This is Real Painting not Photograghy

Painting of Tica by Dru Blair

This is a painting completed in February 2005. It was a Portrait Class project which took a total of around 65-75 hours to complete. The small images are step by step photographs taken during the painting process, and the large image is the final painting after detail and skin texture are added with an eraser and colored pencil. The main colors are blocked in at the beginning, but refinement is withheld until the very end.

After a couple of hours of color adjustment, approximately 10 hour. At this stage, detail has not been added to the face, because it is best to wait until all the colors are correct first. There are many areas still to be corrected. For example, one of the front teeth is too dark. The arm is also to dark at the edges. It usually wait until the very end to introduce skin and hair texture.

After 10 hours result

Detail of final painting showing skin texture. Subtle nuances created by an xacto knife, an eraser, and some colored pencil can build convincing skin texture. The etcetera technique also helps the believability of the skin and hair texture. Fine hair is created using shield-reveal technique, and split frisket technique. Airbrush constitutes about 99% of the image. Ian, Dru and Darryl pose in front of the Tica original painting during the April 05 Workshop.

About this painting This painting started as an exercise for a portrait workshop . It was taken with a digital photograph of a local model (Tica) with a Nikon Coolpix 8700, then printed on an Epson 9600 printer. The goal was to work from reference that provided great lighting, good detail, and accurate skin tones. Tica has incredible skin, with a challenging range of colors. As it turned out, the range of colors in her skin proved to be a little overwhelming. Normally, it takes about 7 or 8 colors to recreate an individual's skin palette,However with Tica, it's necessary to mix around 20 different colors to capture her range of color. There were also a few interesting artifacts introduced by the digital camera such as a blue halo around the earring.

Art is the selective re-creation or conversion of reality by the human mind into concrete imagery according to an artist's metaphysical value judgments. Real or imagined concepts are filtered and altered through the human mind to the artist's hand to create an image or sound that did not exist before. The reason photography does not qualify as art is that the process removes the filter of the human mind as an interpretative element. Although photography requires technical skill, in the final analysis it is only a mechanical recording of reality.

The ear - what is "normal" and "abnormal"?

Are people staring at your ears? Are they too big and ugly? Are both sides the same? There are many factors that go into making the ear look balanced and "normal." When our ears look awkward or too big, we tend to hide them with our hair if your hair is long enough to cover it. People who feel uncomfortable about their ear problems are generally more cooperative when come to treatment and they are often happy with the result. Children usually are among these group of people. Stay alert to the child's feelings and do not insist on the surgery until your child wants the change. An early evaluation can be a good teaching experience of what surgery has to offer. Ears are usually fully grown by the age of four years. The best way to find out about your external ears is during an in office consultation. Specialist can then help you explore the possible plastic surgery (otoplasty) options. There are many types of ear surgery to reshape and correct the various type of deformities. Otoplasty - The Problem Otoplasty (Reduction Surgery for Protruding Ears ) Ears stick out from the head and when they excessively protrude, the deformity can be very disturbing. Otoplasty surgery simply mean a number of operations to resculpt and reshape the ear. The ear that sticks out too much is often being the attention of being focus at. People stare at the deformity. Kids tease and can be cruel at times. Nicknames of all kinds such as “Dumbo” or “Mickey Mouse” are being hurl at. These are the usual people for this operation, but the surgery can be done at any age. Although hair styles can cover the ears, this is not always convenient . Either a single ear or both ears may be involved. AMAZING WORK OF A "NEW EAR" FORMATION..

" Thank You Doctor, You have given me a new life "

TATOO

History of Tatoo. Tattoos have been found on Egyptian mummies dating from about 2000 BC. During the Romans empire slaves and criminals are tatooed to differenciate them. In the 19th century, released U.S. Convicts and British army deserters were identified by tattoos, and later the inmates of Siberian prisons and Nazi concentration camps were similarly marked.

After the coming of Christianity, tattooing was forbidden in Europe, but it still continue in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.

Members of 20th-century street or motorcycle gangs frequently identify themselves with a tattooed design. During the late 19th century, tattooing had a short vogue among both sexes in the English upper classes.

Tattooing is moribund or extinct in most parts of the world, except for special medical applications and Euro American and Japanese types, which were the subjects of a renewal of interest in the 1990s. In recent times the practice had gained popularity with many cultures. You may find just about anyone from any walk of life may have a tattoo either hidden or in a prominent position.

People will do anything for the sake of beauty. Body tattoo is still popular among the teenages and there are tatoo painting which will last for a couple of week on your body at a small cost of your choice of tattoo like the one above.

Today's world is full of surprises. Human nature dare to be different and more artistic and would sacrify the extend of pain for the pleaure of satisfaction in life.

It's not tattoos anymore..... they are doing carving on body now. Would you dare to take the challenge ?

Skin from the body are being cut out and the pain to bear for the sake of beauty. Natural artwork display on human body, Beauty through pain and tears

A job well performed of beauty carving on body back

Pearl Harvest.

A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by oysters. Pearls can be used in jewelry and also crushed in cosmetics or paint formulations. Pearl is valued as a gemstone and is cultivated or harvested for jewelry.

Cultured pearls are harvested from the pearl farms after a period of 8 months to 6 years, while freshwater, South Sea are cultured from 2-6 years.

Pearls are most universally harvested in the winter. During this colder months the metabolism of the host oyster has decreased, slowing the nacre deposits around the pearl.

When the actual harvest begins the pearls are brought to shore from their mooring positions. The pearls are then opened individually and the pearl or pearls extracted. In the case of akoya oysters and freshwater mussels the shell and meat is discarded or used for another purpose. South Sea oysters, however, are harvested in much the same fashion as the nucleation. These oysters are opened very slightly, the pearl is extracted, and another is placed into the preformed pearl sac. This oyster than goes through another recovery period and is placed back into the sea to grow another pearl. After all the pearls are harvested they are then cleaned of debris and polished to bring out a higher luster.

After the pearls have been cleaned and polished they are then sorted by quality and size categories

Many of these pearls may then go through further treatment depending on the type of pearl and the factory preparing the finished goods. The pearls may be bleached, heat treated, and pinked (soaked in red dye to enhance the pink coloration of the pearls).A good harvest is determined by the number of marketable pearls produced in relation to the number of oysters which had been nucleated. Of these marketable pearls the more pearls that are considered high-quality have a direct influence on the success of the enterprise. On average only half of the pearls will be marketable, and less than 10% of these will be considered top-quality.

Imitation Pearls

Imitation pearls are artificial, manufactured "pearls". As such, they have no real value as a gemstone. Imitation pearls can be made from glass, ceramic, shell, or even plastic. The bead is then coated with varnish and/or other materials in order to produce a pearl-like and iridescence.

Imitation pearls are generally marketed under descriptive terms such as "faux," "simulated," "artificial," or "man-made." Sometimes regional names are also used: "Mallorca pearls," "Red Sea pearls," "Laguna pearls," etc. In the United States, it is considered a deceptive trade practice to market imitation pearls without clearly identifying them as such.

A common test to determine whether a pearl is genuine or imitation consists of scraping the pearl gently across one's teeth. Imitation pearls feel smooth to the tooth, while genuine pearls feel slightly gritty or abrasive due to the crystalline structure of the nacre.

Eating by your Blood Type.

Introduced by Peter D'Adamo, the Blood Type Diet is based on the assumption that everyone is an individual. And who are we to argue? Logically, just because we share the same row and column in the BMI chart, it shouldn't define the way our dietary habits are. The Blood Type Diet makes interesting claims that people fare better (which includes weight management) when their diet is tailored to their specific blood type.

Blood Type A

Individuals who fall under the Type A blood group should basically stick to fruits and vegetable. Their blood types is generally thicker than other blood types, and possess a sensitive immune system. These individuals should not consume (or should reduce intake) dairy products, animal fats and meats. They are also at a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Blood Type B

Type B blood groupers should consumer a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy and meat. However, they should try to refrain from chicken, and increase intake of red meat such as duck and beef. Unlike the other blood types, Type B individuals have the best chance of bypassing or overcoming everyday types of diseases, as well as heart disease and cancer.

Blood Type AB

For Type AB individuals, intake of a mostly vegetarian diet is recommended. And only on rare occasions should they indulge in some fish, meat (not chicken) and dairy.

Blood Type O

Those that fall under the Type O blood type should basically stick to a high protein diet, low carbs, as well as a balanced intake of fruits and vegetables. However, food foes for Type Os include most grain food such as corn and wheat germ. They should also try to avoid dairy products. Type O types are commonly affected with hypothyroidism, high stomach acid (leading to ulcers), and thinner blood with greater resistance to blood clotting.