Coral Reefs: Rainforests of the Sea

Segmation is getting ready to go to the beach for vacation and one thing we can not wait to explore is the beautiful coral reefs. They are so colorful and full of beautiful art. What though is Coral reefs? Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. These are tiny animals called polyps which have hard bodies which support and protect their bodies Coral Reefs are sometimes referred to as the “rainforests of the sea”, because they contain the most diverse ecosystems on Earth.

A coral reef is a community of living organisms. It is made up of plants, fish, and many other creatures. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. They are home to about 25% of all marine life!

Coral reefs need water that is between 68 – 82°F (20 – 28°C), which is often located along the eastern shores of land. Reefs usually develop in areas that have a lot of wave action because the waves bring in food, nutrients and oxygen to the reef. Waves also prevent sediment from falling on the reef. Reefs need calcium from the water to grow, which is more often available in shallow warm waters.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef. It is made up of over 2 900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2 600 kilometers off the northeast coast of Australia. Think of them as the “rainforests of the oceans.” Containing sponges, sea slugs, oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, sea worms, starfish, sea urchins and more.

Coral reefs are being destroyed at an alarming rate. It is estimated that we have already lost 10% of the worlds reefs, and scientists say that in the next 50 years many of the coral reefs on Earth will be gone. This destruction is often connected with human activity: pollution, sewage, erosion, irresponsible fishing, poor tourism practices, and global warming.

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Coral Reefs

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Read more Segmation blog posts about Art and Color:

Red and Green are an unlikely pair

Color the Universe ..Beige

Be a Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC Coral Reef (see more details here)

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Cactus Colors

A cactus is a plant with a distinct appearance which has adapted well to dry and hot environments. Their stems have evolved to be photosynthetic (creating energy from sunlight) and succulent (retaining water). Their leaves have evolved into protective spines. There are many sizes and shapes of cacti which are frequently uses as ornamental plants throughout the world. Colorful flowers are grown from distinctive features called areoles. Our set of Cactus patterns are based on natural photographs and include many of the common varieties including Barrel Cactus, Queen Victoria Agave, Holiday Cactus, Prickly Pear, and Saguaro.

This set contains 27 paintable patterns.

Be a Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC Cactus Colors (see more details here)

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Nicolas Poussin – French Classical Painter

Nicolas Poussin (1594 – 1665) was a French classical painter. His style consists of clarity, logic, and order, and favors line over color. He is considered the greatest French artist of the 17th century and one of the founders of European classicism which has its roots in antique and Renaissance heritage.

Many of his works show an authoritative interpretations of ancient history and Greek and Roman mythological figures as well as biblical scenes. Our collection patterns includes two self portraits, the set of his Four Seasons, paintings, and wide cross section of other pieces. These include Adoration of the Golden Calf, Nymph Syrinx Pursued by Pan, Ideal Landscape, Israelites Gathering Manna, The Judgement of Solomon, and A Dance to the Music of Time.

This set contains 30 paintable patterns.

Be a Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC Nicolas Poussin (see more details here)

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Camille Corot – French Landscape Artist

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875) was a French Landscape painter who had a strong influence on Impressionism. Corot was the leading painter of the Barbizon school of France in the mid-nineteenth century and his landscape style referenced a neo-classical style with a muted color palette. Many forgeries of Corot were created in the period 1870-1939, mostly because of his easy to imitate style. Our pattern set includes many examples of landscapes and portraits.

You’ll find “Woman with a Pear”, “The Bridge at Narmi”, “Meditation”, “Orpheus Leading Eurydice”, “Interrupted Reading”, “Recollections of Mortefontaine”, “A Windmill in Montmartre “, “The Letter”, ” Aqueducts in the Roman Campagna “, “Temple of Minerva Medica “, “Agostina”, and “Castel Gandolfo”. There are also several self portraits.

This set contains 50 paintable patterns.

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Do you love Cats?

Cats are great to use in Art! Aren’t cats cuddly, cute, calm, curious, playful, as well as finicky. Cats are among our most popular pets. They come in numerous breeds and coat patterns including Tuxedo (bicolor), Tabby (marbled), Calico (Tortoiseshell), Colorpoint (Siamese), and white. Photorealistic patterns of colorful felines in an assortment of poses and expressions are fun to enjoy painting and so relaxing! Some find cats even cutie! Cats can be found in different kinds of art where there are many great shots of them playing, staring, yawning, and just being curious.

I wonder if our cats know we love them? I know that my cat does. One thing that is for sure they make good companions and they are so sweet! My cat is very affectionate. I think that cats aren’t too much of a hassle to take care of. I don’t see people walking my neighborhood with their cat besides them.

Cats make it fun to paint! I love relaxing and painting cats on my Windows computer! I hope you do as well.

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The Healing Power of Color (www.segmation.com)

Free Trial Downloads for Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

As an artist, you are probably aware of the effects that different colors can have on your state of mind and emotional well-being. In fact, in a past article we discussed the psychology of color and provided an overview of how each color can impact your mood.

In this article, we’ll take a look at color therapy, also known as chromotherapy, and how you can apply the basic principles of chromotherapy in your art.

Color therapy involves using, or meditating upon, specific colors to help you find balance and harmony, both inner and outer. There are many forms of color therapy, such as:

• surrounding yourself with a color that represents characteristics that you feel are lacking in your life, to achieve balance

• immersing yourself in a color that represents characteristics, or states of being, that you aspire to

• using colors to “cleanse” your physical body and achieve physiological harmony (such as practiced in Chinese therapy)

While color therapy was once regarded as a New Age fad, today the effects of colors on a person’s mind, body and spirit are well-documented. Even commercial paint manufacturers recognize the connection; some offer a specific range of paint colors that are designed to promote healing and wellness.

To utilize the healing power of color in your art, you can create paintings or drawings based on specific colors to bring about a certain adjustment in your (or someone else’s) mental, emotional, or physical state of being. You can use a combination of colors to evoke a certain state of mind. Experiment with different patterns and compositions and take note of how the paintings affect you.

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Be a Artist in 2 minutes with Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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From Sand Castles to Sand Sculptures

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Many of us have fond memories of building sand castles at the beach when we were children; overturning buckets of sand to create towers, digging out moats, and sticking seashells into the damp castle walls. Even though we weren’t consciously aware of it at the time, building sandcastles was a fun, hands-on way to express our creativity and let our imaginations run wild.

Building sand castles is not just for kids anymore! In the 1970s, the art of “sand sculpting” was born on the beaches of California, pioneered by visionaries who took the concept of sand castles several steps further by creating elaborate, detailed, breathtaking monuments out of sand. Animals, architecture and pop culture icons are common subjects for sand sculpture art, although the sky’s the limit. Sand sculptors have depicted everything from African wildlife to Greek gods and goddesses to scaled versions of the Taj Mahal.

Creating complex sand sculptures requires both technical skill and knowledge. In order to stay in place properly, the sand must be a certain consistency and contain a certain degree of moisture. Once the foundation is ready, it takes talent, time and energy to sculpt 3-D images into the sand without the sand falling to pieces. It’s no wonder that the best sand sculptors are actually professionals who get paid to create these magnificent works of art using all-natural materials.

Sand sculptures are a popular attraction on some of the world’s best beaches, from Canada to Florida to Australia. Next time you’re at the beach, why not see what you can create out of sand!

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Exciting Easter Eggcitement Art & Crafts www.segmation.com

Easter Eggcitement Pattern Set for SegPlay® PC released (see more details here)

We invite you to explore the Segmation™ World and Easter Eggcitement!

With Segmation™ technology, we’ve come up with various interactive coloring experience that’s enjoyable for all ages. Without lifting pen or brush, you can paint-by-number any digital photography or painting, from the crisply delineated to the intricately detailed. Segmation™ brings out the simple, beautiful essense of painting, whether you’re painting your own inspired designs or masterpieces of the other great artists.

Contemporary and traditional designs, decorations, logos, and even photographs work beautifully, and no artistic skill or technical ability is needed.

Easter is a major Christian religious festival celebrating Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. Many of the holiday’s cultural elements are celebrated by Christians and non-Christians around the world. These elements include the Easter bunny, Coloring Easter eggs, and Family Meals. Our Easter pattern collection includes many fun illustrations of the Easter holiday including bunnies, colored eggs, candles, and flowers. Sets included are Hopping Bunny, Eggs with Ribbons, Eggs and Paint, Eggs in a Nest, Eggs and Flowers, Ready to Deliver, Eggs and Candle, Basket of Eggs, Chicken Painting an Egg, Cross, Colored Eggs, Chicks and Eggs in a Basket, Easter Bunny Costume, Eggcitement, Easter Bunny, Hare, Colored Egg, Coloring Eggs, Basket of Eggs with Flowers, Rabbit, and Egg Candles

This set contains over 20 paintable patterns.

Easter Eggcitement

Have fun and relax with beautiful online painting art. So fun and easy to use with no mess but just a mouse!

Be a Artist in 2 minutes with Easter Eggcitement from Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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Promote Your Art Through an Open Studio

A great way to drum up interest in your art is to hold an open studio. Instead of waiting for your art to get accepted into a gallery, why not turn your work space into a temporary showing space? Remember that most art lovers enjoy spending time in artists’ studios because it allows them an inside peek into the process behind the art.

Here are several tips for hosting a successful open studio:

• Send invitations to local gallery owners, local art critics, and anyone you think may be a patron of your art. Don’t forget to invite your friends and family also, because they will help stir up conversation about your art amongst the other attendees, and their enthusiasm will be infectious.
• Make sure your studio is neat and presentable, but you don’t need to go overboard. People will expect paint splatters in an artist’s studio! You should leave some of your art materials (paints, brushes, palettes, etc) in their natural positions, so that your tidied studio still retains the essence of your creative energy – but make sure all toxic chemicals are safely stored away.
• Arrange your artwork in an organized display around your art space. Add title cards underneath them with your name, the title of the work, and the price, if it is for sale. It is also a good idea to display one or more works-in-progress, because many people will be interested in seeing the evolution of an artist’s work.
• Have plenty of business cards available. A guestbook is also a good idea for adding to your mailing list.
• Consider selling prints of your art for people on a budget. You could also sell other low-cost items with your art on them, such as cards, magnets, bookmarks, etc.
• If your art space is big enough for people to linger, offer a plate of hors d’oeuvre. If your budget allows, offer your guests wine or other drinks.
• To set the ambience, select appropriate music to accompany your open studio – but play the music softly. It’s important that your guests are able to hear you and vice versa.
• Once the doors are open, socialize. Don’t be afraid to start conversations with people you don’t know. You’ll be asked a lot of questions by people who want to know more about you and your art, so be mentally prepared. Your open studio is an opportunity for networking, so make the most of it.

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ChromaBlend Two and more Art Fun and Games by www.segmation.com!

ChromaBlend Pattern Set for SegPlay® PC by Segmation (see more details here)

Longtime Segmation SegPlay™ contributor, Susan Richardson, has created a second set of exciting set of multi-colored images for us to use with SegPlayPC™ These chromatic patterns are a joy to look at and utilize a vivid color palette. Have some psychedelic fun with the ChromaBlend collection! If you enjoyed coloring the first ChromaBlend set, you’ll enjoy these 20 abstract patterns as well. Crazy, Falling Leaves, Leaf Gear, Anger, Jazz 1, Hearts, Fuzz, Opaque, Jazz 2, Scratches, Fall, Nap Time, Tongue Tied, Faires and Fantasies, Forest Fire, Water Colour, Broken Heart, Storm, Blinds and Grid collections are included.
This set contains 20 paintable patterns.

When these patterns are completely colored, the resulting image has a very strong resemblance to the original artwork. These vibrant and colorful pieces of art are truly engaging and exciting for you to paint, and especially a joy to look at when completed.

With over 2800 available patterns from an ever growing collection of artistic themes, SegPlay® PC will provide you with hours upon hours of painting fun and entertainment. SegPlay® PC Splash Screen With SegPlay® PC as an Art Appreciation teaching tool, students can memorize famous works of art, color by color. Children can truly touch images related to a wide assortment of subjects. As a parent or educator, the learning possibilities stretch as far as your image-ination!

SegPlay® PC is in the computer software category known as “casual gaming”. While it provides a pleasurable and creative escape from mundane computer activities, the program is simple to use and new players can begin the painting function immediately, with just a few, intuitive tools. However, the program also offers rich features with challenging and engaging options, so it expands with each user, whether they seek an education in art appreciation or just want to enjoy a creative gaming challenge.

With a dynamic and clear user interface and fun sound effects, the program’s gaming features compliment the artistic benefits and engage users at all levels. For a gaming challenge, users can race against a timer to complete patterns in a given timeframe at levels from Easy to Experienced and Expert. Users can also employ speed-painting tools, monitor the mistake counter, and track the number of remaining pieces and colors to increase the program’s challenging and addictive potential.

ChromaBlend

Have fun and relax with beautiful online painting art. So fun and easy to use with no mess but just a mouse!

Be a Artist in 2 minutes with ChromaBlend from Segmation SegPlay® PC (see more details here)

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