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stepphase · 4 years ago

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Looking for some cool noise canceling in small bluetooth headphones? Here's a small glimpse of original version

Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro

The hero of the review is an example of how something very, very interesting can be hidden behind a rather cumbersome and unfamiliar name - Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro

For example, inexpensive TWS headphones with active noise cancellation and the ability to analyze your hearing. And also add to this the wireless charging of the case and a bunch of nice tricks that make listening to music much easier.

Why Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro?

Finding fancy yet completely wireless earbuds is tricky. In mid-priced models, they can easily save on case materials or noise cancellation. Models with a full "stuffing" of technologies will cost as a medium-sized smartphone.

Not the most pleasant situation, I agree. But there is a way out: for example, you should look for headphones not from smartphone manufacturers. After all, for this there are those companies that have specialized in sound for years. Anker is very well versed in sound quality. Although not promoted like many brands.

HOW MUCH IS IT COST AND WHERE TO BUY

Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro Specifications

Type of emitters : dynamic, PureNote Resistance : 16 ohm Diaphragm of emitters : 11 mm frequency range : 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz Bluetooth version : 5.0, SBC, AAC Battery life : 7 hours on a single charge, 26 hours with a case Microphone : 6 pcs, active noise cancellation Price : Find Out Current Price And Discount

Appearance

The decision not to use gloss was good for the headphones. Nice matte plastic and a neat silver insert make the headphones stand out well from others. While others strive for minimalism where it is not always needed, Anker does it in its own way.

Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro

From the front, it may seem that the headphones are angular and will not be very comfortable to sit in your ears. However, on the reverse side, a triumph of streamlined forms awaits you. Why is there such a difference between the front and back? It's simple. The front gray bar is the touchpad that you need to control playback and volume. It seems that a flat surface is much more convenient for all these sensory manipulations than a cylindrical one.

The anatomical shape of the body made it possible not to resort to the use of additional silicone tips for fixing the earphone inside the auricle. So in the Liberty Air 2 Pro you only have to deal with the ear pads. By the way, there are as many as nine pairs of them in the kit. So, there will be no problems with the selection of the optimal size. This is a plus.

The ear pads themselves are not firmly attached to the headphones, but rather tightly. Should not fly at a random moment. Reliability of fastening here is achieved by the fact that the ear pads consist of two parts. The first is made of soft silicone and it is she who will be in contact with the ear canal. The second part is more rigid, more difficult to stretch. And all this allows it to more confidently hold on to the plastic.

The indication has not been removed anywhere, it is in place. To understand that the headphones are turned on and ready to use, you can use a barely noticeable LED, which is mounted directly under one of the microphones in the upper part of the case. And, despite its size, it is quite bright - the LED is visible even in sunny weather.

Case

Not every headphone case deserves a separate paragraph. But in this case, you cannot do without it.

During all two weeks of testing, the materials used caused me a tactile delight. To the touch, the plastic on the outside is somewhat similar to a soft-touch, but the soft-touch itself is, nevertheless, a little more velvety.

Immediately the texture is smooth. Although if you look at the surface of the case, you can get cognitive dissonance. This is due to the visual texture, which looks like the texture of the stone, which is slightly different from what your fingers feel. And no, not only the visual texture here resembles a stone. The neutral gray color and the shape of the case help with this.

The opening of the lid here does not happen like everyone else, but with the help of a shift. Yes, yes, that very slider design, painfully familiar to all of us from old (and not so) phones. Its movement is pleasant, the lid does not dangle and there is a practical benefit from this form factor - if the case falls, the headphones will remain inside.

For the price at which these headphones are sold, one might not expect support for the Qi standard. However, Anker did not forget about wireless charging, and now the case can be charged not only through the Type-C port, but also directly from your smartphone, if it supports reverse charging, of course.

The convenience of use

In the first paragraph, I already wrote that the anatomical shape of the body is comfortable for the ears. However, the convenience of wireless headphones isn't just about the way they fit in your ears. How the headphones are connected to your equipment also plays a big role here.

Alas, not all of them can do it quickly and, most importantly, always. And with the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro, everything is simple: take out the headphones and they are immediately picked up by the last used device. You don't have to press anything at all. Got it out and use it.

Soundcore App

The Soundcore application also helps in customizing the headphones. After installation, a full-fledged headphone control center, and not two buttons with an equalizer, as is the case with some famous competitors.

And if everything is clear with the setting of touch buttons, noise reduction modes and “skipping” of external sound (pressed and working), then you will have to spend a few minutes setting HearID. The fact is that in this mode the headphones will determine the sensitivity of your hearing in certain frequency ranges, after which they will create a preset with the most appropriate settings. You will be required to enter your age, and during testing, press the confirmation button when you start to hear a sound.

Noise suppression

In general, two microphones are enough for an active noise driver. But bigger is better, so Anker decided to use three microphones in one earphone at once, which gives more effective noise reduction in a variety of conditions.

The user can choose from three ready-made noise reduction modes:

Outdoors (reducing the sound level of the surrounding urban environment); Indoors (elimination of voices and midrange noise in rooms); Transport (low frequency noise reduction).

There is, of course, also a custom mode, but it is not easy to set up, so it is better to use something from the ready-made presets. The first two do their job well, but the most useful of them is the mode for use in transport.

The sounds of the Moscow subway are processed to a good level, leaving you with only a few high frequency sounds. If you go to school or work every morning by public transport, then these headphones should be your salvation from the rest of the world.

Two pairs

And as befits almost any TWS earbuds, the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro can use their microphones for more than just noise cancellation and voice communications. All microphones in the same application can be switched to skip external sounds. A useful thing if you need to understand what is happening outside. After all, even passive noise isolation is at a good level here (provided that the ear cushions are correctly selected, of course).

Sound

The first thing that I involuntarily drew attention that- distinct bass and sub-bass sounds. Low frequencies do not turn into an incomprehensible mess and do not overlap the rest. The same goes for the rest of the frequencies. The sound is well detailed, even those musical parts that you simply will not hear in headphones of a class a little lower are clearly audible.

This is facilitated by not the simplest design of the headphones, although it would seem that they are ordinary TWS plugs. Above the drivers, there are as many as ten hardened nano-plates, which increase the frequency coverage and increase the clarity of the reproduced sounds.

Yes, someone would like to see support for LDAC and aptX codecs in these headphones, but for everyday use (videos on YouTube, music from streaming services), even the standard SBC codec will be enough. And do not forget that the headphones use Bluetooth 5.0 with not the smallest bandwidth.

Autonomy

From a single charge, the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro can work for about seven to eight hours, despite the fact that all this time you will be using a rather energy-intensive noise reduction mode. This agrees with what the manufacturer promises, but in fact, you will rarely come across headphones discharged to zero, because they charge impressively quickly in the case.

Complete Wire

It was like this: The main thing is to charge the case on time. And it's good that you often don't have to do this. A fully charged case can provide a total runtime of 26 hours. Good result for compact TWS headphones.

Conclusion

Anker has managed to make some of the best TWS headphones in its price segment. Yes, and finding competitors is decisively difficult when headphones are cheaper than the con flagship class, but in fact offer a full set of all kinds of functions that you will not find in more expensive models during the day.

HOW MUCH IS IT COST AND WHERE TO BUY

The active noise cancellation is at a good level, the volume reserve is large, and even 7 hours without a case is an excellent result. What else do you need from fully wireless headphones?Also if you like this article or having any suggestions feel free to tell us.

#Stepphase #technologies #technology #tech #technews #techworld #techtrends #smartphone #apple #techupdates #futuretechnology #newtech #techgeek #technologynews #technologythesedays #smarttechnology #technologylover #technologytrends #technologyblog #gadgets #smartphone #gadget #marketing #digital #india #technologyisawesome #amazing #repost

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worldbestdiy · 4 years ago

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DIY | How to Decorate With Metallics in the Bedroom | DIY | How to Decorate With Green

DIY Projects | How to Decorate With Green inspiring ideas DIY

DIY | How to Decorate With Metallics in the Bedroom | Creative DIY Project Ideas Are you ready to give your home a quick update? We are loving furniture and decor with metallic accents. Give your home a subtle Accessorize sparingly: too much metallic can be overwhelming so go for one stand out piece as the headlining embellishment in the room.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

It’s Time to Decorate With Metallics in the Bedroom

Almost every decorating style benefits from a little touch of bling — shiny metallics that add light, glamour, and a touch of luxe to the bedroom.

As with most strong decorative elements, however, a little bit of metallic goes a long way.

So whether you only want a hint of metal, or you want an entire wall of shine, these ten bedrooms will show you how to do metallic right.

If you’re going to use wallpaper on an accent wall, you might as well put the emphasis on “accent.” This gorgeous metallic wallpaper overlays a pale silver base with gold, bronze, and pewter leafy fronds.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

It’s dramatic, yet not overbearing. If you don’t like mixed metals, there are many single-metal wallpapers available that are equally lovely.

Wow! The design might be simple, but the bright copper of this bed is a showstopper.

The copper drawer pulls and the bedside lamp ties the space together and adds further shine to a room that is actually very simply furnished. The fuzzy white pendant lights add a touch of whimsy, while the gleaming comforter is a final touch of bling in a room that combines glamour and minimalism beautifully. This Moroccan-inspired bedroom has plenty of exotic charm, but it’s the metallic gold curtains framing the matte gold, ornately-carved screen at the head of the bed that make it look like the sleeping quarters of a Moroccan princess. Golden curtains might be a bit too much for most bedrooms, but neutral curtains with a metallic design would work in any room. One of the most traditional styles of bed, particularly in cottage, country or coastal décor, is a brass bed. Although this warm metal fell out of favor for a while after the shiny excesses of the 1980s, it’s back in a big way. If a brass bed isn’t your style, it’s still very easy to work this versatile metal into your bedroom — look for picture frames, curtain rods, or a sunburst mirror.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

Mixing contemporary style with retro glamour, this bedroom shows how to do silver right.

The oversize tufted headboard, with its pale silver upholstery that complements the bed, is luxurious enough on its own.

but by adding in the silver mirrored bedside tables, silver lamps, and silvery-gray wallpaper, this bedroom takes glamour to a whole new level.

With an unexpected palette of brown, black, and aqua, this bedroom is already lovely. But it’s the two golden poufs at the foot of the bed that really add the “Wow!” to space.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

Add a touch of bling to your own bedroom with a similar ottoman: gold or silver would work equally well.

Notice the gold dots on the wall at the head of the bed — there’s no need for a headboard when your wall is this dazzling.

Who said you have to have a white ceiling? Instead, do something entirely unexpected, and paint your ceiling a warm, gleaming copper. This stunning look is created with a base of red paint and an overcoat of metallic copper specialty paint.

The nightstand shown here might be a very traditional French style, but the silver metallic finish is anything but old-fashioned.

This bedroom shows how easy it is to liven up traditional style with a touch of metallic — and yet, nothing here is overdone or tacky. This is the elegant side of silver.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

You’ll feel like royalty sleeping in a bed outfitted with golden sheets and a gorgeous metallic gold floral-patterned comforter. But it doesn’t stop there — check out the gold bedside table and the gold lamp.

What keeps this room from looking garish are the simplicity of the palette — just gold and cream — and the simple lines of the furniture.

What a serene, soft, and simple bedroom. The cozy palette of soft blushing peach, silvery gray, and the lightest tint of sage green is very soothing and quiet.

When color is this muted, however, there is always a risk of monotony. Not a chance of that in this room.

However — not with the simple yet striking copper pendant light and the open-weave copper table by the bed. They provide just enough shine to create contrast without taking anything away from the overall tranquil feel of the room.

It’s Time to Decorate With Metallics in the Bedroom.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

Green is the color of life, of renewal, prosperity, and harmony. learn how to use it strategically and stylishly. Decorating in green has endless possibilities.

What Type of Color is Green?

Green is one of those colors that can be both trendy and traditional. An earthy hue that evokes images of lush grass and fresh air, green is a color that easily brings the outdoors in.

green belongs to the wood element and is a calming, balancing color that is all about fresh, new beginnings and renewal.

It can be both warm and cool, depending on the shade, but often lands more on the cooler spectrum.

You’ll often find other cool shades that derive the “coolness” from green undertones.

But while the majority of greens are cool, there’s a wide variety in green and will often feel vastly different depending on the room and natural light.

The Basics of Decorating With Green

Whether you want to paint your walls green or invest in an eye-catching piece of green furniture, the shade of green you should opt for depends entirely on the mood you want to set and the space you are trying to fill.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

Dark Green

Dark, jewel-toned green is the perfect backdrop for a moody living room or bedroom. It instantly creates a sense of elegance and class, no matter the size of the space.

will appear smokey and rich, it’s a great choice for a larger space that needs grounding or an accent wall behind a bed.

Muted Green

On the other hand, a lighter pastel or muted green will make a room appear light and airy. It’s a comfortable shade, perfect for guest bedrooms or office spaces.

will create a sense of tranquility and peace in a bedroom or bathroom and acts as an updated neutral.

This shade is also a great choice for bedding in a minimalistic room as a way to add a little color without taking away from the original palette.

Vintage landscapes will also often draw from muted greens and can be a great way to add the color into your Mid-century modern or eclectic style home.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

Warm Green

When it comes to decorating with warm greens, look for shades with a yellow or orange undertone.

It’s a great choice for any space you want to add a little more color without coming off too bold.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

Colors That Go With Green

The greatest thing about green is that pairing it with other colors is easy because there are so many shades of green.

Pair crisp, linen-like whites with a deep moody green is a great way to add contrast and visual interest in space while keeping the feel fresh and modern.

For a super jewel-toned room, mix rich earthy shades of green with deep navy blues and burgundies.

This palette is perfect for large living spaces with room to experiment. Look for vintage Turkish-style rugs that pull in rich, deep colors.

Using the color green in home decor can add an earthy, grounded feel to any space.

Plus, unlike some other bold colors, green can lend itself well to many different color palettes and appear both calming and energetic at the same time.

DIY Project Details: worldbestdiy.com.blog

#Homemade DIY Projects DIY Handmade Creative DIY Project Ideas

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123designsrq · 5 years ago

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DESIGN OF THIS MOUSE WILL ELEVATE EVERY GADGET LOVER’S DESKTOP!

We are accustomed to being continuously uncovered to stimulus…be it shopping, Netflix, Instagram, or the lots of other interest-stealing sports that rule our day, attention is the currency nowadays and we had been too busy searching and being lost in all these until we had been quarantined. Being restricted in our area and exposure, we have come to look and respect the gadgets we own. Everything on your fingertips with your Designer Mouse. Everyday common designs together with the standard mouse are such a part of our routine, we never sincerely see how we should differentiate in them! In come the designers who took it up as a challenge to make the excellent of this gadget. From environmentally aware design, a Charles Eames stimulated layout to a mouse layout that runs away from you whilst your working hours are over, there may be a mouse design you in no way knew you wanted but now that you see it, you certainly��won’t be able to stay without it!

The Ice Mouse comes with a bamboo top that promotes breathability, making sure your hands don’t work up a sweat with hours of use. The bamboo issue is CNC machined from a layered block of bamboo plies, doing a pretty extraordinary job of showcasing the wood-grain while ultimate entirely specific in its grain pattern. Some may say it nearly displays the uniqueness of the palms and palm that rest on it! Sitting underneath it's miles the aluminum base, giving your hands a metallic surface to hug and sort of complementing the sensation of typing on an aluminum-constructed MacBook.

Taking notion from an iconic chapter in fixtures design, Shane Chen estimated the Lounge Mouse, a hat-tip to Ray and Charles Eames’ Lounge Chair. The Lounge Mouse follows the form and visual path of the ottoman footrest that comes at the side of the chair. The base of the mouse is crafting from bent plywood, while the top 1/2 is an extremely smooth leather-clad with a scroll-wheel in its higher center. Logitech

Inspired by the formation the hand makes in the course of a natural handshake, Logitech’s MX Vertical desires to be the chunky mouse your hand falls in love with. Tilting at an perspective of 57° off the horizontal plane that is your table, the MX Vertical feels halfway between a mouse and a joystick. It can hold onto for hours. Being maneuvered with out strain, and is even smooth to your wrist too. Transferring the movement from aspect-side to up-down. EXOvault

The EXOvault Mouse became evolved via the artist, engineer, designer, and basic maker Jonathan Schipper. Designed as an workout to visually reinvent some thing mundane, some thing we take for granted, the mouse became developed at EXOvault’s facility in Brooklyn and it doesn’t just look outstanding, but feels excellent too. It has weight, which lets in you to command the cursor with confidence, whilst the clickers and scroll wheels offer a wonderfully easy tactile feedback. With a PixArt 3000cpi sensor that works on glass and a 500mAh battery, the EXOvault mouse performs nicely too, giving you superior capability and aesthetic unconventionality in a singular bundle that ensures to make you instantly need to ditch your plastic mouse or trackpad!

The designers at BKID took the literal connotation of a computer ‘mouse’ and embodied its characterful persona into the Balance Mouse! During the day the mouse works like several other pc mouse, letting the person go about pursuing their tasks. However, while the clock strikes ‘domestic time’, the mouse exits the body and humourlessly rolls away. Not only is this a visual indicator that the workday is over, but its additionally pretty tough to apply a pc with out a mouse! Manta Mouse by Alberto Aguado Baudil

The Manta Mouse with the aid of Alberto Aguado Baudil takes inspiration from the Manta Ray. With its wide, stingray-stimulated design. At the very center is a bulbous volume that forms the bulk of the mouse. The element your palm rests on, even as the rest of the mouse skirts around the side. This side-skirt essentially works as a cushion for the base of your palm, promising to give your hand a comfortable vicinity to rest as you operate the mouse. Alienware AV610M

Admittedly, the call Alienware AV610M doesn’t roll off the tongue easily. However the device similar to the call looks as if an absolute beast. With a form that truely seems like a UFO. Whole with wings or even LED lights glowing ominously at the inside, the AV610M lets you dominate your digital battlefield. With 350-hours of battery time, no less. The rechargeable gaming mouse comes with 7 absolutely programmable buttons and a 16,000 DIP precision sensor to present you a strong facet over your competition.

Designing as a juxtaposition between conventional and modern. The N30 mouse create via Daniel Jansson for 8BitDo transforms a trademark of console gaming right into a neat. Practical mouse that’s a sheer tactile joyride! The mouse originated as a idea created via Janssen in 2009. Best becoming a truth this 12 months after 8BitDo absolutely saw promise in it. The wi-fi mouse comes with uncomplicated lines that you’d imagine wouldn’t be comfortable. But truely do feel familiar. It capabilities conventional NES controller-fashion red left and right-click on buttons. Resting on a black platform which is, in fact, a touch-sensitive scroller. To entire this whacky/cute mouse’s design, Janssen included a D-Pad at the side, that may be controlled thru your thumb. The D-Pad provides an extra layer of capability to the mouse. Permitting you to carry out PageUp, PageDown, Home, and End commands with a unmarried click. Samsung Mouse

The Samsung Mouse with the aid of BKID comes with a compact, telescopic/collapsible layout. A matte plastic outer sleeve holds the small digital mouse module at the inside. This works just first-rate because plastic feels suitable to touch (honestly, the metal feel is high. I pick consolation over premium) and consequently comes right below your palm. While the electronic element slides outwards, manifesting itself beneath your fingers. The complete design is arc-shape. Giving it a definitive curve that lets in for clean gripping (bulky). However while the mouse collapses into itself. It will become 1/2 in curvature, nearly turning into a sleek, flat, surprisingly carry-able computer peripheral! Tube

Made of a gentle Silica Gel, the body of Tube by using Tim Chen is soft and malleable. Making the gadget a ways greater adjustable than its hard-bodied competitors. This, mix with its symmetrical design guarantees that is can be using by both proper and left-surpass individuals. This is some thing that ergonomic computer mice often can not cater for. Packing into the squishy exterior is a light. Just like the night mild it was stimulating by using, lightly glows, giving Tube a second use! Logitech, Razer, Microsoft and Samsung are the world's best brands and Mouse makers. But this Designer Mouses have taken my heart. Read the full article

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robynlevydesigns-blog · 6 years ago

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FMP - Its a doggy dog world

Recently I had been put in touch with an acquaintance who was looking at forming a dog grooming brand. When asked to participate in it with him, with the promise of full creative control given to me, I agreed.

After several long overseas phone calls I came to a complete understanding of what was expected of me and it seemed as though he not only accepted what was needed by my course but also how far my skill set at this stage could help him.

Unfortunately the more weeks these discussions went on for and the more exciting the project began to sound I has to come to the abrupt conclusion that it just was not suitable for my FMP this time around. I have however, agreed to help him in the summer months, which I expect will still be as exciting an opportunity as it was before hand.

I have attached here some of my notes from our phone calls and emails of what the project entailed, as well as budget work out, market research, brie and creative avenues that were beginning to be explores, simply because it was learning experience but unfortunately ate into several weeks of this projects time.

I am grateful for the opportunity that he offered me.

Notes:

WHAT IS EXPECTED

• Brand Visual Identity and Branding Bible

◦ Logo Marque

◦ Type

◦ Colour Scheme GODS

◦ Description on how it is to be used on differing surfaces

◦ Core imagery used throughout

◦ Need clarification of a brand world of textures - is it the materials used, for example gloss Vs matt?

▪ All explained with the help of creative references in the way of a mood-board?

• Online

◦ Outline of website in the sense of a framework

◦ Banners

◦ Social posts imagery and promo films made with and complimenting the core imagery

• Pack design

◦ Understand you want the basic components of bottles, aerosol cans and cardboard boxes- is this in the sense of the application of the branding elements on the packaging or for the actual product design itself?

▪ Labels from scratch

RESEARCH

UK Pet Industry Statistics - Groom Art Academy

• In the UK

◦ Dogs - £8.5 million

◦ Cats - £7.5 million

• Over 1/4 owners admit they like to pamper their pets - 46%

• Spend on average £1,150 per a year/ £95 per a month

◦ £200 a year on clothes

• In the world

◦ Dogs - £10 Billion

◦ Cats - £8 Billion

▪ Expected to grow by 11% by 2024

• 60% of owners buy accessories

• 1/5 spend £20 on outfits a month, averaging at £200 a year - 22%

• 1/10 pet owners cut back on what they spent on their pets, while 42% spoil pets with treats even when there budget are tight, forcing them to cut back elsewhere

• 32% get pets more presents then their partners - including birthday and Christmas presents

• Spend an average of £264 on presents

• 27% purchase pet spa treatments

• In the last 5 years pet gifts have been growing by £286,000,000

• 88% admit to spending p to £50 on extravagant gifts

◦ Pride - almost considered the norm

Other brands:

• Jen Atkin - from Cult beauty line Ouai Haircare - 15% of profits to Vanderpump Dog Foundations - looks the same as human care range

• Malin and Goetz - clinical - very similar except for colours and dog outlines

• Aesop - less inclined towards the well groomed lifestyle - similar with dog vector

• Pet Head - each type has a bright colour - cutsie - very popular - animation over videography of dogs

• a lot of dog outline out there

• even brands that have items for people as well have taken out an element of style/ and even fun for there pet products

https://www.companyofanimals.us/brands/pet-head

https://www.chewy.com/s?rh=c%3A288%2Cc%3A355%2Cc%3A358&page=2

https://londondogweek.com/charities-we-support/

https://www.vogue.com/article/best-dog-shampoo-grooming-products-malin-and-goetz-aesop-national-pet-day

MEETING ONE NOTES

CLARIFICATIONS

• Brand world/ Brand world of textures

◦ 2/3 references of different colours and textures

▪ A built environment

▪ Soap & Glory example

▪ English seaside

▪ Candy floss

▪ Neon lights from rollercoasters

▪ Tea time at the worlds fair

▪ Soft, playful materials and colours

▪ If the brand was its own world, what would look like/ smell like/ feel like?

▪ Mood board but 3D elements not brands logos etc.

▪ What would the physical things feel like if it later became an indoor place - part of brand bible guideline

• Website

◦ Not the structural design

◦ Flat Image of how it would work

▪ Possible only the front page - bit could be more

• Packaging

◦ Standard packaging off the shelf

◦ Run out to substraigths

◦ Images - Renderings

◦ Real bottles with labels if time

◦ Only desiring the labels

• Deadline

◦ 6 weeks co-insiding with the university deadline

◦ Further revisions after

◦ Principles - Client

Ideas

• Botanical drawings

• Old photographs

• Illustrations

• Social Media Issues

#context #practice #fmp

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hihyiug-blog · 6 years ago

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Different types of headphones

1. Cost-effective rambler H293P in-ear headphones

Product introduction: The shape of the Edifier H293P in-ear headphones is more "full" and round, the cavity is made of mirror plastic, and silver medal is used at the tail to enhance the visual effect, making the overall appearance of the earphones quite a texture. The metal parts on the back not only play a decorative role, but also have several air holes around it, which improves the discomfort caused by the pressure difference of the H293P in-ear wearing, and also has a certain influence on the sound performance.

The catheter design of this earphone conforms to the angled structure that appears at present. The catheter does not protrude vertically from the cavity but forms a unique angle, which is more ergonomic. The reasonable design can be worn when worn. Improve comfort and firmness. The conduit and cavity are one-piece, so the material is identical, and the mesh section uses a highly durable metal. Like most headphones, the H293P also offers three different sizes of silicone earmuffs.

The Edifier H293P is fairly approachable in terms of specifications, with 32 impedance plus 106dB sensitivity, making this headset easy to drive. The 10mm neodymium iron boron moving coil unit and the ultra-micro hole adjustment technology of the front and rear chambers ensure the sound quality of this earphone. According to official data, the ultra-micro hole adjustment technology can enhance the sound field, low frequency, and vocal sense.

Comments: Edifier H293P in-ear headphones still continue the consistent sound quality level, perhaps the refreshing sense of headphones will not be amazing to you, but it is very omnivorous, resistant. In addition to the sound quality, the H293P is also stylish in appearance, sleek and beautiful, and offers black, white and green colors, and is cost-effective.

2. Delicate and sweet Sony MDR-1A headset

Product introduction: Sony MDR-1A design is very close to the MDR-1ADAC launched in 2013. Overall, not only the overall visual effect of the product is considered, but also the ergonomic design is satisfied, and the detail processing is quite excellent. This time our evaluation room got a silver version, and the official version has a red version to choose from.

The earmuffs are made of metal with a matte outer layer. The brown ear pads are fitted with a cortical texture and are quite soft to the touch. The earmuffs do not use the traditional circular opening design but use a more ergonomic design, which makes the earmuffs more suitable for the human ear, enhances the wrap of the earmuffs, and the sound insulation effect is remarkable. At the same time, the diaphragm design can be seen very clearly through the inside of the ear cup. On the outside of the earmuffs, there is an opening for tuning.

In terms of the head beam, it adopts a 10-segment retractable design, and the stretching is very smooth and has no sense of obstruction. The inlay metal reinforcement method largely avoids some of the loss problems that may occur during use. The leather uses the same color as the ear pads, creating an echo in the overall design. I used in the usual time, the head did not feel any discomfort, and the wearing comfort was excellent.

Comments: Sony MDR-1A is excellent in both manufacturing process and product design, larger head beam curvature, more integrated existing design, cavity housing with Sony single lens cover process, gold wire interface Waiting for these highlights Sony's attitude and pursuit of excellence in industrial design. At the same time, the low-impedance design makes it easy to push and use devices such as ordinary mobile phones, and the sound detail output level is very high.

3. Colorful fashion Leiba S100 headphones

Product introduction: The shape of the Pennefather S100 is similar to some common Bluetooth headsets, but it is quite elaborate on the materials used in the products. The S100 earphone body is made of PP material, which gives the earphones a high impact resistance and flexibility, while the earmuffs are made of PC material. Has good impact strength, thermal stability, and gloss. This not only ensures the beauty of the product but also minimizes the weight. There is basically no weight feeling when wearing the head.

The button design of the Pennefather S100 Bluetooth headset is very streamlined. There is a "power button" and a "volume button" on the left unit. The layout of the buttons is in line with the human body. It is worth mentioning that the "power button" and the "volume button" are separated by a small distance, which ensures that the user can easily distinguish when blindly pressing, effectively preventing misoperation.

The Pennefather S100 Bluetooth headset uses a fast-charging technology that lasts for three hours. It can last up to 20 hours when fully charged. However, it doesn't matter if the battery is used up. The S100 also offers wired and wireless modes. You can work in wired mode simply by using the Micro USB cable that comes with the product.

Comments: Because the Raytheon S100 Bluetooth headset is equipped with the latest Bluetooth 4.1 module, it performs well. The low-frequency aspect is very rich and the dive is also in place. The vocal part of the IF is full and full, and the high frequency is also superior in terms of detail processing in the same price Bluetooth headset. Overall, the Pennefather S100 can fully satisfy people's daily appreciation of music and movies.

0 notes

samuelmmarcus · 6 years ago

Text

Modern English Farmhouse

Hello, my friends! How are you feeling today? I hope you’re feeling good, in good health, and are able to take a few minutes to enjoy this house tour I have prepared for you. It’s truly a pleasure to share such a beautiful home!

Recently built by Macallan Custom Homes, designed by TS Adams Studio Architects (also featured here, here, here & here – yes, I do love their work!

), and with interiors by Tyler Colgan, this Modern English Farmhouse comes to detox our minds of cluttered spaces, and I don’t say that only because this home was just completed and it’s still unfurnished, but mostly because its empty spaces will allow you to imagine how you could decorate it and, most importantly, it will allow you to notice the architectural details in a way that you might not have had if this home was already furnished.

Take notes on the sources shared such as paint colors, lighting, countertops and notice the inspiring kitchen and bathrooms details. I hope you have a really good time!

Photography: Laura Negri Photography.

Modern English Farmhouse

What a curb-appeal! A beautiful custom iron railing adds an elegant touch to this classic home.

Timeless Beauty

It’s impossible to not be impressed by this timeless home.

Grey Windows

If not ready to commit with black windows, grey is a color that is current but still subtle. These grey windows were painted in Mindful gray SW 7016 by Sherwin Williams.

Off-White Paint Color

Off-White Exterior Brick Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois.

Garage

This two-car detached garage exudes charm with its classic architectural details.

Garage Door Hardware: here & here – similar.

Garage Lighting

Copper Sconces: Coppersmith – similar here.

Gated

Custom iron gates create a sense of privacy and safety to the backyard while allowing easy access to the back of the house.

Front Door

This arched black metal and glass front door is a show-stopper! Notice the copper awning and the beautiful arch detail.

Outdoor Lighting: Coppersmith – similar here.

Pathway: Bluestone.

Kitchen

I always feel excited when I see a well-designed space and this kitchen feels perfectly balanced. It’s functional without feeling overly done.

Kitchen Island Dimensions: 130.5” W x 34.5” T x 50”D

Kitchen Lighting (installed after photos were taken): Visual Comfort in Bronze.

Creating a Timeless Kitchen:

(Scroll to see more)

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Cabinet Paint Color

Cabinet paint color is Sherwin Williams SW 7004 Snowbound.

Cabinet Hardware

Kitchen Hardware: RH – similar Pulls & Knobs.

Countertop & Backsplash

The countertop and backsplash (behind the range) is polished Antique White Marble.

Faucet

Kitchen Faucet is Kallista Vir Stil Minimal Pull-Down Faucet. Other Affordable Options: here, here, here, here & here (sink & faucet set).

Kitchen Cabinetry

Kitchen cabinets are custom with inset flat paneled doors.

Kitchen Hood

The kitchen also features a custom hood with a Venetian plaster finish.

Layout

The kitchen leads to a walk-in pantry.

Pantry

The working pantry features a grey subway tile backsplash, white cabinets, brass knobs and floating shelves.

Backsplash Tile: 3×9 Villa Heirloom Aqua tile – Other Beautiful Backsplash Tiles: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Faucet: Newport Brass in Matte Black.

Lighting: Feiss – Others: here, here, here, here & here.

Beams

The kitchen, dining area and the Great Room features distressed box beams with a custom whitewash finish.

Hardwood Flooring

What a stunning space! How would you decorated it?

Flooring is 5” White Oak floors – similar here & here.

Cabinet

Custom cabinets with “X” inset and retractable doors flank a Limestone fireplace.

Cabinet Pulls: RH – similar 6″ Pulls.

Patio Door

Black steel patio doors lead to the back porch.

Walls

The walls have a custom Venetian Plaster finish.

Butler’s Pantry

The butler’s pantry features deep green/teal cabinets and ceiling. White marble countertop and White Oak hardwood flooring add a subtle contrast to this dramatic space.

Cabinet Hardware: RH – similar Pulls & Knobs.

Cabinet Paint Color

Cabinet paint color is Newburg Green HC-158 by Benjamin Moore in Eggshell.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Countertop & Backsplash

Butler’s Pantry also features Antique White counters and an antique mirror backsplash.

Beautiful Mirrored Tiles: here & here.

Bar Faucet: Rohl.

Powder Room Cabinet Paint Color

Cabinet paint color is Worldly Gray SW 7043 by Sherwin-Williams.

Countertop is Black Honed Stone.

Faucet: Phylrich – Others: here, here & here.

Cabinet Hardware: Satin Brass tab finger drawer – similar here & here.

Study Paint Color

Grey Study Paint Color: Mindful Gray SW 7016 by Sherwin-Williams. Walls are in eggshell and trim and windows are in semi-gloss.

Lighting: RH -similar here.

Staircase

The stunning staircase features custom metal railings and spindles, hardwood threads and black steel windows.

Sconces: Visual Comfort – Other Beautiful Sconces: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Windows

Windows are Sierra Pacific provided by LiteWorks.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom feels serene and elegant. Walls are Sherwin Williams Snowbound.

Similar Lighting: here, here, here & here.

Welcoming Bathroom Essentials

(Scroll to see more)

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Flooring

Floor Tile: Walker Zanger Bianco Bello 12×24 Honed – similar here.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Paint Color

Blue Gray Paint Color: “Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray“.

Vanities are custom – Other Beautiful Vanities: here, here, here & here.

Faucet & Countertop

Countertop is Premium White Marble.

Faucet is Phylrich Basic Double Handle Widespread Lavatory Faucet – similar here.

Knobs: RH – similar here.

Shower Tile

Shower Walls: Walker Zanger Bianco Bello 12×24 Honed – similar here.

Shower Floor: Walker Zanger Bianco Bello Mosaic – similar here.

Guest Bathroom

Shower Walls: 4×16 Metro Gray Ceramic – similar: here, here, here, here & here.

Floors: Porcelain Herringbone tile.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Vanity

Vanity is custom with White Mist quartz countertop.

Hardware: RH – similar 8″ acrylic cabinet pull.

Faucet: Kohler.

Vanity Design

This guest bathroom features a custom vanity with a “X” detail. Countertop is also White Mist quartz.

Faucet: Kohler.

Knobs: RH – similar Knobs.

Cabinetry

Bathroom cabinetry is inset flat paneled slabs. Paint color is Sherwin Williams SW 7004.

Bath Floors: Walker Zanger 12×24 – similar here.

Knobs: RH – similar Glass Knobs.

Sconces: Pottery Barn.

Laundry Room

This laundry room is very spacious and yes, flooring is hardwood! Cabinet paint color is “Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin”.

Lighting: Here – Other Beautiful Pendants: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Sewing & Crafts

The other side of the laundry room features more cabinets, a desk area and open shelves. This space is perfect to be used as a craft room or sewing room.

Countertop: White Mist quartz.

Backsplash: 2×9 White Brick tile backsplash.

Cabinet Pulls: RH – Satin Nickel Mushroom Knobs.

Mudroom

This mudroom is dreamy! Walls are clad in shiplap and cabinets feature inset doors and drawers.

Flooring is 5″ White Oak hardwood.

Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet Pulls: RH – similar 6″ Pulls.

Mudroom Drop Zone

A “drop zone” featuring a custom cabinet with drawers and upper cabinets complete this mudroom. Paint color is Sherwin Williams Snowbound.

Pendant Light: here.

Backyard

This home keeps getting better, right? Who wouldn’t love having a backyard like this?

Back Porch

The back of the house features a large back porch with outdoor kitchen (on right) and outdoor fireplace (on left).

Metal & Wood

The beam posts and brackets are Cedar. Also notice the black metal roof and doors.

Roof

Roof: Cedar Shake with Antique Black metal roof.

Courtyard

The side of the house features a private courtyard.

Grey Doors

The grey doors are painted in Sherwin Williams SW 7016 Mindful Gray.

Gate: Custom iron gate with “X” detail.

Stair Tower

View of staircase tower from outside. Impressive!!!

Chimney Pot: Clay.

Exterior Stone

The exterior stone is “Weathered Granite”.

Many thanks to the builder for sharing all of the details above.

Architecture: TS Adams Studio Architects (Instagram)

Builder: Macallan Custom Homes (Instagram – Facebook)

Project Manager: Justin Bell for TS Adams Studio Architects.

Interior Designer: Tyler Colgan.

Photography: Laura Negri Photography.

Best Sales of the Month:

Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Serena & Lily: Enjoy 20% OFF Everything with code INSPO

Wayfair: Up to 75% OFF – Huge Sales on Decor, Furniture, Rugs & Outdoor Furniture!!!

Joss & Main: Up to 65% Off on Outdoor Furniture & Decor!

Pottery Barn: 20% Off Furniture, 25% Off Everything Else + Free Shipping. Use Code: LUCKY

One Kings Lane: High Quality Design Decor for Less – Limited time only: 20% Off Furniture with Code OKLFURNISH

West Elm: 20% Off your entire Purchase + Free Shipping: Use Code: EARNEDIT

Anthropologie: Take an extra 40% off all sale items! See Joanna Gaines Exclusive line here!

Urban Outfitters: Hip & Affordable Home Decor.

Horchow: The Big Sale: 25% Off Furniture & 30% Off Sitewide!

Nordstrom: Up to 40% OFF – Free Shipping!

Arhaus: Save up to 30% plus Buy More Save More!

Posts of the Week:

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Kitchen Renovation with Before & After Pictures.

Classic Colonial Home Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Fixer Upper.

Home Bunch’s Top 5: Kitchen Design Ideas.

Full-scale Home Remodel Inspiration.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Painted Brick Exterior.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: How to Build your own Home.

Connecticut Beach House.

Interior Design Ideas: Colorful Interiors.

New England Home.

Interior Design Ideas: Home Renovation. Family-friendly Home Design.

New Year, New Beautiful Homes of Instagram. Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors. Transitional Home Design.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

Come Follow me on

Get Home Bunch Posts Via Email

Contact Luciane

“For your shopping convenience, this post might contain links to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase so thank you for your support!”

from Home http://www.homebunch.com/modern-english-farmhouse/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

0 notes

dawnjeman · 6 years ago

Text

Modern English Farmhouse

Recently built by Macallan Custom Homes, designed by TS Adams Studio Architects (also featured here, here, here & here – yes, I do love their work!

Take notes on the sources shared such as paint colors, lighting, countertops and notice the inspiring kitchen and bathrooms details. I hope you have a really good time!

Photography: Laura Negri Photography.

Modern English Farmhouse

What a curb-appeal! A beautiful custom iron railing adds an elegant touch to this classic home.

Timeless Beauty

It’s impossible to not be impressed by this timeless home.

Grey Windows

If not ready to commit with black windows, grey is a color that is current but still subtle. These grey windows were painted in Mindful gray SW 7016 by Sherwin Williams.

Off-White Paint Color

Off-White Exterior Brick Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois.

Garage

This two-car detached garage exudes charm with its classic architectural details.

Garage Door Hardware: here & here – similar.

Garage Lighting

Copper Sconces: Coppersmith – similar here.

Gated

Custom iron gates create a sense of privacy and safety to the backyard while allowing easy access to the back of the house.

Front Door

This arched black metal and glass front door is a show-stopper! Notice the copper awning and the beautiful arch detail.

Outdoor Lighting: Coppersmith – similar here.

Pathway: Bluestone.

Kitchen

I always feel excited when I see a well-designed space and this kitchen feels perfectly balanced. It’s functional without feeling overly done.

Kitchen Island Dimensions: 130.5” W x 34.5” T x 50”D

Kitchen Lighting (installed after photos were taken): Visual Comfort in Bronze.

Creating a Timeless Kitchen:

(Scroll to see more)

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Cabinet Paint Color

Cabinet paint color is Sherwin Williams SW 7004 Snowbound.

Cabinet Hardware

Kitchen Hardware: RH – similar Pulls & Knobs.

Countertop & Backsplash

The countertop and backsplash (behind the range) is polished Antique White Marble.

Faucet

Kitchen Faucet is Kallista Vir Stil Minimal Pull-Down Faucet. Other Affordable Options: here, here, here, here & here (sink & faucet set).

Kitchen Cabinetry

Kitchen cabinets are custom with inset flat paneled doors.

Kitchen Hood

The kitchen also features a custom hood with a Venetian plaster finish.

Layout

The kitchen leads to a walk-in pantry.

Pantry

The working pantry features a grey subway tile backsplash, white cabinets, brass knobs and floating shelves.

Backsplash Tile: 3×9 Villa Heirloom Aqua tile – Other Beautiful Backsplash Tiles: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Faucet: Newport Brass in Matte Black.

Lighting: Feiss – Others: here, here, here, here & here.

Beams

The kitchen, dining area and the Great Room features distressed box beams with a custom whitewash finish.

Hardwood Flooring

What a stunning space! How would you decorated it?

Flooring is 5” White Oak floors – similar here & here.

Cabinet

Custom cabinets with “X” inset and retractable doors flank a Limestone fireplace.

Cabinet Pulls: RH – similar 6″ Pulls.

Patio Door

Black steel patio doors lead to the back porch.

Walls

The walls have a custom Venetian Plaster finish.

Butler’s Pantry

The butler’s pantry features deep green/teal cabinets and ceiling. White marble countertop and White Oak hardwood flooring add a subtle contrast to this dramatic space.

Cabinet Hardware: RH – similar Pulls & Knobs.

Cabinet Paint Color

Cabinet paint color is Newburg Green HC-158 by Benjamin Moore in Eggshell.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Countertop & Backsplash

Butler’s Pantry also features Antique White counters and an antique mirror backsplash.

Beautiful Mirrored Tiles: here & here.

Bar Faucet: Rohl.

Powder Room Cabinet Paint Color

Cabinet paint color is Worldly Gray SW 7043 by Sherwin-Williams.

Countertop is Black Honed Stone.

Faucet: Phylrich – Others: here, here & here.

Cabinet Hardware: Satin Brass tab finger drawer – similar here & here.

Study Paint Color

Grey Study Paint Color: Mindful Gray SW 7016 by Sherwin-Williams. Walls are in eggshell and trim and windows are in semi-gloss.

Lighting: RH -similar here.

Staircase

The stunning staircase features custom metal railings and spindles, hardwood threads and black steel windows.

Sconces: Visual Comfort – Other Beautiful Sconces: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Windows

Windows are Sierra Pacific provided by LiteWorks.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom feels serene and elegant. Walls are Sherwin Williams Snowbound.

Similar Lighting: here, here, here & here.

Welcoming Bathroom Essentials

(Scroll to see more)

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Flooring

Floor Tile: Walker Zanger Bianco Bello 12×24 Honed – similar here.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Paint Color

Blue Gray Paint Color: “Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray“.

Vanities are custom – Other Beautiful Vanities: here, here, here & here.

Faucet & Countertop

Countertop is Premium White Marble.

Faucet is Phylrich Basic Double Handle Widespread Lavatory Faucet – similar here.

Knobs: RH – similar here.

Shower Tile

Shower Walls: Walker Zanger Bianco Bello 12×24 Honed – similar here.

Shower Floor: Walker Zanger Bianco Bello Mosaic – similar here.

Guest Bathroom

Shower Walls: 4×16 Metro Gray Ceramic – similar: here, here, here, here & here.

Floors: Porcelain Herringbone tile.

Sconces: Visual Comfort.

Vanity

Vanity is custom with White Mist quartz countertop.

Hardware: RH – similar 8″ acrylic cabinet pull.

Faucet: Kohler.

Vanity Design

This guest bathroom features a custom vanity with a “X” detail. Countertop is also White Mist quartz.

Faucet: Kohler.

Knobs: RH – similar Knobs.

Cabinetry

Bathroom cabinetry is inset flat paneled slabs. Paint color is Sherwin Williams SW 7004.

Bath Floors: Walker Zanger 12×24 – similar here.

Knobs: RH – similar Glass Knobs.

Sconces: Pottery Barn.

Laundry Room

This laundry room is very spacious and yes, flooring is hardwood! Cabinet paint color is “Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin”.

Lighting: Here – Other Beautiful Pendants: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Sewing & Crafts

The other side of the laundry room features more cabinets, a desk area and open shelves. This space is perfect to be used as a craft room or sewing room.

Countertop: White Mist quartz.

Backsplash: 2×9 White Brick tile backsplash.

Cabinet Pulls: RH – Satin Nickel Mushroom Knobs.

Mudroom

This mudroom is dreamy! Walls are clad in shiplap and cabinets feature inset doors and drawers.

Flooring is 5″ White Oak hardwood.

Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet Pulls: RH – similar 6″ Pulls.

Mudroom Drop Zone

A “drop zone” featuring a custom cabinet with drawers and upper cabinets complete this mudroom. Paint color is Sherwin Williams Snowbound.

Pendant Light: here.

Backyard

This home keeps getting better, right? Who wouldn’t love having a backyard like this?

Back Porch

The back of the house features a large back porch with outdoor kitchen (on right) and outdoor fireplace (on left).

Metal & Wood

The beam posts and brackets are Cedar. Also notice the black metal roof and doors.

Roof

Roof: Cedar Shake with Antique Black metal roof.

Courtyard

The side of the house features a private courtyard.

Grey Doors

The grey doors are painted in Sherwin Williams SW 7016 Mindful Gray.

Gate: Custom iron gate with “X” detail.

Stair Tower

View of staircase tower from outside. Impressive!!!

Chimney Pot: Clay.

Exterior Stone

The exterior stone is “Weathered Granite”.

Many thanks to the builder for sharing all of the details above.

Architecture: TS Adams Studio Architects (Instagram)

Builder: Macallan Custom Homes (Instagram – Facebook)

Project Manager: Justin Bell for TS Adams Studio Architects.

Interior Designer: Tyler Colgan.

Photography: Laura Negri Photography.

Best Sales of the Month:

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Serena & Lily: Enjoy 20% OFF Everything with code INSPO

Wayfair: Up to 75% OFF – Huge Sales on Decor, Furniture, Rugs & Outdoor Furniture!!!

Joss & Main: Up to 65% Off on Outdoor Furniture & Decor!

Pottery Barn: 20% Off Furniture, 25% Off Everything Else + Free Shipping. Use Code: LUCKY

One Kings Lane: High Quality Design Decor for Less – Limited time only: 20% Off Furniture with Code OKLFURNISH

West Elm: 20% Off your entire Purchase + Free Shipping: Use Code: EARNEDIT

Anthropologie: Take an extra 40% off all sale items! See Joanna Gaines Exclusive line here!

Urban Outfitters: Hip & Affordable Home Decor.

Horchow: The Big Sale: 25% Off Furniture & 30% Off Sitewide!

Nordstrom: Up to 40% OFF – Free Shipping!

Arhaus: Save up to 30% plus Buy More Save More!

Posts of the Week:

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Kitchen Renovation with Before & After Pictures.

Classic Colonial Home Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Fixer Upper.

Home Bunch’s Top 5: Kitchen Design Ideas.

Full-scale Home Remodel Inspiration.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Painted Brick Exterior.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: How to Build your own Home.

Connecticut Beach House.

Interior Design Ideas: Colorful Interiors.

New England Home.

Interior Design Ideas: Home Renovation. Family-friendly Home Design.

New Year, New Beautiful Homes of Instagram. Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors. Transitional Home Design.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

Come Follow me on

Get Home Bunch Posts Via Email

Contact Luciane

from Home http://www.homebunch.com/modern-english-farmhouse/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

1 note · View note

san-bika · 8 years ago

Text

Battle for a Soul - Voltron fic

So this fic was brought on by rewatching the Azula and Zuko Agni Kai a couple (hundred) times. I cried writing it soooo Please listen to this on repeat if you feel like visualizing Keith and Lance and crying: Last Agni Kai or you can try Reconciliation from the ATLA soundtrack. Feel free to see this as a Klance or friendship fic.

The only other thing to know is that in this universe, the Paladins have evolved the powers of their lions and that Lance succumbed to his insecurities while Keith was acting as Black Paladin and fell under the sway of Haggar after he was captured.

Rating: T - violence, manipulation

Pairings: Klance (ish)

Length: 1687 words

Tags: S2 continuation, Black Paladin Keith, paladin powers, angst, manipulated Lance

Keith forced the fire in his veins to a dull roar, knowing that he needed Haggar alive, that one move of his sword at her throat would cause him to fail his mission.

And failure wasn’t something he would accept.

He rasped at the dark figure, “Give him back to us. Now.“

The witch smiled. "All you had to do was ask, halfbreed."

His hand twitched, correcting itself before something outrageous could happen, like Haggar’s head sailing across the floor. Still, she noticed the weakness and met his gaze, a farcical smile twisting across her thin face.

Keith kept his gaze impassive and tightened his grip. This was no cat and mouse game. One false move and she’d be dead and Lance’s location lost forever.

"I’ll call him over. Don’t do anything rash now. You wouldn’t like the consequences.” She turned and cackled into the hall, “We are ready for you, Paladin."

And Keith froze. Why was Lance just waiting for him? Why would Haggar let him roam free after months of imprisonment?

A curling wave of danger hit the back of his mind and rolled in his gut and he jumped back just as a spray of sharp ice shards shot out from the dark corridor.

A familiar figure strolled forward, tall and lanky just had he remembered. But no longer in the white suit of the paladins but the black and purple that he hated so much. He could barely recognize him.

Lance seemed ethereal, seemed lankier, like he hadn’t been fed, and looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. Considering Haggar had imprisoned him, both were likely. His hair was unkempt, falling into his eyes and long past his ears.

It could be an imposter if he didn’t instinctively know him, his aura, his quintessence. The part of them connected by Voltron and more, told him that this was their lost friend, shattered by the druids and remade into… something.

His eyes were the worst, like he wasn’t really seeing anything. Blue chips flinty and cold, no hint of warmth or humor.

And something else was off. Lance held himself tightly straight but as though his spine was twisted around itself. His head cocked at angle made him seem arrogant. He was not here as a friend.

As his face was lit up, Keith could see a cruel half-smile. "Keith, you’re not gonna fight back?” Lance bowed his head low and chuckled darkly. “Scared you’ll lose?" Keith lowered his bayard, fighting the wave of cold fear that overtook him.

"Lance, what are you doing? I don’t want to fight you!"

Lance looked up, eyes narrowed with something colder than hatred. It was hard to see in the strange Galran light, but it looked like he was faintly glowing, a dark aura surrounding him.

Keith glanced over towards the witch to see a similar glow surrounding her hands and that feral grin marring her face.

"Of course you don’t. Why would Voltron’s best bother with a second-rate cargo pilot, right?"

He took a step forward, raising his palms just as Coran and Allura had taught them to and the frost that Keith was so used to counting on in battle started to appear on his fingers.

He quickly put away his bayard and called on the lethal combination of powers he had acquired: controlling the air as the Black Paladin, and summoning fire as the Red.

He could barely stop himself from growling. "Lance, listen to me, please. Haggar is using you! She’s done something to you! Come back to Voltron! You’re ours! Our Blue Paladin! Open your eyes!"

Before he had finished he had to throw himself back to avoid the barrage of ice sent his way. Lance laughed again, panting even though he had barely moved. "But Keith, that’s exactly what she did for me. She opened my eyes to see that Voltron will NEVER need me when they have YOU!"

And Lance shut his mouth and ran at him, summoning a wave of dark water that Keith barely beat away with a gust of cold wind.

Before he could do anything, a second wave came from behind him and smothered him, wild currents pulling him to the ground in a whirlpool. Keith struggled, trying to hold as much air in as he could. He gathered his strength and moved his arms outwards to create a crest of fire, blasting the water away.

Without thinking he punched his fist out, shocked, and a funnel of red flames hit Lance on his chest, too fast to dodge. The former paladin fell a few feet away before he rose again, baring his teeth, eyes glittering dangerously.

Haggar hissed from her spot by the wall, "You see, don’t you, they want you dead! They want you gone, just as I told you.” Lance stood with his head down, trembling terribly for a long minute. He looked like he was fighting tears.

Haggar spoke again, “Quickly! Finish him before he kills you!"

Keith shouted out, "No, Lance, don’t listen!"

But it was too late, the other teen lifted his head out of shadow, sneering. He staggered forward, gasping, and Keith realized then that the aura he’d seen wasn’t imaginary. It was still there, darker and brighter at the same time, more tangible than before.

Haggar wasn’t giving Lance more power, more strength. She was stealing it from him, taking it from his very life force. That’s why Lance was stronger than he’d ever been…. and why he was falling apart, taking deep huffing breaths and barely keeping his balance as he threw out punishing attacks.

"NO! LANCE!"

It took all his strength to block the ice that flew at him, and even then some of it had stuck him through the thigh. Keith burned it away, ignoring the stream of blood oozing down his leg as he realized he’d need to overwhelm Lance if he had any chance of saving him.

But he didn’t have water, or earth, or plant life, something he could use to somewhat gently stun Lance. His weapons were all fury and danger. He could steal the breath away from him. He could burn him. And he’d have to or Lance would literally fight to his death.

Haggar was trying to kill Keith at any cost.

Keith dodged again, and again, and again. He had no choice and finally kicked out, creating a vortex of flame that flew too fast for Lance to dodge.

The paladin barely managed to erect an ice barrier but the fire licked up his arms and the sleeves of his armor briefly. Lance shrieked and stumbled back, before tearing at his clothes and screaming at Keith.

"I knew it,” he grit out, using his ice to briefly soothe his burning arms. Tears slid down his cheeks. and his face was twisted with anger and pain. “I knew she was right. That you all wanted me out. That YOU wanted me out!"

Lance laughed again, a bitter high-pitched wail that was almost a cry. Keith took a step forward before being forced back from Haggar’s lightning.

"It’s not like that. She’s killing you, Lance!” He felt droplets burn their way down his cheeks. He could barely speak from the smoke and ash, his own emotion drowning him.

Lance looked up slowly, his face lit with a grim smile and shattered eyes. Body swaying but voice soft and steady.

“Let’s end this, Keith."

No.

He grasped for anything, any memory to convince Lance that he was trying to save him, but the witch had a grasp too strong to fight: Lance’s mind was infected and had been over the months he’d been missing. It would take twice as long to heal him, save him from the darkness.

Keith could only pray that they’d make it out alive now.

And the battle began again, harsher and faster.

Lance attacked, fell, stood, was burned, and attacked again. He stopped talking and just stared with those accusing eyes.

No self-preservation, no defense, just careless aggression.

Keith teetered on the edge of panic. He had to save his friend. He had no way to save his friend. Shards of ice ripped into him, making sharp cuts and stabbing his face, his arms, his legs. Every hit from his fellow paladin carved into his heart.

Finally Lance raised a hand, cradling in it an orb glowing an eerie blue-white.

And Keith felt that instinctual warning not to let Lance attack with that. That the quintessence lost would finish Lance, forever, and possibly him.

So he took a long breath and pushed past all the distractions, past the worry whether Allura and Hunk had succeeded in rescuing Shiro, or whether Pidge, Coran, and Matt were fending off the Galra.

He found the fabric of his courage inside him and wrapped it around his heart in one moment. Then Keith let it go with a desperate scream, wrapping hot air around burning fire, creating a bomb and flinging it at Lance and Haggar.

As soon as he threw it, he could see the reflection in the pinpoint of Lance’s eye, the fear, and he ran after it, praying that the other paladin would draw an ice-shield up somehow.

But it struck the Blue Paladin too fast in a torrent of wind and flame. Haggar shrieked as the heat and fire washed over her too and he lost track of her, focused on Lance.

He was covered in burns, red shine and sooty skin on his hands, arms, and face, Galra armor seared off, and barely awake, barely alive.

He couldn’t move at all, and only cried out in anger, gasping, unable to stop from crying, the hurts in his mind as bad as his physical injuries.

Keith’s own voice was barely there, as he cradled Lance and rasped into his helmet. "Coran, we need immediate extraction. I-I’ve got Lance. But you need to hurry. It’s touch and go right now."

And he waited for his team, all of his focus on his friend, on the sighs and sobs, trying to sooth them with quiet hushes.

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hiddlesgirl · 8 years ago

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SH 210: By the Light of Dawn

I really liked this episode; action, suspense, drama and love. We get some conclusion to some storylines, the beginning of a new Simon, a big step in the Malec relationship and poor Jace is in for more pain before it gets better. I think it worked really well as a mid-season finale; full of action and emotion, the bad guy loses and the last shot fills us with excitement and anticipation for 2B.

We begin with an alert in the institute that the wards have been breached; we realise that this is why Valentine had Iris steal Magnus’ spell book. Magnus is the one who created the magical wards for the institute so Valentine was able to use Madzie to take them down; without the spell book he wouldn’t have been able to get in.

Madzie enters the institute to come face to face with Alec and a group of Shadowhunters; she throws Alec into the elevator and kills the rest. I really love that Madzie remembered Alec, and how kind he had been to her when they met; she didn’t want to hurt him, so she protected him instead. Not only did she protect him from herself but she also, maybe inadvertently, hid him from Valentine who enters moments later. I love that the Shadowhunters are hesitant to hurt her because she is a child despite the fact that the dead bodies behind her allude to the fact that she is very dangerous; it shows that even though there is a lot of prejudice towards Downworlders, they are still compassionate especially towards children.

I think that Madzie’s ability with her warlock mark is very interesting, I know that in the books warlock marks were just visual and didn’t seem to have a purpose or use (I’ve been reading spoilers, oops). But I think that it was quite interesting and logical, fish use gills to extract oxygen from water so it is not too far of a stretch to imagine that Madzie would be able to use her gills to extract oxygen from the air in an extreme way if she wanted.

At Magnus’ Clary and Jace show him the vision the angel gave them; is it weird that I always notice and gush over how gently Magnus cups Clary’s face and especially Jace’s neck (I don’t care, it’s adorable). I liked the affects used when Magnus’ eyes turn milky white when he was seeing the vision, very eerie and cool.

I also adore the soft looks between Magnus and Jace as they discuss the vision; Jace is coming to the realisation that he can destroy the sword and Magnus realises that Jace is considering this as a viable option, despite the fact that it would kill him. I think that Magnus may be noticing the signs that Jace is getting towards a very bad place in his head; his self esteem issues and willingness to die is concerning. I know that it probably won’t happen but I would like for Magnus and Jace to have a conversation similar to the one Magnus had with Alec; but I will be happy with more scenes of them together, I really hope we get to see their friendship grow in 2B and season 3 (Oh my gosh we are getting a third season, I still have absolutely no chill about this!).

I think that the scene between Raphael and Izzy is sweet but I still do not like their relationship, it is dependent on their mutual addiction. I really liked how they handled Raphael telling her that he is asexual and making the point that it wasn’t caused by his vampirism. Then Raphael has to be a twit and hide her phone, and consequentially the messages from Alec about the attack.

I really liked the shot of Alec talking on the phone to Jace, not entirely sure why I just think it looks great and makes Matt look gorgeous (he’s always gorgeous but you know what I mean). I liked getting to see Alec fight with a seraph blade; we don’t get to see that often. We also get to see Aldertree fighting for the first time which was nice, and I love Alec’s line ‘Not bad, for a diplomat.’

I really love Simon for trying to appeal to Valentine, he knows that the only thing he can do right now is talk so he uses it. He knows that Clary used to dream about her father and what she got was a manic; he is hoping that he may be able to appeal to Valentine’s desire to be a good father. I think that it does get to Valentine, just a little, because you can see him fidget slightly and almost tear up; Alan is seriously amazing.

Clary and Magnus are on his balcony when he admits to her that he isn’t used to feeling this powerless; I really liked this moment because we get to see a very vulnerable Magnus. He is a very powerful warlock and is used to being in control; but at the moment he can do nothing but protect Clary. Alec, and others, is in danger inside the institute but Magnus can do nothing to help them because he knows he needs to stay with Clary.

Valentine video calls Clary and Magnus witnesses it too, and Valentine cuts Simon’s throat. Magnus’ expression here kills me; at first he is completely shocked, the action is so out of the blue and unexpected that he can only gape in shock at what he is seeing. Then as Simon starts to bleed Magnus has to look away from the screen, he cannot bear to watch Simon in so much pain and bleed out. Simon has become part of his family, one of his adopted Downworlders; someone he wanted to help and protect. He could not bear to watch Simon be tortured, it broke his heart; and in turn broke mine. When Valentine’s face blocks the view of Simon you can see the anger in Magnus’ face, his eyes are stormy and he clenches his jaw tightly; you know that if Valentine crossed his path Magnus would kill him.

Alec and Aldertree are on a mission to turn off the power core that Valentine is using to power the sword (this was a bit of a weird curve ball but okay). Aldertree is professing himself as a good officer of the Clave but Alec is not willing to let him forget what he did to Izzy. ‘You may have helped me back there, but don’t pretend you’re one of the good guys’ I love this line from Alec. Because despite Aldertree’s professions of duty and loyalty to the Clave he still tortured a Downworlder (Raphael) and got Izzy, a subordinate, addicted to Yin Fen. And Alec is not going to let Aldertree forget it.

Jace is worrying about Alec, Luke sympathises with him and says ‘I had a parabatai once’ and I am sorry but every single time all I can think of is in the Disney movie Tangled in the pub, The Snuggly Duckling, one of the guys says ‘I had a dream once’ then they all burst into song. I was half expected Luke and Jace to break out into a duet.

Magnus and Clary exit a portal in front of the institute, can I just say that the shot of them standing in the fore ground looking at the institute is beautiful. Clary tries to reassure Magnus that she isn’t going to touch the sword but Magnus is not concerned for his own safety. It is clear that his priority is to find Alec and get Simon away from Valentine; his face full of determination when Clary says that they can do this together. They both just want to save the people they care about most, with little regard to what happens to them; I admire and love these two so much, I also adore their relationship and bond.

Raphael shows up, two vamps restrain Magnus, and he plans to kill Clary; I feel for Magnus, he is struggling against his captors so hard and pleading with Raphael to let her go, he doesn’t want to have to watch his little Biscuit die right in front of him. I am very annoyed with Raphael, he knows what Clary means to both Magnus and Izzy; but he is all to willing to kill her anyway, and in front of Magnus. I think that this was extremely callous of him, he must know how caring and sensitive Magnus is, especially when it comes to those he cares about; it hurts my heart that he would willingly force Magnus to witness Clary’s death. Luckily Jace, Luke and Maia show up before Raphael bites her; they convince him, and Maia, to trust Jace to destroy the sword. I like the look between Raphael and Maia; there is obviously some degree of trust between them for them to seek council from the other.

Aldertree and Alec are trying to shut down the power core when Aldertree imparts his story of his relationship with a werewolf, he was ‘forced’ to kill her after she witnessed a massacre. While you feel a little sympathy towards him it also seems that he is using his story to justify his treatment and prejudice against Downworlders. I don’t think that the story made Alec doubt his feelings for Magnus though; he knows that Magnus would never hurt him, besides a warlock is very different from a werewolf. Werewolf transformations are triggered by strong feelings, so it is understandable that Ava couldn’t control herself, but Magnus has immense control over his magic and even if he was under emotional strain I don’t believe he would ever hurt Alec, or anyone else he cared about. Plus, we know that it is possible for someone to talk down an attacking werewolf, like Simon did with Luke; plus why couldn’t Aldertree try to sedate or subdue Ava instead of killing her. If he truly loved her would he have been able to kill her for something that she had no control over?

I think that the moment between Clary and Simon when she convinces him to drink her blood was very sweet and tender; despite his reluctance Clary is insistent because she doesn’t want him to die. When it is revealed that it is Jace using a shape shifting rune I like it even more because that gentle behaviour was from Jace. He knows how much Simon means to Clary, and I think that he has come to care about Simon as a friend too, and so he cannot let Simon die. Simon is clearly surprised that Jace was willing to let him feed from him.

I really like the scene between Magnus and Madzie; Magnus is always so gentle and kind, especially towards children, it melts my heart. When she reveals her mark he reveals his eyes to show her that they are the same and she can trust him; he doesn’t want to use her for her powers because he has his own. Madzie is confused and hurt, they told her that Iris would be there; she doesn’t know where her Nana is and I think that she can see the kindness in Magnus which is why she goes to him. He is talking to her softly and at her level, he is so genuine about wanting to help her and she sees that.

Go Simon tackling Valentine! But I was a little confused, why not just kill or put Valentine in cuffs right then while you had the chance. I know that Jace wants to destroy the sword but surely he would also want to secure Valentine as a prisoner to prevent him from escaping. I do love their lines as the leave when Jace complements Simon’s moves and Simon says that he’s been practising; I love their banter now so much more than their sniping in season 1. I really hope that despite everything we get to see their friendship grow (fingers crossed).

Izzy shows up on the roof and takes down four circle members; it is great to see her fight and be a badass again. But as soon as the adrenaline, or rune, wears off she almost collapses under the strain of her withdrawal; Alec catches her. She apologises to him, Alec says ‘what, for saving our lives?’ but they both know it’s more than that. She is sorry for yelling at him, pushing him away, for not being there sooner, for not coming to him for help. Aldertree and Izzy share eye contact for a moment and I think that we actually see him be slightly regretful and guilty for what he has done. He knows what an amazing Shadowhunter Izzy is but the addiction has caused her to be little more than a quivering mess; he is faced with the consequences of his actions and I think he feels a little bit guilty for what he has done to her.

Simon and Jace are talking while they observe the room where the sword is being held; Simon is trying to apologise for almost killing Jace by drinking too much. He feels so much guilt because he couldn’t control himself and he wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself if he had killed Jace. Then Jace shatters my heart by saying ‘I would have let you.’ He knows how much Clary cares for Simon and is willing to die so that Simon could live, so that Clary could be happy. I also think that he is just naturally self sacrificing, he would be willing give up his life so that another could live. Oh gosh I just wanna hug that little blonde angel. Then he makes me laugh by saying ‘You know how you can thank me, shut up’ I love this line and how Dom delivers it. I just love Jace and Simon scenes so much.

The look on Valentine’s face as he lectures Clary about his plan and vision for the future; he is so convinced that what he is doing is for the greater good. He so firmly believes that he is doing the right thing, the best thing for the future of Shadowhunters; that by doing this, by murdering Downworlders, he is making the world a better place for his children. I seriously applaud Alan for his acting; he is so amazing and plays Valentine so well; you believe so much in Valentine’s conviction of his beliefs.

We get to see Simon tackle Valentine, again, and take down two circle members; I so want more of Simon fighting in the future. We also get an awesome shot of vampires, werewolves and seelies lined up outside the institute ready to attack and defend the Downworld.

Jace grasps the sword with conviction; he is completely ready to die to destroy the sword, to protect the Downworld. To protect Simon, Magnus, Luke and everyone else they have come to know and care about; and those they don’t. He is so self sacrificing that it hurts. Unfortunately, the sword isn’t destroyed by his touch, it is activated by it. Many Downworlders run into the room, but stop in their tracks as Valentine wields the sword and kills them. I love that Clary turns and tries to shield Simon with her own body.

Jace looks upon the dead; you can see that he is completely distraught, confused and guilty. He thought that his touch would save people, but instead it ended up killing them. All he wanted to do was protect people, now Valentine has an activated weapon of mass destruction; and he is extremely confused because all this time he thought he had demon blood but that must be a lie; only a being with pure angel blood could activate the sword. Once again he is left questioning his sense of self.

Alec enters the room and asks about Magnus, the expression on Simon’s face kills me; he didn’t even know that Magnus was inside the institute. Magnus has become his friend and mentor; now he finds out that he may be dead; Clary also has the same face of regret and disbelief. She was the one who convinced Magnus to come to the institute with her. Jace is absolutely distraught; to think that he may be the reason that Magnus is dead terrifies him. Magnus is the person that has made Alec the happiest he has been in his life; and Jace may have been the one to take that person away from his parabatai. Simon, Clary and Jace must be thinking about all the times Magnus has helped and been there for them. He helped Simon with Camille, supported him in being a Downworlder and opened up to him about his past. He has helped Clary since the moment they met for the second time, healing Luke, summoning the memory demon, waking Jocelyn and countless others. He let Jace move in with him when Jace has nowhere else to go, welcomed him into his home; and he makes Alec happy. All three of them thinking about every time Magnus has helped them and if they ever even thanked him. They must be terrified that they may have played a part in killing one of their best friends.

Alec’s face kills me, realising that Magnus may be somewhere inside the institute; that he could be dead. That Magnus may have died alone and in pain; that Alec’s last words to him were in anger. He’s terrified that he may have lost the one person who has shown him care, understanding and love more than he has ever known. The man that helped him realise and come to terms with who he is; the man who encouraged him, never pushed him and was always there for him no matter what. The realisation that he may have lost Magnus before he ever got the chance to tell him how much he means to him (oh gosh I’m crying again).

Jace attacks Valentine outside the institute, he is letting out all his emotions on him; he anger, confusion, guilt and he also must be feeling desperation, worry and dwindling hope through his bond with Alec as his parabatai searches for Magnus.

Valentine reveals that he told Jace he had demon blood as a way of manipulating him to activate the sword; he knew Jace was self sacrificing and would be willing to die to protect others, and he used that against him. You have to give Valentine kudos for his planning though; he is a bit of an evil mastermind. He then drops the bomb that he isn’t Jace’s father, Clary is not Jace’s sister; it is a lot for Jace to take in. He has found out that he has angel blood, not demon blood, and that Clary is not his sister; after all this time of self deprecation for his feelings for her. Their fight is awesome, really dynamic, realistic and full of emotion.

Alec exits the institute; it is clear that he has been searching for Magnus for hours, he is almost frantic, his breathing is laboured and it is now daylight, it had been night time when the sword was activated. Alec must have been searching every single room of the institute for hours looking for Magnus, dreading that every time he opened a door he would find the unmoving body of his boyfriend. Becoming more desperate and frantic as time passed, but also allowing that little bit of hope that with every empty room was a little bit more of a chance that Magnus was still alive.

Magnus touches Alec’s arm, when Alec turns to see the warlock he immediately pulls him into a hug (I cannot tell you how much I squealed because we finally got a Malec hug); even after they part Alec keeps a hand wrapped around Magnus’ arm as if he cannot bear to break that physical connection in case Magnus disappears. I find it heartbreaking that Magnus explains about Madzie being safe, that he thinks for one moment that Madize’s safety means more to Alec than his does. I start tearing up as soon as Alec starts explaining to Magnus that he has never been more terrified than he was when he didn’t know if Magnus was alive or dead. Alec was so scared that Magnus was dead; that now he finally has love it could have been ripped away from him in a blink of an eye. The thought of never seeing Magnus again, never talking to him, kissing him, touching him, telling him how he feels; was utterly terrifying, that scared him more than any mission ever has or will.

Magnus answers ‘So was I’ he had no idea if Alec was safe, he was scared of losing Alec too. Alec made him feel things that he hasn’t felt in over a century, he is giving Magnus a level of care that he hasn’t had in so long, maybe has never had. He fought for Alec, bared his heart to Alec, took a chance for Alec; and it all paid off, they are in a wonderful relationship. And the thought of losing that, of losing Alec scares Magnus so much.

Alec says ‘I love you’, he says it with so much conviction and little hesitation; he realises that he could lose Magnus at any point and he never wants to feel the regret he felt just minutes ago because he hadn’t told Magnus how he felt. He loves Magnus and needs Magnus to know that; he never again wants to feel terrified that Magnus has died without knowing the extent of his feelings.

Magnus looks completely taken aback, he had not expected the declaration at all; he’s so in awe of Alec at that moment. That this man, this Shadowhunter, who used to stutter over his words when they were in the same room; he could never even admit his attraction to men; who had never had any romantic experience; was declaring his love for him. Magnus has so many insecurities and to know that this wonderful man loves him is so overwhelming. Of course he answers ‘I love you too’ he is so happy at being able to tell Alec this; Magnus had always let Alec lead their relationship so it is reasonable to suspect that Magnus has known the depth of his feelings for Alec for a while. He did not want to overwhelm Alec, so had been waiting for Alec to say it first; and now he has he cannot believe it, he can finally say ‘I love you’ to this man and have it reciprocated.

The kiss kills me; so full of love, but also relief because the other is still alive, they are safe, alive and they love each other. They grasp at each other and touch foreheads as they kiss; getting as close to each other as they can as a physical reassurance that the other is there. I love that they linger for a moment with their foreheads touching just basking in the presence of the other; Magnus’ smile and jaw clench kills me, he is so happy that he cannot help but smile at this wonderful man. Then they hug again; the array of emotions in Alec’s face, the relief, love, devotion and almost disbelief makes me clutch at my heart, and the way he nuzzles into Magnus to get as close as he possibly can to the other man. He is seeking the physical comfort he knows Magnus will provide, needing him as close as possible to convince himself that Magnus is definitely alive, they love each other and Magnus isn’t going anywhere. Magnus’ expression is the same almost disbelief and relief at having Alec in his arms, trying to offer Alec comfort because he knows how stressed Alec must be; softly caressing Alec’s shoulder with his thumb to further comfort him. The way that they both keep readjusting their grips to make sure that are as close as possible.

Their hugs kill me and I really hope we get more Malec hugs in the future; the kiss was beautiful; the dialogue was heart wrenching. This whole scene is so beautiful, (the shots were great and the music fit really well) and I cry every single time I watch it. I think that this is the best, most beautiful, most emotional on screen ‘I love you’ I have ever seen.

It’s such a stunning scene and as always Harry and Matt are amazing. Every single one of their scenes together are amazing and their chemistry is second to none; I cannot stress enough how much I love these actors and characters. We are so blessed with Harry and Matt; they are so dedicated to their characters and their relationship; and they always smash their scenes together, making us laugh and cry.

After Simon talks to Alaric’s body a ray of sunlight hits him, and it doesn’t burn him. I really love Alberto’s acting in this moment; the way he gently closes his eyes and basks in the warmth of the light. You truly believe that this is someone who hasn’t felt the warmth and glow of sunlight in a long time.

Izzy ends her relationship with Raphael, she’s happy he is alive but she cannot continue their involvement. She cannot stand for him hiding her phone; he hid the fact that her brother was in trouble from her, just to keep her in his apartment. He put her family in danger, kept her from her job as a Shadowhunter and that she cannot forgive.

I am really glad that their relationship is over and that Izzy found the strength to end it; I really hope that she will now begin the process of detoxing and getting better. I would like for Magnus to be involved in this process because he knows how to help someone come off addiction plus I would like their friendship to grow more.

I really like Alec and Jace’s heart to heart on the stairs; Jace must be feeling relief that Magnus is alive and also feeling the relief and love from Alec towards Magnus. Alec knows that Jace didn’t intend to hurt anyone and now that he knows Magnus is safe he can turn to help his parabatai. Jace says that he is going to tell Clary that they are not siblings; he wants to be honest with her. Also he still has feelings for her and now that he knows they are not siblings they may be able to form a relationship.

Simon shows Clary that he can be in the sun; I think that him spinning her around in the sunlight was a really cute scene and you feel so happy for them, their joy is infectious. Jace is watching them from the doors, he sees how happy they are and he can’t ruin that. Despite his feelings for Clary he knows that she is happy with Simon and he doesn’t want to jeopardise that for them, even if it causes him pain.

The last shot of the episode is a hooded figure walking away with the Soul Sword; I think that we have all come to the conclusion that this is probably Sebastian, but we don’t know for sure or why he would want the sword.

One question I do have, where is Magnus’ spell book now? Did Dot give it back to Magnus? Did Valentine hide it somewhere for use later? Does Sebastian now have it? I hope we get some clarification on this in 2B.

I really enjoyed this episode; I think I died several small deaths from the emotion in this episode. I love Jace and Simon’s interactions and I adore the scene where Magnus and Alec say I love you; I have already watched it more times than I can count and you can bet I’ll watch it countless times more before 2B.

I am so incredibly excited for the second half of the season; Jace will be revealing to Clary that they are not related, we will meet Sebastian and other new characters and I cannot wait to see how everyone else is in the aftermath of this battle. I am so excited to see Magnus and Alec after their declarations; I hope that Izzy is getting the help she needs; no doubt Simon’s new ability will be causing problems, plus I am scared for him after Jace tells Clary that they are not brother and sister; and I can feel the Clace angst coming.

EDIT: After rewatching the episode again I saw that when Valentine entered the Institute he had Magnus’ spellbook in his hands, so I presume that it is in the institute somewhere (probably Aldertree’s office). So, Magnus should get it back very soon.

#SHRewatch #SH210 Review #Shadowhunters #SH210 #By the Light of Dawn #Shadowhunters 210 #Shadowhunters Rewatch #SH 210 #Shadowhunters Review #shadowhunters 2x10

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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First drive of Aston Martin’s £158,000 DBX SUV

Gambling at the poker and baccarat tables has long been a favourite pursuit of suave British superspy James Bond.

But it’s unlikely the stakes were ever as high as those now facing his favourite car company, Aston Martin, as it launches its svelte new DBX sports utility vehicle which I’ve just been driving as one of the first journalists in the world to get behind the wheel.

To say that the legendary British car-maker has bet the house on the new £158,000 DBX – the marques first SUV in its 107 year history – is, if anything, an understatement.

With the weight of Aston Martin’s future on its pillars: Daily Mail Motoring Editor Ray Massey has been among the first people in the UK to get hands-on with the ailing British brand’s first-ever SUV, the DBX. The question is: is it any good?

So much is riding on this sporty 181mph all-wheel-drive vehicle – reputations, jobs, livelihoods, and the very future of Aston Martin itself – that even supercool agent 007 might break into a cold sweat. The firm, with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, has invested millions in a brand new factory at a former RAF base at St Athan in Wales to build the new DBX.

But I’m willing to bet that it will be Jane, not James Bond, who will make this stylish 4X4 a winner. And maybe – amid rumours that the forthcoming but delayed 007 movie ‘No Time to Die’ could controversially see the superspy becoming a father – their little baby Bonds too.

For while many of the DBX’s biggest rival 4X4s are real beasts, the DBX is both on the road and In its handling, a real beauty that will appeal as much to women as to men.

And, if my experience is anything to go by, in the wealthier and highly-competitive well-heeled suburbs of Britain, this will become the sexy school-run 4X4 in which would-be Mr and Mrs Bonds will trump the Jones’s in their Range Rovers, Bentleys and Porsches.

I tested the new DBX on UK roads, as well as off-road and around Aston Martin’s dedicated test track at Silverstone. The Covid-compliant launch – complete with social distancing and protective masks – was in place of the planned global launch in Palm Springs, California, which had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

Which is why the car I drove was in right hand drive – for export to the USA.

Ray Massey was among one of the first journalists in the world to get behind the wheel of the £158,000 SUV to put it through its paces

‘To say that the legendary British car-maker has bet the house on the new £158,000 DBX – the marques first SUV in its 107 year history – is, if anything, an understatement,’ says our man Ray

The world launch of the car was due to take place in the US, but was swiftly cancelled due to the outbreak of coronavirus. That means the first-drive was pushed back to August – and all the cars left-hand drive

I also took it for a spin around the Beckham-style mansions in what I suspect will become its natural territory, the Elmbridge district of Surrey dubbed the ‘Beverley Hills of Britain’ because of the high concentration of celebrities and premiership footballers, which also contains the Chelsea training ground.

And I could sense the curtains twitching as I drove by. Expect similar in the upmarket enclaves of the North West, Midlands, Cotswolds, Edinburgh and Glasgow,

Aston Martin is pitching the new DBX as ‘an SUV with the soul of a sports car’.

But the DBX also messes with your mind, thanks to some clever design. When you look at, visually, it appears to be a smaller SUV than it really is.

From its bold front grille and headlights, it’s clearly an Aston Martin, as anyone seeing it looming in their rear-view mirror will recognise.

DBX messes with your mind, thanks to some clever design. When you look at, visually, it appears to be a smaller SUV than it really is

From its bold front grille and headlights, it’s clearly an Aston Martin, as anyone seeing it looming in their rear-view mirror will recognise

Ray predicts this will become the sexy school-run 4X4 in which would-be Mr and Mrs Bonds will trump the Jones’s in their Range Rovers, Bentleys and Porsches

The rear hatchback too is unmistakeably Aston, with thin shaped rear lights, the trademark jewellery-like wings from Birmingham firm Vaughtons, and, should you need reminding, the words spelled out in capital letters.

Yet this is a big car that fools they eye. From the dimensions on the printed page, it’s pretty much the same size as a Bentley Bentayga and a Porsche Cayenne. But it looks and feels more elegant and less of a bruiser, more of a beauty, less of a beast.

It is the exterior lines – particularly between the wheels – which have been cleverly sculpted to scoop-away ‘mass’ and create a sense of lightness and elegance which make the real difference.

Then, when you sit inside, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. You have a commanding seating position, but the dashboard does not dominate and everything appears human scale. The spacious hand-crafted interior is contemporary and comfortable without being overblown, and incredibly tactile with a satin-soft to the touch leather interior.

But this is no ‘hairdresser’s car’ to use the derogatory term used by some petrol-heads to damn a car perceived as insufficiently ‘manly.’

From the dimensions on the printed page, it’s pretty much the same size as a Bentley Bentayga and a Porsche Cayenne. But it looks and feels more elegant and less of a bruiser, more of a beauty, less of a beast

It is well mannered around town. But when you want or need Bond-like acceleration, it’s there for you in spades as I discovered on the road and – to a much freer degree, on the track

It’s pretty nimble and flexible too with a wading depth of 500mm, a kerb-to-kerb turning circle: of 12.4m and 190mm ground clearance which can rise by 45mm to 235mm, or drop by 50 to 140mm

Yes, driving is a delight. It is well mannered around town. But when you want or need Bond-like acceleration, it’s there for you in spades as I discovered on the road and – to a much freer degree, on the track.

The DBX is propelled by a more powerful version of 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine already used in the DB11 and V8 Vantage sports cars.

Linked to a 9-speed automatic and developing 550 horsepower, it accelerates with gusto from rest to 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds up to a top speed of 181mph, where permitted (such as de-restricted German Autobahns). That makes it the highest performing V8 engine in the current Aston Martin range.

There are six driving modes – four including GT, Sport and Sport+ for on-road driving, and two for driving off-road. A specially tuned active exhaust system means the DBX can sound refined one moment and rather exhilarating the next. Personally, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

The DBX is propelled by a more powerful version of 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine already used in the DB11 and V8 Vantage sports cars

Linked to a 9-speed automatic and developing 550 horsepower, it accelerates with gusto from rest to 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds up to a top speed of 181mph

That makes it the highest performing V8 engine in the current Aston Martin range – more so than the eight-cylinder powerplants in the Vantage and DB11

It’s pretty nimble and flexible too with a wading depth of 500mm, a kerb-to-kerb turning circle: of 12.4m and 190mm ground clearance which can rise by 45mm to 235mm, or drop by 50 to 140mm.

I took it off-road on a modest but not extreme course of mud, ruts, steep inclines and steep drops.

It will not compete with, say a Land Rover Defender in terms of purist off-roading. But nor is it meant to. And for the amount of times it will be expected to go beyond a bit of grass-and gravel, muddy fields, or a bit of slippery hill-climbing, it is more than adequate. And for those with an active lifestyle it can tow trailers, caravans, or horse-boxes up to 2,700kg.

:On the track I was able to push it hard on Aston’s Silverstone circuit, but not as hard as the firm’s engineering ride and handling guru Matt Becker who I also invited to show me what it can really do as I sat in the passenger seat. Seriously impressive.

Development tests have shown cornering speeds equal to the firm’s Vantage sports car and braking performance that beats the marque’s DBS Superleggera grand tourer. A 48v electric anti-roll system helps maintain stability at speed.

Development tests have shown cornering speeds equal to the firm’s Vantage sports car and braking performance that beats the marque’s DBS Superleggera grand tourer

The five-door five seater all-wheel-drive crossover has been designed from the ground-up with input from women on its ‘Female Advisory Board’ – making it as fitting for Jane as James Bond, and all their children

It will not compete with, say a Land Rover Defender in terms of purist off-roading. But nor is it meant to

The needs and desires of women have been a driving force in the creation of this 4X4. The new DBX has been created from the start with women around the world in mind with details to make it as practical for business or for ‘everyday use’, the school run and shopping outings as cruising down to the Cote D’Azure.

Each button and dial has been carefully positioned following extensive testing and input from Aston’s Female Advisory Board.

Other touches include a separate central armrests, glovebox design, and the ergonomic positioning of the car’s key control systems. Cabin storage has been prioritised with a floating centre console that offers storage space below for larger items such as a handbag or large 1.5-litre water bottles.

The rear hatchback is unmistakeably Aston, with thin shaped rear lights, the trademark jewellery-like wings from Birmingham firm Vaughtons, and, should you need reminding, the words spelled out in capital letters

Inside the hatchback boot there’s plenty of space for a family’s luggage with 632 litres capacity plus up to 62 litres underfloor storage and isofix fittings for customised child-seats

Ray tested the new DBX on UK roads, as well as off-road and around Aston Martin’s dedicated test track at Silverstone

Super-rich potential customers in all shapes and sizes tried out in the seats to ensure maximum all-round comfort, and it shows. Or rather feels.

And in a first for Aston Martin, a group of children were even invited to crawl around a prototype and share their experience getting in and out and sitting inside at the company’s design studio to see what improvements could be made.

As a result there’s practical interior space for flexible modern life-styles – including easy to use buttons and a even handy slot in the centre to securely stow a hand-bag – or anything else you may have to hand – out of sight rather than sitting on the seat in sight of potential smash and grabbers or in the footwell.

Aston Martin said: ‘We do intend to make this car much more female-friendly. Until now our customer base has been predominantly male. Except for China where it is 50:50. We want to broaden that out. We’re not talking about making cars only for women, but rather to make our cars more practical for women and families, as well as men.’

The spacious hand-crafted interior is contemporary and comfortable without being overblown, and incredibly tactile with a satin-soft to the touch leather interior

Each button and dial has been carefully positioned following extensive testing and input from Aston’s Female Advisory Board

Riding on vast 22-inch alloy wheels, this gas-guzzling SUV weighing a hefty 2 and a quarter tonnes (2,245kg) manages a miserly average 19.73mpg with CO2 emissions of 325g/km, though it can deactivate cylinders to improve fuel economy

There’s plenty of headroom and legroom front and rear for passengers, benchmarked against Aston’s lofty design boss Marek Reichman who is 6-foot 4-inches tall.

Rear seats are designed to avoid the ‘stadium’ seating sense of rear occupants leaning over those in the front.

Will it fit in my garage? Aston Martin DBX

Style: luxury sports utility vehicle

Price: £158,000 (including 3 years’ service and warranty)

Built: St Athan, Wales

First deliveries: Now

Seats: 5

Doors: 5

Length: 5,039mm

Width (folded mirrors): 2,050mm

Width: (with mirrors): 2,220mm

Height: 1,680mm

Wheelbase: 3,060mm

Weight: 2,245kg

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 Twin Turbo

Power: 550bhp

Gears: 9-speed automatic (with manual override paddles)

Top speed: 181mph

0-60mph: 4.3 seconds

0-62mph (100km/h): 4.5 seconds

Average fuel economy: 19.73mpg

CO2 emissions: 325g/km (WLTP)

Drive: All-wheel drive

Wheels: 22-inch alloy

Wading depth: 500mm

Fuel tank: 85 litres

Luggage capacity: 632 litres (plus up to 62 litres underfloor storage)

Ground clearance: 190mm

Turning circle: 12.4m (kerb to kerb)

Towing weight: 2,700kg.

Space-saving lessons learnt from sports car production mean class-leading front and rear leg, knee and foot space for rear passengers than is typically found in rival SUVs.

A vast full-length panoramic glass roof lets light flood in with a luxurious Alcantara roller-blind. Expansive side windows add to the feeling of space and of airiness.

Visibility is good and the seating position also delivers a clear view beyond the bonnet. The dashboard accentuates the feeling of space and luxury in DBX. A 10.25 inch electronic screen sits in the centre console with a 12.3-inch dashboard screen giving information to the driver.

Seats are trimmed in sumptuous soft-touch Bridge of Weir leather. The headlining and electric roof blind are available in Alcantara finish, and the contrmporary cabin decorated in ornate and contemporary metal, glass and wood veneers.

Features include a power tail-gate, folding rear seats, sports pedals, 64-colour ambient lighting, keyless energy, sports steering wheel, and a wide selection of optional interior luxury trims.

Inside the hatchback boot there’s plenty of space for a family’s luggage with 632 litres capacity plus up to 62 litres underfloor storage and isofix fittings for customised child-seats.

Safety features include electronic stability, traction and hill-descent control, emergency brake assist, blind-spot warning, lane departure and change warning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, traffic sign recognition, and tyre pressure monitoring.

Park assist uses 360 degree camera system and sensors and stow-away reversing camera.

The new Aston Martin DBX comes complete with 11 optional accessory packs for the DBX including: a ‘Pet Pack’ comprising a partition and a bumper protector, as well as a portable dog shower to stop your hound creating muddy puddles in the boot of the hatchback; a snow pack with a portable ski-boot warner and roof-top ski rack; an event pavk for picnic hampers; and a gun cabinet.

My only slight niggle was that the driver’s door on my pre-production car needed a bit of a hefty shove but that will be fettled by the time first customer orders land.

And don’t expect to save the planet. Riding on vast 22-inch alloy wheels, this gas-guzzling SUV weighing a hefty 2 and a quarter tonnes (2,245kg) manages a miserly average 19.73mpg with CO2 emissions of 325g/km, though it can deactivate cylinders to improve fuel economy.

The UK price of £158,000 includes three-years’ servicing. Prices abroad include €193,500 in Germany, ¥ 2,378,000.00 in China, JPY 22,995,000 in Japan and $189,900 in the USA

As well as keeping Aston afloat, the DBX aims to be a big export earner for UK PLC.

The DBX is set to become the company’s biggest seller though in the midst of the corona-virus pandemic the planned 5,000 sales a year by 2021 – with the UK, USA and China among the key markets – may now be ambitious.

The UK price of £158,000 includes three-years’ servicing. Prices abroad include €193,500 in Germany, ¥ 2,378,000.00 in China, JPY 22,995,000 in Japan and $189,900 in the USA

The DBX is set to become the company’s biggest seller though in the midst of the corona-virus pandemic the planned 5,000 sales a year by 2021

Will the DBX help Aston Martin beat the odds, win through and save the day, just like the fictional hero 007? ‘Hopefully yes,’ says Ray Massey

The covers came off the DBX when it was unveiled simultaneously in the Chinese capital Beijing and in Los Angeles in November last year. But the ensuing coronavirus pandemic put paid to the original spring launch and planned global test drive on Palm Springs, California.

Sadly for him, and I suspect many of his team, the man who pioneered the DBX and pushed through its production, former chief executive Dr Andy Palmer, is no longer around to see through the project he began, having been ousted in a boardroom purge.

He paid the price for losses in the first half of 2020 soaring to £227million on sales of 1,770 vehicles at the height of the corona pandemic.

A consortium led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, Aston’s new executive chairman, injected £260million of cash to keep the firm afloat and brought in Tobias Moers, former boss of Mercedes-Benz’s performance division AMG, to replace Palmer. As those at the very top know all too well, there is little room for sentiment in the harsh world of automotive business. It is a matter of survival. And the new leadership team are focused taking the tough measures needed to stem losses an focus on returning to profitability. It is likely to be very painful.

Will the DBX help Aston Martin beat the odds, win through and save the day, just like the fictional hero 007? Hopefully yes. Stay tuned for the next thrilling cliff-edge instalment.

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ana-yanka · 5 years ago

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Varnishing an Oil Painting

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

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

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

[...]

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

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

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

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

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

[...]

The Drying or Curing Process

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

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

This leaves the pigment and oil behind.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[...]

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

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

[...]

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

Traditional Natural Varnishes:

Dammar, Copal, Amber, Mastic

Traditional Natural Hard Varnishes

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

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

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

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

[...]

Traditional Natural Soft Varnishes

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

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

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

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

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

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

New synthetic varnishes:

MSA, Gamvar, Alkyd Synthetic Resins

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

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

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

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

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

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

A quicker finish

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

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

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

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

[...]

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

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

There are a couple of main reasons why it happens:

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

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

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

[...]

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

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

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

[...]

Matte Varnishes

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

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

[...]

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

6. Do you have to Varnish an Oil Painting?

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

Fat over lean

Slow drying over fast

A well-primed, well-made support

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

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

Change the surface finish to gloss or matte

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

Increase colour saturation

Provide protection for the paint surface

Allow for ease of cleaning

Provide protection from UV radiation

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

[...]

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

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

How to apply a varnish with a brush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to apply a spray varnish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#sca #oil painting #varnish

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wristwatchjournal · 5 years ago

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Shinola Bronze Monster Automatic 43mm Watch Review

Shinola, the Detroit-based maker of hipster-oriented briefcases, bicycles, and watches, has taken some flak since its 2011 inception, most prominently for its American heritage-oriented marketing campaigns and, at times, exaggerated claims of U.S. manufacture. It became serious. In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Shinola must no longer include “Made in the USA” or similar claims in its marketing materials and must become more transparent regarding its manufacturing and supply chain processes, a blow which might have upended the brand. Some watch enthusiasts have also been tough on Shinola, citing high retail prices for relatively simple watches equipped with inexpensive Swiss-made Ronda quartz movements, which are, in fact, assembled in a Detroit factory from Swiss-made components.

In an apparent answer to its critics, Shinola released its first diver’s watch and first automatic as a limited edition of 500 pieces in 2017. The new watch was called the “Lake Erie Monster” in accordance with Detroit’s location on the Great Lake and the legend of the oft-sighted but still at-large monster purportedly lurking in its murky depths. Last year, Shinola expanded the collection with a non-limited Monster dive watch for each of the freshwater seas. A few months ago, Shinola again broadened its undersea (lake?) offering with the Bronze Monster, a 300-meter water resistant Sellita SW200-1-powered, sapphire- and ceramic-equipped diver’s watch in an on-trend 43mm CuSn6 bronze case.

Having spent last winter working underwater beneath one of the Motor City’s less savory neighborhoods as a commercial diver, I have a beguiling soft spot for the city and jumped at the chance to review Shinola’s newest aquatic time-teller. Given Shinola’s history and my admittedly limited experience with the brand, I approached the review with some trepidation but decided to set Shinola’s past and marketing aside to let the Bronze Monster speak for itself, as it should, as a watch on my wrist.

SHINOLA MONSTER DIAL: LEGIBLE AND REFINED

Other than being offered in more colors, the Shinola Monster dial is, with good reason, little changed since its release in 2017, as it is a thoughtful, highly legible, and distinctive design. With an inky-black gloss enamel dial surface and applied rectangular indices inlaid heavily with Super-LumiNova, paired with tapered, rectangular, Super-LumiNova-coated hands and a seconds hand with an intriguing spade-shaped tip, the Bronze Monster’s dial is instantly recognizable and in keeping with Shinola’s design language across the collection. Dial text, which I generally dislike, is pleasantly minimal, with only Shinola’s signature and lightning bolt logo at 12 and “Automatic” in retro-futuristic text at 6 o’clock. Very cool.

A white-on-black date wheel sits just inside the low-key 4 o’clock position and doesn’t interrupt the dial design, instead sits back waiting to be needed as white-on-black date wheels do so well. It’s important to note here that nowhere on the Bronze Monster dial is there any claim of geographic identity or country of manufacture. Instead, at 6 o’clock on the dial’s perimeter, where you’d often find “Swiss Made” or the like, Shinola has simply printed “1000ft 300m,” keeping the overall design uncluttered while attempting not to further irritate the watch-buying public and FTC as its done in the past.

There are a few little nuggets in the Shinola dial for those who care to look. Namely, the twelve o’clock hour marker is shaped like the international alpha (diver down) nautical signal flag, typically used by commercial divers and the US Navy in conjunction with the more common red flag with a diagonal white stripe to indicate a diver’s presence below. The Monster’s minute hand, essential to dive timing for the select few who still do it with a watch, is especially long, with its lumed sections broken in two to further differentiate it from the much shorter hour hand, a nice touch on what is at least intended as a capable diving watch. Finally, the spade-shaped point on the seconds hand is well done and helps to give the dial an overall interesting and refined look, executed well even for the price. Overall, this is a clean dial with instant legibility and a luxurious level of attention to detail. Not to leave you guys in the dark (get it?), the lume is also excellent on the Monster’s dial and hands and lasts all night, even on five-hour dives in dark water.

THE 43MM CASE FOR BRONZE

In the last couple of years, as evidenced by releases from Tudor, Panerai, and others, bronze has been very much in vogue as a case material. Much loved for its ability to develop a patina over time, bronze ages either naturally on the wrist or by chemical means to create a rugged, custom look, individual to a particular watch and wrist. For those who prefer clean bronze, simple household chemicals can quickly remove patina to recreate a brand new look. Being a nautical kind of guy, I really enjoy the look of bronze. It reminds me of diving the Mk V helmet and shining shell casings in my early military days. As it patinates, the Shinola Monster’s case becomes richer in color and texture, adding interest day by day. If you’re the stare-at-your watch type, and you probably are if you’re here, watching bronze patinate is fun in a cheap-thrills kind of way. If you can’t wait for patina, there are simple means of speeding the patina along as readily available as a hard-boiled egg. Google away.

All this talk about bronze should not take away from the actual case shape of the Monster, which is excellent. At 43mm-wide and 15.6mm-thick, this is a large watch in keeping with its Monster name but a reasonable 51-millimeter lug-to-lug (my measurement) and a carefully sculpted case bottom (supposedly inspired by a boat’s hull) combine for extreme comfort and wearability, even on my small 6.25” wrist. Crown guards, always welcome on a diver’s watch, protect the easily-gripped, large-diameter screw-down crown, which is signed with Shinola’s lightning bolt. Crown action on the Monster really is excellent for winding and setting, and it screws down beautifully as well.

Just below the domed, interior AR-coated sapphire crystal, a unidirectional, 120-click rotating elapsed time bezel is also executed in bronze, complete with a charcoal-colored ceramic insert with raised bronze indices. The Bronze Monster’s bezel is easy to grab even with gloves on and features some of the better bezel action I’ve experienced. Matte ceramic as an insert material should promise a high degree of durability while also visually complementing both the glossy dial and brushed case surfaces. Raised bronze graduations on the bezel complete a three-dimensional and interesting overall look and ensure that the patina won’t stop at just the case.

SELLITA SW200-1, NOT EARTH SHATTERING, BUT SOLID

In or around this price point, we are more than likely to see a Swiss sports watch equipped with either the ETA 2824-2 or the Sellita SW200-1, both of which are dependable, durable, and nearly identical calibers from two of the largest Swiss houses of movement manufacture. While the original limited-edition Lake Erie Monster housed an Argomatic R-150 movement developed between Shinola and Swiss giant Ronda AG, Shinola’s Bronze Monster depends on the more pedestrian Sellita SW200-1 for timekeeping purposes. Even though the SW200-1 isn’t necessarily sexy, it is a rock-solid, proven, and accurate time-teller that makes perfect sense in a watch marketed toward the diving crowd. We at ABTW have already gone into much depth on this movement here, but the short version is that the SW200-1 is a 24 jewel, 38-hour reserve, automatic time and date caliber which beats at a near-standard 28,800vph. My Bronze Monster has kept excellent time at right around plus four seconds a day when worn, which is great time-keeping, no matter who made the watch.

U.S.-SOURCED LEATHER AND KHAKI ZULU STRAPS

Shinola is perhaps as well known for its straps as it is for its watches, often utilizing U.S.-sourced leather from brands such as Horween in Chicago, as well as U.S.-produced rubber from Stern Rubber Company in Staples, Minnesota. The Bronze Monster’s included brown leather strap, while not affiliated with the aforementioned brands, is still produced in the U.S. from “premium teak-leather” and has a distressed look and soft feel on the wrist. It’s incredibly soft and feels broken-in after about two hours of wear. For the spring-bar-tool-challenged, the leather strap has a little quick-release lever at the lugs for tool-free strap removal. In short, this leather strap complements the bronze case on the Monster really well and is comfortable. A bronze-plated buckle finishes off the look. My one quibble with this strap is that the second keeper stretches out quite easily, slides off the end of the strap, and has to be put back in place throughout the day. Not a big deal, but maybe a deal.

Of course, a leather strap doesn’t make any sense on a watch designed for aquatic use (don’t get me started), but Shinola is way ahead of us and has also provided a khaki-colored five-ring zulu strap (which they call a G10, for no reason) with matching bronze hardware. With the spring bars on the leather strap built into its quick-release system, Shinola has had to include a set in the box for wearers who want to rock the nylon strap. Once set up, it’s a decent zulu strap, though it does make the already tall watch sit up a bit taller on the wrist (especially on my small 6.25” wrist.) Minor gripes aside, it’s nice of Shinola to include two wearing options and at least the zulu hardware matches. I’d personally love to see a rubber strap in the package, but I’m getting greedy.

Frankly, Shinola’s Bronze Monster is a lot nicer than I expected it to be in look, feel, and timekeeping. While it’s not inexpensive for what it is, it’s just about as good as the more expensive Oris Carl Brashear Limited Edition (and has better lume), and it doesn’t look or feel all that much less refined than the excellent and much more expensive Tudor Black Bay Bronze, though that watch, indeed is equipped with an in-house-caliber. For lovers of bronze diving watches, especially those with a soft spot for U.S. assembly, if not complete manufacture, Shinola’s maiden bronze release presents an interesting and truly different-looking design compared with many other choices of both lesser and greater cost. Further, the Bronze Monster demonstrates an intent from Shinola to push past its previous mass-market offerings to compete in the actual premium watch space. While its initial attempts at returning watch manufacture to the U.S. were imperfect, the brand has refined its messaging to more accurately demonstrate how “American” its products are. If the Bronze Monster is any indication of what Shinola is now capable of or interested in, I for one am excited to see what’s next out of Detroit. The Bronze Monster is available from shinola.com for $1650.

Necessary Data

Brand: Shinola Model: Bronze Monster Price: $1650US Size: 43mm x 51mm x 15.6mm Would the reviewer personally wear it: Yes. It’s a distinctive, high-quality bronze diver with at least some U.S. roots. Friend we’d recommend it to first: Most patriotic bronze-curious diver’s watch fan I know. Best characteristic of watch: The bronze case is perfectly executed with a comfortable and visually interesting shape. Worst characteristic of watch: I wish the watch came with a U.S.-made rubber strap as other Monster models do, but I understand why they went with leather.

The post Shinola Bronze Monster Automatic 43mm Watch Review appeared first on Wristwatch Journal.

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igeekphonedotcom · 5 years ago

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OPPO released the Reno Ace mobile phone, which is a brand-new product series launched by OPPO. It is positioned as a super player. OPPO Ace 2 has two major trump cards of 65W super flash charge and 90Hz e-sports screen. Ace attracted the attention of many hardcore players at the time.

Half a year later, the Ace series officially announced its independence. The protagonist of this article-Ace2 is the first product after the Ace independent series. The OPPO official said that the birth of the Ace series is OPPO’s ultimate response to the love of super players. Then the newly upgraded Ace2 mobile phone will bring players What kind of experience? Let ’s get a deeper understanding of this product.

OPPO Ace2 Design

I do n’t know if my friends have noticed. In the past two years, the recognition of OPPO mobile phones has become higher and higher. For example, the Reno series, such as the Find X2 series, even if they use the ID layout design similar to that of Youshang products. But OPPO ’s Mobile phones can always give you a different feeling, as does Ace2.

OPPO Ace2 is not the first smartphone with Oreo lens design. But Ace 2 still has high brand recognition. In the round Oreo camera module, there are four rectangular cameras arranged with raised lens edges There are also four hollowed-out grooves on the ring. Giving the entire lens module a mechanical feel similar to gears.

However, the author personally believes that the glass cover of the Oreo lens is still slightly monotonous, is it better to add some texture design?

OPPO Ace2 has three colors: moonrock gray, fantasy purple, and aurora silver. The moon rock-gray version, which uses a high-gloss glass back cover. Of course, it inevitably becomes a fingerprint collector. The overall look is not bad, like black is not black, close to silver-gray and more ink blue. And the back shell and the middle frame of the phone are also the same color, without any color difference, the sense of unity is stronger.

Appearance

On the front, OPPO Ace2 is equipped with a 6.55-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2400 * 1080. A local peak brightness of 1100nit, a dynamic contrast of 5000000: 1. And supports HDR10 + certification and Rhine Global Eye Protection certification.

OPPO Ace2 has a 90Hz screen refresh rate and a 180Hz touch sampling rate.

In terms of system, OPPO Ace2’s screen color mode has two modes of vivid and soft. Supports screen refresh rate switching, has OSIE ultra-clear visual effects. Supports low-light and no-strobe eye protection, and so on.

The screen appearance of OPPO Ace2 is still good, especially the high refresh rate screen of 90Hz. The whole screen is smooth like butter, and it is very easy to follow.

As a flagship mobile phone with high performance for gamers. OPPO Ace 2 has a body size of 160.0mmx75.4mmx8.6mm and a weight of 185g. This data is very good. For players, even a long game will not appear because of the machine. Wrist pain caused by being too heavy.

At present, too many 5G flagship mobile phones on the market weigh more than 200g. Especially some game mobile phones. Perhaps to ensure the ultimate gaming performance, weight control can be said to be very unrestrained. Imagine some players with small hands. Or, sisters, holding a fitness instrument all day in their hands, it is really miserable.

However, it should be noted that the middle frame of OPPO Ace 2 is made of plastic. But the entire middle frame adopts a matte spraying process. And it is difficult to discern which material it is in terms of look and feel. The advantage is that thanks to the design of the plastic middle frame, Ace 2 uses a 360-degree surround antenna. Different holding states. And intelligently matches the best antenna group to ensure that the mobile phone signal is always kept in the best state.

OPPO Ace2 Hardware

In terms of core configuration. OPPO Ace 2 is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 + X55. It has 8GB / 12GB (LPDDR4X / 5) + 128GB / 256GB (UFS3.0 + TurboWrite + HPB). Uses a 4000 mAh battery, supports 65W SuperVOOC 2.0. 40W AirVOOC wireless flash charging, 10W wireless reverse charging.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 represents the highest performance of the current Android camp. It uses TSMC’s 7nm process technology, has a Kryo 585 Prime super-large core customized based on A77, the main frequency reaches 2.84Ghz, and three A77 architecture Kryo 585 Gold Large core, clocked at 2.42Ghz, and 4 A55 architecture Kryo 585 Sliver small cores, 1.8Ghz.

Compared with the previous generation Snapdragon 855 processor, CPU performance has increased by 25%, and power consumption has also been reduced by 25%. In terms of GPU, the new Adreno 650 graphics processor also has a 25% performance improvement compared to the previous generation Adreno 650, and power consumption is reduced by 35%.

In the Antutu (V8.3.2) test, OPPO Ace2 reached 590,756 points.

We obtained through GeekBench4 running points, OPPO Ace 2 single-core reached 4278 points, multi-core reached 13057 points;

In 3DMark, OPPO Ace2 benchmark test results were 7188 and 6404 respectively.

The above three sets of running points data are in line with the normal performance of Snapdragon 865, and also represent the highest performance release level of the current Android camp.

A careful partner may have discovered that OPPO Ace2 is equipped with UFS3.0, but it additionally supports TurboWrite and HPB technologies. In fact, these two technologies are from UFS3.1.

According to official information, compared with UFS3.0, UFS3.1 mainly adds three functions of Write Turbo, Deep Sleep, and HPB. Among them, “Deep Sleep” technology helps to extend the battery life of the device and Write. Turbo write enhancement technology can provide long-term stable high-speed writing speed, and HPB mainly uses the mobile phone’s RAM to cache the L2P Map table to improve read performance and solve the problem of “more use and more cards” on the mobile phone.

In our actual test, OPPO Ace 2’s sequential read speed reached 1636MB / s, sequential write speed reached 671MB / s, random read speed reached 218MB / s, and random write speed reached 202MB / s. As a comparison, UFS 3.1 normally performs sequential reads up to 1800MB / s and sequential writes up to 700MB / s. The standard UFS3.0 is 1500MB / s and 500MB / s.

After talking about the performance of running points, let’s take a look at the game performance.

2. Games

In OPPO Ace2, it is equipped with the new Hyper Boost 3.0 technology. Most users of Ace2 are mobile game players. How to improve the experience on the game? In addition to performance, it is the optimization of the underlying system.

In Hyper Boost 3.0, OPPO is optimized for scene issues with the most user feedback, such as game fever and fast power consumption. These upgrades include the Game Zone engine, temperature control callback, and open capabilities. Specifically, Hyper Boost 3.0 can intelligently adjust system resource allocation according to demand. The optimization directions include intelligent scheduling strategies, unified control resources, special scene optimization, low power scene optimization, etc. According to OPPO laboratory data, Ace2’s CPU resources The utilization efficiency is increased by up to 30%, and the overall power consumption is reduced by up to 12%.

OPPO Ace 2 “Peace Elite” game, we can see through the frame rate graph, whether it is to open the smooth picture quality + 90hz ultra-high frame rate mode, or turn on the HDR HD + extreme frame rate mode, its performance level Almost all achieved the effect of full frame, the frame rate fluctuation is very stable, the average frame rate of the former is 89.3FPS, and the latter is 59.6FPS.

In the first 10 minutes, the smooth image quality + 90hz ultra-high frame rate mode is turned on, and in the last 20 minutes, the HDR HD + extreme frame rate mode is turned on.

90hz super high frame rate

With the advantage of 90Hz high-brush screen, OPPO Ace 2 currently supports the 90FPS high frame rate mode of 22 games, these games include Peace Elite, Ace Warrior, Crash 3, Quantum Attack, Shenmo, Minecraft, Vanity, etc. OPPO will continue to add more 90FPS high frame rate games to bring players the ultimate gaming experience.

In addition, OPPO Ace 2 uses a Z-axis linear vibration motor and brings 4D vibration sensation 2.0. In the “Peace Elite” game, the mobile phone can trigger vibration through sound, image and touch recognition, and match different vibration sensations according to different firearm types For example, for pistols, the tremor is very slight every time you fire the gun, but if you change to these long guns such as AKM, the tremor will add a little extra power.

The ColorOS 7.1 equipped on OPPO Ace 2 supports SMS / WeChat / QQ to display a message reminder on the game page in the form of a barrage. Players can receive notifications during the game without blocking the game screen.

Hyper Boost 3.0 is also excellent in controlling the heat of the mobile phone. After 30 minutes of intensity games, the maximum temperature of the camera area of the body is measured to be 39.2 ° C, and there is no frequency reduction phenomenon for a long time.

3. Charging

The lack of wireless charging has been the place where OPPO mobile phones have suffered a lot in the past two years. OPPO believes that the 65W super flash charging technology carried by its flagship machine has been able to meet the charging needs of consumers, and some low-power wireless charging efficiency is too low. It’s better not to use it.

No matter how bad it sounds, it’s a blockbuster. This is OPPO Ace2’s best interpretation of wireless charging-OPPO Ace2 is equipped with 40W AirVOOC wireless flash charging and supports 10W wireless reverse charging.

OPPO Ace2 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging data are as follows:

5 minutes: 20% charge

10 minutes: 43% charge

15 minutes: charge 63%

20 minutes: 82% charge

30 minutes: 98% charge

Charging 100%, less than 35 minutes.

Fully filled, about 45 minutes.

There is no way to do related wireless charging tests here. To sum up: 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 + 40W AirVOOC wireless flash charging + 10W wireless reverse charging, which is almost the fastest and comprehensive charging solution at present.

OPPO Ace2 Camera

OPPO Ace2 is equipped with four rear cameras, namely 48MP main camera lens (IMX586 f / 1.7 aperture) + 8 million super wide-angle lens + portrait lens + light leakage lens. IMX586 has appeared on many OPPO mobile phones, polished for a year, OPPO has already handled this main camera with ease.

Let’s take a look at the proofs:

Wide Angel

In the case of good light, the proofs of OPPO Ace2 tend to be more realistic, and the look and feel are natural and comfortable. There is no intention to increase the color and saturation of the picture to please the user ’s eye. The 48MP main camera lens has sufficient resolution, but some The dynamic range is slightly insufficient in bright and dark scenes. The main camera supports 2X-5X zoom. After 2X partial zoom-in, there are still rich details and textures. In the ultra-wide-angle proofs, the transition of the edge of the picture is natural, and there is no problem of distortion and purple fringing, but the resolution of 8MP is still slightly worse.

10x

It is worth mentioning that the main camera of OPPO Ace2 also supports ultra-clear image quality (composite 100 Megapixels). In the night shooting, the proofs give the author the biggest feeling that the brightness is bright enough, the picture is pure enough, the first look is not bad, and the color reproduction of the night lights is more accurate, but the details are not enough after zooming in, and there is a slight smear.

Overall, the performance of the OPPO Ace2 camera basically meets the needs of users. It is completely enough to take pictures on the weekday and send a circle of friends. Of course, even with four shots, the camera configuration of OPPO Ace2 is not as dazzling as other configurations. This may be It is related to its own positioning. After all, in the hands of many Ace users, the mobile phone lens is only used to scan the code.

As early as March last year, OPPO debuted the ColorOS 6 system. ColorOS 6 can be said to be a milestone in the development process of the entire ColorOS. The new system optimizes the interface information density and level through a large area of ”white” and adopts a lighter, Elegant, rhythmic colors, and finally realized the “unbounded” natural look and feel, this change in visual style, the system from the inside to the outside renewed, let many consumers bluntly “OPPO has changed.” Also from that time, the author began to pay attention to the ColorOS system.

After a year, ColorOS has been updated to ColorOS 7.1 version. The OPPO Find X2 series mobile phones released in early March were first equipped with this system, and the OPPO Ace2 released one month later was also equipped with this system.

ColorOS 7.1 is based on Android 10 in-depth customization. According to OPPO’s official statement, ColorOS 7.1 is systematically upgraded from multiple aspects such as design, function, security, scene application, etc. around “light and borderless”. The icon is lighter and the style is lighter. The interaction is easier, the vision is lighter, and the beauty of technology is hidden into life, giving you the most delicate and natural quality experience.

In the previous evaluation of OPPO Find X2 Pro, An in-depth experience on the UI design of ColorOS 7.1. What kind of chemical reaction will ColorOS 7.1 and OPPO Ace2 mobile phones produce?

The system is fundamental to the experience of a mobile phone and an important criterion for evaluating the overall experience of a mobile phone. Here is the final conclusion-ColorOS 7.1, which is OPPO’s strongest system to date, and can definitely be included in the ranks of domestic Android custom systems. .

In the era before OPPO R17. The first impression of the OPPO ColorOS system to the author is that it has a high-saturation rich style. This style will be a bit aesthetically fatigued after a long time. After Chen Xi joined the ColorOS team, the first thing is A drastic reform has been carried out in this regard. Using “light” and “fast” to define a borderless experience. In the new ColorOS 7.1 system. We continued to focus on “lightness” and carried out deep optimization of the system around “fast”. Including UI, interaction, animation, sound effects and other aspects of optimization, functional, security. Scene application and other aspects of the upgrade.

ColorOS 7.1

First of all, in terms of look and feel, ColorOS 7.1 has a lot of light colors. Neutral and simple taste, and may not be liked by everyone at first glance. But the look and feel at first glance is absolutely very comfortable and natural.

Compared with the ColorOS system in the R17 era. ColorOS 7.1 is like a fashionable woman transformed into a girl who does not eat the fireworks in the world but is a very small girl. This change is so great that if you now use ColorOS 5 two years ago Together with ColorOS 7.1. You will not even think it is the same system.

An easily overlooked reason for making ColorOS 7.1 look so comfortable and refined is the built-in wallpapers of ColorOS 7.1. These wallpapers have a strong artistic beauty and coordination. They complement each other with fonts, icons. And even transition animations. The patterns of these wallpapers will not overwhelm and overshadow icons and text.

More importantly, ColorOS 7.1 perfectly supports Art + wallpaper. Which is also an important exploration of ColorOS’s system aesthetics. Multiple sets of unique artistic wallpapers designed around ColorOS 7.1 can be selected for use by users. As a desktop background. At the same time, the pattern of the wallpaper will not block the icons and text too much.

On this basis, ColorOS 7.1 also redraws a large number of third-party icons. ColorOS 7.1 gives the icons a high degree of customization. In the system settings, you can manually select the rectangle, pebble and material style. This means that you have a high degree of customization of the OPPO mobile phone interface. Allowing users to choose different arrangements based on their own aesthetics.

It is very abstract to describe this kind of beauty in words. Let’s go to the comparison chart first and let everyone feel it intuitively.

Compared with ColorOS 6, ColorOS 7.1 has two obvious changes. First, the icon of the drop-down shortcut bar is reduced. As shown in the following figure, the author believes that, regardless of practicality. In design, the big card of the drop-down shortcut bar of ColorOS 6 The icon is “reverse”. ColorOS 7.1 replaces the original large card icon with a small card. The overall look and feel is a lot of coordination.

Another change is the negative one screen, which no longer uses the previous large square design. Personally, I think that the current negative one screen is a bit too monotonous when there is no content to display, which makes people uncomfortable.

The major changes in the design of ColorOS 7.1 can actually be summarized into three points:

To briefly talk about excessive animation, ColorOS 7.1 has been optimized for interactive animations in the navigation bar, notification bar, background, application opening and closing, etc., especially with the 90Hz high refresh rate screen of OPPO Ace2, which is exceptional in interactive experience The comfort and carefree, flowing water, refer to where to play, the feedback effect of these animations is elastic, non-linear and continuous. The GIF image has a slight frame drop phenomenon, and it cannot represent the true sliding effect 100%

Breeno voice in ColorOS 7.1

Breeno is not limited to being a voice assistant, more is a smart assistant that integrates perception, memory, decision-making, and learning evolution. It provides users with personalized services in different situations, such as planning a route in advance before going to work, and traveling on time. Remind the flight time, takeoff and landing time, etc.

In the future, Breeno will become a smart hub in the entire OPPO product system, including OPPO’s smart home, Internet of Things, etc. will see it.

ColorOS 7.1 also brings a lot of new game features to OPPO Ace2. The Secret to Make OPPO Ace2 Games More Fun, the New ColorOS Experience “, no additional introductions will be given here.

Check Also: OPPO Reno Ace 2 Has Appeared On TENAA With Its Images

Verdict

Overall, OPPO Ace 2 has good competitiveness, 90Hz high refresh screen, 90FPS game support, the fastest charging combination, Snapdragon 865, linear motor, bilinear speaker, ColorOS 7.1, etc., these will attract a lot of super The player’s gaze.

It should be emphasized that OPPO Ace2 is not a gaming phone. And OPPO is not intended to be a gaming phone. OPPO Ace2 is a flagship mobile phone for gamers, geeks, and performance players, and the game is only used to highlight One of the ways of performance.

Oppo Ace 2 Review: Snapdragon 865, 90Hz Display, 65W 2.0 SuperVOOC OPPO released the Reno Ace mobile phone, which is a brand-new product series launched by OPPO. It is positioned as a super player.

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