Loom Beading

Loom beading was a Native American tradition. A typical Native American bead bracelet is made according to a particular tribe. They were traditionally made form shells, coral, turquoise, stones, copper, amber, ivory, and animal bones and teeth. Glass beads were later introduced to America by European travelers, which became a valued item and was incorporated into designs. Beads were used as currency, because they were highly valued by Native Americans. Beads decorated almost every piece of clothin, moccasins, and bead bracelets. Typical Native American bead bracelets were made of very small, brightly colored beads arranged in geometrical patterns. The beads are sewn into hide or another kind of material, and the bracelet is tied together at the sides. Beads have been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. They used to weave beads on a loom to create long, narrow bands for hair and bracelets. Decorating clothing, vessels, tools, and weapons was also very popular. After 1900, Native Americans created beaded products especially for tourists market. However, in the recent years, beading has become popular once again, in fact, it has been a revived as a craft. A variety of beading looms are now available plus a variety of beads. There are certain facts, any way, that must be kept in mind while loom beading.

Tips for Loom Beading
Beading is a very inexpensive hobby that requires a loom, a beading needle, thread, and of course, beads.

First you need to buy quality materials, especially the loom. Metal looms tend to become loose. Plastic looms can warp or stretch easily. Wooden looms are the best ones, as they are maintain sturdy

Nowadays stores make numerous types of beads. Czech seed beads are common and easy-to-find as also easy to handle. Size 6 is quite large, 10 and 11 are mid-range, and 13 is tiny and very complex to work with. Size 10 is best for the beginners.

You can find free patterns on the Internet or in books, your own patterns can also be used. Most people, designing their own patterns, use graph paper and colored pencils to plot out their designs. Sketch out a drawing on graph paper of desired size. Then color in each square to represent a bead.

Choose enough beads right in the beginning. For an 8-inch, 8-strand bracelet, you need between 300 and 400 size 10 beads. It’s always good to have more than enough so that you won’t run out before your project is completed.

Choose a nylon beading thread, this is because it is strong and flexible.

The size of needle is important. It should be one size smaller than the bead size. When using a size 10 bead, select a size 11 needle.

A great tip is to use some cloth on your worktable. If you drop beads they won’t bounce and scatter.

Basically you will put your nylon thread on the loom to your required width and length. you will start beading by tieing a knot at the starting point with your thread and bead the first row of beads. Go under the loom and through the beads to make them sturdy. repeat until bracelet is finished

Beading was very fun and they can turn out to be very cool. All that you need to know is up top so try it because I quite enjoyed it, plus its great for spare time bordom.

Stained Glass

 Stained glass refers to colored glass as material and works made from it. Throughout the history of stained glass, the term has been applied mostly to windows of churches. Most traditional art forms are made in flat panels and used as windows, but the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensional structures and sculptures.
 Stained glass is glass that has been colored by adding metallic salts during its making. Its glass is crafted into stained glass windows in which small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures, held together by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame. Painted details and yellow stain are often used to make the design stand out. 
Stain glass is also applied to windows where colors have been painted onto the glass and fused to the glass in a kiln.
 Stained glass requires the artistic skill of a workable design, and the skills to assemble the pieces. A window must fit tightly especially in the larger windows, so it would be able to support the weight. Many large windows have been able to last a long time since the late Middle Ages. In Western Europe they found the major form of vivid art to have survived. With this, the purpose of a stained glass window is to control the light, and because of this glass windows have been described as ‘illuminated wall decorations’.

            

For me I enjoyed stained glass very much, it was rather easy. I would have to say the hardest part is not messing up the glass that is being used. Also you must make them as close to the design that you use so the pieces fit together. There are a few special tools that are required to start. A glass cutter is used to make a groove in the glass, where you will line the pliers up and break it easily. The glass grinder will be used to smooth out your pieces after they are all cut, to make them as exact as possible. Safety glasses are required so you don’t get glass in your eye. Once you have them cut out you will need to line the edges of each piece with copper foil tape, flux will be added to the foil and you will be able to solder it with a soldering iron. The material that will be soldered will be Lathekin or Fid.

Glass Paintings

Painting on glass is an amazing art form. The beauty of these paintings leave people dazzled. For centuries Gothic churches have inspired awe in us because of their remarkable use of glass paintings. Its still very popular today.

The medium of glass provides the painter with something that no other mediums can, the light effect.

History says that glass paintings became quite a range in Italy during the Renaissance. They were in the miniature style and where found in altars of churches. Most themes were scenes from the Bible.

For me depending on how much time you want to put in on your project, depends on the time required for it. I thing glass painting is very fun though and very easy. When you are working on a glass painting make sure you have enough of your color that you are using. Have toothpicks on hand to pop the bubbles too. You must also have enough lead to do the outline of your sketch. The lead will separate all your colors.

Pop Art

Pop art emerged in the late 1950s in the United States. This challenged tradition by stating that an artist's use of mass-produced visual commodities is connected with fine art. Pop art removes the materials from the framework and separates the object, or it sometiems combines it with other objects. The true concept of pop art though refers not as much to the art itself, but to the attitudes that led to it. Pop art shows the aspects of mass culture, such as advertising, and comic books. It is widely interpreted as abstract expressionism.
Pop art is intended to employ images of popular culture opposed to exclusive culture in art. It is also related with the use of mechanical means of reproduction techniques. Product labeling and logos are a type of imagery chosen by pop artists. As for the origins of pop art, in North America it developed very differently then other countries. In America, it marked a return to hard-edged structures and realistic art. On the other hand pop art in Britain for example was a matter of ideas fueled by American popular culture, while the American artists were inspired by the experiences of living in the culture.
Andy Warhol has been claimed by many people to be the most famous figure in Pop Art. He attempted to take pop art beyond an artistic style to a life style, and his work often displays a lack of human affection that dispenses with the many peers he has. By 1962, the Pop artists began to exhibit in commercial galleries in New York and Los Angeles, this was a great advancement for pop art culture.

The basic knowledge of pop art is taking a commercial item and increasing it in size. It can be a sculpture, a painting or some other type of art. My opinion on pop art is that it is very time consuming. That's also considering I did a giant m&m bag sculpture,which i could have made smaller. Which would have taken less time. For me though pop art is a lot of fun. For mixed media we did pop art. Just using the materials in the room you can make a great product. The only things i used on mine is poster paper, news paper, paper mache, staples and paint.

Basket Weaving

Basket weaving is the practice of weaving fibers into a basket or other similar form. People who weave baskets are called basket makers or basket weavers. Baskets are made from a variety of fibers or any materials that will bend and form a shape.

            Examples: pine, straw, stems, animal hair, hide, grasses, thread, and wood

Indigenous peoples and the native tribes are renowned for their basket-weaving techniques. These baskets may then be traded or used for religious ceremonies.

Basketry can be classified into four types

            Coiled basketry- using grasses and rushes

            Plaiting basketry- materials that are ribbon-like, such as palms, yucca or flax

Twining basketry- using materials from roots and tree bark but “twining” refers to the weaving technique used. This is when two or more flexible weaving elements cross each other as they weave through the stiffer radical spokes

Wicker and Splint basketry- using reed, can, willow, oak and ash

Weaving with reed is one of the more popular techniques being used because it is easily available. It is easy to bend and shape and when woven correctly, it is very sturdy. Reed is plentiful and can be cut into any size or shape. There are many different shapes of reed.

            Flat reed- used for most square baskets

            Oval reed- used for many round baskets

            Round reed- used to twine

Advantages of reed are that it can be dyed easily. The type of baskets that reed is used for are most often called “wicker” baskets, through the twining technique used in most wicker baskets

Most baskets begin with a base. The base can be woven with reed or wooden. The wooden base comes in many shapes to make a variety of shapes for the baskets. There is also a wide variety of patterns that can be made by changing the size, color or placement of the weave. To have a multi-colored effect, artists first dye the reed or twine and weave them together in amazing fashion

Basket Weaving

Basket weaving in my opinion was very time consuming. With this it actually makes it one of my least favorite types of art because I get bored easily. One good tip though is to keep the reed wet with hot water and keep the reeds tight together. The only type I have used though is wicker basketry in crafts class.

Sand Art

There are many different types of art that deal with sand.
Sandpainting is the art of pouring colored sands, powdered pigments from minerals or crystals, and pigments from other natural or synthetic sources onto a surface to make a painting. These are often temporary, ritual paintings prepared for religious or healing ceremonies. It is also referred to as drypainting.
Sandpainting is practiced by Native Americans in the Southwestern United States, by Tibetan  monks, by Indians, by Austrailians, and by Latin Americans on certain Christian holy days.

• Sand Painting - Navajo Natives make fine designs using sand from the beach and paint.
• Once you decide on a picture you want you will mix powdered tempera with sand in an empty container. You will need to decide where the collor is going, put an even layer of glue on the paper and pour some colored sand onto the glue using a plastic spoon. Repeat this method until the entire paper is covered. After the sand painting is dry you can seal it using artist's fixative, hair spray, or spray with a mixture of glue and water
• Tip: after each color has been applied, lift paper and shake lightly collecting excess sand in a tray to use again.
• Sand Art - Bottled sand
• Decide on the bottle of your choice, with a design of you choosing. Pick the colors of sand you want to use start pouring them in, making cool designs of butiful colors.
• Sand Art
• Using a lighted table surrounded by walls, pour in enough sand to cover the table. Turn on lighted table and create amazing designs with light and regular sand. If you want color just add it.
• Beach Sand Art- sculptures

Not Done

My Sandpaintings

Done

Sand Painting is the type of art I have used and liked a lot. Although over time it has been made easier with sticky paper instead of glue and regular paper. I actually never knew how many different types of sand art there was. I have heard of them, but never really considered them to be sand art.



 



Mosaics

Mosaics are the art of creating images by assembling small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It is used to be a decorative art, or of cultural and spiritual importance, as in cathedrals. Small pieces of stone or glass of different colors, known as tesserae, are used to create a pattern or picture.
There are two different ways to make a mosaic. The direct method, or the indirect method, but the first decision is the design you want to make.

1. Direct method - This is the most used technique for making a mosaic. In this method you can either butter each piece of tesserae with your chosen adhesive, or you can put a small amount on the surface where you can put tiles on top of the glue. Be warned though, the adhesive can set quickly. This method is easier than the indirect method, because you get to see what you are putting down and can move the tiles around. This method should be used if the pieces of tesserae have varying thickness and it is desired that the overall mosaic will have a 3D effect.
2. Indirect method - This method  involves creating the mosaic upside down onto a sheet of brown sticky paper. The tesserae are stuck face down onto gummed paper, which is then set in a bed of grout, flipped over, when later the paper can be washed away when the grout sets. This method is simple to use when using glass, pebbles, marble or any tesserae that looks the same from both the front and back. This method is handy because you can work on a mosaic away from the final site. It will be able to create a flat surface while using tesserae of varying thickness. This method is very ideal for flooring.

Once you have finished creating your mosaic using either method, you will need to create the smooth finish by applying grout to the mosaic.

In my opinion I have found that the mosaic is one of the most fascinating types of art there is. It amazes me the work that artists put into them, such as the picture below. Making a mosaic is fun, but very time consuming. I have made one mosaic and now working on a mosaic table. The first mosaic though we made our own tiles out of cardboard and painted them. In that project we glued them to the board and put grout between the tiles. 

Famous Mosaic