How to Play Guitar Good - 4 Easy Ways to Play in Front of a Live Audience By Jeremiah La Follette Platinum Quality Author

If public speaking is considered to be one of the most terrifying things someone can do in there lifetime, then it's no surprise that playing your instrument in front of someone can be just as nerve racking. Playing in front of a live audience is an exciting part of guitar playing, and can be very rewarding for all of the hard work you have accomplished in practicing your six string.

Let's take a look at 4 easy ways that you can prepare yourself to play in front of a live audience.

1. Mentally prepare. 2. Have a dress rehearsal/sound check. 3. Make sure your guitar gear is in working order. 4. Get some fresh air.

1. Mentally prepare: One of the greatest things you can do is to practice the art of visualization before you play live in front of an audience. If you are able to see where you're going to play live, this is even better because, you can visualize where you're going to play much more easily. Whatever song or songs you are playing, imagine yourself playing in front of your audience. More specifically, go beyond just picturing yourself as a rock star, and use your imagination to visually watch yourself play each and every guitar note, chord and solo on your imaginative guitar.

2. Have a dress rehearsal/sound check: You'll be more prepared to play live if you have an opportunity to actually set up and practice a few songs where you will be performing. Sound checks will also help you to sound better allowing you to play more confidently.

3. Make sure your guitar gear is in working order: Making sure that everything is in working order before you play live will help build your confidence before you play live. There's nothing more tragic than practicing for many months, only to have something go terribly wrong such as forgetting to tune your guitar strings, or, having no sound come out of your guitar amplifier due to a faulty guitar cable. Mysterious musical glitches in gear sometimes can occur for no apparent reason whatsoever. Take control of as many mysterious musical glitches as possible by making sure all of your guitar gear is in the best possible working order.

4. Get some fresh air: 5-10 minutes before you play in front of an audience try to go outside and get some fresh air. Fresh air, for so many reasons, will do wonders for allowing you to play better, and think more clearly. Getting away from where you are performing briefly will also help you to distract any nervous feelings you may be having towards playing live.

Benefits of a Software Program If You Want to Make Your Own Beats Online By Raghav Mitra

It is very irresistible for many rap wannabes to make music out of their own talent and skills. This is precisely because the main ingredient for getting popular is originality. The problem is, only very few people can afford to buy the right tools to make rap beats. However, this should not be a problem now since you can make your own beats online nowadays.

The Internet has become a source of almost everything that even recording tools come for free. However, you should be aware also that most of these rap making programs in the Internet are only free for a certain period of time. One of these days, your trial version will expire and you will have to buy the real stuff.

One of the benefits if you will make your own beats online is the cost. Producers spend thousands of dollars for their equipments that are of high caliber and yet you only have to spend less than a hundred bucks for a rap beat making software program. You will easily learn the techniques in making rap beat without having to shell out that much.

Another thing that will make you buy a software program if you want to make your own beats online is the warranty. Even if it is just a software program that you can download, some companies offer warranty because they know very well that computers crash and there might be severe loss of data.

Always make sure that if you buy a software program to make your own beats online, keep yourself protected by understanding the refund policy. You might not like the software and you should have protection to get your money back. Many websites that sell software programs such as this have money back guarantee and you are ensure that you can try the product for about 30 or 60 days.

White Balancing and Color Temperature For Video Production By Lorraine Grula

Two things a bit on the technical side when it comes to making video are color temperature and white balancing. They are related. This post tells you everything you need to know from a practical level about these terms and how they affect the way you shoot video.

White balancing is an adjustment you make to the camera that tells it what kind of light you are recording in so that the camera records video the correct color.

(Small, automatic cameras always have automatic white balancing so you do not need to worry about it, but larger video cameras have manual white balance control which gives you better quality. )

WHY DO YOU NEED TO WHITE BALANCE?

Different types of light are different colors. The camera needs to adjust itself in order to shoot proper color. This might seem strange, because light generally looks white to us humans, regardless of its source. We do not see sunlight as blue, florescent light as green, or incandescent as orange, but they are.

Cameras see the light as it is truly colored but our brains and eyes sort them all out as white or else we'd feel like we were on a permanent LSD trip. (Wow man, everything is soooo colorful.)

Color temperature is the technical term for measuring the color of light. The Kelvin Temperature scale is used. Standard sunlight is about 5,400 degrees Kelvin. Shadowy sunlight is "colder," about 7,400 degrees. Tungsten halogen TV lights are orange and come in at 3200 degrees kelvin.

You do not really have to know these exact values to adjust your camera. Most cameras white balance by pointing them at a white card that is reflecting the light being shot under. Then a button is pushed and the camera reads the white and adjusts all other colors relative to it.

One advanced tip is to white balance on a card with a slight blue tint and you will get a nice warm orange. Not orange enough to look distorted, just orange enough to look inviting.

You can do the reverse by balancing on a slightly orange card. This gives you a blue tint, which might just be what you need to make that Christmas scene shot in July look cold.

To play it safe and get the truest color, it is best to shoot in one type of light. Mixtures can throw a camera off. For example, if you shoot inside under incandescent light your windows will look overly blue. Sometimes that can actually look nice, but often it looks horrible.

If you go outside to shoot without changing your white balance setting from taping indoors, your video is likely to be very blue.

If your camera has a manual white balance, use it every single time you change light. Also change it as the day lingers, because sunlight in the evening is much bluer than sunlight at noon.

One great feature to look for in more advanced video cameras is the ability to set white balance presets. They can help you change your white balance quickly, without having to go through the typical routine with the white card.

I hope this information helps you make better videos!

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal

Seven Tips to Kill Boredom By Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy

Many senior citizens have a lot of time on their hand and do not know how to kill time. Loneliness and having nothing specific to do are main factors leading to boredom and perhaps depression. We must avoid being bored at any point of time, even for a few hours. It is self defeating attitude and 'entertaining' boredom may ultimately leave us highly frustrated. Here are some tips to ward off boredom.

1. Play some Word game or number games. Even newspapers offer Sudoku, Crossword puzzles, Scramble, jumble and the like. Have a go at it - whatever you are good at. No age is old for learning new things. I have known my friends swear that Sudoku keeps them occupied.

2. Go for a brisk walk. Do some mild exercise. Just stretch your self, feet and arms. Laugh aloud if you are alone. Learn about acupressure points in your body and massage them.
Any physical activity which gives a break for 20 to 30 minutes will also break boredom.

3. Dust your old tape recorder, CD Player, Radio or World Space unit. Start listening to any music you in which you are interested. When I took to Internet in early Nineties I thought that people Search the Net for Sex mostly. No, I was wrong. Music is most searched for, even today. As they say, music is the soul of life. Listen to some soul stirring music to forget yourself.

4. Pick up your pen and paper and write a letter to a friend whom you have forgotten. Or open your laptop and compose a few messages. They could even be 'official' complaints to civic authorities on local colony problems. Why wait for the Resident Welfare Association to take action? You will be twice blessed for such pro active social work.

5. Pick up a book that have read and would not mind donating it. Write your Name & address and leave a note that anyone that picks ac read and circulate the book again. Leave the book stealthily in a park bench and see furtively who picks it up. If this works for you, read more about "Book Crossing" and do this activity systematically.

6. Go to a nearby park. Seek out another lonely senior. A total stranger is better. Strike a friendship. Then listen to him without any interruption for at least thirty minutes. Once you know the myriad ways in which people keep them selves happy / unhappy, your loneliness will vanish.

7. Meditate. It is the incessant stream of thoughts that are meaningless that bore you. Cease to think. Just sit quietly observing your breath. Wait eagerly and watchfully for a thought to occur. Ignore it. Don't let your mind chain it with something else and extend the process of meaningless wandering. Try to be in thoughtless state for a few minutes. Boredom flies.

All the tips given above are simple and practicable. No money is involved. They will take care of your body mind and soul. Just try and see.

Halle Berry in the Miss World 1986 - The Unknown Story! By Alejandro Guevara Onofre

By early 2000s Halle Berry set precedent and made Miss World history when she became the first former beauty queen to win an Academy Award. Since 1995 Berry, who won the 1986 Miss USA World, has had a strong influence on beauty contestants as well as black performers on both sides of Atlantic. In addition to being one of the great actresses of the 21st century, Berry will be remembered as one of the most beautiful black representatives in Miss World history, alongside Aretha Rocke (Trinidad & Tobago's delegate in 1982) and Jennifer Hosten (Miss World 1970) as well as Kayonga "Benita" Mureka (Zaire's contestant in 1985) and Veronique Caloc (Miss France 1998). In 1998, the Miss USA Organization conferred Halle Berry the "Distinguished Achievement Award"; it is awarded to a former beauty queen who distinguishes herself by performance and influence in America.

Miss United States of America

Halle Berry first attracted attention at the beginning of 1986 when she reached the finals of Miss USA Universe -- one of the world's top beauty contest awards -- in Miami,Florida. But before she could do that in this year, she had won two beauty pageant awards : Miss Teen All American Pageant 1985 and then Miss Ohio USA. In Miami, former host to the Miss Universe Pageant, the young Berry, who served as her own manager, finished second, ahead of 49 of America's most beautiful and talented candidates. Each delegate was judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown, and interview. The judges were Rene Enriquez (Nicaraguan-born actor), Michael Young (performer), Kimberly Tomes (Miss Texas and Miss USA Universe 1977), Dave Robinson (singer), Waymon Tisdale (former basketball player), Mai Shanley (Miss New Mexico and Miss USA 1984), John Callahan (actor), Maria Remenyi (Miss California and Miss USA 1966), Christopher Hewett (actor), Miriam Stevenson (Miss South Carolina & Miss Universe 1954), Carol Connors (singer), and John Bolger (actor).

Results:

Preliminaries

1-Texas 9.076 points

2-Halle Berry (Ohio) 8.640

3-Mississippi 8.530

4-Illinois 8.493

5-South Carolina 8.443

6-Georgia 8.440

7-California 8.436

8-North Carolina 8.426

9-Oklahoma 8.356

10-Wyoming 8.301

Results: Second Round

Interview..................Swimsuit.................Evening Gown

1.Ohio 9.230....................1.Texas 9.610............1.Texas 9.510

2.Mississippi 9.215..........2.Ohio 9.240...............2.Ohio 9.360

3.Texas 9.100...................3.Califor. 8.970.........3.Califor. 9.177

4.Georgia 8.780................4.Georgia 8.910........4.Geor. 8.760

5.SCarolina 8.744.............5.SC 8.870...................5.NC 8.820

6.Illinois 8.588...................6.NC 8.770...................6.SC 8.760

7.Oklahoma 8.480.............7.Okla. 8.730..............7.Miss. 8.660

8.Califor. 8.266..............8.Illinois 8.580.............8.Illinois 8.610

9.NC 8.280........................9.Mississippi 8.570......9.Okla. 8.490

10.Wyoming 7.890.........10.Wyo. 8.370.............10.Wyo. 8.190

Average:

1.Texas 9.406

2. Halle Berry, Miss Ohio 9.226

3.Georgia 8.853

4.Mississippi 8.815

5.California 8.804

6.South Carolina 8.791

7.North Carolina 8.597

8.Illinois 8.593

9.Oklahoma 8.567

10.Wyoming 8.150

Final Results:

Miss USA Universe 1986: Christy Fichtner (Dallas, Texas)

First Runner-up: Halle Berry (Ohio)

Second Runner-up: Tammi Tesh (Georgia)

Third Runner-up: Cindy Williams (Mississippi)

Fourth Runner-up: Kelly Parsons (California)

Special Awards

Miss Photogenic: Beth King (Miss Wyoming)

Miss Congeniality:Lisa Summerour-Perry (Miss New Jersey)

Because of her outstanding performance, Berry competed in Miss World 1986 in England. She was named delegate to the States to replace Brenda Denton, Miss New Mexico and Miss USA World, who had placed third in Britain in late 1985. Berry's performance at the 35Th Miss United States comes as little surprise to the people who have followed the American contest; a result that had seemed almost impossible a few decades earlier. In the 70s and early 80s, three beauty pageant organizations had had black queens, but the Miss USA Organization did not make it until 1990, when the statuesque Carole Gist, who stands 1.82m tall, won the national trophy.

Sixteen years to the day before Miss USA 1986 Jennifer Hosten, a native from Grenada -an English-speaking Island on the Caribbean Sea - became the first black entrant to be crowned Miss World. But she was not the only one. By the end of the 1970s, Gina Ann Casandra Swaisson of Bermuda, another "Caribbean Queen", won the global award in Great Britain. Two years ago, on July 26, 1977 Janelle Commissiong, Miss Trinidad Tobago -- according to the New York Times "the black bombshell" - had become the first black winner in the 26-year history of Miss Universe. Then, in 1984, Vanessa Williams became the first black Miss America in Atlantic City, but her reign ended prematurely and was replaced by Suzette Charles, another black beauty.

Halle Berry in the Miss World 1986!

The final ceremony on 13 November, 1986, was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London before a crowd 8,000 spectators. About 77 countries and dependencies took part in this contest, including Gambia, Tonga and Isle of Man. In November 1986 Berry broke precedents by taking part in the global contest, where she finished among the top sixth. It was the first time in Miss World's history that America sent a black entrant to London, home to the Miss World Organization.

There were some interesting anecdotes: Miss Bolivia, Claudia Arevalo Ayala, was a member of one of the most important Bolivian Volleyball clubs; Miss Ecuador was an English-teacher and a fashion model in her homeland; and Gibraltar, a tiny British dependency in Europe, became the smallest territory on the planet to send a representative to London. Curiously Maria Juarist Mateo Begoña, Miss Venezuela, had the most expensive evening gown in the event. Valued at no less than US$ 16,000! On the other hand, Poland sent a delegate to the global contest -- in a land where the beauty contests had been traditionally forbidden by the Communist regimes. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, a nation in crisis for years, also participated.There were 17 black entries from Africa, Europe and the Americas. It was the first time that France had sent a black delegate to the Miss World Pageant.

However the British pageant should not be left without making mention of Halle Berry. She was also the first black woman from an industrialized nation to make the semi-finals in the Miss World Pageant. Ohio's Berry became the 36th American delegate to compete in Miss World, a contest where the USA did not have a great performance. In 1972, Lynda Carter - a famous entertainer in the late 70s and early 80s - was semi-finalist. On November 23, 1973, Miss USA, Marjorie Wallace, defeated Miss Philippines, Evangeline Pascual, and became Miss World. In the mid-70s, the States had suffered a serious setback when Annelise Ilschenko and Kimberly Marre Foley failed to make it into the semi-finals. Then, in the following years America could not win the title.

Since the start of the global event, Halle Berry was considered a leading candidate for the international title, along with Linda Marie McManus of New Zealand, Giselle Jeanne-Marie Laronde of Trinidad & Tobago, Maria Juarist Begoña of Venezuela, Alison Louise Slack of the United Kingdom, Roberta Pereira of Brazil, and Margot Montt of Chile.

Two and half weeks prior to the global contest, Berry and other 76 entries made a swimming photo shoot in Macao, a former Portuguese colony in Asia. At her arrival in Macao she was welcomed by a crowd of about 200 cheering well-wishers who saluted her with the traditional blessing: "Ni hao" (hello in Chinese).

In the first round, Miss USA World 1986 finished third in scoring, after Venezuela's Maria Juarist Mateo Begoña and New Zealand's Linda Marie McManus. Berry received 42 points to 46 Miss Venezuela and 44 for Miss New Zealand. South America's delegate, Berry's main rival, had been well-prepared for over a year by Osmel Sousa, the world's most successful beauty pageant director in the latter half of the 20th century.

In the second round, Halle Berry had 27 points in the Swimsuit Competition.

Results:

1-Miss Ireland 39 points

2-Miss Trinidad & Tobago 34 points

3-Miss Austria 33 points

4-Miss Venezuela 30 points

5-United Kingdom 30 points

6-Miss Denmark 29 points

7-Miss New Zealand points

8-Miss USA Halle Berry : 27 points

9-Miss Ecuador 27 points

10-Miss Panama 22 points

11-Miss Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia) 21 points

12-Miss Philippines 20 points

13- Miss Costa Rica 20 points

14-Miss Colombia 20 points

15-Miss Swaziland 20 points

Final Results:

Miss World 1986: Giselle Laronde (Trinidad & Tobago)

First Runner-up: Pia Rosenberg Larsen (Denmark)

Second Runner-up: Chantal Schreiber (Austria)

Finalists:

Miss New Zealand

Miss Venezuela

Miss USA

Miss Ecuador

Special Awards:

Miss Photogenic: Rosemary Elizabeth Thompson (Ireland)

Miss Personality: Dominique Martinez (Gibraltar)

Continental Queens

Miss Africa: Illana Faye Lapidos (Miss Swaziland)

Miss Asia: Sherry Rose Byrne (Miss Philippines)

Miss Europe: Pia Rosenberg Larsen (Denmark)

Miss Americas: Giselle Laronde (Trinidad & Tobago)

Miss Oceania: Lynda Marie McManus (New Zealand)

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jose Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee, 1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Jos?amarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jos?layed an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "

Michael Jackson's Affair With Animation By Aldric Chang

We've seen the moonwalk, the one-handed glove, the anti-gravity lean, and that's just to mention a few of the innovations introduced by the late Michael Jackson. Sometimes people even forget how MJ reinvented himself from a child prodigy into a global pop sensation. But he has this sense of creativity and showmanship that is hard to match which leads him to try many things - one of which is cartoon animation for his music videos.

Michael Jackson's song "Leave Me Alone" in the 1987 album Bad prominently featured 2D cartoon animation as its motif. Throughout the entire video, Jackson was super-imposed as a scaled real-life character.

The song talks about the personal and public turmoil encountered by Michael after the success of his 1982 album Thriller. At this time, the tabloids and other gossip columns were targeting him with different rumors about his lifestyle. Among these were Michael's obsession with purchasing the bones of the Elephant Man and sleeping inside a hyperbaric chamber to counter the effects of aging.

The cartoon animated video was used by Michael Jackson as a rebuttal for all these charges. The narrative of the video starts with an amusement park with a collage of images attributing to his success, along with certain images such as a shrine to his popular friend Elizabeth Taylor (who gave him the moniker King of Pop). In the end, it is revealed that Michael Jackson is the amusement park and he struggles away, destroying the park in the process.

Leave Me Alone was directed by Jim Blashfield and it was most notable for winning the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards of 1990. It was also shown in the feature entitled Moonwalker. Here is the animated video of Leave Me Alone:

Michael Jackson helped popularize the utilization of music videos as a promotional piece and as an art form. Another of his videos which prominently used computer animation effects was Black or White, a strongly worded song contradicting racial discrimination - but was more known for its scenes of violence and sexualized dancing. The most recognizable animation effect used in this video was morphing.

Morphing is a special effect which tries to change one image into another seamlessly. The music video Black or White used this concept in the tail-end part of the video where people of different ethnicities, gender and ages were shot in a bust shot point of view and was made to appear like it is morphing while moving its neck from left to right. Here is the video:

This was another revolutionary touch from Michael Jackson and, together with Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991, the video helped set a trend in special effects and computer animation. Now, advanced computer software is available to create realistic simulations - but nothing will surpass that level of genius when it was first introduced by Black or White.

I'll list some of his most special awards here as a tribute to Jacko:

World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium

American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award

Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.

Double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (The Jackson 5, 1997; solo, 2001)

Multiple Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone),

13 Grammy Awards,

13 number one singles in his solo career-more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era

sale of over 750 million records worldwide

Rest in peace, MJ.

Introduction to Character Rigging - How to Prepare Your 3D Models For Animation! By Martin Schmidt

Give your character a healthy foundation for his life. This Article covers the basic ideas of adding a rig to your model. The underlying bone structure enables you to animate a 3D figure.

Start with drawing

As with any step in 3D, begin with planning your rig in 2D. Sketch out the skeleton on a piece of paper and try to determine where to place the joints. Look at yourself or find some pictures of a skeleton on the internet. For any character, especially for cartoon figures, sketch the most extreme poses he needs to make during animation. This will give you a solid understanding of the joint placement. It is important to know that poses oftentimes might look too extreme in a still frame, but work great in the animation.

Add bones

Now go into your 3D program. Use the drawings as a guide to put bones into your character. This step requires some testing to find the right position. For example if you put the shoulder joint in the wrong place, you won't be able to rest the arm against the body. If it is too close to the neck, the arm will disappear into the body when rotating downwards. If you put it too far away, there will be a gap between arm and body.

IK or FK?

There are two ways of animating a rig. Let's say you want to animate your arm. In forward kinematics mode you rotate the upper arm bone, then the lower arm bone and then the hand to achieve a certain pose. With inverse kinematics, you may grab the characters hand, move it around and the whole arm will follow.

Both IK and FK have their strengths and weaknesses, so you want to be able to switch between them. IK is a great time saver, because you need to animate fewer controls. It also allows you to plant the hand firmly on the table while the rest of the body is moving. A downfall of IK is that a circular motion - such as an arm swing in a walk cycle - is hard to create. With FK you only need to rotate the shoulder joint back and forth and voila, the arm is moving in an arc!

After making bones and creating IK and FK controls, it is time to assign the rig to your 3D model.

What is weight painting?

Each point in the geometry of your 3D model may be assigned to one or more bones. By painting the weights of a point, you can specify to what extent it follows different bones. This way you may control the sharpness of the bend between two or more bones. For the bending or twisting motion of the back or neck, you might have to paint a very soft gradient, so that one point follows up to three or four bones. When painting the weights for an elbow, you want to have a very sharp bend, so a point at the crease might be assigned ninety percent to the lower arm and just ten percent to the upper arm.

Create facial expressions

This is a fun process, because you get to do some modeling again. Sketch a couple of drawings or take photographs as a reference for your characters facial expressions.

In 3D add a shape key to your characters head. Then modify the face until you are satisfied with the expression. Your can now morph between the blendshapes with a slider for each target.

Additional Thoughts

I don't care what people say about rigging, never place restrictions on the animation controls! During animation you will be doing things with your character that are anatomically impossible, just to make it look anatomically correct in a certain camera angle and lighting situation.

Same with movement automation: don't use it! People tend to put things like an automated foot roll or automated shoulder movement into their rigs. The latter example automatically raises the shoulder when you raise the arm. In the end this kind of stuff is a pain in the ass for the animator, because it is nothing else than a restriction. Some might argue that automation is great, if you can turn it off at times. I say, for a small production it is not worth the effort, you are faster and more precise by hand.

The Hottest Literary, Word, and Letter Tattoo Designs For Men and Women By Chris Ryerson

There are a bunch of different names or ways to call these tattoos but one thing is for sure the trends for lettering tattoos are hot. More and more people are getting tattoos of words. In the old days of tattoo designs the words were a simple embellishment of the design. For example the classic heart tattoo design with a banner that says mom. The heart is the main feature of the tattoo and the visual part that people see and recognize first.

The script and written part that says mom is what is noticed second. For the longest time in the history of tattoo designs words, sayings and writing were an integral part of the overall tattoo design but often it was related to a backseat and done after the main part of the design was though out. Well, that is not so these days.

Tattoo trends are always changing and people are always looking for new ideas and new ways to stand out as an individual and be different from what has been done before. One of the core parts of body art is to do something unique and different and express yourself. People today are finding that one of the best ways to express yourself instead of through a visual symbol is through a written letter tattoo design. Thus they have grown popular. Below you will find some of the most popular forms of literary or word tattoo designs.

Foreign Languages: Arabic, Sanskrit, Latin And More

The most popular trend among written and word tattoos is the foreign language types of designs. These starting back at least 5 to ten years ago with the popular Chinese and Japanese symbols. This in fact is still a very popular trend. The lure of a foreign script makes that overall design something of a mystery and it looks beautiful. People started getting Japanese Kanji or Chinese symbols or words as a tattoo design due to the beauty of the script and the mysteriousness of if. Thus lead to others seeking other foreign languages to get written on their body. Today there is probably not a written language that has not been permanently tattooed to someone out there in the world. Sanskrit which is writing form Ancient India became very popular recently partially inspired perhaps by Angelina Jolie's lower back tattoo design which is in Sanskrit and features a huge tiger. Latin is also a popular option since it is such a beautiful language and also adds the mystery to the design.

Graffiti Style Tattoos

Another very popular style of word tattoos are graffiti tattoos. If you think about it graffiti and tattoo really go hand in hand. They are often both straight from the streets and feature the gritty daily life side of art. Graffiti as well as tattoos is all about line and color in design and therefore graffiti tattoo designs are a natural combination. These can be done in a variety of ways and styles and even thought he overall look is of graffiti there are a lot of different variations that can really affect the final look of the tattoo design.

Ambigrams

Ambigrams are pretty new to the scene of tattoos and just becoming popular. Yet they are also a very beautiful art form of writing that works incredibly well for a tattoo design. Ambigrams are two words written together to make one word when viewing the tattoo design from one angle and then when it is flipped upside down you can read another word. These work really well for opposite things in a persons life such as the devil and angel that influence all of us. The ambigram tattoo might read Angel when read one direction and then when it is flipped upside down it will read devil. These tattoos are very creative and beautiful and also hold a great deal of mystery and fascination for people since they can have an almost hidden message in them.

Heart, Butterfly and Star Tattoos - Small and Cute Feminine Tattoo For Girls By Peter Brat

Heart, butterfly and star tattoos are great designs to start with if you are a girl, a tattoo newbie or both. For one, tattoos are permanent so a simple way to test whether you can live with it or not is to begin with these cute and small ink styles that are beautiful and attractive as well.

Small tattoos like heart, butterfly and stars are usually found inked on the wrist, foot, lower back, ankle, back of neck or ear. Considering the fact that they are tattooed on a smaller scale, a cleaner and simpler look typically works best as it will leave enough space for everything to be seen clearly. Intricate look and lots of details might not be appropriate for small tattoos like these.

Heart, butterfly and star tattoos look wonderful and are universally cool symbols. They can be very feminine both in their appearance and the symbolical meaning attached to them. The heart is a symbol of the females that is often used as an expression of romantic love. Butterfly represents change or transformation and rebirth while star is considered a symbol of truth, of the spirit and of hope.

Another favorable thing about small tattoos with miniature designs is the fact that they are inexpensive to get done. Just remember to go to a reputable tattoo studio to make sure that you will go through the proper tattooing process. There are lots of risks involved such as infections so make sure you do your research of a good tattoo artist before you decide on getting one.

Heart, Butterfly and Star Tattoos - Small and Cute Feminine Tattoo For Girls By Peter Brat

Heart, butterfly and star tattoos are great designs to start with if you are a girl, a tattoo newbie or both. For one, tattoos are permanent so a simple way to test whether you can live with it or not is to begin with these cute and small ink styles that are beautiful and attractive as well.

Small tattoos like heart, butterfly and stars are usually found inked on the wrist, foot, lower back, ankle, back of neck or ear. Considering the fact that they are tattooed on a smaller scale, a cleaner and simpler look typically works best as it will leave enough space for everything to be seen clearly. Intricate look and lots of details might not be appropriate for small tattoos like these.

Heart, butterfly and star tattoos look wonderful and are universally cool symbols. They can be very feminine both in their appearance and the symbolical meaning attached to them. The heart is a symbol of the females that is often used as an expression of romantic love. Butterfly represents change or transformation and rebirth while star is considered a symbol of truth, of the spirit and of hope.

Another favorable thing about small tattoos with miniature designs is the fact that they are inexpensive to get done. Just remember to go to a reputable tattoo studio to make sure that you will go through the proper tattooing process. There are lots of risks involved such as infections so make sure you do your research of a good tattoo artist before you decide on getting one.

Search For The Best Tattoo Designs Through an Online Tattoo Finder By Ricky Lim

Finding the perfect tattoo design can be very challenging. You'll have to check out numerous websites and see hundreds of models and all that will take you a lot of time.

Most free sites usually present the same models and after a while that can be more than unpleasant. That's why you shouldn't settle on a certain design only because you're too tired and stressed.

You'll wear the tattoo for the rest of your life and you'll see it everyday and that's why finding the perfect tattoo is very important and a satisfactory model just won't do the trick.

The long search for quality designs can be discouraging and frustrating if you're not using a tattoo finder. This special tool will help you find excellent tattoo designs in just a few moments out of which you can select the one that suits you best.

This tool is available on several tattoo galleries that comprise the works of professional tattoo artists. Usually these pro models are hosted on paid websites but that's a small price to pay compared to the proud of wearing a beautiful design on your skin.

Once again the Internet jumps in to help offering the fastest access to a good tattoo finder. Many professional tattoo galleries comprise models signed by famous tattoo artists and what better way to showcase their models than the internet.

These websites have large databases of great tattoo designs waiting for you to check them out. In exchange for a small fee you'll get access to all the designs hosted there.

Just think that your nerves and your free time deserves every single penny spend on that fee. Don't you think it's much easier to have thousands of models at your fingertips instead of searching online for hours?
Also, there are some websites that won't charge you any access fee but instead you'll have to pay for the stencil and the design.

If you like a certain tattoo you'll just have to pay its fee and you can print out the stencil and the design. When you go to the tattoo saloon and show the model to the artist he'll know exactly what to do next.

When searching for the perfect tattoo you should keep only one thing in mind: the individuality is very important.

That's why you might want to add a personal touch to the model in order to be original. The tattoo artist can help you very easily find a way to personalize the design.

The tattoo finder provides the best help when you're searching for the best tattoo design. All you have to do is to pay a small fee and become a member of a pro tattoo gallery and without any doubt you'll find your beloved model.

The Beginner's Guide to Computer Animation - 3D Animation Software By Cody Landon Platinum Quality Author

Anyone that enjoys art and loves cartoons will most likely be intrigued with animation and find computer animation fascinating. Animation came alive with 2D animation then moved on into 3D, which has now become the way of the animation world. It would never have evolved to this point without the success of the 2D. In fact, it is still dependant on the skills required for 2D to be applied to 3D animation. Therefore, where you hear someone say the 2D animation is mundane then do not give it a second thought.

In modern technology where almost everyone is on computers at some point of time it is unlikely they will not be exposed to some type of animation . It must not be forgotten that animation is not just restricted to cartoon characters.

To put it simply any moving image that has been made to do so by the computer is computer animation. The technique used is a way to create the illusion of movement one image on the screen quickly is replaced by another one that is almost identical to the first one but not exact. It happens this same way with other media such as television and movies. Most often, this is accomplished with 3D computer graphics and the results are directed to the computer, but it could be for movies as well. You may hear this referred to as CGI meaning computer generated imagery.

Computer animation is just another method of creating animation by way of automation or computer technology. The principals are the same as when they are done by hand, it is just the computer is able to do much of the preparation work and rendering of the finished version. It duplicates the stop motion techniques of 3D and framing by 2D.

Using the computer for animation is a systematic process. To begin with, the object is built on the computer monitor. These are the models. Then the 3D figures have to have a virtual skeleton. To get the major movements such as for the eyes, mouth or clothing for example then the computer will create an action called tweening or morphing.

When dealing with 3D animations it is important to remember that all of the same fundamentals and basics of animation are utilized. In this case, though modeling must be complete prior to rendering. The rendering in tweened frame is done as needed.

As you can see with 3D animation, the majority of the work is done through the computer. Although the computer does the work it has to receive the instructions to do so, and that is where the 3D animator's job comes in. This means besides the fundamentals keen computer skills and a thorough knowledge of the capabilities of the software are a necessity.

It is important for anyone interested in a career in 3D animation to research all of the different areas of expertise that are required. Without doing so it is most difficult to make an informed decision as to whether this would be an appropriate career for you.

How to Sell Art Online By Jimmy Kelly

Affirming, over and over, "I am now creating a successful career (or whatever) in an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way" will over time overcome a huge number of your doubts and fears.

Marc Allen

I have never sold a painting online, or anything online for that matter, not even a tube of superman toothpaste on eBay. I have very little experience of selling full stop. But as the song goes, there are certain inalienable truths that do not change and the purpose of this article is to remind you, and me of them, and how they relate specifically to how to sell art online. I will keep them short and to the point.

First Inalienable truth, people like to buy things from people they like. To like a person you have to know the person on some level. So placing your art up on a website and carefully centering the prices underneath is not going to sell your work to an online interested party. There are just too many brochure sites up there. People are bombarded with images, constantly.

You need to interest and engage the buyer. You do this in the same way you would in a non-virtual situation - you talk about your work, your inspiration, you talk about you and your story in a genuine manner. If the work speaks to them, they'll be interested enough to take the potential purchase further, if not, there is nothing lost. But you need to open your mouth, virtually speaking. Which leads to the second truth.

There no such thing as an undiscovered genius. Either online or off-line. It just doesn't happen. If your waiting for your work to be discovered and the money to start rolling in, let me save you time and tell you now that's not going to happen. Marketing is a dirty word but someone has got to do it, and that's your job. The only person who can really sell your work is you, no matter how mono-syllabic you feel your sales pitch to be. You're the one who created it, only you have the real inside story. You have to share it. Which ties in with the above truth.

Find a way, online, that suits your personality to promote your work. For some its twitter, or for others it could be Face book or blogging. If you're the mono-syllabic type described above, make a you-tube video of you producing your work and mime. There's always an avenue, you just have to find the one that best suits your strengths.

Final inalienable truth (for now). If you believe that the internet is chock-a-block full of frustrated artists hawking mediocre work, and you are not going to succeed in the same way they are not succeeding. You are right.

If you believe that the internet is a great opportunity to present your work to a large audience, and that lots of artists are doing it very very successfully and you too are going to be very very successful. You are right.

The problem is you can't be right on both trains of thought, choose the correct one and move in the right direction.

How to Paint Flowers Like You Really Mean It! By Delmus Phelps

So, you've gone out and bought a huge fresh bouquet from your favorite florist. You're really pumped up and excited by the time you get them home. You cut off their ends under water, place them in the vase and head out to the studio.

By now the excitement of painting these beauties have your heart racing with anticipation. You set them down on your favorite side table, turn on your clip on spot light and adjust it just right. You then view the start of your creation and drink in the gorgeousness that sits before you,...
but then suddenly, you freeze.

All these flowers, all these pedals, all these stems and leaves, on no!

You feel the first wave of fear and anxiety creeping in.

Your breath becomes short and shallow.

How could you have even thought of trying to tackle such a difficult painting? You worry that they're already wilting from the heat of the lamp. They appear to begin to droop and fade right before your eyes!......

Relax, it's just a story..

Take a deep breath, in with the good....out with the bad...Now, read on and enjoy!

I will explain to you in an easily understood approach on how to eat this elephant. One little bite at a time!

So lets get started, and don't worry about the bouquet, just keep that water mister close by and every few minutes give 'em a good spray and we'll start how to paint flowers like you mean it.

While viewing your beautiful bouquet in front of you, remember to:

* Learn to see the underlying structure of your flowers. Each blossom will have a basic structure!

Train yourself to see these underlying structures, flowers will usually conform to 4 basic shapes!

• The disk shaped, like the Daisy. Just remember a tea saucer that is round and the pedals will radiate from the center of the saucer. When viewed on an angle, the saucer then becomes elliptical. An exception to this rule would be the closed or early partially opened disk-shaped blossom. It will tend to be coned shaped.

• The cone-shaped flower. Blossoms that grow on a long, single stem, (like Lilies, Lilacs, Hyacinth's) are conical in shape. Some flowers have many mini-blossoms that are cone shaped but their entire mass combined will form a sphere.

• Sphere-shaped, these are my favorites, why? Because the rose is part of this group, as are peonies, carnations and hydrangeas. When viewing these blossoms, most will have a multitude of pedals (each an individual treasure) but their collective groupings will form a beautiful sphere. Lots of artists are afraid to attempt them, but stick with me for some tricks to make them a little more easy.

• Your largest group will be the combination shape (combination of the 1st three shapes in one single flower). Lets look at the Daffodil. The daffodil has elements of the disk shape at its base, and the inverted cone shape protruding out of the base like a trumpet. All in one bloom!

So, from here on out, don't just look at your flowers as a mass of pedals, veins, and color. Break it down to its fundamental shapes, (disks, cones, spheres or a combination). Think of the blossom in its basic geometric form having a three dimensional depth and it will remove some of that fear to tackle these babies.

Speaking of three dimensional, let's talk a little about form, Illusionist Form. Within each of these shapes will be form. Each blossom will have its' own individual highlight, main light, half shadow, shadow, reflection, cast shadow.

Let's talk about the bouquet as a whole now.

Flowers in the back of the arrangement will have less intensity, more grey, less focus and sharpness. Flowers at the front of the arrangement will have more color, intensity and sharpness. Your focal blossoms will have the highest color intensity, sharpness and details. So don't sweat trying to copy each and every pedals on those back blossoms, they need to recede into the back of the picture plain anyway.

Some flowers just plain got a lot of fine details (carnations) so to get around some of that, select only about a 1 inch square of the blossom and get that right on, then allow for a slight blur to the rest. The human brain will fill in the blanks and your viewer will still understand what you are depicting.

Hopefully, you now have a few tools in your bag to tackle the task of a full bouquet of flowers for your next painting project.

Just remember, break it down to small steps. Visualize the basic geometric shapes of the blossoms. Stick to the rules of depicting form within each of those blossoms. Use the Flemish technique, and you too will know how to paint flowers like you mean it!