A pencil portrait drawing from life starts with the drawing of the arabesque. Striking the arabesque means drawing the outer contour of the head with the correct proportions, shape, and the appropriate symmetry.

Once you have drawn a reasonably correct arabesque it is time to place the main landmarks of the head. That means that we will correctly locate the most important points of the head. These points will then be used as references for mapping out the rest of theheadfeatures.

Here is something that may help you with this task : work with your eyes somewhat out-of-focus. This is called seeing with a “soft eye”. Somehow this makes it easier to correctly determine shapes and proportions. It also helps you to repress the fixed notions we all have of certain objects.

Let us assume that we are working from a three-quarter head profile.

* The Brow Ridge - is the first important landmark. To locate the brow ridge you must first take your best guess at where you think it is then to check it by sighting.

Note that to train your eye it is better to first guess lengths, angles, etc. and verify them second. There is nothing to gain from pre-measuring.

Sighting means to use your pencil with locked arm and marking distances along the pencil with your thumb and index finger (starting from the tip down) and one eye closed.

So then, first sight from the lowest point on the chin to a point on the brow ridge (just choose a random point on the ridge, but once chosen you should stick with it).

Now raise your pencil vertically so that your thumb is on your point on the brow ridge and note where your pencil point is. It should be a small distance above the top of the head . Mark on your drawing where you can best place that point above the head. This point is called the “check point”.

Note that whenever there is a choice, you should always measure the smallest distance because doing so tends to be more correct.

Your point on the brow ridge should, if it was placed correctly, be exactly halfway between the bottom of the chin and your check point. If it isn’t – then correctcorrect the position of your brow ridge.

* Hinge of the Jaw - Now you can determine the width of the face. In the three-quarter view the hinge of the jaw is a critical landmark. Again, take your best guess then check by sighting horizontally from the jaw hinge to the far edge of the cheek bone and vertically relating that measure from the bottom of the chin.

* Top Nasal Bone - Since we have already determined the brow ridge we now only have to estimate a small distance to fix the top of the nasal bone. If you placed the jaw hingecorrectly, it should equal the measure from bottom of the chin to the nasal bone. If you’re off a bit, then correct the placement of the hinge of the jaw. Again, assume that the shortest distance estimated is the correct one.

Now that these importantlandmarks are placed you can further work out the arabesque. I find it best to resolve only the back, least complicated, part of the head at this early stage.

* Facial Angle - Finally, you need to ascertain the facial angle which is the center line of the face. Draw a slightly curving line from the middle of the mental tubercle up through the center of the brow ridge.

The correct positioning of the facial angle is very important. You have to feel your way through this since as there is no way to accurately measure it.

Once the facial angle is drawn continue resolving the arabesque carefully observing the shape of the mouth area, the forehead, and all the other elements that are expressed in the shape of the arabesque.

With this, we have drawn all the basic landmarks that will help us to map the rest of the features such as the ears and teeth.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: Remi’s Free Pencil Portrait Drawing Course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Remi’s Website.

P.S. For the new age art of PC and video game lovers - visit the PlayStation 3 pre order blog.

Nightlife photography and model posing can let you into a whole new way of looking at the world around you. Taking photos at night requires you to be prepared for locations that have very little light to contribute to successful photography.

For the beginner, starting with nightlife photography is a real challenge. For starters you will need a reasonably good camera to stand a chance of getting any worthwhile photos. It doesn’t matter if it’s a digital camera or the more traditional film kind; what matters is its overall quality.

Basic Tips To Remember

Just as with daytime photography, taking photos of Female Model at night gives you almost unlimited opportunities for getting good pictures. Although safety should always be paramount, it is especially important at night. You could be carrying around hundreds of dollars worth of equipment.

Make sure you tell someone where you are going and don’t go alone if you can help it. At the very least you’ll have someone else to help carry your camera equipment!

Forget The Flash

It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but good nightlife photography often requires that you turn your flash off. Leaving it switched on usually results in a washed out picture that lights up everything in the foreground and leaves the picture looking somewhat artificial.

Your main task when taking nightlife photography is to get enough light into the picture. This is achieved by having a much longer exposure time than you would have during daylight conditions.

The shutter speed should be much slower to accommodate more natural light. As with all kinds of photography experimenting is the best way to find out what works well for you.

Many digital cameras have preset settings specifically designed for taking nightlife photography. That said however, they are not always ideal and you may prefer to try different settings to get different results.

Unnatural Lighting

Even though it’s night time, you can still use artificial light to brighten up your pictures without resorting to using your flash.

Many an excellent photo has been taken of city scenes filled with traffic lights, neon signs and car headlamps. All of these combine to create a world of their own, which often looks sensational on film. Again, experimenting with different shutter speeds will vary the results you will get and can lead to outstanding pictures where moving lights streak across the photo.

Nightlife photography of Leg Posing is hard to master but a joy to learn. Why not start learning tonight?

* Value and form - are two 2 of the four elements of drawing. The other two are line and texture.

In this article we will discuss the concept of plasticity or tone and how it relates to the concepts of value and form.

* Plasticity or tone - is the visual push and pull of lights and darks which, when presented in a cohesive and harmonious whole, defines the 3-dimensional forms of a portrait.

The human eye can distinguish between many more values than the twelve we usually employ in a drawing. That means that the artist must “deceive” the eye into believing that it is seeing more than is actually on the drawing paper. To this end we must understand how light acts and values are observed.

The trick is to manipulate the eye’s natural tendency towards closure, i.e., towards finishing a drawing even if parts are not actually there. But the eye only does that without protest if the plasticity is harmonious. Only then will the viewer emotionally engage.

The subject of creating harmonious plasticity is extensive. In this article we limit ourselves to realistic portraiture.

* Values - are just degrees of darkness and lightness. We usually limit ourselves to 12 discrete values.

To understand how a form is rendered we need to understand how light operates and how values enter into this. There are 2 characteristics of light relevant to drawing:

(1) Light travels in a straight line and bounces off surfaces.

(2) The strength of light diminishes quickly with distance.

From these characteristics it follows that:

* As a form turns away from the light source it darkens.

* When two planes face the light they will have different values if their distances from the light source are different. For example, the cheek closest to the light source will have a lighter value than the one further away.

* The lightest value on a form is the “highlight”. The highlight is always on a plane that is directly facing the light source.

* The bulk of a portrait’s value is so-called halftone. That is, anything in-between pure white and pure black. Halftone rendering is concurrently the most enjoyable and the most annoying aspect of drawing.

* As a form turns fully away from the light source it increasingly descends into shadow, towards totally black (i.e., the absence of light). However, there is more to it.

* There is also reflected light from one surface onto another. Recall that light bounces off surfaces but with reduced intensity. So be careful not to overstate your reflected light.

* There is also the crest of the shadow which is the darkest value on the form. This band of darkness lies between the darkest halftones and the reflected light. This band of darkness is called the Line of Appelle. It is important to capture its shape properly because it determines the form’s volume.

* As a form turns away from the light, the halftone plane changes have a soft edge. The quality of this edge is determined by several factors the most important of which are the degree of plane change, the strength of the light source, and the structure of the surface.

* In portrait drawing there are also cast shadows which are hard-edged and very dark and are shed by one form onto another. An example is the shadow that is cast by the nose onto the cheek.

An excellent exercise for understanding the concept of tone is to draw a white bowling pin. For a more prescribed situation you can build yourself a black box with one side open that fully controls the light of one source and blocks out the light of other sources that could contaminate the situation.

In closing, the use of the 12-value scale together with the above guidelines allows you to produce the necessary plasticity or tone for your subject.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait drawing? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing course here: Free Pencil Portrait Drawing Course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert drawing teacher. See his work at Remi’s Pencil Portrait Web Site.

For the artistic creativity in video games and how to get the machine to see it - please go to PlayStation 3 pre order blog post.

A wedding is one of the most special moments of our lives. All of us wants to capture grand personal events and store them for a lifetime.

Fortunately, contemporary wedding couples have a variety of options by which to capture their joyous memories on film. Below are a few simple guidelines to help treasure precious, unrepeatable wedding moments.

1. Hiring a photographer

Before hiring, a couple should decide what type of photography they want before, during, and after the ceremony, such as a photo shoot, natural photography, video, or other options.

Portrait photographers are those with photography training to shoot both formal and informal moments, though many are typically more comfortable with formal shots. Those are, after all, easier to control.

A photojournalist, on the other hand, will normally have skills to take casual, more natural pictures. Their backgrounds, as you might expect, are in journalism photography.

A third option is simply to ask a family member or a friend to take both casual and posed photos. However this choice is a huge risk if the friend or family member is not particularly skilled in the field of photography or doesn’t have the right camera equipment, so there is little assurance concerning the quality of pictures they will produce.

Unless paying a pro is simply too expensive, ask the family member or friend to take wedding pictures as your “backup” photographer. Most will be more than happy to do this as a wedding gesture for free.

2. Choosing the right camera

The most common types of wedding cameras are the medium format and 35mm. Pictures produced with a 35mm camera can be a little grainy, but the effect is typically only noticeable to photographers themselves who are already familiar with what to look for.

3. Color pictures or black and white?

Most wedding couples prefer to have color photographs for their special day, though some prefer the more “artistic” feel created with black and white film.

Although the expected life span of black and white film is lengthier than color, color photographs normally capture more details of surroundings and the wedding party participants themselves.

Another alternative is to have pictures taken using color film and later develop a duplicate copy of the pictures in black and white.

4. Photographer’s personality

Couples should not only look for a professional photographer who is a great picture taker but is also friendly. Before hiring someone, interview the photographer, asking appropriate questions that are important to you. Additionally, request references and look at sample pictures from previous work.

Only hire a photographer with whom you are comfortable is capable of producing the kind of amazing pictures that you not only will show off to family and friends, but that also capture on film memories you will be pleased to look at for decades down the road.

Digital photography is a simple and easy way for you who like getting out and about and taking photos. The technology applied in digital photography will enable you to experiment with your camera indoors and capture pictures of your family or pets as much as you wish. Just click and click, and you’ll soon like being involved with digital photography.

The utilize of digital photography offer you with lots of profits which you can’t obtain with a regular camera. Using this digital technology will make you save lots of money, for you don’t have to purchase new film all the time. Besides, there is no need for you to pay for the processing expenses involved with conventional cameras.

Great and Suitable Way for Beginners

Even if you are new to taking photos, digital photography is a good bet for you to get started with. Since you know that there won’t be any film wasted, you will find that you become better at experimenting with taking pictures. You can just delete the already-taken picture that you don’t like from your camera.

As opposed to using a film, digital photography takes a memory card, meaning that you have total control over what you wish to keep on the card. The interesting fact is that a single card can take hundreds of photos at a time, thus you can benefit from all the profits of digital photography without the expenses involved in processing.

Getting on Your Computer

You must have this kind of experience with your regular camera, when you become aware that the pictures you thought as good turn to be looking rather disappointing once they come back from the developer. Out of twenty-seven or so exposures, there might only be a dozen or so that you really desire to put in the photo album.

With digital photography, such thing won’t happen. You can soon see what the picture you have taken looks like by looking at it on the screen on your camera. If you like it, you keep it on the memory card and then download all the pictures you have taken onto your computer. As a result, digital photography often results in a bigger collection of photos than you would have otherwise. Nevertheless, what you need to do is only keeping them all on your computer and then printing the ones you like directly on your own printer.

With digital photography, you will have much more control over how your finished photos turn out. You can do whatever you wish with this camera, whether you wish to print the pictures in normal sized or much larger (more like a poster). You can also play around with the colors and tones used. Digital photography is a new versatile and fascinating way of taking photos. Don’t be surprised if once you start, you certainly won’t want to stop!

Are you still at sea of knowing more about digital photography? Just look around and click the links your best answer herein!

The time will come that you’re going to want to replace/add to your photography equipment. The primary reason people procrastinate is because of the daunting process they imagine is necessary to get the “right stuff” at the “best price.”

Though understandable, this type of logic is really not necessary. I know because I used to do it myself for 21 years. During that time, I learned a lot, made a few mistakes, and discovered several devilishly clever approaches to finding a “good deal.”

If you’re not acquiring new photography gear just yet, that’s OK. Just do yourself a favor and keep the following advice so it’s handy when you are ready. Although this article is geared toward photography gear, most of the advice could easily address non-photographic purchases as well.

Know What Your Goal Is

People don’t just get up one morning and think: I’m going to buy a new camera today. Instead, something kicked off the desire; typically wanting to do something that is beyond the capabilities of their current gear.

Before taking the plunge, it helps to know which camera features are important to you. For that, you might want to consider examining a list of camera features before acquiring new photography gear. Ya think?

The first thing to do is decide on what specific gear to buy. The next question is about getting the best deals at great prices. That answer has 3 parts:

There Are Options Other Than Buying Retail

You want to buy from an online merchant you trust. Trust! Who might that be, you wonder? If you want to figure it out yourself, try PriceGrabber’s Merchant Rating Service and read the reviews given by other buyers.

When dealing with online merchants, be alert for certain warning signs. If you notice any, that should indicate it’s time to look for another merchant. Just two of the numerous possible red flags are: a pushy sales representative; and offering great prices on the main item, but have it bundled with accessories that are over-priced.

The Big Guys Are Big For a Reason

There are numerous excellent cameras on the market today… part of why it takes so long to reach a decision. So unless you want to spend a month deciding on a brand, bottom line - go with either Canon or Nikon.

Do You ALWAYS Have To Buy NEW?

If you’re comfortable buying used photo gear, you can get some great deals. In addition to eBay, there are plenty of outstanding sources for used photo gear.

Craig’s List is especially good because it’s local and therefore you can meet the seller and therefore test the equipment before you buy it. Find a local area of Craig’s List, by “Googling” them.

eBay and Craig’s List are not the only choices. There are several other online options…

• Some photography stores carry NEW and USED gear, often providing a 30 day (or more) warranty. Check for a Used Equipment section on their sites or search Google for online merchants who dabble in used
• Search Google for online stores dealing exclusively in used gear
• Photography Forums, such as Fred Miranda have an active Buy/Sell service

After obtaining your perfect photo gear, it’s time to focus on your ultimate objective and find out how to take some fantastic photographs with it.

It’s simple to take portraits. Simply aim the camera at a face and fire away, right? Well, yes and no. Certainly you can do that, but if you show your family the printed results, are they mesmerized by each picture or do they flip through the pile of photos so quickly that their hair blows back?

Here are some portrait tips for taking the type of portraits you’ll be proud of…

The Power of “Eye”

Usually, the most important aspect of a portrait is the subject’s eyes. First, make sure they are open. (Then again, feel free to experiment with taking pictures when your subjects’ eyes are closed.) Just make sure your subject is not blinking.

When the subject’s face is in your viewfinder, place the focus point of your camera on the subject’s eye, NOT the nose or the chin.

If you don’t, depending on your aperture, the depth of field could result in a sharp picture of the tip of the nose while the rest of the face is slightly out of focus.

Having the subject staring directly into the camera, is typical with portraits. However, some of the most striking images have your subject(s) looking elsewhere.

For example, consider:

• Your subject staring intently at an object that can also be seen in the same picture
• Two subjects looking at each other
• The subject looking at something outside what can be seen in the picture

The Art of Candids

If you’ve ever met anyone who proclaims: “I don’t take good pictures,” posing them could be a problem.

Don’t give up. Take the necessary time to learn about and relate to the subject. Once they give you their unspoken approval, taking candids can have spectacular results. I personally find this approach works best with very young children.

Backgrounds

Let’s face it - the subject in your photo should be more interesting than the background. If not, make the background the focus of the shot. With that said, you can use backgrounds in different ways.

To make the background as invisible as possible, use as large an f-stop as your camera allows (F/2.0, for example). This will cause your background to be blurry and therefore help your viewer focus their attention on the subject.

Expressions

For some portraits, the expression of your subject says it all. It’s easy to capture extreme expressions when taking candids of children. Unfortunately, it generally takes more time, work, and effort (from the photographer) to elicit the same type of true emotions from adults.

Using Props

Adding a prop can be risky. On the plus side, you can improve your photograph by adding another point of interest that draws your viewer in.

On the downside, the prop can take too much interest away from your subject. This is one of those areas where common sense and experience are your best teachers.

These posing tips should improve your portraits. And if you like what you’ve read, you can have photo tips you can use everywhere sent to you every month, without charge.

Eliminating blinking from photos has always been a huge challenge for photographers. And as far as challenges go, we can also add looking in the wrong direction, sneezing, and last-second movements to the list.

So when I ran into the Blink Eradication System, I HAD TO EXAMINE IT. I won’t keep you in suspense until the end of this review…

Their Approach?

I was ready to yell “waste of time,” thinking that the Blink Eradication System would consist of the typical… “make sure you count to 3 so they know when you’re taking the shot” type of “wisdom.”

Instead, they use a logical 2-Phase Approach that addresses any eventuality:

1. Practical information for “Minimizing” blinking before taking the picture (They actually say Minimize not Eliminate, which gained credibility points, since eliminating it is impossible.)

2. A software tool that completely eliminates blinking afterward, if any blinking made it through

What Do They Do And How Well Do They Do It?

For the “Minimizing” phase, it works pretty well. They begin with a scientific conclusion:

“For groups smaller than 20, divide the number of people by three if there’s good light and two if the light’s bad. That’s how many shots you need to
take.”

Then, they address a lot of ground on how to minimize blinking BEFORE taking the image. Categories include equipment set up, preparing the environment and subjects, and even some posing tips. I give this phase a 4 out of 5.

For the 2nd phase, they hit a home run! The software worked flawlessly during the 8 times I used it. Even though they didn’t write the software, they were very upfront about all aspects of it.

Two animated tutorials are provided that eliminate the need of reading Help files. This phase gets a 5 out of 5.

Conclusion

Does it Function as Described?
Yes, and quite well, with an overall score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

What Are The Drawbacks?
Note that I can find drawbacks to anything. With that said, the only point to be aware of is the software only operates on PCs that use the Windows XP operating system.

Given the state of Vista, that may not be an issue anymore. If you do use Vista, and would still like to use the software, they provide several ideas for workarounds. The simplest one is maintaining two operating systems on your PC (sounds very scary, but after using their software, you just might be tempted).

Is it Worth It?
If you take nothing but landscape shots, the answer is “no.” But if you take images of people, especially groups larger than 2; the answer is an emphatic “yes.”

For what you’re receiving, the Blink Eradication System is a bargain. In addition to what I’ve mentioned, they throw in a clever way to remember everything required prior to taking any images — two “Cheat Sheets;” one for Indoor, and one for Outdoors. Anyone who doesn’t have a photographic memory will find these helpful.

And, as is the custom of online digital offers, they provide assorted bonuses to sweeten the deal. Their 5 bonuses actually provide some value. Plus, they stand behind the Blink Eradication System with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Final Conclusion
Imagine I’m shouting: huge photography issue eliminated! The Blink Eradication System is a product that I wish I had 10 years ago. At what they’re charging, all I can say is better late than never.

Beryl Cook is one of the UK’s most loved artists, producing artwork that didn’t alienate anyone. Beryl simply painted everyday images of people that she would see around her. Her artwork ranges from women getting on the bus for a night out to the dustbin men collecting the rubbish in the morning. Beryl was an everyday person; this can still be seen in her work and is why she is loved so much by the British public.

Beryl’s first love was a man called John Cook who lived across the road from her house in Surrey and they started a relationship when they were 15 years old. John was recruited to serve his country during the war as a member of the Merchant Navy. They kept in touch while he was away and when he returned in 1948 they tied the knot but it wasn’t until Beryl’s son John was born that she found her artistic talent. In 1950 their son John was born and soon after the new family moved to what is now Zimbabwe. During the 9 years they were there Beryl would use her son John’s paint set to paint the odd picture to pass the time.

When they returned to England John found a job in the motor industry in Bodmin and they became friends with a local antiques dealer. The antiques dealer loved Beryl’s artwork and asked if she would mind if she sold some in her shop. All 3 paintings sold quickly and this inspired Beryl to begin painting more often and sell her paintings through her friends shop.

Despite never really actively promoting herself or her artwork, Beryl still managed to become a very popular artist. This was mainly because of prints and postcards of her work that were both affordable and non threatening to the people that bought them. It wasn’t until her later life that she became an internationally recognised artist that is loved across the globe.

Beryl Cook passed away before the summer of 2008. Her husband was shocked by the amount of coverage this event received in the media and the national and global out pour of support and sadness for their family. National newspapers from all over the world reported her death and her husband John has kept a scrap book containing the obituaries. Beryl Cook Prints have since seen an increase in sales and the recent retrospective of her work being held at Plymouth University has received joyful praise as the best way to say goodbye to a much loved artist.

Enter a few key search terms into Google, and you’ll find a wide variety at the touch of your fingerprints. There’s no need to have to scour every area of the city for that hard to get item. Everything that fits in a studio can easily be found through a search engine, with such a wide variety competing for your business that bottom dollar for top quality has become the business standard.

Chicago is a Mecca of art, and creators know how to take care of their own. Thanks to the versatility of the Internet, however, you no longer have to be within the city limits to take advantage of its art chances. The resources of Chicago are readily available on-line. A few seconds of research unleashes unlimited possibilities.

From easels to a mat cutter to printmaking supplies, Chicago creators have been finding the root ingredients for their work in an envisaging market that’s the pride of the industry. Thanks to the digital age, the art resources of Chicago are accessible to everyone, conveniently attainable.

Why pay retail for art supplies that are readily accessible at a third of the cost? The prices of quality brand name merchandise vary according to supply and demand. As the web turns the marketplace for art supplies global, you can take the best opportunities to take advantage of competitive pricing. Buy more quality resources for less.

Artists have to be versatile, making the most of every penny. That makes discount bargain hunting imperative to survival. Affordable art supplies in Chicago react to the seller’s market. As the web makes excellent use of supply, keeping you up on bargains even if they are on the other side of the world.

It’s a small world after all. Affordable art supplies in Chicago in Chicago are accessible to all, no matter how far you live from the windy city. Make the most of the discounts accessible on the web. You’ll save money and headaches, knowing these supplies are accessible at the touch of your fingertips. Finding affordable supplies, no matter how long it’s been since you were in Chicago, is as simple as an Internet search.