Town Herald Advice
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Dear Hanhepi,
If you are just starting to get into the art show circuit, what sort of resources are available to getting your work in front of the art show committees and juries? That is to say, how in the world can you find out what shows and events are going on and what they accept and how much and so on?
~Art
Dear Art,
I'm not entirely certain. You can try a search online for “art shows in (your area)”and then sift through the results. But that takes precious time that you could spend creating artworks. You could contact your nearest art gallery or dealer, but that can be tough in a rural area. But never fear, I am sure we can find an easy way. Try calling the local community college and asking someone there when the shows are. Or try calling the high school and asking the art teacher there. In my experience art teachers are still involved in the art community, and will be willing to help. There are always online art communities and message boards, join a few and ask around there when the next show in your area is, and ask for the phone number to call about entering. Local newspapers generally run an ad for the event, but sometimes they don't run the ad soon enough for you to submit your work. Ask at your craft/art supply store, if the show is going to advertise anywhere, it would be there. (At least, that's the first place I would put up ads for an art show.) Hope that helps at least a little.
Hey Han,
Where can one go for a really decent comparison of art supplies? For instance, is Derwent better than Prismacolor? If you use cheap watercolors, what is going to happen to the painting over time? How can one tell what paper to use, not just in weight and texture but in how well it will hold up for archival purposes?
~Art again
Hi again Art,
Well, for the first question there, no pencil is truly better than another, it's all personal preference. I'm not saying the dollar store pencils are great, but if it says “For Professional Use” on it at the art supply store, it's going to be a decent quality. Heck, even Crayolas are ok. It depends on the effect you want, the level of color you want and the specific color you want. Personally, I recommend getting as many different brands as you can and using them all. I hate sharpening pencils, so my person favorite pencils are the Koh-i-Noor Progresso Woodless Colour Pencils. No wood in them for the sharpener to chew up, no way for the leads to be off center and cause problems sharpening... yeah, I like those pencils, and they were ½ the price as the same number of Prismacolors. Just don't buy into the “Oh, you didn't use this brand of pencil, you aren't a real artist” mindset. It's BS. However, a woman I know who was a professional artist for a long time recommends Berol Pris.
On watercolors... I honestly don't know. My mom has watercolor paintings I did in kindergarten with Crayola watercolors, and they look fine still. (It's been 20 years since I was in kindergarten.) The paper is yellowing, but they are stored in a file cabinet in her bedroom, and she smokes. Lol. Now, I wasn't doing beautiful landscapes. They were definitely impressionisti c Picasso-like things, and I was always a little light on the water. But nothing bad has really happened to the paint in 20 years. I could not find anything online about other artist's experience with watercolors and time. The best thing i can recommend there is find older artists who have worked with watercolors and ask them about it. I'm old, but apparently not old enough for this question.(finally, I'm not old enough for something!)
http://www.art paper.com/news .html should answer your question on papers. If you want something that will stay good quality over the years, it needs be acid free.
One More Thing Han,
If you are going to do shows or conventions, should you try to sell original or prints, and how the heck can you get your work out to them if you do not have the ability to travel to them?
~It's Me Again, Margaret
Well Art,
http://www.art advice.com/adv ice/index.php has a lot of articles you may find helpful to read. I wasn't willing to slog through much to figure out your answer, but helpful stuff none the less. I'm not sure whether it is better to sell originals or prints, but I would say that all depends on how attached to the pieces you are, and what your budget is. As for getting to the shows... maybe you don't have to. If you have a trusted friend who has the ability/ambiti on to go in your stead, that may be an option. Once again it depends. This time it depends on exactly why you can't get to the show.. Is it a physical disability preventing you, or is it a monetary problem? I can't give a definite answer to that without having more background information.
Dear Night,
Do you prefer Chai, Coffee, Tea, or hot chocolate?
~Drinker
I've never had the pleasure of tasting Chai, but it sounds yummy. As for the other three, it's a question of my environment and time of day. First thing in the morning, I turn to coffee to wake me up and warm me. It's a ritual as well as a comforting habit to consume my 3 cups daily. Being a good Southern lady, nothing hits the spot like a nice tall, cold glass of sweet tea, for the afternoons and evenings of course. After all it is the house wine of the South. And no, it is not a seasonal beverage as some Northern states seem to think. Hot chocolate is lovely too, and sometimes nothing else will do before bed. I like hot chocolate with a shot of Rumplemintz especially. Mm mmm night night time!!
Wise Lady,Just exactly what is "real" cinnamon and where can I get it?
~Sugar And Spice
Dear Sugar,
Ha!! Thought you could stump me, eh? Nice try, but no luck! Real cinnamon is Cinnamomum zeylanicum, or Cinnamomum verum. It is the inner bark of a tree in the laurel family indigenous to Sri Lanka. Most of the “cinnamon” sold in the United States today is actually cassia or a blend of cassia and C. zeylanicum. Cassia is in the cinnamon family, but it isn't real cinnamon, and is native to China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Real cinnamon has (from what i understand) a different and better flavor than the slightly bitter and stronger flavored cassia. Real cinnamon is also called Canela, Ceylon Cinnamon, Sri Lanka Cinnamon, and True Cinnamon, and it is lighter colored than the cassia. It contains a chemical compound called eugenol, promising is also found in cloves (its what gives cloves their distinct aroma, and makes Canela more fragrant than cassia.) In other languages it is called:
French: cannelle
German: Ceylonzimt, Kaneel
Italian: cannella
Spanish: canela
Chinese: yook gway
Indian: dal-chini, darchini, dhall cheene
Sinhalese: kurundu
Tamil: karuvappadai
According to an article Martha Stewart wrote for The Detroit News (viewable at http://www.det news.com/2001/ food/0112/29/e 06-377804.htm ), true cinnamon can be found in mail order catalogs and specialty food stores, and costs about four times as much as the cassia found in the local grocery stores. I think it can be found online as well, and it can. Here are a few links, but feel free to run a search on your own.
http://www.pen zeys.com/cgi-b in/penzeys/p-p enzeysceylonci nnamon.html
http://www.sce nts-of-earth.c om/cinnamon.ht ml (This one looks promising.)
http://www.kal yx.com/store/p rodpage5.cfm/C ategoryID/1500 .0/SubCatID/75 .0/file.htm (Has a few listed, but when I clicked on one it listed the botanical name as C. Cassia, so I'm not sure whether or not its True Cinnamon or not.)
Hey Hue,
What color is a "blue" sky really?
~Color Me Confused
Dear, Dear Confused,
Nice pun with the greeting there, friend. If only you had asked a question about sheep you could have said “Hey Ewe” instead.
My natural instinct here tells me I must say this. A “blue” sky is really Blue. :P Sky Blue according to my box of Crayolas (all my color terms are Crayola Colors, so if my definition is different than yours, that explains it.) . However, Deis insists it's actually azure. But frankly, we are both sort of wrong. It depends on what time of day you look at that blue sky, and where in that beautiful expanse of blue you look. Towards the horizon, it will be darker, toward the apex of the dome it will be lighter. It also depends on your areas pollution levels, I've seen the horizon every shade from cerulean, to cadet blue, to almost violet (admittedly, that was looking east at sunset.). In all honesty, without the sun's light scattering after it hits particles in the atmosphere, that blue sky would be black.
Han, Can you help me?
If a "tin" can is actually steel, then where is the "tin"?
~Steeling Myself for Your Answer
Steeling,
Well, they used to be made of tin from what I understand. Nowadays though, they still coat the steel can with a thin layer of tin to help prevent corrosion. That's what Wikipedia says anyway.
Dear Al,
The “known connection” you mention is purely circumstantial evidence. There is no scientifically proven correlation between aluminum and Alzheimer's. In 1965 it was found that by injecting rabbits with aluminum compounds, it resulted in “tangle-like formations in nerve cells.” They were however, different than Alzheimer's tangles in both composition and structure. I have found differing information on how other links between the two were theorized. One site (see#1 below) said some of the “tangles” found in the brains during autopsy of Alzheimer's patients only absorbed the aluminum from the water used to wash them. That same site suggests the "Dialysis Encephalopathy " (a form of dementia found in dialysis patients in the 1970's) was caused by the aluminum in the water used for the dialysis.(aluminum levels in those patients soared thousands of times higher than normal) That was fixed by filtering the aluminum out of the water. The Alzheimer's Society Factsheet (see#2 below) says that “However, even after years of high exposure to aluminium, patients with kidney failure do not develop dementia or the hallmark pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease.” I am not sure if they mean “since the 70's” or if site #1 is wrong. They are the Alzheimer's Society, so I assume they are fairly credible. But given that it is circumstantial evidence anyway, and aluminum is still a common and cheap metal and found in antacids, anti- perspirants, pharmaceutical s, drinking water foods, inks, and the Earth's crust, in addition to all of its industrial applications such as textile dying, wood preservation, making rubber and paint, your chances of getting aluminum poisoning or Alzheimer's from beverages leaching it from their cans is pretty slim.
Miss Jess,
Where is the very best guide to creating a friendly, easy to read and nicely decorated Elftown House?
~ET Interior Decorator
Dear Decorator,
After exhaustive research, I was still unable to find an actual guide on how to decorate your house. The closest thing I could find was the Featured Member Criteria wiki. And that's not really a guide on how to do your house, only a suggestion on how to do it to be considered for Featured Member . No one has yet written a good guide to house decoration on Elftown, not that I could find, anyway.
Oh Great One,
Is there any resources for reading and study on Elftown, like for instance a library area or a place for an artist to pick up tips and tutorials?
~Willing to Learn
Dear Willing,
Art is part of the Elftown Academy, and has links to helpful wikis. There is also the drawing forum where artists will give you tips on what ya want. In addition to that wiki, there is Elftown CG Tutorials . That has a few on computer graphics, and links to other tutorial pages like ArtTips and Tutorials .
Hmmm... Han,
If a unicorn mated with a duocorn, would you have a triceratops?
~Animal Husbandry Student
Dear Student,
Well, lets examine the etymology of the words before i answer your question. Triceratops is a Greek based word: Tri (three)+ Keras,Kerat ( horn) + ops (eye/face). Unicorn and Duocorn are both Latin based words: Uni (one), Duo (two) + Cornu (horn). So from my estimation, if the genes added the way you think they would, the closest thing to a Triceratops you could hope for would be a Tricorn. But genes don't add like that generally. If a human with 10 fingers mates with another human with 10 fingers, the offspring doesn't have 20 fingers right? Now, let's assume that uni and duocorns are similar enough that they can interbreed (like horses and donkeys, or horses and zebras, or horses and onagers.). I think that the horn(s) of the offspring would tend to favor one parent or the other (you would get an odd looking uni, or an odd looking duo) rather than sprouting a third horn. And it would probably be sterile like a mule or a hinny.
Hanhepi winyan,
Has anyone ever considered doing a cereal with a larger vocabulary than just snap crackle pop?
~Hoksida
Hoksida,
According to an expert i consulted (ok, so i just asked Deis):
"Boom" was considered, but thought it'd be something that was too big for little elf-things to do. A large overweight elf was interviewed for the job but he kept eating all the cereal during the shoots. So, they fired him and Snap, Crackle, Pop was born instead. not many know that
I was unable to find any other information so we are just going to have to take Deis' word on this one.
Grumpy Lady,
If you were faced with forcing a large group of artists to change their work on account of them not using transparency, would you?
~TPS
Dear TPS,
Were the artists told in advance that transparency should be used? Not that it matters really, I'm pretty willing to tell people exactly what I think. I would most definitely tell them, yes.
Dear all knowing Hanhepi,
Why is [ True, plain and simple ] so happy lately, and is it really comfortable to sit in the position he is in his picture?
~ Nosey
Dear Nosey,
I'm not sure why TPS is so happy. Though, if I were able to sustain a position like that long enough to read, I myself would be overcome with joy. Also, his room looks very clean and neat. If just one room in my house was that clean for more than 20 minutes after cleaning it, again I think I may be bouncing off the walls in sheer euphoria.. I don't know how comfortable that position is, but I am willing to bet that it is way more comfortable than when he goes to turn the page and drops the book on his face. I think the more important question there is “How do you read around feet that big?” :P
A few other theories have been presented: Maybe he reached a decision about something, maybe he got in to something (a program, a gallery)...maybe he's going back to China, Maybe he's just happy for no reason, since he's turning 16 soon, maybe he's getting a car, or a license. Maybe he has a girlfriend.
Han,
What order does facial care go in?
You have facial masks, cleanser, face wash, exfoliation and moisturizing.. I know moisturizing comes last but what order are the rest of them supposed to be used!!!
[ pixie_shimmer ]
Dear Pixie,
According to http://www.ski nsite.com/info _face_daily_ca re.htm here is the order:
Morning regime: wash with warm water and a “creamy cleanser or gel wash”. Then blot dry (rubbing = wrinkles when you are old according to my mom). Now use your toner (which near as I can tell is just astringent, like rubbing alcohol or witch hazel.) . Next apply a good moisturizer that has sun screen in it (SPF 15 or higher as usual). Finally apply your makeup.
In the evening: wash like you did in the morning, to remove makeup and anything else you got on your face during the day. Use the toner. Exfoliate while your face is still wet from washing 1 to 2 times a week (depending on your product's instructions!!) Then apply a good quality moisturizer (this time you can skip the SPF in it, because its night.)
Always use light pressure and circular motions when you apply things to your face, if you are stretching your skin that is when wrinkles form (according to the women in my family.). Keep this in mind as you go through your beauty regime though: I have no clue what I'm talking about... My beauty regime consists solely of applying Carmex to my lips at night when so they don't dry out as I snore. Lol.
According to the Herald resident face expert [ Kaimee ], these are the steps in her facial regime: well, I'm a facial care freak (I exfoliate when I get home from school ^^; dirty air... :P)
and my steps for a full out facial thing is:
-**milk cleanser** or face wash, to get rid of makeup/dirt/et c
-exfoliating scrub, remove dead skin cells and "gently polish" :P
-mask, deep cleansing
-normal cleanser, remove residue from mask
-straight warm water wash, incase other things have dried skin out
-toner, ditto the warm water reason
-moisturize, duh:P
-and.....tehhe , moisture spray, cause it feels oh so lovely.
oh, and lip balm at the end, to keep lips lovely :)
Or a shorter version on it's just milk cleanser, then exfoliate, then tone, then moisturize. And even short version is just water, then moisturising. But then id feel dirty. I'm a bit odd. :P
Dear Han,
What do you do if you find out that a friend does something that you simply cannot respect?
~Conflicted Friend
Dear Conflicted,
I am struggling with something similar. My friend recently left, then returned to an abusive relationship. I think she is a complete fool for going back to that jerk, and I have told her as much. The only thing I can really do about it is be there for her and help her pack the next time she leaves. And of course, beat the crap out of the guy next time he hits her. :)
If you value the friendship, be honest with your friend. Tell them what you think about what happened (or is happening). Try to see things from their point of view, and try to work past it.
I wish you people would give me some specifics on these situations, because there is no generic answer for this. If its drug use or substance abuse, or cutting or something else that will hurt/is hurting them, do some research on the situation, provide them with some facts, and hold some kind of an intervention. Get all their family there and each of you tell them how what they are doing is hurting YOU, and get them convinced to seek counseling or therapy.
If it is a lifestyle issue, such as homosexuality or promiscuity, there ain't a lot you can do about it other than be honest about your feelings. You aren't going to change them.
If you would like to give me specifics privately, please message me and I'll see what I can come up with to help you.
Mr. Advice Person says:
You have 2 choices. Get over it or die pissed off. You can either choose to work through the difficulty with your friend or find a new friend. If you are not willing to work through problems with your friend, then you chose the wrong friend.