Tag Archives: arts and crafts

Paper Quilling – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

1b Paper Quilling Paper Quilling: is it a craft project? Is it an art form? Is it enjoyed by adults or children?

Yes to all the above.

According to Aunt Annie’s Crafts, “Quilling is the art of rolling narrow strips of paper into coils or scrolls, and arranging them to form elegant filigree.”

People who are young and young-at-heart both enjoy paper quilling as a craft. They roll, pinch and place computer paper, craft paper, construction paper and even junk mail to create 3D masterpieces. However, paper quilling is nothing new. Look back in time to better understand the evolution of this art practice.

Paper Quilling in the Colonial Era and Beyond

Is it any surprise that paper quilling, a favorite craft for artsy people of all ages, has been around for hundreds of years? Even though it gets its name from the Colonial era, when feather quills were used to create these works of art, filigree art has been around since the 14^th century.

Before paper filigree filled the free time of craft enthusiasts, metal filigree was all the rage. Most popularly known as a jewelry metalwork, this form of filigree twisted golds and silvers together to create beads and threads that were used in jewelry items and small standing art pieces.

Today, paper filigree is growing in popularity again. However, thanks to the creativity of quillers throughout the world, paper quilling goes far beyond creating 3D art. People have created bowls, baskets, vases and teacups by rolling and coiling colorful papers.

Paper Quilling as Modern Art

Crafters aren’t the only people embracing paper quilling. In an article posted to mymodernmet.com, it is reported that “Seoul-based artist Ilhwa Kim hand-dyes, cuts, and rolls thousands of individual sheets of Korean mulberry paper to form vibrant, three-dimensional works of art bursting with striking patterns and imagery.”

Kim doesn’t refer to her art as paper quilling, although it seems to derive from the same family. Nevertheless, she seems to modernize the centuries-old practice. She “…carefully [arranges the rigid layers of paper] according to color so that, when seen from afar, the viewer spots subtle impressions of eyes, hearts, human figures, and more in Kim’s densely packed images.”

Paper filigree has come a long way and continues to evolve. Where will the art and craft go next?

Have you tried paper quilling? What was your experience with the craft? It seems like there are several ways you can make quilling unique; what is your technique?

Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:

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Art Illuminates Science

Merging Science and Art

Many people have thought this merger was near impossible thanks to a common misconception that humans either think with the right side of their brains or the left. As the saying goes, people are either smart with numbers and figures or see the world to creative lenses. Clearly, this is not the case anymore.

Fabian Oefner is a Swiss photographer who is contradicting this inescapable myth. Oefner goes to great lengths to put the intricacies of the world on display for all to see and experience. Using art and intelligence, he is bringing science to the public in a very creative way.

A Photographer’s Connection

He acknowledged the misnomer mentioned above in a recent TED Talk. He said, “If you look at science, science is a very rational approach, whereas art on the other hand is usually an emotional approach to its surroundings.” In recognizing this, he has made it his goal to merge these scenes and create a single image. He wants the collaboration of art and science to move a person by activating his or her mind and emotions.

Two of Oefner’s art pieces, of many, include the visibility of a sound wave and the combustion of flammable alcohol. He records the science projects with a state-of-the-art “camera that shoots 3,000 frames per second.”

Visualizing Sound: Oefner sets tiny, multi-colored crystals atop a piece of foil that rests on a speaker. When the music moves the crystals his camera captures the art of sound.

Capturing Combustion: In a second piece of artwork, he uses items a person may find in his or her home to create an explosive shot. Setting fire to a bottle of whiskey, he freezes a flame.

Fabian Oefner does not stop there. He continues to mesmerize the world with the reality of science through the vehicle of art.

More of his pieces can be viewed on this CBS news slideshow: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-205_162-10018481.html.

Read more Segmation blog posts about Art and Science:

Extracting Art from Science

Art and Science – A Genius Combination

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FEATURED ARTIST: OMASTE WITKOWSKI

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Beach Stick by Omaste Witkowski

“My work varies between painting & photography, and I love working with vivid colors, varied textures and unique compositions.”
-Omaste Witkowski

On Omaste Witkowski’s website owFotoGrafik.com, you will find a large variety of Abstracts, Landscapes, Wildlife, Florals, Antiques, and Architectural Studies. She welcomes the opportunity to discover beauty in every subject she comes across no matter how large or small. When she creates, she is always attempting to make something that is unusual. It is essential to me to display her images as uniquely as she can. To express a moment or object in a new way. To make it her’s and share her vision and imagination. Visit Omaste’s website owFotoGrafik.com to learn more about Omaste and her work, including commissions and prints. Contact Omaste directly at owfotografik@gmail.com.

Stop by SegPlay Mobile on iPhone/iPad and Android to see Omaste Wilowski’s fascinating abstract images of dogs. You’ll enjoy using the imagination that these patterns provide as you color your new canine friends!

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How is your Halloween Spirit?

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As fallen leaves carpet the ground with brilliant shades of brown, yellow, red and orange, a variety of strange and spooky images start to appear creating Halloween Spirit. Ghosts and ghouls hang from trees, carved pumpkins and gnarled broomsticks appear on doorsteps, spiders weave webs across windows and gravestones turn up on front lawns.

Halloween art sets the stage for the scariest and fun holiday of the year.

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The most common images in Halloween art include:

ghosts and haunted houses
witches, broomsticks and cauldrons
pumpkins and jack o’lanterns
spiders and cobwebs
monsters
werewolves
vampires and bats
skulls and skeletons
gravestones

Both adults and children alike enjoy creating Halloween arts and crafts that bring these strange and macabre images to life. Here are some hands-on ideas for Halloween arts and crafts:

Color in Halloween images with markers, crayons, paint, or even digitally using your computer
Cut outlines of spiders, bats, and witches’ hats out of black paper
Cut out body parts from magazines and paste them on thick paper to make your own monsters
Create your own gravestone using black marker on grey paper
Draw a pair of eyes and a wide, smiling mouth full of teeth on a pumpkin, and carve it out to create a jack o’lantern

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To get in the holiday spirit, hang your 2-D Halloween arts and crafts in your front windows or on your front door. Place your 3-D Halloween art projects on your doorstep or front lawn.
The most exciting form of “Halloween art” is your costume!

Whether you are a 7 years old or 77 years old, on October 31 you can transform yourself into someone (or something) else. This is where your imagination has free reign – you can change your appearance however you want by wearing a costume, a wig, and/or make-up. Whether you are the one trick-or-treating or the one answering the door with a bowl of candy, Halloween is a holiday full of surprises, where nothing is quite what it seems.

Read more Segmation blog posts about Art:

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Back to School Art Projects

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Summer holiday is over. September is the month when children return to school. Young students in their elementary years may experience mixed emotions about early mornings and homework. Starting up such a routine is less than thrilling but back to school art projects can make returning to the classroom exciting.

Listed below are art projects that are creative, fun, and great conversations starters. Since getting back to school is all about starting fresh and making new friends, these functional art pieces are sure to kick off the school year on the right foot.

Pencil Toppers

Make plain, old yellow pencils fun. A number of household items can be used to top a pencil. (Walnuts are an example listed here: http://www.redtedart.com/2012/08/13/back-to-school-crafts-ideas/.) This is a great back to school art project for young kids. And, it makes a student’s school supplies one-of-a-kind.

Notebook Designs

Many schools require students cover their books. Change it up this year by covering a textbook with something extraordinary – like denim. Also, make ordinary notebooks more exciting with stickers and original designs.

Backpacks

Adding patches and pins to a backpack can give it a new look. For young students, a themed backpack may boost confidence and increase excitement about going back to school.

Organizing the Homework Area

Schoolwork starts in the classroom and continues at home. Setting up a creative homework area is a fun and beneficial activity. These resources have a few fun ways for kids to set up their own homework stations: http://spoonful.com/back-to-school/back-to-school-crafts. Maintaining this space within a home can be a great way to stay organized and make schoolwork enjoyable.

Back to school is anything but boring. Make sure kids get excited — and stay excited — by adding creative activities. These back to school art projects may begin at home but they are taken into the classroom. A student can show off his or her creative talents and stand out this year.

Read more Segmation blog posts about Art Projects:

Candy Art: We Don’t all Have to be Artists to Create Art!

The Meaning of Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Art

Ideas for Creating Halloween Art

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Having fun with Easter Eggcitement Art & Crafts

Juan Gris Spanish Cubist Artist Testifies to the Power of Novelty

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José Victoriano (Carmelo Carlos) González-Pérez, known as Juan Gris, was born on March 23, 1887, in Madrid, Spain. At his birth, neither Gris’ Andalusian mother nor his Castlian father knew he would mature to become a highly influential leader in the art world. However, when Gris was between six and seven years old, his sister noticed his artistic abilities.

Juan Gris was educated at the School of Arts and Crafts in Madrid after receiving a “general education” earlier in life. Around this time Gris’ family experienced severe financial hardship. This was a blessing in disguise to Gris, who was catapulted into being a working artist as he sold his artwork to provide for his family. Soon after this, Gris began painting professionally.

Spanish painter Moreno Carbonero later became Gris’ primary teacher in painting. While in Carbonero’s studio, Gris immersed himself in artistic culture by actually living in community with writers and painters. This atmosphere was perfect for Gris’ maturation as an artist. Such Complementary Colors.

During the time that Juan Gris was in Moreno Carbonero’s studio, modern art began to become more prevalent in Spain. This was due in part to the infiltration of German art reviews and publications. Gris would later become a leader in “Modern-Style” art, namely Cubism.

In 1906 Juan Gris relocated to Paris to further pursue art. Magazines and newspapers bought Gris’ satirical drawings, enabling him to reside in Paris. While living in Paris, Gris befriended Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, and Fernand Léger.

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Gris developed his personal style for several years, and then exhibited his work for the first time at Salon des Indépendants in 1912. Later that year he exhibited in Rouen, Barcelona, and Section d’Or (Paris). Growing in his personal cubist style and public popularity, Juan Gris sold works to individuals such as Gertrude Stein, Alfred Flechtheim, and Léonce Rosenberg.

As is the case with most artists, Juan Gris’ style evolved over time. Analytic cubism was the first style Gris acquired, but synthetic cubism became his focus around 1913. He created much collage art during this phase of his career.

Like Matisse, Gris used bright colors in his paintings. Though bold, Juan Gris’ paintings were and are clear and orderly. This order and clarity of style can be seen in the art of Amédée Ozenfan and Charles Edouard Jeanneret, whose works were inspired by Gris.

Gris demonstrated the breadth of his artistic abilities when he began designing sets and costumes for ballets under the watch of Sergei Diaghilev in 1924. Between 1924 and 1925, Gris gave a notable lecture, Des possibilités de la peinture, which expounded on his personal style. Around this time major art galleries in Berlin, Paris, and Düsseldorf exhibited Gris’ works. Without a doubt, Juan Gris had made his mark on the art world as a cubist painter.

Illness became a regular occurrence in Juan Gris’ life after the year 1925. Gris often suffered uremia and had cardiac problems. On May 11, 1927, Gris died in Paris. Renal failure was the cause of Gris’ death at the relatively young age of 40. Gris was survived by his wife, Josette, and his son, Georges.

Juan Gris was a man of extraordinary talent. The world took notice of Gris’ talent and embraced it, which moved Gris forward into fame and artistic prestige. With Gris’ art pieces selling for tens of millions of dollars, the art world is still acknowledging today the value of his work.

Cubist artist Juan Gris got a chance to live out what most artists only dream of. His life is one that continues to speak to generations about the power art holds when it is presented in a unique, organic form.

Sources:
http:// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Gris
http://serdar-hizli-art.com/modern_painting/gris_juan.htm

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Leaf Art in your Backyard

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Fallen leafs lay on the green grass, sprinkling it with colorful accents. They add a freshness to the autumn season — and here’s a way they can have the same effect on you. Have you ever thought about ways to use leafs as decorations in your home?

In many parts of the world, fall is in full swing. It’s a good time to bring the festive season inside your home. In addition to scented candles (like pumpkin pie and cranberry spice), you can add accents around your home to fully appreciate the comfort this season offers. The best part is, you can find these creative touches in your own backyard or on a stroll around the neighborhood.

All you need:

Walking shoes
Newspaper
Glue

As you enjoy the crisp weather outside, pick up the beautiful leafs that catch your attention. It’s a good idea to collect a number of them and store them between the pages of a newspaper. Place a number of pages on top of the page that is folded over the leafs. This will gently flatten the leafs and won’t allow them to curl or crack as they dry.
Let the leaves dry between the newspaper pages for a couple of weeks. This presses them into their permanent flat shape and keeps the texture in tact so they have the vein quality leafs have naturally.
When the leafs have been successfully flatten between the pages of the newspaper, brush on a thin layer of glue like Mod Podge. This is an all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish. Let it dry completely before brushing a thin layer on the other side. Then repeat this step by applying a second layer.

Once your leaf creation if fully dry it will be flexible, durable and colorful. Now you can apply your own creativity. Will you hang your leaf art? Scatter them in visible areas? Create a collage with them? The choice is up to you.

Here’s one suggestion: Scatter them around your computer station. You can string some together and drape them over the monitor if you’d like. This way, on the chilly fall days yet to come, you can cozy up with an online art program, like Segmation – Paint by numbers, and explore the artist inside you while enjoying the artistic and festive surroundings you’ve created.

Don’t forget your hot cocoa or warm tea.

Image made available by OregonDOT on Flickr through Creative Common License.

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Art Therapy Treats more than the Heart

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Sergio Calatroni Art Room in Milan have customized a wheelchair for Italian art director Fabrizio Sclavi.

Therapies that use art have been popular for many years. One notable practice is color therapy. Colors have a strong influence on the human mind and encourages action in addition to guiding reaction, speech, and even attributes to higher-than-normal test scores.

But did you know that art therapy treats more than just the heart? It can help the body too. There are a number of creative activities, crafts, and art projects that stimulate the human body and result in a better functioning person.

People with disabilities know this is true. While having a disability can be challenging, its intensity is drastically lessened when people change certain behaviors that replace negative circumstances with positive action.

Having a bright outlook and light heart can take a disabled person to a new level of personal success. These qualities are available to anyone with or without a disability through the wonderful world of arts and crafts. This is because it keeps the mind engaged and encourages creativity, confidence, and basic motor skills.

Here are some arts and craft ideas for people with disabilities:

Painting

Painting is one of the best craft ideas for anyone with a disability. Because there are a variety of painting techniques available, one is destined to find a form that fits their capacity. Included in this group are, but not limited to:

oil painting
faux painting
canvas painting
acrylic painting
watercolor paintings
fabric painting

Painting can offer relief from the mental and physical pressures of having a disability. In the subjective nature of art, every piece created is beautiful, especially the pieces done with full concentration and dedication. A beautiful work of art also makes a great gift.

Make Greeting Cards

Creating greeting or thank you card is a craft that serves multiple purposes. This is a way to stretch artistic abilities and show caregivers and family members appreciation.

Cards can be made by using these materials:

colored paper
crayons
pencils
sketch pens

The efforts of creating a beautiful card is beneficial to the artist and he or she who receives it. In addition, it gives purpose to doing the craft project, which encourages the individual to see it through to completion.

Writing
People with disabilities often have vibrant minds. Writing fiction short stories, full length novels, and even articles about living with a disability is a fantastic form of expressive art. It does not require any physical stress to the body and engages an individual in a long term, focused endeavor.

Segmation

Paint by numbers has always been a therapeutic activity. It engages the mind and body to work in harmony and guides the creation of an artistic masterpiece. They are not difficult to complete and as an individual nears the finality of the picture, an edifying masterpiece begins to emerge.

Seg Tech is a virtual paint by numbers program. This means that a disabled person is able to create masterpieces without having the physical capabilities of a non-disabled person. All they need is an adaptive mouse (if necessary).

Virtual paint by numbers merges the properties of number and color recognition in a way that stimulates the mind, while encouraging the individuals to commit themselves to completing a work of art. This offers people with disabilities 3 constructive qualities: Challenge, purpose, and a therapeutic outlet. It emphasizes the artist in each individual and encourages a sense of wellness only art therapy can provide.

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Exciting Easter Eggcitement Art & Crafts www.segmation.com

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

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

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

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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