Friday, 5 May 2006

More About Color Schemes

Oil Painting is all about harmony. Harmony in an oil painting is when the pact of colors and objects are pleasant to the viewer’s eyes. If a painting is too muddled you might scare the viewer away. On the other hand, if a painting lacks something, it might be perceived as boring, and your viewer would not be engaged, so it's important to have proper balance in your color arrangements.

There has been many research and experiment done on oil painting colors in relation with how it can affect a person’s mood and behavior. Some colors could calm a person, while other could even arouse cheerfulness. This article would talk about some of the well-known oil painting color scheme you can choose for your next painting. The tips and technique in this article could be applied to any painting medium.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

This color scheme is most likely the easiest for starters to work with. The monochromatic color scheme uses differences in value and strength of only one color. Beginners like this color scheme as they only require creating a value plan using one color that makes things a lot easier. Your painting would not be as thrilling as other schemes, which utilize more than one color, but your painting would produce a passive and soothing effect.

Triadic Color Scheme

The triadic color scheme uses three colors, which are consistently spaced or equidistant from one another on the color wheel. This scheme offers strong disparity but still hold on to harmony. This color mixture is more challenging for starters. You could get carried away by making all three colors too strong thereby destroying the balance in your painting. You should permit one color to rule and use the two other colors to accent the rest of the painting.

Split-complimentary Color Scheme

The split-complimentary color scheme uses three colors and is a twist on the admiring color scheme. Instead of using the colors compliment, you would use the two colors closest to its compliment on the color wheel. Don't let color theory threaten or depress you. Working with color in your paintings especially oil painting reproduction takes some getting used to. With time and practice you would begin to develop the eye of a good painter.

Author: vijay

Sunday, 30 April 2006

Flowers by Season

Kelly Liyakasa is a staff writer for 6StarReviews.com. Kelly Staller is site manager at 6StarReviews.com, a site dedicated to giving YOU, the consumer, the best product and service reviews around. If you like saving time and money by having someone else review leading sites and products, then Visit our site at 6StarReviews.com.

Whether you’re planning a September wedding, want to send flowers to your aunt in Hawaii or simply want to plant some flowers in your garden that won’t die, it’s important to know which flowers belong in which season. Some flowers are popular year-round, such as roses, and don’t have to be reserved for Valentine’s Day. Here’s a quick-reference-guide to flowers by season:

Great Summer Flowers:
•Sunflowers
•Lilies
•Irises
•Snapdragons
•English lavender

Fall Flowers:
•Marigolds
•Dahlias
•Zinnias
•Aster

Winter Flower Picks:
•Tulips
•Forget-me-Nots
•Poinsettias
•Casa Blanca Lilies
•Bells of Ireland

Great Spring Flowers:
•Peonies
•Tulips
•Hyacinth
•Lilacs

Flowers Anytime:
•Roses
•Orchids
•Gardenia
•Carnations

While no one will laugh at you for showcasing tulips at an autumn wedding, some flowers go best with their designated seasons. For example, vibrant colors always look great during the summer and everyone loves a poinsettia in the wintertime.

When choosing the best flower services to purchase a bouquet for a friend, partner or even yourself, one might check out 6StarReviews.com. They recommend services like FTD that offer seasonal flowers, as well as many on our year-round list.

FTD and other flower sites are great resources in seeking out great gift flowers and ideas for arrangements for a wedding or party. Choose some sunflowers; they get the official go-ahead in these warmer months ahead!

Author: Kelly Liyakasa

Tuesday, 25 April 2006

Acne Cure With a Pill, What Else Is Working Today?

Martin Sephens



One of the most frustrating and embarrassing skin conditions
faced by nearly every teen, and many adults, is Acne. This
condition is caused by pores in the skin becoming clogged, and
the skin's natural oils becoming trapped. The pores usually clog
up due to skin cells shedding too quickly, and then blocking the
oils in the skin from draining properly. Then bacteria trapped
in the skin begins to grow, and whiteheads, blackheads or other
lesions form.



There are quite different levels of severity of acne, the most
common being Acne Vulgaris, which is simple pimples, whiteheads,
and blackheads. It is a common form of teen acne, and is usually
easy to treat.



A more common variety of adult acne is Acne Rosacea, which can
cause blood vessels to burst under the skin, as well as
whiteheads, but is recognizable by a lack of blackheads.
Treatment for this adult form is quite different than treatment
for teen acne, so a doctor should be consulted.



Much more severe is Acne Conglobata, which is rare, but usually
strikes males under 30. Symptoms include large lesions, and
extensive blackheads. It can cause permanent skin damage
including infections and scarring, to say nothing of the
psychological damage. It needs to be treated by a doctor.



However it happens, acne can be embarrassing and awkward, to say
nothing of the potential for scars and permanent damage. So what
to do?



There are several commercially available Acne medications
available by prescription. Some of these include Adapalene,
Benzol Peroxide, and Isotretinoin treatments like Accutane.
While Benzol Peroxide is available through many over the counter
treatments like Oxy Clear, generally Isotretinoin treatments are
considered the most effective.



Accutane, the most popular of these Acne solutions, is a pill
taken for 15 to 20 weeks. It is generally prescribed for severe
cases of Acne that do not respond to other treatments. Because
of the strong likelihood of severe deformities in children born
to women taking Accutane while pregnant, many women are asked to
take birth control by their doctors when taking this medication.
Other side effects may include dry cracked lips and skin, and
muscle and joint pain. Don't want to risk or endure the side
effects, then you may want to consider a natural health remedy
discussed in part 2 of this topic.



About the author:


Martin Stephens writes for Acne-Treatment-Steps.Com PART 2 of
this article discusses natural remedies, available at
http://www.acne-treatment-steps.com





Tuesday, 28 March 2006

Cryptograms - Code Making and Breaking

Cryptograms are essentially secret codes. They were first used for secret wartime communications. One of the oldest versions recorded was a strip of paper wrapped around a stick. This type of cryptogram was used by the Spartan Army over two thousand years ago.

The paper was wrapped around the stick or staff, edge-to-edge without overlapping, and the message was written vertically. To be read, the paper strip had to be wrapped around a stick of the exact same diameter as the original one used to create the message, so the letters would line up correctly. The receiver knew what diameter stick to use, of course, while any messages intercepted would take some time to be decoded. Even if the enemy knew to use a stick, he had to find one of the right diameter.

Cryptograms are primarily for entertainment now, and are usually created using a simple substitution cipher, in which each letter is replaced by another letter or number. The Caesar Cipher, invented by Julius Caesar, may have been the first of this type. They have been used as simple puzzles for entertainment for over a thousand years now.

Solving a cryptogram is most often done using "frequency analysis," meaning that you look for the coded letters which are most frequent in a message, and then substitute the real letters which occur most often in common usage. In English, the most common letter used is "e," followed by "t" and "a". You also look for one-letter words, since these typically can only be "a" or "i".

Example Of A Cryptogram

A Caesar Cipher is a simple "shift cipher." You simply substitute for each letter another letter that is a fixed number of positions away in the alphabet. For example, if you were to use a "shift" of five letters, the letter "a" would be represented by "f", "b" would be represented by "g", and so on. Here is the complete code:

a=f, b=g, c=h, d=i, e=j, f=k, g=l, h=m, i=n, j=o, k=p, l=q, m=r, n=s, o=t, p=u, q=v, r=w, s=x, t=y, u=z, v=a, w=b, x=c, y=d, z=e

A short coded message:

Ymnx xnruqj rjxxflj nx bwnyyjs zxnsl f Hfjxfw Hnumjw.

Of course, if the code breaker suspects that this cryptogram is a simple shift-cipher, she could start with the the single-letter word "f", which would almost certainly be "a". Counting the five letters from "a" to "f", the code would be broken. The message could be decoded in minutes and read as follows:

"This simple message is written using a Caesar Cipher."

As you can imagine, any cryptogram as simple as this can be easily broken. Since there are only 26 "shifts" possible in English, you could break such a code quickly by trial and error. A computer program could try all 26 in seconds, display the 26 versions, and the viewer (or computer) would immediately recognize which was readable.

This is why simple substitution ciphers, while used for entertaining puzzles, are not used by themselves for truly secret messages. They may be used as a start, however. The Vigenère cipher, for example, uses a shift, but shifts again at different points in a message, the shift value determined by a repeating keyword. Of course there are many other ways to make a cryptogram or secret code more difficult to break.

Author: Steve Gillman

Saturday, 25 March 2006

Acne Control The Natural Way!

Kirsten Hawkins




Want to get rid of those zits in your face but you are currently low on budget? How about looking for acne control to avoid the sudden appearance of acne in your skin? So how do we do this?

First, what is acne? Acne is a skin disorder caused by the hormones action on the oil glands of the skin which is called the sebaceous glands. The excretion of oils from this glands can lead to congested skin pores. This is when acne occurs. The face, neck, chest, back and shoulders is where the glands are most profuse, that is why most acne are found on this locations. People who are with this kind of disorder often tends to be depressed, and humiliated.

There are a lot of factors that can generate acne to transpire. First is our Genes. Genetics can't be changed but other factors like our daily routine and the way we take care of our skin can be improved to make acne control no problem at all. Don't feel so sad about your acne because there's lots of things you can do. This acne control tips will help you say bye-bye to those zits.

1. Include Fruits and Vegetables in your daily Diet. A healthy diet consists of at least four to five servings of fruits and vegetables. Acne control will be a lot easier if you start including this in your daily habit.

2. Rose water can be used as a facial cleanser. Dipped in a cotton, clean your face using this everyday for at least two to three times each day.

3. Don't wait for your pimples to form. If you see a bit of it in your face, do something. Acne control is best done early. Pat some ice on the affected area for this will make it less swollen.

4. Acne control is easier when accompanied with multivitamins. Start taking vitamins that contains zinc supplement. Zinc helps in making your skin stronger and acne resistant.

5. Cucumber can help in acne control. Blend it with some water to form a mask. Put it in your face and leave it for about half an hour before rinsing it off. This is a good and affordable acne control remedy that can also refresh your skin.

6. Use only mild soaps and avoid soaps that contains petroleum based products and animal based ingredient for this causes your skin to get dry and irritated.

7. Using alcohol free facial cleansers makes Acne control trouble-free. Alcohol tends to dry your skin more.

8. Makeup also prompt the occurrence of acne. Choose your makeup wisely. Most of the makeup available contains petroleum based ingredients that makes skin dry. An all natural makeup helps acne control become more effortless.

9. Lastly, Drinking loads of water is very important. It flushes out the dirt in our body, Making acne control more natural.

Now you have a list of some helpful tips in acne control. It is your choice if you are to do these methods. There are lots of ways in acne control, be it naturally or by technology. Skin products are always around for you to pick your choice. The thing is, these products are very costly. If you are the innovative type of person, better try this methods in acne control. It is all natural and wont do any harm in your body. No side effects of course! Plus, you can really save a bunch out of this. There's no harm in trying! Saying goodbye to those acne is just a step away!





About The Author


Kirsten Hawkins is a freelance writer specializing in skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. Visit http://www.acnesolution411.com/ for more information on acne and acne treatments.





Tuesday, 14 March 2006

LeSSons Of LiFe

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.


Moral:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.

Tuesday, 7 March 2006

Funny Questions

Questions Message:

BOY : May I hold your hand?
GIRL : No thanks, it isn't heavy.

GIRL : Say you love me! Say you love me!
BOY : You love me...

GIRL : If we become engaged will you give me a ring??
BOY : Sure, what's your phone number??

GIRL : I think the poorest people are the happiest.
BOY : Then marry me and we'll be the happiest couple

GIRL : Darling, I want to dance like this forever.
BOY : Don't you ever want to improve??

BOY : I love you and I could die for you!
GIRL : How soon??

BOY : I would go to the end of the world for you!
GIRL : Yes, but would you stay there??

SHARON : Have you ever had a hot passionate, burning kiss??
TRACY : I did once. He'd forgotten to take the cigarette out of his mouth.

MAN : You remind me of the sea.
WOMAN : Because I'm wild, romantic and exciting?
MAN : NO, because you make me sick.

WIFE : You tell a man something, it goes in one ear and comes out of the other.
HUSBAND : You tell a woman something: It goes in both ears and comes out of the mouth.

MARY : John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly.What do u think, Peter?
PETER : A bit of both. I think you're pretty ugly.

1) Girlfriend : "...And are you sure you love me and no one else ?"
Boyfriend : "Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday".

2) Teacher : "Which is more important to us, the sun or the moon?"
Pupil : "The moon".
Teacher : "Why?"
Pupil : "The moon gives us light at night when we need it but the sun gives us light only in the day time when we don't need it".

3) Teacher : "What do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?"
Pupil : "A teacher".

4) Waiter : "Would you like your coffee black?"
Customer : "What other colors do you have?"

5) My father is so old that when he was in school, history was called current affairs.

6) Teacher : "Sam, you talk a lot !"
Sam : "It's a family tradition".
Teacher : "What do you mean?"
Sam : "Sir, my grandpa was a street hawker, my father is a teacher".
Teacher : "What about your mother?"
Sam : "She's a woman".