Active Fine Art Posts

How To: Make Your Photos More Fun with These DIY Bokeh Effects Lens Filters for Your DSLR

In photography, bokeh refers to the blurry or out-of-focus parts of a shot. Bokeh can be good or bad—it all depends on how you use it. There are tons of ways to create a bokeh effect, whether you go the traditional route with lens filters, digital with Photoshop, or even from your iPhone. With filters, you can use the blurred spaces to produce different shapes and colors. If you have a DSLR and want to experiment with bokeh, this tutorial by Chris Perez over on Apartment Therapy will show you...

How To: Draw fancy letters

To draw fancy letters, block out the basic outline, begin adding ornate details inside them and even add vines and filigree around the outside of the letters. Draw fancy letters to start off a new chapter in a book with creative tips from a professional illustrator in this free video on drawing.

How To: Learn studio product photography tricks

This instructional photography video with Jim Talkington explores various studio photography tricks. Whether shooting products or people, the whole reason for studio lighting is to be able to define the things you want to define and to minimize the things you don't want to see in the photograph. Practice these tips and improve your photography skills.

How To: Draw Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Drawing Martin Luther King, Jr., with an open mouth represents his career as a speaker, and drawing his distinguished brow line makes him recognizable. Draw Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with tips from a professional illustrator in this free instructional video on drawing. Now you know what to do for the next Martin Luther King Day - so start practicing and learn how to draw MLK jr.

How To: Clean fungus off of your camera lens

Have you ever found a camera lens that you forgot you left in the basement or garage? Have you ever been shooting out in the rain and lost track of time? If any of these things have happened to your camera, you may have developed a fungus. Not to worry! It is much easier than you would think to clean a fungus off your camera. This tutorial will walk you through the process, step by step so that you clean your lens safely and perfectly every time.

How To: Make a paper mache "fishwichwich"

In this video you get to watch a talented mache artist make a fishwichwich from paper mache. It is fast paste but you get the idea of how he does it. Starting with the paper mache materials, the paste and paper, he makes the body and head in several pieces. He pastes these together and uses some sort of stick to make its spikes. He covers the spikes with mache so they have a more realistic look and starts to smooth out the features of the fish. Once the body is done, he's got the teeth and so...

How To: Make a simple clay and ash glaze

This method of making glaze utilizes environmental supplies. That way there's no need to rely on a clay supply store, so it's great to save money or time if it's a distance to the nearest supplier. Watch this video pottery tutorial and learn how to make a simple ceramic glaze for firing out of clay remnants and wood ash. It's appropriate for use on raw glazing projects as well.

How To: Draw a graffiti cartoon character on paper

In this tutorial, we learn how to draw a graffiti cartoon character on paper. First, draw the outline of the head and then draw in a waved line for the mouth. From here, draw a circle nose and then round eyes with curved eyebrows. Draw big round ears on each side. Then, draw in the hand holding a spray paint can and draw the body around this. The character should be wearing a short sleeved shirt and the other hand should be flipping off the screen. Draw in the pants and shoes, drawing lines o...

How To: Make simple one piece silicone rubber molds

Check out this video for how to create simple one piece silicone rubber molds. This technique is ideal for smaller projects (less than 12" x 12"), this is the easiest process for creating parts, patterns, tools, & molds. We demonstrate creating a silicone rubber mold and then the casting of parts with Repro, epoxy casting resins and polyurethane elastomers. This process can be used in automotive, mechanical, fine art and film special effects uses.

News: Build Your Own AT-AT Imperial Walker Snow Sculpture

It's been a legendary year for snow art. First there was the Eiffel Tower penis. Then the crash-landed AT-AT. Then the beautiful snowdecahedron and the skull-shaped igloo fortress. Found on Unreality Mag, the latest newsworthy snow sculpture is every Star Wars-loving little kid's dream: an AT-AT "pony ride". Okay, so it's freezing cold. And it's technically immobile. Who cares. It's awesome.

How To: Sculpt hands in polymer clay

Sculpting hands in polymer clay can be difficult. Clays like Prosculpt and Sculpey can be brittle when used to make hands without armatures. A mix of Puppen Fimo, Cernit and Fimo Mix Quick has proved to be strong thus far. Watch this video sculpting tutorial and learn how to make hands out of polymer clay.

How To: Measure to draw portraits

It takes a lot of skill and practice to draw portraits freehand and have the proportions turn out accurately. It takes time to learn facial proportions. In this multi-part video, you'll learn how to sketch in the proportions of the face so you'll always draw faces accurately.

How To: Draw a cute cartoon mouse

He may not be Mickey, but he is just as darn cute. If you are looking to learn how to cartoon, and wish to create a cute little mouse character, check out this video. In this tutorial you will learn to draw like a cartoonist, at an intermediate level, using basic shapes to create a character.

Quick Tip: Use a Wired Headset as a Shutter Release Trigger for Your DSLR Camera

Whether you're trying to get an unconventional angle or just want to include yourself in the picture, there are plenty of times when a remote trigger can come in really handy. Of course, if you want to buy one, you have tons of options. But if you already have an Xbox 360 headset, all you have to do is plug it in. YouTube user Gurnarok accidentally found that by plugging his Xbox headset into his camera's remote port, the on/off toggle triggered the shutter release and flash.