#Taking advantage of the Earth and Water 3 buff today

[humblemooncat]

This man really has just hit his Dad Era, huh?

I swear, almost everything he decides to wear falls into two categories. Dad, and Whore. Sometimes both, somehow. Good for him, honestly.

Also, I finally got my hands on the pvp hair. I'm free from FL hell. \o/

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #174

Y’know what? It’s the america anniversary, and it’s FGO’s anniversary too. Let’s celebrate a bit. Here’s a build early, we’ll be back on schedule on the sixth.

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the precious cinnamon bun who just wants to ruin the environment, Berserker of Learning with Manga! For this build, we’ve got three goals; grow big, grow bigger, and grow biggest. Expect spoilers with her build breakdown below the cut, and slightly fewer spoilers in her character sheet over here!

Next up: Give me a sign~ Build me Nero one more time!

Paul Bunyan is a Rune Knight fighter to grow bigger while helping her friends, a Giant Soul Sorcerer to grow bigger while stepping on stuff, and a Totem Warrior Barbarian to smash things good with Babe’s help.

Race and Background

Pauly B was made out of Udon dough, and as a result she’s a Custom Lineage, giving her +2 Strength and a size of Small. She also get proficiency with Animal Handling, and the Magic Initiate feat to pick up some spells from the wizard spell list. Shape Water is just the beginning of your settling abilities, and Thunderclap is a single step for you. You also get Find Familiar to pick up Babes.

Aside from that, you are America’s pioneering spirit made manifest, so you’re an Outlander. This gives you proficiency with Athletics and Survival.

Ability Scores

You’re a glass cannon, so make sure your Strength is as high as you can get it. After that is Charisma- you’re only here because you were so popular in the book, after all. Your Dexterity comes next so you don’t die wearing denim armor. After that is Constitution. You might be a glass cannon, but a building-sized body is still pretty hard to take down. Your Intelligence isn’t amazing, but we’re dumping Wisdom. You’re a berserker anyway, but you also came from a comedy manga. That’s going to hurt your sense of reality.

Class Levels

1. Barbarian 1: Starting out here gets you as much health as we can, as well as proficiency with Strength and Constitution saves and two barbarian skills. Being nine hundred feet tall helps with Intimidation, and you gotta know a bit about Nature if you’re going to tear it down as effectively as you do.

You also get Unarmored Defense, making your AC 10 + your dexterity mod + your constitution mod when you’re just wearing denim. Your Rage transforms you for a minute as a bonus action. It gives you advantage on strength based saves & checks, extra damage on strength based attacks, and resistance to standard weapon damage. When you’re big enough to drink from a great lake, swords don’t do much.

2. Barbarian 2: Second level barbs can make Reckless Attacks, getting advantage now at the cost of giving other creatures advantage against you. Berserkers are not well known for their defensive power, but this will make up for you using such a heavy weapon while small.

That being said, Danger Sense gives you advantage on dexterity saves against effects you see coming. When you can step across the entire battle map in one go, fireballs are easy to avoid.

3. Fighter 1: First level fighters start things off right with a Fighting Style, and grabbing the superior technique style to make one Trip Attack per short rest is a great way to have enemies shouting timber.

You also get a Second Wind, letting you hang out and eat some beans as a bonus action, healing you 1d10+your fighter level HP.

4. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge to help you perform supernatural feats in a single turn. Now you can add on an extra action to your turn once per short rest.

5. Fighter 3: Our last level of fighter unlocks your martial archetype, the Rune Knight! The big reason we’re here is for Giant Might, spending a bonus action to grow Large, also giving you advantage on strength checks and saves, and you also deal extra damage once per turn while attacking. You can transform this way Proficiency times per long rest.

You can also carve Runes into weapons, armor, and jewelry. You get two runes, and can carve them into one item each at the end of a long rest. The Frost rune gives its wearer advantage on Animal Handling and Intimidation checks. The Fire rune doubles the wearer’s proficiency bonus with tools. Once per short rest per rune, they can also be invoked for extra power. The frost rune gives its wearer +2 on all strength and constitution saves and checks, while the fire rune forces a strength save against being restrained by fiery shackles, dealing damage each turn and restraining the target, when you hit it with a weapon attack. The DC for that save is 8 + proficiency + constitution.

6. Sorcerer 1: We might be done with fighter, but we’re not done multiclassing! First level sorcerers get Spells they can cast using their charisma. Thanks to an old unearthed arcana, you can be a Giant Soul sorcerer , granting you Jotun Resilience for slightly more HP; 1 extra per sorcerer level. The Mark of the Ordning also grants you extra low-level spells, like Heroism and Shillelagh. Neither of those are really useful to you, but they’re free, and not why we’re here.

For spells that are in character, grab Mold Earth, Create Bonfire, and Light to spruce up the wilderness and make it your own. You can also use True Strike to chop down trees, but that’s dumb, just make two attacks. For first level spells, Earth Tremor and Thunderwave are you stepping around. The former knocks people prone and makes the ground a big crater, the latter pushes them and objects away from you.

7. Sorcerer 2: This level isn’t that complicated, but you do become a Font of Magic for some Sorcery points that come in handy later. You can also cast Catapult to throw stuff around. Sadly, the maximum weight is only 5 pounds, but you can always just throw stuff yourself.

8. Sorcerer 3: Third level sorcerers get two Metamagic options to personalize your spells using sorcery points. Extended Spell will help out with a certain buff we’re getting this level, extending the length of the spell. You’re also big enough that your spell ranges should grow to match, so grab Distant Spell as well.

This level you can Hold Person, which you tend to take more literally than most casters. After the target fails a wisdom save, they’re paralyzed until they make one. While paralyzed, all attacks are made with advantage, and melee attacks are auto-crits.

Alternatively, you can use the Mark of the Ordning spell, Enlarge/Reduce to make yourself even bigger than usual. (Giant Might explicitly grows to large, so you have to start with that if you want to stack them.)

9. Barbarian 3: After spending half our build elsewhere, we can finally return to our starting class! Third level barbarians set down the Path of the Totem Warrior, letting you use your connection to Babe to pick up all sorts of goodies as we level up.

Immediately, you become a Spirit Seeker, letting you cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals to really get into the Babe mindset.

Babe also becomes your Totem Spirit, so we’ll be taking the Elk options whenever possible. Right now, that gives you an extra 15′ of movement while raging. It’s not quite the whole nation in a step, but it’s a start.

10. Barbarian 4: At tenth level, we finally get our first Ability Score Improvement, so round up your Strength and Dexterity for better attacks and a better AC.

11. Barbarian 5: Fifth level barbarians finally get their Extra Attack each attack action, and your Fast Movement adds another 10′ to your movement speed, regardless of whether or not you’re raging.

12. Barbarian 6: Sixth level totem warriors get an Aspect of the Beast, doubling the travel pace for yourself and up to 10 companions. They can just ride on your shoulders, it’s fine.

13. Barbarian 7: Your Feral Instinct gives advantage on initiative rolls, and you can ignore being surprised if you rage at the start of the fight. Raging right away might not be the best option, but that’s for the casters to figure out. You’ve got land development to get to.

You can also use an Instinctive Pounce to move half your movement speed towards an enemy as part of your bonus action when you rage.

14. Barbarian 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for better runes and more health. You’re pretty squishy for a barbarian, but I guess that’s to be expected, considering what you’re made of.

15. Barbarian 9: Your first Brutal Critical adds an extra die to your critical damage rolls. Big kid, big axe, big damage. Simple math.

16. Barbarian 10: As a Spirit Walker, you can Commune with Nature as a ritual, summoning a cool spirit Babe to tell you stuff about the world around you.

17. Barbarian 11: Your Relentless Rage gives you a case of Guts, letting you make a DC 10 constitution save to avoid dropping to 0 HP, dropping to 1 instead if you succeed. Afterwards, the DC grows by 5, but it resets on short rests. You shouldn’t be getting guts at all, so be grateful.

18. Barbarian 12: Use your last ASI to bump up your Dexterity again for less getting hit. Healing’s nice, but avoiding the damage in the first place is way better.

19. Barbarian 13: You get another round of Brutal Criticals, for another extra die of damage on crits.

Not exactly rocket surgery, huh?

20. Barbarian 14: Your final level gives you your final barbarian goody! Your Totemic Attunement lets you move through a large or smaller creature’s space as a bonus action. It forces a strength save, or the creature is stepped on, knocking it prone and dealing damage.

Pros:

Thanks to your speed, size, and action surge, you can cover a lot of ground very quickly. With 55 feet of movement, two dashes, and an instinctive pounce, you can cover ~195 feet in a single round. Aside from that, your size gives you mobility options that aren’t available to others. Standing around 15′ tall will do that for ya.

You’ve got some solid swings with your axe, letting you deal plenty of damage in a single swing. Bring down the hammer on a natural 20 to blast through those doors. At your biggest you can deal 1d12+1d6+1d4+4 damage. That’s not a smite, but you can do this every turn while enlarge is up.

You get just enough spells to apply a lot of utility to your build, altering the landscape and messing with enemy movement to help out your team.

Cons:

Due to how we leveled up, your first ASI doesn’t come until level 10. If you roll poorly, that might be a problem.

I wouldn’t call you squishy by any means, but you do make for a big target, with your huge size and an AC of only 15 making you easy pickings even before you start getting reckless.

Most of your abilities are tied to your rage, but your biggest size is tied to your spells. They don’t play nice. Even worse, it’s a flavor fail- you can’t trample over people if you’re at your biggest size. (On a semi-related note: being big and being a barbarian have a lot of overlap. Both giant might and raging give you advantage on strength stuff, so having both up is sort of a waste.)

[dragonherder2030]

Cockatiel part 3

S

Atlas fiddled with her webbed fingers as she awaited the rest to arrive. She was sweating her scales off. This is her first time confronting the reptilians, she needed the negotiating chip, she needed to escape the waters.

Pacing around the wetroom Atlas counted the second, checking her hourglass every 15th. The room was filled with about a foot of water, and in the center of it was a large desk, sitting a few feet above the waterline. On it sat a array of non-lethal weaponry like nets and mud slings. Walls made up of thick coral surrounded Atlas, at the top a collection of glass that falls into the ocean, providing little light. None of the weapons were meant for attack, since we weren’t doing that, the only weapon that could actually kill was the one that she possessed, a dagger make of driftwood and whale bone. That also had some special abilities…

Before Atlas could finish her thought the coral door opened, and came in her burly associates, right on time.

Ethan came in first, he’s an fringehead, and known for his ability’s of capture using his large mouth as a slingshot for nets.

Everette was the second, she’s an anglerfish, and was the strongest of the group, she was going to be carrying the victim.

Oz, they were going to be the most important part of the operation. They were going to keep us from being caught, with Xandra’s magical abilities she will be the most dangerous of the group.

Atlas walks to the center of the room, spreading her arms in the traditional welcome.

“Hello! Ethan Everette and Oz. I, so glad you made it on time,” She said, holding her arms up for another 3 seconds.

The others all did as well, moving around to the table.

“Quite with the formal introductions, we all know each other,” Everette says with a smirk, sitting on the ground and plopping her hands onto the table.

“Yeah Atlas, its getting a bit annoying,” Ethan added on, sitting next to Everette and grabbing at one of the nets, examining it.

Oz gave me a toothy grin, their eyes glowing in amusement. Atlas laughs and sighs.

“You all should be more formal, my mother wouldn’t like me hanging out with a bunch of unschooled buff fish,” I say, failing to stop the smile from forming on my face. She takes a seat at the front of the table, sitting on the ground like the rest of her friends.

“Luckily your mommy dearest isn’t here right now, and gave you permission to hang out with us then,” Ethan says with a very laid back demeanor.

Atlas scoffs, “Permission is a umbrella term for her. But we aren’t talking about that right now,” she gives everyone in the room s teasing glare,”We are discussing the upcoming kidnapping.”

“Does it have to be called a kidnapping? I don’t want to need to explain to my brother that I went to a ‘kidnapping’ when I explain why I was gone late today,” Everette says, cutting me off. I scrunch my face up in annoyance at her interruption.

“Tell him it was a party or something, we don’t have time for interruptions! This is a happening tonight and this is serious! You all are just messing around, this society is to good for everyone here to just get eaten!!” I say, slamming my fist on the table. They were always like this.

Oz looks down, looking guilty even though they didn’t do anything. Ethan and Everette also avoid eye-contact with me. They all knew how important this operation was.

“Sorry… this is just, it can mean so much for our society and mom is letting me try this out. We need to take this chance. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, I’m sorry,” I say, folding my hands in my lap. Ethan looked up at me.

“We know how important this is, we just, aren’t used to this level of intensity. But, continue with the plan…” He says, maintaining her gaze. I nod, now isn’t the time for feelings.

“As I’ve said before I’ve planted the flowering dragons in the location I showed you all last week, in the human world. Knowing Xandra and her cult, they will have found it and be after them. When they get there, presumably tonight since I checked yesterday and the dragons are still there, we capture one of them. If it’s a group or just one person, but if Xandra is there which she usually is for strange accuracies like this, leave her to Oz,” I give Oz a glance. They nod, shifting their tail to curl around them.

“Ev, you will carry the victim, and if Ethan can’t either bag them or tie them up. I’ll make sure no one can follow you,” The knife in my hands feels heavy, but I grip it tighter, “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

————————

The operation is underway, I had spotted them arrive on some earth animal and a drake. Xandra was distracted, if we execute it right, there would be no need for Oz to step in. My night vision gave me an advantage as well, I didn’t know if she had it as well, but I assumed she did. The rest didn’t though, no reptile I’ve come across has. Looking to my left, Everette held a large, wet sack. I wait for Xandra to hand the flowering dragons to the blue belly, and lift her head back up. I nod at Everette and she slowly creeps up to the lizard closet to the water, an iguana. I clutch my knife close to my chest, and walk out of the water, the atmosphere was wet enough to go on land, as well as the mud. I slam my feet into the ground, making my footsteps echo. A light shines onto me, I stare past it to Ethan, who has crawled up behind the drake and holding a blob of mud. I stare back, seeing the blue belly back up to its growling drake, she says something, then I hear Everette bagging the iguana. I run onto land, seeing Ethan pounce behind the blue belly and fill her face with mud. I ran at the Axolotl, pouncing on them, getting on top of them and lifting my knife threateningly. They cover their face in fear. I look to the left and see Everette swim away as the iguana thrashes around in the bag. A pain jabs me in the gut and I see that the Axo has decided to fight back. I lift my body back and slam it into the Axo, swiveling my knife in my hand and punching them with the handle end. Their eyes roll back in their head and I feel them go limp under me. I look to the side and see the blue belly putting up quite the fight with Ethan, and had somehow gotten onto her drake, it and Ethan were having a hissing fit at the moment. The mud under my feet felt familiar, and I ran across it and grabbed onto the hips of the drake, swiveling my legs under my arms and landing a kick onto the blue belly. Falling off the drake, I rolled out. Ethan could take care of her, did Everette escape?

I looked up to see Xandra tending to the Axo, this was the perfect time to escape, Xandra wouldn’t leave her comrades. Quickly getting up I whistled at Ethan, it echoing to hopefully Oz. I run to the edge of the water and jump in, diving under, trying to get to the bottom. I hear Ethan jump in after me and join me at the bottom. We swim along it together, in the path we had chosen, holding our breath.

***************

Woo! Part 3/4 I have finally decided the next one is the last one. This has been fun so far, we meet our villain. Sorry for the weird 3rd person to 1st person change, I’m just to lazy to edit it XD. Alsooo sorry for the more explainy dialogue and stuff, I just wanted to make sure I got the ideas I wanted across.

Part 1 - Here

Part 2 - Here

Part 4: Here

[rainbow-squirrels-7]

This time on Hawk’s DND campaign, aka The Kleos Guild... more golden moments

-the players had to find and apprehend a criminal called The Immortal Bandit, and they found him in a warehouse eating cheesy snack crackers (which were off brand cheezits)

-as this was based on Today’s Oh My Gosh, there were actually three bandits who switch places with each other every time one gets knocked out

-they chased the second bandit up three flights of stairs and surprsiingly no one was winded because of those good rolls

-the Bard went around the side of the building and shouted Vicious Mockery insults from afar, including “Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries!”

-the bandits all had mobster accents and they were named Tony, Jahnny, and Vocelli (who was named after our college’s local pizza place, as I couldn’t think of a third mobster name)

-the final bandit fight took place in a very small room that worked a crane apparatus and the Paladin bodychecked the second bandit into the room (at the time they thought there was only one bandit) only to find another identical person in the room, and the jig was up

-the Bard rushed in and got very winded climbing the stairs and had to take a breather

-the Paladin then ended up just sitting on the bandit she bodychecked, and the bandit rolled multiple Strength checks and got 3 every time, so he couldn’t do anything

-the Bard blasted Thunderwave through the window and hit the head bandit, Jahnny, into the wall so hard that he was stuck and couldn’t do anything for the rest of the fight

-the Paladin headbutted the bandit she was on top of (Tony) so hard that his head ricocheted and bounced off the ground twice

-the Monk’s player wasn’t there, so she was kind of in the background, and the players sent her off to go find the third bandit and she found him sleeping in the bunk and basically did a bullet punch straight to the face and came back dragging him and also with a bag of cheesy snack crackers

-the Druid tried to steal some of the money that they had just gotten back that the bandits had stolen and both the Bard and the Paladin were disappointed 

-the next half was in the mines near the city solely so I could have the falling scene from Journey to the Center of the Earth

-there were also mica-like rocks that the Chief of Police Elf lady, Lily, who was helping the players out, begrudgingly explained were called ‘Growing Panes’ because they grow back immediately after they’re broken off, and also because “Miners love puns”

-I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who enjoyed the falling scene

-the Bard failed his Constitution saving throw and swallowed a bunch of seawater when they splashed down

-there was a giant squid fight and the Druid wrapped it up in vines and it was basically calamari in vegetable spaghetti

-the Druid tried to talk to the squid and all he said was ‘GET OUT OF MY POOL’ and then he slapped her

-the pool of seawater they were in had a Deep End and a Shallow End

-the Druid also tried to do some sort of animal calming spell (I can’t remember which one) and the squid’s intelligence was just barely too high. I said he did well in Squid School, which is for Squids 

-the Professional Hero the players had been looking for the entire time, Rowena MacBeard, had the most epic entrance ever by getting the final shot in during the giant squid battle. her throwing axe came out of nowhere and she stepped out of the dark all cool and stuff

-i’m pretty sure the Bard and the Druid both said they were immediately in love with her and were only somewhat disappointed when I said she’s married

-but everyone loved when it was revealed that she was actually married to Lily. they’re the ultimate power couple: the Chief of Police with a real good Magic Missile and a Professional Hero with super throwing axe aim

-the app I use has me name individual fights, so here are some of the highlights: -the fight with the bandit who was eating cheesy crackers was called Don’t Cut the Cheese-the fight with the bandit who was running up stairs was called Wrong on So Many Levels-the giant squid fight was called Squid Squabble

-there was a giant foot-tall diamond in the wall of the cave and everyone rolled really well actually but I didn’t let anything work until the Bard pushed the gem instead of pulling it and then it triggered the water wave trap like in PMD Waterfall Cave

-they got spit out of the cave (which the Druid thought was like the cave was birthing them. i said it was barfing them up instead) right on the beach and they had their own tiny beach episode

-they all did sick stunts while being shot into the water. the Paladin rolled another nat20 on Athletics and did “like half a dozen frontflips super duper fast and ended in a perfect dive and everyone watching was like ‘ohmygosh that was so cool!’”. the Druid got her wooden shield and rolled well enough to surf on the waves as she was shot out, skipping like a tossed stone. the Bard didn’t roll as well and tried to do a swan dive but I said he’d get kicked out of the Olympics and he flopped. the Monk did a bunch of sick backflips

-they got ice cream on the way home from the beach

-Gerald, the man-sized frog in a fancy suit who’s a traveling salesman made another appearance, and it was amazing as always

-I make a lot of the items myself, and i’m very disappointed when no one buys them. it does not work out as well as Fantasy Costco

-one of his items was “Strange Liquid” which was basically Starbucks coffee that gave the user energy and advantage on their next Perception check

-no one bought it

-another item was Druid BrandTM Animal Crackers, which offered Speak With Animals to whatever animal the cookie resembled

-no one bought that either

-and in the end, the players got to the City of Paladins, Gods’ Doorstep, and my Paladin realized she was famous, they met a very very buff Teifling, and they signed themselves up for a Coliseum tournament completely accidentally called The Contest of Champions

-I completely forgot the one in Thor Ragnarok was also called that, but my name for the next session was already called ‘Totally Not Thor Ragnarok”, so there must be something there

-my Paladin may or may not be catching on to the fact that the whole thing is based on PMD

-of course I did base the entire second half of the session basically word for word on the Waterfall Cave scene

-but she didn’t recognize that the first half was also based on PMD, but it was the special episode Today’s Oh My Gosh

-the next few sessions aren’t directly based on PMD things, until we get to the Time Gear equivalent, which I hope she doesn’t recognize. Or at least if she does, she keeps it quiet

[ana-yanka]

Varnishing an Oil Painting

The Will Kemp Art School: 7 Questions every Artist needs to ask before Varnishing an Oil Painting

https://willkempartschool.com/how-to-varnish-an-oil-painting/

"Varnishing is primarily an aesthetic choice on the final finish of your painting. Not only can it really bring up the vibrancy and richness in your realist paintings but it offers protection for the painted surface from atmospheric effects to make the surface easier to clean in the future.

[...]

1. How long should I wait before varnishing an Oil Painting?

When you’re varnishing an oil painting it really depends on how thick or thin the paint application is. So if you work in very thin layers it dries a lot quicker than if you work impasto with thicker blobs of paint.

The other thing to consider when using Artist quality paints is which pigment you are painting with – if it’s a quick-drying or slow drying pigment.

For example, if you’re using Alizarin crimson or Ivory black which are very slow drying, (there is a lot of oil used in the binding process of the oil paint) it would take a lot longer to dry compared to if you used a fast-drying paint such as Raw umber which has a lower oil content in it. Earth colours such as Raw umber dry a lot quicker.

Pro tip: Some brands of student quality oil paints contain driers in their slower drying pigments in order to bring the drying times closer together.

[...]

The Drying or Curing Process

Traditional oil paints dry by oxidization, when the oil reacts with oxygen in the air. There isn’t any water in the paint to evaporate (unlike acrylics which dry by evaporation).

The pigments in oil paints are dispersed in oil, which may itself be dissolved in a solvent and that solvent evaporates away when the paint dries. which can be dissolved in a solvent, this solvent evaporates away when the paint dries.

This leaves the pigment and oil behind.

The oil doesn’t evaporate, the linseed oil and pigments oxidize, meaning they react with oxygen and harden.

Which is why you shouldn’t varnish an oil painting with traditional varnish until it is fully cured as putting varnish on a touch dry painting won’t allow air through the varnish layer and will stop it drying properly and fully.

So how long would it take for a painting to be touch dry on the surface?

If you have very thin paint application with earth colours, an oil painting can be touch dry within a day or two for a thicker painting with other pigments it may take 10 – 14 days.

How long would it take for a painting to be fully cured/dry?

If you have very thin paint application with earth colours, an oil painting can be fully dry within a couple of months but for a thicker painting, it may take 6 months or as long as 2 years.

[...]

What is the worse that could happen if you varnished a touch dry but not fully cured painting using a traditional varnish?

The worst that could happen would be that your varnish layer would crack as the paints contracts as it dries, however, this would really only be most apparent if you painted with a very thick application of paint. Also, the oil wouldn’t be able to fully harden so it wouldn’t be a super-strong bond between the layers.

[...]

3. What’s out there? – Traditional or Synthetic Oil Varnishes

Traditional Natural Varnishes:

Dammar, Copal, Amber, Mastic

Traditional Natural Hard Varnishes

Copal and Amber varnishes, referred to as hard varnishes, was used by the Old Masters.

They are a lovely Golden colour and as such, give a rich glossy and enamel-like appearance. However, they are susceptible to cracking, extensive yellowing and become increasingly difficult to remove from painting over time.

Generally, they’re harder to come by or they simply do not exist as they are the fossilised remains of prehistoric tree sap and many of them have been mined to extinction.

Hard varnishes do not redissolve in a solvent such as Mineral Spirits or Turpentine. They must be dissolved in hot oil which can get a tad complicated!

[...]

Traditional Natural Soft Varnishes

Dammar (can be spelt Damar) and Mastic varnishes are referred to as soft varnishes, they dissolve in solvents such as Turpentine and Mineral spirits.

This means soft varnishes are still removable from an oil painting surface without greatly affecting the paint layers below.

Pro-tip: To dilute the Dammar varnish you ideally need to use Turpentine which is better suited to a well ventilated separate studio space, rather than a ventilated room in a home. Odourless Mineral Spirit (OMS) is not strong enough to dissolve the natural resins of Dammar.

Dammar varnish comes from tree resin and is paler than Copal but has great viscosity and is still used commonly in oil painting today, the visual aesthetic look of Dammar has a luscious quality to it similar to the historical hard varnishes.

The issue that can come with Dammar (because it’s a natural resin) it has a tendency to yellow over time and as it dries it becomes more brittle, leaving your canvas more likely to crack if the canvas is knocked.

Pro tip: I often use Dammar in the final layers of an oil painting as part of the glazing medium because it really goes on so nicely and has a nice translucent quality when you first apply it. The advantage of using the Dammar varnish in the final glaze helps to make the medium leaner than if we just used Linseed Oil. It also saturates the colour a lot more than if we just used Turpentine or Mineral Spirits to dilute the paint consistency. Because we mix the Dammar varnish with Linseed Oil in the glaze medium, the flexibility of the Linseed Oil balances out the brittleness of the Dammar varnish.

New synthetic varnishes:

MSA, Gamvar, Alkyd Synthetic Resins

The synthetic varnishes offer a lot of advantages over the traditional natural varnishes

A clear coat on the first application that stays clear over time, therefore non-yellowing and more flexible.

They are available in liquid or aerosol form, are readily available and cost-effective and they come in a variety of sheens, such as matte, satin or gloss.

They also allow for relatively easy removal with less risk to underlying paint layers.

Alkyd Synthetic Resins such as Schmincke Picture Varnish provides a glossy, non-yellowing, colourless, highly resistant topcoat. (most similar to a hard varnish) Must be applied after 8-12 months.

Mineral Spirit Acrylic varnishes (MSA’s) have a high molecular weight tend to offer a better protective surface, have greater elasticity and more resistance to blooming. Must be applied after 8-12 months.

A quicker finish

Some recent varnishes also have the great advantage of being able to be applied when the painting is just touch dry – rather than waiting for the painting to be fully cured.

Gamblin makes a varnish called Gamvar which has been developed specifically for this purpose.

It either comes in two parts system or premixed by Gamblin.

You can only brush or sponge apply it, as it is not available in spray form, however, it’s a lot easier to apply than Dammar because it has a longer working time when you’re brushing it on. Sponge application can also give a smooth finish and enable you to keep your materials super clean by using the sponge once and then throwing it away.

[...]

4. What is ‘Sunken in’ and ‘Oiling out’?

Sometimes you can find areas of your painting that have turned dull, matte and lighter in colour, even though surrounding areas are still glossy and rich. This is where the oil from the paint has soaked into an absorbent ground and left just the pigment on the canvas surface. This is referred to as a ‘sunken in’ area.

There are a couple of main reasons why it happens:

1. Too much solvent or Turpentine in the paint mix 2. A cheap Gesso, a too absorbent or an unevenly absorbent ground

The two options you have to restore an uneven sheen to your painting before final picture varnishing are:

1. ‘Oil out’ the surface – this is a method of applying sparingly a thin coat of Linseed oil or clear artist medium over the entire surface of the painting. The painting must be touch dry and then you can apply the oil with a clean, lint-free rag or paint on with a soft brush and then remove most of it with a rag.

[...]

2.  Apply a Re-touch varnish – Re-touch varnish is a standard Dammar varnish that has been diluted with Turpentine by the manufacturer.

It can be used during the course of a painting and as a temporary picture varnish to restore colours and add an even sheen to your painting yet still allow the oil to dry fully.

Also, you can paint over the top of a Re-touch varnish.

[...]

Matte Varnishes

For oil painting, the matting agent that is usually added to the gloss varnish is a wax. You can mix in different quantities of wax to change the sheen of your varnish.

You can also apply Cold Wax Medium straight to your painting and then buff it up with a rag and this will give you a very slight lustre to your finished work.

[...]

However, for realist paintings when you are trying to bring out colours and form in your work, the matte varnish will dull, desaturate and flatten out the three-dimensional effect and colours of the painting. If you’re painting more abstract or impressionistic style works, it can work really well. [...]

6. Do you have to Varnish an Oil Painting?

If you’ve followed all the rules of oil painting:

Fat over lean

Slow drying over fast

A well-primed, well-made support

You’ll have a stable, durable paint film that doesn’t necessarily need a varnish, so no, you don’t have to varnish an Oil painting.

However, varnishes can be used for both their aesthetic and protective properties:

Change the surface finish to gloss or matte

Provide a more unified finish to the various areas of a painting

Increase colour saturation

Provide protection for the paint surface

Allow for ease of cleaning

Provide protection from UV radiation

7. Do you have to dilute the varnish and how many coats do I apply?

[...]

When using a spray varnish if you work in several layers, you can judge the sheen and increase the gloss level the more coats you apply. A sprayed coat of varnish will dry within 10 minutes and subsequent coats can then be applied, always allow the previous coat to dry first.

The more coats that are applied the richer and deeper the colours will be.

How to apply a varnish with a brush

Warm the canvas next to the radiator to make sure there is no water in the canvas to prevent blooming.

1. Get a clean, wide brush – I usually use a 2 inch flat nylon brush, you can use a ‘varnish’ brush but it is not essential. I wouldn’t recommend a decorators brush as it will show too many brush marks, you want a brush that is smooth to the touch so you can just glide it over the surface.

2. Pour out some varnish into a shallow dish. It is easier to control the amount of varnish on your brush this way.

3. Lay your work on a board -I use a piece of MDF, or newspaper, you are bound to get some overspray and/or drips.

4. You need to work quickly but gently – Apply in long even strokes to cover the surface top to bottom while moving from one side to the other.

5. Work side to side, left to right, slightly overlapping each stroke – you are aiming to have no visible brush-marks

6. Once you leave an area, do not go back over areas that you have done. If you do, you risk dragging partially dry resin into wet, which will dry cloudy over dark colours. If you missed any areas, allow to dry completely and re-varnish. 3 thin coats are better than 1 thick one.

7. After varnishing. I often cover my painting with a board slightly larger than the canvas, resting it on props so it hovers and reduces the amount of dust that could fall on the wet varnish layer. Alternatively, with large canvass I will prop them facing a wall when the varnish is semi-dry.

How to apply a spray varnish

Warm the painting so that there is no moisture on the surface – make sure varnishing is never done in a damp or very cold environment.

Have the spray can at room temperature – not straight out your outhouse or garage.

Wipe over the surface with a lint-free cloth. Make sure it is clean and dry.

Place your painting vertically in a dust-free room. This is very important, it won’t attract as much dust as horizontally and prevents you from being over heavy-handed – creating runs.

Place your painting on top of a board that is larger than the canvas.

Shake, Shake, Shake… and then shake some more. This is the bit you read on the back of a can and then shake for 10 seconds and eagerly start spraying. Put a timer on your phone, anything to ensure you shake that can for 2 minutes, it’s worth it for an even finish.

Apply the spray at an even distance away from the canvas. At least 40 cms away, it’s a natural tendency to move your arm closer to the canvas, so just be aware of this.

Regularly check the nozzle for blockages. It’s the nature of spray varnishes to become blocked really easily [...]

Overspray the edge. Start before the canvas and finish after the canvas spraying the board underneath. This ensures even coverage.

Work in thin layers. 2-3 layers should be fine, a sprayed coat of varnish will dry within 10 minutes and subsequent coats can then be applied, always allow the previous coat to dry first.

As many as 20 – 50 coats can be applied for a super glassy effect.”

[buzfi]

Microfiber cleaning cloth-Eco friendly cost effective cleaning material for 21st century.

You don't need to look faraway to find out recommendations to clean with microfiber materials.

From floors to windows to baths, cleaning professionals keep on vouch for this particular cleaning instrument. Things being what they are, the reason is it better? In addition, how can it work?

WHY USE MICROFIBER?

It spares cash and outlives other cleaning fabrics.

It's safe for the earth and cleans with water, not unsafe chemicals.

It expels 99 percent of microorganisms on surfaces.

ALL MICROFIBER IS NOT EQUAL

With microfiber, you get what you pay for. Deal microfiber has fewer strands, around 50,000 for every square inch. Since the filaments take every necessary step, deal garments don't spotless and additionally quality fabrics, nor do they keep going as long — just around 50 washings. I utilize quality microfiber materials like e-fabric. To me, it's the best quality level in microfiber. It has 3.1 million strands for every square inch and goes on for 300 washings!

HOW DOES MICROFIBER WORK?

With a huge number of strands, microfiber lifts and holds earth, oil, grime, fluids and microscopic organisms. These strands incorporate both positive-charged polyester filaments and negative-charged nylon strands that really draw in and pull up whatever is at first glance you're cleaning.

Kinds OF MICROFIBER PRODUCTS

Some microfiber makers have created items with strands particularly intended for each undertaking—scouring floors, tidying and cleaning hard surfaces all through the house, from wood floors to tile to glass to stainless steel.

TODAY has subsidiary connections so we may get a little offer of the income from your buys. Things are sold by the retailer, not by TODAY. All costs are liable to change and things could offer out in light of the dealer's stock.

Step by step instructions to USE MICROFIBER.

To capitalize on microfiber cleaning materials, utilize just a single segment of the fabric at any given moment. In this way, crease the fabric into a half, at that point fifty-fifty once more. This will give you eight surfaces for cleaning — four on each side.

For dusting, leave the cloth dry. For other chores, dampen the cloth, then wipe surfaces clean.

When the cloth starts to leave behind dirt or lint, or if you’ve used it a few minutes, re-fold to a fresh section. Proceed to the point that the whole material has been utilized or the cleaning errand is finished.

 Step by step instructions to CLEAN IT

After each utilization: Rinse the microfiber material with warm to boiling water (or whichever water temperature is prescribed on the care name) for 10-15 seconds to flush out soil. On the off chance that microfiber is particularly dingy, you might need to flush it until the point when the water runs clear. Once washed, the fabric is prepared to utilize once more.

Once per week: Microfiber fabrics that are utilized day by day ought to be machine-washed each week. Flush them initially to flush earth from the filaments, at that point hurl them into the washer with your standard wash. Try not to utilize blanch (it will harm strands) or a cleansing agent (it will stop up filaments). (For fabrics that aren't utilized that frequently, wash them when they look messy or abandon hints of build up or clean.)

Take after watch over drying. A few things, for example, floor and divider duster heads, have particular care guidelines, so dependably check the care name first.

On the off chance that fabrics wind up insufficient or on the off chance that they begin to notice, bubble them in water and one some preparing pop for 10-15 minutes.

Microfiber Cloth for cleaning? Is it accurate to say that they are better than average?

Microfiber material for cleaning. Why do I like them? since they are anything but difficult to utilize, cleans much preferable and successfully over the basic cotton material. 

It truly sucks the clean and gives sparkle. They look new after numerous employments. 

You can utilize then anyplace and shimmer anything just with a sodden microfiber material without utilizing any brutal chemicals.

For tidy free home microfiber cleaning fabric is extremely basic.

What is microfiber?

Microfiber is a manufactured material produced using petrochemical which incorporates polyester and nylon. 

Commonly we utilize it to clean eye-glasses, PC screen and so forth. but they really work well on any surface needs cleaning. 

You can use them as your regular cleaning cloth for all your household cleaning.

Where to utilize Microfiber material?

You can utilize it on anything required cleaning. 

You can utilize it to wipe/clean your kitchen stage, stove top, microwave, sustenance processor, feasting table, entryways, kitchen sink, washed plates, kitchen trolleys, fixtures and so forth. 

It can clean glass, mirrors, apparatuses like TV, Fridge, Washing Machine, Dish Washer and so on.

Utilizing microfiber clean you can without much of a stretch wipe your floors sparkly. Clean entryways, windows and substantially more.

I utilize my microfiber fabrics all around. 

I have purchased few microfiber cloths in different colors so I can classify them easily and not end up using kitchen wipe to clean TV. 

I use pink one to clean mirrors, windows, TV, and furniture. 

Blue is used for Dining table and chairs. Yellow is on the kitchen counter, stove top etc. 

How the microfiber cloth is better than traditional cotton cloth? 

It is better than cotton cloth because –

It holds a lot of water, so you can easily clean the milk or water your kid spills here and there 

It is very easy to clean just hold it under running water and rub with your hands and it will all clean for next use.

It has split fibers which helps to grab dust and other particles more easily.

It won’t scratch or damage delicate things or surfaces.

No need for extra harsh chemicals for cleaning, microfiber can shine your supplies with just a few drops of vinegar in plain water.

It not only clean but also shine or polish the things.

Removes dirt, fingerprints very easily.

Most essential is they are environment-friendly and very economical since last 1 year I am using the same microfiber cloth and it still looks new after hot water wash.

Where to purchase/buy microfiber cloth?

You can find microfiber cloths in cleaning supplies section on any Mall like Big Bazaar, D-Mart etc. or you can also buy them online, when I don’t have time to go out or I want many color options then I purchase the microfiber cloths from here.

You also use microfiber for cleaning? So if I missed any topic please add it in comments…

Happy cleaning 

Few people love spring cleaning or any cleaning for that matter. So we got some information about approaches to make the task to a lesser degree an issue, and one item came up over and over in their reactions.

Cleaning experts rave about the multitasking capacity of microfiber cleaning fabrics, which cannot just clean any surface in your home, yet spare you cash and dispose of the requirement for other cleaning supplies stacked with chemicals.

"They have little 'snares' toward the finish of every fiber that get clean, soil, even germs,"

It's the 21st century. Why are despite everything we cleaning with wipes?

You've overhauled nearly everything else in your home, adding new machines and innovation to make regular day to day existence more productive. 

There's no reason you should require a whole wardrobe of mops, towels, wipes, and showers to clean your home when one apparatus can do everything. 

Not just that, it'll spare you cash and advantage the earth in the meantime.

Enable us to acquaint a superior route with clean: microfiber materials! 

You most likely have a couple of them lying around at home, perhaps to buff your auto or clean your glasses. 

What a great many people don't understand is that these fabrics are solid and sufficiently flexible to clean an assortment of surfaces, making them the perfect swap for your unsanitary ol' wipe. 

What would you be able to clean with them? We have a few thoughts.

 1. Ledges

Kitchen spills, meet your new enemy. Microfiber fabrics work similarly and in addition, paper towels to wipe away any ledge messes, yet since they're reusable, you'll be doing the planet (and your wallet) some help!

 After you perfect, simply wash the fabric, hang it to dry and it will be prepared to utilize once more.

How can it function? Rather than utilizing a substance cleaner, these materials' remarkable fiber structure grabs 99% of microorganisms with simply water. 

Truth is stranger than fiction—you can state farewell to counter splash. (On the off chance that you'll miss the fragrance of Lysol, jaw up. 

You can simply influence your kitchen to notice citrus-new by cleaning normally with lemon.)

2. Intelligent Surfaces Like Windows and Metal

Since they leave a sans streak complete, microfiber materials are virtuoso to use on intelligent surfaces. 

Utilize one next time you're wiping off windows, expelling fingerprints from the cooler entryway or clearing oil off your stovetop.

(Psst… if the possibility of oil influences you to flinch, you should need to peruse this.)

3. Baseboards

Pause… you need to clean those? In the event that you need a squeaky-clean house, the appropriate response is yes—alongside these other cleaning undertakings the vast majority disregard. 

Getting staring you in the face and knees to clean the outskirt of each room may seem like a bad dream, however with microfiber materials, it's fast and simple. 

The infinitesimal split filaments in the materials get tidy and earth particles with just a single swipe.

4. Pretty much Any Bathroom Surface

Fixtures, shower heads, and counters can get grimy before long, so it's essential to have an instrument close by that can wipe them off rapidly. 

Keep a different arrangement of microfiber materials for substantial obligation lavatory cleaning and supplant more frequently than your daintily utilized ones. 

Since you require just water to clean, you can even keep one in the shower to give those installations a quick overview while you're sitting tight for your conditioner to work its enchantment!

Make sure to wring out the material when you're set. It can hold up to eight times its weight in water and will get mildew covered if left totally splashed.

5. Gadgets

PCs, mobile phones, and tablets can get quite unsanitary with consistent utilize. 

Microfiber fabrics are sufficiently delicate for the delicate screens so you can give them a decent wipe-down without stressing over causing harm.

6. Basically Everything Else

There's very little out there that microfiber fabrics can't spotless! It may appear to be interesting to utilize them on dirtier surfaces like a latrine or stovetop, however tossing the fabrics in the clothes washer in the wake of cleaning these additional dirty spots will expel the microbes so you can utilize them over and over. Envision how much cash you'll spare since you won't have to purchase counter splash and wipes—and what number of trees you'll spare by skipping paper towels!