Can I mix acrylic paint into liquid latex rubber?

Acrylic paints, or modified acrylic paints, are often used to color latex, but not for what you want to do.
Latex is a little finicky.  Many colorants will cause it to do unwanted things, like coagulate quickly into a sticky, gloppy mess, fail to dry properly, or change its characteristics.  There are colorants designed specifically for latex.  My understanding is that some of these are acrylic-based (basically a suspension of acrylic paint in latex with additives like ammonia to control coagulation).  Some people do add acrylic paint to latex, often diluting it with a little ammonia.
A big exception to acrylic paints is metallic paints, which is your objective.  Many of these cause the latex to coagulate.  You would need to test the specific paint.
As a general rule, it's usually easier to color latex with pigments than liquid colorants.  Also as a general rule, you don't want to adulterate the latex with too much of anything.  The latex is mostly water.  When it dries, there's much less volume of rubber.  So the colorant will represent a much bigger proportion of the rubber mixture, and have a big effect on its characteristics.  It usually isn't a good idea to add more than about 5% colorant.  Fortunately, it doesn't take much colorant.


What's the difference between cheap pencils and crayons for coloring?

Quality will be much higher with pencils. The softness of crayons dramatically reduces your precision when drawing, and they have a tendency to "skip" - I guess because of the higher amounts of wax involved. This is why crayon drawings rarely have a uniform color field, and don't blend well.

You will use up your crayons much faster than pencils as well, because the soft wax smears much faster. As you mentioned, the wood of the pencils also lends durability. I've never had much luck mixing the two unless I want to see the different marks - the materials are different enough to stand out next to one another.


They probably covered the tile in white glaze and then used a paint brush or sponge stamps to apply the blue glaze on top of the dried (but not fired) white glaze.
Unfortunately the only source I could find is a German documentary without any subtitles, but starting at 28:10 it clearly shows a potter applying different patterns by sponging pigmented engobe onto unfired clay items.
She explains that she made all of her sponge stamps herself by drawing a motif onto a fine sponge and either cutting the excess away with nail scissors or burning fine lines into the sponge with a soldering iron.
To apply the pattern, the sponge has to be damp. The clay item is covered with a first coat of engobe. After the first coat dried, the sponge stamp is dipped into a very shallow pool of engobe and then stippled onto the clay item.
You won't get perfectly crisp lines with this method, but especially the bottommost picture you posted looks like it was sponged. You can even see a very slight sponge pattern in there. All of the other tiles have very smooth lines and are most likely hand painted, but I can imagine that you can stamp a guiding pattern onto the tile and then follow that pattern with a paint brush.


How can I prevent my pom poms made by fork method to not look separated in the middle?

I googled 'fork made pompom' and now understand better what you are asking about. This is the random site I used, (as I prefer still pictures over videos.) I have no connection to this site.
There are four options for mistakes I see:

Not enough windings for the size of your yarn compared to your fork.
Not pulled together enough when tying the middle.
Too many wraps of the tying yarn compared to the size of the pompom.
Not cut right when the sides are cut open.

The instructions I found mentioned '50' times wound around the tines of the fork. No adjustments to the size of the yarn or the fork. If you use a bigger fork and thinner yarn, you may end up with a 'thin' pompom, which will not fill out to a full ball. You can experiment with more winding before you cut and tie off the pompom.
So the improvement solution is to add more windings to the fork before tying off.
When you tie the yarn together in the middle, you have to pull very hard, getting all the air out of all the strands of yarn and from between them. It is not easy to get that right the first time you try, and when you do not tie tight enough the resulting pompom will not form right. It will also be easy to pull yarns out of the ball, likely resulting with completely destroying the pompom in a few yarns picked out. When tied tight enough you can improve almost every pompom into a good ball, by cutting it short enough.
The improvement solution here is to tie tighter than you have done before. Going to the level where you are afraid of breaking your yarn. Or even by replacing your pompom yarn with a stronger kind of yarn which you can pull on more.
Even while you have to tie tight and strong, you should not have a wide strip of yarn around your pompom before you cut it.
Switching to a stronger yarn may help you to use less wide strips of yarn.
Cutting your pompom into a nice ball is important but if it starts with a good filled tightly tied center, you can easily see how to improve the final shape.
When just cut open at the sides you will likely have tufts sticking out which might look like 'divided in the middle' but this is the least likely reason.
But if you made a mistake here, cutting into a smaller ball should result in a better pompom.
You can improve the results of pompoms by brushing out the yarns but when properly made, you should not need to.
If you can not get your fork pompoms to work, there are several other methods, like simple card rings which you can make yourself and plastic rings where you have two halves which you combine into a ring later and likely some more. With all of those you have more options for sizes and often more control on the quality of the pompom. (And you will likely have less to cut off when you make it into a nice ball.)


What are the pros and cons of wearing a robe vs a cloak (sleeves vs sleeveless)?

I used to larp and always opted for coats/jackets rather than cloaks whenever feasible. Here are the considerations I used to make frequently about outerwear, listed from highest to lowest priority for myself:

It is easier to add useable pockets (whether hidden or visible)
Fitted garments with sleeves are less likely to get caught in doors or get accidentally stepped on (eg. when ascending/descending stairs)
Fitted garments are likely to be warmer than a loose cloak in most cases
Fastening a jacket/coat etc is easier and more secure than most cloak fastenings
Cloaks are unusual in most modern cultures and will draw more attention than a sleeved garment, which may not always be wanted

I would like to add that a lot of these pros/cons rely on subjective opinion and context.

I have some limited experience with sewing garments that have hoods, and have found it to be quite challenging to get the exact shape of hood that I want! I have found it comparatively easy to produce sleeves, so this is why I have not discussed whether sewing a cloak or sleeved garment would be easier, because in my opinion if you are making a garment with a hood, either option will be about the same difficulty.


What paint should I use to make a portrait glow in the dark?

There are at least three approaches, but it will be difficult to make a "fine art" portrait, especially that looks like one in the dark.  All glow-in-the-dark paints are limited to a small number of colors that tend to be primary or secondary  "neon" colors.  I don't know how well the colors blend to create other colors, but color inkjet and laser printers create most of the spectrum by placing small dots of primary colors next to each other, so that might be a fallback approach.

There are two general kinds of glow in the dark materials (aside from what's in glow sticks that glow for a short period after mixing, and materials that rely on radioactive material).

Phosphorescent materials can be "charged" with light energy, then they slowly release the energy as light which is visible in the dark.  The light they release is not very bright, and isn't visible for long.  The kind of light used to charge it makes a big difference.  Direct sunlight or a full-spectrum light (like a grow lamp), give the best results.  An incandescent light will give much poorer results.

The color of the light released isn't the color that the material appears in normal light, so colored phosphorescent paint is typically mixed with a colored pigment so that the color is similar in normal light.

Phosphorescent paint isn't designed for fine art, it's typically used for purposes like painting large shapes for Halloween decorations.  It would be hard to create a portrait that you could actually see in detail in the dark.  The paint tends to be pretty thin and requires a lot of coats to build up enough material for reasonable brightness and uniformity.  With pigmented colors, a lot of the phosphorescent material gets blocked by the pigment, so it glows less brightly after it dries.  You can find a range of colors like this Amazon link (no personal experience with this product, it's just an example).
Fluorescent materials are excited by ultraviolet (black) light, and give off very bright, visible light, often enough to see the effect even in room light that isn't too bright.  In a dark room, the picture will glow.  You just need to illuminate the portrait with an ultraviolet bulb (and it will glow as long as the UV bulb is on).  You can find color assortments like this Amazon link (again, no personal experience with the product).

So two of the approaches are to use either phosphorescent paint, or fluorescent paint plus a UV bulb, and create the colors as best you can from what's available.  Of the two, the latter is likely to give you the best result.

The third approach would be to create a monochrome portrait with non-colored phosphorescent paint.  You create shading by how thickly you apply the paint (number of layers; the thicker the paint the brighter it will be).  This would be analogous to packing tape art, although light and dark would be the reverse.  I'm not sure how easy it would be to discern the detail in normal light.

I'll throw in one more idea, although I don't know if it would work.  You can buy or make non-colored phosphorescent paint (just a clear vehicle plus strontium aluminate powder).  You might be able to create a normal portrait, then coat it with a thin layer of this paint.  It will add a haze on top that will mask fine detail.  But it might work to illuminate the portrait in the dark.  It wouldn't be very bright, so the portrait would need exaggerated contrast.


You've got a local makers DIY shop, so that is probably your best bet.
If it's current membership don't focus on crafts, just ask the leadership if you can start a craft night.  Volunteer to teach people how to make that walnut jewelry box during the first meeting.  Then at the end of the meeting, ask for other presenters to teach on other craft subjects.  With a little luck, you could build a thriving craft community very quickly.  Somewhere in that growing community, you will find the rotary tool teacher who can help you master it in an orderly fashion.

Beyond that, the best way to master a tool is to use it.
Find tasks which need doing where your rotary tool can play a part.  Then research on YT how to apply the rotary tool to that task.  Each new task completed increases your skill with the tool and in a surprisingly short time, you will have more new tricks to teach to your growing craft community.


What happened to slant-needle sewing machines?

I wasn't able to find any definitive answer as to why the company stopped making slant shank machines. However, I was able to come up with a logical answer.

Answer: I can only assume its due to production costs. Many sewing machines today come out of the same manufacturing plants. It just makes it easier for all the domestic machines to be on the same low shank, Snap-On presser foot system.

After World War II, the US started accepting mass imports of cheap sewing machines from Japan. This created stiff competition between Japanese producers and American ones like Singer.

Singers' response was to differentiate their expensive sewing machines from the cheaper Japanese imports with the slant shank system, which was patented in 1951. They also made their product unique by using aluminum to lighten the weight of their machines (this also made production costs cheaper).

From there, it was a downward spiral because Singer just could not compete with the cheaper prices of Japanese imports. They too started using Japanese manufacturers and this was the beginning of the end for slant shank.


Depends on what your problem is:

If you have too many ideas and cannot commit to one, I would recommend sketching out thumbnails to then decide which one.

If you feel like none of your ideas are good enough, I would recommend doing something simple to warm up. Draw the room around you or do some still life or draw a character doing something dumb.

If you feel like you are forcing yourself to draw, just do something else. Play a game or go for a walk. Nobody's forcing you do draw (unless somebody is, and that's a different situation), so just chill.

What I do to prevent this situation: I keep a written list of ideas of things to draw when I got nothing else to draw. It has all my ideas from "eyeball people" to "3pp woods backligting sunset Wirt & Greg." I also have a list of challenges and things to get better at. But if I don't feel like doing any of these lists, I do something else.


What kind of glue to use for **large area** paper to wood that is visible while wet?

This sounds like quite a similar situation to applying wallpaper. Wallpaper is normally hung with wallpaper adhesive, a thickish paste with a relatively long drying time.

The advantage of this is that you can apply it to the paper and let it soak in for a few minutes before attaching the paper to the plywood, which should help ensure you don't miss any bits.


You could try www.deviantart.com . I never used it but it seems like it's a website for artists to easily show their work. I think it is even possible to sell prints of your art.


Restoring a poster print using watercolour

I don't have any pictures, but I once saw a "restored" print technique which amazed me.   The damaged painting was valuable, so the owner didn't want to modify it directly.  So he bought two appropriate sized frames and from their parts assembled a single frame with two sheets of protective glass.

Then with the painting behind a single sheet of glass, he painted his repairs on the glass.  I suppose that the medium was very forgiving because any mistakes could be wiped away before they dry and reattempted as often as needed to get them right.  Eventually, he had the look that he wanted.  He then waited for all the paint to thoroughly dry.

At which point, he took the painting and glass out of the frame.  Added the second sheet of glass in front of the painted one and reassembled his artwork.
In this way, the repairs on glass are themselves behind glass and the finished work is mostly indistinguishable from the original undamaged work.


A 'joined' font may refer to a type of script typeface, where all characters of a word are connected by single lines. Most so-called 'handwriting' fonts make use of these glyphs. And some fonts, such as your example, may offer an additional isolated glyph version, like this font:

As the name 'script' implies, it is derived from handwriting, and can still generally be seen in writing exercises in primary schools.

Alternatively, those terms might be referring to fonts that offer versions with and without ligatures, the usually curvy lines that connect certain sets of characters:

  In writing and typography, a ligature occurs where two or more
  graphemes or letters are joined as a single glyph.
  source

Like script typeface, ligatures derive from handwriting.
A famous common example is the ampersand &.

Usage

Whenever you come across a font with different character sets, they are offered as separate fonts (under the same family name, sometimes archived together in .rar, .zip, or .7z files, which have to be unpacked first).
You install the fonts, and they will show up in your editing programs as separate fonts (e.g., using the example above, the fonts will show up like "Debbie Hepplewhite Print" and "Debbie Hepplewhite Joinit").

If you have any other questions, let me know, and I will update my answer.


To do direct animation on clear super 8 mm film, can i just bleach some old film?

No, the gray and black light-sensitive chemicals are embedded on the film media and won't simply wash off or "turn clear" in bleach.
What you are trying to do is known as Draw-on-film animation, but I've also seen it referred to as cameraless animation, clear leader animation, marker animation, scratch film, and direct animation. I enjoyed trying this in my early experimental-film days. It was a lot of fun and you can create some interesting experimental media projects using various techniques.
Draw-on-Film Animation Media
Typically you start with clear film leader (comes in acetate, polyester/mylar) where you essentially draw or paint your animation frame by frame. Folks also scratch animated pieces into black exposed film and (optionally) add color later. Folks have even added hand-drawn animation over traditional black & white films, so if you have some footage available to you, that's an intriguing option.
Here are some examples and techniques to help get you started:

YouTube (instructional video) : How to do Animation by Drawing on Film
Exploriatium (Instructional PDF): Scract Film: Direct Animation
YouTube (amazing example): Process of making direct animation
Search: Clear Acetate Leader


How can I make my wall look like weathered wood?

You've got a good start to a solid approach to creating something effective and inexpensive; what you need now is a decent and cheap way to finish the job. I would recommend the following:

Get some cheap poster board/tagboard from a department or crafting store. This will create the foundation for your wall.
(Optional) Also pick up some matte brush-on Mod Podge or similar sealer and a cheapish hardware-department grade brush to seal down the edges and add some more realistic texture to your "wood." (If your ink/toner is not water-resistant or waterproof, pick up a spray sealer to fix it in place before using the liquid sealer as well.)
Get some appropriate adhesives; Scotch, Duck, or Frog-branded painter's tape (blue or yellow in color, not the off-white/tan kind), preferably in a "delicate surface" or "low adhesion" variety, or 3M Command poster strips. These materials are designed to release cleanly from painted surfaces without damage when used properly; avoid off-brand or store-brand colored painter's tapes, as they frequently use a glue more similar to the cheap off-white masking tape that can and does damage painted surfaces.
Stick your printed pages to the poster board with whatever method you prefer; spray glue or glue stick applied sparingly will give you good results on the display surface. If desired, seal the surface using your sealers; feel free to leave brush strokes behind, as they'll add a touch of dimensionality to your faux wood as well as sealing the edges in place. You can either go all the way to the edge of the boards, or add an overlap that will be covered when you mount them.
Use the painter's tape (rolled and stuck behind the poster board, or along corners/edges covered by overlap if you chose this method), or the Command strips (follow package instructions) to mount your poster board pieces to your wall.

All these elements are inexpensive, particularly compared to options like fully painting and repainting or using wallpaper, and should give you an end product that both looks decent and is easily removed when you move out or want a change of pace.


How do I resize (smaller) baby bootie crochet pattern?

The easiest solution is to use a smaller hook. You might also need thinner yarn so your booties aren't too stiff/thick.

If you don't have a smaller hook, you'll have to change the pattern. It's hard to tell you exactly how without having crocheted the pattern because a bootie has a fairly complicated shape. One strategy you can try is to make one bootie as written to get a better idea of the construction. It would be a fast job since it's a small item, and once you've completed it you might find you'll have a better idea of how to make it smaller.


What materials can I use in a kids project to simulate simple cell biology?

This is seems like a good application of DIY sensory bags

You fill a zip bag with hair gel, whatever objects you want inside, and food coloring if desired. We seal the tops of the bag with colored tape.

We've filled them with toys, beads, glitter and whatever plastic or waterproof objects we have on hand. Even cut off pieces of drinking straws can work. In this case, whatever resembles cell anatomy.

You can double bag them for more durability. They're able to withstand most handling, except for certain bites from toddlers (so teens should have no issue).


I would like to suggest something I was told while I was working on my ties. What you could do is to use some clear nail polish, not a lot, to stiffen the ends of the ribbon. That should prevent them from fraying at all. It is likely that you could use something like a super glue to accomplish the same thing.

You don't need a lot so, while it will darken the ribbon, if used sparingly it should not be noticeable.

Image from Wikihow

The page that comes from also suggests gluing as well as an alternative. It also covers using heat which Stephanie's answer covers better.

Of course, that could also be seen as less then aesthetically pleasing. So to compliment my solution I would then suggest you use some thread and something simple like a tight overcast stitch. The thread will hold around the polish and hopefully distract from its presence. The nail polish alone should be enough to stop it from coming undone for a while. That would all depend on wear and tear at that point.


Where can I find good crocheting patterns?

The best resource for all crochet and knitting needs by far is Ravelry. Ravelry requires you to create an account and provides an astounding library of patterns, yarns (so it's easy to find a substitute), a community platform and your own project notebook. Some paterns are paid-for, but many are available free. As of me writing this reply there are over 1600 crochet rug patterns listed on Ravelry, some 600 of which are free

Youtube is full of crochet tutorials if you look around a little. For example Elena Rugal has a great library of crochet technique videos

If you want to dig into public domain resources, Antique Pattern Library has a section with hundreds of old magazines with patterns, though they may be hard to read for a modern, inexperienced crocheter because of the differences in writing style and extensive use of abbreviations

Yarn brands publish their own patterns, for crochet I particularly recommend Scheepjes. Similarly, many magazines exist and can be bought both online and in paper, check out titles such as 'Inside Crochet', 'Molly Makes' or 'Love Crochet'. Note that most of these will be included in Ravelry's library

Finally, there are countless crafty blogs, e.g. Moogly's, with tutorials and patterns


What are other techniques to draw a circle besides using or mimicking a compass tool?

I do not know whether you see a pin and a bit of string as a compass mimicking method, it is likely a very old alternative.

You can do elipses by using two pins and a bit of string.

Or you an use circular items and draw a line around it, just like you draw a straight line along a ruler.
There are special tools which have a series of circular holes to allow to make quickly draw several sizes of circles, if you search on -circle template ruler- you will see several different options. (Here is a link to a commercial site which shows one.)

The best method without any tools is training.
The more you do it, the better you will become.
Sit with a piece of paper in front of you and draw as many circles as you can, look critical and try to improve.

There are several methods of drawing which may work for you.
One is one flowing line, no options to improve once started but a very strong result when done right.
A second one is to build up the circle from tiny fragments. Like for a circle with 10 cm/4" diameter you draw little lines about 1 cm/ 1/2" long and overlap them at least one third, maybe two thirds. With this method you can stop and consider, re-adjust and change the shape while working on it. Even in the best outcome it will not show as strong as the single line approach but I find it an easier way to get near the perfect circle. (I never really get it right out of hand, I prefer the computer to make perfect circles for me.)
Maybe it will help you to have a perfect circle of about the right size near while training yourself to draw one. This can be any simple item which is circular. Samples include coins, saucers, tops or bottoms of glasses or even the rings left by a wet glas and so on.

An other training exercise might be that you use a circle made by one of the mechanical ways (compass tool or drawn around an object, or again the ring left by a glass) and draw your training circle around or inside (or both and several on each 'side'.)

Some people will be able to draw almost perfect circles by hand, without much training, others will never learn it. You have to try to find out how good you are.


Unlikely.
There's a reason people keep separate fabric scissors from their regular scissors--cutting through fabric requires a very sharp blade, which you're unlikely to find on the average pizza cutter (designed to cut through soft cooked materials).
What you're seeing is a rotary cutter, a circular blade on a handle that's sharp enough to cut through fabric. Unlike a typical pizza cutter, rotary cutters come with blade guards and retractable blades to protect the user from cutting themselves. They're frequently used by quilters, who need to cut many pieces with straight lines, often using heavy plastic templates. In the images shown on the blog Quilter's Review's review of several cutters, you can see the safety features on the handheld rotary cutters. The CNC machine is using a similar blade, but as it's not being handled by a human directly, the need for the additional safety features is reduced.


I am not a painter in any sense of the word. Using a search engine, I found this site. While not being exhaustive, it explains some of the information interesting to you.

REFINED LINSEED OIL

This is the most popular form of oil medium. It slows down the drying time of the paint, and when painting in layers, this can be very useful. Apply the ‘slow over fast rule’ – paint your fast-drying layers first, and then each layer on top should take longer to dry than the previous one. You can therefore apply more of this medium with each layer.

The [brand name] Refined Linseed Oil increases gloss and transparency as well as smoothing the consistency of oil paint.

There is also a Cold Press Linseed Oil by [brand name], which is a high quality oil often used when grinding pigments, to create oil paint at a professional level. It dries more slowly than Refined Linseed Oil, taking up for four days, and has a shinier and harder finish.

Other information can be found using search engines. If you want to actually improve your painting skills, you might want to attend some classes led by a professional.


Does a minimal difference in hook sizes really change the outcome of a project?

You'll probably be fine. One quarter of a millimeter isn't a huge difference, particularly considering how large the hook is.

The reality is that the hook size is just a suggestion. Different crocheters will need to use different hook sizes depending on their tension. Someone who crochets very loose will need to use a smaller hook for the same project while someone who crochets tight will need to use a larger one.

Assessing gauge is necessary when starting many projects. Some are pickier than others. A shawl/blanket/scarf is unlikely to need you to find your gauge first as you're not working to size anything. Hook size and yarn weight is much more flexible in these projects. On the other hand, clothing (like a sweater) will require you to use the proper gauge for you to get the item sized properly.

If gauge matters for this project, work a test swatch using your hook and compare it to the recommended size. If your pattern says that 8 stitches is an inch and your test swatch gets only 7 stitches to the inch, you need a smaller hook. If, however, you get 9 stitches, you'll need a bigger hook.


What are the equivalents between US crochet stitch terms and UK terms?

Fortunately, if you are familiar with reading charted patterns, the icons are the same, so the only issue is if you don't know how to read charts or if you prefer to read written out patterns.
A couple of the terms are the same - "chain stitch" and "slip stitch". Most of the rest can be somewhat easy to remember if you can remind yourself that the UK has no "single crochet", so most of the numbers are incremented up one in the UK version:
US Term ----------------------- UK Term
chain ----------------------- chain
slip stitch ----------------- slip stitch
single crochet -------------- double crochet
half double crochet --------- half treble crochet
double crochet -------------- treble crochet
treble crochet -------------- double treble crochet
double treble crochet ------- triple treble crochet
front post double crochet --- raised front treble crochet
back post double crochet ---- raised back treble crochet
fasten off/bind off --------- cast off
skip ------------------------ miss
gauge ----------------------- tension
yarn over ------------------- yarn over hook


Is it legal to make portraits of people for indirectly commercial purposes?

The problem lies with interpretation. If your take on a photo of a certain person (famous or not, we all have the same rights) is deviating sufficiently from the original - which is, in itself, an artistic take on it - there shouldn't be a problem (although you might want to credit the original author).
If you copy these photos directly (i.e. without reinterpretation), you're copying an artistic interpretation, and that is only legal if you have the permission of the original author, or if this copy falls under fair use.
If you only use these portraits to show to potential customers, it will probably be considered fair use: crediting is still legally required, but you won't get in trouble as long as you don't offer them for sale.

Artsy has a nice article about artwork copyright here. An excerpt:

  Then there is Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. Known
  as fair use, the provision provides a legal defense to copyright
  infringement.
  Put simply, that means that I admit I’ve taken work from
  other people, but I can argue that my use of that work still deserves
  protection. In the case of an artist’s image being taken without
  permission, its acceptance under fair use is contingent on four
  factors. All four inform a judge who makes the final determination of
  the fair use argument’s validity. This means that there is always a
  degree of uncertainty to what constitutes fair use.
  But the most
  important question is, are you using the image for commercial purposes
  (if so, you’ll likely be in trouble) or non-profit and educational
  purposes (if so, you’re more likely to be in the clear)?
  It also
  depends on the nature of how you’re using the copyrighted work. The
  “less original” or less creative your use, the weaker your fair use
  claim.
  Another important factor is the total amount of the copyrighted
  image being reproduced. The more you reproduce, the less likely you
  are to be protected by fair use. Judges will look at the extent to
  which that reproduction impacts the market and undermines the economic
  value of the author’s original.
  Lastly, if the image is being
  transformed or parodied, it can also be protected under fair use.

Also note that, naturally, different laws apply in different countries.


Can I use the ink from the Photosmart inkjet cartridges for my dip calligraphy pens?

Yes, inkjet ink works with brushes. It's thinner than the usual ink for dip pens, but give it a try. I haven't broken open cartridges to get it, but used the ink from a refill kit. Because they're pure, primary colours, you can theoretically mix any other colour from them, just as the printer does. You can certainly get strong, saturated shades.


Is it doable by hand?
Yes, every knitting pattern is doable by hand. You might need some tutorials and experience to make it look good, but it's doable by hand. The main problem with such a light product is that it uses very light yarn, thereby needing a great number of stitches, increasing the time it takes to knit.

What is it?
To be honest, I'm not absolutely sure. There are several stitches that create a similar pattern. By looking at the transition from pattern to cuff you can count 4 stitches that form the repeating pattern.

The best match seems to be the seersucker pattern. This one is relatively easy to do because all the stitches you need to know are knit and purl. Here you can find a detailed picture of both sides of the pattern to compare it with your hat, as well as a written instruction. There are also instruction on Youtube.

A very similar look is produced by a mock honeycomb pattern. Have a look at a video tutorial here.

It could also be a bubble pattern, but with very small bubbles. The instructions here, as well as this video tutorial work with 4 stitches, just like in your hat.

Please note that all video tutorials demonstrate the english knitting style, where the yarn is "thrown" by the right hand. You can create the same pattern in continental knitting style, where the yarn is lead by the left hand.


Which glue should I use to strongly attach a label to glass?

My method doesn’t involve glue at all. I use packing tape:

Print or hand-write your label and place it face down onto the sticky side of a pristinely clean strip of packing tape. To make accurate positioning of the label much easier, secure the packing tape sticky-side-up onto a hard surface such as a kitchen counter, by making the strip about an inch longer than needed, and turning about 1/2 inch at each end under and pressing it against the counter. Once the label is positioned, trim the tape to size, and position the label on the very well cleaned glass. Use a spoon or your thumbnail to work out any air bubbles.

Voila, much easier than glue with no cleanup, and for your needs which don’t involve contact with water, the labels will stay put for a long time, and withstand surface cleaning, even with a damp cloth.


How can I make paper look old without wetting it?

If you're printing, why not print the aged effect as well?
Print it as close to the margins as possible - your printer may even do borderless, but if not you need to crop (physically) to the aged bit.  This doesn't have to be perfect; in fact it may be better done rather roughly, depending on just how old and weathered you're looking for.
If you do tea- or coffee-stain your paper, you need to dry it really well before printing, and get it really flat (e.g. iron it). This may make that an option after all.


Should I stain wood then use acrylic or vice versa?

DeAngelis,
  In my personal experience, I have had the most success with this type of project by applying a water-based stain first, followed by the acrylics, and lastly the sealer coat.  You must ensure that the stain you are using is water-based, as opposed to oil-based in order for the acrylics to properly set and adhere. In your order of operations, definitely do the staining process first, before the acrylics, otherwise the stain will affect the color and appearance of the acrylics, just as it is doing to the wood itself.


Can I use oil paints without also needing special cleaning supplies?

You can use a palette knife (or bend a butter knife’s blade by 45 degrees) to apply the paint to a wooden board. Squeeze out some paint on the surface, mix the colors with the knife and try some impasto painting. Use toilet paper to clean off the palette knife and dispose in the trash. If you get any paint on your skin, wash it off with warm soapy water.

But be prepared to wait at least several weeks for the paint to really dry.


How can I facilitate spray-painting a long text on a wall?

I believe your method is sound if you take a few trivial precautions during the painting. You can avoid blurred and/or smudged lettering by ensuring the stencil is fastened well to the surface.

Consider to provide additional holes closely spaced to the letters. Applying masking tape through the holes will keep the edges of the stencil tight to the surface, but will not add much to your labor efforts. Obviously, you'll want additional masking (stencil area) well outbound of the lettering and lettering support holes, to keep overspray clear of the background.

The material you use for your stencil will be important too. Avoid absorbent paper material and shoot for something like butcher paper, which is often waterproof to a degree.

As with any spray paint application, multiple light coats will prevent runs/drips and result in a better image.

On the high tech end, there was a Kickstarter campaign called SprayPrinter, which converted an ordinary spray paint can to a phone-controlled dot-matrix printer based on an image provided to the phone. Version one was relatively low resolution, 320 pixels square, while v2 increased that, but I've discovered that neither version appears to be available at a retail level.

I'm not sure how well a text job would appear, although one can easily pixel convert text to old-style dot-matrix printing level!


How can I strengthen my melted bead art?

I was looking into the type of plastic these are (LPTE?) and found a comparison of different fuse beads:

http://houseofgeekiness.blogspot.com/p/not-all-beads-are-created-equal-when-it.html

This guide casually mentions one technique, also mentioned by Matt in comments: fuse both sides.

The other major factor here is trying out a different brand. The guide recommends Perler, or generally away from the overly cheap beads. Not all plastic is created equally.

If you can try out other brands, that's what I would test first. It's something artists tend to do with supplies, anyway. Different brands give different feels or effects, and some just stink.

Another tactic is to make sure you're melting consistently. If you use a plastic ironing sheet, instead of a paper one, you can eyeball the level of melt in any given section of the piece.

If you don't need both sides of the image to be on display, then I would simply adhere something stiff to the back. It might be possible to use thin, clear plastic sheets, if you can find an adhesive that works and dries clear / without streaks. If so, that would let you add external strength while still viewing both sides.


How to protect a diamond ring so the stones don't fall out when it takes a knock

Covering a cut stone with something like clear nail polish will diminish the shine of the stones. And you have to expect the polish to break or flake of at some point.

Instead you should go to a professional jeweller and explain the problem to them. They can have a look at the tiny metal protrusions that hold the stones in place and reshape some of them if needed. Or they can glue the stones in place (on the backside) with a professional glue that doesn't break off.


Should the hole in polymer clay beads be made before or after baking?

Much simpler if you do it before.

You will always deal with some shrinkage with polymer clay, so just make sure that the hole is a bit larger than you will need it.  If you are really worried, try a couple of samples and measure how much they will shrink.  But it is fairly minimal, so unless you need an exact fit, it is nothing that major.


Looking at the process involved and the toxicity and the heat setting relate directly to the vinyl paints bonding with the base material to essentially become one complex surface.

Air drying paints on top of the plastic will not have the same translucency as the bonded vinyl paints so I think the answer is no as far as "realism" goes since it is the translucency, also known as subsurface scattering, that is mimicking the behavior of light on real skin.


What is the equivalent to niello for brass?

I think you will have to age the alloy first, and clean the higher areas afterwards.

For tarnishing, you can use Palmolive, or any kind of washing liquid that has sulphates in it.
Another, more aggressive option, but only viable for solid, thick brass objects, is to use ammonia.
The most traditional choice, however, would be to use a mixture of salt and vinegar.
In all cases, you can leave the brass object in the liquid for an extended period of time, or rub it in with a piece of cloth, which will give you more control.
After the tarnishing, you can use either ketchup, a mixture of vinegar, salt and flour, lemon juice, or soap, to brighten the brass again.


My double knitting pattern is confusing me

If your pattern tells you to unravel your caston, it should have also told you to start with a provisional caston. A provisional caston is a method that allows you do easily unravel the caston, turning the beginning of the work into live stitches. Here's a link to one method of provisional caston.
It sounds like maybe you didn't do a provisional caston (oops). If that's the case (regardless of whether it's your mistake or the pattern designer's), you have three options to fix it.
Option one: Pick up and knit stitches from the caston edge, just like you would pick up and knit stitches along any other finished edge. Here's a source with a photo tutorial. This is by far the easier method, but it will create a ridge or seam that will be visible on the wrong side of the work. The ridge might be completely invisible from the right side of the work, or it might not. It might also be less stretchy than the rest of the work. I recommend you try this method first, and see how it looks and stretches. If you're not willing to tolerate the ridge, rip out your picked up stitches and use the next method.
Option two: Start by threading a knitting needle through the first row of stitches. It might help to use a smaller size of needle than the one you cast on with. Now find the end of the yarn and start undoing the caston edge. This means finding the next bit of yarn above the loose end, then pulling that bit of yarn until the loose end comes through whichever other bit of yarn it's looped through. Repeat. It will be a slow, painstaking process, and you will quickly learn why special provisional caston methods exist.
Note: it's probably not worth the effort to unpick the caston edge. You will very likely get several stitches in before you want to say "F--k it!" and give up. At that point, you can just leave the rest of the caston edge as is, and use the stitches that you picked up already. Some of your stitches here will have a ridge on the wrong side, and some of them will not.
Option three: Insert the knitting needle through the second row of stitches. Cut the yarn through a stitch in the first row, and unravel that first row. (I know you said you don't want to do this, but it may be your best option at this point. Try the other methods, and come back to this one if they others don't work for you.)

Yes, double knitting is worked with both sets of stitches on one needle. You can set it up by putting all the stitches on one needle, alternating one stitch from the front needle, then one stitch from the back needle, etc. Or you can start with the stitches on two needles, and work the first row, alternating one stitch from the front needle, then one stitch from the back needle. At the end of this row, all the stitches will be on one needle.


Is it possible to melt a glass bottle without a kiln?

Glass has a melting temperature of around 1400-1600°C (see here ), and most household ovens top out at around 200-250°C so no, you cannot melt glass in a normal home oven.


It may not be pretty but...

I sewed the damaged material and used Gorilla glue to attach some leather pieces to both sides. The leather should protect it from the zipper rubbing against it.


What glue can I use for glass and polycarbonate bonding?

I actually like a 50/50 mix of Gorilla super glue gel,
and Loctite Super Glue Professional Liquid.

The gel is a little thick, and the other is runny. Mix the two, and you get a great syrupy consistency that would be perfect for what you are trying to accomplish.

Drip a bit of both on a scrap piece of cardboard, then brush it on your surface with a toothpick.

Make sure your glue doesn't soak through your cardboard, because you don't want it to stick to the table. You could use a plastic-lid from a throwaway container instead.


The method I use is a clear glaze which also acts as a strong adhesive. And, coincidently, the best product I have found is something called Diamond Glaze which is a type of varnish. It is used predominantly in card & jewellery making.

There are lots of manufacturers and it seems universally available. When it dries it provides a completely clear varnish with virtually no opacity or hue. And it is very strong adhesive. Below is an example of one manufacturer (no connection):

Judikins Diamond Glaze on Amazon.com

As it is water soluble, when wet, you can also add inks or dyes to provide different effects. But once dry, about 2-3 hours, it is exceptionally difficult to remove and provides about as permanent adhesive as you can find.

You do need to be careful when applying to media that is water soluble, as it can bleed. So it is best to test it out first. But I've successfully used it on fully dried acrylic paints without issue.


A split primary color palette is a slight derivation of the artist primary color palette, which is composed of red, yellow and blue. The split comes from taking those three colors and splitting them into warm and cool versions.

Click for source website
As in the example above, the palette is often visualized with strong lines splitting the primary colors. The rest of the palette is developed by mixing the colors that are in the same divisional section. The "formula" comes out to be:

Warm Yellow + Warm Red -> Orange Secondary

Cool Yellow + Cool Blue -> Green Secondary

Warm Blue + Cool Red -> Purple Secondary
If you try mixing across these lines, such as Warm Red + Warm Blue, the pigment interaction can cause the colors to become washed out or muddy. The same is true with your Secondaries. Don't mix your Purple with your Cool Blue. Sticking to the formula above and only mixing colors in the same 1/3rd sections keeps colors looking bright and intense.

Here's an example that shows how crossing the boundaries creates muddy colors (the center 3 colors):

Click for source website
Aside from more vibrant colors, this type of palette allows you to more easily mix a full spectrum of colors. This is in part because the Cool Blue, Cool Red, and Cool Yellow are closer in value to Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, the Subtractive Primaries (as seen in CMYK color standards). CMYK works better for mixing paint, because the paint gets its colors from pigment which "absorbs" light (and only reflects back the wavelength we perceive). The absorption is where the term subtractive comes into play.
From a physics standpoint, when you mix colors across your splits, you're mixing pigments that end up absorbing more wavelengths, instead of just more of the same wavelengths. For instance:

Warm Red reflects back Red, which is Magenta + Yellow, meaning it absorbs Cyan.
Warm Blue reflects back something closer to Cyan, which means it absorbs Magenta + Yellow.

So, if you combine those two together you have a color that absorbs Cyan and Magenta and Yellow, which is why it leaves you with a muddy brown or black (depending on your paint). Here's a diagram I made that shows this a little more clearly by comparing it directly to CMYK:

Notice how the Cool Yellow and Cool Red mix to make something closer to Red? And then mixing that with the Cool Blue leads to brown (pretty dark here, but compare it to the black center in the CMY set).
The additional benefit to using this type of palette is that it helps train you to naturally understand how mixing RBY/CMY works as you practice, while helping you avoid those mixes that lead to dim, muddied colors. As a plus, it could also save you some money by avoiding wasted paint!


Help on trying to achieve a specific type of shading

It looks like a style in-between line drawing illustrations and (a lighter version of) a typical comic book inking style.
It is a high-contrast style. Only deep shadows are filled in, so the rest can still be coloured in (by another artist). In this case, though, it is likely used as a stand-alone style.
Characteristics:

Deep shadows are exaggerated, and drawn as flat areas.
Shadows are added sparingly and economically.
Reflective surfaces like hair and metal often have additional shaded areas to emphasize their glossiness.
The darkness and/or pattern of a material is sometimes lightly indicated by additional hatching, like the pants of the person on the left and the scarf of the person on the right.
A subtle use of line weight (e.g. the contours of the clothing).

Try seeing your model as if lit from above by a very bright light source, like the sun, and find out what areas will be completely covered in shadow, like folds in clothing, and areas obscured by cast shadows, and only ink those areas.


Sculpting details to clearly distinguish a lion from other large cats

Ultimately sculpting is as much about your ability to observe your subject as your  technical ability to manipulate the medium.

It may help you to do some preparatory sketches. Unless you have a zoo or wildlife park near you you will probably be stuck with sketching from photos rather than life but you will certainly want to look at a range of material.

You might want to look at two pictures of say a lion and a leopard side by side, ideally from similar angles as this will make the anatomical differences more obvious.

The key here is to develop the ability to look at the details of your subject and put aside your prior knowledge of what you 'know' it looks like.

One thing in particular which may help is to look at the proportions of your subject, this goes for both humans and animals. For a face you might want to look at things like, eye spacing and height, head length and width width of the nose etc etc.


What binding options are there for an A3 sketchbook that I can rearrange or add pages to?

You can make your own sketchbook ring binder:

That way, new blank A3 pages, as well as coloured index tabs, can easily be added anywhere.
You can perforate new pages yourself using a hole puncher.
If your project files consist of a lot of loose or thick objects, you can also opt for a binder box.


How to add weights to circuit board standoffs(spacers) of a acrylic board?

For your purposes, one can expect that more weight, as low as possible, will accomplish your objective. With circuit board standoffs, you have a threaded hole at one end and a threaded stud at the other. This provides for easily attached weights in various forms.

You've considered coins, which if chosen successfully, can be attractive. Think various sizes of coins from countries around the world, with holes drilled to accept the bolt you'll use to attach to the standoff.

US coins are somewhat lightweight and poorly suited for such a project, in my opinion. Masses composed of lead will provide the best weight per volume but lead has its own complications. It's not dangerous to handle but there are some health considerations. I have a cupcake tin that I use to make lead ingots, about 80 mm in diameter and 30 mm thick, probably too large for your purpose. I then dipped them in a product called PlastiDip which is also available in spray form.

If this is attractive to you, it's a matter of picking a suitable mold (silicone molds can work) and finding someone to pour. Fishermen will frequently create their own sinkers and avid weapons owners will cast their own rounds, providing at least two resources for you.

If lead doesn't cut it, steel would be the next available option. Steel washers, both stainless and galvanized forms are available at big box stores and mom-and-pop hardware stores as well. Pick a size for your taste and aim for either the hole size to match the thread size of the hole, or match the hole size to the outside diameter of your stand-off.

Even with the possibly-unsightly washer option, you can still apply PlastiDip spray to provide a colorful rubber coating for surface protection and cosmetic appeal.


How can I use a fountain pen while onboard an airplane?

There are things you can do to reduce the risks, as described in the other answers, but I would be wary of using any kind of pen containing liquid ink on a plane (although a "felt or fiber tipped" pen may be OK; never investigated that).  I've had a Pilot Precise technical-style pen that uses disposable refills (the entire guts of the pen), leak while sealed in the tip-up position.
If you need to write on a plane, pens with gel ink (which also includes most ballpoint pens), are much less likely to leak.  The best type would be a Fisher "Space Pen" (various other pens can also use those refills).  These are manufactured pressurized and are designed to use that pressure to feed a very thick ink without leaking (they can write in the vacuum of space without leaking).  If writing with a fountain pen is important, I would just wait until you land to do it.


How to print the cover of an eBook for binding?

Finally I find some information. In this YouTube video, the  paper they're printing cover on is 28lb bond and then they're single-side laminating each cover with 1.2mil gloss lamination. "Thicker sheets are harder to fold and manipulate so a thinner sheet and lamination are ideal for these type of covers."
The main hard cover they are using is a pre-prepared hard cover that is itself one-side sticky and need not to any adhesive material.


Second row of knitting pattern has less stitches than cast on

You are correct that the pattern has a typographical error in the first line.  It should tell you to cast on 40 stitches.
When knitting a square or rectangle, there is nothing counterintuitive going on, you are knitting rows back and forth that eventually become the geometric shape of an object with four 90 degree corners.  The number of stitches at cast on should represent exactly the number of stitches being knitted in each row thereafter.
There is the very important issue of gauge to bring into the equation. If you are planning to sew your own inner pillow form and stuff it yourself, then you can customize the size of the pillow form to the dimensions of your completed cushion cover. In this case, the issue of gauge is not very important, other than for the look of the fabric itself.
However, if you plan to place the cushion cover onto a pre-purchased pillow form, the finished square would need to be a precise size in order to fit well onto that pillow form.  So, it is definitely worth knitting a good-sized swatch (something like a 12 or 13 cm square) in the yarn and stitch pattern you are using for your project, in order to check your gauge and therefore confirm that all your hard work will actually turn out the correct size.
How to determine gauge with a swatch:
[A] Stitches Per Row (Horizontal Gauge): Once you have your gauge swatch knitted, accurately count (down to the 1/2 stitch!) how many stitches there are in 10 cm.  We know that the pattern calls for 40 stitches in 30 cm.  This would equate to a gauge of 10.3333 stitches in 10 cm. I would round this up to 10.5 stitches in 10 cm.
Examples: If your gauge swatch shows you having say 12 stitches in 10 cm, then you should go up a needle size (use a larger needle to get larger stitches, therefore fewer stitches per 10 cm) in order to precisely achieve that 10.5 stitches per 10 cm.  If the swatch shows say 9 stitches in 10 cm, then you would go down a size (use a smaller needle to get smaller stitches, thus more stitches per 10 cm.)
[B] Rows per Length (Vertical Gauge): As for rows, those too should be measured in a 10 cm section of your swatch. It appears to me that the pattern calling for 76 rows (8 starting border rows, a 10-row pattern repeated 6 times, and another 8 row border) over a length of 30 cm: if this is correct, it would equate to a gauge of 25.3 rows per 10 cm.  This doesn’t sound right, usually knitted stitches are 4/5 as tall as they are wide (That means that if you cast on a number of stitches, then knit the same number of rows, your knitted swatch will be about 4/5 as tall as it is wide (say 5 inches wide and 4 inches tall,)) which would mean you would need 50 rows, not 76, to make a length equal to the width of 40 cast on stitches. SO, I think given the statement at the end that you knit until there are 50 rows, there is another error elsewhere in the pattern. (I will talk you through this in the final paragraphs below.)
The problem with vertical (row) gauge is that it is much harder to correct the height of your loops, then the width of your loops as in stitches per row. The first priority in gauge really is knitting with the right needle for horizontal (stitch) gauge.  So in the case of a rectangle, the ultimate length of the work is better handled by adding or subtracting rows in order to make the piece come out exactly as long as desired.
If the pattern were what we call an “all over pattern” from the first row to the last, you could literally just keep knitting until the piece from cast on to the edge of the loops on your needle measures one row short of your desired length - then the cast off row would complete the precise length you want.
However in your case, this pattern includes a border of 8 rows at the beginning and (I’m assuming? although the pattern is confusing in saying “knit until there are 50 rows”: again, see last paragraph) at the end.  So a precise length adjustment will need to occur by adding or subtracting rows somewhere that does not disrupt the design.  You can choose to do this either in the central patternwork, or half in the beginning border and half in the ending border (to keep the borders symmetrical,) or a little of both.
ABOUT THE ERRORS IN THIS PATTERN: OK, as reviewed above, in addition to the cast on being wrong, the pattern definitely describes a 76 row design: 8 rows of initial border + 60 rows (6 x 10 row pattern,) + 8 rows of final border.  Using the 4/5 rule (stitch height over stitch width), a 40 stitch cast on that is 30 cm wide would become a 30 cm square after 50 rows.
So, what to do?
OPTION A: SEE IF THE DESIGNER HAS PUBLISHED “ERRATA”, WHICH IS KNITSPEAK FOR A CORRECTION TO THE PATTERN: I would definitely contact this designer.  If he/she hasn’t already published Errata, it is likely because she hasn’t received the feedback that there are errors.  Most of us who design for knitting (or any fiber art) try REALLY REALLY hard to make sure the instructions are perfect, and we’re mortified to discover any error no matter how slight, and will do backflips in order to make it right as quickly as humanly possible.
OPTION B: ALTER THE PATTERN: If you cannot reach the designer, then I would make some decisions.  Based on your swatch, you know your rows per 10 cm gauge: confirm exactly how many rows will make a 30 cm length.  Then start deciding where to distribute the “border” rows, and the “center stitch design” rows.
For example: say your swatching shows that 50 rows would make a 30 cm length.  (The “50 rows” instruction at the end may actually be correct, as it does work out mathematically.)  Perhaps you could make a 5 row border, 4 repeats of the 10 row pattern, and finish with a 5 row border.  (A total of 50 rows.)
OPTION C: WING IT WITH AN ALL-OVER PATTERN: Depending on how bonded you are with the pattern you are planning, you could consider knitting just the 40-stitch, 10 row stitch pattern, repeating the 10 rows start to finish, and simply stopping as soon as the correct length is reached.  (This is what I described above, the third paragraph in section [B].)
ONE FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT: HAND KNITTED OBJECTS ARE VERY FORGIVING: Yes you want to be as precise as possible, because your hands are human hands, and your tension may vary up and down, so attempting to get the dimensions correct through gauge measurements is smart knitting.  But there is another side to the coin: you CAN relax! Hand knitted objects tend to be very stretchy (with some exceptions based on stitch pattern and fiber selection.) Given the pattern you are knitting, you may be surprised how stretchy it is.  Also when you finish it, you will soak the piece, wrap it in a towel and squeeze out the water, then block it on a flat surface to the dimensions you designed it for.  Blocking will make all the difference, you can literally make a piece bend to your will at that stage.
Hope this helps, and that you can enjoy making this project despite some math! I am happy to answer questions in comments or even chat if you need more help!-


I need a glue that won't turn opaque or run

Use a clear liquid epoxy resin, construction adhesive, 'Gorilla Glue', or 'Iron Grip' silicone adhesive:

  Liquid epoxy resins dry clear and hard, bonding stones that may not
  fit snugly together. It may make some stones look wet in the area of
  application. Since this resin is a liquid, it runs a bit after you
  apply it, so it can pool beneath the stones if you use too much. Epoxy
  resin works well on stones, both large and small.

source: smaller scale than what the OP might have in mind, but still a valid example of an end result. Be sure to work safer than the author, though.

As per this site, be sure to warm up the resin before application (though not with a heat gun or similar device), as this may help prevent it from turning cloudy.
In case of outdoor use, be sure to pick an epoxy that is UV stabilized.
Additionally, make sure you apply it in a dry environment and protect it from getting wet (also while curing), and don't overmix it. *

Update: you won't be able to get blobs with epoxy resin, unfortunately.

The following glues are commonly or regularly used for glueing brick walls together, or glueing stones to a vertical surface.

  Construction adhesive, offered in a caulk-style tube, creates bonds
  strong enough to hold larger stones together, such as baseball-style
  stones or river rocks around the perimeter of a homemade garden pond.

Make sure you're using a clear variant.

source
'Clear Gorilla Glue' (no affiliation):

  The strength and versatility you have come to expect from Gorilla Glue
  is now available in an easy to use, crystal clear, non-foaming
  formula. Clear Gorilla Glue is incredibly strong and is ideal for
  indoor and outdoor applications and bonds virtually everything.

See here for an example of mortar replacement. Mind that the regular unclear version is used.
'Iron Grip Adhesive Silicone' (no affiliation):

  Made from 100% silicone, GE Iron Grip adhesive works fast on almost
  any porous and non-porous surface, including aluminum, steel, PVC,
  glass, concrete, fiberglass, polystyrene, plywood, drywall, ceramic,
  porcelain, stone, laminate, wood and MDF – indoors and out – all
  without any extra surface prep.

Clear curing. Here's a commercial video, showing the glue used on concrete blocks. As always, check the reviews.

* More useful information on the application of epoxies can be found here.


Modern Cartoon Art Style
These are simple drawings that are common these days in TV caricatures, like The Simpsons, Avatar (not the blue guys), and those other types.


How do I remove labels from glass jars/bottles?

There usually two different kinds of glue you commonly find.

One will come off if you just soak the label under water over night. Doesn't have to be soapy. It helps to score the surface of the label with a cross hatching with a razor. Some labels are waterproof. You need the water to get through to the glue.

The other kind of glue will come off with VM&P Naphtha (common solvent at a hardware store) You can also use Ronsonol Lighter Fluid, which is basically the same thing, but a little bit more refined and clean. Both are far superior and cheaper than "Goo Gone" or "Goof Off". With Naphtha you pour a liberal amount at the edge of a sticker. Use a plastic scraper to get under the edge of the label. As you lift the Naphtha will be able to get under the label and loosen more of the glue. Keep adding more Naphtha. Peel slowly. Let the solvent glide the sticker off. Don't force it. Naphtha has a strong smell, but it evaporates quickly leaving no odor. It can be used to remove stickers from paper.

If you are removing a sticker from something valuable then I would use the Ronsonol Lighter Fluid. It almost exactly the same stuff as VM&P Naphtha but it's refined to be a little cleaner and less smelly (after all, it's designed to sit in a wick lighter in your pocket). Some people blanch at the idea of dumping lighter fluid on a book to remove a sticker, but after a few minutes the fluid will be gone. Test first. Only very rarely have I found that the lighter fluid will dissolve ink or paint. It's actually pretty neat how well it targets sticker glue without harming anything else.


What is the difference between miniature and standard brushes?

"Miniature" is a reference to the length of the tuft of bristles from end of the ferrule to the tip of the brush.

There is no standard to how measurements for artist's brushes are shown. The measurement is usually a number stamped on the side of the brush handle. A company standardize their own number system but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the same number system as compared to another company's number system.

The handles too are not standardize to length size either. The handle can be any length for standard or miniature ... but in a company's own series of brushes the length of handle, ferrule and tuft decreases as you progress in size from standard to miniature.

It's things like this nonstandardization why artists spend a lot of time and money experiementing with different equipment and manufacturers to find the best tools that work for them.


There are two possibilities here, with different approaches:

To keep on working the wet paint.
To continue working over dried paint.

Both are very common and often combined.

Keeping on painting while the paint is still wet won't impede your working process as much, because you don't have to heed certain restrictions that guarantee the quality of your painting - in principal, you can "just keep painting", with relatively long intervals.+
A possible disadvantage - depending on style, subject and goal - is that you might need more control over your brush and sufficient drawing skills, as it is easy to lose the vibrancy of colours by mixing them up too much as you try to correct mistakes (although you can always scrape off parts using a palette knife).

The wet-in-wet or alla prima method was used by the impressionists (whose very name was derived from their (or initially Monet's) habit of 'quick' painting) and in general by people painting en plein air, which is still very common. Live portraits are often done this way, as having a model remain still for a while requires a quick and efficient technique.
Working over (partially) dried paint is a bit more complicated, since - for the sake of the longevity of your artwork - you should heed the fat-over-lean rule, and never apply thinner paint layers over thicker ones, as this will cause surface tension resulting in craquelure or even chipping of the paint. This is already something to take into consideration when the paint has not cured yet.
Still, this is the most common technique - especially since most alla prima paintings are often retouched later on (days, months, years later) by the artist to make corrections, add detail, or even change the composition.
What's also important, especially if you're only starting to paint, is to not let this impede your process: even professional artists don't always care for the chemistry behind painting, so if you just want to experiment, or do exercises, or just have fun with it, knock yourself out. This is a medium, after all, and if your work unexpectedly ends up in a museum somewhere 150 years from now, there are restorators who will gladly earn their money treating your aberration ;)

+ The drying period of oil paints depends on several factors:

(Ambient) temperature;
(Ambient) humidity;
The amount of oil;
The amount and nature of additives (thinner, mediums);
The pigment;
The support; and
The thickness of the paint layer.

As you can imagine, based on those factors, drying times are naturally very relative.
In my experience, in averagely humid conditions (marine west coast climate) and with temperatures around 20° Celsius, most paints will remain manipulatable for at least two days (but be careful with earth pigments and blacks). The thicker the paint layer, the longer the drying process, so you have some say in the matter - glazings, for example, won't last that long.


I think a good start would be to use "paper airplane making machine" as the terms of your search process. I did and discovered a great number of different machines constructed by makers/tinkerers. I expect you will not find an off-the-shelf solution, although the Lego version certainly gets close to something a homebuilder can construct more easily than some of the others.

This first one shows some impressive construction, apparently using parts from old printers:

https://6abc.com/science/student-creates-paper-plane-machine-for-his-final-project/3230717/

A ten-second video of another impressive build, more sophisticated than the previous:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTDtrNo95c

The Lego build is at the top of my list:

https://makezine.com/2016/02/12/machine-fold-launch-perfect-paper-airplane/

This link also contains other links for additional machines used to fold and launch paper airplanes.

There are more, but if you use my suggested search terms, you can pick the ones that suit your fancy.


How can I make a sketch under a watercolour painting and have it not be seen?

Watercolor is, by its very nature, a transparent medium and so it becomes really quite difficult to manage this. However, there are a couple of things you can do to help:

Draw very lightly and then use a kneaded eraser to lift the lines that you have left. The remaining lines will be much more faint than had you just drawn as light as you can.
Draw on normal drawing paper and then use a lightbox to show the drawing through to your watercolor paper. This way you don't even draw on your final painting.
Erase the area you're about to paint. So, do it first, rather than after the fact. If you keep it small enough, you should be able to remember. It's pretty similar to working with kneaded erasers, but you're not making the line fainter, you're removing it.
Go loose! Don't do an initial drawing at all, but use a reference and simply loosely paint it. That's one of the really neat things about this medium, it lends itself to a free style that's hard to do with other paints.

Watercolor pencils won't really work for your purpose in this situation. It's likely that the colors will be slightly different from your paints, so getting an exact match will extremely difficult, especially if you're blending your own colors. Marks from the pencils are hard to blend in a wash situation. However, you just go all watercolor pencil, then you can control your destiny as it were. I'm a fan of the medium.

Finally, line and wash with the right subjects look really great, so don't necessarily feel like you're making a sacrifice to use a liner pen. If you want it to look better, look at being a little less precise with the lines, break them up a bit, and maybe skip some areas. In other words, use the lines to create variance in the image to your advantage in those conditions.


Which Fabrics are suitable for origami tessellation?

Cottons which take folds well and hold the crease when you rub or iron it in.
I would look for a woven fabric and not for a certain weight but I would experiment with several which I have around in the house.

I know that sail makers used to use a sail rubber when having made a fold in the sail before sewing.
Sail cotton (also called cotton duck) is about as heavy as you can get it and still be able to work it by hand.

Whether you need to stiffen it depend on what you want to do when the initial folds are in and on the quality and weight of the fabric.

Some other fabrics will work, if you use an iron or steam in the folds. Traditionally woolen fabrics were used to make pleated skirts where the folds worked pretty much like the patterns you plan to make. Steaming those fabrics was a specialist job, but simple patterns should be within reach for people at home.

The best is to experiment.
And please come back to tell use what worked for you.


It could be that you have too much tension on the corners. Make sure not to pull your stitches too tight when you are turning.

It's also possible this is just the natural pull of the material, and you aren't necessarily doing anything wrong. This is fairly common in knitting, but no reason it couldn't happen with crochet stitches too. The process of reshaping a finished article is called blocking. There are a few standard techniques you could try, depending on what type of yarn you used.

For natural fibers, the basic idea is:

Wet the piece
Stretch and shape to the desired size
Air dry (optionally while pinned to a blocking board; a cheap and common substitute is foam floor squares, like those used for play mats)

The process of wetting and drying will lock the fibers into place, similarly to felting. There are three main ways to do this:

Wet blocking is done by completely soaking the piece. Then, lay it on a towel and roll it up, squeezing out the excess water. After the water is wrung out, shape the article and let dry.
Steam blocking is done by placing a wet washcloth over the (dry) item, and ironing over top of it while gently shaping the article.
Spray blocking wets the article by spraying with room-temperature water, rather than soaking or steaming.

Whichever you choose, you will have to re-block the item after washing.

Acrylic yarn doesn't work with wet or spray blocking, since the fibers don't absorb water. Instead, you can use heat to melt the fibers enough to stay in place. There are two ways to do this:

Steam blocking with a low setting, and pressing with up and down motions rather than side-to-side
"Ironing" from a few inches away - never place the iron directly on the yarn, it will melt!

Always err on the side of caution! The extreme is to "kill" the yarn - melting it so much that it loses elasticity and cannot be frogged. Sometimes this is done on purpose, as the resulting material has a nice sheen and drape. If you want to do this, steam block with a higher setting until it achieves the desired properties.

Blocking acrylic with heat is permanent, and it will keep its shape after washing.


Painting from reference - use image as base or start from scratch?

I would personally paint it separately from the original drawing, for a few reasons:

I find that if I paint over pencil using acrylics, either the pencil lines become completely obscured by the paint such that I can no longer see fine details (such as shading), or for thinner/lighter colored paints (such as yellow), the graphite mixes in with the paint and muddles it.
Plus, you may want to paint on a surface that is more suitable for painting on than drawing paper, such as heavier-weight paper (mixed media or watercolor paper), canvas board, canvas, etc.
This would also allow you to keep your reference image separate from the painting, in case you change your mind with how you decide to paint the image.

What I would recommend doing is to very lightly draw just the general outlines of the image onto another paper/canvas/board for painting. If you have a kneaded eraser, it would work really well for lifting some of the excess graphite so that it leaves just the slightest trace of the line behind. (If not, use a good eraser to very gently remove some of the graphite, without smudging.) Then begin painting in the medium shades, then shadows, small details, and highlights.

Hope this helps! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.


What is the name of this stitching pattern?

Possible knit stitches.
From book: Knitting Dictionary 800 stitches & patterns by Margaret Hamilton-Hunt Crown Publishing 1963.

Lace: “cellular”

You might have luck looking up “open work.” There are a few styles of open work.

Also esparto stitch or honeycombe.

Hope these help in your search!


"Diamond dust" refers to glitter than is actually composed of crushed glass instead of the traditional shiny flecks of plastic. This differs from glitter in that it is composed of larger pieces and therefore has more problems with adhesion. My guess, based on the limited information, is that Summer Rose is having a hard time because the glitter is leaving gaps where the adhesion shows through and is too sticky?
To avoid this, there are a couple options.

1. Use a better glue

For glitter like this that is both heavier and larger, a more robust glue is needed. Instead of spray glue, try using PVA glue or hot glue. If you find these adhesives do not dry completely clear and do not offer the desired effect, there is diamond dust specific glue called Diamond Glaze which seems to be popular among crafters if you'll be using diamond dust frequently.

2. Use traditional glitter instead

Traditional glitter is cheap and super easy to use. It can be adhered with nearly any liquid glue. Just don't accidentally drop it on yourself.

This forum on diamond dust also might be helpful to you where a similar question is asked. It's lengthy, but you might get some good tips outs of it!


Historical glue from beeswax and stone meal?

Skimming the German article you link to, there's another key word -- Ägypter or Egyptians.

In that context a search for "egyptian beeswax stone glue" is instructive.  Lap Shear and Impact Testing of Ochre and Beeswax in Experimental Middle Stone Age Compound Adhesives,  P. R. B. Kozowyk et al., PLOS one, Mar 2016 tests some pine rosin + beeswax + ochre glues.  It's open access so free to read. The references may also be of interest.  While they test a number of formulations, all used rosin (pitch) as a base ingredient.  This is very similar to Cutler's resin which is still used, and in which beeswax is used to make it more flexible (this link says that ancient Egyptians used pine pitch glue in trapping birds, implying that they knew about pitch).

This Reuters article also mentions in passing the use of beeswax to soften pitch.

The German word Pech -- pitch -- appears in your original article (in the compounds Erdpech -- asphalt -- and Birkenpech -- birch pitch or more common birch tar) but in a European rather than Egyptian context.


Why take a skein of yarn and make it into a ball?

It's more important to rewind into a center-pull ball of yarn if you are buying some specialty yarns that are basically a loose oval of yarn twisted into a loose figure eight - this structure is called a "hank."

There's no need to rewind a typical commercial center-pull skein.  The work of keeping the yarn from tangling has already been done for you.

Rewinding from a loose hank/oval of yarn is usually a two-person job: one person has both hands through the loose oval of yarn holding it open while another person rewinds the yarn into a ball.

If you do need to rewind, it's important not to stretch or pull on the yarn, the yarn should be soft and relaxed.

This Instructable is a good tutorial on rewinding from a hank, and has good pictures.

Bottom Line: no you do not need to rewind your yarn into a ball if you have purchased a regular commercial center-pull skein.

Enjoy your knitting!


The style of 20s-30s cartoons is called Inkblot (see http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InkblotCartoonStyle for more details), maybe this could help in your research.

The two images you posted have both an Inkblot feel, but they are more "graphical", in a sense of being more graphic illustrations. Probably they're also both vector illustrations, which gaves them the feel of being like "plastic". These are more personal observations, of course, but they might help you.


Touching up the coloring on my American nylon flag

Perhaps try fabric paint available at a serious art supply store. In Australia, I'd would by these, as they set permanently.

Matching your colours will be difficult, so experiment on a scrap of paper,
fabric or even a paper plate first. (My experience with plastic paints is that they dry darker.)

Another option is fabric markers, although heat setting the ink with an iron would need to be done carefully and on a low heat setting for nylon. Again, test your technique on a scrap of nylon first.


If you have a dual-action airbrush and a volatile pigment like alcohol inks, you can spray the rose from a distance at low pressure with a high air-to-paint ratio.  The low pressure will keep the air jet from damaging the rose while the distance and high air-to-paint ration would allow the volatile ink to be almost dry by the time it hits.

Experiment with this technique by trying to paint tissue paper without ripping it.

A low tech equivalent to this technique would be spray paint at double the prescribed distance with a strong tail wind or electric fan running behind you.


Resin Casting - How large must the compressor be to quickly fill a 10 Liter/2.6 gallon pressure pot at 60 psi?

I have a 2.5 gal pot and use my 21 gal 125 psi compressor. It works with no problem at all. For a smaller and less pricey solution, I would go with at least an 8 gal 125 psi compressor, as it looks like it can provide the pressure for the pot. From the specs I see one like that would give you 5.5 CFM @ 40 PSI. My 2.5 gal pot requires 4.0 CFM @ 40 psi. You'll probably want to run at 30-35 psi, so you'll be good no matter what.

Depending on where you live, I can say that the 21 gal is worth the money if you're buying from Harbor Freight, as it is only somewhat more than the 8 gal and that 21 gal will keep the thing from running all the time. That's how I ended up with the big one.


Why is everyone so secretive about pricing for painting miniatures?

In my own personal experience, I have found that sellers do not publicly post their prices in order to remain competitive in the market. If they were to post their prices, a competitor can easily undermine that seller by decreasing their own prices for the same service in order to steal the customer and make the sale.  Furthermore, by not publicly posting prices, it allows a seller to assess each potential commission on a case-by-case basis, as often two projects are never completely identical in terms of time and effort.  Hope this helps!


What is the purpose of an underpainting?

The reasons I like to use underpainting when doing art in oil or acrylic are:

Sometimes having small/subtle areas where the underpainting shows through can add interest to the painting. Some of the underpainting my not be so subtle, it can be vivid or even bright.
More layers of paint help the finished look. It can make your painting look cheap if it seems you are being skimpy with your paint.
It is a good way to build texture.
Cheaper, unappealing, or leftover mixed colors can be used up first, which means saving money and is more environmentally conscious than throwing it away.
Depending upon your support (canvas, wood, etc.) and its finish, meaning how porous it is, can determine how much paint will be sucked up. If you don't or can't add a layer of gesso, the underpainting can help seal the surface.
Once a painting is blocked in with an underpainting, details are easier to imagine and build on. This is especially true when it comes to the composition, shadows, and proportion.
You should regularly step away from your art to take a break and see it from a good viewing distance, which depends on the size, but at least 10 ft or more and the underpainting is easier to see, then the first step of a simple outline drawing.
It's good to practice, helps to figure out which brushes are working for that particular painting, and is way easier to make changes to both.


What fabric can I use for these clothes?

I'm not really going to address your question, but the underlying problem.

The fact that costumes usually look like costumes and not like "legit" outfits, is because they are produced for temporary use: their cheap materials (and often cheap manufacture) keep prices at a minimum.

You can indeed improve on the fabric, but, combined with the working hours you'll have to put in it, you will have to see if this option is preferable to buying a higher quality costume.

My advice, depending on where you live, would be to visit a couple of thrift stores. Find pants, a waistcoat, a hat, a long coat, and any additional accessoires (since you're assembling your own outfit, you might even be able to wear parts of that outfit in daily life, making the investments even more worthwhile).
Whatever you still need you can now make from higher quality fabric, since you'll need less. You might even be able to find proper types of textile in those very same stores.

As a last tip: I believe you can get convincingly good-looking steampunk glasses and pocket watches for relatively low prices online.


Pliers for chainmail that don't scratch the the rings

In addition to your own answer:
Jewelers (and most chain mail workers that I know, including myself) use a type of pliers called "chain nose pliers."  I don't really know why they have that name, but they have nice pointy tips for getting into the rings and smooth surfaces on the inside.  Here's an article about chain nose vs. round nose pliers:  http://blog.consumercrafts.com/jewelry-main/tool-comparison-round-nose-vs-chain-nose-pliers/
Also, using a glue gun probably won't work well, but you have the right idea there.  Instead you want to look for a product that is designed to coat the metal on tools.  Here is a short article about this concept. The product used in the article, and that I have also used in the past is called "Tool Magic," but doing a search for "rubber coating for tools" turned up a bunch of different products that could work equally well. I would test whatever you try to make sure you can remove it easily like she mentions in her article, but otherwise use whatever of this type of product that you can find.
The article also mentions using tools like the one that you linked to in your answer, but I, like the author of the article, have been disappointed whenever I have tried those tools--mostly because the additional surfaces made it difficult to work within the fairly restricted confines of the rings used for chain mail.


A quick search of the grand ol' internet shows that most people are recommending a wood fiber filler to be added to traditional casting material such as epoxy or polyester resin. There is a PDF available showing how to combine pecan shell flour(!) with resin and post-processing in order to generate a wood grain surface.

My search results provided a link to an Instructables comment/query with a link to the PDF noted above. I've provided the link to that page rather than the PDF, as some of the comments may also be helpful to you. The first link provided in the Instructables article is 404, dead and gone but the second one is still operational.

The document in PDF form is now a direct link and references a specific product, Smooth-on 320 resin, likely a product sold by the site hosting the document.

The results of my search which were the most promising also referenced pecal shell flour or powder.

I suspect you will get wood-like appearance, but not necessarily wood-grain like appearance.


How do I get a punchy acrylic paint colour?

Henry is close, but the problem is that your acrylic is drying Matte. This is also, by the way, a problem with many different kinds of paint, whether they are spray paint, oil paint or acrylic.

You can add glossy mediums to the paint, but I have found that painting a varnish (or firnis) on top generally yields more even results. I prefer sennelier gloss UV-protecting acrylic finish, which you can buy at pretty much any art supply store.

It really works!

The best thing to use is not any kind of spray, you want a thick, viscous medium. NEVER thin it with water, work from the center outwards and use a very soft wide brush. Don’t rework the gloss after you have spread it out, and be careful that your brush doesn’t lose any hairs.


Will putting an oil painting under glass cause damage?

As long as the Painting isn’t recently painted, within 6-12 months, then there isn’t a general consensus and the answer is: It depends.

The reason for the delay after the painting is finished is that it can take this long for the painting to fully 'dry'. In your case, this isn't a consideration.

One of the biggest threats to your oil painting is the environment: dust, air pollution, UV rays, smoke, pet hair, kids with crayons, red wine splashes. The list is endless. Canvas is porous and if left open to room air, it actually acts like a filter for that air, absorbing chemical and particulate pollution.

Advice from the British Conservation Register on cleaning without glass:

  Dust can be removed using a very soft brush with metal elements protected so that they cannot be a cause of damage. Avoid feather dusters, sheep skin dusters, however soft, as they catch. You must be careful to check that there is no paint flaking before dusting. Do not attempt any dusting if the surface appears unstable.

Below is an example of flaking:

Further examples of flaking can be found on the Painting Conservation Studio website, from where the above image came.

It is much easier to clean the glass or acrylic than to pay for an expert conservator to restore your painting.

If you choose to keep the glass, make sure that the glass is spaced so it does not touch the artwork. A professional picture framer can advise you in this regard, as well as recommend a quality UV protecting glass that will preserve the clarity of the painting.

Further advice from the British Conservation Register on cleaning the glass:

  Always spray glass cleaner onto the cloth, not the glass. Spray well away from your painting. The use of backboards is recommended as a preventive conservation measure to protect against the accumulation of dust and dirt, as well as against knocks and accidental damage. A conservator can fit backboards to your paintings for you.

When deciding what to do, ask yourself these questions:

Does this canvas artwork hold great sentimental value to me?
Am I keeping the artwork to enjoy for a long time?
Will I eventually want to resell the artwork?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, and the work is older than 1 year, then keeping glass will probably be a good long term choice.


It's an aquarelle painting and from the looks of it either watercolors or inks (or both) were used.

This technique uses lots of water, so you need really thick paper for it. Many hobby / craft / art shops sell special aquarelle paper. It's as thick as cardboard but white.

Acrylic colors are not well suited for this kind of art because they dry too fast and become waterproof after drying. But you can experiement with acrylic colors and see what kind of effects they produce.

You might get the idea of using a cheap, school grade box of watercolors, but these will produce muddy and chalky colors and nothing like the warm glow in the center of the picture. Aquarelle colors are rather expensive compared to acrylic or oil colors because they contain lots of pigments and not much more. They are usually sold in little cubess or disks and you use them by brushing a wet paint brush over them. And one disk or cube of watercolor goes a long way.

If you want to learn painting with watercolors, start with learning about the different effects of wet-in-wet and wet-on-dry technique.


What can I use to quickly color already-folded origami?

An airbrush seems perfectly suited to this type of work. You'd be able to adjust the flow and target the crevices, to get even coverage without soaking the piece.

Unfortunately, the start-up costs of getting an airbrush are considerably more expensive than grabbing a can of spray paint or using some sort of dry brush technique.

There are tutorials on how to make an airbrush available online. I won't cover them here, because that's a bit beyond my scope. It is an option if you're on a budget.

Renting an airbrush might not be an option, but there may be studios in your area that let you use their equipment if you pay a cover charge and for supplies. I know many studios, especially on college campuses, allow you to use studios for about $10 and it gives you access to all their equipment, generally pottery wheels and kilns and tools. If this is something you'd want to pursue, I'd call around and see if they have an airbrush available if you pay for some studio time. Then, make sure you bring enough to do or have some other ideas to explore, and make good use of that time!