Month: June 2019

Prints on canvas for well-known pieces of arts

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Prints on canvas are usually made use of to recreate some of the famous artist’s work of art. The famous paintings were affordable only for the rich and wealthy few years back. Most of these were either in the museums or in the living room or drawing rooms of rich people. Those who had the taste and desire to posses the paintings of their favorite artists, they had to either fulfill their desire by purchasing posters or duplicate paintings. However, these did not satisfy because the pieces of art in reality had much more to say and explain.

Now, with the help of canvas prints, you can have exactly the same portrait or painting of your favorite artists pieces of work. You will have the complete satisfaction of having the real paintings in your living room. They are so indistinguishable that even professional and knowledgeable artists will also not able to distinguish it from the original painting. If you find all this interesting and wish to have one for your living room, you should consider few things before you finalize the company or the service of an artist.

It is better to educate yourself about the prints on canvas so that you get the best piece of art at a competitive price. You will find many companies online that will offer good quality canvas prints at reasonable prices. Just look for them and compare the prices and the quality before you take the final decision. The quality of the ink jet and the canvas is important. Only when these are of superior quality, you will get a perfect finish that will also last for years to come.

The printers that are used for canvas prints are specialized and so you need to make sure that the company has experience working with it. Go through the customers’ feedback and see whether most of the customers are satisfied or not. If you wish to make this your profession, give quality and beautiful pictures to your customers. If you have the artistic skills, you simply need to have the knowledge and talent of using these printers.

The author is an experienced Content writer and publisher on the topics related to prints on canvas and canvas prints.

Collecting Vintage Perfume Bottles The History of Perfume Bottles

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Collecting Vintage Perfume Bottles: The History of Perfume Bottles

The History and Evolution of Perfume Bottles (courtesy of http://www.perfumes.com/eng/bottles.htm)

Perfume Bottles in Ancient Times

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The enticing scent of the perfect perfume and the eye-catching elegance of the bottle has been an important part of world culture since ancient times. The oldest known perfume bottles came from the Ancient Egyptians. They crafted containers made of stone and alabaster which kept the perfume cool, and prevented the liquid from leaking. The Ancient Egyptians also used clay pots that they sculpted into designs of people and animals.

Perfume was an important part of the Egyptians preparation of the dead. Many of these ancient perfume bottles have been found in tombs. Containers have been found made of wood with different compartments for each perfume.

Glass bottles were also a part of ancient perfume history. They date all the way back to the fifteenth century BC. Perfume bottles made of glass were lightweight, and also prevented the liquid from leaking. Eventually the glass bottles were created in a variety of colors.

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Perfume bottles discovered in Palestine were made of glass, and were designed to have a narrow long neck. These delicate bottles were primarily found in tombs. Larger perfume bottles were also found in tombs because it was believed to mask the smell of the dead bodies.

The Ancient Greeks also made beautiful containers to hold their perfume. They hand painted vases which were often shaped as animals. They used lidded bowls for holding less expensive perfumes.

The Roman’s cherished their perfumes. They used hollowed-out precious stones to carry their most valuable fragrances.

Early European Perfume Bottles

Europeans used many different materials to store their precious perfumes. The most common materials that were used were glass, gold, silver, porcelain, semi-precious stones and shells. Perfume was commonly used in the form of incense. Some incense burners consisted of a container held from chains that was swung like a pendulum during Mass in the Christian Church. Stationary incense burners were also commonly used in Churches.

Some European perfume containers were designed to be worn. Semi-precious stones held perfumes and were pinned to clothing. Silver earrings were worn that contained perfume soaked fabric inside of them. Many containers were designed to be hung around the neck, from a belt, or from a finger ring.

Perfume bottles were handcrafted and designed by artists, jewelers and goldsmiths. Each bottle was gently crafted and designed to be worn, or displayed on a table.

Small wooden boxes were created to hold a sponge soaked with perfume. These boxes would fit inside a pocket and could be taken out and inhaled at any time.

Porcelain was used in the Thirteenth Century. Many highly decorative bottles were created. Boxes were created that included perfume and other essentials. Some boxes contained several bottles of perfumes, a funnel and a mixing dish.

Most fragrances during this time were first sold in inexpensive, plain bottles. Then the perfume was transferred into a fancy bottle at home.

Perfume Bottles of the Early 1800s and 1900s

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The design of perfume bottles made a dramatic change in the late 1800’s. There was a great incline of the arts movement called Art Nouveau. Most Art Nouveau designs consisted of floral motifs, and were primarily used to design the perfume label and box, leaving the perfume bottles fairly traditional in styling.

Several famous pieces of this time were the Bouquet Nouveau, Royal Vaissier, and Cri du Coeur. The Bouquet Nouveau was a Roger & Gallet perfume. It had a square green-glass bottle with an unusual gilded brass casing. Royal Vaissier displayed magnificent Art Nouveau style paper motifs in the form of a fleur de lys designed by Baccarat. Cri du Coeur (Cry from the heart) was a Lorenzy-Palanca powder box. It had a woman-flower image which is a rare high-style Art Nouveau icon.

Belle Epoque was the preferred style for perfume presentations at this time. The style tended to be traditional, cluttered, very elegant and very French. Examples of perfume bottles of this style were Coronis by Monpelas and Roger & Gallet’s Gloire de Paris.

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A new trend in perfume bottles was to create a bottle that looked like a luxurious crystal with an elaborate brass cap. The bottles had classic designs, and the brass caps matched the ornate gold labels and boxes. A few examples of this style were Rose Ispahan and Prince Igor by Riguard, Rose de Chiraz by F. Wolff & Sohn, Stylis by Delettrez, Eros by Richard Hudnut, Le Lilas by Riguard, and Mavis by Vivaudou.

During the 1910’s, there was a noticeable shift in the design of the traditional perfume bottle. The emergence of psychology and new perfume creations led to much more complex perfume bottles and names. The power of suggestion and dreams was having a huge effect on cultures in general, and perfumes were also affected. Perfumes were being marketed for specific times of day, seasons, and people.

Guerlain introduced the perfume “Voila pourquoi j’aimais Rosine” (That is why I loved Rosine). The bottle resembled a vase, and the stopper was concealed under silk flowers. The bottle shape was again used in Guerlain’s “Muguet” (Lily of the Valley). It was later re-introduced in all white with a white ribbon replacing the silk flowers. This presentation was an immediate success. Guerlain later introduced “Le Mouchoir de Monsieur” (The Gentleman’s Handkerchief) which had an innovative bottle with the shape of a triangle and a spiral motif on each side.

Rene Lalique was approached in 1906 by the perfumer Francois Coty to design the bottles for his perfumes. Coty was well established in the perfume industry and desired both beautiful and affordable bottles to hold his perfumes. Lalique was successful in fulfilling Coty’s wishes, and continued to design bottles for his future creations. His most famous designs include Au Coeur des Calices, L’Entrainement and Ambre Antique. He also designed bottles for other perfumers. Some of his most famous creations were developed for Houbigant, Roger et Gallet, D’Orsay, Forvil, and Arys and Molinard.

Other creative perfume bottles of this time were “Rediviva” (Revived) by La Compagnie Francais du Lysogene. It was shaped like a porcelain coffeepot, and the perfume was dispensed through the end of the spout. Illusion was presented by Dralle in 1908. It had a silver case shaped like a lighthouse, and the perfume bottle was held inside of the case.

The Oriental Movement in Paris began in 1910 by Paul Poiret, a famous French fashion designer. Pioret introduced an Oriental style in clothing, furnishings and perfumes. Women, who longed to wear the gowns he designed, but could not afford them, could still wear his perfume. For women who did wear his collections, the perfume was the final touch. Poiret developed a new perfume “Chez Pioret” with beautiful and innovative packaging. The bottle was made of clear glass with a colored glass stopper. It was decorated with gold tassels, and had a new label with a classic “R”. Pioret used his boxes as a tool for expressing the style of the fragrance.

Bichara Malhame was a very successful perfumer in Paris. His famous label on his perfumes portrayed himself seizing a mythological figure of Fortune by the hair. He also appeared on a Baccarat stopper wearing a wig, and appearing as an English judge.

Perfume Bottles of the 1920s

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The 1920’s brought a new era to perfumes. After World War I, many American Soldiers brought perfumes back to the states from Paris. This greatly influenced the perfume market in the United States. The perfume industry expanded rapidly, and many new perfume companies emerged.

Many fashion designers expanded their merchandise by including perfume. Most of these designers knew very little about creating a good fragrance, but they did know about style. They understood the importance of the visual presentation, which became vital to the success of the perfume.

Mascarades were very popular at this time, and had a strong influence on perfume bottles. “Masque Rouge” was introduced in a very modern bottle, and the box had a red mask motif. “Mascarades” by Cherigan came in a black bottle with a golden face under a rain of gold dust. “Arlequinade” was a Rosine perfume which resembled a Harlequin costume. It had gilded and clear triangles on the bottle, and a dark-green Bakelite stopper in the form of Harlequin’s hat and an orange wood tassel.

“Bakanir” was introduced in 1927 by Honore Payan. The bottle was a simple geometric shape with a stopper resembling an exotic headdress. The box was covered with painted leather with a ceramic plaque. It was one of the most luxurious presentations for perfume.

Baccarat perfume bottles were designed using superior quality crystal. They designed bottles for most of the perfume companies during this time. Two of their famous perfume bottles were designed in 1927. “Silver Butterfly” by Delettrez was made of pink crystal with silver ornamentation. It was designed in the shape of a vertical hexagon with an abstract motif. “Astris” by L.T. Piver was shaped as a star, and featured a silver six-pointed motif.

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One of the most famous perfumes, Chanel No 5, was released by Chanel in 1921. The perfume was revolutionary in scent and presentation. The bottle was a very simple design. The perfume was intended to make the masculine world available to women.

Perfume Bottles of the 1930s

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With the stock market crash of 1929, and the depression that devastated the United States, the perfume market slowed down dramatically. There remained a more limited demand in Paris, and only the strongest companies such as Baccarat, Brosse and Lalique were able to continue. The bottles became less elaborate, tended to be conservative and were often machine made.

Perfume bottles during this time were less frequently inspired by nature, and more often reflected Hollywood movies and metropolitan cities. Lalique designed the presentation for “Je Reviens” by Worth. The bottle resembled New York skyscrapers. It was a tall ribbed bottle in dark-blue glass. The stopper was sky blue, and the box had a chrome surface. It was a very modern presentation.

Jean Patou released the perfume “Normandie” in 1935. It was inspired by the luxury ship the Normandie. All First Class Passengers on the ship’s maiden voyage were given a souvenir model of the Normandie. Inside the model of the ship was a crystal bottle of perfume.

Perfume Bottles of the 1940s

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World War II caused another decrease in new perfume creations, as well as a decline in the quality of perfume presentations. After the war, the perfume industry was re-established, and many new perfumers emerged.

Christian Dior and Nina Ricci both presented works of art that strongly influenced the perfume industry. “Miss Dior” by Christian Dior was offered in an elegant clear crystal Baccarat bottle. Dior used a classic look that was elegant and luxurious. Nina Ricci was known for feminine and romantic creations. L’Air du Temps was released in 1948 and sold in a sunburst shaped bottle. The stopper was decorated with a dove. The lid of the box was lined with white silk and depicted a woman and a flying dove. The 1951 box was in the shape of a birdcage covered in yellow silk, and was illuminated by a battery.

Perfume Bottles of the 1950s

http://www.zensoaps.com/perfumesale/C-danatabu.jpg Perfumes once again became inspired by romance in the 1950’s. Salvador Dali designed the bottle for “Monsieur Marquay” by Marquay. The bottle featured an elegant man with a top hat and bow tie. The box was simple white with Dali’s moustache and signature.

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Christian Dior introduced “Diorissimo” in 1956. The special edition bottle was designed by Baccarat. The crystal bottle was in the form of an amphora, and the stopper had a magnificent flower bouquet in gilded bronze designed by Chrystiane Charles.

“Magie” was released by Lancome in 1950. Every Christmas a special edition was released. It was presented in a Baccarat spherical bottle with stars, and a box covered in leather or satin.

Modern Day Perfume Bottles

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Pierre Dinand was the first perfume bottle designer to produce perfume bottles exclusively. Dinand designs bottles with a modern feel, and uses the bottle as an expression of the perfume. He has produced numerous bottles using state of the art plastics, and has transformed perfume bottles in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Serge Mansau is another modern day perfume bottle designer. He prefers to focus his designs on nature’s beauty. His prize winning bottle for “Montana” was inspired by a maple seed. He has used flowers, stones and waterfalls as ideas for his bottle designs.

Jewelers have also entered the perfume business. Van Cleef & Arpels were the first jewelers to release a fragrance. Cartier followed An Cleef & Arpels with the bottle for Panthere in 1986. Tiffany, Bvlgari, Chopard and Boucheron have also launched fragrances.

Baccarat and Lalique continue to design the highest quality perfume bottles. Perfume bottle collecting has also become very popular. Most collectable perfume bottles come from French perfumes and date from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Modern day perfume bottles are expected to give the feel of the fragrance. The perfume bottle makes the first impression, and often helps the buyer decide if they want to add the fragrance to their personal collection.

Tips for Collecting Vintage Perfume Bottles

Always Keep an Eye out for opportunities to add to your collection! You never know where or when you could stumble upon the perfect bottle to add to your growing collection. Check out estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, antique stores, and specialty vintage perfume bottle websites online. You may even be able to find one or two in your own family, so ask around! What could be more special than a family heirloom perfume bottle in your collection? Decide how you want to collect your vintage perfume bottles. Do you want to only collect a certain brand? Or maybe you want to collect only perfume bottles manufactured during a certain time period? Creating a theme for your collection will make your collection as a whole more valuable and interesting. Do your research. It is good to know a little bit about what you are collecting before you start shopping! This way you will know if you happen to stumble upon a rare, unique find! Knowing a lot about your new hobby will also help you stay engaged. Books such as the Antique Trader Perfume Bottles Price Guide and The Wonderful World of Collecting Perfume Bottles, by Jane Flanagan are great resources for perfume bottle collectors. Don’t discard the mini bottles! When you are shopping for perfume bottles, snatch up the mini sizes of your favorite brands. Sometimes, these are rarer and are worth more than their larger counterparts! Check local events and conventions. You never know when a vintage perfume bottle convention could be coming to a town near you. These are great opportunities to learn more about perfume bottles and find some really great deals and unique bottles. Become a member of the IPBA. The International Perfume Bottle Association. Being a member of this association gives you access to exclusive newsletters and information about vintage perfume bottles. They also hold events each year, including a convention, conference, and perfume bottle auction.

Power Martial Arts Kicks In Five Logical Steps

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It makes no sense to let an attacker get close enough to punch. If he’s got a knife or club, or just a fist that is fast, the best strategy is to kick low and hard and keep him out of range. The problem is that many Tae Kwon Do schools do not teach the right way to use the legs.

A couple of things to remember before we get into making your kicks into powerful weapons. Practice kicking high so you have strength and flexibility, but keep your kicks low in a real fight so you don’t get a leg caught. And, the best strategy is to avoid the fight altogether whenever you can.

Practice kicking over a chair. This will train you to raise your knee high. When your knee is high your foot can go straight in and deliver the goods, and not arc up and scrape the body.

Turn your hips so they go into the action of the kick. Always turn, or tilt, your hips so that the weight of the hips is fully utilized. This will also give you a little more reach, and it will help commit the whole weight of the body into any technique.

Always try to kick with the ball of the foot. I know many people like to kick with the instep, but if they miss they end up spinning around out of control. Kicking with the ball of the foot forces the artist to be an artist, and it concentrates more weight into the smaller area of the ball of the foot.

Bring the foot all the way back. Snap that foot back so that an opponent can’t grab it. This also tends to leave more power in the target.

Practice planting your foot on your partner, then pushing him. This usually means you will alter the kick so that you can place the heel on the body of your partner, then push. This trains you to use the exact muscles that are actually used in a kick.

Kicks are your first line of defense, and this makes them extremely important, so don’t just practice your kicks ten or twenty times and forget about them, practice them hundreds of times a day for each kick. Whether you are training in Karate, or Tae Kwon Do, or Kung Fu, or whatever other art, a well placed kick cancan make the difference between winning and dying. So practice, and look at your kicks, study the physics of a kick so that your kicks are effective and end the fight before the opponent even gets close.

Dianne Benadretti’s help and additionally information for water colour brushes

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Artificial or even Purely natural brush fibres?

Let’s begin with a basic brush. There are a couple of components that makes up a brush as well as these consist of the:

Ferrule – the metal tube that integrates the bristles and additionally the handle Belly – the widest point of the brush where most of the water is held Filaments – relates to the fine hairs on a premium paint brush – which may be either Natural or even artificial. Handle

If you are buying Biological brushes the hair will in all probability be acquired from goats, squirrels and additionally even ox! The most expensive Biological brush types use sable or mink for a hair source. Kolinsky sable definitely is used to describe sable haired brushes and additionally they equate to approximately ten times the cost of a cheap artificial brush. While mink and sable brushes are really the softest on the market their gentleness definitely is not what is thought about the essential about making use of top quality Purely natural fibres. Natural hair holds a lot of of water when compared to Synthetic brushes which reduces the time you have got to spend watering your actual brush and produces a more ‘flowing’ look to your water colours.

Know your individual brush shapes…

If you have ever stuck your actual nose in an art shop you might have observed the range of brush sizes and also shapes. There is anything from pointed wash brushes, to fan tailed brushes for special effects. Down the page I’m going to list a selection of brushes, their functions and additionally their specific attributes.

Round Brush – the most common, may be used for both slim and dense lines depending on the stress places on the tip Oval wash brush – a brush with lots of bristles in an oval shape, this brush definitely is an excellent option for painting large areas Pointed wash brush – idea for drastic changes in line thickness. The brush has a circular ferrule and can hold a large amount of water. These brushes tend to be similar to Japanese calligraphy brushes Rigger/Liner – as the name might suggest liner brushes are really used for thin lines Flat and also 1 stroke brushes – versatile brush utilized to make crisp sharp edges. They can be used in place of oval wash brushes when larger

Benefits Of Martial Arts For Women

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Martial arts or otherwise called fighting arts is a practice and tradition of combat. All kind of martial arts has the same objective of physically defeating another person or defending oneself from physical harm or threat. Some martial arts are associated with beliefs while others follow a code of honor. It is considered as an art and a science. Martial arts refer to the art of warfare or combat. I came from the Greek word Mars/Ares meaning the Greek god of war.

Martial art is not only for men but also for women. Women are born weaker in physical strength compared to men. The need of women to learn martial arts is increasing now a day because of high issues of rape and harassment. Women need to protect themselves from any of these situations that can put their lives in danger. If you want to successfully learn martial arts and the proper techniques of self defense, you have to give time and dedication for it. Repetitive training is needed to build up strength and technique. It also needs time for meditation as well as mental training. Having a positive mind of beating an opponent is half winning the fight.

Aside from this benefit of protecting yourself, martial arts can improve awareness of the mind and body. The mental strength will be improved as you master the art of focusing. You will be able to focus more on your daily task and improve your level of alertness even with small details of what is happening around you. Concentration is very important in martial arts training. To be an effective martial arts student you must be able to picture out your success as you go along with the training.

Learning martial arts can improve ones physical and mental health. Feeling stronger mentally will give you the sense of security to be able to manage any dangerous situations that might occur. It will build up your self confidence to handle any physical threatening circumstances. Throughout the training you will learn the movements and impacts on your body as well as the opponent or attacker. Knowing when to strike or hit and how to do it properly will give you the strength with your full body potential defending yourself.

It takes years to learn and master martial arts but the outcome is worth the sacrifice. You will feel better physically and mentally. Possible attackers may even think twice of approaching you. Learn martial arts for your own safety and protection.”

Samurai Influence On Japanese Art

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No other tribe in the history may have gained such an epic image that Samurai people got who had been featured in a large number of comic books, plays and movies. That military people lived in the feudal Japan before centuries are still living in the hearts of hundreds of people today without regard to adults or children.

History of the Samurai art cannot be explained without referring to the history of the Samurai tribe. The governance system that existed in Japan in 12th century was denominated as Shogunate and the ruler was known as Shogun. At that time, Japan was suffering a lot from frequent struggles between the then existed powerful clans named Taira and Minamoto.

The daimyo were the second in command in the hierarchy of the Shogunate. This position was similar to that of dukes in Europe. The Samurai class was then the soldiers of a daimyo. Ronin is the name given to a Samurai that did not have a master. This happens when their master is forced to commit suicide.

The Samurai caste had many privileges which was not granted for the common people. They were licensed to carry two swords while the common people were restricted from carrying any. They were even allowed to kill any ordinary citizen who came to hurt them.

The Samurai tribe itself was categorized into three classes – the administrators who were known as housemen, soldiers who were permitted to fight on horse back named mounted Samurai and the foot soldiers.

Eventually this Samurai life underwent many changes and now most of their descendants are farmers living in castles. Depending upon their ranks, they were authorized for a certain percentage of the rice tax also. Samurai followed some moral doctrines which were mainly established over the obedience to the leader who was known as Daimyo. This code of Samurai life is known as Bushido, which means the way of warrior.

A strange custom of committing suicide named Suppuku existed among them. They believed it as a honourable way of death and was performed at the battle field or outside the battle as a formal function. Gradually, the age of battles came to an end and the Samurai class dissolved in the mainstream of the Japanese life.

The Samurai chronicles have become world-renowned because of their heroism and the impacts they made in the Japanese history in addition to the fame they accomplished through various types of media. The fact that this type of a tribe existed in the history and the code of life they adopted still remain implausible for the modern world.

The Samurai life had a great impact on the Japanese art of those times because of the power and position they possessed in the society. Their life, history and culture had been depicted in the Japanese art works with all the fascination. These arts catch the attention of everyone including those who are not at all familiar with the Japanese way of life.

Bhoomika Arts

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Bring home bal Krishna accessories; bal Krishna jhula and bal Krishna murti with stone studded

Interior dcor has always been one of the primary points of any home or office. People decorate their interiors with a wide variety of artifacts. These artifacts vary from artificial flowers to lamps, from artificial statues to showpieces of a variety of materials; the interior dcor industry offers its customers with a plethora of options for decorating their interiors. In a country like India where religion and gods hold the supreme position, artifacts that display even a hint of religion become a thing of reverence. Be it the statues of gods that are used in most households either for praying or for simple display or be it pictures and paintings of the gods. Having such items in one’s home or office is considered to bring the blessings of the god upon the person.
Statues of the gods are probably the most common religious artifact that people prefer to have in their homes and offices. These statues are available in a number of materials like clay statues, metal statues, fiber or plastic statues, statues made of bronze or brass and also statues made of the more expensive materials like gold and silver. One of the most common and most preferred statues of the gods is the lord Krishna. With his flute always in his hand and a smile on his face, statues of lord Krishna that often come in pair with that of radha, make for the popularity of the lord Krishna’s statues. One of the popular statues in this category is the bal Krishna murti with stone studded. This murti or statue is carved of lead metal. Making the bal Krishna murti with stone studded more popular is the high quality of work and detailing done on the statue with the help of the stones. The bal Krishna murti with stone studded looks very appealing to the customers because of the fine quality of the murti as well as that of the decoration on the murti.
Another popular bal Krishna accessory that people like to have in their homes and offices is the bal Krishna jhula. According to the mythologies, lord Krishna used to play his flute while sitting on a swing or jhula and all his disciples used to just sit below and listen to him. The bal Krishna jhula is made of metals of different kinds and is accessorized and decorated with beads and stones and sequins to make it look more attractive and more colorful.
These bal Krishna statues and bal Krishna jhula can be either used as simple showpieces or can be kept in the puja houses that people often have in their homes to fetch the blessing of the lord.

Your Life Could Be Saved Someday With Martial Arts And Self Defense Techniques

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The Jiu Jitsu style is old but its methods can be found in other martial arts. With plenty of time and effort, any person can learn Jiu Jitsu by looking for a good school. Jiu Jitsu isn’t a sport like karate or tae kwon do so you will not see any Jiu Jitsu competitive events. The tactics learned in mixed martial arts allows one to instantly switch between defensive to offensive positions. The third bonus shows you how to defend yourself with a knife which is known as ‘Knife Fighting And Knife Self Defense Secrets.’ You could also learn about lethal self defense methods in ‘Martial Arts Pressure Points Defense Secrets.’

Another secret move you can learn is a knee to the stomach move, which will be unknown to your opponent. You could learn all that you should know about protecting yourself with ‘Self Defense And Martial Arts Techniques.’ As you continue to repeat the techniques, you are going to increase your flexibility, muscle tone, speed and power. Several self defense classes teach Jiu Jitsu since anyone can learn it. This martial art was also taught in the armed forces and in the police.

If you wish to study martial arts, you need to take note of the specific formalities of the school, which might include a uniform or addressing the trainer in a certain way. If they are able to enter the championship, their lives will change once and for all. It’s also an excellent form of exercise so your endurance will improve too. If you get started training for mixed martial arts, you are going to develop excellent balance and coordination, build up your staying power and become self-confident. As soon as you learn how to do all of them, you will have to know how to use them alongside one another. You should follow certain rules, such as being dressed in the proper attire and how to address the instructor. Although it has been compared to freestyle wrestling, Judo has a number of the strategies used in Jiu Jitsu. In mixed martial arts contests like the Ultimate Fighting Championships, you will find a lot of fighters utilizing Jiu Jitsu strategies. He has used this strategy to become a professional, and win the first four titles of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. There are varied schools of Jiu Jitsu with different focuses like working with different weapons, learning specific spiritual concepts, or practicing healing strategies like massages. It featured a lot of grappling and striking tactics and grew in popularity the moment people were disallowed from carrying weapons.

In the course, learn about defense strategies against guns and knives, multi-attacker fighting techniques, bodyguard training and strength training. You will be taught how to add a lot more power to punches, which is not known by many people. You’ll get over nine hours worth of training videos as well as over 1000 pages of the top training manuals available. Now that you are more knowledgeable about Jiu Jitsu, and know about its advantages, you might be interested in enrolling in a class. By way of proper timing and leverage, you are able to easily beat the opponent. These methods come from many great martial art forms including jujitsu, judo, aikido and karate. It is considered that mixed martial arts skills are more effective against larger and stronger opponents. If you are interested in this, however, you need to determine what strategy to use.

Things You Must Do To Grow Your Martial Arts School

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There are 3 things you must do every week – and sometimes every day in every class – to make sure your martial arts school thrives. Those 3 things are:

Bring in new students
Retain the students you have
Get more from your students

It is critical to the survival of your school that you block off time every week to focus on these 3 things. This might be 1 hour or 1 day. It might be to create a new class, new marketing program or for education in martial arts management to make sure you are growing as a martial arts school owner.

Marketing
You should be setting aside time every week to work on growing your school. This does not mean you have to create a brand new marketing plan every week. One week each month you can focus on education. Just like learning martial arts – you are constantly learning new things, right?

The same applies to marketing. Pick up a book, read a blog, read the business section of the newspaper. You have to learn the basics and continue to learn and grow in marketing as well.

Student Retention
Student retention is vital to any martial arts school. If you get 3 new students but 4 leave then you have not just gone back by a count of 1 youve actually gone back by 4 because had you retained those students you would now have a total of 7 students.

Each week you should be doing things to ensure your students are going to stay in your program as long as possible. This could be sending out birthday cards, writing a school newsletter, offering special workshops, learning more about the student and their family to build a stronger relationship, the list is almost endless.

Internal Marketing
The last item, internal marketing, is one that is often forgotten. Yet it is critically important.

What most small business owners, and most martial arts school owners, fail to understand is that it takes a whole lot more effort and money to find a new client then it does to sell again to an existing client.

To get a new student you must spend a lot of time and money finding them and convincing them that your school is what they are looking for and need.

It takes much less time and money to sell your current students on a Saturday workshop, or sell them a T-shirt, or get them to take private lessons.

You Are Not Alone
You do not have to take on these tasks all by yourself. There are many places you can get information to cut down your learning curve or save time and money by using existing materials.

You can get books on marketing, you can ask other martial arts school owners what they do, you can join online forums in places like LinkedIn, or fan pages on FaceBook, you can purchase materials from martial arts business or management companies.

International Martial Arts Management Systems, (IMAMS) is one such place. We offer a system that is created of training modules that consistently brings in 4, 5, maybe 10 students every month. We have modules for student retention and many many ways to help you with internal marketing.

Tips For Artists, How To Prepare Your Own Panels For Painting

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Personally, I prefer painting on a hard surface so I am addressing how to prepare a panel for painting.

I will discuss hardboard, MDF, particle board, plywood and cardboard, and I am only discussing rigid panels right now, we can discuss canvas, papers etc some other time.

First I will discuss the materials, then their preparation:

For smaller work I prefer “Masonite” [ironically the Masonite company no longer makes “masonite” hardboard] which is a high density hardboard and is made by steam exploding wood into very fine fibers then re-compressing those fibers under very high pressure and heat so that the natural lignin re-bonds the fibers. the problem is that the lignin is acidic and is the material that causes cheap paper like newsprint to turn yellow overnight. There are many grades of these hardboard products, ignore the cheaper ones, currently the better grade in 3mm [1/8 inch] thickness, canvas back, is 11 dollars a 4 x 8 sheet at Home Depot. The 3mm is ok for smaller stuff, the 4 or 5 mm is better for medium sizes but as soon as you get over 16 x 20 this material starts getting pretty heavy.

The Apersan panels are “masonite’ type hardboard with frames made from birch plywood, these are very nice panels!

The ideal hardboard panel is pre-coated with Melamie on both sides and is used in the furniture industry, but it is hard to find.

MDF is medium density fiberboard and is widely available, cheap, and very flat, it is made also by steam exploding wood into fibers but the difference between MDF and masonite is that it is not compressed as much and plastic resins are added as a binder then it is put under heat and pressure. It is widely used in furniture and cabinets. It is not as strong as “masonite” so you are need a thicker panel to start with and thus the end result will be heavier, the other problems are low moisture resistance and the edges are easily damaged. Maya Lin uses MDF in her room sized contoured sculptures, it is actually a very attractive material in its self.

Particle Board, this is often confused with MDF, it is sawdust [not separated fibers] bonded with resins and is very easily damaged and has very little moisture resistance, plus it is heavy, but it is cheap. I see no reason to use this for permanent work and not many reasons to use it at all. It is used in the lowest grade of cabinets.

Cardboard, There are many grades of paperboard, for painting you should find an acid free board, forget anything like poster board which is re-cycled newspaper or other cheap board because it will become brittle very quickly. There used to be materials called Millboard and Upson Board, these were recycled newsprint bases with a top layer of a better grade of paper with a glue sizing. I doubt if these are still made but if they are I don’t recommend them. Corrugated cardboard is light but the flutes will telescope through as you paint unless you are attracted to it’s funky qualities, it is not a good painting support.

If you are using a cardboard, you must gesso both sides, otherwise it will warp badly. Painting on un-prepared board is certainly possible, but be aware that oil paints will degrade paper in a few years and make it brittle, also the paper will soak up the oil and make the paints dull. If you use acrylic paints you avoid the oil to paper degradation issues but be aware that the absorbancy of paper will sometimes dull acrylics. For studies I sometimes use Canvaset paper which is paper with a canvas texture and a glue or gelatin sizing. This is ok but the sizing is a bit to slick in my opinion. If your looking for a cheap support and no prep work then this is probably the cheapest option.

If you are going to properly prepare cardboard it is just as much work as better materials with little difference in the costs of the actual materials, so why bother?

Plywood: My preference second to “masonite” for small work and my first preference for larger work is plywood. Plywood is made of thin veneers of wood, coated with glue, laid perpendicular to each other and pressed together under very high heat and pressure. Various grades have differing levels of strength, stiffness, moisture resistance and warp resistance. I have painted on Luan, Birch and Fir and prefer Luan. For smaller panels 6mm [1/4″] is ok, for larger panels that need a structural frame, I use 3mm [1/8″]. You can make a high quality, light weight, stiff and flat panel in quite large sizes with a bit of work. Top grade fir plywood is very expensive now days, the ordinary stuff would not make a good support since it easily warps, has voids, the texture will telescope when primed, etc etc.

For smaller work, up to 12 x 16 inches or so, that is going to get a decorative frame, you can use 6mm [1/4″] luan without a structural frame, over that size you are going to need a structural frame so you may as well use the thinner and lighter 3mm.

Luan plywood varies widely in quality, I find that the luan panels carried by big box lumber retailers, like Home Depot, are lower quality than what the independents carry. Look around for a wood panel dealer that sells to cabinet makers, they will have better quality materials for about the same or lower price. I recently bought some top quality 3mm luan panels for $8.40 a 4 x 8 sheet.

For making frames for larger panels, I use poplar or top quality pine. Again finding a independent wood dealer that has better quality materials will pay off here. Poplar is available in the big box stores like Home Depot, it is clear and straight and just a bit more than their terrible “select” grade [which 30 years ago would of been used for furring strips]. Which ever wood you use hand select each piece for straightness.

Rip the lumber into 3/4 x 3/4 or 1 inch wide strips, do your best to cut out defects.

To frame a panel, start with a smooth flat table top. Lay your cut to size luan face down [best way to cut luan is with a utility knife and a new blade] Then use wood glue and clamps to glue a perimeter frame onto the edge of the luan. I do two sides at a time, using a 36 x 80 inch flush door as a table top, the luan and frame gets clamped to the door so to keep it flat, once the glue sets up, rotate the panel and do the other two sides. Once all 4 sides are set up you can add bracing across the panel. The larger the panel the more bracing needed. I use smaller strips to save weight, 1/2 x 3/4 or so work, these get glued to be back of the panel between the frames. [photos to follow].

I had a panel that I unwisely used lower grade pine to frame and it warped badly. To salvage it, I glued a second 3mm sheet of luan on the back side creating a hollow core panel, just like a hollow core door. BTW, hollow core doors make a good painting support, but are relatively heavy.

Let the glue set up over night with the panel laying down flat. Then sand any rough edges and you are ready for the next steps.

Panel Priming: Priming has to do several things, it has to isolate acids that may exist in the support materials, protect against moisture, stabilize the support, and to provide a receptive painting surface.

When preparing “masonite, plywood, mdf, or cardboard, I find that a sealer coat of shellac is ideal, Shellac does not raise the grain or cause warping and it does not react with gessos. Shellac is available in paint stores as clear [traditionally called white], orange [clear amber] and as a white pigmented primer or BIN. [Note that BIN sells primers with similar labels, make sure you get “shellac based”]. I use white pigmented BIN, some painters like painting directly on clear shellac on luan.

For unsupported panels, first sand the panel using an electric vibrating sander and 80 to 100 grit sandpaper. You want to “break the glaze”. Then coat both sides and all edges of the panel with shellac. A disposable brush works or a small roller is even better. A single thin even coat is all that is needed. Let dry. Coating only one side may cause the panel to warp, if not right away then later at the worst possible time.

After the shellac is dry, go back with your vibrating sander and give it a good sanding, knocking down raised grain, splinters, rough edges, etc. 100 grit open coat sand paper is perfect for this. If you don’t already have a sander I can recommend the 1/4 sheet sanders, I have had a Porter Cable for 8 or 10 years and I use it constantly.

After sanding, you are ready to apply the gesso. I use acrylic gesso, others prefer oil ground, or other traditional grounds. Discussion of grounds is involved and will be the subject of another artical.

You can brush or roll the gesso on. I use 1 inch diameter foam rollers which leave a nice even light texture. Between uses I don’t wash them but keep them in a zip lock bag. I now just scoop gesso with a spoon from the gallon pail onto the horizontal panel or canvas then roll or brush it out. Doing this eliminates the waste you have with a roller pan and saves some clean up.

The first coat should be thinned out so to flow into any textures. Following coats can be to your taste. Different brands vary widely in handling characteristics. I find that the more expensive brands thinned down work better than the cheaper brands which start out thinner. At least 2 coats are needed, I put on 3 or 4 until the coverage is uniform. If you prefer a non-white ground, you can add some acrylic color to the gesso. I paint in oil and prefer to apply a thin oil color wash over the acrylic gesso when I start painting. I think the oil is more receptive to the subsequent layers of oil paint.

After the gesso is bone dry, sand it again. You should experiment here. It is possible to get too smooth and slick of a surface that will give your paint a smeary effect, too rough of a surface can interfer with details, for instance, but this is a matter of your taste and intent. I find that the foam rollers leave a nice pebbly surface that is just right after a quick sanding with 120 grit.

I highly recommend that every artist own a copy of Ralph Mayer’s “The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques”. First written in 1940 and revised many times since, it has a breath and depth not matched by any other reference. Every artist should read it cover to cover, not only to learn about their own media but to understand what artists working in other media do, also what is possible and what may be detrimental to your intent. It also helps you to understand how and why historic works were done they way they were. THis book should be part of any artists education in my opinion. I often see these in used book shops and garage sales [sometimes unread] and I always grab them and pass them on to worthy recipents.