

The Results

 [From left to right: Instamold small queen, 3D Gel rook and pawn, Amazing Mold Putty bishop and pawn, Pawn made from Clear Casting Resin set in Sculpey, 2 small pawns set in modeling clay, 2 small pawns set in Sculpey, 2 large pawns set in Sculpey]

After this trial and error I have no reason to look for a further casting material: Permastone duplicates every detail, makes a heavy chess piece, and can be mixed with paint and other debris for effects. Some of the smaller ones in the picture above have been swirled with magenta watercolor paint for a “marble” look.

The Amazing mold putty is a very good product. However, the nature of the 3 dimensional chess pieces probably requires something which can be poured over the pieces. I will attempt to perfect the wrapping of the putty- aside from the crease it does make a good duplicate, and the mold seems to be infinitely re-usable.

In the end, the Alumilite 2-part silicone is the winner. The 3D Gel would have been great if only the mold lasted. If you only need to make a single duplicate, I’d recommend the 3D Gel, but if you need a mold which will last, the silicone is the best bet.

Too lazy to pick up a brush?

Well now you can create that masterpiece you’ve always wanted to, and you don’t even have to draw anything! This is my favorite kind of artistic computer interactivity- the kind which gives you a slew of little graphics and lets you creatively arrange them to your heart’s content.

The website is the National Gallery of Art, specifically http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/stilllife.htm. Don’t let the “kid’s zone” title fool you. It’s for all ages, like coloring books, and enjoying old book illustrations from your childhood.

You can:

• Choose from a plethora of objects with categories like fruits, porcelain bowls or vases, sheets and cloths, flowers, miscellaneous objects like busts and dolls, and backgrounds.
• Adjust light levels, shadow intensity, resize objects, and modify the tilt of the table.
• Save and print your picture when completed.

This kind of program is excellent because:

• It lets your creativity run free, without the need to touch anything in real life.
• You can set up a still life which you can use as a reference to paint without having to go to garage sales to get interesting props.
• It lets you create a picture without needing to draw. There is a “paint” feature which lets you use effects to modify your painting, and make it look impressionistic or “painterly.”
• You can rearrange the props until you have a perfect composition. Don’t like that bowl there? Drop it off the edge of the table and hear it shatter.

Cezanne couldn’t dream of having this kind of fun with still lifes.

Every now and again this blog strays just a tad off the path of fine arts such as painting and art history, to more of an arts and crafts topic meant for artisans. Many of you might appreciate this, as I notice many artists have eclectic interests and try to get their hands on all kinds of creative projects.

That’s exactly what I sought to do with my new wood-turning hobby. I got myself a nice little mini lathe and I expect to turn chess set after chess set in all kinds of styles. I always wanted to get my hands dirty with carpentry but never really had the means. With wood turning I won’t be making any old mail boxes, but rather I’d be embarking on an artistic journey where I can really use my creativity.

It started when I carved my Alice In Wonderland chess set out of clay not too long ago. The combination of the Alice themed chess set and a rekindling of an interest in the game drove me to set up a chess website called Blitzqueen.com (blitz is a really fast game of chess, and the queen is the most powerful piece). That’s Arthur Rackham’s Red Queen in the logo above.

So far the site has a history of chess page, a “how to play” page, and a work in progress “strategy” page which seems to be getting pretty popular already. I’m working on either borrowing or (God willing) writing some java to include examples of historical games that you can navigate through. Eventually I’ll get some freeware up so visitors can play online, or download a program.

The ultimate goal, however, is to supply as many styles of chess sets people can purchase cheaply for themselves or as gifts. I plan on carving more themed sets like the Alice set, as well as some classical medieval sets such as the Lewis pieces of ancient Scotland, and military sets such as Napoleonic, American Civil War, etc.

5. People won’t like my art
“They’re all gonna laugh at you,” says the demon on your shoulder. You never create anything because you’re afraid that your creative shortcomings will embarrass you. Other people will laugh at your drawing as they have done when you were young, and will see you as a talentless wannabe.

4. I’m not good at it

Your crippling lack of confidence shows you’re not able to please your viewers and critics. It must be about pleasing others, or else you wouldn’t care and create it for your own sake anyway. All the great artists started somewhere. Many of the best authors, painters, and poets were rejected time and again. Some never sold more than one painting in their lives.

3. No money for supplies

“But it’s too expensive.” You claim you don’t have the money to pay for paints, canvases, or other supplies yet you can’t live without Starbuck’s. So instead of skipping on the lattes you skip on the possibility to create wonderful artwork and be a producer for once in your life. Never mind that true genius will find a way to create even without fancy supplies.

2. But I’d rather be ______

“I could paint, but…” You could exert the energy to pick up a pencil or paint brush, but then again Lost reruns are on. It’s so much easier to let your brain turn into mush instead of exploring your limitless artistic potential. Laziness will be the death of your creativity.

1. Fear

“But what if I actually succeed?”

Fear is the number one reason we don’t come anywhere near our true potential. We’re afraid of everything. We’re scared that we’ll get tired at work the next day if we stay up painting all night. We’re scared nobody will accept or understand our art. We’re scared of success.

What we don’t understand is that failing is good for us. Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” We only recognize Edison’s successes, and tend to skip over the fact that he failed more often than succeeded.

We should use Edison’s example and try something 10,000 times. Sooner or later we’ll succeed. Then it wouldn’t matter what people say, or the fact that you stumbled a few times on the way.

Create art for yourself. Worry about selling it later. Overcome your fears by jumping right in. Ever notice things are never as bad as they seemed once you’re in it? Put the remote down and put the brush to canvas. When I can’t think of anything, I copy something; (it’s better than nothing) creativity will flow.

Above all- no more excuses!

No matter what line of work you’re in, or what you do in your free time, we all need to rely on creative solutions. Have you ever been in a creative void- the kind of slump you can’t get out of, like writer’s block? Ever just stare at a blank canvas, word processor, desktop, or work space with a seemingly hollow brainpan?

Of course you have. It happens to all of us. You may be an artist stumped for ideas for paintings, illustrations, or drawings. Perhaps you’re a designer tired of churning out the same old things with your clients sharing the same sentiments. You could be a freelance [fill in the blank] and need to really knock ‘em dead with some fresh ideas. Maybe you’re like me and you just need to spice things up and are looking to increase your creative output.

We all have our bad times, but hope is not lost. No matter who you are or what your motivations, there are remedies to your lack of mental pizzazz so you can get your gears turning again, and the creativity oozing.

1. Make a list- A BIG one

You’ll be absolutely amazed by the results you’ll get from this one. The rules are simple: You make a list of not less than 100 things, and you do it in one sitting. Don’t break the rules! Go ahead and let yourself be intimidated by the magnitude of the list- this is healthy nervousness. The only fear you must face with this is the fear of succeeding. Know that when you are done you will have a list of 100 solutions.

The list can be about anything you need to come up with. The first time I did it, I made a list of 100 things to do with a useless steel drum that was taking up space in my basement. Be sure to write down all the silly ideas (put wheels on it and turn it into a motorcycle sidecar?!). The point is, your brain will be forced to think way outside of the box. By number 70 or so, you’ll have some real gems. Your brainpower will thank you for this priceless creativity boosting method.

2. Cranial Gale Force

Brainstorming is similar to list making, only that it’s not so linear. This is effective when working with a team. Have a scribe write on paper or dry erase board and have people call out ideas. Once again DO NOT shun the silly ideas. This is not the time to nit pick and nay say. When you’re done, you will have a few good ideas for a good start.

A good method for brainstorming is to start with a problem or point of interest in the center of the page and circle it. Then branch out to solutions or ideas and continue until they are branched out as well. If you prefer not to write on dead trees, a freeware program called Free Mind is available, which gives you resources to brainstorm on your computer.

3. Have Some More Coffee

After all, caffeine is a stimulant, right? Don’t underestimate the power of external stimulants to give your internal resources a budge. When used in conjunction to the list of 100, you can almost sit back and watch your own hand writing at the speed of sound as you jot your ideas down.

Maybe coffee isn’t your cup of tea (sorry). Whatever perks you up, be it chocolate, tea, green tea, iced tea, soda- don’t spare it. Let it help you create.

4. Make A Drawing

This is not just for artists. Start with a big blank sheet of paper and jot down a quick picture of a landscape or a city street. Now begin making small random figures- in essence doodling. Don’t be afraid to crowd the scene with everything you can think of- animals, pedestrians, animals in clothing, people riding birds in the sky, a giant giving a person a ride on his shoulder, and so on. Let if flow, and be silly with it. Your mind will begin working automatically, coming up with new and interesting additions to the drawing. The crazier, the better. This method can unlock deep creative potential.

Don’t worry about quality, you’re not sending it to the museum. The idea is to allow free forms, associations, and ideas flow without laboring. Start pairing characters and objects with things they normally wouldn’t go with- combining two unlikely objects is an ageless recipe for entrepreneurial success.

5. Use It Or Lose It!

Your brain is a powerful force on this planet. Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am). The human mind has been known to heal the body just from powerful thinking and meditation. It would be a terrible thing to waste.

Unfortunately we can indeed waste our brains if we don’t constantly challenge them. By feeding your mind with the right input, we can greatly increase the quality of our output. Do simple daily brain exercises to strengthen your mental muscle.

Change your scenery every now and then so your mind doesn’t stagnate in the same sight day in and day out. Take a different route to work some days. Take the scenic route. Use your non-dominant hand to do everything- brush your teeth, etc. Shave without a mirror, shower in the dark, navigate your house in the dark. By strengthening your mind using simple brain exercises like these, you may be surprised by the cognitive improvements.

6. Food For Thought- You Are What You Eat

We wouldn’t exercise our bodies without giving it the proper fuel, right? The same is true for the brain. Now that we exercise our brains, we must feed it right. What’s likely good for the rest of the body is good for the brain- as our brains take in 20% of our fuel and oxygen. So don’t feed it junk.

Eat foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids such as fish- particularly fatty fish like salmon and tuna. Unsaturated fat is also good. When you look at the facts on a can of peanuts it looks bad because it is high in fat, but only saturated fat is really bad for you. If it has un-, poly-un, or mono-un- in front of it, it’s good for you.

7. Sleep On It

Sometimes when we’re scratching our heads in front of a blank notebook or computer desktop, with steam coming out of our ears from frustration, we just want to pull our hair out. As long as the deadline permits, stop what you’re doing and walk away from it. If you give yourself a break every once in a while you’ll be far more productive than if you worked through your break.

Some of the most creative minds in history have used sleep to assist their efforts. Take a nap and be sure to keep a notebook handy. As you’re falling asleep pay attention to the wacky images floating by in your head. Your dreamy thoughts just may be the key.

Our subconsciousness is hard at work while we slumber. Recently I’ve been trying to catch up with old acquaintances on social sites but couldn’t remember most last names. Sitting in front of the computer scratching my head proved fruitless. However, for the last 4 days I woke with 4 names in my head. Sleep can work wonders.

8. Don’t Miss Those Opportunities

We’ve all been there: we come up with some brilliant idea in the shower or on the road or elsewhere and later couldn’t think of it for the life of us. We know we had a eureka! moment but couldn’t drudge up the details. It pays bundles to keep a small notebook handy wherever you go for that reason.

Random thoughts aside, you never know when you might feel a wave of inspiration. At the museum, the sight of great art may inspire you in many ways and a deluge of ideas will come in. Always be open to new possibilities. Don’t miss out!

9. Think Outside of the Box

Easier said than done, right? By using some of these other methods I hope you can come up with some new and exciting ideas. The main thing is to allow the nonsensical ideas to come out. You can deal with or delete them later. Some of the most innovative companies have research and development teams which are separate from the rest of the company so bureaucracy and negative nellies won’t get in the way of their genius.

So some times you must ignore those around you who say, “that won’t work,” or “sorry to burst your bubble.” They mean well, but their doubts and insecurities are their own, and need not affect you and your creative solutions and project ideas. The idea is to come up with things which the majority of other people have not or could not.

10. Just Do It

The best way to tackle a problem is to dive right in. When I write, I don’t think much when I first put pen to paper. As long as I get started, the rest will present itself. Give yourself a boost and make yourself begin. Starting is more than half the battle. As ideas flow, use them up and allow the energy to surge, thus multiplying your own efforts.

Sometimes planning can seriously impede your potential. Your project may never get off the ground if you continue to be a perfectionist. Let your project take flight, and see where it goes. It may morph into something you never could have dreamed of. You control the reins and you can adjust, edit, or steer where you need to.

This is true with artistic endeavors as much as anything else. Even if you have no idea of what your painting will be, just start putting paint on the canvas- it’ll work itself out. Most of the time I’m pleasantly surprised with how different my end product looks from what I had envisioned.

Now use your creativity well, and never stop. Create beautiful paintings and poems, mind-boggling inventions, and the next great novel. The sky’s the limit, but time is of the essence. Celebrate your potential but know that you will not be here forever.

You better get crackin’.

What Is Expression?

Expression is communicating your emotions and inner vision. As an artist, this is your way of satisfying the urge to create artwork which can be enjoyed and interpreted by others. Your vehicle of choice may be painting, writing, sculpting, composing, or any other endeavor. How you express yourself in your chosen method is dependent on a number of things.

For better or worse, we can catch a glimpse into an artist’s life and mind when viewing their works. When authors write, they can’t help but bleed themselves onto the pages of their material. The same is true when painters bleed their feelings and intimate ideas onto the canvas. When you create something, there will never be another artwork exactly the same. You are unique, and not one of 6 billion other living souls on Earth is capable of producing your individual output the way you can.

However, though you are true to your own identity and have your own beliefs, ideas, and style, no person is an island. Isaac Newton said that he was able to come up with his brilliant theories because he had the opportunity to work with and learn from other great scientists. He said, “I am able to see for miles because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” In our communal society, we can’t help but be influenced by our surroundings and fellows. Unless you live in a cave, of course.

As we can see with Sir Isaac, sharing our brain power is not a bad thing at all. Our potential is greater as individuals and as a race if we learn from each other’s experiences, mistakes, and innovations. When I first started the long and rewarding journey of learning oil painting, I studied Vincent van Gogh because he inspired me. Vincent, when he was first learning art, studied and copied Jean Francois Millet. Millet studied and emulated Honoré Daumier. And so on and so forth.

If you are just learning an art or are seeking to find your artistic identity, look all around you for inspiration. Study the great artists of yesteryear and see how they achieved their genius. Follow their brush strokes and copy their paintings (never perfectly), and eventually you will find your own personal methods and style. I’m always learning, and no matter how good I get there will always be inspiration from the history of art. I just recently copied a Caravaggio painting, and though it is not my creation, I am definitely a better artist after having completed it. When I look at the copy, I see something I painted, the attributes of which I am now capable of. I can now paint a hand better, an eye, hair, etc.

After gaining a little skill (loads of which can be learned from copying famous paintings) you will eventually spread your wings and leave the nest. I’m talking about creativity and finding your own voice. But first, a little regression is needed- to your childhood.

When we are young, we doodle and scribble on everything. The younger we are, the more tolerant the parents are for our seemingly nonsensical scribbles. As we get older we are told to color inside the lines, and eventually we make perfect colorings hanging on the classroom walls. We trace our hands to make Thanksgiving turkeys and we follow our art teachers’ instructions to the T in order to get an A. See anything wrong with this?

What the parents don’t know is that the young child scribbling outside the lines is creating something of their own that they see as masterpieces as opposed to nonsense. Over the years our true creative potential is suppressed so that we develop into useful little left brain members of society. If our early potential wasn’t squashed, who knows what we could have accomplished?

So put yourself back in the shoes of a scribbling youngster, ignoring the mass produced coloring book templates. Don’t think of what is expected of you and don’t try to be perfect. Don’t be afraid of others’ opinions and judgments. Look to role models for inspiration and pick and choose strong points which you want to emulate. Just make sure you do as much as you can, when you can.

Above all- always color outside the lines.

The painting above is called “Grandpa Genoa,” by Chris Griffith over at the Blog At Bree. On the site you’ll see his paintings from soup to nuts, step by step. You can learn a lot from his tutorials, complete with images of every step. Chris has allowed me to include this work here to help me show you an amazing painting technique.

The painting above is Chris’s grandpa Genoa Griffith, who served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army in WWII. It is his first portrait, and a very fine one. What’s so amazing about this painting? All the color in the picture is painted entirely in multiple layers of thin glazes.

What Is Glazing?

We all know that the Mona Lisa is probably the most famous and viewed painting in Western art. But did you know her mysterious smile was painted in about 40 ultra thin layers? Special effects such as this are what make the art of glazing a highly versatile and useful technique. Colors can achieve their true potential with glazing, with effects not possible with regular opaque painting.

Glazing is generally an oil painting method. It starts out with a gray-scale (grisaille) and one by one adding thin layers of singular colors, which over time begin to blend in the viewer’s eye, rather than blended on a palette. Generally, it is not for the impatient as each layer must completely dry before adding another. The layers are small amounts of color added to a medium- a mixture of 5 parts turpentine, 1 part linseed oil. It is important to remember to paint fat over lean, as in the first layers, underneath, must have less oil (more turpentine, etc.) than the layers on top. This allows for a uniform drying and won’t crack later on.

In a nutshell,

• Preparation includes stretching and priming your canvas (if not using store bought), and finalizing your drawings and plans.
• A wash is applied (a thin, neutral color such as yellow ochre, raw sienna, etc.)
• A sketch is made on the canvas in pencil or charcoal.
• An imprimatura, or ground, is applied to the canvas in thin layers roughly outlining the subject.
• A gray scale, or grisaille, is painted being sure to get the correct tone with shadows and highlights.
• Initial layers of color are added. These colors can be changed where necessary by adding colors on top, which can be optically mixed to form new colors. For example, a blue applied over top an already dried yellow layer will make a green. In Grandpa Genoa, a thin layer of yellow ochre is added to the shirt, and a background is added.
• As each layer is added, the colors get darker (which can be helpful when painting backgrounds in a landscape), so adding white can lighten where necessary and also begin to make highlights. Shadows are also added, which begin to make the subject three dimensional.
• Highlights are last, and final details are made. Each layer, anywhere from 3 to 30, helps to make a well-blended and realistic painting.

Of course there is more to it. But don’t take my word for it. Check out Chris’s tutorials of Grandpa Genoa, and his new project (link to Color Stage 1), where you can get a more detailed look, and see what’s going on in each step.