Picture Frame/Mount for Mosaic, ~28" x 34" (Max Size) , <$20

Wood

BCX shouldn't warp on you, especially at 5/8" thick. It's rated for outdoor usage*, so as long as you treat/finish it correctly, you shouldn't have a problem with it warping. You could probably get away with 1/2", depending on how much weight you actually add with the mosaic.

As far as finishing/treating it goes, that depends on how you are using it. Gluing things to one side will usually seal that side, depending on the glue you use. Using a standard wood glue might not stick to your mosaic pieces and may not seal that side, but using a silicone or epoxy glue will seal it, while also likely sticking to your mosaic pieces.

Simply painting the wood should be enough to seal the edges and back side. You can also stain and use other finishes, like shellac or varnish, if you want a different look to the back. If your artwork is going to be outside, make sure the finish is rated for the normal moisture and temperature range in your area. Example considerations: don't use an interior paint for an outdoor exhibit, don't use a finish that isn't water resistant if it's going to see a lot of precipitation or humidity, don't leave bare wood in a low humidity and high heat desert, and don't bother with an expensive or time consuming finish for an indoor exhibit unless you really want to.

You can get chemically treated plywood for outdoor use, but paint and glues might not stick to it. And if it's chemically treated, you don't want to paint or seal all edges.

  *Types of Exterior Plywood

  CDX is the most common exterior plywood grade. It comes in 3/4-, 5/8- and 1/2-inch thicknesses. Appearance stamps on plywood range from cabinet-grade (A) to construction grade (C and D). Exterior plywood carries an X stamp, which identifies it as suitable for use outdoors. Beside CDX, you can also find better grades, such as ABX, ACX and even BCX.

https://www.hunker.com/13401518/what-types-of-plywood-can-be-used-outdoors

Metals

You can also think about using a sheet of aluminum or steel, although that'll likely cost you more than the plywood. I'd suggest 1/4" thick for rigidity purposes. You might be able to get away with 1/8" or 3/16" thick, which should be less expensive, but then you could get into more issues with expansion and contraction of the piece warping it, if it's going to see extreme temperature differences.

With steel, you'll still need to seal the unglued side, since it'll rust even indoors. That's as simple as painting it, most of the time. If you want a better look or a more durable finish, you can even powder coat it. Aluminum doesn't need a finish, but it can look better if it does. Or you can do a wide variety of finishing to the aluminum itself, such as brushing, scuff sanding, or polishing. Aluminum can also be anodized a variety of colors.

With both steel and aluminum, to reduce costs, you can use expanded sheets, but then you risk warping again, as well as the glue not having as much surface area to grip. And if you want something that gives more surface area, don't really care about costs, and has a really neat pattern, you can use diamond plate.

Even 1/4" steel and aluminum can be cut with a circular saw with an abrasive disc, an acetylene torch, or plasma cutter.

Plastics

There are definitely reasons to use a sheet of plastic for your backer. It can make it light weight, transparent or translucent, weather resistant, chemical resistant, warp resistant, and a few other things, too. The problem with plastic backing is that it's harder to find glues that'll adhere to plastic and other materials, such as metals. It's not impossible, but they are usually more expensive and may not work as well.

Even though plastics won't warp from humidity, they can still warp, or even crack, due to temperature. Many plastics are stronger than glass, but they still tend to have properties similar to glass. A piece of polycarbonate is much stronger than acrylic and many acrylics are much stronger than glass when it comes to an impact, but due to age and high heat, can turn yellow or become brittle. There's outdoor rated plastics for signs, but they cost more, too. Outdoor rated plastics may also be harder to find and when you do find them, you might only be able to buy them in 4'x8' sheets.

Plastics likely won't need a finish, unless you want to protect them from UV or reduce glare, and even then, you can sometimes get it from the manufacturer with that coating. Outdoor plastics usually have UV coatings on them already. Plastics with a P95 or P99 coating have an anti-glare coating on one or both sides. Frosting is also an anti-glare treatment and has a completely different look, like frost on the grass in your lawn on a chilly winter morning. The other (P95 and P99) coatings are clear and don't interfere with color or translucency.

For the size you're looking at, 1/4" thickness might be all you need, but 5/16" to 1/2" might be better to add rigidity. Plastics tend to cost more linearly as you increase the size and thickness. A 1/2" piece of acrylic will usually cost twice as much as a 1/4" piece the same dimensions. However, 1/4" plastics are much more common to find and can come in a wide variety of colors, while most of the 1/2" plastics I've found come in clear, white, and black, with few exceptions, unless you want to spend some serious amount of money (over $500 for a 4'x8' sheet) to get it.

Believe it or not, plastics can be cut like glass or wood. You can score plastics and they will snap on the score line like glass. (And just like glass, if you don't do it right, it won't break on the score line.) They can also be cut using a finish blade on a circular saw. Some plastics, not all, can be cut using a laser cutter, although you need a pretty large area laser cutter for the size you're looking at. Many plastic suppliers will do cut to size for you, too.


How to create depth in this rectangular zentangle drawing?

You can use shading.
As light naturally comes from above, the most logical approach to create a sense of depth is to add shadows to receding areas based on an imaginary light source straight above it, like this:

Also note that the frame you are referring to has a lot of relief that similarly obscures and catches light, which has a huge effect on a sense of 3-dimensionality.
This you can likewise easily simulate by shading the decorative patterns, like this:

Because your drawing seems to have been done in pen, you can - depending on the paper - add these shadows using a large variety of mediums, from pencils to paints, with charcoal being the easiest and quickest way.


Best materials for a long-lasting scroll

We actually have a good idea of which scroll materials last for hundreds of years, because we have scrolls that are hundreds of years old. What are they made of?

Parchment

We have two thousand year old scrolls written on parchment (as required for Jewish Torah scrolls). These seem to be mainly written using ordinary carbon black ink, but many (particularly Medieval) documents were written using Iron Gall black ink, of which many survive.

Parchment is expensive and relatively difficult to come by, but is still produced in small quantities.

Papyrus

The Egyptians wrote on papyrus scrolls, and we have several surviving examples including some over 3500 years old. Like the Jewish parchments, these were normally written using carbon black ink.

Papyrus is also expensive, but not as expensive as vellum and more widely available.

Paper

We have surviving fragments of paper with writing/drawing on it from the 2nd century BC, and we know that the Chinese made scrolls from this material. Chinese painting normally used water based inks for both paper and silk scrolls.

Silk

Chinese scrolls have been written on silk for thousands of years - the excavations at Mawangdui unearthed silk scrolls dating back to the 2nd century BC.

Silk fabric is readily available (if relatively expensive), but requires treatment before it can be written on.

Suggestion

Given the difficulty of acquiring and preparing the other substances, I'd suggest you look for paper. The specific type you're looking for is probably a relatively heavy acid-free paper (AKA archival paper or museum grade paper), which is specifically designed to last for a long time.

As for ink, since you only seem to wish to write and not draw/paint in colour, I suggest the ubiquitous carbon black.


I agree with #torjek that a separator (mold-release) spray or liquid would make it possible to caste a silicone object with silicone as the mold making material.  The benefit of getting good at this technique is that you could then caste replacement silicone earplugs using the mold which you just made out of silicone.

If you need more protection for your original, you could probably cover the original with tin foil, using embossing tools to smooth the foil into all the nooks and crannies, and maybe some modelling clay to smooth out the foil seams. Once the original was completely protected within its foil armor, it could be caste as normal.

You might also want to search the term "silicone on silicone casting" on youtube. There seem to be a few mold release products which can handle that requirement. Not sure that any of them are safe for your expensive original.

Have you considered self-hardening clay for the first mold?


Why would a candle require a much larger wick than normal for its size?

The problem could be the composition of the wax.  Could there possibly be a certain percent of soy wax in the pillars, in addition to the beeswax?  The Wick Guide that you referenced states:

  Higher viscous waxes such as single pour paraffin wax, soy (vegetable) wax, and beeswax, may require (wicks) up to several sizes larger than the recommendations below.

Here is another source that discusses how soy wax can cause problems such as tunneling:

  Tunneling occurs when the wick used is too small and flame does not sufficiently melt the whole surface of the candle. This will result in the candle burning unevenly, a smaller flame, lower scent throw and the candle extinguishing itself.  The best candle tunneling fix is to use a larger wick size...


What sort of materials can I use to make a latex mask look wet without actually being wet?

There are two main things that make objects look wet:

The glossy, reflective finish that water has
The shape and depth of the water - you can see not just the surface of the water, but the surface of the object below it

Anything that satisfies these properties will work.

Given that you probably want the tentacles to remain flexible, I would recommend clear silicone sealant to make the volume of the ooze, adding drops to the end of tentacles etc, followed by a coat of flexible gloss varnish for the reflective finish.


What are some non-cracking air dry clay brands?

I don't know about different brands of clay, but cracks often occur when the clay dries too fast. If you keep your project in a mostly airtight container (I use an upsidedown bucket) it should dry slow enough to avoid much cracking. Be careful you don't keep it wet too long, because eventually clay grows mold.


What markers are like sharpies without the fumes?

If I was looking for such markers in my area I would go to the shops where they sell toys and craft items for kids, specially the kind of shop where they sell the cheaper items.

They are not always available but often one or the other shop has markers with wider barrels and chunky tips.
Look in the toy section rather than in the 'grown up's' art section.

I would go for toy or kiddies supplies as you get many more markers for the same money and I do not think a 5 year old child minds if it is a lower grade, as long as he gets replacements while he still likes the activity.


How do you properly install canvas keys?

Canvas keys work by expanding the mitre joints at the corners of stretcher bars (see sketch below). As the canvas keys are driven into their recessed slots on the stretcher bars the canvas, which is fastened to the stretcher bars, slowly tightens.

This action "depends" on the mitre joint of the stretcher bars not having been nailed or stapled together.

If the joint is glued, nailed, stapled or rigidly fastened then installing canvas keys will not be able to do their job. Actually, as you point out, driving canvas keys into stretcher bars that have been nailed will break the bars.

Note, once you nail the mitre joint closed you no longer have a stretch, you now have what is called a canvas strainer.

Large painting canvases, ones with cross members, are more the strainer then stretcher variety.

The benefit of a strainer is you have a large ridge frame onto which to fasten your canvas. Large canvases shrink quite a bit as you work with them. So a rigid strong support is required.


How to paste tissue paper onto thicker paper?

If you have access to a roll press (etching press), an option would be to use stick glue (if the tissue paper will be pasted all the way on the thicker paper apply the glue on the thick paper, if there will be margins apply it carefully on the tissue paper; either way I'd suggest you use a slightly wider sheet which could be trimmed later to the desired shape and size. Also make sure all the area is covered in glue - where there is no glue a 'bubble' will be formed). Then run it through the roll press.


What type of paint works well on plaster?

Since you don't want to loose any surface detail in your casting and it's a porous material you are wanting to colour, have you considered using a dye or stain instead of a paint?

Using dyes, you chemically change the colour of your material. Adding no thickness to the item being coloured.

I don't have much experience with dyes other than colouring Easter eggs. Using melted wax to mask areas allows for ornate designs to be created.

Here's a demonstration of the process.


How can one leave internal void cavity in fused glass piece

I've never tried this, so this answer will be largely speculation based on the physical properties.

You can leave a void, but I don't think you would be able to make the void a complex or delicate shape.  There are a few ways to start with a well-defined void: engrave it into one or both mating faces of two pieces; start with three pieces and cut the shape out of the middle piece like a stencil; make the shape using a glass tube and seal the ends to trap the air, then embed the tube in a bed of glass dust and fuse the bed (this wouldn't be applicable for a 2 mm final thickness).

With all of these approaches, glass fuses by becoming a liquid and flowing.  The molten glass will flow in a way to minimize the surface area of the void.  It will fill thin areas first, forcing any trapped air into bubbles, so you will lose the shape.

You could embed a specific shape in fused glass by making the shape out of a material that melts at a higher temperature.  However, that wouldn't be a void.

The only way I can think of to have a void of a specific, desired shape is to not fuse the glass.  Use one of the methods, like mentioned above (e.g., engraving or stencil), to create the void, then bond the pieces together with clear adhesive that bonds glass.

If the goal is the appearance of fused glass, another approach would be to fuse the glass.  Then engrave the shape in the back side.

Another idea that might come close to your objective.  Create the void as in the gluing approach.  Fill the void with fine dust of colored glass.  Then fuse the glass.  Colored glass dust would melt, and it might hold the shape, and at least be a contrasting, embedded shape.


Cleanly extract homemade candle from glass or plastic mold?

Wax and Glass have very different rates of thermal expansion. Once the liquid wax has cooled and become solid, and you don't think the glass is at a risk of shattering, I would suggest putting the wax filled mold in the freezer. The wax should just pop loose. If it doesn't a quick rinse of the glass in warm water should release the wax.

This trick also works for wax on tablecloths, napkins, etc.


How best to thin Silicone for Roto Casting

There are various common solvents, like mineral spirits, that will thin silicone.  However, the solvent becomes part of the volume.  Once the silicone cures, the solvent will leach out and evaporate, and the casting will shrink by the volume of solvent added.  This is sometimes done on purpose to make a finished item that's smaller than the mold.  However, the shrinkage can take a long time to complete (days to weeks depending on size), so the results are hard to control if you need a precise finished size.  It can also distort the shape because the evaporation isn't uniform.
I was actually going to try silicone oil but haven't done it yet.  The oil will become part of the volume.  It won't evaporate, but it might leach out over time, producing shrinkage plus an oily mess.  A small amount is supposed to make the silicone softer (which was what I was aiming for), so be aware that it will change the characteristics of the silicone.
Thinning it won't necessarily solve the problem of getting an even coating.  That might be due to waiting too long before getting the mold surface covered, and/or the silicone not sticking to the mold surface (either because it doesn't wet the mold material, or mold release is interfering).  Silicone peels off a lot of materials without mold release, so you might want to experiment with some scrap material to see if you can skip mold release.  If the problem is that it isn't wetting the mold (doesn't stay put after you coat the surface), thinning it with a solvent or oil may make the problem worse.
If it is just a matter of consistency of the liquid silicone, your best bet may be to use silicone that is a better consistency for your purpose.  It comes in different viscosities.


Yes, what you need is called a blind stitch to create a blind hem… and it can definitely be sewn by hand.

Of course, hemming pants while you are wearing them is a bit more difficult, and it will never look quite as finished without an iron. But in an emergency, this will work great and the stitches will remain virtually unseen.

Start by folding your cuff under to the correct length (wrong-side to wrong-side) and crease the fold as best you can with your fingers. Now grab the entire cuff (two layers of fabric) and fold the hem back to the right side so it leaves just a little bit of overhang (~1/4" or so).

Now sew along your hemline through the three layers so the stitches will catch only a very small piece on each side of the fold. Run the stitches around the entire circumference of the cuff.

When you turn the hem right-side out, you will have a virtually invisible seam.

For an emergency quick tack, you probably wont need so many stitches. The tighter stitches assure you won't catch a toe and rip the stitches out when you put the pants on, but in the situation you are describing, one stitch every inch or so (or even every few inches) should be enough to get you through the day.


Which tool is most suitable for cutting thick cardboard with ease?

My preferred tool for heavy card is the classic Stanley 99 knife.  The blade is slightly stiffer than those of the snap-off craft knives, and the metal handle is good and solid.

If you do go for a snap-off knife, for heavy card stick to one that takes 18 mm or even the rare 25 mm blades, rather than 9 mm blades, which are too flexible (but great for finer work on thin card).  The cheapest of these 18 mm and 9 mm knives are rather flimsy and don't latch very well, so it's worth buying a good one (probably sold singly rather than in a big pack).

You should buy plenty of blades, as card can blunt them fairly quickly and a blunt blade tears the workpiece more easily than a new blade.


How to protect & preserve water color paintings

There are a couple of things that will definitely work to help preserve displayed paintings:

Paint quality. If you want the paint to remain vibrant over time, then you get what you pay for. Artist/professional grade paints are substantially more lightfast than student or children's paints. So, if you want it to stick around better, get the good paint.
Ultraviolet light protection. If you're going to display your work, display under UV filtering glass. This helps to preserve the colors from damaging light and, as an added bonus, protects from the touch of errant fingers. :)

You can also get UV archival fixative sprays that are suitable for watercolor work. It's not terribly common to do that, but becoming more prevalent amongst those that don't want glass in front of their painting. My general take is that if the paper gets dusty over time, dulling the color, it's harder to clean than glass... Mind you, for storage long term, it makes a lot of sense to consider.


How to cut out notches and holes in foam semi-precisely?

The "aircraft" you reference is made of expanded polystyrene foam, also known as Styrofoam™. It is sensitive to heat to the point that there are high-temperature-based tools to address your goal.
Rather than spend a bunch on specialized tools, you can use a soldering iron set just low enough to control the level of melt generated. If you have a single temperature tool, speed becomes the control.
Another approach that I've used is a bit more time consuming, but allows for much greater detail work. A butane lighter or steady heat source is used to bring a long sewing needle up to temperature. Obviously, pliers or similar must be used as a handle. You can drive the needle to the required depth at the corners of your recess, "draw" a cut-out outline and then use a soldering iron to eat away at the middle of the mass.
If you're handy with other tools, hammer the point of a nail to a flat blade and use that as your tool. You can hammer a spoon shape into the nail to get a smoothing tool.
The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and available resources in the tool department.


What is the best materials to make snow on minatures?

Like many things to do with miniatures, there are things you can buy and things you can make.

Buy

You can buy what's known as modelling snow from most manufacturers of scenic products. This is likely to contain crushed glass, but does save you from crushing it yourself.

Make

The other well known material for making snow is Bicarbonate of Soda (AKA Baking Soda) - available at virtually every food shop or supermarket. This looks great at first, but over a period of a few years becomes increasingly yellow.

I've also heard of people using flour...don't do this. It's too coarse, and has a tendency to rot if you're not careful.

      Image from a basing tutorial I wrote a few years ago showing snow made with bicarbonate of soda.

I also recommend that you use water effects (clear resin) to stick the snow down instead of PVA, it looks better.


What are the dimensions of the joint between the tools and body on a Leatherman Surge?

I was one of a few machinists that made the main pivot pin that links the Leatherman tools in the holder. Because the (stainless steel pin) material was very difficult to work down to the +-.0005 dimensions indicated using standard machine tooling, Leatherman made ongoing changes to the dimensions and material for cost effectiveness. The previous post, buy or use an appropriate caliper to measure would be the best if you are custom making your own tools to mount.


Okay to use a wire-brush on angle grinder to remove rust?

I'd use my drill-mounted wire brushes on the outside.  I've got a range of shapes and the slower, speed-controlled drill would be gentler on the workpiece.
For the inside, I think you'll have to do it by hand.  Steel wool wrapped round a dowel, or better a piece of 2x1 planed down to to an oval that fits freely inside the hole, should do the trick.  If you use enough steel wool you can wrap it onto the end of your stick and staple/nail it in place


Name of pressure button lock used in ring boxes

There does not seem to be a specific name for this exact type of hardware.  It is referred to generically as a "push button catch" or "push button latch".  I found a number of examples on small boxes like jewelry boxes and ring boxes; some were all brass and some had buttons of other materials.
All of the examples I found were identified as "vintage" or "antique", and most dated from the late 1800's to early 1900's.  It looks like this was a popular style of catch back then.
I wasn't able to find new catches for sale at general sites like Amazon, the big arts & crafts stores, or sites that cater to craftsmen, like woodworker sites, where you can usually find unusual or specialty hardware.
However, I did find some boxes with that style of catch that are currently being made and sold, so perhaps a cheap version of the catch is being made in China (if that's the case, you would typically need to buy in bulk).  For example, Push Button Single Ring Box - IntercomUSA is sold in lots of 12 at $2.42 per box for the entire box, so the bare catch that went into it must have been dirt cheap (not brass).
Luxury Vintage Design Soft Leather Ring Box Gift Box Turquoise | Etsy looks like a higher quality, handmade box.  It might be using the same catches, or even starting with something like the cheap boxes in the previous example and covering them.  You could try contacting the seller and see if they will tell you where they get their catches (or maybe they will sell you some of theirs if they had to buy in bulk).
I didn't investigate Alibaba.  That isn't typically a source for small quantities.  Another idea would be to search sites like eBay or Etsy for old boxes in bad shape that contain that kind of catch (or cheap new boxes like the first link).  You could cannibalize the catch from the box, or strip the box down to its skeleton and make a new box from it.


Why would using an eraser holder be better than using a normal rectangle eraser?

I can think of four benefits of using an eraser holder:

It keeps the eraser clean so it doesn't pick up body oils from handling or other contaminants.  The eraser can be extended and retracted as needed, and you handle the holder rather than the eraser.  It minimizes transferring dirt to the paper and potentially smearing the graphite.
The holder provides some rigidity for the relatively soft, rubbery eraser.
The holder has the feel and control of a pencil.
It is a convenient form factor to carry around.  It's the size of a mechanical pencil or pen and has a pocket clip.


How to tell which way a colour is leaning?

If you are looking to identify how a color is mixed first and foremost you need a color wheel which will show you where the color you want lands relative to the primaries. Second, read up on color theory which will help you understand what is going on with that color wheel and how colors behave in general.

Once you have that down, here are some tips for keeping your mixed colors vibrant (or not):

First... for any two colors you are mixing, be sure their value/lightness/tone are similar. Use white to bring up the darker color to match the lightness of the lighter color.

Second... there are cool and warm versions of the primaries (Red, Yellow, Blue). Cool colors tend towards blue, warm toward red. If you mix a cool color with a warm color it will lose intensity, so mix cool with cool and warm with warm.

If you keep that in mind your mixtures will be cleaner. As far as which colors produce which, look for a color wheel. But you probably know the basic idea: Primaries lead to secondaries: Red+Yellow = Orange, Red+Blue = Purple/Violet, Yellow+Blue = Green. A secondary color mixed with its "opposite" (the primary -not- used to form it) will desaturate the color, eventually leading to a chromatic grey.

You should be able to get most any color you want using warm and cold primaries and white. However if you know the secondary color you want to use start with that as a base pigment and "customize it" using small amounts of other colors. That is where experimentation and experience come it.

Finally the concept of relative color comes in. That is how one color is affected by the colors adjacent to it. A color next to its complement will appear more intense as the contrast is greater. Look up Joseph Albers who did extensive research into this.

The paint binder (acrylic, oil, ...) and scale of the work do not effect the color theory, however cheaper paints will have less pure pigments and therefore will have less intensity and will not handle mixing as well as professional grade paints.


Muslin as a curtain with the option to remove hooks

Clips and dowels
This is what I do.

You see pink broadcloth and on the on the other side is standard muslin. Zoom into the top. You’ll see clips that you can purchase at a certain furniture box store or you can use binder clips from the stationary shop with shower curtain rings from a dollar store.
In this case I used a curtain rod that I hung with command hooks to the wall so that nothing makes permanent marks and it is completely removable. It ain’t perfect or pretty but it’s been working for years and I can make it nicer when there’s time.

When I first put this up, it wasn’t stitched at all. Needed it fast. Then when I had time, did the sewing.

This is how it hangs. To tie it back, there is a shoelace pinned to it. You can be fancy and use a curtain swag. This is why there are wrinkles in the middle.
Here is another way I do this.

Nails and a dowel and string with the clips.
This piece is heavy so it hangs without help. But notice the weight stretches it.


Is hard water suitable for the usage of watercolor?

Hard water will work fine.
However, as with all impurities, the minerals it contains will have an impact on both the purity of the colours and the texture of the paint.

Colour purity

Hard water contains relatively high levels of calcium and magnesium, known for causing buildups of limescale: as the carbonates are deposited, they leave an insoluble off-white residue. This residue can have an impact on the colours and transparency of watercolours (and water-soluble oil paints), with slight variations between different pigments, I presume.
In most cases, however, I presume the impact is indiscernible.

Granulation

Harder water will increase the granulation of pigments in water colour, which may or may not be a desired effect.
This blog post recounts the experience of using a paint described to be non-granulating which resolutely would not have behave this way, and it turned out this was caused by the use of hard water. The accompanying picture also clearly illustrates the difference between using hard water or distilled water:

(c) Lee Angold

Alternatives

Since hard water is hard to soften, using a different source of water is the easier option.
As fixer1234 mentioned in the comments, the best way to prevent any deterioriative effects from using hard tap water is to use distilled water, which is usually easy to come by, cheap enough not to risk your watercolours losing some of their vibrancy, and free of any contaminants.
As mentioned in this Wet Canvas thread, it can also prevent the watercolour from granulating altogether: if this is undesired behaviour, it is suggested to use filtered or purified water.


How can I attach a large satin applique to a skirt?

The "iron-on stuff to stick them together" that you'd heard about is called fusible interfacing. For satin, you will be looking for a "lightweight" or "feather" interfacing that has heat-activated adhesive.

It only needs a second or less of contact with an iron to melt to fabric, and  will not bleed through like glue. I recently used it to attach lace to satin, and it performed beatifully. Satin to a thicker base fabric should be similarly successful. Just make sure your iron isn't on the hottest setting -- neither the fabric nor the interfacing need that much heat :)


Making a jewellery box - protection and lining

The normal way to do this is to use something soft inside the box to provide impact protection (usually foam), and then a layer of something over the foam to provide a more durable, scratch free and better looking surface (usually velvet). Velvet is also popular because it is less slippery than other options, so pieces don't slide around inside the box as much.

Often the foam is skipped - velvet provides some impact protection because of its depth, so especially if it's not something that's expected to be moved then you can get away without the foam - but if you're concerned about the durability of the pieces then extra padding is the way to go.


What is the difference between normal single crochet and single crochet into back loop only?

Most amigurumi patterns are worked in the round, not flat.
For flat items the difference between regular and back loop only (blo) crochet stitches is striking, it creates horizontal ridges, which are often used to imitate ribbing, like in this sock:

In items worked in the round the difference is more subtle: a horizontal line appears between rows of stitches, as in this ilustration:

For the most part this is a decorative element, so you can include it or not, as you feel like. Try both kinds of fabric and decide which one you like more.

Sometimes this is a functional element. Toys are usually evenly stuffed, so the feet are rounded and working one round of blo sc will give a gentle emphasis showing where the sole ends and the top of the foot begins, like here, in my own work from last year:


Eliminating or mending breakage when working with jeweler's wax

As I recall there are grades of microcrystalline wax available in different hardnesses and melting temperatures, so do try others.

I have always used a moldable base to support detailed work. Pitch mixed with Plaster of Paris is the old reliable method. This can be softened with a propane torch, the work pressed in, and upon cooling - you have firm support and if you slip, the pitch won't damage your tools. It's also black which provides strong visual contrast so you can see what you're cutting. If need be you can cut away the pitch in areas where it's in the way. Use chisels for this, a rotary burr will gum up unless you're using a coarse tooth at low speed.

Bees wax is used similarly either pure or mixed with stiffeners like plaster or diatomaceous earth. Plasticine works on some jobs, but vibrations from rotary tools tends to loosen the fit more than beeswax or pitch.

Pitch can be removed with turpentine or mineral oil which won't affect most waxes.

See "The Complete Metalsmith - An Illustrated Handbook" by Tim McCreight, Davis Publications, 1982


I want to make antlers for a costume, what materials should I use?

I don't know how "handy" you are but I would suggest Papier-mâché over a simple wire armature. It would be lightweight, fast and inexpensive to make, require minimal tools and be very forgiving of mistakes. For a bit more durability and added texture, add a final layer of simple cheesecloth after the form has been built up. Then paint or stain for the desired effect. Any paints would do – inexpensive watercolors, etc.

As for the form and how to wear them – depends on how large you want the antlers to be (e.g. moose antlers can be huge. Deer antlers smaller, etc.). Perhaps sacrifice a "baseball" type hat to build off of and add a "chin strap" to keep it from slipping off of you head.


How to remove paint fallen on an existing watercolor painting with the least damage to the painting?

It's best to act quickly, and absorb the paint with either a cloth or (nearly) dry brush. You can remove most of the spilled paint that way.

Then, depending on what's still visible, you might want to wet the edges of the stain, to soften the colour transition.
You might also want to repaint a part of the existing painting, or if you're really creative, give the stain a purpose in your painting. Like, when your painting is a still life with flowers, the unwanted drop of paint may become a bug or a hole in one of the leaves.


What is the "elasticized leather" lacing shown in this photo?

The manufacturer description can be interpreted quite simply. "Elasticized leather" is not some special sort of leather - that phrase is just saying that the straps are made of leather which has had elastic attached to it.

If you do a search for "elasticized leather" you will find this phrase used elsewhere, for example an "elasticized leather waistband" on a jacket, or "elasticized leather panel" on gloves. You can see that this just refers to sections of the article which have had elastic applied.

Looking at the image, there appears to be a zig-zag stitch along the straps. This is how the elastic is held in place here.

To recreate these straps, you would sandwich a elastic between suitably flexible leather. The elastic should be shorter than the leather (otherwise it wouldn't have any effect). Sew through the layers with a zig-zag stitch centered on the elastic, stretching the elastic as you go to match the length of the leather. When you're done, the elastic will snap back to size, resulting in a stretchy ("elasticized") leather strap.


Why is this painting with Link from Ocarina of Time funny or ironic?

I don't consider it "funny". More interesting or "cool".

According to Dave Pollot's website, the title of the painting is Leveled Up. It features Link, from The Legend of Zelda, riding a horse with Navi over a reproduction of Napoleon Crossing the Alps.

Notably, Napolean refused to sit for the original set of paintings:

  Sit? For what good? Do you think that the great men of Antiquity for whom we have images sat? ... It isn't the exactness of the features, a wart on the nose which gives the resemblance. It is the character that dictates what must be painted... Nobody knows if the portraits of the great men resemble them, it is enough that their genius lives there.

The Link version effectively captures the spirit of the originals, since Napolean's posture of victory is one modern viewers would associate with having just leveled up. If Jacques-Louis David had been a truly daring man, he might have painted something similar while attempting to convince Napolean to sit for him.


Transparent paint to change color of diffused acrylic sheet?

Rather than paint, which might peel weirdly on you, another option is to use inkjet transparency film and print the color you want on it and then affix it the acrylic. Walmart sells, and there's likely other sources, an adhesive inkjet printable transparency film that might do the trick. A lot less fussy too...


Can I replicate this "bumpy" fabric on a pillow?

You can't sew fabric like that from normal flat fabric.  If you have the fabric, you can sew it together as a pillow.  But your question seems to be about making the fabric itself.  To make fabric like that, you would need to weave it on a loom.  (If you have never woven, my answer will make no sense at all.)
Here's how to do it.
Cast on a very sparse warp; about 3 threads per inch by the looks of it.  These are the thin threads running horizontal in your picture. The weave you would do is called a log cabin weave.  For your weft, get two different kinds of bulky yarn.  You will alternate in a pattern like this:

A pedal: go left with the first color.
B pedal: go left with the second color.
A pedal: go right with the first color.
B pedal: go right with the second color.

Repeat this pattern throughout the whole fabric. Make sure not to beat the weft down too hard.  This is a very loose weave.


Crafting a sturdy, not heavy mask for shows

Plaster that is thick enough to be reasonably strong and rigid will probably be too heavy.

Masks are often made from papier mache, essentially building up strips of paper soaked in paste over a former which dried to a fairly strong but lightweight material. Other methods involve pressing paper pulp into a mould.

You could also use your plaster original as a former as long as you coat it with wax, Vaseline ect to act as a release agent and prevent the paper from sticking.

An quick internet search will find many tutorials on making masks in this way.

The big advantage of papier-mache is that you don't really need much in the way of tools and equipment to work with it and teh raw materials are cheap and easy to get hold of.

There are also many other options depending on your particular priorities, moulded leather, sheet metal or cast resin or composites would all potentially be pretty cool but there you are looking at either a substantial investment in time, practice and materials or engaging a specialist to work with you to make it.

Having said that you may find that if you reach out a bit you may find an artist of fabricator who is sufficiently interred in the project to give you a good deal. I would certainly be interested in something like this but equally if you want at a good deal based on collaboration you need to be prepared to give up some creative control of the project. So you need to make sure that you have a similar vision in mind.


Mostly Off-the-Shelf (or at least quite easily fabricated) Rounded Square Tubing?

You didn't specify what you considered prohibitively expensive, so I would suggest something like vinyl fence posts. They come in sizes close to what you need, and you get quite a lot with one purchase, giving you room to make mistakes and experiment.

However, finding your exact dimensions is going to be difficult. To do that, I think you'd want to make your own. The cheapest and lightest (since you'll be carrying this around) way I can think to do that is to get some lengths of hobby wood. Balsa is cheap and light, but absorbent so it needs paint primer. Basswood is more expensive and a bit harder to work with, but is far less flimsy. I'd construct the tube out of 4 pieces, and probably glue them to blocks of styrofoam at the ends and middle. The foam will give the wood support and make it easier to glue the edges of the wood together.

Then, I'd just sand down the corners of the "tube". It'd be time consuming, but not too bad, since balsa is so soft (basswood a bit less so).

It's also possible to just use styrofoam, cutting sheets or blocks to size. Affordability of any of this will depend on your supplier.


Correcting an error when using a Faber and Castell Pitt artist pen

Semi-gloss white paint is probably your best bet.  First color-match the dried paint on a separate scrap of the same paper.  You may need to color-match the paper.

Since you've used semi-gloss paper, you cannot use a single-edged razor blade to lightly scrape away the ink.


Taking "India" into account, you could surely find jackfruit or mango tree. I would suggest you could use the white sticky latex of jackfruit/ green mango. While eating, I find extreme difficulty in removing the gum like plant excreta from hands,  I am sure it would work as a mantra as far as natural gum is concerned.

Secondly, in Indian villages you could see loads of mud house decorated with cow dung. Natives throw the just released cow dung to the mud wall even half roasted bricks wall to dry them. So that later on, they could easily take it from there, break it and use it as fuel. As it has a sticky power, I believe it could easily stick with something. If you're joining two halves of coconut shell, use the just released cow dung and symmetrically spread it over the edge. Then simply put the other one over that and let it rest. It will work as a very natural adhesive.


It is a concept used in creating (drawing, painting, sculpting) organic forms.

  Opposing Curves is no more complex an idea than that curves in nature are rarely if ever related to one another as are parentheses ( ), but that rather they are always offset from / or opposed to one another like the curves in the double helix of a strand of DNA. - from CGSociety

The most simple way to explain this is to say that, when drawing, painting or sculpting organic form, we should never use curves that make the form look symmetrical. Beings are not symmetrical. Objects are. So, to achieve organic form, we should not use curves that make being look symmetrical like the objects are. That is why parentheses are used as an example.

() - symmetrical

(( - Opposing Curves - not symmetrical

)) - Opposing Curves - not symmetrical

If you draw a continuous line with opposing curves, you will notice really nice and smooth flow moving down that line.

If we look at the human body (or any organic form), we can see many curves but those curves are made of smaller curves.

  Curves also never curve inward ~ curves are always convex, and never concave. Artists, particularly when they are starting out, draw curves which scoop inward, toward the interior of the form - when in fact, form is created by a series of (sometimes minute) convex curves. - from CGSociety

So, to draw an organic form, lets say a human, we should not use Parentheses () curves to depict the form.

Example:

I hope I explained it well.

If you would like to know more, you can read this nicely written article I found (link is NSFW, due to artistic nudity presented): http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/opposing_curves


Paint choices for updating outdoor Christmas figures that are wood

I would say you are limited to using oil based paints to do this. You cannot paint acrylics over oils as the paint will later peel off or flake away. My suggestion is to buy a small inexpensive set of oil paint tubes. You can can buy an art set for as little as $20AUD. After the paint has thoroughly dried, give it 2 or 3 coats of an outdoor varnish to seal and protect it.


Determining a station point for a perspective drawing

One or two vanishing points are placed on the horizon. If you're drawing with 3 vanishing points, the third will be above or below the horizon.

Just like the position of the horizon, the vanishing point(s) depend(s) on the perspective, and at what angle you are viewing the object you are drawing. In case of the one-point perspective, the upper and lower edge are parallel and horizontal, so any extra vanishing points would be at an infinite distance away.
In case of two-point perspective, vertical lines are parallel, so this is actually a simplified case of the three-point perspective.


I had to do something similar recently.

Starting with a pencil sketch and a cutout (could be just a sketch in your case), I took a picture of it using my phone:

I imported the picture into FreeCad (yes, it is free) and used its Sketcher workbench to trace over the image. That produced a "proper" engineering model (where I could control sizes, placement of elements etc):

I then used Drawing workbench to create a technical drawing which I exported to PDF at scale, printed it out and in my case glued to cardboard to cut the final box out of:

Now, I must warn you that the learning curve of FreeCad is pretty steep, but I think it is a great tool to keep in your toolbox.


What are the typical wood types used for Japanese traditional woodblock printing?

From Wikipedia's article on Japanese woodblock printing:

  The text or image was first drawn onto thin washi(Japanese paper), then glued face-down onto a plank of close-grained wood, usually cherry.

Absolutely not suitable are open-grained species like oak or ash.


I bought a piece of 1/16" rubber sheet. Glued it to bottom of old pad on sander.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ggm4j56fym0mdl/20180827_122005.jpg?dl=0

Because of the extra thickness, the sand paper is a little harder to fit between clamps.


"Rnd 11: Join legs as follows: Ch 8, sc around the 9 sts of first leg, working in ch 8, sc 8, sc 9 sts of second leg, working in front loop only of ch-8, sc in next 8 ch - 34 sts."

Here are the instructions broken down into separate steps. In parentheses at the end of each step is how many stitches you should have created since the start of the first step. The new stitches added in the current step are in bold.

Chain 8
8 ch

Place 1 sc in each of the 9 stitches of the first leg
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg

Single crochet 8 in the starting ch 8* that you made in step 1.
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg + 8 sc in ch8

Place 1 sc in each of the 9 sts of the second leg
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg + 8 sc in ch8 + 9 sc in second leg

Working along the starting ch8 again, place 1 sc in the front loop of each ch
8 ch + 9 sc in first leg + 8 sc in ch8 + 9 sc in second leg + 8 sc in front loops of ch8

*In step 3, be sure to work each single crochet stitch into the corresponding chain stitch, rather than just working them into the loop formed by the entire chain. That way you will have access to the front loop of each chain stitch when you get to step 5.
Here's a sketch of where these steps will fall on the actual body of the toy. The ch8 forms the start of the crotch. The next round will almost certainly be to work sc in the top of the first leg, then along the line of sc in the ch 8 from step 3 above, then around the sc of the second leg, then along the other side of the ch8 in the sc in front loop from step 5.


I have a model with a latex allergy: what are my other options?

If your models cannot be in contact with latex you can use alternatives. Since Latex comes in many forms it's not entirely clear which form you're using but I assume you're mainly referring to latex prosthetics.

Latex

I think the most common alternative would be to use silicone. Silicone is a man-made alternative to the more natural latex, and it generally ages better so silicone appliances can be stored and used later and will keep better than a latex appliance.

Liquid Latex

If you're looking for alternatives to liquid latex, you can use Elmer's Glue or spirit gum if you're using it as an adhesive.

I also found this cool site which shows you how to make a faux version of latex from home which considering your amateur nature may be appealing.

http://www.diypics.com/how-make-latex-fx-makeup/


Keeping thermoplastic from sticking to models

I've never used the stuff, but it has a reputation for sticking to everything.  Have you tried a release agent?  I'll offer some speculation on what should probably work (the first things I would try in your situation).

If the shape of the object lends itself, wrap it with oven parchment paper.  That's impregnated with silicone, takes high temperatures, and not much sticks to it.
If you aren't worried about preserving surface detail, dilute silicone caulk with mineral spirits to a thin paint consistency and coat the object with it.  Give it a few days to completely dry and cure.  It won't be very durable, but you may get several uses out of it before you need to peel off the coating and apply a fresh one.
Dust the object surface with powdered graphite or talc.
Coat the object with WD40 unless the solvents will attack the object, in which case, just apply a coating of oil or a thin layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline).
If the object won't melt or distort, dip it in melted wax and use a hot air gun to melt off all but a very thin layer of the wax.  The hot plastic may melt more of the wax or bond with it, but it should still release from the object.
If you can't get a decent layer of graphite or talc to cover the object, coat the surface with WD40 or oil.  Use that film to hold a good dusting of graphite or talc.

You may need to try a few different things to find what works best on a particular surface.
Another thing that might help release it: stick it in the freezer overnight.  The plastic will become less elastic and you might also get differential shrinkage of the plastic and the object.


What is the name of the embroidery stitch which looks like tiny lines with gaps betweeen them?

Based on this encyclopedia of embroidery stitches, it looks like this is a "darning stitch", which is in the running stitch family.

The darning stitch is about making rows of straight running stitches near each other. The technique of darning is used to mend  torn clothes, especially socks and looks like a woven patch.

Other sites corroborate this terminology.
The Wikipedia page for "running stitch" defines the darning stitch as:

Darning stitches are closely spaced parallel rows of running stitches used to fill or reinforce worn areas of a textile, or as decoration.


What's the name of this specific style of craft ball?

Looks like it might have been a cat toy... I originally found it in this online shop: www.catsnus.com, but they're available in many shops. They even have a picture of a comparison of a regular, soft crafting pompom and their dense cat pompom.


You can try a long, somewhat flexible needle for basting beads. I think it's less likely to break.


What is the best way to decrease the circumference of a vest arm hole?

Cutting into the existing armhole will most likely end badly, because you need a lot more fabric to secure those darts than is available at the arm hole.
If you want to make the hole smaller, you have to sew more material to it. I hope you didn't throw the sleeves away yet, because that is the perfect material for your endeavor.
You didn't post a picture or write any details, so I can only guess where exactly you need to add material.
If you have enough fabric at the arm hole, but not enough to seam it properly, try cutting bias tape from the sleeves and hem the west with that. Since the arm hole is a circle, the tape must be cut on the bias or it will wrinkle and be a pain to sew on. Keep in mind that the tape you cut must be 4 times as wide as the hem should be in the end.
If the west fits well enough at the soulders but has a gaping hole below the arm, it's going to be more complicated. First I would try the bias tape method, but with wider tape below the arm that protrudes from the actual seam (basically extending the fabric there) and narrower tape at the top of the shoulder that doesn't protrude at all.
You could also try opening the shoulder seams and sewing them a little tighter towards the side, but that will change the fit of the whole garment. You should first pin the shoulders and try the vest on to see if it still fits or if the shoulders become too sloped or the collar stands up weirdly.
If the seams are almost invisible in the fabric, you can try inserting a halfmoon shaped piece below the arm. But in most fabrics the seams are too obvious for that.
If nothing else works, buy or knit cuffs in a color that matches the vest (or adds a nice contrast). Add cuffs around the arm hole, at the bottom of the vest and - if it fits and you like the look of it - also at the collar.


No. As there is no place for the fountain pen tip to hold a reservoir of ink through dipping.

A dip pen has a slight concave curvature. This curvature helps to hold, with the help of the surface tension of the ink, a small supply of ink on the backside of the nib.

As you draw the dip pen across the surface of the paper the tip of the pen deposits a small amount of ink onto the surface of the paper. The surface tension of the ink and gravity pull more ink from the supply as the pen is dragged along the surface of the paper.

With the fountain pen there is usually a plastic tunnel at the rear of the pen nib which is the tube through which ink in the storage cartridge is supplied to the pen tip. There is no room for the fountain pen tip to stored any usable amount of ink. Dipping the fountain pen into a pot of ink will cause a glob of ink to form at the tip.

If you really really want to try it then have a cloth handy. After dipping the fountain pen into the ink pot wipe the convex surface of the fountain pen tip after dipping. The nib will have a bead of ink on it. And you want to get rid of this bead before touching the tip to the surface of your paper. After wipping the drip away. There will be a small amount of ink that will remain on the exposed concave surface at the back of the pen. All depends on how far the plastic tunnel covers the back of your fountain pen nib. It will be a small supply of ink but maybe it will be enough for you to try. You will have to dip and wipe often as the ink will run out quickly.


What can I do to smooth and polish hand cut glass edges?

I think I can help you.  To make a living, I carve glass. Tabletops, door fronts, serving platters, and almost anything else made of glass has seen my efforts.

By far the best tool to use would be a Dremel type rotary tool with either  a diamond burr or a stone grinding bit.  These come in quite a variety of shapes, compound materials and grit levels and are specially suited for this purpose.

A standard particle mask available at your local hardware store will protect your lungs when used properly.  Oiling the glass  with sewing machine or fresh motor oil will almost eliminate any lingering/ flying dust.

Exactly which tools are needed to accomplish your task is greatly dependent on exactly what you need to do.  Please visit Dremel.com for details and tutorials.  Great information is also available on YouTube as well.  If you do choose to purchase a rotary tool, you will find it is also very useful for a great many other things.

I use either a 150 grit, cylinder shaped (similar in diameter as a #2 pencil), diamond burr, a silicon carbide grinding stone (same shape/ size) or a chainsaw sharpening stone (the blue one). Information on these bits and others can be found at Dremel.com.

Be sure to wear your mask, oil your glass, and set the tool to a low speed prior to starting. Be gentle and WEAR YOUR EYE PROTECTION.

I can't say enough about the eye protection thing. Been through many pairs of glasses, but still have both eyes. Undamaged!


What are the advantages of watercolour paper over sketch paper?

Watercolor paper is, normally, quite a bit heavier and made from cotton. Basic watercolor paper, 140lb, is okay for practice and will tend to buckle unless stretched. The expensive 300lb paper is where professionals tend to land. In any case, the paint pools and absorbs differently than normal paper, and gives you options around blending, washes, etc. that you can't otherwise get.

Traditional paper, made from wood fibers, is much thinner and absorbs the pigment faster, will generally buckle and warp rapidly and is much more likely to rip and tear when wet. It's just not designed for that.

In any event, sheet watercolor paper can be had and you can always cut it into smaller sizes for practice, which is pretty common anyways. The cheaper option will only frustrate and disappoint, it's already a challenging medium, don't make it hard on yourself.


The results may depend a lot on luck, practice, and trial and error.  You might need access to a machine shop to prepare whatever will serve as the "mold".

I wouldn't count on using a process that requires trimming after the glass is cool.  The glass can build high internal stress as it cools, and it may have a tendency to shatter if you try to trim it.

To some degree, you can work molten glass at a workbench; press it flat, etc.  But your goal is to get it thinner than it wants to be on its own, which means flattening or molding it, and keeping it that way until it cools.

The thinner it is, the faster it loses heat through the surface.  You won't be able to put a blob of molten glass on a room temperature metal surface, and press it with another room temperature piece of metal down to 1 or 2 mm thickness.  It will lose fluidity or break before it gets there.  If you want to press molten glass to your thickness outside the kiln, you would need some high temperature insulating material as the mold.  The "practical" approach is to heat the mold along with the glass.

You also need to deal with the air between the frit particles.  As the glass melts, the air needs a place to go or it will be trapped in the glass.  So you probably can't start with the frit already contained top and bottom.  That suggests melting the frit, then flattening it to the desired thickness.

So everything would go into the kiln.  When the glass is melted, the top of the mold would be moved and pressed into place.

I can think of a couple of possible methods using this approach:

Create a thin irregular shape, whatever that turns out to be.  You might be able to do that with two large, polished metal plates ("large" being something larger than the finished object).  The top plate would need to have some weight to it.

Mound the glass frit on the bottom plate, and have spacers of the desired glass thickness in the corners.  You might want some external guides to keep the top plate aligned once in place.  After the glass melts, move the top plate into place on the glass, and press it down to the spacers.  Maybe leave the assembly at full heat for a bit before starting the cool down process.  Whatever "organic" shape the glass ends up is the result.
Contain the shape in a polished metal mold with a heavy top plate that fits tightly within the sides when cool (when it's hot, the expansion will leave a gap for air to escape when you insert the top).  Play with the amount of material to determine the thickness.  The process would be similar to the first case, but the mold would control the shape when the glass is flattened to a uniform thickness by the top.
I suspect you would need this to be somewhat of a hybrid of the two methods.  The bottom portion of the mold may need to be a bottom plate with removable sides. This would be not just to get the glass out.  A metal mold would contract more than the glass when it cools, which would mean that the mold would become smaller than the material it contains (see where I'm going here?).  Unless the mold is a TARDIS (bigger inside than outside), I'm not sure the glass would survive the necessary change in shape to convert cross section to height.  The process might require flattening the molten glass inside the mold, then removing the sides of the mold and using some form of spacer to maintain the height of the top.  Hopefully, the glass would maintain its shape from the mold.

Perhaps an "easier" way to accomplish this would be to start with the first approach, where you set the height between the top and bottom plates.  Once the top is in place on the molten glass, use adjustable sides (which will be a known thickness), to push the molten glass into the desired outline, then remove the sides.

I've never done this, and don't know if, or how well, it would work.  But the processes at least deal with the obvious issues, and provide a starting point for experimentation.


The most realistic fix is to buy a new pair of shoes...
If you must fix this somehow, be aware from the very first second that it will never look new or professional again and will probably break again very quickly.
First you need to cut away all the losee strands and pieces. The heel could probably be repaired with construction silicone (preferably white). I suggest applying several thin layers and rebuilding and sculpting the heel that way. You can shape the fresh silicone with your fingers if you dip them into a glass of water with lots of dish washing liquid.
The upper edge is pretty much a lost course. You could try hiding the damage by sewing on a new bias tape, but since some material is chewed away, it will always look bumpy. I would be very careful when sewing through so many layers. The needle bight break. Maybe glueing the bias tape on is the better solution.
That being said, whether you try to fix them or not, you'll probably end up replacing them very soon anyways.


How do I mix charcoal and graphite correctly?

Depending on the paper and pressure you apply to your pencil, when you use graphite over charcoal, you will just scratch away most of the charcoal powder. Fixating the charcoal first won't help much, since the charcoal particles are much larger, and this process will just mess up the drawing more.
On the other hand, using charcoal over graphite won't work well either, since the charcoal might not get a sufficient grip on the graphite wherever it has been applied heavily: using pencils applies pressure that flattens the paper, while the remaining texture will be filled up with graphite - the glossier the pencil marks, the harder it will be to apply charcoal over it.

You can combine both techniques, but will have to do some planning in advance so the two won't mix as much.
Instead of using regular pencils, you can use grey or coloured pencils, which will have a much more matte effect.
If you're using pencils because of the reversibility, and using mediums is out of the question, the only real option you have is to only draw very lightly, preferably with softer pencils (e.g. 9B).


How can I finish the tops of my balls so the stitches are not so open in appearance?

Here is an amazing tutorial for how to close amigurumi shapes. It's a bit of work but the results are beautiful.

Essentially, this method works by creating an identical system to your opening magic loop (if you're using the magic loop start), by adding a drawstring to the last circle of stitches. This drawstring can then be pulled until the circle is completely closed and then tied in place and finished off.

As laid out in the tutorial, the steps are:

  Decrease the opening in your work until you have 6 to 8 stitches or less.
  Thread a tapestry needle with the tail left from your work. Insert the needle under the next front loop.
  Repeat for the remaining stitches pulling the yarn lightly.
  Pull the yarn tightly until the hole closes completely.
  Insert the needle under a loop close to the closed hole. Repeat one more time.
  Pull the yarn until creating a loop and insert the needle into the loop. Pull the yarn creating a knot.
  Insert the needle into the closed hole and make it come out as far as possible.
  Pull the yarn until the knot disappears into the piece. Cut the yarn close to the piece, the end will disappear inside it.
  Piece closed.


What kind of glue works for stones and shells?

As both material are kind of mineral, I think the same glue should work on both. The surface must be clean, in other words free of grease and dust. Ethanol or isopropanol work usually well. It will glue better on rough surface, so if it fits in your work sand paper the surface before cleaning and applying glue. For the shell, depending on the type, maybe some vinegar can make it rough (acidity will attack the calcium of the shell).

I am gluing small stones on substrate with cyanoacrylate (Superglue). It is a thin glue, so it won't fill the "holes" between the stones but will be almost invisible and should also stick if the contact surface is small. Time for the glue to set is extremely quick.

If you want to glue and fill the hole at the same time, 2 components epoxy such as Araldit should work and some are transparent. Those glues are usually quite "thick" but you can make them thinner by heating them (with a hair dryer for example) but they will also set faster with the heat.

I also had success gluing gravel on substrate using PVC glue (wood glue, or "colle blanche" in French), but I don't think it will do if the contact surface is small.


How much frame overlap will there be on my painting?

There are many types of frames for paintings. It's true for the classical painting frame that it overlaps, and I don't think it will increase as the size of the painting increases.
With mats you face the exact same problem: mats won't cover part of your painting in addition to the frame - they usually just have rabbets of their own in which the artwork is placed.
The problem is that the overlap is necessary for the frame to hold the artwork.
The width or depth of the recess in the frame or overlap of the mat is dependent on the character of the artwork's edges, and must be at least as wide as the largest deviation from a straight line, or you'll end up with gaps between the frame/mat and the canvas.
Taking that into account, I suggest getting a floating frame:

From the same page were I got the (first, edited) picture:

Floater (or “float”) frames are so named because the canvas appears to float inside the molding. Their biggest benefit is that they leave the canvas edge exposed rather than covered by a rabbet. Another advantage of the floater, no matter how narrow, is that it helps keep the canvas from warping.

Additionally, as you can see, they're easy to make yourself, and you can adapt the thickness, colour, wood type, grain, &c. to what best suits your work.
Because of the open design, they won't keep dust away, but you can of course insert a glass panel in front and seal the backside off if you'd want to (which might making one a lot harder, though).
You can also contact a frame-maker and ask for their opinion. Many art supply stores also offer custom framing services.


What is the cheap (copper color) metal underneath items plated to look like silver?

It is indeed copper, but a cheap alloy instead of the chemically pure copper that's needed for high quality cables and circuit boards.

I cannot say exactly of which different metals it consists, but it usually includes lots of copper (as the base), nickel, pewter, sometimes zink or lead and sometimes traces of other elements like phosphor, beryllium or silicon.

The copper used for such alloys is usually low quality scrap metal from old copper water pipes or copper that was contaminated with other elements. Electric wiring for example contains mostly pure copper, but if you burn the insulation off instead of removing it mechanically, you contaminate the copper and it loses much of its value. The purification is too expensive, so it's used for cheap metal jewelry and other objects.

Relative to other metals copper is still expensive, but the combination of price and material properties makes this copper alloy the best option for cheap metal jewelry.

It doesn't rust (at least not as fast as cheap iron based alloys)
It's not toxic (although quite a lot of people are allergic to the nickle in it)
It's not so soft that the finished product bends out of shape at the slightest provocation
It's not so hard that you need lots of heat and energy to shape it during the production
Most people prefer jewelry in a silvery color. Alternatives like actual silver or white gold are much more expensive. Other metals like steel or platinum have a muted, grey color and are harder to process. Aluminum, which has the right color, is much too soft and requires very much energy to smelter and process.


A grit edged hacksaw blade (random example) would be the hand tool for the job.  It would be a bit of a slow job but not unreasonable (given the rate these things go through tiles).

I suggest making/modifying a jig based on a mitre box to go with it, if you want repeatable, straight cuts. The jig itself might be a bit tricky as it sounds like you want straight, repeatable cuts. You should be able to cast modelling clay, plaster (or even hot glue) around a mug to around half depth using cooking oil as a mould release, all inside a home made or cheap mitre box. Then clamping the workpiece down would be a good idea.

Like with power tools, work wet.  Unlike power tools you need frequent (rather than continuous) water delivery -- though the latter would do no harm.


How to avoid / deal with rough edges after painting plywood?

When using a water based paint, you will for certain cause the grain to raise and funny things that look like tear-out on the edges.

To avoid this, before painting, I sand, then intentionally raise the grain with water, i.e. I paint it with water.

Then I sand again to remove the raised grain and the tear-out.

Finally I paint it with pigmented paint - in my case watered-down acrylic which does a nice job of letting the grain show through.


What kind of stitch makes up t-shirt seams on commercial grade clothing?

The stitches that you typically see on commercial t-shirt seams are an overlock stitch, which typically requires a special type of sewing machine specifically for this purpose (e.g., a serger).


I am having trouble transitioning from sketching photos to live models

The big difference is that when you draw from a photo the image is already flattened onto a 2 dimensional plane, however when drawing from life you have to deal with translating 3D to 2D yourself.

The way we see in 3 dimensions is rather more complex than you might imagine and the way we understand and visualise an object is very different from a photograph. When you first start life drawing there is a conflict between what you 'know' to be there and how to represent that on a flat surface.

This is especially true for portraits as most humans are innately good at automatically recognising faces but in the context of drawing this can get in the way of seeing the detail and structure of what is actually there because the recognition is an unconscious process.

There are a number of ways to approach this.

For drawing figures it can help a lot to have some understanding of anatomy, this will help you break down the complexities of the human form into their underlying structures of bone and muscle a particular pose can be easier to interpret and helps to start to see faces as a form.

Similarly practicing drawing 'standard' proportioned faces can give you a reference point to see how a specific face differs from an idealised one.

It can also help to practice drawing complex structures which are less familiar or even totally unrecognizable. This means that you no longer have your expectations of what is there to fall back on and you are forced to look very carefully at the subject. Things like piles of cloth, crumpled paper, driftwood, piles of stones are all common exercises. The point is that because there is no regular structure to them to fall back on you are forced to get all of your information by looking at the subject.

Also drawing portraits with extreme lighting can help.

In life drawing practice the real skill is not so much the actual technicalities of drawing as the ability to look properly at a scene and consciously identify its component parts and how they relate to each other. This is a very different skill from copying an existing image.


I've used a food grade silicone in the past that has the consistency of pudding. It is rather soft and very weak and would not hold up in the example you provide. I have used a more expensive silicone, also food grade that requires substantial mixing to get good results, often requiring vacuum degassing for smooth surfaces. In your example, I expect that small surface bubbles may not be a problem.

In order to ensure my information is correct, I did a quick search for food grade silicone and discovered that Smooth-On is still in business and provides various degrees of Shore Hardness levels.

The second link shows that Smooth-On 960 has a Shore of 60A, which equates to the hardness of a typical automobile tire. That's pretty hard, but that's also an opinion.

I have a silicone mold in hand, which can be gripped and torn, but I don't recall the hardness figures, making it only slightly useful as an example. A spherical part produced from a mold will be more difficult to tear as it is going to have fewer gripping points (none) unless otherwise damaged.

A search for binding agents results in products used to release parts from molds, not useful in this case.

Regarding your mold making question... silicone sticks only to itself. You could make the mold from anything other than silicone and pull the beads after it cures. I have a lead shot split mold that is a series of cavities with tiny funnels into which molten lead is poured. That mold could be split open (empty), immersed in the silicone and then closed and set to cure. It's not a recommendation, as I would not consider the mold to be food safe.

If you have a makerspace in the area, or use Craigslist, you may be able to find someone willing to 3D print a mold from food-safe filament. The mold could be akin to the lead shot split mold but far safer for use in the manner desired.


It isn't the machine selection that matters so much as the software available for a particular machine and the ability of that software to digitize a photographic image into the the correct form.

My sister has a couple machines with which I've assisted in the software on multiple instances. One in particular was the conversion of a photograph of a fluffy dog to an embroidery file.

The software supplied with the machine varied depending on the price paid. She purchased a more-deluxe version and it had the image digitizing feature.

Be advised that photographs are quite complex and can result in thousands of stitches of various colors. For a single needle machine it will also result in that many changes of colors of threads. Obviously, the number of thread changes will be reduced by a factor directly associated by the needle count.

Resolution is going to impact your job size as well. The lower resolution image will "print" faster, with fewer color changes.

The aforementioned fluffy dog was reduced to black and white and became somewhat blocky, but was still recognizable as the dog of the person receiving the gift.

The price differences for one machine to the next will have to do with the capacity of the computer controlled hoop, the overall speed, the additional features (wifi, display size, etc) and the number of needles.

Our area (USA) has many sales representatives within retail shops who are frequently happy to sell machines and talk them up a good bit. You will also find it valuable to frequent the forums specific to a machine you are considering and view the problems, questions and solutions others have posted.


What are alternatives to creating a marble floor?

As I understand it, you want to have a beautiful floor which can be walked on, without degrading its beauty.

You have 2 issues:

Creating the beautiful floor.

You can paint it, use marbles, or anything else you desire. 2D or 3D. Let your imagination go wild.
Protecting the newly made floor.

Apply a thick layer of an epoxy resin. I am not experienced with this, but I saw many videos on the Internet of people doing this. If the epoxy gets degraded, you again have options:

Polish the epoxy, if it is still thick enough.
Apply a new layer of epoxy. Ideally, you polish the old surface first for the best results, so do not wait too long before doing it.

You might be successful using a large, high quality poster for the floor, and cover it with the epoxy.

Preparing the base floor for coverage is the subject of another question, as well as details on how to use the different materials.


How can I avoid smudging my pencil drawings?

You can use an artist's bridge as well. It's basically a long metal ruler with either rubber feet at either end or a thin foam on the bottom. You can easily make your own out of a sturdy ruler as well. These are used by illustrators but could be useful to the fine artist as well. Here are some examples:

The bridge is great for horizontal work but for easel work you can take a page from Salvador Dali's playbook and use a mahl stick. A stick with a ball of leather or rubber is a mahl stick. For the right-hander, the stick is held in the left, the ball is placed at upper right, either on the work surface or edge of easel. Some artists use a leather thong or nail to secure. You now have a movable bridge to keep your hand off the work surface. I use a yardstick with a ball of rags and tape at one end. You can easily make different lengths based on the scale you work at. Side note: see John Cusack demonstrate the use of a mini mahl stick in "Being John Malkovich". Try a wooden dowel with a tennis ball or solid rubber ball at the end.

Also, there is the issue of oils on the hand. To battle this use thin cotton gloves to handle paper. You used to be able to get these at photo supply stores. Cut all fingers off but the pinky for drawing hand. Again, this really just depends on how much you care about preservation of the white of the paper. For illustrators this is huge.

I add the following for thoroughness and the OCD tendencies in some of us. Use frisket film to protect areas you want crisp and white. I've used this for charcoal and the effect is quite profound. Sharp crisp edges, perfect, immaculate whites contrasted with loose charcoal painting and drawing is almost magical. Tedious? yes ....worth it? I leave that as an exercise for the reader.

For simplicity and ease of use, the extra piece of paper suggestions are great. Just adding my 2 cents for completeness. May I just add that tracing paper is great for this due to its lack of tooth and slippery surface.


About a year ago, I created a epoxy resin based river table for my dining room involving a couple of live-edged oak panels joined by a river made from several hundred dollars worth of metallic blue colored epoxy resin.  My first attempt failed miserably for a variety of reasons.

I didn't adequately dry the fresh cut oak which meant that water lurked just under the wooden side of the epoxy/wood joint.  I also didn't seal the wood adequately before applying the resin so after the pour, the heat from the resin's hardening drew the water out of the wood and into the resin, making the resin cloudy and ugly.
I also poured too much resin in each layer and poured it on a early winter night when the temperature in my workshop suddenly dropped twenty degrees.  The sum of these temperature related missteps was that the resin cracked in several places, leaving jagged lightning-bolts throughout the "river" portion of the table.  Ultimately it shattered completely as it cooled.

My second attempt was significantly more successful, though I never did get around to putting legs on it.  With the oak properly dried and prepared and with much more patience during the resin pouring, I managed to produce a 3' x 8', mostly flat surface with a beautifully un-shattered river center stage.
This is where I finally get around to answering your question, "how does resin compare to glass?".   The answer is, it depends.   For the vast majority of the pour, I used a comparatively cheap resin, one stage up from what is normally used to make fiberglass.  It's greatest attribute was that it was supposed to be foolproof.  My first attempt definitely proved that wrong but after I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy.  I left the project alone to cure for about a month and when I returned I found the surface hard but not as hard as glass.  I could definitely "dent" it by dropping metal objects on it and I left a few fingernail gouges in it as well.  It was about as hard as drywall and had a slightly oily feel, even after a month of curing in a cold garage.
So I called the shop where I had bought the original resin and described the state of things.  They happily sold me several gallons of another (more expensive) resin which they called a "hard coat".  Sorry, I don't have any real product names.   I sanded the table everywhere to help with adhesion, then poured this new resin over both the previous resin and the oak, allowing it to pool over the entire surface which I had surrounded with a masking tape fence.  The new resin was clear but it made the wood look amazing.  It also brought the dull sanded surface of the old resin back to transparency with a gorgeous glossiness.  This surface cured clear, flat and hard.   Metal coins bounce off without leaving a mark.  Cat claws and fingernails fail miserably in any attempt to scratch it.  The edge is sharp and would be straight if I had thought to use something stronger than masking tape for the wall around the final pour.
That table top now holds a proud place in my gallery of unfinished craft projects.
I don't have any scientific instrumentation to measure the difference between this final surface and glass, but the "hard coat" resin will definitely stand up to years of normal indoor usage.


A combination of getting the right consistency of the paint for the stenciling and technique in the application should stop the fuzziness.

You would want a fairly "dry" paint thickness so it does not run when applied, more like paste than water. Keep the brush loaded with paint so you do not have to work repeatedly over the same areas but do not overload the brush with excess paint that will gum up and bleed under the stencil.

Then use careful light dabbing, possibly holding the stencil close to the surface with your fingers like Willeke said, moving in from edge to center to keep from lifting the stencils as you work. You should not need to glue down the stencils, but maybe use a little masking tape on the outer edges to keep them aligned.


Smoothing cut glass made from wine bottles

Sand down the edges with 150-grit, 220-grit, 320-grit, then finally 400-grit sandpaper to make your glass even smoother. Then, use 1000-grit and 2000-grit sandpaper to polish the edge to perfection. Wipe the edge of the glass with a clean damp cloth once you've finished sanding to wipe away any leftover grit or dust.


As I understand it, the instruction offers 2 different sizes:

Cast on 136 stitches if you want the pattern to repeat 4 times
Cast on 170 stitches if you want the pattern to repeat 5 times

The pattern itself has 34 stitches.
34 x 4 = 136
34 x 5 = 170

When the instruction says "cast-on and join, then work bottom border..." it means "Choose one of the given sizes and cast on the corresponding number of stitches, then join and work bottom border..."


Yes, you can use salt water with water colours. But remember, table salt (or salt water)is highly hydrophobic. Salt repels water. Anywhere salt is present on your paper it will repl water way from the area. The water colour pigments floating in your solution will concentrate around the salt particles. As the water is pushed away from the salt you will get concentrated areas of pigments in those areas where salt particles are present. So if you are looking to achieve a spotted texture on the surface of your water colour painting salt is a good choice.

As an experiment try sprinkling some table salt on the surface of your water colour painting, the sprinkled salt will create a more pronounced effect as the larger salt crystals in the table salt will repel a larger amount of water.

When done painting clean your brush with regular tap water. This will keep a layer of salt precipitating out on the hairs of your brush as the salt water drys.


What stitches are strong for clothing seams when done by hand?

Have you looked at the Alabama Chanin books? I've read only the sewing patterns one, which is meant to help readers make the stuff that A. Chanin makes and sells. It's worth a mention for the clear photos and instructions for sewing seams by hand in cotton jersey. They suggest backstitch, plus hand-sewn zigzag or blanket stitch to catch the cut edges.

For repairing a formerly serged hem, I use herringbone or straight-up cross stitch. For side seams that aren't visible on the public side, I use backstitch. Pockets are trickier because they bear weight; I follow Tom van Deijnen there and accept that some patching can be visible intentionally, and lovely in its visibility. Which sorts of seams do you have in mind?


Are there any cheap alternatives to linseed oil?

If you really, really, don't care about lightfastness, paint permanence, and brittleness, then you have a few choices out of the local supermarket:

Safflower oil
Sunflower oil
Walnut oil

Some of these have either been used historically or are becoming more common in oil paints, but will have been refined much better than what you'll get in the store. Either way, I would experiment with your paints a bit with these and see what works best and then cook with what doesn't. :)


Looking for a punch / cutting die set for Aleko SGM01 Press

Yes, there are hole-punching dies for grommet machines. Specifically, they're sold as cutting dies for grommet machines, as you've mentioned, and also hole-piercing dies. They screw in to the press the same way the grommet dies do.

Unfortunately, the threading for the attachment of the die to the press is not universal, there can be differences between brands according to user reports. On top of that, ALEKO doesn't include any specs to go by (or even a product manual), making it more difficult to answer if Stimpson-compatible dies, for instance, will work with this product.

A cutting die for your size (#2 for instance), will work, in theory, on your press, but you may have to try to obtain one from different manufacturers. ALEKO themselves do not supply anything other than the 5 grommet dies #0-4.

I have asked ALEKO, on the only outlet where it seems they reply publicly to users, whether or not additional dies are compatible.


I would try sandpaper or even an environmentally friendly (low fume) paint stripper. Other solvents might also be a worth a try, for example mineral turps for oil. Another option is to use a heat gun to soften it and then scrape it off with a flat bladed scraper used for plastering. I did this today successfully, just don’t touch the blade as it gets extremely hot after being near the heat gun.

Unless you can add a very thick layer higher than the depth of the original's texture, I think you'll have the same problem.

If the canvas is mounted on board, it is easier to scrape off. If it's a stretched canvass, you might need to be more careful in the scraping part -- you don't want to catch the (sharp-edged) scraper in the canvass and make a tear.


How to glue a paper on a three-dimensional shape without creating wrinkles

The material of the shoe has been stretched and shaped. It is made of materials that are more flexible than paper.

Your best bet is to soak the paper, then lay it on the shoe and position it, ever so gently. Allow it to dry in place, and it will be come rigid. If you want it to stick to the shoe after it has dried into the proper shape, you can now spray a sticky adhesive to the paper and hold it to the shoe. However, the shoe surface is likely to resist the adhesive properties, because it lacks sufficient tooth.

Perhaps there is a better solution. May I ask, why are you interested in doing this? What exactly is your end goal?


You will see a dulling or muting of the colors if you use fixative, which is why many pastel artists will actually “fix” in stages. Personally I like to build up muted color layers and use my highlights and whites on the top.

No matter what, you should always apply multiple light layers of fixative, letting them dry in between stages.

Hair spray is good in a pinch (I have used it for decades), but it is never artist grade, as it likely is not pH neutral. Depending on the aromatics and the constituent chemical composition, you may actually (but probably won’t) promote long term damage to the paper.

There is one other notable alternative to acrylic-based spray fixative other than hair spray, but you will need to test them: the “impregnating” sprays used for shoes / leather.

But if you REALLY want to make it yourself, the classical method would be to dissolve damar varnish flakes in turpentine and use an atomizer.


What's the difference between a pigment and a dye?

The simple difference is that a pigment is insoluble in water. So, when you mix it with water or another liquid, it becomes a suspension. Over time, a suspension will settle, and you'll have to mix it back up. Or, if the liquid were to evaporate, the pigment would remain.

A dye is generally soluble in water, or already a liquid. It doesn't settle, and if it evaporates, everything will go. Historically, dyes came from natural sources such as mashed berries, boiled plants, bugs and various vegetation.

This site contains a more scientific comparison:

https://www.duraamen.com/blog/differences-between-dyes-and-pigments/

You can also find some encyclopedic definitions on Wikipedia, which get into the way the compounds and molecules interact on a more fundamental level.


Are there certain types of foams I should not be cutting?

Yes there are certainly foams you should exercise caution around when cutting. And an easy way to check what cautions you need to take when working with different foams is to look up the foam's specific MSDS report.

MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet.

"A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is a document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product. It is an essential starting point for the development of a complete health and safety program."

Definition taken from the Canadian Centre For Occupational Health and Safety

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/legisl/

Here's a couple of examples for MSDS reports for different "foams". The first is the MSDS for rigid foam insulation the other is for Polystyrene Foam. The last link is for the rigid pink foam insulation.

Some foams are safe to cut (knife, saw or heated wire) the other foams require personal protective equipment (PPE) just to be around.

Learn the material you want to work with and study its MSDS sheet before doing anything with it.

https://www.kasteel.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MSDS-Polarfoam-PF-7300-0-Finished-Foam.pdf

http://www.styreneproducts.com/media/files/SPI%20EPS%20MSDS(1).pdf

http://insulation.owenscorning.com/assets/0/428/429/434/896b50d3-24ef-4263-997a-62927ac03237.pdf

I think there was another question here on the exchange which talks about the importance of MSDS sheets. If someone knows the link then please edit this answer to include that post.


How can I keep track of my stitches when crocheting with fuzzy yarn?

An easy solution is to use stitch markers. There are several commercial options available and DIY ones are conceptually easy as well. Most that you see though won't be particularity useful for amigurumi. In that case I would suggest small safety pins, rings or feed in some floss as you move your rows. Anything you can do to mark where a particular stitch is so that you don't have to remember its location relative to where you are working. I would post a picture but there are too many styles.

You obviously need to be keeping count of what you are doing so it might be a good idea to at least mark the end of the row with stitch counters or something similar. Your other projects sound small so this might be good enough as long as you don't take breaks in between rows (Every time I do it i forget my numbers and have to pull back and start over).

If the rows are longer then you could use a stitch counter every 10 stitches for example.

Some people are really adverse to using markers and think they are more of a hassle so your mileage may vary.


What can I do to make my simple hooks more comfortable?

Pencil grips work! If they don't fit because your crochet hook is too thin, you can wrap your hook handle with tape (masking tape is easy to remove) or paper (but you have to use glue then) up to the thumb rest (the flat part in the middle of most hooks).
And if you want something permanent you can use polymer clay, I believe that is cheaper than sugru.


Differences between 'soft' and 'light' charcoal pencils

The characteristics between soft charcoal pencil and light charcoal pencil are different. Soft charcoal pencil is darker than medium and hard charcoal pencil, it is a black color.
It's easy to crush, and the first time I used it, it became very short in one day. 'Light' charcoal have two meanings:

Light can mean hard, as 'light, medium, dark' corresponds with 'hard, medium, soft':
Light = Hard charcoal pencil.
Dark = Soft charcoal pencil.
Light can refer to the white charcoal pencil in some brands, used to draw lighter areas.

Ignore the second meaning when the brand states "Light, Medium, Dark" - it means the same as HB to 4B, giving good results from light to dark.
When the brand states "Soft, Medium, Hard" (as for example Han Zi, a Chinese brand, does), there is hardly a difference between the light to dark results.
But soft charcoal pencils give nice results in drawing, too. Using my soft charcoal pencil results in the center of it being darker than the edges, giving a Photoshop-like blur brush effect.


How much acrylic paint do I need to fill a 2x2 meter canvas?

Get yourself a 10 x 10 centimetre square of your canvas and paint a test piece. Once you are happy with your painting measure the amount of paint that was used and then multiply it by 400. That is how much paint you will need to create the same image on a two by two meter square canvas.

2m = 200 cm

200 cm x 200 cm = 40 000 cm^2

10cm x 10 cm = 100 cm^2

40 000 cm^2 / 100 cm^2 = 400

Your 10 cm^2 canvas is 400 times smaller than your 2 m^2 canvas.

Going the other way, you would have to scale the test piece by 400 times for it to be the same size as your desired canvas.

Oh, and you can determine the amount of paint used by weighing your canvas (the 10 x 10 cm) one before and after painting. The difference in weight is the amount of weight added by the paint. Multiply that by 400 and you will have a good estimate for the amount needed.

Experienced carpenters add 20% for wastage. Carpenters are smart, they know things will go wrong.

So a safe number would be 480 times the amount.

400 x 1.2 = 480

How much actual paint could this be?

Let's say, it takes the artist the equivalent of a quarter of a 2 fl. oz. tube of paint to cover the 10 cm^2 canvas. That's 0.5 fl. oz. of paint to do the painting with.

0.25 x 2 fl. oz = 0.5 fl. oz.

Since the 2 m^2 canvas is 400 times bigger than the 10 cm ^2 canvas you would need a total of 200 fl. oz. to do the same painting as your test piece on the larger size canvas.

0.5 fl. oz. x 400 = 200 fl. oz.

That means you would have to purchase 100 tubes of the 2 fl. oz. paint tubes.

100 x 2 fl. oz. = 200 fl. oz.

Now I did say you need to account for wastage. Assuming 20% of your paint gets wasted. then the number of tubes needs to grow by 20%. That's 120 tubes of paint.

100 * 1.2 = 120 tubes of 2 fl. oz paint tubes.

Now lets say those 2 fl. oz. paint tubes cost $10 USD each. To buy 120 tubes at $10 USD each would cost you a total of $1200 USD.

120 * $10 USD = $1200 USD.

That's $1200 in paint alone.

The next time you go to a gallery show and see all those large paintings hanging on the wall know that the artist had to shell out a hell of a lot of money out of their own pocket to get those paintings made.

The greatest investment artists make are in themselves.


How to draw a grid over and image that won't be printed?

A low tech solution is to print a grid onto acetate, cut it out and just lay it over the image you want to copy. This has the advantage that it will work on any medium and is quick and easy to use once you have made your grid. You could also have different grid spacing for different applications.

You could also glue it into a card mount to make sure it lays flat.