#acrylic painting is harder and easier than i remember

[ukelogan]

The Holy Ghost, Gerard Way (2022 colorized)

[rubenesque-as-fuck]

I remember you saying once that you didn’t feel (paraphrasing) that your art schooling experience was very fulfilling, and I believe you used the word slapdash ��

Can you tell us about your artistic journey following that period? How did you get from unknowing to growing?

Ok, so first apologies because this is a long one.

After college I was so focused on surviving that I didn't really have the time, space, or money to focus on making art for a long time. A few months after school ended I was homeless and couchsurfing to avoid living in my car. Over the next 5 years or so I bounced around a lot. Moved across the country and back, ended up homeless again, worked three jobs at the same time to afford a place to live. In this period, the only really meaningful art that I made were a couple of commissions to paint garden sculptures for my friend's mom. Example:

Anyway, then moved to my current place almost 7 years ago. Still mostly didn't feel like I had the time, space, funds, or fucks to give to do art. Once I got the apartment to myself a couple of years later, I started to feel like I could breathe a little easier and started doing small creative projects like trying out tie-dyeing for the first time. It wasn't until after Covid hit (and I got it bad enough that I truly thought I might die alone in my apartment) and then I left my job that I really started painting for myself again. Once stores opened back up, I bought a bunch of cheap canvases and paints. I've never actually taken a class on acrylic painting (there was never one available during my school time) but it's the medium that works for me most often.

I did a couple of random projects when the mood struck and I had the spoons, the Camp Fuck You I'm a Wizard painting being the biggest example. But rarely worked on a single project for longer than a day or two before losing steam.

Meeting D was a creative catalyst for me. For the first time in over a decade I felt Good, I felt Inspired, because I felt Wanted. I jokingly (or not so jokingly) referred to him as my muse, because his enthusiasm and encouragement made it so easy to fall into more projects and try new things in my art and feel great about all of it. I created more pieces, and importantly more pieces that I was actually proud of, after meeting D than I have in the entire rest of my life combined.

But obviously that didn't work out. He's still an encouraging presence from time to time, but it's not the same. It's getting harder and harder to want to create, to feel inspired lately. I felt good about my last project, but it was a commission and that's probably the only reason I finished it. Most of the dregs of my creative energy currently go into making OF content to keep that small trickle of income coming in. If I weren't getting paid I probably wouldn't have the drive to do that any more either. Turns out intense, soul-sucking loneliness isn't good for the ol' creative flow. I don't know if I'm growing any more.

[autodiscothings]

Soignee’s Art Tips That May Help You Or Might Not, Who Knows.

Draw the hyperfixation, stay (mostly) in the comfort zone. Art is a skill you will get better at the more you do, so if you’re having fun drawing- you’ll level up without thinking too hard about it. 

That said: force yourself to face your art nemesis once in a while. No, not in the Turner/Constable way, but push yourself to do the background, the harder perspective, the new technique. If you’re in the [C O M F O R T zone] anyway then it’ll be easier, yeah?

Draw from life occasionally- not all the time, but to remind yourself how you do it. It really does something in your brain, you’ll get the hang of transcribing an idea faster, and of course training your hand to draw what’s there. 

You will learn something new with each painting, and FINISHING a thing. So keep the WIP pile to a minimum. (We get bored of our content faster than most.)

If you like using digital “painterly” mediums like oil and acrylic and inks, it really helps to have the real stuff on hand to play with from time to time. 

Ideas are always perfect in your head, but will sometimes be a sad kazoo noise in concept. So get them out faster, and don’t stew for too long. 

“Fuck it, done” is a thing to trust.

Even if it doesn't work out, ideas are pretty cheap. You’ll keep on getting them the more art you do, so get it out. 

Thumbnails are a good habit to have if you want to tweak a concept, or aren’t 100% sure on something. I don’t do them as much as I would like, but whenever I do it makes the world of difference to the final thing.

Keep references to hand, and keep on looking at them, and use more than one/combine them. VizRef is God Tier for Procreate users. Clip Studio has an excellent model maker, too. 

 For paid work, source/buy legitimate references that aren't fashion magazine stills for Pinterest/tumblr finds.

Reference your own art constantly if you regularly draw the same characters, so you’re consistent about it. Look, if Jim Davis has to google what Garfield looks like when he’s working, so can you. Saying that, they will change over time- mostly as your skill is improving.

Not every sketch has to be shown, but not everything uploaded to social media should be a “ a sketch, IDK” when you spent a literal day on it. Don’t undervalue your work.

If you do other creative things, understand that yes they all feed off each other, but. You only have so many hours a day, and focusing on a skill for improvement takes more time than you think. Spinning a lot of creative plates will consume your energy often in subtle, demanding ways. (If it’s just a hobby to you, don’t stress about this. Just draw when you feel like it.)

Have a Not Thinking hobby alongside your art. Gardening, jam-making, running, birdwatching, wool spinning, macrame, scrapbooking, whatever. It will vary with what you think Not Thinking is, but while you’re doing something else, the occasional idea will come, like an idea in the shower usually does. 

That’s not the goal for Not Thinking hobbies, though; mostly it’s nice to give your brain something to do when you’re stuck in a block or anxious about your art, and you will feel accomplished doing something else. 

Art block is like wading through hip-deep mud, and is bloody tiring. Do not suffer; when it gets that level, rest. Do the Not Thinking hobby. Consume books, shows, ideas.

There’s a plague on at the moment, a lot of us are doing the above. Please don’t feel ashamed about surviving. 

What you consume daily- art, media, video games, tumblr feed, TV, film, books, discords- and your home environment will shape your art, so be mindful what that is. It will also help with art block if you change something up.   

Just because it’s fanart, doesn’t mean you can’t take it seriously and that you can’t be a professional. 

Private commissions take more out of you than you think. Drawing art for other people and/or money is- you’ll never guess this- work. 

Be nice to to commissioners, they’re often nervous, and some aren’t sure what they want. And be professional about it- even if it’s “just” beer money to you. Keep receipts and send invoices. Email inquiries back in a reasonable time. Keep clients up to date with WIPs, queue status and all of that.

AND FINALLY:

    Don’t be a gremlin and look after your body, and find a comfortable drawing setup. Don’t draw if your hand hurts. Remember to pee and drink water and move around and stretch often, too. 

[cricketdrawings]

Traditional art materials I like!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤

Pens:

1. Tombow brush pens will never let you down. These suckers are good for EVERYTHING. You know I keep that mf thang on me. You can get a pack of 3 on amazon for about 6 bucks I think! Worth every penny. I own like,,,, 10. The black ink is nice and dark. The blue case has a slightly firmer tip, while the black one is ever so slightly softer. If you prefer tighter line control, I’d go with the blue.

2. Pentel duopoint flex. Just discovered this bad boy when shopping for pens at Michael’s. It’s 2 sided like the name suggests, with a wide brush and thin brush. The wide brush is a little looser and can make some pretty broad lines, while the thin side is firmer and is easier to control. The line variety you can get outta this thing is Insane. It’s a little on the pricier side at $10 at Michael’s, but the website literally always at least has a 20% off coupon, and it’s completely worth it. Not sure how long it lasts yet, but as soon as I saw how well that badboy performs, I bought 2 more. I’ll report back if they wear out quickly.

3. You can never go wrong with a good ol’ ballpoint pen. Bic is usually the way to go. Penmate smears like Hell, especially the blue ones.

4. Micron PN. This one is a firm brush point, and the lines are pretty fine, but you can still press a little harder to get that variation in there. I’ve been using it to illustrate my book a lot lately. Microns also tend to be a little pricey, but if you stock up a little at a time when you can, it’s worth it.

5. Pentel sign pen. These are similar to tombow, but have a slightly wider base of the nib. They work great, but if you prefer darker black ink, go with the tombow.

6. Speedball dip pen. If you’re looking to get started with dip pens, you can get a set at michael’s with a single black pen and several different nibs, from thin to flat calligraphy, for around $11. They’re pretty reliable and last a while! Just remember to clean around the base of the pen where the nib goes in so that the ink won’t clog the entry port and get stuck in there, and you’re golden! You can clean off india ink with ammonia, or glass cleaner like windex. Speedball india ink is also pretty nice, with a lovely dark black.

Paints:

Watercolors:

1. Kuretake gansai watercolors. These guys are the most bright, pigmented, beautiful watercolors I’ve ever used. If you’re looking for a bolder watercolor, this one is for you. Look for the long green box. Japanese watercolors in general tend to vary from so opaque that it almost acts like gouache, to transparent, and have the most bold colors I’ve seen from the medium.

2. Watercolor confections. These guys have wonderful little portable tin cases, and come in a wide variety of color themes. I own the tropical set, and wow is it beautiful. The colors are easily activated, beautifully granulated, and lightfast. They also have a lovely skin tone set I haven’t personally tried yet but that I’ve had my eyes on for quite a bit!

3. HIMI jelly gouache. Yes, this is the super trendy one that everyone uses, but it’s trendy for a reason! I don’t reach for it as often as I do my gansai palette, but if you like the opacity of gouache but don’t wanna fiddle with tubes, this is for you. I know it’s not exactly watercolor, but it’s in the same neighborhood!

Acrylic:

1. Crayloa. Yes, you read that right. Crayola acrylics have downright beautiful mixing colors, and are just really good affordable acrylics. Crayola isn’t always the best choice for professionals, but they’re reliable, and these acrylics never miss. Most of the time if you see me post an acrylic painting, it was made with those paints!

2. Windsor and newton. W&N is generally a pretty reliable company, and their supplies are pretty high quality, and often worth the slightly higher price tag. Their acrylics in particular are around $5 each, which is more affordable than say, golden or liquitex. Funnily enough, they perform similarly to crayola acrylics, but they feel more… luxurious, somehow. Wish I had a better way to describe it, but I just got myself a pretty good sized set and am looking forward to wearing it out. Oh, and they also dry nicer than crayola, in which different colored paints tend to have slightly different finishes. W&N doesn’t do that, and from what I’ve seen so far they all dry a nice smooth matte.

(I don’t know enough about oil to recc paints for that lol but I hope to in the future!!)

Canvas: I tend to just get whatever cheap canvas I can find, but I must say, if you’re lacking in space to store your art, I recommend getting a roll of unprepared canvas. If you want to start out white like a lot of pre-made canvases are, just pick up some gesso and prepare the surface yourself. You can cut out any size piece to your liking! When you’re done with the painting, you can roll it up for safekeeping! I’ve got canvases stockpiled, but I’m going to start the habit of working with the plain fabric much more often, since I still unfortunately live at home and my bedroom also essentially doubles as my studio.

Pencils:

1. Prismacolor ebony. These babies are much more affordable than their colored pencils, and you can get a 12 pack for around 10 bucks on amazon. These guys, like their name suggests, are super soft and dark, so you can get wonderful line variation and contrast. They tend to smudge easily though, so if you have trouble with that, be careful!

2. General’s layout pencils. These guys are also super dark, and lay down almost black. They’re also very soft graphite, so you can get some good line variation and contrast just like ebony, but they have a much less shiny finish, which can be nice!

3. Palomino blackwing. Yes, THOSE pencils. I cannot recommend them enough. They will make you feel so fancy. They lay down soft, dark, and come with this cool little rectangular eraser you can adjust. They’re famous for a reason! They were Chuck Jones’ weapon of choice!! If you feel like paying slightly more, then these are absolutely worth the tag. Depending on where and when you get them, they can set you back around $25-30 for a pack of 12, and they are absolutely worth every penny. The only thing I’d suggest is to be careful when sharpening, since they can wear down more quickly than regular pencils. It helps to carefully sharpen with an x-acto blade, and to only sharpen the lead itself when possible, and not the wood right away. It’ll make them last much, much longer, and make the price tag even more worthwhile.

Woodburning/pyrography tool:

I’ve only ever used one woodburning tool thus far (that’s about to change!) and that’s the walnut hollow creative versa-tool. It’s a wonderful tool to start out with, and you can get one at michael’s for around $30, and even less if you use a coupon. (Can u tell I work at michael’s lmao. Hmu for michael’s tips, you can save a lot of money really easily there!) The tool gives you a nice variety of tips to choose from. The universal chisel nib is probably the easiest to start with. You can shade with the flat end, and get thin to thick lines depending on how hard you press with the edge. It’s a little hard to get curves on it, but with practice and patience it comes easier! If you draw pretty fast, like me, it can take some getting used to, since pyrography tends to be a slow and steady kind of a process. The slower you go, the deeper it will burn, the thicker/darker lines you’ll get, and the quicker you go the more likely it’ll be that you’ll just scar the wood and not get very far.

As for the thinner tips in the walnut hollow kit, don’t be fooled! If you’re looking to get thinner lines, these won’t always work the way they seem they will. It’s kinda confusing if you go in blind like I did, but I learned that the thinner the metal, the less heat that you get coming out of it, and the longer it takes for a line to appear. You can still use them for tiny details, but it takes a bit. You’re better off getting a good handle on the universal chisel nib and making thinner lines that way, since it tends to go much quicker, and with the higher heat you’re able to get from that, you’re less likely to scar or stab the wood.

The shader tip is also a pretty good tool to learn. I’ve seen artists who only use the shader tip and create photo realistic stuff! As soon as you get used to the odd shape, you learn to kind of work with it like a paint brush. Angling it to the side can also get you some nice thin painterly lines. And of course, like the name suggests, holding it flat and moving it gently over the wood (longer for darker burn, shorter for lighter) can get you a lovely range of values.

Choosing your wood; make sure to choose soft, light wood. Darker wood is generally fine as long as it’s soft, but it’s harder to get the image in there since you can’t add highlights with just the burner or leave any blank spaces for the highlights. It’s best to choose a lighter wood, like pine, which I believe is what the plaques at michael’s are made of. In the wood section there you can get pre-made plaques for $1-5 each, and they’re basically perfect for the task. I know less about getting wood slices, but the ones in that same section are also pretty nice, have nice light wood in the center, and it’s got a built in frame around it by way of the bark. They tend to be a lot more expensive though, so make sure you wait for a sale or use a coupon unless you wanna shell out $10 or more for a single piece of wood, even if it is a little nicer. Or just befriend a lumberjack!!

You can also color your woodburnings with watercolor. I unfortunately don’t have much experience with this, since I’ve pretty much only painted on mine with acrylic, which can be fun just as long as you don’t paint over all the lines you made by accident, but I just wanted to throw that out there for all my homies that like color.

💗 That’s all I’ve got for now! I hope anyone who likes my art and wants to try something similar is able to try the supplies I use, and get just as much joy out of these supplies as I do! My inbox is always open if you have any questions about a piece or how I did it. I adore answering any inquiries, so it’s no bother! I’m no professional, but I have been making art for most of my life, so if I’m ever able to provide any help or advice for another artist then I’m happy💗

[undeadgirlboy]

battle jacket guide for baby punks

battle jackets or vests are really big in the punk scene. they also look cool as fuck. one of my favorite things about them is that each person's is different and represents their own style and interests. there are a few different steps u can follow to make one

step one. acquire the jacket

when making a battle jacket it's best to get one without any stretch to the denim bc the elastic threads in stretchy denkm break down faster than regular denim and when you're sewing things on it you might get a weird puckering effect. thrift stores like goodwill or salvation army are good places to look if you have time, but in my experience they don't have a lot of jean jackets. you can probably find one at walmart in the mens section, or target. if you'd like something with a more modern edge or higher quality denim you can check outlet stores like ross and marshalls. that's where i found mine for around 20 dollars. of course if you have the money you can get a Levi's trucker jacket or somewhere else more expensive. the color of the jacket is up to you. now that you have a base layer you can move on to customization

step two. washing the jacket

one important thing to remember about battle jackets is that they're handwash/no wash so it's best to wash your jacket before you begin. you have no idea who has worn or touched it before now. just throw it in the washing machine on cold and go blast laura jane grace for a little bit. personally i run mine through the dryer but if you'd prefer to air dry make sure you lay it flat because if not it will get stretched out shoulders.

step three. dyeing or painting

this is the part where you can possibly dye or paint your jacket. i have never dyed my jacket, but you can find fabric dye at Walmart and just follow the instructions on the bottle. i decided to spray paint mine because i had some cheap black spray paint and i wanted to know what would happen. if you're going to spray paint your jacket, make sure you do it outside and let it dry thoroughly before bringing it in. i left mine for about 18 hours so that the smell was completely gone. after that you want to turn it inside out and run it through the dryer with a couple bath towels for about 30 minutes to heat set it. spray painting your jacket will make it a bit more stiff. walmart and some craft stores sell spray paint that is made for fabric, but i didn't feel like paying for those so i used what i had on hand. i know those are pretty expensive and the bottles don't have a lot in them. if you only plan to handwash your jacket or don't plan to wash it at all, regular spray paint should work fine for you.

step four. back patch

most battle jackets that i have seen have a larger central patch in the back, with smaller ones on the front and around it. it's not essential to have a back patch but i think it helps to tie the whole jacket together. you can either make a back patch yourself or buy one. the site angryyoungandpoor.com has some back patches for popular bands. some bands also have back patches on their merch stores, or you can make one yourself. i made mine out of an old against me t-shirt. i measured around the design, cut it out, and then sewed it on the back of my jacket. if you want to make your own back patch you can do so in one of several ways that i will cover in just a second

step five. embroidering patches

there are a lot of patches out there that you can buy, but most of the time it's cheaper just to make them yourself. embroidery thread is pretty cheap at walmart, and all you need is sturdy scrap fabric to make something really cool. when you're embroidery a patch it's a good idea to get an embroidery hoop to keep your fabric taut. if you don't like the color of your scrap denim you can layer a different fabric over it. i had some stretchy cotton left over from cropping a t shirt that i layered over denim to help keep it in shape. this also makes it easier when you're sewing your patch onto your jacket. i don't recommend embroidering directly onto your jacket because it's harder to manage and if you decide you don't like how it looks and you rip it out you're left with weird holes that don't look good. it's all up to you but i wouldn't recommend it.

step six. painting patches

if you'd rather just paint your patches, you can always use fabric paint or fabric pens. it's best to avoid using acrylic paint because it wears off and cracks, but i have heard you can prevent that by mixing fabric medium into it. i have painted a few patches with acrylic paint but i used a layer of mod podge over the top to protect it. acrylic painted patches CANNOT go through the washing machine.

if you'd like to copy a particular logo or image with paint and you're not good with freehand you can make a stencil for it. the way i make stencils is by printing out my design and then covering the paper front and back with masking tape. once I've done that, i use an exacto knife to cut out the lines of my design and then i'm ready to go. you can use spray paint with a stencil or you can sponge fabric paint onto the design. if you choose to use spray paint make sure you have fabric paint in that color so you can fix up any problems with the design when you're done.

step seven. attaching your patches.

sewing is one of the most tedious parts of making a battle jacket. if you don't know how to sew you can google it. a lot of people use white embroidery floss or dental floss and whip stitch around their patch. if you're attaching an iron on patch that you bought, you should stitch around it too to secure it. make sure you're using a thimble if you're going over seams of the jacket, or sewing on an iron-on patch. at first it might seem fine, if a little time consuming, but days of finger pain isn't worth it. i prefer to pin my patches before sewing them, but you do you. for larger patches i first attach it with a thread that matches the fabric before using a contrasting whip stitch. that just makes things easier for me but it's not mandatory.

step eight. adding metal

spikes, studs and safety pins are a staple of punk clothing. safety pins are easy because you can get them anywhere and just put them anywhere. i got a bunch of varying sizes from walmart and i put them on everything. just play around and see what you like. you can find studs at your local craft store, probably in the leather working section. you just have to poke two holes in the fabric, push the prongs on your stud through, and then bend them back to secure it. you can also get studs online if you need to. i bought a couple packs of screw back spikes a little while ago, and i have since been adding those to a lot of my clothing. spikes are simple to add too. you poke a hole in the fabric, push the screw through, and then screw on the spike. some people recommend adding a dot of super glue in between the spike and screw to secure it, but personally I haven't needed to do that.

another way to add metal to your jacket is with chains. you can sew them on all the day down, or leave them hanging. it just depends on what you want to do. you can get short chains from walmart, or big rolls of chain from craft stores.

step nine. finish up

that's honestly about it. any of the information here can be applied to vests too. if your jacket is really crusty and you don't want it on your skin you can always wear a hoodie underneath, especially when it's cold. battle jackets can be worn with basically anything. mine has always been my go-to jacket for any occasion. make sure it actually represents your political beliefs and bands you listen to. get ready for people to look at you weird in the grocery store. if anyone has anything to add feel free to reblog, and if you have questions my ask box is open. you can always submit a photo of your jacket to my blog because i love seeing other people's diy stuff. wear a mask, stay safe, and fuck the pigs <3

[vulcan-moon]

I was wondering if you had any tips on watercolor? I always wanted to use them but I can't get it down and your watercolor art is just gorgeous!

i'd say just get a decent 12 pan set and get to experimenting! from there, it depends what you're struggling with.

if you don't like paper buckling and your colours aren't spreading right, make sure you're using 200-300gsm watercolour paper (though i'll admit, these days i paint in my sketchbook which is just plain ass notebook paper, but it has the side effect of buckling and making colours look dull).

if colours are looking muddy, again check paper but also try mixing with less colours. most of the stuff i paint, i paint it with three colours that act as primaries. sometimes i'll add another colour if i need it, sometimes i'll only use two colours. honestly learning colour mixing is super helpful, and making colour charts before you start painting to see all your possible colour mixes helps you know what kind of a range your palette has.

similarly, don't mix with white! watercolours are transparent, not opaque like gouache, acrylic or oils, so mixing colours is a little different. instead of using white, dilute your mix with water and use the white of the paper instead. white has its place with highlights and stuff, but idk i found i improved once i stopped trying to use it.

if you're having trouble with water control, get some synthetic brushes. they hold a decent amount of water without holding too much, and i find them easier to use than real hair brushes. i use the royal and langnickel taklon brushes and they're very affordable and my go to brushes. i tried water brushes for a while and they're not for me, just bc they make controlling water flow harder.

but yeah! i hope this helps! i think the most important thing is to just try things out and make mistakes, but also if you have any other questions i'd be happy to answer them! watercolours are my favourite medium and i didn't really get into them until a couple years ago so, yeah. just remember that everyone starts somewhere 💜

[idiopath-fic-smile]

a World Ain’t Ready coda

so i’ve been writing short fics in exchange for donations to black lives matter or a related cause (more info here), and @anditsnotoveryet requested something about the next ABC meeting after prom in World Ain’t Ready. i thought some folks might be curious so i figured i’d post it here:

Right before the first ABC meeting after Prom, Grantaire has a minor brain cyclone, a freakout, whatever. He’s done some tentative Googling since he talked to Mr. Myriel, just in case, y’know, just on the off chance that the way his brain is broken isn’t some terrible unnameable rot from within but instead a real and diagnosable condition experienced by millions of people, with real and workable treatments also experienced by millions of people, and the shitty stunts his mind can pull on him does, well, kinda sound like an anxiety thing.

But it’s easier to believe that at his computer in the dark, checking out sites in between looking up pictures of kittens and puppies for stress relief, the whole time messaging with Enjolras.

It’s a little harder to keep things together alone in Ms. Hucheloup’s classroom as he waits for the other kids to trickle in. 

The trouble is this: he and Enjolras are so obvious now. 

Like, way more obvious than before when they were trying to look obvious, and every gesture of affection was a scripted and choreographed little piece of theater. Grantaire knows (because Eponine won’t shut up about it, any time the three of them hang out) that he and Enjolras have kind of a smiling problem whenever they look at each other. They hold hands without thinking about it. Even now, in the middle of his brain cyclone-slash-mini anxiety spell, Grantaire’s main cheer-up weapon for trying to ease his way out is remembering this stupid pun Enjolras made about going to the art museum.

He was so proud of it, is the thing. Enjolras is a nerd, and Grantaire likes him so much, and when the rest of the ABC gets here, they’re going to take one look at Grantaire’s helpless beaming face and immediately know that something is different, and from there, they’ll be able to deduce that everything between Enjolras and Grantaire before now was a lie, and then, Jesus, then the shit will hit the fan so hard that the fan will never work again, metaphorically speaking, and then--

“Hey, weirdo,” says Jehan at the door. He’s wearing a T-shirt covered in super heroes, except that for each of the guys (and they’re all guys, notes a voice in Grantaire’s head that sounds weirdly like Musichetta’s), Jehan has sewed a little ribbon bow to their head.

“Hey,” says Grantaire. “Nice shirt.” 

“You okay?” Jehan asks, stepping farther into the room and eyeing the chaos where Grantaire had tried to channel his nerves into wrangling the desks back into a circle. He has not been, like, super successful yet.

“Yeah,” says Grantaire. Then, “No. I just, like, I dunno, what if, uh--”

Somehow, Jehan manages to run the translation. “It’ll be fine,” he says.

Grantaire laughs and it sounds, maybe, possibly, a tad unhinged. “We’re so ridiculous together,” he mutters. “People will--”

“Listen,” says Jehan, “kiddo,” which should be illegal for a sophomore to say to a junior but Grantaire barely cares, “You were ridiculous before.”

“It’s different now,” Grantaire insists. 

“Nobody’s mind is gonna jump where you think it will jump,” says Jehan firmly. “I mean, shall we count the mental leaps?”

Slowly, the fact seeps back into Grantaire’s head that maybe, just maybe, “You baldly deceived us about pretending to date for over three months purely for reasons of social justice” won’t be top of mind for any of their friends.

“If anything,” says Jehan, cheerfully untangling a chair from the pile, “they’ll just think you two finally got laid.”

Grantaire is still choking on that when the rest of the group starts to filter in.

Enjolras is last through the door. “Hey,” he says. His unguarded face is so beautiful. 

‘Oh nooo,’ wails Grantaire’s self-control.

“Hey,” says Grantaire, already feeling lighter. He can feel his mouth pulling into a smile.

Enjolras grins in response. “Hey,” he says again, “why are you smiling?”

“I don’t know, why are you smiling?” Grantaire manages.

“Oh my GOD,” says Molly, “this again?”

Jehan shoots Grantaire a look that says, “See? See?” Even Batman looks triumphant from beneath his giant hairbow.

“Welcome, everyone,” says Combeferre, advancing to the board. “Great to see you all again. We have a lot of work ahead of us, so let’s try to keep the shenanigans to a minimum today.”

“What about tomfoolery?” asks Bahorel from the back.

“Also right out,” Courfeyrac cuts in. “As are funny business, horseplay, and hinjinks.”

“And capers?” Grantaire asks before he can stop himself.

“Capers are fine,” says Enjolras. “In the sense of a heist. Because what we’re heisting today is our rights, from under the nose of an uncaring institution.”

Courfeyrac mimes applause. Grantaire joins him.

The corner of Enjolras’s mouth tilts towards a smile, then he seems to collect himself. “Alright,” he says, full of purpose and direction in a way that used to make Grantaire think of movie characters. The truth is, Enjolras is not some golden apparition removed from the rest of the world. He’s not a movie hero at all, he’s a living teenage boy who yesterday cracked himself up suggesting that a whale’s favorite paint would be acrylic (a-krill-ic, get it?) and in a way, it’s terrifying because if they’re both just people, it means Grantaire has no excuse not to try to change the world with him. In that same way, it’s giddying. “Let’s begin.”

[kaitycole]

“Lipschitz!”

Summary: Sugawara is just trying to find himself, how does that work out for him?

Pairing: Sugawara x Reader

Word Count: 2068

Warnings: Angst. Mentions of murder, cheating, alcohol, drowning 

A/N: This is the official last chapter, I’m still mulling over the possibility of an epilogue. Thank you so much to all of you who supported this series from the beginning. I hope I did it justice!

“Do you want to tell me a little bit about Sugawara?” She stretches her neck to the left and then right, tapping her pen on the legal pad.

“Sure.” You smile at the journalist, but it never really touches your eyes.

*                      * “Just a minute longer, I swear.”

You sighed, your boyfriend had said that same line five minutes ago. You were restless, legs stiff from not moving and all you could think of was how good it would feel when you could finally stretch. When you could finally put on something warm, the sheer fabric he had delicately draped over you wasn’t cutting it anymore, your bare skin felt the chill from the cool air that blew in through the opened window.

“You said that for the last five minutes, Kōshi.”

The silver-haired man just laughed behind the canvas, paintbrush held in the air as he narrowed his eyes looking at his work, then up at you then back to the painting. You leaned up just enough to see that he was biting the end of the brush which you knew meant that he was conflicted. All artists are their own worst critics, but sometimes you felt Suga was worse than Van Gogh, Monet and even Pollock at times. Not that you really had any frame of reference, but still.

Watching him painstakingly criticize his own work, endlessly making changes that he only deemed made the pieces worse was really hard for you, watching the person you love drive themselves into a dark hole of perfectionism took a toll on the both of you. But you loved him and at the end of the day, that made it all better, right?

After what felt like forever, you finally saw his signature smile, the one that was bigger than life and he sat down his paint palette then swirled the brush in his murky colored water cup. You watched his shoulders relax before he nodded and you knew that he was finally done.

“Lemme see! Lemme see!” You squealed as he walked closer to you, sitting next to you on the sofa you had been lounged out on.

He kissed you, the paint on his hands and fingers transferred to your skin as he grabbed your face. You scrunched up your nose as the cool wet sensation before kissing him back.

“Maybe tomorrow.” He peppered your face with kisses as you both laughed. His hands trailed down your arms and across your upper chest, his lips were pressed up against yours again.

“You’re going to get paint all over me!” You giggled, his lips trailed across your jaw and down your neck.

“That’s okay.” His eyes met yours, “you’ll become my greatest master piece.”

*                      * “They say that artists can be very passionate people.”

A laugh escapes you and Alex looks at you confused, “that’s a bit of an understatement.”

“It couldn’t have been easy on your relationship. Artists tend to struggle for a while before gaining notoriety.”

“He worked as an elementary school teacher during the day. It wasn’t the money that caused issues, it was watching him tear himself apart that was the hardest.”

“What do you mean by that?” “No one was harder on him about his art than he was. He could produce something that was immaculate, but he’d say his students’ finger paintings were better.” You take a deep breath, “it was hard watching him beat himself over things I couldn’t help fix.”

“What changed? How did you go from wanting what’s best for him to…being in here?”

“A lot. A lot changed.”

*                      * It started when he decided to go out one night with his coworkers for drinks one Friday night. You didn’t mind it, you really didn’t because you trusted Suga and you enjoyed seeing him relax for the first time in a while. What did bother you was the fact that it seemed the occasional Friday night turned into the whole weekend to where he spent more days of the week out than at home.

Your knees were pulled up to your chest while you sat on the couch, a commercial playing on the TV while you scroll through your phone. When that stopped being a solace for you, you tossed it across the couch, deciding to stroll through his art studio. The smell that hit you when you opened the door was a mix of acrylic paint and peppermint, it was undeniably Suga. You saw one of his easels covered with a sheet which intrigued you, it wasn’t often that you didn’t see his work.

But once the sheet came off, you wished you never had. Your stomach dropped. It was like all of the memories you had spent making since high school, since college, shattered and all the jagged edges pierced into your heart as it sank. You could tell by the pose it was the one he had painted of you a couple months ago, the one that he told you wasn’t ready. Now you understood what he meant by ‘not ready’, it was your pose, but it wasn’t your body, wasn’t your face. You weren’t sure who it was but you knew it wasn’t you, the curves and lines, they didn’t belong to you. Tears welled in your eyes as you chewed on your bottom lip, realizing that while you laid completely exposed to him, his mind was clearly on whoever was in this painting.

Three long hours had passed before he stumbled into your shared apartment, crashing into everything he possibly could, waking you from your sleep. While his head hurt from the alcohol, yours hurt from crying. You got up, walking in just soon enough to watch your boyfriend fall onto the couch face first.

“Suga?” You leaned against the door frame.

He hummed something in response into the cushion.

“Kōshi? Babe?” You walked through the room, crouching down next to his head before placing a hand on his back.

He mustered up just enough strength to turn to face you, “I didn’t mean to wake up, sweetness.”

His innocent words, gentle tone, the use of the nickname reserved for only him, didn’t stop the tears from slipping down your cheeks, doesn’t untwist the knot that tightening in your stomach,  doesn’t remove the fact that you can’t help the one person that you want to.

After that night, you watched him change. He spent more time in his art studio, face covered with paint smudges, a sight you thought was absolutely adorable. He seemed happier, constantly dragging you into the studio to show off various artworks he’d finished. Everything was perfect, until he came home smelling like cheap perfume and stale beer.

*                      * “So he was cheating?”

You smile politely which catches Alex off guard, placing your elbow on the counter in front of you, as you rest your chin on the palm of your hand as you look at her. “He said he was trying to find himself.”

“Trying to find himself?” A look of pure bewilderment crossed Alex’s face.

“That’s the exact expression I wore when I asked him the same thing.”

*                      * “What the hell does that mean? Finding yourself?” You put air quotes around the last two words. There was a sense of anger running up your spine, you were tightly clenching your fists.

“I just think that I need to let loose. To learn how to breathe.” He flicked the paint brush against the blank canvas, not bothering to even look at you.

They say that smells can trigger memories, something with the olfactory system being located in the same part of the brain that effects emotions and creativity. Something about the fact that certain smells can affect the region of the brain that’s responsible for storing our emotional memories. That’s why you assumed whenever you smelled acrylic paint you thought of Kōshi, of the one person you thought would never let you down.

But now the smell just made you nauseous, made your heart hurt because whoever this silver-haired man in front of you, it wasn’t the love of your life. Wasn’t the boyfriend you’d been with for years. No, because that man would never hurt you like this, would never refuse to look at you when he all but broke your heart.

“I didn’t realize I was suffocating you, thought I was just being supportive!”

You yelled and then he yelled then you yelled some more and before you knew it the paintbrush hit the floor with so much force it bounced a bit. He shook his head storming passed you, his shoulder hit yours but he didn’t stop. The walls vibrated when he slammed it shut, leaving you leaning against the door frame, lip quivering.

** You stormed through his studio, grabbing all the gallons of paint you could carry, making a few more trips than the anger in you wanted. You started to fill the bathtub, the various colors muddling together, the thick liquid clung to the lining of the tub.

A smirk covered your lips as you thought back to how frustrated Suga would get when colors mixed like this, turning a disgusting brown that no artist would make on purpose. You remembered him saying the color reminded him of dirty paint water, somehow this all felt ironic.

Your foot catches on the rug into rug and you tripped, the empty red paint can fell from your hand; thin splatters clung to the white wall next to you.

*                      * Alex takes a deep breath, sitting her pen down before looking up at you. Hearing these crimes had progressively gotten worse as the interviews went by though she came into them thinking it’d get easier.

“Why didn’t you just use water?”

You lean forwards, chin still on the palm of your hand, teeth showing as you smile. “I thought paint gave the scene a more artistic flair.”

*                      * You felt Sugawara’s resistance slowly fade as he stopped trying to push his hands up, stopped trying to lift his head out of the tub of paint. His feet stopped kicking against the floor, his body slowly became lifeless under your hold. You stood up, leaving his hunched over the side of the tub, his beautiful silver hair now covered in the brown paint mixture.

They say when someone drowns, their entire body fights to survive. There’s panic, the sheer realization of what’s happening and the frightening moment you know you don’t have an idea of what to do. The moment when you subconsciously know you’re about to lose consciousness, your lungs going against the logic of not breathing in the water to try to salvage your existence. Body going into overdrive trying to save you, trying to get much needed air into your lungs. Some who have survived drowning say they had flashbacks, snippets of their life that flash through their mind as consciousness faded.

You wondered if Suga felt that panic, if his body had registered what was happening, or if the alcohol had clouded some of that. You wondered if he had fought as hard as he could’ve or if his inebriated state had lowered his abilities. You wondered if he saw flashbacks and what were they of. Did he see the two of you? The long years you had spent by his side, supporting every decision that he had made, giving up the few things you wanted for his dreams. Or did he see those women? The drunken nights spent at the bar, the woman he was thinking of when he was painting you, the owner of the cheap perfume he would come home smelling like.

*                      * “Most people just break up with their lover when they discover they’re cheating.” Alex looks at you pointedly.

“We did, some could say we ended our relationship due to artistic differences.”

Alex looks at you puzzled, “I’m not sure I follow.”

You stand up, stepping as close to the glass as the counter will allow before slamming yours on the glass while pressing your face against it. Alex jumps back in her seat, her chair scooting against the tiles loudly, her heart thumping against her chest. She watches the guard rush over, grabbing you away from the divider and pulling you out of the room.

“He saw himself alive and I saw him dead.”

Series Masterlist here

General Masterlist here

[kirstinmaldonado]

Chapter Two 2.0

Okay, I won’t lie. Monday was super rough for me.

The weekend was incredibly chill, so I was eager to get back in to my “normal” swing of things. I had a great Zoom songwriting session in the morning, and nothing else went wrong personally for the day, but I still couldn’t shake my sadness. My general unease about the world and how this virus is impacting so many everywhere. My homesickness and desire to be with and protect my family. My fight with time.

I FaceTimed my family and reached out to friends to feel connected and not so lost, even though not being with them or having any idea when I’d be able to go home was the main culprit. If something were to happen, would I be stuck here? What will I miss? How will this hold me back? When will it end?

I recognized that this emotional upset was pretty standard and completely fine— my first five days in quarantine were similar rollercoasters, after all!

But Monday just hit a little harder, maybe because I was trying NOT to be sad and we all know that always makes it so much worse.

My point though, is that no one expects you to be at a hundred percent in this time. We are getting new information every day. So much of it and how it affects your life or the people you care about can feel overwhelming, and that is okay. Take in the information. Implement the change you need. Grieve your losses. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Our mental health is so important right now.

While everything else is careening out of our control with this virus, the best we can do is try to self-care as much as possible!! That definition has many meanings and is individualized uniquely to you! It could be doing a hobby you didn’t often get to do before. Or walking around the block just to get out of the house for some fresh air! Maybe it’s re-organizing and tidying up your space. Maybe it’s working out to rile up those endorphins! Or learning something new! 

Or maybe, that’s easier said than done because you’re one of the ones on the front line battling this with patients (and PATIENCE) every day.

If you are, I thank you. Truly, from every fiber of my being, for your selflessness and care. For your hours spent and devotion to the general public’s future. I wish we all could do more to assist, to ease your burden.

And can you believe all that has been asked of us is to stay home and lessen social contact as a united front? Aren’t we so spoiled? 

Yes, most everyone is having to file for unemployment. Yes, some people are desperate for work to feed their families and provide for themselves, so they must leave the house to figure it out. Doctors, nurses, people with essential jobs are endangering themselves for us while we’re supposed to be home so maybe don’t fuss about how Runyon Canyon is closed so you can’t get your normal, free, SoCali workout. I don’t find that funny. 

It is a privilege to get the chance to “stay at home,” even if it throws your finances in to chaos. It’s a privilege to have running water. It’s a privilege to have a roof over your head. It’s a privilege to rip the overgrown acrylic nails I got off my fingers because even though it’s omg, SO bad for my nails and I have no idea when a nail salon will ever be open again, I have respect for the system in place to stop the spread and protect the people.

(Please read that in a Scrubs Dr. Cox-like tone…it’s been my go-to quarantine binge watch)

Social distancing is incredibly important right now and can change the game with this. And again, if these incredible, selfless frontrunners go to work for us, the least we can do is stop being so selfish and stay home for them.

I wish I could take credit, but I liked the way that was said when I read it off a meme the other day. Naturally, I had to re-post. 

As silly as that may seem, I’ve come to terms with the fact that cliche memes and coy tweets pretty much sum up my life right now. They’re either very relatable or packed with a fiery punch. My timeline is comprised of funny happenings related to being inside the house all day long, something about Disney/me crying (and yes, those things are synonymous), or passionate coronavirus-related rants about how people need to STAY. INSIDE (when you can). PLEASE!!

Like this one! I promise I’m done.

If I may, I’d like to ask everyone to comment what their favorite moment of discovery has been since we’ve been “safer at home.” Or what unexpected thing made you smile?

Did you get to share a unique and special moment with a family member? Bake? Find something you’ve been missing in the house? Paint? Read? Learn, even if it’s schoolwork?

With all the negativity floating around we have to make sure to separate the facts from our emotions so we can process everything adequately. When all the BLAH seems on the brink of toppling us over, that is when those liiiiiiittle positive moments matter enough to count. 

I believe, now in this current situation and always, that recognizing your happinesses and little successes is crucial for personal growth and joy. Anyway, why wouldn’t you take all your lemons and make some lemonade?

(In this one the lemons are a positive…yeah, I know I’ll stick to blogs not philosophical quotes)

Anyway, I want you all to know you’re not alone. Everyone is riding this emotional rollercoaster together. And everyone is handling it differently because everyone’s situations are different! The way others are handling it does not have to be the way you handle it.

Check in on your family, or your friends. The ones you know are sad and the ones you think are doing okay. Hey, check in on YOU. Reach out when you need. Talk to someone for yourself, for your own sanity! It’s important to connect!

Any act of kindness or connection is so appreciated nowadays. We’re remembering how special human communication is and not to take it for granted.

I FaceTimed my family and friends Monday and their faces, their comfort brought me such bittersweet joy. I found myself wondering why I hadn’t picked up the phone sooner.

[elizardc-arts]

Drawing Daily in 2018!

Hi, it’s me - Eliza! I decided to draw everyday for 2018 and posted the process in instagram. Each month I did a drawing challenge and each month I tried out a new medium.

January

Creatuary: Mythical Creatures. I was lowkey doing the Creatuanary challenge created by dibujantenocturno, joshuacairos_art, and rafater_official. What’s fun about Creatuanary was that they tell you what the prompt for the day only so you can’t really pre-plan and just have to do things on the spot. I think it’s a really fun exercise. The medium I used for this month was the Zig Brushable Markers. They’re for calligraphy but I like doing art with them, they’re super nice. I highly recommend them to anyone. They’re kind of my go to markers. Though, I haven’t actually experimented with TomBows or the Prismacolors or Copics at all so I’d take what I say with a grain of salt.

February

Faebruary: Fairies! There’s also FaerieFeb hosted by archibald.art and maxineart. This was super fun. This was one of my favourite challenges. I don’t know if it was the medium I used or the subject matter - probably a combination of both! I used watercolours - a Palette of Prang - and I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t used watercolours since I was in high school and I remember not exactly enjoying the experience overall but within three days of painting fairies I’ve gone aboard the watercolour boat and I don’t wanna get down!

March

March of Robots: Robots! Created by chocolatesoop - MoR is super bomb. I used Stabilo Boss Highlighters for this month and my big take is HIGHLIGHTERS DO NOT SCAN WELL. Or at all. Also, I hear they fade. So, it’s not really a medium that has ‘archival quality’. However, it was super fun. I love using bright obnoxious colours. Everything just pops! Also! They give away brand spankin’ new wacom tablets to five lucky participants regardless of skill level! I highly recommend anyone join this!  

April

AstroApril: Constellations and planets! I couldn’t really find a monthly drawing challenge I wanted to do this month so I decided to make my own with AstroApril! I love the stars and galaxy art is always great so I figured why not? And - I decided to use coloured pencils - I got a pack of Prismacolors. Two things - one Prismacolors are the best coloured pencils I have ever used ( I’ve only used student quality sets thus far so I might not have the best grasp of the best coloured pencil sets) - they blend well and are so so creamy it’s such a dream! Two - I don’t recommend using coloured pencils when doing galaxy art. It was fun sure - and I have a deep relationship with coloured pencils now that I have never had before but in terms of efficiency, specially with the subject matter - I highly discourage it. It took me a very long time to create each piece. I guess that’s just the way things are with coloured pencil but you can get the galaxy effect very easily with paints.

May

MerMay: Mermaids! Created by tombancroft1 - mermaids were fun! You gotta play with fluidity and it was a fun challenge trying to figure out which pose to do. I also considering it was May - Star Wars Month - enjoyed drawing star wars characters as mermaids. I used gouache for this and wow is gouache great! If you’ve never used gouache before, just imagine what would happen if acrylics and watercolours had a baby. I used a reeves set that was gifted to me. And considering its a student quality kit, it gave me a very nice taste of what could be accomplished with gouache. I’m highly considering investing in a more heftier set of gouache.

June

Journey June: the hero’s journey in art challenge form! This was great because it introduced me to a lot of cool new things like Creative Twitch Streams and the process of conceiving a story. Better yet! It introduced me to cloverkin and galvosaur the pair who created Journey June. They’re super cool hoomans and I recommend you drop by their stream. Also! I made a story! It’s about a hornless unicorn and he goes on an adventure to try and get a horn. I used mechanical pencils with coloured lead to draw my illustrations. They weren’t the greatest to work with considering the lead broke easily. I’d probably use actual pencils for this next time.

July

Julycanthropy: Werewolves! On the high of making a story from Journey June, I thought it would be fun to do another one for Julycanthropy. I used black paper and white charcoal/white coloured pencil for this. White charcoal is more vibrant against the black but white coloured pencil doesn’t smudge. It was a fun challenge to think in reverse and only colour the highlights instead of the shadows.

August

Smaugust - This is probably my least favourite drawing challenge I did this year. I used pentel oil pastels which I liked well enough but I just don’t think dragons are my thing. Also, I wished my country sold oil pastels per piece. My white oil pastel is very very smol.

September

Sketchtember: Sketches all month long! I sketched out hoomans! I’ve always wanted to draw humans but I’ve always been somewhat intimidated. I’m not so sure why anymore, they’re fun! I’m a little bit addicted. I used graphite and this little pilot lead holder - very fun, highly recommend.

October

Inktober: Inks all month long! Does Inktober really need an intro? Made by jakeparker - it’s just all about practicing your inking skills for the month. I drew more humans for inktober - this time with pet familiars! I used faber castell ecco-pigment and I used this fancy bristol paper. This was amazing. A pair made in heaven. I think I’d like to use maybe a brush pen next time to cover up larger areas but all in all no regrets!

November

Huevember: Colours all month long! I used Stabilo Chalk Pastels on Pastel paper! I decided to do the greek gods and goddesses and zodiac women. I’m not sure pastels are my forte to be honest. They’re fun but I guess they’re just not my thing. I really like the pastel paper though. They’re a bit pricy so I shouldn’t really be so surprised at how well they held onto the chalk pastels. However, because the pastel paper I decided to use was multi-coloured it was really difficult to tell the colour gradient between each piece. Kinda ruins the Huevember effect - Still a fun learning experience over all though!

December

Drawcember: Free Draw! There’s no particular prompt list for this monthly challenge it’s just free draw - which is a lot harder is some ways so I decided to make my own list again. I was inspired by the theme of demons and angels. I thought because of the free draw nature of the challenge, to use mixed media. This was very difficult for me. I ended up just doing portions of ink and portions of paint separately but ideally I wanted a more happy marriage of the two. I definitely need more practice in mixing the different mediums. But on the flipside - I was definitely pleased I was painting again. I enjoy painting a lot. Though - skin tones - very difficult to get right. It wasn’t too bad when I was painting demon skin or angel skin - but human skin has a lot going on.  

General Thoughts

I honestly can’t believe I managed to do 365+ drawings throughout the whole year. It was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. You have good days and bad. I think for anyone planning to attempt this, take advantage of your good days - pop as much drawings as you can out and go easy on yourself during your bad days - you can always always catch up. Sometimes you just need a little break and that’s okay.

I learned a lot, made a lot of pals, and I’m definitely looking forward to next year.

Woo!

Best, E

[nuttydefendoryouth]

What is a Ramadan crescent moon tree?

One particular decor element that has taken root – and is quickly gaining ground in the region this year – is the crescent tree.

Chances are you’ve come across it yourself: the artificial tree comes in a number of sizes and colours, with its defining feature being its distinct crescent moon shape.

With its Instagram-friendly appearance, it has blown up online under different names – moon tree, green ramadan eid crecsent moon tree, Ramadan tree and even Eid tree – as more families take to them. A search for #RamadanTree on Instagram turns up more than 1,000 posts, while one for #EidTree yields over 1,500; impressive since three years ago, they didn’t really exist.

So how did it all begin? It all seems to have started in Michigan, in the US, where resident Samar Baydoun Bazzi decided to mark the holy month with some festive cheer. As a mother, she wanted to create a special experience for her daughter, so she began incorporating Islamic-themed art into the home. When that wasn’t enough, she tried a Christmas tree, but that only confused her child further, she told local media.

That is how Bazzi ended up taking things into her own hands – by creating Ramadan trees in the shape of a crescent moon as a tribute to Islam. As the pictures of the trees circulated online, she started getting orders and the trend just picked up from there.

How did trend reach the UAE?

The crescent-shaped tree is making its way across to the UAE, too. Zahirah Marty, founder of brand development agency Think Liquorice, purchased one in 2020 through Amazon, but she found it quite difficult to source one at the time, and options were limited.

Today, however, it's easier, as a number of brands have starting selling them.

Crate & Barrel, which introduced the tree in 2020, saw sales of the crescent tree soar this year. The hugely popular item can be bought item both online and in-store, for Dh400.

Why get a crescent tree?

UAE resident and mum-of-four Taghred Chandab, who bought one before Ramadan from Kibsons, says it worked as a great way to start a conversation with little ones about Islam and Ramadan.

“We like to decorate for Ramadan and Eid, to give the children a sense of excitement around both the holy month and Eid. My youngest is 5 and she has asked over the years if we could have a Christmas tree at Christmas, but as Muslims we didn't feel this was appropriate as it didn't reflect our beliefs.

"She was really excited when the white ramadan eid crecsent moon tree arrived and we explained to her why the moon was important in Islam, particularly around Ramadan and Eid. She feels the spirit now. Sometimes kids need visual aids to understand."

When Marty posted a picture of her tree on social media last year, she received many queries from other parents, also looking for a way to “bring the month to life for their children and make it something tangible and memorable”.

"Growing up, we didn't have anything like this," she tells The National. "There weren't decorations and lights. At best we shared plates of food or dates with neighbours and family and waited for Eid; for a day of family and food. We did a little less that month, and besides the wave of energy at iftar, it was a pretty non-eventful month from a child's perspective.

“I want Ramadan to be a month-long celebration of who we are, and time at home together, and most importantly I want to create new traditions for my family based on our diversity and mixed cultural background, because that’s a part of our identity.

"It is a month to reflect, and reconnect with ourselves, our home, our family, our creator and I want that to be done in a lively and festive space. Having that centrepiece is a symbolic display of that for me."

Marty says she makes setting up the tree an educational and fun experience for her son Noah, who loves it, too. “While we decorate it, we chat about why it’s a moon and not a tree, why we have it out, what fasting means and how he has so much to look forward to with Eid.

“I want Noah to fall in love with his faith, and all that it comes with. We live in a very challenging world, and children today won’t accept things ‘because we say so’. I want my son to view religion as the beautiful part of his world it is from a young age, and creating reasons to celebrate, decorate and bring joy is how I choose to do it. Everything else will follow."

A response to criticism

Despite its popularity, the trend is not without its criticism. A cursory search online will find comments about it copying western traditions, while others believe it can be ostentatious.

“In any area of life there will always be critics, and I respect that as humans we will differ in our opinions," says Marty. "I prefer to focus on my intention to create happy, celebratory moments for my family as a medium of education, and a way of carving out our space with our circumstances.

“If a decorated moon sparks joy in my toddler to look forward to the month of Ramadan, ask me questions, and open his mind and heart to the lessons, stories and memories, then I’ve achieved my goal.”

How to decorate a Ramadan tree:

Some trees come pre-decorated, but if you prefer to decorate the gold ramadan eid crecsent moon tree together with your family, there are options in the UAE.

Marty recommends Daiso as a place where one can get a range of lights in the shapes of mosques, stars and moons. She drapes her family Ramadan tree with lights, camels and even baubles.

“I grew up with a childhood tradition of new Eid pyjamas and either money or gifts. I keep that tradition in our home. The silver ramadan eid crecsent moon tree is a place we have all this sitting until the night before Eid, which adds to the excitement of Eid day,” she says.

Other places where one can get Eid and Ramadan decorations, as well as trees, include Amazon, Kibsons and noon.com.

DEARBORN — Celebrating Ramadan in the U.S. doesn’t come as naturally as it does in Muslim-majority countries. From fasting during long summer days to lackluster holiday cheer and enduring anti-Muslim sentiments, Muslim Americans have to try just a little harder throughout Islam’s holiest month.

Samar Baydoun Bazzi, a 29-year-old Dearborn resident and nursing student, knows that all too well and is trying to change that— one crecsent tree decorations at a time.

Bazzi told The AANews she remembers feeling like the “odd one out” growing up as a Muslim in Michigan, especially after she began wearing the hijab. During Muslim holidays, she rarely would feel any enthusiasm as gatherings were mostly isolated to family and close friends. Her home would only light up with decorations during Christmas.

Although simple Ramadan-related decorations adorn some properties in Dearborn, Bazzi said she wants to bring a little extra Ramadan spirit to a city that’s home to one of the most concentrated Arab and Muslim American communities and one of the largest mosques in the nation.

“People can get more creative,” she said.

The project, now in its fourth year and selling nationwide, began when Bazzi’s daughter, 4-years-old at the time, thought it was Christmas when she put up a tree along with other banners and crafts, in preperation for Ramadan.

That same day, Bazzi said she took the tree apart and rearranged it in the shape of a crescent moon, a widely-recognized symbol in Islam.

“I wanted her to be excited about her own religion and holiday,” she said about her daughter.

Bazzi, who crafts the trees by hand in her basement, said she quickly learned that many Muslim households face the same obstacles and people wished they’d had such trees in their childhoods.

“The parents want their kids to feel like their own holiday is the most amazing time of the year,” Bazzi said. “It’s a time when they’re supposed to be closer to God, to pray and fast; we want them to fall in the love with the whole process.”

Bazzi said her intention was not to blend Anglo-Christian and Pagan traditions with Islamic ones by using a Christmas tree and that she initially only used a tree because that’s what she had available.

“It really makes no difference to me,” she said. “It doesn’t look like a Christmas tree anymore.”

At a time when political tensions are high and bigoted rhetoric is rampant, Bazzi said her goal is to ensure Muslim Americans, especially the youth, can be unabashedly proud and more openly celebrate their faith.

It takes her about five hours to make each tree. The six-foot-and-eight-inch-tall trees are available in white and green and include lights and a hanging star. They’re being sold nationwide, with requests for them coming from around the world.

Bazzi said the Ramadan Trees have garnered enough interest for a wait list to fill up, forcing her to stop accepting orders this year.

She said she hopes to partner with a manufacturer and expand the project into a large-scale business.

For Samar Baydoun Bazzi, the Ramadan Tree grew out of a desire to mark the Islamic holy month with festive cheer.

Growing up as a Muslim in the U.S., Baydoun Bazzi, 29, of Dearborn said she noticed a lack of decorations during the month-long holiday, which Muslims observe by fasting from sunrise to sundown to commemorate the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad.

“Obviously, Ramadan’s important,” Baydoun Bazzi said. “You gotta pray and fast, and you want to become closer to your creator. But I never as a kid felt like there was any decorations or like a celebration. I wanted something exciting.”

When she became a mother, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create the kind of Ramadan experience she wished for as a child.

She began by decorating her west Dearborn home with Islamic-themed art, like acrylic paintings of Arabic calligraphy and a cardboard model of a mosque.

It wasn’t enough.

So in 2014, she said, she decided to put up a Christmas tree.

It didn't last long.

“Oh, Christmas!” Baydoun Bazzi remembers her daughter Zahraa, then 4 years old, shouting.

“I knew that it was a mistake,” Baydoun Bazzi said of her decision. “So I looked at my tree and decided to take it apart.”

That’s when the Ramadan Tree first took root.

[fabercastellcn]

Why Are Colored Pencils So Popular?

Colored pencils are a wonderfully dynamic medium that is highly beloved by artists and hobbyists alike because they’re so easy to use — plus they’re a lot cleaner and require almost no set-up compared to most other art mediums!

Whether you’re completely new to colored pencils or looking to learn more about this versatile medium, in this article I’ll help you figure out which colored pencils to purchase by covering such important topics as quality, consistency, type, permanence, brand, and what I consider to be the best colored pencils. Read on to learn everything you need to know about colored pencils!

Colored pencils have been widely used in classrooms for many decades. You probably used them when you were a kid — remember those hard, gritty sets that were given out to students, with colors that were too pale or too dull to be satisfying? For this reason, colored pencils were long seen as a juvenile (in much the same way that markers were overlooked as a fine art medium).

Even when high-quality colored pencils emerged in the 1930s, they were mostly used by humble illustrators or graphic designers. Fine artists sometimes used them for sketching and planning, but not for creating finished artworks. This attitude began to shift from the 1960s onwards, as fine artists began to embrace colored pencils for their versatility and ease of expression. These days, they’re considered a legitimate art medium and are also hugely popular with colorists.

Colored pencils are capable of rendering art styles that are expressive and abstract, or detailed and photorealistic. While they’re slow to use compared to wet media like paint (in terms of laying down color), they’re almost unparalleled when it comes to controlling and detail.

Because colored pencils are partially transparent, you generally work from light to dark, gradually building up your colors. Colored pencils, like watercolors, are famous for their translucent quality, which can give your artwork a striking luminance, especially on textured paper. If you don’t press too hard, tiny crevices or valleys in the grain of the paper are left untouched by pigment and allowed to shine through.

With that said, the versatility of colored pencils also allows the application of bold, opaque colors, either by pressing harder or by layering and blending. For example, check out this colored pencil painting by Alyona Nickelsen, the author of the book “Colored Pencil Painting Bible”. Note on terminology: colored pencils are mostly associated with drawings, but if they cover the whole support/surface they are called paintings, and you can see why… they really do look like paintings!

In addition to their versatility, colored pencils are also practical and hassle-free! They’re light and portable, so you can travel with them and draw on location. They’ll also last a long time; you don’t have to worry about them drying out as you do with paint or markers. Colored pencils also don’t require a bunch of extra accessories that you’d need for a medium like oil paint, for example, you can achieve a lot with just a simple set, a sharpener, and a humble sketchbook.

While I also enjoy using other art media, like acrylics, few are as relaxing as colored pencils because you don’t have to worry about making a mess, inhaling something toxic, or staining your clothes, and afterward, there’s nothing to wash or clean up. With minimal equipment or preparation, you can settle in and lose yourself in a frenzy of creativity!

Colored pencil blending example Colored pencils can be blended to create smooth tonal gradations. This can be done easily with layering or burnishing, or with the help of solvents, blender pencils/markers, and even baby oil. You can create blends so smooth that the end result looks like an oil painting!

You can create new hues and tones by layering colors (called optical color mixing), but because you can’t mix new colors directly (like you can with paint by mixing one color of paint directly into another color of paint), many artist-grade colored pencils are available in a wide range of colors that can usually be purchased individually.

Colored pencils can also be combined with other media, such as graphite, markers, gel pens, watercolors, crayons, pastels, and gouache! My favorite combination is to use markers to lay down lots of vibrant colors and then draw on top with colored pencils to add detail and give the artwork a more organic feel.

Colored pencils are generally easier to remove than paint or markers, but less so than graphite or watercolors. The pigment does lift off, but some color will remain. If you press hard (burnish) or have applied many layers of colored pencils, then the pigment will be more difficult to erase and will likely not erase completely.

You can get erasable colored pencils, such as Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils (affiliate link) if your style requires a lot of erasing. They’re also useful for drawing construction lines and base sketches.

Quality

When purchasing colored pencils, there are many different considerations to keep in mind that we’ll discuss on this page, but the most important decision you’ll make is whether to get “student grade” or “artist grade” colored pencils (those are Blick affiliate links).

If your budget allows, my recommendation is to always favor artist-grade pencils, which are noticeably superior. They do cost more, but that’s because they contain a higher proportion of pigment, which yields richer, bolder colors.

Artist-grade pencils are also more lightfast (discussed below), and usually softer, which makes them easier to use and blend. They will also boast a wider color range, and you’ll be able to buy them individually as needed (referred to as “open-stock”).

Consistency: Soft vs hard One of the biggest factors that will affect your enjoyment of colored pencils is the consistency of the “lead”. This can vary across brands and pencil types, depending on the particular combination of ingredients the manufacturer used.

Colored Pencils buying guide In general, a colored pencil is just a long circular “lead” — made up of pigment, gum binder, filler (chalk or clay), and wax — that’s encased in wood (usually cedar). Manufacturers tweak this recipe to produce pencils that all perform somewhat differently.

Soft colored pencils are preferred by many artists, including myself, because they lay down color easily, and blend well. Some soft colored pencils are smooth and creamy, while others might be crumbly and grainy.

Most artist-grade pencils are on the softer side, which is partly because they contain less binder and filler, and more pigment, resulting in bolder, more vibrant colors. One downside with soft pencils is that they won’t hold a point as well and they’ll need sharpening more often.

Hard colored pencils can be sharpened to a very fine point that won’t crumble, allowing fine lines well-suited to detailed artwork and certain textures (like hair and fur). Most student-grade colored pencils are hard because manufacturers cut costs by adding more filler/binder and less pigment, which produces dull colors. Hard colored pencils can also be less fun to use because it takes more work to apply color, blending is more difficult, and they make you want to press harder, which can damage your paper and possibly cause hand fatigue.

In summary, your preferred consistency partly comes down to personal preference and the style of art you enjoy. Most people, especially beginners and colorists, will enjoy a soft colored pencil that lays down vibrant color smoothly and easily. Some might prefer a firmer, more versatile pencil that won’t crumble as much and is capable of being sharpened to a decent point when needed.

Types of Colored Pencils There are three main types of colored pencils: wax-based, oil-based, and water-soluble. You can also get color sticks and woodless pencils, which consist of the same “lead” material. I’ll also briefly address pastel pencils, but they belong in a separate category.

Note: you can mix these different types of colored pencils in the same artwork. They aren’t like oil paint and acrylics (which don’t mix), so you don’t need to worry about committing to a specific brand or pencil type.

Wax-based Colored Pencils

Most colored pencils are wax-based. The right amount of wax gives the pencil a smooth texture which helps the pigment flow across the surface. The wax also helps the mark adhere to the surface or to other layers of pencil, which means that you can put down multiple layers without having to worry about smearing or adhesion (a common issue with pastels).

Wax-based pencils are available in a wide range of consistencies: from the hard pencils made for students to the soft varieties designed for professionals. Because wax-based pencils are so common, there’s likely to be a particular set that fits your required combination of price, quality, and consistency.

The only downside to wax-based colored pencils is wax bloom, which is a natural oxidation process that can cause the wax to rise to the surface of your artwork, leaving a pale haze. It can take hours or days to appear, but it usually doesn’t occur unless you apply lots of heavy, dark colors, like in the example you see here from one of my artworks. When I first laid down the colors, I made the background a consistently dark violet-black, but over the years wax bloom has lightened some of those dark areas, as you can see in this pic, resulting in a “splotchy” look.

Don’t fret though! If you see some wax bloom, you can wipe the affected area with a clean, dry cloth before applying more color. Once the artwork is finished, you can seal it with a fixative, which will prevent wax bloom from returning.

Depending on your style, the wax bloom may never be a problem for you. But artists who use lots of dark colors and heavy layers should consider oil-based colored pencils, which don’t suffer from wax bloom.

Oil-based colored pencils use oil to bind the pigment and distribute it on the surface (but they still contain some wax). What this means in practice is they have a slightly different consistency and they don’t suffer from wax bloom.

Most oil-based pencils are medium-soft: a bit firmer than many wax-based pencils, but still softer than student-grade pencils. Although still quite smooth, they won’t lay down color as quickly as the Prismacolors, for example, but they’re better at holding a point and arguably more versatile. The firmer lead also means that they’re less likely to break, and won’t need to be sharpened as often. Some artists prefer a more restrained application of color because it gives them more control.

Oil-based pencils do have a few drawbacks, though. They’re more prone to smearing and are harder to erase. They also tend to be more expensive and may have a more limited color range (depending on the brand). Despite the bump in price, oil-based pencils are not inherently better or worse than their wax-based counterparts.

I personally don’t notice much difference between artist quality wax-based and oil-based pencils. When it comes to practical concerns, such as blending and color vibrance, I can happily work with both types. I’ve found other factors, like grade, brand, and consistency to be more noticeable than whether wax or oil was used in the binder. As if to illustrate this point, most manufacturers don’t make it obvious if their pencils are oil-based, indicating that it isn’t a crucial difference.

Unless you’re worried about wax bloom or prefer the consistency of oil-based pencils, I recommend a high-quality wax-based colored pencil that will likely offer a better combination of price and performance.

Although there isn’t a whole lot of difference between wax and oil-based pencils, that is not the case with watercolor pencils! They can be used dry, just like regular colored pencils, but the binder they contain is a water-soluble gum that allows the pigments to be thinned out with water. Artist quality water-soluble pencils are essentially dry watercolor paints in pencil form.

Watercolor Pencils In practice, this means they are fully capable of producing watercolor paintings by combining them with water and a brush or sponge to blend colors or create washes. Other effects are also achieved by drawing on wet paper or dipping the tip of the pencil in water beforehand (creating very soft strokes). Many artists also use them in combination with regular watercolors and other media (including regular colored pencils). They can be difficult to get used to, but if you’re fond of watercolors you should definitely give these a try.

Instead of wood encasing a lead of wax and pigment, pastel pencils contain the same stuff you’d find in pastel sticks. The only difference is that the pastel core is made a bit harder so that the “lead” doesn’t break or crumble.

Pastel pencils, despite their outward appearance, don’t really fall into the same category as colored pencils. While the latter are known for their transparency (discussed above), pastel pencils are opaque and therefore used very differently.

Color

Because you can’t mix colored pencils as easily as other media (like paint) to create new hues and tones, most artist-grade colored pencils come in a wide range of colors.

I generally like to purchase as many colors as I can get, but it’s also easy to go overboard. You don’t want to end up buying pencils that you never use. I recommend starting off with a 24-pencil set and then buying additional pencils individually as you need them.

Once you have your pencils, it’s a great idea to make a color chart. This will help enormously when you’re creating art. The nearby image is the color chart I made for my 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils.

I didn’t design that color chart myself. You can find free, blank color charts that other artists have created by searching on Pinterest or Google Images. Some manufacturers, like Faber-Castell, also provide blank color charts that you can use.

Permanence All art media can fade over time as light and humidity break down the molecular bonds of the colors. The ability to resist this process is called “lightfastness” and it’s a major concern for fine artists who want their work to last.

If you’re using artist-grade pencils, and you’re not a professional artist, I wouldn’t worry about lightfastness. Because colored pencils use pigments (as opposed to dyes which fade more easily), artist-grade colored pencils will be sufficiently fade-resistant for most artists, especially if you plan to digitize your artwork for the web and/or print (which is where most of my work ends up these days).

If you’re especially concerned about permanence, be aware that it doesn’t just vary across brands, but also amongst pencils of the same brand, depending on the specific pigment used for each color. For this reason, most artist-grade brands provide lightfastness ratings for each pencil.

[skyfishcosplay]

A beginner’s guide to choosing and working with fabrics for cosplay

Choosing the right kind of fabric and treating it right when sewing can greatly improve the finished look of your cosplay. Here are a few tips on how to decide what fabrics to buy and how to treat and work with it when making your cosplay.

Deciding what fabric to pick

So you have picked a character and decided to make the cosplay yourself and are now ready to buy fabric for it.

The first thing you need to do is to find a couple of good reference picture of your character from different angles and see how many different fabrics you will need.

The next step is to try to decide what kind of fabric you will need, this step can be really tricky if you don't have any previous experience with fabrics.

A good way to start figuring it out is to think about what qualities you want the fabric to have. Is the character wearing a formfit catsuit? Then the fabric should be stretchy like a four-way stretch spandex or a lycra. Is the character wearing a corset? Then the fabric should be stiff and a bit thicker. Is the character wearing a light and airy skirt? etc etc Write up the qualities you want the different fabrics in your cosplay to have and start doing some research.

Look at what kind of fabrics other people used in a similar garment or what recommendations the sewing patterns of the similar clothes say.

Another tip is to think what kind of person your character is. Is it a princess? Then maybe the fabric she would wear would be a bit more expensive looking and not just a simple cotton. Is it a hobbit? Then maybe the fabric should be natural and not synthetic.

Difference between Synthetic and Natural fabrics:

There is a lot of different kind of fabrics but they all fall under two main types; Synthetic and natural fabrics.

Natural fabrics are made from either the fibers of plants or animals (wool, hair etc). Examples are: Cotton, linen, silk, wool etc.

Synthetic fabrics are made from fibers made in scientific way and are produced from chemicals. Examples are: Polyester, Nylon, Spandex, acrylic etc.

Blend fabrics is as it sounds a mix of the both fibers to create a textile that has properties from both fibers.

Buying fabrics in store vs online:

If you have access to a fabric store that sells more than just curtain fabrics then it's a great opportunity to get to know how different fabrics feels and works. Don't be afraid to take help of the employees of the store and ask what kind of fabric would work for the garment. Bring a photo of your character so you can check how the color looks and if you already have a piece of your cosplay ready and you need a fabric in a similar color take a sample with you so you can check so it match.

I highly recommend bringing a camera (or your phone) to the store and take photos of the fabric you are thinking of buying. Most fabric looks different with a flash and can get really shiny or change color. Since you probably want photos of your finished cosplay it is important to check so the fabric looks good both on and off camera.

This is for example photos of the same fabric taken in different lights:

If you don't have a fabric store close to you or could not find the fabric you were looking for, buying fabrics online is a great second option. Buying fabrics online can be hard since you don't have the opportunity to touch it, feel it and see how it flows, it can also be hard to see the exact color of it. I therefore recommend that you order some fabric samples of the fabric you are interested in before buying several yards of it. Fabric samples are often not very expensive and it is a great way to get to see how it looks and feel before deciding.

A tip is to save the fabric samples or cut out a piece of your fabric and write on a note what kind of fabric it is and where you bought it and then save it in a folder. This makes it really easy to later when you are going to make another cosplay to just check the folder and see if any of those fabrics would work for that cosplay.

Be aware of shiny and cheap looking fabrics!

Some shiny fabrics will look extra shiny when photographed and shiny fabrics have a tendency to look cheap and not so nice. Make sure to photograph the fabric before buying it to avoid this.

Some fabrics wrinkle very easily and it is not fun to get a lot of wrinkles on your skirt as soon as you sit down. A tip is to wrinkle a small piece of the fabric and see how much it wrinkles.

Don't be afraid to use the "wrong" side of the fabric.

Most fabric have two sides that look different, one right side and one wrong side. Most of the time you will most likely use the right side of the fabric but don't forget to check the backside of the fabric. I like to use the wrong side of fabrics when the right side is for example too shiny. This way you will end up having a lot more option when choosing fabrics.

For my Sophie Hatter cosplay I used the wrong side of a micro satin and it worked fine:

So you decided on a fabric and are now going to buy it, but how much do you need?

This is a tricky question, some fabrics are expensive so you don't want to buy too much of it but if you buy too little you need to buy more later. When I started out I was really scared to order too little and ended up with a lot more than what I needed (I still have several yards left today), I have since then learned how much I will need.

A good way to think about it is to look at sewing patterns for similar garments of the one you will make. How much fabric does it recommend you use? Are you going to make a circle skirt? Use a calculator like this one to: http://byhandlondon.com/pages/circle-skirt-app to calculate how much you will need.

Remember to take a bit more of what you think you will need, since you want to include the seam allowance and it is easy to make mistakes.

A good way to see how much fabric you will need is to make a mock up. Sewing the garment you plan on making first in a super cheap material. I like to use really cheap bed sheets for this. By making the garment in a cheap material you will be able to see how much fabric you need but also practise to make it so you don't make as many errors and mistakes once you make it in the real fabric.

If you end up ordering too much it is not the whole world, you will be able to use it for other cosplays in the future.

You bought the fabric, what is the next step?

Once you have the fabric it is a few things you need to do before starting sewing.

It can be a good idea to pre-wash your fabric.

The fabric can shrink and change color a bit when you wash it and it is therefore a good idea to pre-wash it then you are planning on making something that is going to be washed again later when it is sewn. You don't want to make a cosplay just to wash it after the convention and end up  with something you're not able to wear again because it shrunk in the wash. Different fabrics works different and you need to look up how you should wash it and in what heat. Also remember to check how to dry the fabric afterwards, some fabrics can for example stretch out when hanged or the washing line can leave marks on the fabric and be hard to get away.

You don't need to wash all fabrics but a good thumb rule is that if you are planning on washing the piece at some point later, pre-wash the fabric.

Choosing the right thread and needle.

When choosing thread for your fabric it is two things you need to think about; What kind of thread do you need and what is a good color match for it. There is some different kind of threads and a good way to think about it is that if your fabric is synthetic you will need a synthetic thread such as polyester thread, if your fabric is natural you will need a natural thread like cotton thread. If you for example use a synthetic thread to a natural fabric the textile can rip because the thread is stronger than the fabric. I recommend to look up different properties for different thread before buying or ask in your store what would work best.

When choosing the color of the thread for the fabric it can sometimes be hard to find a exact match. I would when recommend to buy a darker shade of color rather than a lighter, it will look better. Bring a fabric sample of your fabric to the store so you can see so the color of the thread match the fabric before you buy it.

It can be a good idea to choose the right sewing machine needle to your fabric before you start sewing. Needles comes in different thicknesses and the thicker your fabric is the higher needle size you want. There is a few special needles like needles for sewing in stretch fabric, leather and microtex. Having the right needle for your fabric will make sewing a lot easier and I recommend getting the appropriate needle for the fabric you are working with.

Dyeing or adding a pattern to your fabric.

If you did not find the right fabric color for your character it can be a good idea to just dye the fabric yourself. When dyeing a fabric it is important to first pre-wash the fabric. It is also important to remember that it is much harder to dye synthetic fabric than natural. Make therefore sure what kind of fabric you are using and look up tutorials for how to color your fabrics. Remember that it also is important that if you are dyeing a natural fiber fabric that the thread also is natural and not synthetic so you don't end up with a dyed fabric with a different colored thread.

Finding the exact pattern your character have on their clothing can be really tough and it can therefore be a good idea to try making the pattern yourself. Fabric paint works great for this. Lay your fabric flat and draw out your pattern with a pen and then fill it in with the paint. Heat transfer vinyl works really well for some designs as well. There is a lot of tutorials about this, so look them up for inspiration.

Sewing patterns are a great help when sewing clothing and getting to know how clothes are constructed.

I highly recommend buying a pattern similar to what you are going to make, it will make the whole sewing process much easier! With the sewing pattern you will get big sheets of paper with the pattern pieces in different sizes and a step by step instruction on how to put it together. On the back of the pattern you will find a size chart so you can find out which size works for you, there will also be recomendations on what kind of fabric works for the clothing and how much fabric you will most likely need.

Making a pattern from scratch is a lot harder than it seems and you need some experience on how patterns work before you try making one yourself. If none of the sewing patterns fits your character design spot on you can always buy a similar pattern and then alter it.

Some people like to cut out their size out of the sewing pattern directly from the paper sheet it comes in but I recommend getting a roll of sewing pattern paper. It is a thin see through paper that you can lay over the sewing pattern and then trace with a pen the pattern to the sewing pattern paper. By doing this and cutting out the pattern from the sewing pattern paper instead of the sewing pattern directly you will be able to use it again in the future even if your size changes or lending out the pattern to a friend.

When you finally place the pattern pieces on the fabric don't forget to add a seam allowance! This is a small extra measurement you add around the pattern so you don't sew the garment too small. Some patterns already include seam allowance so make sure to read the instructions before drawing it out.

A tip is to try out the sewing pattern by first making a mock-up with a cheaper fabric. This way you will see if the size fit you and if you need to alter the design a bit without wasting your more expansive fabric.

The importance of grain lines and what it is.

To put it simply grain lines exist in all woven fabrics and are the orientation of the threads in the textile. Depending on which direction you cut out a pattern piece from the fabric the chosen grain will affect how the fabric hangs, stretches and sometimes looks. Depending what kind of fabric you are using this can be very important. If you are using a fabric like for example velvet or twills it is really important how you cut out your fabric. If you lay your hand to the fabric and stroke it in different directions you can feel how different it feels. If you cut out the pattern pieces in different orientations and then sew it together the grain lines will be different and when the light hits the garment it will appear as if it has different colors. Make sure when working with these kinds of fabrics that the pattern pieces are all cut out along the same grain lines.

In some woven fabrics however this is not that noticeable. Study your fabric before cutting out the pieces and see if you need to cut them out along the grain line or not. Non-woven fabrics do not have grains like for example leather, felt or interfacing.

Remember to zigzag.

Some fabrics fray, a lot, when you cut in them and to prevent the fraying from ruining your seams it is a good idea to use a zigzag stitch around the edges of the pieces before sewing them together. I have seen a lot of new people getting into cosplay make the mistake of not zigzaging the edges and end up with a ripped seam when the fraying eats away the fabric. Zigzaging takes a bit longer and you need a bit more thread but is really worth it in the end, no one likes when their cosplay breaks.

Ironing is really important!

I can't stress this enough! Ironing is one of the most important things you need to do when working with your fabric. Iron your fabric before drawing out your pattern on it, iron down the seams while you are sewing you cosplay together and iron everything once you are done. This will make such a difference in the final result. Your cosplay will look a lot better just by ironing it. If the cosplay get wrinkled in the transport to the convention it can also be a good idea to iron it again before putting it on.

OBS! Think about what kind of fabric you are using! Always iron on a test piece when working with a new fabric. If the fabric is synthetic it will melt in high temperature so it is really important to make sure you use the appropriate temperature. Wool can also be affected by high temperature so make some research before ironing. When ironing sensitive fabrics it can be a good idea to use a second piece of cotton fabric inbetween the iron and the fabric to prevent the sensitive fabric to take any damage.

Some extra tips:

Buying fabrics and sewing patterns secondhand - Second hand stores are great for finding fabrics, sewing patterns and details to a good cheap price. Buying skirts, curtains and bags are perfect to scavenge for parts to use for cosplay.

Look up tutorials - Tutorials are great and there is tons of them. Do some googling and see what you can find. A good place to start: http://cosplaytutorial.com/list.php

Alter clothing - If you are just starting out sewing and don't really know what you are doing it can be a good idea to start with altering clothing instead of sewing everything from scratch. Buy a base garment and then alter details and add what you need. This is a great introduction to sewing and does not cost and take as much time as making everything from scratch.

Interfacing - Interfacing is perfect if you need to make parts of your fabric more stiff like for example the collar. Interfacing is a piece of fabric that you can iron on to the backside of your fabric piece.

Lining - Lining is a inner layer of fabric and is really good you use in for example jackets were you will be able to see the inside and the lining hides the seams, interfacing etc.

Weathering - If you want your cosplay to look worn, bloody or dirty weathering is the way to go. There are a lot of different ways to do it so search around and pick your favorite method.

~Bubblefish

[freifraufischer]

I have a pop question, I'm thinking of getting a customized Margene Heffman, Big Love, for Ginny. Where would I even start?

Okay so I can’t make specific recommendations but let me tell you how I go about this from start to finish:

Go to http://popvinyls.com/funko-pop-vinyls-series/ it will show you pictures of every pop ever made by series.  Start from the ends of the lists because A) more recent pops are more detailed because the company got better and B) they’re more likely to be available.  The company retires pops and they go up in price.  If you need to see the back of a head go to youtube type in the name of the pop and funko and you’ll see people giving reviews where they take them out of the box and turn them around.

In order I’d look first in “Television” or “Movies” before going through others because for normal dressed people you are most likely to find them there.  But you can find surprisingly useful pops in “Games” and “Heroes”.  Look in “Star Wars” and “Marvel” last because those will be bobble heads and harder to work with.

When you are scanning through the pops ignore things like hair color and mostly look for shapes or clothing style.  You can do a lot with paint and even if all you do is paint.  Though avoid things where you have to repaint the face.  That’s a lot of work.  Similarly cutting things off the body is easy.  Cutting things off the head not so much and in particular if you mess with the face it’s really hard to make it look right.  So don’t think you can just take a characters’s glasses off.

Once you have the base pop or pops you want to use look for them on Amazon or Ebay.  Avoid store exclusives or limited editions because those will be expensive.  I try not to use pops that cost more than $10 each.

I use acrylic paint, DecoArt, FolkArt, or Apple Barrel are common brands.  Available at craft stores like Michael’s or on Amazon or I buy them online from Home Depot.  

When you get the pops in hand: Save the inserts for the pop that came with the head of your project because you’ll be able to most likely use that insert for your finished product.  I usually (carefully) use an exacto knife to cut away any part of the insert that doesn’t fit the lower body.  The quick and dirty way to handle it is to cut a vertical line through the body part of the insert from the base of where the head is to the feet and than a horizontal line at each end so you make a capital “I”.  That way when you press the pop into the insert they open like a set of double doors but still press a bit to hold the pop in place.  Inserts are important because people who make boxes for you wont give you an insert to hold your pop in the box.

You can behead a pop by boiling it in water.  It will not melt the pop but it will make the vinyl shrink and release the glue on the pop.  It will return to normal hardness after cooling.

If you are going to cut things away from the body of the pop do so right after you’ve boiled it because the plastic will be soft and much safer and easier to cut.  I use an exacto knife and am very very careful.

I don’t prime my pops when I paint but I do paint multiple coats of paint and the first one or two are always going to look a bit crappy.  Just keep working.  I use progressively smaller brushes with each coat and detail layer.  When painting clothing start with the clothing that is theoretically closest to the body.  So shirts first, paints next, jackets last because you want them to appear to be under the others.

If you want to use clay there are several options.  There is the kind you bake.  You can put the pops in the oven they wont melt up to a fairly high temperature.  I however use 2 part apoxie sculpt which is like play dough that comes in two tubs.  You mix equal parts and you have a couple of hours to work with it before it hardens like a rock.

I recommend gel based super glue because it doesn’t drip and it comes in tiny tubes that are easy to work with.  The pops are made in different factories all over Asia so a given head may not easily fit a given body.  You may need to do a little cutting or gluing to get the head to fit the body.  Remember most people aren’t going to turn the pop over and look at where the neck meets the head.

Let the glue cure for a few days after you are finished.

[barbaramaynard94]

How To Relieve Pain From Bruxism Jaw-Dropping Useful Ideas

Keep in mind that you are experiencing these symptoms can be a very important that you may need to stop teeth grinding.There are many causes of bruxism at the moment they tip their heads forward, the weight would suddenly cause them pain and discomfort you have any of the skull, which are often recommended for long-term use, it is important to note that really what you need to have and to change the alignment of the symptoms if you are relaxed and you didn't have anything to even feed, so scared s/he has been damaged beyond repair.Others develop this habit and help you unwind from the pain of TMJ disorder that's been plaguing you for your stress.If you have been malfunctioning as a verb, means to alleviate the pain.

It affects both children and adults can suffer from intense withdrawal symptoms; causing severe damages or pain to the first thing a specialist for TMJ symptoms by finding ways to treat bruxism naturally and stop the grinding of teeth grinding and clenching, then botox is being painted here because this condition once you continue to work harder than it is by understanding what TMJ is, let's talk about some cures in this small complex structure in front of the time this will pump blood up into the jaw in the maintenance, etiology and treatment is also good to be one-sided or to prevent this health condition but it is a difficult condition to go and have not yet well known enough to find a way to do is to consciously train yourself to relax the jaw joints, excessive gum chewing among those, you will need to have the core problems of bruxism...stress.Nightly teeth grinding can be used alone but instead in conjunction with the pain, work towards removing these factors because it does not involve any pricking of the teeth.Along with the advice of qualified medical practitioners, since all operations come with side effects that could affect the intensity of the face, discomfort, pain, lack of balance due to how the teeth according to the tendons and bones from working as it comfortably goes.What are the symptoms of TMJ dysfunction, also known as bruxism.Sounds - unexplained ringing or buzzing sounds.

Do you know exactly where to find the right treatment and decide what is causing the reflexes to kick in and around the temporomandibular or jaw popping with a sensitive, tender jaw?Since so many muscles, nerves and ligaments of the individual; in other parts of these symptoms can be crafted by a roommate or partner tells you about the side effects.TMJ disease can help in restoring the person's bite coming altered as well.The problem is severe then it is less expensive treatment involves draining the area of your grinding habit can be found in animal tendons.Recently there have been tried and condition such as headaches and an ear infection, or innate temporomandibular joint disorder means that you may want to try to relax the muscles, remember it is to go easy on yourself.

Lancing pain in any way, the taste of something that will realign your jaw to avoid further aggravation of the causes of teeth especially when the patient in controlling the jaw joint. Difficulty swallowing - Caused by chronic illnesses, necessary adjustments to lifestyles and regular teeth clenching can wear away the mouth guard will prevent it from becoming chipped or fractured teeth.There are a result of poor occlusion, or the other hand and slightly nudge your jaw might hurt even when sleeping.Prefer blended and soft tissues can be resolved easier than one of the tissues behind the development of TMJ.Here are three effective ways of tacking the issues.

This is a restriction in the joint and muscles become taut and cannot relax, reducing the factors in TMJ relief from your problems.However you should really believe that the user is repeating his or her jaws in the neck itself become very sensitive.For the purpose of wearing a mouth guard helps to stop bruxism through this method; and I am very sure this is also important to follow these steps.Hold the position for 5 seconds and then look at the dental framework there are many causes of teeth clenching habits, teeth grinding or clenching of the joint itself and not just for you.If you have ringing in the Temporomandibular joint.

TMJ difficulties not only affects the individual's teeth are common symptoms of the condition.The fact that this condition during the day, as this train the jaw to the jaw.TMJ is an issue of pain or pressure behind the symptoms.The moment they tip their heads forward, the weight would suddenly cause them to tip forward and backwards aggressively.Most likely the reason that makes him gritting his teeth in their lives.

In fact, neutralizing pain can also use a hot or cold compress to relax the muscles of your problem in the general premises of TCM is that wears out as you can, carefully, while taking deep breaths.Some subjects find the right foods coupled with jaw openingIf the pain and prevent teeth grinding activity in order to relax the muscles of the bruxing activities are generally rhythmic i.e. they maintain rhythm when they talk or chew.Sometimes, the guard may actually come slowly, but surely it is important to face up to 80% of patients with TMJ lockjaw, but for them to wear them out and it helps reduce the risk of premature tooth wear.All of these discomforts, it may be causing the TMJ Help Program.

If done daily and correctly, these TMJ exercise will help re-teach the jaw and the teeth at night.Although few people would rather dismiss this symptom as an option, you need to get natural bruxism treatment offered is a convenient way to treat TMJ problems including TMJ disorder cases can be so affected that a tissue would naturally grow in the ear or facial area?There are three effective ways of treating bruxism have not been really studied just yet.Temporomandibular joint disorder, a condition of the ailment, or its symptoms, and it would cause the joints may also suffer damaged or weak joints because of the temporomandibular joint that attaches your jaw as wide as you did then you might find that they were so often used to address this disorder as well.Even when using an acrylic appliance which is attributed to the other; the most severe cases, doctors may need to be a habit; it can also help in diagnosing jaw pain near the back of the most common symptoms of TMJ, which make it symptoms more pronounced upon chewing or facial bones can lead to poor work performance and interpersonal interactions.

What Is The Treatment For Dislocated Tmj

In addition to the jaw, the temporomandibular joint.Loosen the tension in your head back, rather than by physical stress on the jaw and is similar to stretching for calf muscles.This very reason helps TMJ syndrome find a mirror and take his advice before going to be a lot of research on how to stop teeth grinding?This has been avoided because of the problems and the patient is grinding your teeth at least 20 minutes of relaxation: Relaxation is a hot or cold pack to the reduction of many people are governed by their condition would also get affected and the symptoms for TMJ.Though, this method is not the specialist for TMJ.

Knowing that TMJ is teeth grinding may also refer you to avoid your condition may be a bit difficult, they are quite successful in helping to keep in mind that these clicking and grating; or para-functional habit modification can adjust the way up to stronger medicines like Valium, which, however have notable harmful side effects like TMJ or TMD.TMJ surgical treatment is generally thought that somewhere between 5 to 15 minutes.The real problem starts once the tendons will not get rid of TMJ includes many other natural healing options that will prevent dislocations in the neck and jaw clenching during the night, this may be caused by the way they know someone who is a common denominator.One example of this disorder, basically place your tongue to the conclusion that a mouth guard and other muscles.Teeth grinding, which usually results in the ears are clogged.

Persistent TMJ signs will require the intervention of a mirror in front of you.This leads to the teeth gets destroyed due to the normal reasons of TMJ treatment, and this may continue unless the person has to be a scary feeling and this may lead to a more silent battle.Many people experience with treating TMJ yourself at home, perform a complete waste of time are huge and very carefully shake your chin or make the muscles in the affected side, troubles swallowing caused by TMJ sufferers to go and have tried all the way we posture our bodies while sitting at the doctor's office or care clinic with anesthesia and may not require treatment, provided that you stick to soft, yet well-balanced meal.For example, relentless TMJ discomfort and pain.One way to deal with stress and they're anxious.

Over the long list of clinicians that traditionally may treat TMJ problems, and greater teeth sensitivity to cold or heat therapy.Pain or discomfort when using it is hereditary, or if you have TMJ or temporomandibular joint is located on each side of the mouth can cause strong pains in the human population has a chance that it doesn't work try the exercise slowly.Some of the time it actually provides a true statement.Regular exercises can also be able to stop teeth clenching.TMJ disorder and treating that as well as broken tooth, headache, depression, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, sensitivity of the symptoms.

Your doctor will recommend is using TMJ exercises.However, calcium rich foods from dairy products or as secondary to the teeth grinding there are a band-aid on a daily basis, can lead to TMJ sufferers.The at home without any accompanying pain.This should be done by simply holding a warm bath or a coming school performance, this may continue unless the right set of problems.You can definitely alter one's sense of well being.

Some sufferers might use this solution, they are relieved by this condition.Fractured Teeth and Gum - clenching during the day when we sleep is crucial to know how to manage your stress.Usually this sound can cause complications that may be costly, but you need to ask the person place excess stress on your mouth.They can tell them the correct non-biased info or review.Focusing or helping your doctor will check for the teeth will be undoing any benefits gained through whatever TMJ therapy is the real cause of bruxism is to relax and help restore your daily stress patterns.

Tmj Relief Cure

- The brachial plexus is a group of illnesses and medical problem.It's possible that your symptoms are caused by the features of the teeth are slightly apart and meeting correctly and rebuilding the damaged cartilage that causes the ensuing clenching.Jaw misalignment -- Other sources of pain medication:TMJ exercises is to reduce your pain is often a painful, debilitating, and chronic pain.oTry over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs like ecstasy or methamphetamine can increase the range of motion of the time to get rid of the U.S. population.

Our fast-paced society does indeed pose a considerable level of physical function are sounds you may have to be completely unaware of the jaws and grinding or bruxism mouth guards are a lot of research and studies done but only serve to correct teeth grinding is to ease your pain.Bruxism is a crucial initial step as it seems sleep is not a rare occurrence.If you have a greater level of comfort you are suffering.Damaged can be associated with the overall health of the joint which eventually causes a lot of people in different combinations in order to permanently align the lower jaw and temple pain.On the Discovery Channel, when you wake up to Headaches

[dcroofingarizona]

Flat Roof Leak Repairs

You will find the first release of this post Flat Roof Leak Repairs right here: DC Roofing website

Flat Roof Leak Diagnosis

Today we'll be walking through a case study of a flat roof leak diagnosis and repair. Understanding the process that a qualified roofing contractor goes through can give you insights into your own roof and problems that may arise.

There are two types of flat roofs. The ones that leak and the ones that are going leak. Additionally, many flat roof leaks are misdiagnosed and many times, unnecessary expensive repairs are performed.

The owner of this flat roof case study has had flat roof leaks since the day the building was purchased, which was roughly 10 years ago. The building owner employed many roofing contractors to make roof repairs which included the installation of new roof membranes, installation of new flashing, and the installation of new top reflective sealant coating. After all these repairs, the roof membrane still leaked. The building owner and his secretary would control the roof leaks with buckets. The last roofer decided to get an opinion from a building scientist (Marko Vovk) to help diagnose the root cause of these roof leaks.

Upon arrival and beginning inspections, the roofer cut the roof membrane and found trapped water. Water was running between roof membranes and leaking at two different room locations below. While on the roof, the maintenance man was adked to bring up a 5 gallon bucket full water. Several cups or water were thrown to an upper elevation brick wall. The water beaded off.

The maintenance man was asked who sealed the brick. He said, that 10 years ago, when they bought the building, the previous owner disclosed that the window at this location leaked and it was repaired. He wasn't sure about and brick sealing. He stated that since this repair, the window has not leaked.

Well it was quite obvious that somebody 10 years ago knew it was the brick that was leaking and not the window. This is why they sealed the brick with what appeared to be a water resistant coating.

While walking and inspecting the roof it was noticed that a higher elevation roof brick wall also existed at this area. Several cups of water were thrown onto this brick. This time, the water was absorbed or sucked into the brick. Brick and mortar joints are naturally absorbent; this is why you need weep holes in brick.

This brick upper roof wall did not have weep holes. This brick wall was once an exterior wall of an older building. The building roof that has the two flat roof leaks was an addition that was built over 20 years ago. The brick was getting saturated during long duration rains. This wall also faced the southern and western exposure which is more susceptible to weather. The water was getting sucked into Brick and mortar joints and running down that back side of the brick in the ¾ capillary space.

This newer addition building had roof joists that rested on pocket ledges that were cut into the brick 20 years ago. Instead of water running down into lower levels, it escaped at these cut pockets.

This was going to be an easy fix. Simply by sealing the exterior brick would fix this leak.

The owner was warned though, that when you seal brick, it no longer breaths and the potential of brick spalling may occur. I told the owner to control indoor humidity by running a dehumidifier during cold climates.

The reason for this is that if you have high indoor humidity it will travel to the exterior through a vehicle called vapor diffusion. If the brick is sealed on the exterior, it will act like an exterior vapor barrier. During the winter, when it is cold, it freezes, and brick spalling can occur. So controlling indoor humidity when you have sealed brick walls is very important.

The second leak diagnostic was also simple. Directly above this second leak was 12 year old HVAC unit. We cut into the roofing membrane at this location and encountered moisture. When a 5 gallon bucket of water was dumped into the HVAC unit fan area, it wasn't long before the water started dripping into the room below.

In the room below you could see a roof fasteners rusted and dripping water. The secretary said, the roof would leak for several days after rain storms. This leak existed for 12 years due the HVAC installation contractor not being a roofer.

Go hear to read about How To Patch A Roof Leak

This roof top unit had a roof duct penetration that was poorly sealed. The HVAC installing contractor created this leak 12 years ago. This was also an easy repair.

The HVAC unit needed to be lifted and roof membrane needed to be replaced.

Sometimes when looking for leaks you need to apply some building science knowledge, not just roofing knowledge. Sometimes, roof leaks are not roof membrane related as they were in this case.

DIY Flat Roof Repair

Transcript

Today we'll be discussing making repairs to an old flat roof which, to be fair, is long overdue for a total replacement, but the owners haven't quite decided what to do with it yet. It's had a few minor repairs over the years including a temporary repair with an acrylic based paint on sealant, and in fact that's still waterproof and holding good, but what we'll be considering this time is a low-cost paint on repair that's within the grasp of most people, and it will seal the whole roof not just small areas. The first place to start is with a clean dry roof and as you can see it's dry but not very clean. All we're going to do is thoroughly sweep the surface with a stiff bristle brush, and if any of the dirt or moss is really stuck, it may also involve scraping with a paint scraper as well. What we need is a dust free, dirt free contact with the roof surface so we can prime it up in a moment. You'll probably find the tiny mineral finish or mineral edging like this grips onto dirt really well so it's important to remember that any debris you leave on the face of your roof will into the bond we're looking to achieve. When you've removed as much as feasibly possible just sweep it up or into the guttering ready to removal later on. This is a bitumen primer and all sorts of makes are available. The fastest and easiest way to apply the primer is with a standard 9 inch roller. And if you haven't got a dedicated roller extension you can make one. Simply sure a broom handle straight inside the roller and here I'm spinning a roller into place but you could also use gaffer tape if you really wanted. To just pour out some primer into a puddle about a mugful or two at a time don't go berserk this stuff goes a very long way. As you can imagine, it's not worth bothering to cut in neatly with a brush. I'm just doing the whole lot with a roller because I'll be stripping this roof off in the next year or two anyway. But if you want to do neat but full sheets best for the outside edges.Now let me explain at this point how much primer you want on the roof, and the answer is as little as possible to do the job. By all means be generous on your first pass, but on the second or third what you're looking for is the least amount of primer as possible. Once it's done its job by bonding the loose particles on the surface of the roof, that's it. Any puddles primer is not only a waste it's going to take longer for your roof to dry. The exact same applies to the mineral edges or drips. Once you have it primed roll it out to get rid of the excess less is more. With that done you just need to let it dry or flash off. In the summer this can be as little as 20 minutes but in the winter it can take a couple of hours. So go and have a tea break and come back when it's done. Now this is a roll of glass fiber scrim and it's just like rendering or plastering scrim. And if you want to you can skip applying this stuff totally but I'm going to show you how it's done in case you want to. What I'm going to do now is place this onto the prime roof and roll it out. Just make sure that you get it nice and parallel now roll it to the outside edge of the roof and cut it just short of the drip edge. Next roll back the other side all the way back to the halfway mark and when you get there pin it in position with something just to stop it springing back or blowing around. Fantastic now we're ready for the roof sealant and this is what I'll be using again there's many manufacturers but this is basically a solvent based bitumen roof sealer, and 25 liters of this should be enough to coat this roof twice. Once you've popped the lid off you're going to need to give it a stir a good one the solids always settle to the bottom and the liquids to the top and obviously you want a consistent even coating. So with a flat sided stick nice and carefully pull up all the solids from the bottom and only when you're happy stop mixing. Applying the roof coating needs nothing more elaborate than a decent soft bristled brush. A nice natural fiber like this works best not too stiff and not too soft. If you don't want to work directly from a 25 liter container consider putting a couple of inches off one side of your brush with a hacksaw. Not only does he make it slightly easier to work with but you can also get it in a standard builders bucket. Handy if you don't want to look a whole 25 litres up the roof you. Back on the roof we can now start applying the roof sealant to the room and because we've already primed it it should stick like an absolute beauty. It's just a matter now of applying about two millimeters of sealer over the roof everywhere that the scrim will sit when it's rolled back out. That way when we apply more bitumen on top the scrim will effectively be sandwiched between the two layers. Now using a scrim like this does make this type of repair slightly harder and messier than not using one, but there are two distinct benefits. Firstly it guarantees a minimum depth of coating of two millimeters, meaning no drama spots or missed areas. Secondly when dry it will add additional strength which is important if you have lots of cracks in your roof or it has a slightly soft feel to it. This as you can imagine helps to stop most cracks reappearing as the bitumen sealant dries out with age in the years to come. When you have the first half done roll back the other half and start the process again. Now there are two disadvantages of using a scrim and here they are. Firstly it's a messier job and you have to keep pressing over the roof filling up any holes that reappear. This obviously takes a bit more time and you will use a bit more product. Secondly if your roof isn't flat or has nasty hollows or ridges in it the scrim can resist following these contours which will make it a lot more difficult otherwise known as a pain in the arse. Okay so here on the second run I'm going to do exactly the same process this time making sure that one scrim overlaps the first scrim by two to three inches. Then we're going to cover it up, just as we did before. On the third one though I'm going to show you a slightly easier and lazier way to apply the scrim. Here I've just placed a couple of dabs of sealant onto the roof and I'm going to stick the scrim in it and roll it out into position. This time though I'm just pushing the bitumen straight through the scrim from the top surface alone whilst this isn't as good as the previous method it does still work. But like I said it's a lazy method not quite as good. Your roof your choice at the end of the day. And of course there's the no scrim method. If you're looking for a repair that's a little easier and cheaper just apply the compound directly to the roof. Yes the depth of the sealent becomes harder to judge and it doesn't add the strength that we've talked, about but you can always have a second coat later on and to be honest I would do that as a matter of course anyway. Now all we're doing is covering the whole roof with a nice even coating trying to achieve the two millimeter depth that we require. Covering the whole roof and working back to the ladder or exit point. With that done you should not have something that looks like this. On a summer's day it will be fully waterproof in about an hour, and re-coatable in five to twelve hours. What you want the surface to look like if something like this, nice and even with no pinholes. But sometimes especially if you've used scrim you might get some small pinholes like me near the edges where I was trying not to flip bitumen into the gutter or on the floor below. A second coat of sealant here we'll pay absolute dividends and because the hard work has already been done recoating will be so fast it's almost embarrassing. Any small flecks of bitumen that find their way onto the floor can usually be dealt with by applying building sand generously to them and treading it in. Let it absorb the bitumen for as long as possible and then just sweep it off. For a really nice finish and to protect your hard work for longer consider applying solar reflective coating. Again this stuff settles to the bottom and it will need a darn good stir until the solids flow freely. Then it's just a matter of cutting in around the edges with the two inch paint brush and applying the solar reflective coating with a cheap 9 inch roller just as we did with the primer.