A wealth of local art organizations offers classes for beginners to advanced students in just about every medium you can think of. There is no substitute for sitting in a class with others, where you can share ideas, tips and techniques with your instructor and other students, and for getting out to socialize, too. So with that said, the websites mentioned here this week might be useful as a supplementary way to learn various art mediums in-between bricks-and-mortar classes; or for those who may be house bound and want an opportunity to hone their skills or take up the hobby of art making. The free, online art lesson websites are impressive. Check out each, then decide which one you like the best.
Art Studio Chalkboard. The University of Evansville brings its art department online for public viewing, and you’ll find some excellent tutorials here, especially for drawing linear perspective and for oil painting. The website also has a nice set of links to other good sites.
Art School Online/Wet Canvas . You have to register (free) to gain full access to what’s available here. We managed to find, after some searching, a basic tutorial on painting. What appears to be most valuable here is the discussion board, where artists will help you work through a problem you may be having with an art project you may be working on.
The Magic of Painting—Admiral Cowdidsly Education Group. I think you will be impressed with this site. It may be too advanced for some, but if you want to learn watercolor or drawing, you will find a great deal of good information here. I marked this as “very good’ when I was reviewing all these sites, so you might want to make this your first stop.
Art & Design Workshop . This is another site that teaches perspective. It also has sections dedicated to Egyptian art, pencil portraits, and African masks.
Watercolor Online . As the name implies, this site offers a treasure chest of articles and tutorials on watercolor painting. You’ll also find listings of upcoming workshops (nationwide), and listings of art organizations. If your specialty is watercolor, you can get yourself a free website here.
Sanford ArtEdventures . This website is ideal for all ages and all skill levels. It is divided into four areas: Create, Play Art Games, Study, and Teach. It may be just what you are looking for.
Online Art School . This is not to be confused with the aforementioned “Art School Online.” Artist Jason Morgan offers systematic demos of his painting process, focusing on value, composition, etc. Choose either a wildlife subject or landscape, and follow his steps to understand how he creates a basic, eye-pleasing painting.
Eyes on Art . This website is less about hands-on painting techniques and more about art appreciation and learning the art of seeing. Also, learn art terms at its Artspeak 101 link.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Creative Shopping
Yes, I’ve said before that I do not review shopping sites—because my feeling is that we should shop locally and support our local businesses whenever possible. This week’s list of websites are not your average shopping sites, and I bring a few of them to your attention more as curiosities.
Be More Creative . Frank, this site’s creator, notes that he started this website as a collection of quotes that got out of hand. And it’s true that there are a huge number of quotes, conveniently organized, that you can find here. In some ways, Frank’s compilation of quotations are easier to sift through than some of the other websites offering the same. The “out-of-hand” quote collection here has expanded to include: Famous Creative Women; Creative Golfing, Soccer, Fishing, Musical Instruments, Health, Computering, Languages, Hats, Hardware, Candles, Perfumes, and even Creative Sleep. There are more categories, but you can see for yourself. Now here is where the shopping comes in. After finding the category that interests you, you’ll have an extra choice to view oodles of merchandise for sale relating to a particular category. It appears that Frank has found a creative way to make some extra money by affiliating with merchants. He has organized his “inventory” under the many different categories that list quotations. Bartlett never thought of that. But then, computers and the Internet weren’t invented yet.
Cool Hunting . This was a Yahoo Best Pick a few weeks ago and for good reason. You can shop or just scan some new, leading edge products that you would be unlikely to find (at least right now) at your neighborhood store. The site describes itself thus: “Finding things in the intersection of design culture and technology that excites the imagination and inspires creativity.” On that note, I’d say that Cool Hunting is ten-thousand times more creative than BeMoreCreative.com. Much of the stuff here may appeal more to the hip, 20-somethings, but there are gadgets and other items that will wow anyone of any age.
Shaw Guides . Okay, so I sneaked this one in. This is not about shopping for merchandise at all. But if you are looking for a workshop to tweak your creativity or perhaps even your golf swing, Shaw Guides is the first place to look on the Internet. Its monthly listings include workshops or retreats for writers, photographers, artists, independent travelers, cooks, and more. Browse by date, by state or country, and by category. Remember, you’re “shopping” for creative type of learning vacation. As an extra bonus, singles might be thrilled to know that Shaw Guides has partnered with Travel Chums to set you up with a compatible roommate so that you don’t have to pay that annoying and often pricey single supplement.
PayPal Phishing. I hope you have heard about this warning well before now, but in case you have not, be careful with any email that purports to come from PayPal (for those of you who have PayPal accounts). Scammers have learned how to “clone” letterheads and even some websites so that they look like the real thing, and most vulnerable are the online banking websites. I’ve talked about this before in at least one former column—probably still over at the old CyberScribbles site. So the advice is to not rush into filling out any sensitive information asked of you in an email. Keep current about the latest scams and protect yourself.
Be More Creative . Frank, this site’s creator, notes that he started this website as a collection of quotes that got out of hand. And it’s true that there are a huge number of quotes, conveniently organized, that you can find here. In some ways, Frank’s compilation of quotations are easier to sift through than some of the other websites offering the same. The “out-of-hand” quote collection here has expanded to include: Famous Creative Women; Creative Golfing, Soccer, Fishing, Musical Instruments, Health, Computering, Languages, Hats, Hardware, Candles, Perfumes, and even Creative Sleep. There are more categories, but you can see for yourself. Now here is where the shopping comes in. After finding the category that interests you, you’ll have an extra choice to view oodles of merchandise for sale relating to a particular category. It appears that Frank has found a creative way to make some extra money by affiliating with merchants. He has organized his “inventory” under the many different categories that list quotations. Bartlett never thought of that. But then, computers and the Internet weren’t invented yet.
Cool Hunting . This was a Yahoo Best Pick a few weeks ago and for good reason. You can shop or just scan some new, leading edge products that you would be unlikely to find (at least right now) at your neighborhood store. The site describes itself thus: “Finding things in the intersection of design culture and technology that excites the imagination and inspires creativity.” On that note, I’d say that Cool Hunting is ten-thousand times more creative than BeMoreCreative.com. Much of the stuff here may appeal more to the hip, 20-somethings, but there are gadgets and other items that will wow anyone of any age.
Shaw Guides . Okay, so I sneaked this one in. This is not about shopping for merchandise at all. But if you are looking for a workshop to tweak your creativity or perhaps even your golf swing, Shaw Guides is the first place to look on the Internet. Its monthly listings include workshops or retreats for writers, photographers, artists, independent travelers, cooks, and more. Browse by date, by state or country, and by category. Remember, you’re “shopping” for creative type of learning vacation. As an extra bonus, singles might be thrilled to know that Shaw Guides has partnered with Travel Chums to set you up with a compatible roommate so that you don’t have to pay that annoying and often pricey single supplement.
PayPal Phishing. I hope you have heard about this warning well before now, but in case you have not, be careful with any email that purports to come from PayPal (for those of you who have PayPal accounts). Scammers have learned how to “clone” letterheads and even some websites so that they look like the real thing, and most vulnerable are the online banking websites. I’ve talked about this before in at least one former column—probably still over at the old CyberScribbles site. So the advice is to not rush into filling out any sensitive information asked of you in an email. Keep current about the latest scams and protect yourself.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Pirates & Piracy
Now here is an unusual subject for the week. We who live around the shores of Lake Michigan have no fancy tales about pirates. Just shipwrecks. What got me started on this topic was—no, not Johnny Depp, but coming across a website about contemporary pirates. That led me to all sorts of nooks and crannies around the Internet. One site speaks of a mystery that you probably have not heard of—but it has potential for a Hollywood film or at least a trip to Nova Scotia. You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy these websites.
Weekly Piracy Reports . These reports are real, happening today. This website is a service to the maritime industry in that it collects reports about piracy-prone areas. It covers the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, giving a daily summary. The headquarters of the piracy reporting center is in Kuala Lumpurr, Malaysia, and it proviides maps of areas hit by maritime piracy and armed robbery.
Pirates Info . Here, we jump into historical information. Pirate facts and legends, biographies, and the life (and death) of a pirate in general. And, we discover that there was nothing romantic about the life of pirates. In fact, they were very brutal, as were their deaths when they were caught. And the pirates of the Caribbean ate their share of turtle meat, since it was plentiful, and fresh.
Pirates. There is enough information here to make you an expert on the subject.
No Quarter Given . The San Diego Maritime Museum had a exhibit of artifacts several years back, and the virtual tour is still online. You can view what is purported to be Blackbeard’s skull, along with some blunderbusses, flintlocks, cutlasses, and other weapons of the day.
Pirate Legends . This is where I learned about two female pirates: Mary Read and Ann Bonny. This website is presented by the North Carolina History and Fiction Digital Library. Among its tomes is Daniel Defoe’s A General History of the Pyrates. Once you get used to the Old English script you will find this fascinating reading.
Pirate Images . Except for the print of Mary Read running a sword through an opponent, I found most of the images too small to read—including the old maps.
Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project. Blackbeard’s flagship, lost in North Carolina’s waters since 1718, has been found. More than 2,000 artifacts from the sunken ship have been recovered, and a sampling is online. Another interesting site with good background information about the infamous pirate.
Oak Island. Talk about pirates almost always leads to talk about hidden treasure. Folks in Nova Scotia have been trying for over a century to discover what lies below a spot that just keeps going downward to more mystery. Several treasure hunters have lost their lives searching for the pot of gold at the bottom of a big hole in the ground. At one level, an inscribed stone was found and translated, stating that millions of pounds of gold was buried below. Many, many attempts and digging have been foiled, but to this day, excavators are still attempting to solve the mystery. This website makes me want to head to Nova Scotia and see for myself.
Weekly Piracy Reports . These reports are real, happening today. This website is a service to the maritime industry in that it collects reports about piracy-prone areas. It covers the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, giving a daily summary. The headquarters of the piracy reporting center is in Kuala Lumpurr, Malaysia, and it proviides maps of areas hit by maritime piracy and armed robbery.
Pirates Info . Here, we jump into historical information. Pirate facts and legends, biographies, and the life (and death) of a pirate in general. And, we discover that there was nothing romantic about the life of pirates. In fact, they were very brutal, as were their deaths when they were caught. And the pirates of the Caribbean ate their share of turtle meat, since it was plentiful, and fresh.
Pirates. There is enough information here to make you an expert on the subject.
No Quarter Given . The San Diego Maritime Museum had a exhibit of artifacts several years back, and the virtual tour is still online. You can view what is purported to be Blackbeard’s skull, along with some blunderbusses, flintlocks, cutlasses, and other weapons of the day.
Pirate Legends . This is where I learned about two female pirates: Mary Read and Ann Bonny. This website is presented by the North Carolina History and Fiction Digital Library. Among its tomes is Daniel Defoe’s A General History of the Pyrates. Once you get used to the Old English script you will find this fascinating reading.
Pirate Images . Except for the print of Mary Read running a sword through an opponent, I found most of the images too small to read—including the old maps.
Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project. Blackbeard’s flagship, lost in North Carolina’s waters since 1718, has been found. More than 2,000 artifacts from the sunken ship have been recovered, and a sampling is online. Another interesting site with good background information about the infamous pirate.
Oak Island. Talk about pirates almost always leads to talk about hidden treasure. Folks in Nova Scotia have been trying for over a century to discover what lies below a spot that just keeps going downward to more mystery. Several treasure hunters have lost their lives searching for the pot of gold at the bottom of a big hole in the ground. At one level, an inscribed stone was found and translated, stating that millions of pounds of gold was buried below. Many, many attempts and digging have been foiled, but to this day, excavators are still attempting to solve the mystery. This website makes me want to head to Nova Scotia and see for myself.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
UFOLOGY
Stargazing hits a peak during summer months. Balmy evenings outside, on a deck, on the beach, or wherever—naturally attract eyes to the skies. UFO sightings ebb and flow like the tides, and numerous people around the globe like to track sightings and share their experiences. Yours truly reported seeing one many years ago when I was living close to the Mississippi River in Illinois. And I happened to be vacationing in Arizona, when, on three consecutive visits, I and thousands of others witnessed unusual phenomena in the pre-dawn sky. Whereas I don’t go out of my way looking for unidentified objects, a good many on the Internet do. Here are some websites that go into great detail about past and present sightings, Area 51, the Air Force Blue Book, and much more.
Ufologie. This website comes from France, where Patrick Gross has put together a global information network of UFO watchers, seekers, explainers and more. I did not watch the network television special on UFO’s that aired several months ago, but much of what was described in that program is referenced on this site. There is enough information here to keep you occupied for hours, if this is a topic that interests you. I had no idea there was a print publication titled “Flying Saucer Review,” and one of its subscribers is Prince Charles, according to their website.
NICAP. This is listed as the Directory of the Best UFO Evidence, brought to you by the National Investigations Committee of Aerial Phenomena. Here, and at other UFO-related sites, you can read documents released through the Freedom of Information Act that may, or may not give you a clearer picture on what is really going on in the skies above.
Michigan UFO’s . I figured I would look around for some local sighting websites, and I found several in the Midwest. This Michigan website has a state sighting map that pinpoints all the places around the state where people have reported seeing unexplained phenomena in the heavens above. Plus, readers have written in their personal sighting reports. The writers are for the most part, articulate and most come across as sincere.
Mutual UFO Network of Indiana .On this website I learned that former LaPorte resident Orville Hartle wrote a book about UFO sightings called A Carbon Experiment, published by Indiana University Press in the 1960”s. The book is out of print, but the LaPorte Library has a copy. Meanwhile, Hoosier UFO spotters have an opportunity to report their sightings at this website. Browsing through the list, I noticed that someone from Gary reported an unusual sighting back in April. But there are other reports, more dated, from Michigan City, Chesterton, and the southern parts of Porter and LaPorte counties.
National UFO Reporting Center . There are lots of websites to report individual sightings (such as the two mentioned above), but this is the “official” place, I am assuming. I will have to bookmark it before my next trip to Arizona…
Filer’s Files . This website is a bit more “sensational” than those previously mentioned. Besides UFO’s, Mr. Filer discusses in detail Area 51, orbs, crop circles, aliens, and Mars.
Observation of Extraterrestrial Anomalies . More art and science than, say, Filer’s Files, the anomaly photos are interesting, as is the explanations and calculations given by the website’s creator. Keep an open, curious mind as you peruse the pages here. For that matter, keep an open mind to all these websites. Some stuff might be hogwash, but other information will pique your imagination.
Ufologie. This website comes from France, where Patrick Gross has put together a global information network of UFO watchers, seekers, explainers and more. I did not watch the network television special on UFO’s that aired several months ago, but much of what was described in that program is referenced on this site. There is enough information here to keep you occupied for hours, if this is a topic that interests you. I had no idea there was a print publication titled “Flying Saucer Review,” and one of its subscribers is Prince Charles, according to their website.
NICAP. This is listed as the Directory of the Best UFO Evidence, brought to you by the National Investigations Committee of Aerial Phenomena. Here, and at other UFO-related sites, you can read documents released through the Freedom of Information Act that may, or may not give you a clearer picture on what is really going on in the skies above.
Michigan UFO’s . I figured I would look around for some local sighting websites, and I found several in the Midwest. This Michigan website has a state sighting map that pinpoints all the places around the state where people have reported seeing unexplained phenomena in the heavens above. Plus, readers have written in their personal sighting reports. The writers are for the most part, articulate and most come across as sincere.
Mutual UFO Network of Indiana .On this website I learned that former LaPorte resident Orville Hartle wrote a book about UFO sightings called A Carbon Experiment, published by Indiana University Press in the 1960”s. The book is out of print, but the LaPorte Library has a copy. Meanwhile, Hoosier UFO spotters have an opportunity to report their sightings at this website. Browsing through the list, I noticed that someone from Gary reported an unusual sighting back in April. But there are other reports, more dated, from Michigan City, Chesterton, and the southern parts of Porter and LaPorte counties.
National UFO Reporting Center . There are lots of websites to report individual sightings (such as the two mentioned above), but this is the “official” place, I am assuming. I will have to bookmark it before my next trip to Arizona…
Filer’s Files . This website is a bit more “sensational” than those previously mentioned. Besides UFO’s, Mr. Filer discusses in detail Area 51, orbs, crop circles, aliens, and Mars.
Observation of Extraterrestrial Anomalies . More art and science than, say, Filer’s Files, the anomaly photos are interesting, as is the explanations and calculations given by the website’s creator. Keep an open, curious mind as you peruse the pages here. For that matter, keep an open mind to all these websites. Some stuff might be hogwash, but other information will pique your imagination.
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