Paper Stretchers, Water Colour Paper

Have you ever been a bit exasperated at trying to stretch your own paper. I recently decided to stretch some paper as I am getting back into painting Water Colours, but I discovered that the gum tape I had stored away had gotten wet at some point and the gum paper was all stuck together! I started thinking that surely there must be an easier way to stretch paper without using the gum tape.  

I decided to do a bit of research and I found a great Idea by Ken Bromley:

http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-perfect-paper-stretcher.htm, 

BUT being on a bit of a tight budget I  googled to see if there was anything similar but cheaper on the market, and I found Alan Davies who is a fine artist and Water Colour teacher who needing to stretch a large amount of paper each day, so decided to devise an invention to help him do this quickly and he came up with this design:  

http://www.redcollie.co.uk/products.

The board used is the kind you get from the backing on a picture frame, I think it’s called hardwood? anyway it’s some kind of mdf, and it’s very simple to use, instructions are on the website. There is a slight ridge to the paper when you take it out of the frame where the paper has been pulled over the board, you can cut this off or it could be used to your advantage if so inclined as you can mount it onto another piece of paper or board when framing, and it will give a raised edge effect, useful also if you are doing mixed media or collage with it, maybe experiment with it! I always like to see what can be done with wee things like that :)

I think it's a great invention, and after purchasing the A4 to see how well it worked, I decided to purchase the Quarter Imperial and  I’m very happy with my products.

If this article helped you in anyway please share it.

If you would like to submit an article for this site please see this link: Articles

Feel free to copy this article under the creative commons license, this means it can be copied provided you put a link back to this site as to where the article originated from, link it to this page: Articles


Have a great day.

Have you ever been a bit exasperated at trying to stretch your own paper. I recently decided to stretch some paper as I am getting back into painting Water Colours, but I discovered that the gum tape I had stored away had gotten wet at some point and the gum paper was all stuck together! I started thinking that surely there must be an easier way to stretch paper without using the gum tape.  

I decided to do a bit of research and I found a great Idea by Ken Bromley:

http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-perfect-paper-stretcher.htm, 

BUT being on a bit of a tight budget I  googled to see if there was anything similar but cheaper on the market, and I found Alan Davies who is a fine artist and Water Colour teacher who needing to stretch a large amount of paper each day, so decided to devise an invention to help him do this quickly and he came up with this design:  

http://www.redcollie.co.uk/products.

The board used is the kind you get from the backing on a picture frame, I think it’s called hardwood? anyway it’s some kind of mdf, and it’s very simple to use, instructions are on the website. There is a slight ridge to the paper when you take it out of the frame where the paper has been pulled over the board, you can cut this off or it could be used to your advantage if so inclined as you can mount it onto another piece of paper or board when framing, and it will give a raised edge effect, useful also if you are doing mixed media or collage with it, maybe experiment with it! I always like to see what can be done with wee things like that :)

I think it's a great invention, and after purchasing the A4 to see how well it worked, I decided to purchase the Quarter Imperial and  I’m very happy with my products.

If this article helped you in anyway please share it.

If you would like to submit an article for this site please see this link: Articles

Feel free to copy this article under the creative commons license, this means it can be copied provided you put a link back to this site as to where the article originated from, link it to this page: Articles


Have a great day.

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How To Have a Successful Blog

As Artists it is important to market oursleves, this can be done through blogs so I thought I would include this article here.
















A blog is like having your own personal soapbox for the whole world to see. There are literally millions of them, so it's impossible to keep up with every single one.

Having a blog can keep you up-to-date in the field you practice in, and it can help establish you as an expert. As a successful lawyer and consultant, these are the following steps I practice to maintain my blog. Here are 8 tips to creating and maintaining a blog that will be read:

1. Have a great title for your blog site. Include keywords that are relevant to your work so the search engines can find you. That means that using your firm name may not the best title.

2. Have great titles for every post. Again, it should have the relevant keywords so it can be found. Think of the words a person would type in if she were looking for an answer. Those are the words you want to use.

3. Post often. A blog is a dynamic marketing tool, meaning that the content has to change often. If you are a lawyer, post new topics on law, your law firm and your law practice. The most successful blogs have new, fresh content every day, sometimes multiple times each day. You may want to post daily until your blog is established, then you can go to two or three times a week.

4. Choose interesting topics. Of course you'll want to post blogs that people will read, so think of questions your clients have had and answer them. Start with the basics first before moving into more in-depth blogs.

5. Get followers. Most blog hosts will allow for RSS feeds or a way for people to subscribe and be notified whenever you post new content. Allow for comments on your blog site, and stay involved in the threads. If people ask questions in the comment section, it will give you more material to post in future blogs.

6. Write simply. The legal field can be confusing. If your blog is meant for the general public, follow the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle. If your blog is meant for professionals in a certain field, speak to them in their language. If your blog is meant for other attorneys, you can use more legalese.

7. Keep it relevant. Your blog represents you and your practice. It isn't meant to be a place for you to rant about things that aren't relevant. If you want to have a soapbox that doesn't pertain to your legal practice, start a separate blog where you can write about your personal opinions and political views.

8. Read and link to other blogs. Find legal blogs that you think are good and read them. They will give you ideas and different perspectives. You'll get to see what others are blogging about and keep current on what's going on around you. Also, if you link to those blogs, you will get noticed and people will start reading your blog and link to you.

Remember that a blog is time consuming. If you can't dedicate the hours necessary to keep one, you could always be a "contributing blogger" on someone else's legal blog. Find some blogs that you like, leave comments, and eventually ask if you could be a guest blogger. That way you still increase your visibility without all the work!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

written by

Kendra Brodin

Kendra Brodin, MSW, JD is author of the Happy In Law blog found at http://www.kendrabrodin.com/ and founder of http://www.womenlawyersonline.com/ . With a powerful background as an attorney and social worker, Kendra helps lawyers experience the best of life and legal practice, while helping law firms attract, retain, and advance their best and brightest women attorneys. For more information, please visit her site as mentioned above.

As Artists it is important to market oursleves, this can be done through blogs so I thought I would include this article here.
















A blog is like having your own personal soapbox for the whole world to see. There are literally millions of them, so it's impossible to keep up with every single one.

Having a blog can keep you up-to-date in the field you practice in, and it can help establish you as an expert. As a successful lawyer and consultant, these are the following steps I practice to maintain my blog. Here are 8 tips to creating and maintaining a blog that will be read:

1. Have a great title for your blog site. Include keywords that are relevant to your work so the search engines can find you. That means that using your firm name may not the best title.

2. Have great titles for every post. Again, it should have the relevant keywords so it can be found. Think of the words a person would type in if she were looking for an answer. Those are the words you want to use.

3. Post often. A blog is a dynamic marketing tool, meaning that the content has to change often. If you are a lawyer, post new topics on law, your law firm and your law practice. The most successful blogs have new, fresh content every day, sometimes multiple times each day. You may want to post daily until your blog is established, then you can go to two or three times a week.

4. Choose interesting topics. Of course you'll want to post blogs that people will read, so think of questions your clients have had and answer them. Start with the basics first before moving into more in-depth blogs.

5. Get followers. Most blog hosts will allow for RSS feeds or a way for people to subscribe and be notified whenever you post new content. Allow for comments on your blog site, and stay involved in the threads. If people ask questions in the comment section, it will give you more material to post in future blogs.

6. Write simply. The legal field can be confusing. If your blog is meant for the general public, follow the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle. If your blog is meant for professionals in a certain field, speak to them in their language. If your blog is meant for other attorneys, you can use more legalese.

7. Keep it relevant. Your blog represents you and your practice. It isn't meant to be a place for you to rant about things that aren't relevant. If you want to have a soapbox that doesn't pertain to your legal practice, start a separate blog where you can write about your personal opinions and political views.

8. Read and link to other blogs. Find legal blogs that you think are good and read them. They will give you ideas and different perspectives. You'll get to see what others are blogging about and keep current on what's going on around you. Also, if you link to those blogs, you will get noticed and people will start reading your blog and link to you.

Remember that a blog is time consuming. If you can't dedicate the hours necessary to keep one, you could always be a "contributing blogger" on someone else's legal blog. Find some blogs that you like, leave comments, and eventually ask if you could be a guest blogger. That way you still increase your visibility without all the work!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

written by

Kendra Brodin

Kendra Brodin, MSW, JD is author of the Happy In Law blog found at http://www.kendrabrodin.com/ and founder of http://www.womenlawyersonline.com/ . With a powerful background as an attorney and social worker, Kendra helps lawyers experience the best of life and legal practice, while helping law firms attract, retain, and advance their best and brightest women attorneys. For more information, please visit her site as mentioned above.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad