EMBROIDERY

DECORATIVE PURPOSE

         It is the art or rather handicraft, of designing clothes wit threads and fabrics. It is done with the help of thread or yarn. The basic method of stitching is the same whether we stitch a blanket, or carpet or cross-stitch. It is upon the person to create design, color pattern or image. We can even attach beads, metal strips according to our need. Embroidery is usually used for decorative housewares , clothes, accessories like bag, muffler, cap etc or any other useful clothes.

          In Europe, embroidered clothing was a sign of wealth and prosperity for centuries. Primarily considered to be a woman's craft, history holds that Queen Elizabeth I of England enjoyed the craft, presenting her half-brother King Edward VI with a shirt she had hand-embroidered to celebrate his coronation. With modernization embroidery can be carried out with machines as well. These days  we have multiple head embroidery machines that take designs from an attached computer and sew them on the product.

          There are several different forms of embroidery, many with rich cultural histories dating back hundreds and even thousands of years. Most designs follow one of two basic concepts: either the design is stitched on top of the base material, or the thread is worked through the base material to form a flat pattern in the original fabric. A third popular design, called drawn thread or cutwork, is often used in lace making. In this form, part of the base material is cut out and the resulting hole stitched over with lace or embroidered with thread or yarn.

CUSHION COVER

          Most fabric and crafts stores 
offer books and supplies that can help the interested novice get started. Many also offer classes geared toward specific types and styles of embroidery. Embroidered work has started passionate romances and wiped away royal tears, entertained queens and adorned kings, given historians insight into ancient culture, and also can make an old skirt seem fresh from a designer's boutique. Becoming skilled at embroidery will allow the craftsman to create beautiful gifts and decorations that echo a long and rich history. These days there are embroidery books available in the stores, they are filled with ideas and features to inspire new as well as experienced embroiders.

SOME CRAFTS FOR TEENS

BEING CREATIVE

        Crafts are very effective in increasing the creativity. As for teens, there are lots of crafts that can keep them engaged as well as make their mind think of new ideas. There are numerous websites that offer simple craft tips, there are also books that guide in crafts. The interest in craft depends upon one’s nature as well as age. Some teens might love to indulge in paper crafts, while some might love pottery or carpentry. It also depends upon the gender. Females might love making their own lip glosses or hair, hand bands etc.

          Teen aged boys can be trained or encouraged to produce crafts related to hunting, sports or personal accessories. Guiding to make a bow and arrow, or wallet designs, shoes painting, etc could be fun for them. On the other hand for the girls designing wallets, hair bands, wrist bands, knitting clothes, sewing etc can be great fun. Designing clothes could be another great factor. These days computers, laptops and digital cameras are famous among the youths. One can use them in various productive ways. Taking photographs of stars, scenery, animals etc can be very productive. It would not only be limited to craft but it also imparts great knowledge to them.

WONDERS OF CRAFT

          Making posters, wallpapers through graphic designing or painting is also a very nice way.  These days face painting and T-shirt painting too has been popular.  Following craft work not only keeps them engaged but also diverts their attention from the other temptations of youth age such as smoking, drinking or parting over night. These crafts prevent their mind from being empty and as we know “Empty mind is Devil’s workshop”.

          

METAL WORK

METAL MODEL

As the name suggests, metal working is the art of working with the metals. The metals are cut, shaped and built into different functional as well as aesthetic materials. It can include making of fine jewelry to large ships and bridges. Metalworking is a science, art, hobby, industry as well as trade. Metalworking has evolved from the discovery of smelting various ores, producing malleable and ductile metal useful for tools and adornments. As of today, there are various skills, tools and machines involved in metal works.

WEILDING

The advance that brought metal into focus was the connection of fire and metals. Eygptians are considered to be the first ones to work with gold. The ancients knew only seven metals: Iron, Tin, Lead, copper, mercury, gold and silver. More individuals than ever before are learning metalworking as a creative outlet in the forms of jewelry making,hobby restoration of aircraft and cars, blacksmithing, tinsmithing, tinkering, and in other art and craft pursuits. Metal working is generally divided into the few categories like cutting, forming and joining. But with each step we have different processes such as in forming we have casting, plastic deforming, sheet forming and so on. The cutting step involves threading, turning, grinding, filing and machining. We can join these metals by wielding, brazing, soldering or riveting.

METAL FABRICATION

Fabrication is an industrial term referring to building metal structures by cutting, bending, and assembling. Many of the metal works are done by manual labor and few are done mechanically. These metal works are used in constructing gates, bars, windows, kennel, bridge, chairs, beds ans much more. Finally we can conclude that it has wide scope in our daily life from the plate we eat to the house we stay are all contribution of metal works.

CALLIGRAPHY: VISUAL ART

       Calligraphy is a form of visual art. It is the art of making beautiful or elegant handwriting. It can also be called as the art of fancy lettering. It is derived from the Greek word “kallos” meaning good and “graphe” meaning writing. The main tool used by a calligrapher is pen, whether brush or flat nibbed or round nibbed. These days even steel brushed or multi-nibbed pens are also available. The ink used in the pen should be less viscous and water based. Paper so used would be best if it is highly porous as it gives clean lines and writings.

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

       Earlier when press was uncommon, it was the way the books were written with ink and feathers.  Modern calligraphy ranges from functional hand-lettered inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces. Calligraphy continues to flourish in the forms of wedding and event invitations, font design/typography, original hand-lettered logo design, religious art, announcements/graphic design/commissioned calligraphic art, cut stone inscriptions and memorial documents. It is also used for props and moving images for film and television, testimonials, birth and death certificates, maps, and other works involving writing.

        Today there are three main types of calligraphy namely Western or Roman, Chinese and Arabic.  The western calligraphy is recognized by the use of Roaman characters. The history of letter-forms during the past 2000 years or so bears witness to the immense success of the Romans in launching the Capitalis Romana. Islamic or Arabic calligraphy is highly influenced from Islamic culture. It was considered as the primary way to preserve “Quaran”. Calligraphy has arguably become the most venerated form of Islamic art because the Arabic script was the means of transmission of the Quaran (Koran). Chinese calligraphy is basically used to   communicate the spiritual world of the artist using Chinese characters.  Chinese art is considered as having the beauty of image in painting, the beauty of dynamism in dance and the beauty of rhythm in music.

ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY

        Calligraphy has attracted the attention of the artist all over the world. We also can name other calligraphies such as Tibetan calligraphy, Nepalese calligraphy, Indian, Persian etc.  Thus we can rightly state that calligraphy is a gem in the world's art treasury.

BRUCE LEE: MARTIAL ART INSTRUCTER

         Bruce lee was born on 27^TH November 1940 and he was a Chinese American, Hong kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the "Jeet Kune Do" martial arts movement. He is widely considered by many critics, media and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist, and a cultural icon.  In a mere 32 years of his life he completely   revolutionized the world of martial arts with his teaching and philosophy. He became an iconic figure known throughout the world.

BRUCE LEE'S CHILDHOOD

Born in San Francisco to parents of Hongkong heritage, he grew up in Hong kong up till his teens. At the age of 18, he moved up to United States for his U.S citizenship as well as his higher education. It was this time from which he began teaching martial art. Also a reason for leaving Hongkong was that he was frequently involved in street fight in school and one more such fight would lead him to jail.

Lee's father Lee hoi-chuen was a famous Cantonese opera star; because of this, lee was introduced into films at a very young age and appeared in several short black-and-white films as a child. Lee had his first role as a baby who was carried onto the stage. By the time he was 18, he had appeared in twenty films. Lee was conscious about nutrition, healthy foods, high protein drinks, vitamins and mineral supplements. He had a right combination of exercise, diet, meditation and training.

HONG KONG HERITAGE

Bruce lee's first hollywood movie role was as ‘Winslow Wong’ opposite James Garner in the 1968 film "Marlowe".  He was a martial art director converted to a martial art actor. Some of his excellent movies are:  enter the dragon, the game of death, the green hornet etc. Unfortunately he died at the age of 32 in Hongkong due to cerebral edema, leaving behind his wife Linda Lee and two children. 


Still today he is considered as an icon all over the world and he was truly an inspiration.

MARTIAL ART:

The term "Martial Arts" today has become heavily associated with the fighting arts. The word is derived from the Latin that we actually derive the English term, "Martial Arts" - from "Arts of Mars," the Roman god of war. While evidence show that martial arts have roots in prehistory, the earliest evidence of systematic training in specific martial arts traditions emerges in antiquity (late 1st millennium BC) in both Asia and Europe. Martial arts can be categorized into different types. It could be weapon based or only technique based, traditional or western form etc.

            It is practiced for self defense or physical fitness. We also have the Chinese martial art, popularly known as “wushu” or “kung-fu”. According to the country martial art has different names and sometimes the style or technique too varies to some extent. For example, in America we have the forms - Okichitaw (Canada), Tinku (Bolivia), Kapu Kuialua (Hawaii), American Karate (US), Chinese Martial Art (China), Judo (Japan), Silat (Thailand), Cornish Wrestling (England).

            Some Martial Arts are considered "traditional" and tied to an ethnic, cultural or religious background, while others are modern systems developed either by a founder, or by an association. Martial arts can also be linked with religion and spirituality. The foundation of modern Asian martial arts is likely a blend of early Chinese and Indian martial arts. Not all can perform martial art, it requires lots of training and stamina. He/ She should be able to abide by the discipline of the art.  Students within individual martial art systems often undergo periodic testing and grading by their own teacher in order to advance to a higher level of recognized achievement, such as a different belt color or title.

            Training in martial arts imparts many benefits to the trainee, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. According to Bruce Lee, martial arts also have the nature of an art, since there is emotional communication and complete emotional expression. Some traditional martial concepts have seen new use within modern military training. Martial arts since the 1970s has become a significant industry, a subset of the wider sport industry including cinema as well.

CARPENTRY

A carpenter is involved in carpentry. He is a skilled craftsperson working with timber for buildings, furniture, roof making, floor making, staircase and other objects. The word "carpenter" is which is derived from the Latin carpentries meaning "(maker) of a carriage.” Usually carpentry is done by male. In Unites states, 98.5% of carpenters are male and in 1999 it was the fourth most male-dominated occupation in the country.

          Carpenters according to their work can be classified into a few categories. A finish carpenter also called a joiner is one who does finish carpentry such as cabinetry, furniture making, fine woodworking, model building, instrument making, parquetry etc. A cabinetmaker is a carpenter who does fine and detailed work specializing in the making of cabinets made from wood, wardrobes, dressers, storage chests, and other furniture designed for storage. A trim carpenter specializes in molding and trim, such as door and window casings, mantels, baseboard, and other types of ornamental work. For a scene fixation a scenic carpenter is involved. He fixes and dismantles the  temporary scenery and sets. A luthier is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments. The 

word luthier comes from the French word for lute, "luth".

          As is true of other building trades, carpentry work is sometimes strenuous. Prolonged standing, climbing, bending, and kneeling often are necessary. Carpenters risk injury working with sharp or rough materials, using sharp tools and power equipment, and working in situations where they might slip or fall. Carpenters are employed throughout the country in almost every community and make up the second largest building trades occupation. They held about 1.3 million jobs in 2008.

          The living Lord Jesus Christ is also considered to be the son of a carpenter. Sometimes it is also believed that He was a carpenter. Carpentry skill is gained through experience and study. One can also consider carpentry as a hobby. With increasing concern towards green and clean world, we also have green carpenters  who specialize in the use of  environmentally friendly,energy-efficient and sustainable sources of building materials to use in construction projects.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR: CONTRIBUTION TO ART

STATUE IN CHICAGO

            England’s national poet, William Shakespear was born on26th April 1564. He had a successful career as an actor and writer. He has a lasting contribution towards art. Author of over thirty plays and hundreds of poems, he is one of the world's best-loved poet and playwright. His plays, in particular, remain popular with theater troupes around the world and are constantly performed in various stages and with different interpretations. 

             Not only did he contribute to literature but also to art, very specifically to  architecture, painting, music and film. He is considered to be the greatest dramatist the world ever had. He had vast knowledge of music, law, Bible, stage, art, politics, history, hunting, and sports. Many painters were inspired by Shakespearean dramas in their artworks. He also used to mix disco music with his play making it more pleasing and meaningful. His plays were even converted into films with slight modifications.

            His plays still read today, provides an evidence of intelligent and far sighted he was. The facts in his play touched the hearts of thousands those days and still today. These days his plays are converted into modern movies. Some of his excellent works are The Tempest (comedy), Twelfth night (comedy), King Henry IV,VI (history), King Richard (history), Romeo and Juliet (tragedy), Macbeth (tragedy), Julius Ceaser (tragedy), Rape of Lucrece (poetry) and so on.

WILLIAM"S HOUSE IN ENGLAND

            In short, he expanded the horizon of drama. He was the first to take a subject like romance as a topic for tragedy as in “Romeo and Juliet”. Shakespeare combined poetic genius with a practical sense of the theatre. He was excellent in dramatizing stories so much so that his books are still read in schools in different parts of the world as a course.

             

CULINARY ART

Culinary art is the art of preparing or cooking food. It includes not only cooking but also food presentation, food photography, hotel and restaurant management and much more. It is, in fact a way to present artistic views using food. A culinarion is a person working in the culinary arts. Since every person in the world has to eat or rather loves eating, culinary art has a broad and everlasting scope. Today, culinary arts is a vast field that embraces some of the best things in life: food, wine, coffee, cocktails, baked goods, nutrition, and more.

            It is not sufficient for a culinarion to cook food alone, but he/she should keep proper eye on hygiene, nutrition, technology, diet as well as science of food. Culinary art can be pursued as a career. There are plenty of good universities offering degrees in culinary art. These institutions train people of all levels including the beginners. Culinary Arts is a growing industry, alive with action, excitement, and people. Career opportunities are bright for the culinary arts industry. Since this is one of the fastest growing industries, trained and knowledgeable managers are in demand.

EYE PLEASING FOOD

            Culinarions usually work in places like restaurants, grand hotels, delicatessens, hospitals etc. The modern field of culinary arts traces its roots back to Marie-Antoine Carême and Georges-Auguste Escoffier. Previously, cooks relied on tradition to direct their cooking but these days it has changed its dimension into organized large-scale kitchens-what's now known as the kitchen brigade. Thus we can say that culinary art is an art that translates eating for living into eating for pleasure.

CULINARY ART SCHOOL

The chef is in charge of all aspects of the kitchen. A sous chef is the chef's second-in-command. A commis chef is an apprentice, learning the ropes of each station. An expediter calls out orders to the station chefs while a pastry chef is in charge of pastries, breads, and desserts. A garde manger chef is responsible for cold foods, such as salads and cold appetizers.A tournant is the kitchen's pinch-hitter, doing whatever the kitchen needs at any time. An entremetier handles hot appetizers, soups, pastas, and vegetables. A friturier is responsible for fried foods.A grillardin handles grilled foods, and may also be responsible for roasted foods and related saucing. A poissonier is in charge of fish, and may also be in charge of sauces and sauteeing in a smaller operation. A saucier handles sauteeing and saucemaking---provided the operation is large enough to warrant this position.

  

POTTERY

MAKING WITH THE HELP OF WHEEL

It refers to the art of manufacturing pottery. Pottery is usually baked up of wet mud or rather clay. There are three major pottery types: (1) earthenware, (2) stoneware, and (3) porcelain. Each type is distinguished by its clay mixture and the temperature at which it is baked or fired. 

Pottery is made by forming the clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln which removes all water from the clay, which induces reactions that lead to permanent changes including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape. Later after extracting it from the high temperature, it can be decorated with colors or other attractive agents. During the initial stages the clay must be kneaded as it helps the equal distribution of moisture throughout the clay. After  kneading and de-airing it with the help of a machine it is ready to be shaped into desired form and then it is dried out.

The clay can be shaped out with hands or with the help of different machines. Once dried up it can be decorated, glaze and glitters can be added to make it more attractive. The earliest pottery wares were hand-built and fired in bonfires. The earliest-known ceramic objects are Gravettian figurines found in Czech Republic. Other earlier pottery vessels include those made by the Incipient Jōmon people of Japan. The period between 1,500-300 BCE in ancient Korea is known as the Mumun Pottery Period.  The study of pottery has helped to provide an insight into past cultures to the historians.

FINAL POTTERIES

There are few environmental concerns with regard to pottery making. The first thing is that it causes noise and air pollution and also haphazard disposal of wastes. Next is, it affects the health of the worker due to its noise, inner air quality and use of excessive fuels.The use of energy and pollutants in the production of ceramics is a growing concern. 

PLASTIC ART

PLASTIC DECORATED CAR

           The manipulation of plastic into different shapes and figures is called as plastic art. It has its application in Textile art, Welding, Woodworking, Film Photography, New media art etc. the tem “plastic art” derived its name from the word “plasticize” meaning to mould and its most common example is sculpture. It seems to have originated in central India around 290,000-700,000 B.C. as such the term plastic art does not only imply using plastic as the basic material, it can combine with many materials to give the final outcome.

            In some cases due to environmental factors, we want plastic to disintegrate and disappear, such as in bags, bottles, and cutlery. But when it comes to art, we want plastics to last forever which is not possible. Even plastics do not last forever, they turn dark in a certain span of time or get deformed due to climatic conditions. Especially cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane foam are the kinds of plastics that degrade easily. Scientists have struggled to figure out the best general strategy for the long-term care of plastic objects. One necessary step is keeping them out of sunlight, since ultraviolet light breaks down both plastic fibers and the colored pigments in plastics, bleaching them. 

RECYCLED PLASTIC USE

           Plastics usually help in the making of softer sculptures as in toys. Plastic also is more lightweight than many traditional sculptural materials such as bronze, stone or wood. Recent technical advances have produced plastics that are more durable than in the past.

DECORATIVE ART

GLASSWARE

        There are many forms of art whose primary function is to please the eye alone but decorative arts are those which pleases the eye but at the same time it is functional. It includes interior designing but not architecture. This is not much of a contemporary work. These basically includes ceramic art (pottery), glassware, furniture, metal work , wall paper, textile arts or jewelry. These forms of art have been famous from the ancient times as the history holds some instances of antique furnitures and pottery.

        Ceramics, basketry, pottery, metal furniture, jewelry, textile, clothing, glassware etc are mostly associated with decorative art. Earlier painting and sculptures were thought to be decorative art form but the modern theory distinguishes them into different forms. It is also to be noted that different cultures have different form of decorative art. As objects for daily use, works of decorative art allow a close insight into cultures of the past. Among its holdings, the National Gallery has an extensive collection of European furniture, tapestries, and ceramics from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as well as medieval church vessels.

20TH CENTURY'S ART

        Sometimes also called as ornamental art, decorative art may be worked out within the traditional definition of decorative arts, prizing only preindustrial handcraftsmanship, but many others now conduct research in a wide range of household furnishings in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Recently, scholars have expanded the field of decorative arts by including in their analyses less exclusive and less “beautiful” artifacts. These arts motivate people, in a sense that it inclines human towards the nature. For example- a beautiful glassware holds a beautiful flower whose sight pleases the eyes. As such one should take dignity of  producing as well as using such arts.

        

GRAPHIC DESIGN

          The term graphic design implies the production of such a result which attracts the viewer as well as conveys the message. It is a great way of presenting items before the people in order to sell it or make it more convincing.  It is a substitute for verbal communication, it is a visual communicator. It combines both art and technology to communicate ideas.  They find the most effective way to get messages across in print and electronic media using color, type, illustration, photography, animation, and various print and layout techniques.

Graphic designers prepare sketches or layouts—by hand or with the aid of a computer—to illustrate their vision for the design. They select colors, sound, artwork, photography, animation, style of type, and other visual elements for the design. They finally come out with end products like logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters, signs, and any other type of visual communication. In today’s date, graphic designer use computer softwares as the basic tool.

Before stepping into the plan for design, graphic designers put into their mind the social, cultural, cognitive aspects in order to touch the heart of the target audience. It deals with small things like sweet wrappers to things like T-shirt. By far we can say that graphic designing has taken a global market to its hand. The job column in newspapers shows lots of demands for graphic designer which proves that it has a broad scope in the market.

The magazines we read with so much enthusiasm is the wonder of graphic designing. What if we had to read magazines only with texts and no color and visual effect? Life then would somehow be dark and colorless. Even a small child would love to learn fairy tales with more color, images and visual effects.  Thus we can rightly say that graphic designs have splashed our life with more colors.  

INTERIOR DESIGNING

DESIGNED BEDROOM

             It is a form of art that encompasses designing of the interiors of space such as interior of a house, hotel or any rooms. It includes things like flooring, windows, doors, walls, lighting, furniture, and miscellaneous design pieces. The goal of interior design is generally to make a space that is both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Most people design their interiors themselves with the help of references books and classes or by hiring some interior designers.

            An interior designer is someone who carries out the entire project of designing the space assigned. He/ She converts the given space according to the likes of the person as well as turning the place to be favorable one for the desired work. The duty of an interior designer includes planning, conducting the entire labors and executing the plans and designs in the best way possible. Similar to the interior designer, an interior decorator is the one who arranges the objects inside the room in various styles usually associated with  colour, furniture, furnishings, mouldings and panelling.

DESIGNED KITCHEN

  An interior designer may choose to focus on commercial design, which would encompass a diverse range of buildings, like schools, hospitals, and government buildings, or may choose to focus on residential spaces. Three areas of design that are becoming increasingly popular are ergonomic design, elder design, and environmental—or green—design. Ergonomic design involves designing work spaces and furniture that emphasize good posture and minimize muscle strain on the body. Elder design involves planning interior space to aid in the movement of people who are elderly and disabled. Green design involves selecting furniture and carpets that are free of chemicals and hypoallergenic and selecting construction materials that are energy-efficient or are made from renewable resources.

           
            Interior designing can be taken as a part of career with some qualifications. Along with the qualifications the job demands for creative, versatile and diverse approach. Artistic mind and hand along with hardworking nature would be a great merit to be a successful interior designer.