I need an alternative to leather This is my first time trying to make a costume out of anything other than cardboard and sheets. I wanted to make Greek armour out of real leather but my mum said that real leather is very expensive and very hard to work with. So I started searching for alternative materials. The problem is I can’t find a material with thickness and sturdiness similar to real leather. I’m only thirteen years old so I have a very limited budget. My dad says I should go with fiberglass but I’m very worried that it’ll be too stiff to bend over in. Any ideas?

What you're looking for is EVA Craft Foam sheets; these are the typical choice for costumers who want to create leather or metal-look pieces without using leather or metal. They're widely available from most craft stores, typically in the "kid craft" sections under brand names like "Foamies;" lately, more deluxe versions are also available in some stores in the newly-forming "cosplay" sections, often under the "YaYa Han" brand. The sheets are sufficiently thick to replicate leather, but soft and flexible enough to cut with regular household scissors (as opposed to using knives and leather shears). EVA foam won't be as durable as leather, but with care should hold up well, and there are a lot of tutorials available for crafting costume armor pieces using it.
You definitely don't want to do fiberglass; it's very difficult and hazardous to work with, and gets very heavy very quickly.

Metal or fibreglass lamellar.
This might be a bit above your current skill level, but you might consider making a suit of lamellar armor if you don't want to make a solid breastplate. This is a form of armor that consists of a large number of small plates made from a rigid material with holes punched or drilled in them, which are then laced together with some form of cloth string. This grants protection that is nearly as good as a solid metal plate, but with more flexibility and range of motion. The Wikipedia page has a pattern for one style of lamellar. A similar armor known as brigandine was popular in the medieval period, which consist of overlapping plates of metal that are riveted to the inside of a heavy piece of cloth.
Note that both of these types of armor would likely have been worn over some form of cloth padding for impact resistance, similar to how modern football gear has padding underneath the plates; this would likely take the form of the padded longcoat or jacket known as the gambeson or aketon. Depending on how authentic you want your piece to be, you might buy or make a genuine reproduction, or just substitute it for a modern-day padded parka coat or jacket.
For an example of what these armors might look like in real life, here is a Youtube video by a history-focused Youtuber discussing their new suit of brigandine armor, along with its historical use and its functionality.


What's the name of this type of fabric pattern? Does somebody know what's the name of this fabric pattern? In Spanish is Estampado Búlgaro but when I search Bulgarian Pattern on Google Images nothing even similar appear.

It's called "paisley" in English.

  Paisley or paisley pattern is an ornamental design using the buta (Persian: بته) or boteh, a teardrop-shaped motif with a curved upper end. Of Persian origin,1 paisley designs became very popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries, following imports of post-Mughal Empire versions of the design from India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then imitated locally. Although the fig- or almond-like form is of Persian origin, its English name derives from the town of Paisley, in West Scotland, a centre for textiles where paisley designs were produced.

this is the paisley pattern, originated in Persia and spreading to India. In Henna (drawing on hands and legs by henna ink), paisley is also a favourite pattern.


Is there a formal name for an artwork such as this? I wanted to draw something subtle yet loud and ended up with the following. I am not classically trained at all and do not have much knowledge regarding styles and schools of art. After this drawing I was very interested to know if my drawing falls in any well known form of art and how can I better myself at it.
The referred drawing:

If you're referring to the technique, that's Stippling or Pointillism if made in color. Images created in this style are composed of numerous dots that form a picture if viewed from afar.

  Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots

rebusB helpfully pointed out that it seems to be a picture created in Photoshop or similar software. That makes is digital art, no matter what other technique it resembles. The reason is that creating artwork on a computer is fundamentally different from creating the same artwork with paint or pencils.

If you're referring to the content of your image, unfortunately I cannot help you. It might be Expressionism, but I'm not sure it can be categorized clearly as any art form or style because it doesn't have much to categorize. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad or anything, it's just not enough there to call it "realism" or "neo-classicism" or anything like that.

Your work can be understood as a form of Contemporary Drawing:
"instead of seeing drawing as a preparatory form, as has been its traditional role, these artists invest time, skill and care in the production of finished pieces" - The Tate on Contemporary Drawing.
Have a look at the Drawing Centre in New York, the Salon du Dessin Contemporain in Paris and the Phaidon publications Vitamin D - New Perspectives on Drawing.


Ultra thin stiff wire Where can I get wire that is very thin (needle size, 24-26 gauge), but is stiff (like a needle)? Does it have a name?

The wire of this diameter available at craft and home stores (which comes in rolls) is too pliable. I'm looking ideally for something that is essentially a really long needle in that it is thin, stiff, and can hold a fair amount of weight without warping.

Context: I wish to suspend fairly heavy beadwork with this wire (think clothesline but with the wire running through the top row of beads).

A needle may not be as stiff as you think. One reason a needle seems so stiff is that it's short. A needle of the same diameter and material that was a foot long would not seem stiff at all by comparison. This is just the mechanics of materials at play.

The design problem is a trade-off between wire diameter and material strength. The stiffness of the wire is increased with the wire diameter and also by the strength of the material; a wire of stronger material will deflect less than one of a lesser strength, given the same diameter.

The strength of steel is strongly affected by the alloy and its state of hardening. At the low end would be baling wire, which is mild steel (low-carbon) which cannot be hardened. At the high-end would be tool steel (chrome-vanadium alloy perhaps) that was hardened to maybe 60 Rc (really darn hard). These would exhibit really different deflection characteristics, from bending (permanently) with mild hand pressure to really making you work for it and probably snapping before taking too much of a bend.

A generally good compromise on these is available in music wire, as Matt mentions. Music wire is high-ish carbon steel hardened to a spring temper. This makes it good for springs, which is what a piano string is. It can be made harder, but this comes at the cost of increasing its brittleness. (If you snap a good needle with pliers you'll find that it snaps suddenly, aka. a brittle failure.)

Additional strength can be obtained using a tool steel, which I expect what the best needles are made from. This is most easily obtained as so-called "drill rod". It is supplied unhardened (but still quite strong) and can be hardened to your specifications using a propane torch and either water or (vegetable) oil.

None of these options will be absolutely rigid over any distance. You'll need to decide where to trade off a graceful curve with wire thickness. If you can prevent the wire from rotating, you may be able to "pre-stress" the wire (bend it upwards) such that it appears quite straight when loaded.

I would start with the music wire. It's much cheaper and easier to find. If it's important enough and music wire won't get it done you can look into tool steels.

I had a similar need so thought about it more. Welding filler wire ; For TIG welding , these come in about 36" lengths and are easily available at a welding supply shop. They are frequently high alloy ( exotic stainless steel ) and cold worked to high hardness . Problem , the shop may want to sell a bundle of several wires. Another : old external radio antenna for cars ; I don't know any new cars that have them. You should be able to find one at an auto junk yard.


Can boiled linseed oil from hardware stores be used for oil painting applications or cleaning brushes? Home Depot/Lowes, etc., have boiled linseed oil at a much cheaper price than the local art store that I go to.
Are there any problem using boiled linseed oil from these home stores for oil painting applications, cleaning brushes etc?

Since you tagged this as oil-paint, I assume that is your intended use.

Actually, the BLO that is sold  in art stores is the same stuff that is peddled in hardware stores, be they large or small.

So you can use the BLO from the gallon cans for anything that you might use the BLO purchased from anywhere else.

Edit:

Note that not all linseed oil is "boiled linseed oil".  BLO is not even actually boiled, but has additives that cause it to dry faster. Raw linseed oil is a slow drying product and may be refined.  Stand oil is heated and is lighter in color.

Most hardware stores carry only BLO.

Raw linseed oil is harder to find except in specialty stores (e.g. art supply houses).  Art stores are likely to carry multiple forms of linseed oil, but the one with the "Boiled linseed oil" label contains the same stuff as from the hardware stores.

Yes, just make sure you are getting the boiled linseed oil. Otherwise you are going to be waiting months for your painting to dry.


What will permanently fill the hollow backs of alloy pendants? I have two crescent shaped 3" alloy pendants with hollow backs (like a scooped out avocado). I want to fill the hollows, insert a two-pronged hairpin between them and attach the pendants back to back.

It would be best if one material could both fill and adhere, but if this is impossible, what material can be used to fill, and what separate material will glue the two sides together?

It would be helpful if you could determine the exact type of alloy your pendants are made of, and if they are painted or coated in any way (in which case they may require sanding, chemical etching, or a primer to get the best bond). There are many multi-use products that could work, but you will achieve the best result using an adhesive made specifically for the metals in your pendants and for your application. For example, if your pendants will be exposed to water/humidity, or UV light, look for an adhesive made to withstand those conditions, or apply a protective top coat after the adhesive is dry. If you need to retain a certain degree of flex, or if you need the bond to dry clear, look for adhesives with those properties, and so on.


How can I remove glue from leather without ruining the leather? We've been doing some leather work and we're using super glue to hold the edges together uniformly before stitching for a better hold.

The issue I keep having is that if there is any glue residue on the leather, the stain I'm using doesn't stain, and instead leaves a rather obvious mark where the glue is.

A few things I've tried:

Sandpaper - this didn't work well. It left scratch marks on the leather that the stain seeped into and it pretty much sucked. I used a fine paper but it still scratched.
nail polish remover - this worked OK but effected the stain. I had to do a couple rounds of using it across the whole project to make it uniform again. Diminished the effects of the glue but didn't get rid of it completely
adding more stain - this didn't work hahaha. just made my project super dark and some what blotchy which I had to fix with more nail polish remover.

Open to trying people's suggestions and reporting back.

Take a scrap piece of leather and apply several dots of glue to it, then let them dry.  Once they are dry, try each of the following solvents to see which ones remove the glue with a minimum of discoloration to the leather.  Then stain the leather to see how the solvent treated leather accepts color.

clean water,
water with dish-soap,
rubbing alcohol,
acetone (nail polish remover)
dilute ammonia
dilute bleach

Never mix the solvents with each other.  Apply each solvent to a separate dot of dried glue using a q-tip or folded paper towel.

Personally I love the adhesive remover that and other places use the called they removed any kind of of it he said from anywhere from the body to colored hair, wood, glass, an even on some leather that I needed a very small place of adhesive removed so I applied it with the q-tip ! An this stuff is acetone free ! But also try other adhesive remover like Goof-Off & ect... I would also get a scrap piece of leather and try rubbing alcohol because I know it removed paint and glue from clothes an everything else; so you most likely have a little scrap piece of leather lying around that you could try it on !! But now I always put a leather protectant spray on my leather a day or so before I do any Leatherwork just to help them so they have a little more resistantance to any mistakes are accident that I might make


Attaching a piece of wood to a necklace without drilling I would like to attach a rectangular piece of wood (without drilling through the wood) to a string to make a necklace. The piece of wood should be attached with a knot to its extremity, and hang vertically. I would like the knot to be small, easy and aesthetic. I am thinking about using a fisherman's knot to make a loop out of the necklace, and then somehow attach the wood to the loop - but it might be more clever to attach the wood to the two ends of the string.

What type of knot should I use?

You may have luck with hitches or whippings. The former tends to involve attaching a rope to something, such as a piece of wood. The latter finishes the end of a rope to keep it from fraying, or finishes a piece of wood...to keep it from splintering? Both tend to have styles that can be repeated down a bit of wood making them both more secure and more attractive.

You might have particular luck with a West Country Whipping or a French Whipping

You could try to knot a monkeyS fist knot arround the wood althoug that might work better for cubic items.

https://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/monkeys-fist

You can add the item you want to add from the beginning, but I find it easier to add the knot into the ball shape.


What do you call these snips/shears? The tool on the left is a Wezsnip. They call it an easy snip utility shear. Almost identical tools on the web are called...
Craft snip, Multi snip, Garden tools scissors.
Very similar ones are called...
Hardware snip, Shop snip.
I would like to use a non-trade name to describe them uniquely. Any ideas?
The tool on the right is a Tullen work cutter. A similar tool is called a multi use shear. What is the difference, if any, between shear and snip?

The following picture shows what my father refered to as tin snips. No good for craft work.

I know these as Tin Snips, or Tinner(')s Snips, and are identifiable as such because of the symmetry of the handles and blades, the wide aperture between the blades, and that the handles are longer than the blades.

The difference between snips & shears?

  Snips are shears that are used for cutting metal.

So a snip is a type of shear. And a shear?

  Is a cutting instrument in which two blades move past each other, like scissors but typically larger

A search on the internet reveals that the tool in picture 3 is known as "tin snips" by Fuller, ABM, Harbor, and Shefield.
Bahco, Ideal, Stanley and TTI equate tin snips with aviation snips.
There is no currently accepted adjective that describes the first 2 tools above.
For the time being I propose "craft snips" as nearest to their use.


What's the term for the opposite drawing style to hyperrealism? I'm learning how to draw, and I'm trying to find the name of my favorite style so I can find more resources about it. The style is reasonably minimalistic, using only the necessary detail to make recognizable portraits (as opposed to hyperrealism) and largely ignoring physical flaws in a way that basically makes anyone attractive. However, the eyes and other areas are allowed additional detail to make the subject as attractive as possible. It's sort of an extension on sketching with relatively little shading.

Can you name the style, and maybe even provide some resources for working on it?

Here are a few examples, the first one by far the closest to what I'm looking for:

These are simply portrait sketches. There's not, to the best of my knowledge, a specific term for the technique other than "sketching".

Sketching doesn't just mean an unfinished work, a doodle, or lack of detail. I think this phrasing from Painting.About.Com defines it well:

  A sketch is painting or drawing capturing the essence of an object or scene, giving an idea or outline of it or simply a part thereof. How quickly or slowly a sketch is completed depends on the individual artist. Some work very quickly and roughly, others slowly and in great detail.

So, in these portraits, capture the eyes and certain features is just part of getting that essence of the person. Eyes are a very defining facial feature, and they're very humanizing and expressive. Adding detail to them is an easy way to make the drawing "pop".

The three examples you've given are distinctly different personal styles. As you seen in the top, it's more defined by outlines, hatching and cross-hatching.  The second works more with fluid lines and varying tones. The last one is kept very loose, using "scribbles" and high-energy lines that go outside of the bounds for the hair, contrasted with well-defined edges and hatching for the face.

I wouldn't really consider any of these the opposite of hyperrealism, either. You can go much further away from that, such as gesture drawing and cartooning.

If there is a specific term for this, I've never heard anyone use it. This is the type of art I'm most interested in, so I've seen a lot of it and followed artists for years with no mention. I've also not heard anything used in any art class or tutorial I've taken.

At most, I think you'll be able to break down some individual techniques or concepts, somewhat like I did a couple paragraphs ago. If you're particularly focused on the beauty aspect of them, you may think of them as fashion, beauty or glamour portraits.

(As a side note, the first one you've listed is actually the most detailed of the three, which is especially obvious if you look at the lips, but there's many more details than that.)


Trying to turn a vintage wash basin into a vessel sink. How can I get rid of this standing water? First off I screwed up where I drilled the hole for the drain. The middle of the bowl is actually raised so the water pools in a circle around the drain:

I'm curious what my options are now... Is there any way I can salvage this? There's about 3-4mm of standing water in a ring around the bowl.

Could I put another smaller drain in back of the bowl? I'm wondering if I could even plug the hole I drilled and not have it look awful.

If you don't object to a transparent substance in the bottom of the basin, you can use acrylic casting resin, aiming for a product which specifically advertises itself as clear, as some of the available casting resins are not.

Mixing the product per directions and pouring it into the basin with a bowl under the drain will allow you to place the exact amount, while the excess runs into the bowl. Ensure that the basin is perfectly level prior to the pour for what I hope is an obvious reason.

It's typical to subject casting resin to a pressure pot to remove bubbles, but that's not necessarily practical in this situation. A heat gun (preferred) or hair dryer will help to clear bubbles.

As a possible bonus, you can mix a small amount of glitter or similar decoration if you wish to add a different touch, although that's not consistent with the flower motif currently in place.

This may not be suited if you intend to use abrasive cleansers on the surface, but they can be polished out with appropriate abrasives and plenty of labor.

If you have a shop press that's rated for at least a few tons, you can try reshaping the bottom of the bowl so that it is concave, instead of convex, from how it is right now. To do this right, you'll probably need to heat up the bowl so that it's easier to work with, but the heat from a torch might damage the paint. Even a heat gun might damage the paint, and bending the bowl into a different shape could also destroy the paint.

Then again, I'm going to have to assume you put the ring depression around the hole and that didn't damage the paint, so you might be good to go. Also, if you put in that ring, you probably have the size of shop press to make this happen.

What you'll do is to find or make another heavy bowl or depression for this to sit in while you apply pressure from the top. You might want to use a large piece of rubber or a sandbag with a piece of steel on top to apply even pressure across the dome. The idea is to get the dome to pop out under the bowl or to press it into a different shape with a depression, instead of the raised bit you have. If it's only a 3-5mm, this shouldn't be too difficult, but if the dome does do a "tin can" kind of popping out the bottom, you might have all the pressure of your press released all at once, so strapping the bowl and other press items down would be a good idea.

To be honest, I haven't done anything like this myself, so I'd check to see if there are any tutorials or videos that might have a better way to make this attempt.


How can I avoid smudging my pencil drawings? I'm very new at drawing. I'm not very good at pencil types yet, but it seems like whichever pencil I use (I have a set of 12 ranging from 6B to 5H), I end up with smudges.

Is there a way to reduce the number of smudges I make? Or should I resign myself to them and just try to not make really awful ones?

You can use an artist's bridge as well. It's basically a long metal ruler with either rubber feet at either end or a thin foam on the bottom. You can easily make your own out of a sturdy ruler as well. These are used by illustrators but could be useful to the fine artist as well. Here are some examples:

The bridge is great for horizontal work but for easel work you can take a page from Salvador Dali's playbook and use a mahl stick. A stick with a ball of leather or rubber is a mahl stick. For the right-hander, the stick is held in the left, the ball is placed at upper right, either on the work surface or edge of easel. Some artists use a leather thong or nail to secure. You now have a movable bridge to keep your hand off the work surface. I use a yardstick with a ball of rags and tape at one end. You can easily make different lengths based on the scale you work at. Side note: see John Cusack demonstrate the use of a mini mahl stick in "Being John Malkovich". Try a wooden dowel with a tennis ball or solid rubber ball at the end.

Also, there is the issue of oils on the hand. To battle this use thin cotton gloves to handle paper. You used to be able to get these at photo supply stores. Cut all fingers off but the pinky for drawing hand. Again, this really just depends on how much you care about preservation of the white of the paper. For illustrators this is huge.

I add the following for thoroughness and the OCD tendencies in some of us. Use frisket film to protect areas you want crisp and white. I've used this for charcoal and the effect is quite profound. Sharp crisp edges, perfect, immaculate whites contrasted with loose charcoal painting and drawing is almost magical. Tedious? yes ....worth it? I leave that as an exercise for the reader.

For simplicity and ease of use, the extra piece of paper suggestions are great. Just adding my 2 cents for completeness. May I just add that tracing paper is great for this due to its lack of tooth and slippery surface.

You could also make use of a piece of carbon paper by covering the entire area of your drawing board with it, then you can rest your hand freely on the carbon paper and no smudge would occur. This is if the artist's bridge is not readily available.


What kind of glue works for stones and shells? I have a collection of many small stones and shells of different shapes and sizes picked up from various beaches, and it'd be nice to glue some of them together to make some sort of arty model. But these are unusual materials and I'm not sure what type of glue would work best on them.

What sort of adhesive works best for sticking together stones and shells?

(I'm implicitly assuming the same sort will work for both stones and shells, but if not, I'd be grateful for an answer covering both materials.)

As both material are kind of mineral, I think the same glue should work on both. The surface must be clean, in other words free of grease and dust. Ethanol or isopropanol work usually well. It will glue better on rough surface, so if it fits in your work sand paper the surface before cleaning and applying glue. For the shell, depending on the type, maybe some vinegar can make it rough (acidity will attack the calcium of the shell).

I am gluing small stones on substrate with cyanoacrylate (Superglue). It is a thin glue, so it won't fill the "holes" between the stones but will be almost invisible and should also stick if the contact surface is small. Time for the glue to set is extremely quick.

If you want to glue and fill the hole at the same time, 2 components epoxy such as Araldit should work and some are transparent. Those glues are usually quite "thick" but you can make them thinner by heating them (with a hair dryer for example) but they will also set faster with the heat.

I also had success gluing gravel on substrate using PVC glue (wood glue, or "colle blanche" in French), but I don't think it will do if the contact surface is small.

Would tile glue (the white stuff) work?  give a good adhesive background and fill the "gaps".


Proper disposal: Can oil colors spontaneously combust? It is clear from what I can google that rags soaked in linseed oil and similar must be taken special care of because they could catch fire while drying. Is this also the case for rags, etc., with oil colors straight out the tube?

Yes, there is still a risk, as the hazard is in the oil; as the oil dries, it emits heat (an exothermic reaction) which, if it's in a pile of other flammable objects--such as other oily rags, papers, etc--can cause them to combust.

From the Wet Canvas forum (the thread also contains some personal experiences with combusting rags):

  Remember it is the linseed oil that heats slightly as it dries (oils dry via a slow combustion process) and if the heat is trapped fire is a possibility, especially combined with highly flammable substances such as solvent. Whether you use solvent or not, soak your oily rags/paper towels in water or spread them out to get air.

And a blog from Mutual of Enumclaw gives an additional citation to rags with oil-based paint on them being a hazard (as well as tips for handling them):

  Simply put, rags that contain residue of oil-based paints and stains, paint thinners, varnishes, or polyurethane can spontaneously combust and catch on fire. Here’s what happens: When oily rags begin to dry, they produce heat. Combined with oxygen they turn into combustible cloths that can quickly cause trouble.

(All emphasis above is mine.)

It is clear that the oil is the risk, and as the paints "straight from the tube" contain oil, it is best to treat them as a risk as much as you would the other items.

No the oil paint alone will not combust but if paint thinner or mineral spirits that the oil paint brushes are cleaned with can.


What do you call these pictures / illustrations? I have seen a few pictures like this one, but I never found out what to call them:

Artwork by Matei Apostolescu
It doesn't necessarily need to be this abstract, just a detailed illustration, where lots of things are going on or are just present (perhaps I'd compare it to Where is Waldo illustrations).
What key words to use if you want to find more pictures like this one?

In german it can be called Wimmelbild. That's usually for kids, where they can find stuff, think you call it where's wally in english:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimmelbild
Here is some discussion about the word:
https://dict.leo.org/forum/viewUnsolvedquery.php?idThread=706597&idForum=1&lang=de&lp=ende
They call it "crowd scene" or "illustrated panorama".


How can I prevent my drawings and paper from yellowing over time? Some paper just yellows over time, especially if left out somewhere where it sees sunlight.

Acid-free paper is a partial solution, but not terribly budget-friendly.

Is there something else I can do in order to ensure the longevity of my work? I'd be using a variety of pencils and pastels, including charcoal. Is there something I can apply to the paper before or after drawing on it?

I posted an answer to a similar question on this Exchange.

"The reason [paper turns] yellow is because the paper is made from wood pulp and not cotton. Wood is made up of lignin and cellulos. The yellowing in the result of lignin, still present in the fibres of your paper, oxidizing when exposed to sunlight and air."

"To save [the] paper I would recommend two things, 1) Neutralize the residual acids and 2) Seal the paper from contact with the air."

Details here:

How to remove the yellowish color from my old drawings?

There's this thing called "fixative spray" this spray allows you to edit after spraying!
From my experience, this spray is the best, it protects your drawings from smudging. Hopes this helps, luck!


What is the name of this sliding collapsing square tool? I am trying to find a tool I had a long time ago. Uses probably range from locating to measuring. Could be used for anything really, drawing to wood carving.

The device is expandable. In its initial position it would look almost like a + ; when fully expanded it would look like a square. Basically it is two pieces of L-shaped metal that slide, but are joined with two sliding rivets:

(red represents the sliding rivets and the left image represents fully closed, while the right represents an expanded state)

I think what you have is an adjustable viewfinder, a tool used by artists to help frame a scene.

By sliding the arms along the guides you are able adjust the view of the scene you are trying to capture.

Helps the artist to learn how to control the content, design and layout of an image.

Here's an example from the Derwent company.

[

Here's an example of someone using their fingers.

I think you might be looking for some variant of a double try square.
A try square is:

a woodworking or a metal working tool used for marking and measuring a piece of wood. The square refers to the tool's primary use of measuring the accuracy of a right angle (90 degrees); to try a surface is to check its straightness or correspondence to an adjoining surface.
[...]
A traditional try square has a broad blade made of steel that is riveted to a wooden handle or "stock". The inside of the wooden stock usually has a brass strip fixed to it to reduce wear. Some blades also have graduations for measurement. Modern try squares may be all-metal, with stocks that are either die-cast or extruded.

I haven't been able to find a picture of a double try square, with two L-shapes linked together, as you're looking for, but here are various images of single try squares taken from here:

The second of these is called a framing square and the third a bevel square.
A machinist square is the all-metal equivalent of a try square. From Wikipedia:

A machinist square or engineer's square is the metalworkers' equivalent of a try square. It consists of a steel blade inserted and either welded or pinned into a heavier body at an angle of 90°.

More pictures, from various sources:

Hopefully at least some of these look similar to what you're hunting for, or at worst will give you some helpful search terms!


How can you dye blown eggs? In the Before Pandemic times, my family would often host Easter-egg dyeing parties, where we provide the dyes and tools and guests provide eggs. We emphasize bringing whole raw eggs, but there are always a few know-it-alls who bring either hard-boiled eggs or already-blown egg shells. With the cooked eggs, we thank them kindly and put the eggs in the fridge for later eating, explaining (again) that the dyes are not food-safe, but we've always had trouble with the blown eggs.

Lots of people who make amazing dyed eggs insist that they only work with blown eggs, but they never explain HOW THE HECK. I mean, basic physics, right? A blown eggshell will just float on top of the dye, leading to, uh... interesting patterns, but not a nice even color.
If you try to push an egg shell into the dye, you either end up with a broken shell, or the dye seeps into the inside, and then you end up with dye dripping all over everything. You can try to blow out the dye, same as the innards got blown out in the first place, but that's likely to still result in dye dripping all over creation, plus now your dye is contaminated with whatever was inside the egg before (raw egg, detergent, other dyes). Also, good luck with trying to turn a blue egg green by giving it a quick dunk in the yellow, and other such tricks.
I've heard tales of plugging the hole (or holes, depending on the blowing method) with wax, but 1. that has never worked for me - the wax always falls out at the most inopportune moment, and 2. that doesn't solve the basic physics problem.
Yet, people still insist that they do this all the time. HOW?

A couple of years ago, I got some goose eggshells from a friend. The best solution I could come up with for dyeing them was to fill the shell with water and then (try to) plug the hole with wax. It made for a rather unsightly blob around the hole, and as you said, the plug could lose cohesion at odd moments, sometimes with rather, um, disastrous results.
(For an egg blown the old-fashioned way with two holes, I guess you'd have to plug one hole, fill it, plug the other hole, and then deal with the double failure points.)
I've been blithely saying "plug the hole with wax", but my experience is that it's far from that easy. I wonder if there's a technique to it that we're missing. (Duct tape? Medical tape? Candle wax instead of beeswax? Haven't tried any of these.)

This is one answer that popped up from my search and it meets my understanding of the process as well. There may be other similar methods and almost certainly other names for it, but the Instructable provides relatively detailed instructions.

Quoted verbatim from the linked site:

Pysanky is a traditional craft in Ukraine and Poland. The method is
similar to batik - patterns are drawn on the egg with wax, which then
protects the covered areas from the dye that is applied. By repeating
this process with different colors of dye, a multi-colored pattern is
built up. Finally, the wax is removed to reveal the colors that were
covered up at each stage. A layer of polyurethane can be added over
the finished egg to protect the dyed design and to give a gloss
finish.
Traditionally, the eggs were left whole. They would eventually dry out
and become light. Some of my eggs are left whole, in keeping with
tradition. Some of my eggs are blown to allow them to be hung as
ornaments.

Various aspects of the process are provided in the Instructable. Batik is "relatively common" as a craft and research on that topic may provide additional insight.


How to get the perfect center pull? Whenever I try to get the center pull of a commercial skein of yarn, it ends up tangling and I just have to untangle the whole ball.

Are there any tips for a better center pull?

Assuming this is a  commercial skein, I don't generally have issues. I am usually able to pull out the center of a skein. I would never guarantee that you can do this though.

This can be manufacturer specific. There is no mandate to ensure that you can get a center pull from a skein. However, when it comes to most of the skeins of the following style:

Image from paradisefibers.com

I can go in a grab the middle chunk and find the end in there. Sometimes you can find ones where they are specifically assembled for you to do this i.e. there is a tail stick out from the center. In many cases there is not a simple thread to pull but a small unorganized ball that you have to unravel first so don't give up too soon when looking for it. Once you unravel that chunk or ball then the rest is easy.

Are you using a yarn winder and swift to wind the yarn?  We have found through trial and error that being able to maintain a consistent, and steady winding speed while not being too fast helps a lot with pulling from the center


What's the finest readily-available way to write on paper? I'm trying to make the smallest legible lettering I can - miniature writing on normal paper or something thinner.
This is in the context of craft with kids, so I'd like something affordable, also not too complicated.  We'd like to make Lego-scale books (menus), though as that's around 1:40, clearly we're not going to get normal type sizes.  Colours would be a significant bonus.
The best I've done so far is with a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil (the finest I have to hand) and very light pressure - that gets me down to letters 1 mm high and 0.5 mm wide, limited by the stroke width as much as my skill. H- and F-grade pencils are similar even if sharpened with a scalpel. I've tried rubbing the pencil to a sharp point but that didn't help much.  You wouldn't fit many words on a page of say 10 mm high.
I doubt my skill is up to single-hair painting, but can't think of anywhere in between.  And yes, inkjet-printing is another option; we'll probably do some of that too.

The smallest pen I have personally found is a 0.03 mm size pen; while it does leave a very small line, the tip is quite fragile and tends to break more often than my larger pens (including the 0.05, the next size up). It requires a delicate touch; while you would probably be fine with it, I wouldn't recommend handing it to kids, who haven't always developed the motor skills to be gentle with the pen.
The 0.03 size is also fairly uncommon; typically, the smallest pen tips you'll find will be either 0.05 or 0.1. You can see a comparison of the line sizes in this sample image from JetPens, found in their product listings for Copic Multiliners, one of the brands that does carry this size of pen; Marvy and Deleter also sell a pen in this size. The image below is an actual sample of the pens, on an undisclosed lettering paper, to show comparative line weight and bleed between sizes.

Try to 3D print the whole book, including the letters.
Or let the kids draw on your current books. Sometimes they have finer motor skills.


How can I stop my thread from bunching when using a sewing machine? I've recently started using a sewing machine to make simple cushion covers. But I've run into a consistent problem of bunching. Below is an example of what I'm experiencing:

I've checked that my feed dogs are up, that the tension is on, that my bobbin is in the correct way, and that the upper thread is correctly threaded. Is there any other issues I should investigate before getting my machine looked at?

Are you absolutely sure the upper thread is threaded correctly, especially through the tension control knob? (I would go ahead and re-thread the machine, since it's cheap to do.)

Other things to make sure of (most of which you've already done, but just for completeness' sake):

The presser foot is fully down (on many machines, the tension isn't engaged unless the foot is down)
The tension control knob is set correctly.
The bobbin is inserted correctly
The bobbin thread is wound in the correct direction
The bobbin thread is raised correctly (with the presser foot up, pull on the bobbin thread: it should unspool freely with very little resistance)
The needle is sharp and straight
The feed dogs are engaged/the bobbin winder is not turned on

Also, something that helped an old finicky machine I used to have was to clean out the bobbin area - the accumulated fuzz seemed to make it more prone to tension issues, somehow.

If none of that helps, I'm afraid it's time to visit the repair shop.

The best solution I have found, other than comments read here, is through a UTube video called '5 quilting tips I wish I knew', by National Quilting Circle.  It's not about quilting, but it's about the machine, tension, thread, etc.  I am not affiliated with this group, but the information changed things for me in a good way.  I love my machines now.  PS  -use the cup for the cross wound thread and use the sewing machine bar, if you don't have one, buy one, it's worth it!  You'll know what I mean after you watch the video.  :-)


What are the advantages of watercolour paper over sketch paper? I've been looking around for some paper for watercolour painting. Watercolour paper can be over double the price of sketch paper.

What makes watercolour paper better? Should I invest the money, and buy the watercolour paper, or save my money and take a chance on the cheaper option?

Watercolor paper is, normally, quite a bit heavier and made from cotton. Basic watercolor paper, 140lb, is okay for practice and will tend to buckle unless stretched. The expensive 300lb paper is where professionals tend to land. In any case, the paint pools and absorbs differently than normal paper, and gives you options around blending, washes, etc. that you can't otherwise get.

Traditional paper, made from wood fibers, is much thinner and absorbs the pigment faster, will generally buckle and warp rapidly and is much more likely to rip and tear when wet. It's just not designed for that.

In any event, sheet watercolor paper can be had and you can always cut it into smaller sizes for practice, which is pretty common anyways. The cheaper option will only frustrate and disappoint, it's already a challenging medium, don't make it hard on yourself.

If you want the best results in your paintings, you also need to find the best watercolor paper brand. This way, you will not only have a perfect texture but also incredible results.

There are various factors that you need to keep in mind when you try to find the best one. The material, quality, texture, roughness of the watercolor paper matters a lot. Moreover, if you plan on selling your paintings, the finished painting has to be impressive.


Preserving chalk pastel artworks? I got multiple chalk pastels sets and I'm really excited to use them, but I'm afraid to see the artworks messed up afterwards. Even though there are probably sprays I can buy to solve this problem, is there a way to use a common household product or a homemade formula?

You will see a dulling or muting of the colors if you use fixative, which is why many pastel artists will actually “fix” in stages. Personally I like to build up muted color layers and use my highlights and whites on the top.

No matter what, you should always apply multiple light layers of fixative, letting them dry in between stages.

Hair spray is good in a pinch (I have used it for decades), but it is never artist grade, as it likely is not pH neutral. Depending on the aromatics and the constituent chemical composition, you may actually (but probably won’t) promote long term damage to the paper.

There is one other notable alternative to acrylic-based spray fixative other than hair spray, but you will need to test them: the “impregnating” sprays used for shoes / leather.

But if you REALLY want to make it yourself, the classical method would be to dissolve damar varnish flakes in turpentine and use an atomizer.

applying egg white can help, if you are looking for a cheap fixative. It leaves a shining effect as well once dried, although I would not suggest this for professional piece of work.


Preparing Canvas to Prevent Yellowing Over Time? What coat can I apply on a gallery canvas (before painting on top of it) to prevent it from yellowing over time?  I'm planning to leave some parts of the canvas unpainted.

The quick fix is a sealer so the tannin or stain can't penetrate through. Stain blockers that are oil-based primer/paints, spray shellac, polyurethane, or even wax.


Can I mix acrylic paints into resin? I use resin a lot and have pigments for them as well. These are extremely expensive though. Is it a good idea to mix acrylic with resin? Has anyone done this? If yes I'd like to know how it turned out and how to actually proceed with this technique.

Yes, you can mix acrylic paint into resin (I assume you mean epoxy resin), but the results may wary from paint to paint.
The general rules apply:

You can mix wet ingredients (paints, inks) up to 10% of the volume of resin into it. Anything more makes the resin cloudy or not cure correctly. Better be safe and limit it to 5%.
If possible, mix the wet ingredients into the hardener before mixing the hardener and resin together. That guarantees even mixing and doesn't shorten your working time.

I strongly advice against using cheap acrylic paints, because they contain less pigments and more water than high quality paints, and sometimes additives like chalk. That means they make the resin opaque and you need more paint to reach the desired color of resin, which leads us back to problem 1: your resin could become cloudy.
I've had a bad experience with transparent glass color, probably because it wasn't acrylic based. The color didn't mix with the epoxy at all and formed little flakes of color in the otherwise untinted resin instead. Have a look at the result here.
I've had good experiences with acrylic colors and food colors. Both tend to mix well with resin, but both can change color quite drastically. Have a look at my results here.

Some food colors changed the physical properties of the resin and made it goopy
Some food colors didn't mix well with the resin
All food colors changed color in the resin
Food colors are not light stable! They will fade when exposed to light
All acrylics mixed well with the resin
Some acrylics changed color in the resin quite drastically, others not at all. I assume you'll face color changes especially with red paints because red pigments are known to be less stable than most other pigments.
Some acrylics are less light stable than others and will slowly fade when exposed to light. The amount of light stability is usually printed as a symbol on the tube of paint (at least on high quality paints).

I've had the least problems at all with powders like cheap eye shadow. It makes the resin opaque, but often adds a shimmer or pearlescent effect and in my experience never changed color in the resin. Be aware that powders sink to the bottom of the mould, which might look odd...

Technically it's not advised to mix acrylic colors into resin. But there are artist who tweak it and use it with resin, you can apply your acrylic paints on the surface and let it dry and then tint your resin accordingly and pour on top of the painting


Why are my China clay objects breaking during drying? When I use China clay for making things, it is good, but when it is dry, after some time, they end up broken. Can anyone tell me that what can I do to prevent my works from breaking during the drying process?

China clay is or kaolin is not structurally strong enough just on its own and needs to be mixed with other materials to form a more robust material that will survive the pre-firing drying period. Assuming this is happening pre-kiln. When you say " when it is dry after some time they end up broken" it sounds like you may not be firing them soon enough or not at all, which is required for them to remain solid. Otherwise they will return to the dust that they came from.

It could be that your clay is not plastic enough. Meaning the elasticity of the clay. Once way to improve the elasticity is to age the clay with mold fungus. You can do this by adding beer or milk to the clay, mix it in and let it sit covered over a period of time. Fungus has microscopic fibers that help bind the clay and water molecules together.


Best resources to learn origami art immediately? I saw one of my class fellows creating beautiful origami art work with paper. I was quite amazed, so I would like to learn origami art.

Can you provide resources or recommendations on how to learn origami art immediately?

As with all crafts and arts, you can not expect to make beautiful items when you just start. You will have to start with the simple models and big sheets of paper.
Once you have some experience, you will go up to more difficult patterns and smaller paper.

Depending on how you take to it, it might take days or weeks, but origami can be done beautiful with little experience when you work precise and with good paper.

Using a good book or a good website, cheap paper for your first few tries but nice paper for as soon as you are happy you can do the model. Depending on how you learn best, still pictures with how to fold, as in the books, or videos with fold along instructions will work. If you go for one style, try to get a site or person who has done more than just one or two, as while you are learning, following the same kind of instructions is often helpful. On the other hand, if you do not understand the instructions, other instructions for the same item may well help you.
Some websites, (I have no connection with any, I learned my folding from age 4, well before internet was invented.)
Beginners as well as more advanced.
Not as easy but clear indication which models are not starter ones.
You can say that all sites that make you fold a crane as first item are over ambitious.
I am out of the books, as the last one I purchased was 20 years back or so, but I know that if you go to a good bookshop, they should stock some. Look and read, buy a kid book if you can understand what the pictures instruct. You can go on to adult books after you have learned the basics.

There are also many youtube channels and individual videos dedicated to origami. Again I would suggest to start with instructions aimed at children.

While the boxes or packages with nice paper seem quite expensive, you will find that one pack will last quite a few models.

One way to make bigger results of small and relatively simple origami is to put them together and make scenes, birthday cards or pictures. Or to go modular, where you make the same piece over and over and put them together.

If you dream of big and intricate figures you will need to keep improving on what you have learned, using bigger and more difficult models. But do start with baby steps, and keep improving step by step. If you try to go too difficult before you have the basics, you may give up well before you are good enough.

What about craftsy.com or you tube ? Maybe deviant art.com?I'm unsure of whether or not deviant art has any instructional videos but they have plenty of inspiration. Pinterest could even be a place to look ?


How to reuse a sewing pattern without damaging it What's a good strategy for reusing a sewing pattern without damaging it?

Say I have a pattern I like, I can fuse some interfacing to it to make it last longer.  That said, the way I was taught to cut fabric from this pattern involves either using weights or pinning the pattern to the fabric and then cutting around it.  Although I try to be careful, I always end up trimming the pattern slightly when I do this.  Theoretically, I could trace the pattern first, then cut.  At the moment, I use some fabric pencils, but I find the process kind of cumbersome and a pain because the pencils catch the fabric and everything moves about.  I feel like there's a better way to accomplish this in case anyone has an idea.  Thanks in advance!

I regularly reuse my own patterns, as I myself have a few favorites that have been incredibly helpful to me. I use the technique I was taught in a theatrical costuming class:

When cutting the pattern out, cut closely around the outermost size lines (there is no need to be exact at this stage, but try not to leave huge chunks of tissue behind)
Pin or weight the pattern to the fabric as normal
When cutting the piece out, cut the fabric layers only. You'll do this by slipping your shears under the tissue, and cutting while following along with the appropriate sizing line above. If there are areas where there is a single line for all sizes, feel free to cut all layers at that point, but anywhere that's graded should be cut from underneath.

This takes a little getting used to, especially in tighter curves, but with a little practice it becomes second nature. And occasionally (especially in the beginning) you'll nick the pattern tissue, but a little clear tape can easily patch it up, and make it a bit more resilient in that area as well. Similarly, if you pin the pattern (as I do), eventually some of the pinhole areas will start to wear out, but again, they are easily patched with clear tape. I suggest clear over any other options as it makes it much easier to see your scissors as you're cutting underneath the tissue.

When you're done cutting, use a fabric marker or tailor's chalk to transfer your markings from the pattern as normal, patch the paper with tape where necessary, then carefully refold it (along existing lines if possible, or neatly if it's older and the lines are no longer easy to find). You can tuck it back into the paper envelope if the pattern will still fit, or use a gallon size plastic zipper bag to collect the pieces and envelope together for storage.

I have been using this technique, and some of the same pattern pieces, for years. One particularly useful pattern has been reused more times than I can count since 2003, and continues to be both usable and useful.

Sources: Instruction from a costume construction class, nearly two decades of experience.

If you tape the pattern to the fabric (not loosely, but so that the edges are well taped all along) with masking tape, it would be much easier to cut along the edge (together with the tape). Later, masking tape is easily removed from fabric, but you wouldn't need to remove it from the pattern (it would even make it more durable).

(If the masking tape sticks on too well and there is a danger of damaging the fabric at removing, then, before taping a piece on, tape it to a random cloth surface and peel it off - it will pick stuff from the fabric and become less sticky. Repeat as many times as necessary.)

This is just a theoretical suggestion - I haven't tried it myself.


Hem pants less expensively I feel that sewing is a form of craft, so here goes.

I have some jeans that I want to shorten the length of.

I would like to do so without hemming.

I've "cheaped out" on occasion and just folded them in and up, sticking them into place with ordinary masking tape and ironing the pants at the fold afterwards. It's amazing how many washes the tape can go through before it needs to be replaced.

I found Hemming tape. It looks like it should work:

  Hemming tape is a smart and innovative way to hem your clothing or other fabric items without having to use a needle and thread.

  Wash your clothing item as directed on the care label. Avoid using
  fabric softeners in the washing machine or the dryer, as the adhesive
  may not stick as well to the material.

  Turn your clothing item inside out. Remove curtains or drapes and lay
  them flat, with the back side up.

  Hold the hemming tape up against the item that you need to hem. Cut
  off a sufficient amount to fully cover the inside of the hem. For
  large items, such as curtains, work in small sections.

  Iron the fabric to create a crease in the hem. Be sure to follow the
  care directions on the label of the fabric. Some fabrics are too
  delicate for an iron and their hems may require a seamstress or
  tailor.

  Remove the backing from the hemming tape. Handle the tape carefully so
  that it does not get wrinkled or tangled before applying it to the
  fabric.

  Place the hemming tape inside the fold that forms the hem. Make sure
  the rough edge is facing downward. The adhesive will act like a glue
  to hold the fabric pieces together.

  Follow the directions on the hemming packet and set the iron at the
  appropriate temperature. Place the iron onto the fabric and hold it
  there for a few seconds. Continue ironing all the sections until the
  material is bonded together.

  Turn the material right side out and again iron the hem area. Allow
  the section to cool and your article of clothing or curtain is ready
  to use.

-from https://ourpastimes.com/use-hemming-tape-6541765.html


How to plan a drawing? When I am drawing, I have a lot of good ideas to use, but I always have trouble envisioning the drawing I want to make! I end up starting to draw and then erasing it countless times before I get close to making the picture in a satisfactory way, and even then there are times when I see the finished product and think it's not the way I wanted it to look.

How do I completely plan out a drawing before I start so I know what I'm doing?

I always wish I had an image of my future drawing in my head instead of only a general idea and could just transfer it to the paper without trying so many times. Why is this so hard for me to do?

A common practice is to first create a thumbnail. You can do this when drawing from real life or from imagination.

The idea is to get a rough, small, quick concept of what you're going to be working on down on paper. This lets you get the idea out and reference it later as you're working.

When drawing from imagination, you can utilize multiple thumbnails, then decide on which pose/style you'd like to move forward with.

An example can be found on Niklas Jannsan's website: Android Arts Doctor Who project. The first image has some thumbnails of a moth-like creature, and then the final image incorporates the concepts laid-down.

When drawing from life or an image reference, a thumbnail is helpful to evaluate proportions. Before starting to draw on the entire page, you can draw a small rectangle in the corner or on another page. If you divide that rectangle up (into 1/4ths or 1/8ths), then draw your thumbnail, you made yourself a handy map and proportion guide. Just be careful that in your thumbnail you didn't exaggerate some proportions too much.

From your thumbnail, you can build up your rough sketches, laying down shapes and forms and building your line-art, but my advice would to be start with the thumbnail and then go on.

Get your idea out, make variations, work from there. Be willing to make changes, and don't enforce perfectionism in your first drafts.

As an aside, a common problem I've seen, and that I face, is knowing that something is "wrong" with a picture, and then erasing it to fix it. However, there's usually not a clear idea of what is making it wrong, or how precisely to fix it. Before you erase to start making changes, you should analyze the part that's wrong to really understand what the problem is. Proportions? Angle? Size? Shape? If you don't know what's broke, you can't fix it.

I agree with CreationEdge and you should practice creating thumbnails for your future works.

When I create thumbnails, I also think in layers of objects. I draw using a light box, so I draw separated pieces to stack later using an image editor, like Gimp or PS.