The complex art of Tatting is simple routine for expert practitioners

Tatting, or Frivolite, which probably originated in the early nineteenth century, is a method of creating remarkably durable yet delicate, airy and beautiful lace, and can also be used to create other ornaments, doilies, bookmarks, coasters, edging etc. The work is created using knots and loops, which form the basics of all designs – rings, and chains that join them. Picots are used for decorative effect, and they are made up of gaps in between stitches.

Beads and ribbons are added often to tatted work.

There are mainly two methods to tat: the shuttle method and the needle method.

In the shuttle method, a tatting shuttle made of plastic, wood, bone etc. is used to hold wound up thread in a bobbin, and to aid its movement through loops to form knots. Some shuttles have a pointed end, and some come with a tiny hook, much like a crochet hook, attached to them, which is used to join rings together. It is interesting to note that there are many people who collect antique or unusual shuttles for their different shapes and materials.

In needle tatting, a tatting needle is used to create designs. This type of tatting is slightly looser than shuttle tatting, because the needle, in addition to the thread, has also to pass through the loops.

Before technology advanced and lace became inexpensive, tatting was rather popular, and was used to add pretty, feminine details to other articles of dress or show. However, tatting can be a little tricky to learn and also a rather tedious process, and seems, unfortunately, to be on the decline.

Many internet websites and groups, however, are dedicated to keeping this craft alive. Tutorials and patterns are easily available on the internet, and there is a market for tatted lace on online shops that sell handmade items.

Art of caring for watercolour brushes is unknown dimension attached to artists life

If you want to take seriously to painting, either as a hobby or a profession, it would be best to spend freely yet wisely on your supplies. The choice of paper, pigments, brushes etc. definitely has noticeable impact on the final outcome, and you should also be comfortable with the supplies you use. We will talk here about watercolour brushes.

Watercolour brushes consist of delicate hair – whether natural or synthetic, string, a handle made of wood and a metal ferule that holds the hair together. Perhaps you have already experienced that carelessness damages brushes easily!

The easiest way to damage a brush is using it to apply masks. Masking fluid tends to harden to a horrid texture and consequently, the brush nearly always has to be sacrificed.

Also make sure that you never leave your brush standing with its tip in water. This bends the hair and spoils its shape. Lay the brush on a flat surface instead.

Leaving your brush wet for long periods of time will also be harmful. This might cause the resin glue that holds the ferule and handle together to get soaked, and might also cause the wood to get cracked.

To clean your brushes, use lukewarm water and very gentle cleansers. This is to ensure that the hair do not lose the natural oils which give them their texture. To dry your brushes, lay them flat, or if possible, hang them so that the water flows away from the handle. come with heads that are rather large in proportion to their bodies. Various embellishments are also added by way of detail.

Knit Stuffed Animal and Many More Finds Live Shapes in Amigurumi The Creature Art Form

This is the Japanese art of making small stuffed toys. The word comes from a combination of two words, ami and nuigurumi, and this literally means 'crocheted or knitted stuffed toy'. They are typically crocheted or knitted using colourful yarn, and cuteness (Japanese kawaii) is the element that is most looked for in them, and is achieved through the use of very large eyes, sweet mouths etc.

Most amigurumi is in the form of animals, but keeping in sync with Japanese culture, it can also be in the shape of inanimate objects that have been given a personality.

They may be used as children's toys, but collecting of amigurumi was all the rage on the internet a few years ago, and they were bought in massive quantities from online shops that offer handmade products.

These toys are knit in rounds without joining, so that different rounds cannot be distinguished from each other. In crochet, the double crochet stitch (according to crochet terminology in the U.K.) is used. They are to be made in very tight spirals, so that the stuffing inside does not show through any gaps in the work. While working amigurumi, it is important to keep track of stitches, as there are many increases and decreases involved. So, along with crochet hooks and double pointed needles, one also needs stitch markers, though a scrap of yarn serves the purpose equally well.

Embroidery, buttons and beads are used to provide facial features to these toys, which come with heads that are rather large in proportion to their bodies. Various embellishments are also added by way of detail.

One of the many forms of traditional Indian embroidery Kasuti story in unique form

Kasuti, which is similar to Blackwork, is a form of hand embroidery practised in the state of Karnataka in India. The word comes from Kai, which means hand, and suti, which means cotton. Kasuti is used extensively on certain kinds of clothes, such as the famous silk Kanchivaram sarees.

Traditionally an art taken to by women, Kasuti is time-consuming because it involves meticulous counting of stitches, and a single work might require thousands of stitches to be made. However, most stitches result in neat work that is reversible, and a finished piece is a reward in itself.

The patterns used are geometrical in nature, and popular designs include temples, chariots, birds such as the peacock, abstract flowers and swirls etc. These are first carefully marked on the fabric using charcoal, and a graph is also prepared often by modern day embroiderers.

The stitches employed are the simple running stitch, which is called Negi, Gavanti is the counterpart of the holbein stitch, made by working running stitch and then filling in the gaps using running stitch again, Muragi, which is a zigzag stitch, which looks like a ladder. These are all reversible stitches. Menthi is the regular cross-stitch, and the reverse of the stitch is not the same as the front.

The speciality of Kasuti designs is that they end at the same point where they are begun.

Unfortunately, it seems that patronage for this art form is declining. Efforts need to be made to revive it. he elaborate work of nature.

Japanese Art with another dimension Suiseki is something happening naturally

The Japanese are known for their wonderful aesthetic sense and attention to detail. I remember reading somewhere that in Japan, art is to be found every day, in every thing – even  a sandwich in Japan is not just a sandwich. It is cut with precision, the vegetables and meat are arranged harmoniously and time is spent on placing them in a way that is pleasing to the sight. Even a mountain of litter is artistically arranged!

On the news, there was a feature on how Japanese women take classes to learn how to pack their children's lunch in attractive, innovative ways. They shape rice balls like pandas or cartoon characters, cut vegetables and fruits creatively to prepare a lunch that children are happy to see, even if they do consume the 'art' in a matter of minutes!

Suiseki, or the art of collection and appreciation of stones, also shows how the Japanese strive to find beauty in everything around them, be it ever so small and insignificant at first glance. Suiseki may also refer to the objects that are observed.

A Suiseki enthusiast will tell you how stones come in different shapes and forms, and how their texture gives a clue of where there come from and how they developed. The objective is to find stones that are beautiful – they may be shaped like human beings, they may be detaild mountains on a miniature scale, animals or abstract.

Suiseki finally results in appreciation of the elements and the forces that carve the world we see around us. It fills one with a sense of wonder and joy at the elaborate work of nature.

Blossoming Hanami, Enjoying the Beauty, Reading Flowers and Text Gossiping

The art form in flower gossip has interesting scents for your senses.

Hanami, which literally means flower viewing, is an event that takes place in different parts of Japan any time from the end of March to the beginning of May. The people wait for the blossoming of cherry trees (sakura, in Japanese), and with the help of forecasts by the weather bureau about the flowering time, they plan to visit parks and gardens. Over these two months, the newspapers follow the progress of the blossoms from the south to the north of the islands.

Hanami mostly takes the form of picnics and gatherings under the sakura during the daytime, but the charm of these flowers is not lessened in the night, and Yozakura is the night-time version of Hanami. For the purpose of Yozakura, the gardens are decorated with beautiful, bright paper lanterns.

Another, more ancient version of Hanami involves the viewing of plum blossoms, though now the word Hanami has come to be synonymous with cherry blossoms, just as the word flower, when used in Japanese poems and writing refers to sakura.

Hanami festivities today are a lot about eating and drinking in the cheerful company of family and friends, and so a saying has emerged about how some people prefer the Hanami dumplings over the blooming cherry trees! However, the Japanese are generally an aesthetically receptive people and admire the bounty of nature in these delicate pink blossoms.

This festival is now celebrated in countries outside of Japan by people of other nations and Japanese people settled abroad.

Ink and Wash Painting Sumi-E, Another meaning to words Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Art format with ancient origin painting and drawing style has potential to modernization too, any one listening? 

This style of painting comes from East Asia (it originated in China) and uses only different concentrations of black ink (produced by grinding a black ink stick in water) to create drawings, making judicious use of powerful line strokes and plenty of open space. Simplicity is at the heart of Sumi-E paintings.

Sumi-E, like many other Eastern art styles, has as its ultimate goal the desire to capture the essence of the subject. The artist must observe the subject and have a deep understanding of its nature and nuances. In painting a tiger, it is not as important to preserve how he looks as it is to show its majesty and power.

Sumi-E masters use the minimum number of strokes required to convey to their audience the most prominent characteristics of their subject. Excessive details are avoided.

The tools used for Sumi-E are the same as those used for Eastern calligraphy – an ink stone, an ink stick, a brush and of course, the medium, paper. An ink stone has a slight hollow in it, which is used to grind the ink stick and to hold the resulting ink. An ink stick is pine soot bound together in the form of a stick with the help of resin.

Brushes used in Sumi-E are versatile in nature, as a single brush is used to create strokes of a variety of thickness. The paper is to be absorbent only to a certain degree – rice paper is the type of paer used most frequently for such paintings.