You see them everywhere now, the living walls. They’re beautiful, they’re a fantastic way to cleanse the air and they create a sense of peace and tranquility. I live in a concrete building and I’ve been looking at ways to to beautify my balcony. I already have a fabulous container garden as well as an herb garden in my kitchen, but I wanted something a bit more. So I started researching living walls. I would spend nights pouring over photos of all of the living walls that are planted around Paris, and I wondered how on earth I was going to accomplish something so complicated. Was I going to need to track down a gardening teacher for this? Seriously! I have a green thumb and everything, but this looked pretty tough.

I’m happy to report that this isn’t the case. I wasn’t trying to create a living wall for a sky scraper, I’m just trying to create one for a six foot by five foot concrete wall, and it’s totally doable. Whew! First things first, you need to understand how and what a living wall is and how it works. The whole idea of a living wall is to construct it so that the soil goes up the wall and allows a place to grow plants and shrubs. If planted correctly, a living wall will flourish as the rain or water washes down over it. If you’re working with a concrete wall, like myself, you can put together a frame quite easily that will allow you to fill it with soil. It will resemble steps growing upwards. But before you construct your frame, you’re going to want to hit up your local Home Depot or hardware store to buy a sealant. You don’t want to worry about water seepage into the building (especially if you’re living in a rental building, it could cause irreparable damage if you don’t know what you’re doing, so be careful). The other thing to consider is that a living wall can be quite heavy, and this is something that needs to be taken into consideration. If you live on the ground floor, it’s not as much of an issue, but if you live on a balcony, you need be careful.

If you’re not super handy, you can consider using an old book shelf, and planting a series of small vegetables. You may not get the same look as a wall of vegetation, but you won’t have to be concerned about weight nor will you have to worry about water seepage into the building siding. Another idea, is to use a trellis, something that you would use in a back yard. You can grow ivy, or even some vine vegetables. Again, the impact on the building is much lighter and you still get the illusion of a decorative living wall.

Hello there, welcome back to our newly named blog, the ‘Backyardigan’. Funnily enough, this blog was inspired out of my absolute hatred for yard work. Seriously. Well, I should correct myself. I used to hate yard work! My parents would use yard work as a form of punishment so of course I grew to hate it. I remember when I first moved out and started looking to buy a house, I told my real estate agent, ‘find me the smallest, most low maintenance yard you can possibly find!’. She laughed at me, because nearly all of her clients were desperate for big back yards with lot’s of green space, but all that was running through my head was having to spend every weekend out there ripping up weeds!

After living in my first place for two years, admittedly, I started to miss having a green space to enjoy in the warm summer months in stead of a deck. So I sold my place, and eventually found something that was something in between what I equated to a golf course and a small yard! I remember stepping out onto the lawn for the first time and thinking to myself, ‘ you can totally do this, it’s not like you need to be a civil engineer to tackle this, it’s just mother nature!’ Bottom line, it was manageable, and when spring finally rolled around, I couldn’t wait to get out there to plant some bulbs. But of course, I couldn’t just throw down some soil and dump some seeds in it, there was quite a bit of debris that was left over from the original orders and the yard was looking a little worse for wear. So before my shovel hit the ground, I did what I always do, I took notes and made a list!

1) What needs to be done? 

If you’re someone like me, I generally have a list of things I would like to get done, and things that absolutely need to get done. It’s sort of like having a want list and a need  list when you’re shopping!

2) Set a realistic timeline 

Time is of the absolute essence, and though I do like spending time in the garden, there are other things that I would probably rather be doing, like shopping for new shoes! So I generally won’t take on projects that I can’t accomplish in weekend increments. Plan the job out in stages so you won’t feel overwhelmed half way through, toss your hands in the air and leave the project half way through!

3) What tools will you need? 

I can’t tell you how many times I tottered off to Home Depot and came home with way more than I should have! So not only did I overspend on the project, but I wasted precious time monkeying around in the aisles. Before you put that key in the ignition, you better have a list in your hands and a budget in mind! Don’t buy things that you don’t need, end of story.

4) Don’t procrastinate! 

Look, not everyone loves getting out in the garden and getting their hands dirty, but if you’ve made the decision to start a project, don’t put it off, because unless you pick up the phone and hire someone, no one’s going to do it for you! Plus, being a procrastinator at home can generally spill out into the rest of your life, so nip that in the bud right away.

5) Record your progress! 

I’m big on personal accomplishments, especially if you’re doing something out of character. Take photos of the before and after and bask in the after glow of a job well done!

Studying for an art degree at college can mean a dramatic change in your life. A traditional college most often requires that you move to the college; live in a dorm room and attend college when and where your teachers decide.

Studying at an online art college can be a lot easier. You can live in your own home, keep your daytime job and even spend time with children, family or pets. An online college is a great way to earn your degree because today, they offer many of the same degrees as traditional colleges and are just as respected as traditional colleges. Here are a few online colleges with art programs that you might want to consider attending.

Academy of Art University – The Academy of Art University is the largest art and design academy in the United States. They currently teach some 18,000 students and offer majors in Acting, Advertising, Animation & visual Effects, Architecture, Art Education, Fashion, Fine Art, Game Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Design, Landscape Architecture, Motion Pictures and Television, Multimedia Communications, Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media, Photography and Web Design & New Media. The Academy of Art University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as well as the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Architecture Accreditation Board.

The Art Institutes – The Art Institutes are a very large chain of schools that include the Art Institute of Pittsburg and the Art Institutes Online. The colleges offer majors for associate, bachelor and master in Advertising, Fashion & Retail Management, Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Interactive Media, Media Arts & Animation, Game Art & Design and Hotel & Restaurant Management. They are regionally accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges.

Brooks Institute – Brookes Institute (formerly known as Brookes Institute of Photography) is an art and design school that offers programs in photography, film, visual journalism and graphic design. The school is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Independent Schools and Colleges. Also, Brooks Institute does not accept transfer credits from other schools, so if you were intending to transfer, you should consider another school.

International Academy of Design and Technology– The International Academy of Art and Design is an accredited college of art and design. They are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Independent Schools and Colleges. They also have more than 20 campuses around the United States. Degrees offered include Advertising & Design, Computer Animation, Computer Forensics, Digital Production, Digital Movie Production, Digital Photography, Fashion Design & Marketing, Game Design, Graphic Design, Information Technology, Interior Design, Merchandising and Recording Arts.

Westwood College – Westwood College has 17 campuses and an online school. They offer classes in six separate schools of learning including the School of Design.  They are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and offer art degrees in Computer Aided Design, Interior Design and Graphic Design with majors in game art, animation, web art and visual communication.

Whether you’re taking online courses or attending a physical school, being an art student means that you are creating art. Sometimes you might even create more than what you need for school. As a student, you’re probably also short on cash. The best way for an art student to make money is to sell their art (or give art lessons).

Here are the five steps you need take before you sell your art online.

1.       Create Your Art

Most of the time when you create art you should do it because you want to. If you are good enough you can also do it because you want to make money but often that will produce poorer quality work. Make something you love and make it to the best of your ability. If you can work with different elements, try researching what is selling at the moment (i.e. what type of painting, what colors, what designs, etc.)

2.       Photograph Your Art

Unless your art is digital photography you will have to take pictures of it. Make sure that photos are high quality with good lighting. You can use a free program such as windows photo editor or iPhoto to lighten up the photos to make them more visible. They don’t have to be perfect so long as people can see your art clearly. You will want to take at least one photo from every angle, even if you don’t post all of the photos online you can choose the best one and you can send interested buyers more photos if they like.

3.       Post Your Art Online

Now you should post your art online. Think of a nice description for your art, a good title and post it for sale on a site. This should also include the asking price. Good sites include eBay, Sistino, Boundless Gallery and Original Art Online as well as Deviant Art. Try to remember that most sites will take a percentage of what you sell with some as low as 1-2% and others as high as 40%. Usually, the higher the percentage rate that is taken, the more expensive you should make your art. A good rule of thumb before deciding on a price is to consider the cost of materials and then multiply times five to cover your time.

4.       Share Your Art

If you don’t share your art then no one will see it. Try posting it on your Facebook, Twitter or etc. If you are on a sight like DeviantArt feel free to talk to other people. Many of Deviant Art’s users are simply fans of art who want to browse and buy. Making connections will get people looking at your art and lookers turn into buyers.

5.       Make A Sale

All that’s left for you to do is make a sale. Remember that in many cases you will have to charge shipping. You should also remember to pack your artwork very carefully so that it arrives in pristine condition (postage isn’t always kind to its parcels). Try communicating with your buyer to ask why they liked a piece and why they bought it, it could help you to improve your art!

Whether you’re asking how do I be an art teacher or just want to know how to be an artist; taking online art classes could be your answer.

Online art classes allow you to study art through your computer so that you can learn without ever leaving your house.  Classes include free courses, paid courses and full online college courses that you can use to get a degree.

Free Art Courses

Free online art classes are easy to find online. All you have to do is type in the right keywords and they come right up. Free online art classes will generally include the basics of drawing, pottery making or some very basic individual steps in art. Examples include making paints or how to construct/sew something specific. These are good if you are more interested in crafts or illustration.

Paid Courses

A paid online art class is one step up from a free art class. Usually a paid course will run from one to three weeks and will basically be a quick online seminar of art techniques or how-to’s. These can include painting, illustration, online design, inspiration and much more. Finding them usually requires a quick search which can be done with your web browser.

If you are looking for paid online art classes then you should consider looking up a specific art studio or etc. Remember to always verify that the art teacher is genuine and that you will be receiving your money’s worth before you pay anyone for an online art course.

Online College Art Classes

The most prestigious of online art classes, the college course is also the most expensive.  These can range from an Associate to a Master degree in level and can cover anything from Fine Art to Applied Art. Idea’s for majors include graphic design, illustration, creative writing or even choreography. There are an estimated 20-30 online art degrees that you can study.

If you are planning to study at an online college there are a few things you should consider. First, always make sure that the college is accredited.  An accredited college will teach you according to a strict minimum standard for your degree and will therefore be more legitimate. You can also avoid scammers by going through an accredited college.

A few good schools that offer online art classes are Full Sail University. Here you can expect to pay about $20,000 per study year and there are about 40 different study options for online tuition. You can also take single courses at Full Sail University if you already have your degree.

Another great school to study at is any of the Online Art Institutions. The Art Institutions have a long record of providing quality education. They also have campuses all over the United States should your tuition require you visit a campus every now and again.

Discovering art online is easy. There are hundreds of museums and art galleries that are not just accessible online but can be seen for free as well.

Online art galleries are useful for students who are studying art, for collectors who want to buy art and even for people who just want to look at it!

Here are 5 great online art galleries:

Gallery Today

Gallery Today contains an impressive number of modern art artists. Prints are available for sale and can be viewed by artist, theme, style, size and even price. There are a wide variety of different styles of art on this site which makes it great for exploring and discovering the works of modern artists.

Novica

Novica is an online art gallery dedicated to sponsoring cultural art from all over the world. They are sponsored by National Geographic and feature the wide range of style and cultural diversity that one could expect from the magazine. You can find, purchase and view anything from rare musical instruments to paintings to mirrors and masks. If it can be considered art than you can probably find it on Novica.

Scotland Art

Scotland Art displays the arts of Scotland. The site mostly contains modern art from up and coming Scottish artists. You can view and purchase original oil paintings as well as prints from most of the artists. Scotland Art also contains a small art gallery of famous Scottish artists.

DeviantArt

DeviantArt is the world’s largest amateur art gallery. While many people believe that amateur is bad, you can easily find hundreds if not thousands of talented photographers, illustrators and painters. DeviantArt allows models, artists and designers to work together to create low cost art. You can usually purchase prints or even originals through DeviantArt.

The Gallery of the Arts

The Gallery of the Arts is one of the world’s largest online art galleries. The Gallery of the Arts features both known and unknown artists.  Art is showcased for competition, viewing and can be purchased through the site. Art can be searched by artist, theme, art style, material or etc. The site also features large, high quality photos of art that you can browse through to your hearts content

As an artist you need money for college just as much or more as the next time. Art scholarships are scholarships that are designed specifically to provide student aid to people who are studying some form of art or who wish to begin an art and design career. There are literally hundreds of these scholarships out there so why don’t you have a look around; you can most definitely find funding for your college study.  Best of all, most art scholarships will cover study at distance learning programs as well as more traditional colleges.

L. Ron Hubbard Artists of Future Contest

L. Ron Hubbard features two art scholarships. The Illustrators of the Future Scholarship and the Writers of the future Scholarship; each competition offers winners a workshop, a gala to attend and a scholarship prize (usually 1 gold prize + 3-4 secondary prizes). Winners of the Writers of the future contest will be published in a novelette. Quarterly prizes are $1,500 per winner, annual $5,000.

Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships

The Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships Scholarship offers $15,000 to the winner of a national poetry foundation. The competition is held by the National Poetry Association and all applications should be submitted by March 31’st of the year you wish to compete. Students who compete must be between the ages of 21 and 31 and have a U.S. citizenship. All applications are considered; however; there is only one winner.

Michael Jackson and Rhythm Nations Scholarships

The Michael Jackson and Rhythm nations scholarship offers need based aid (up to full tuition) to students studying in a variety of fine arts programs. If you plan to study any of these programs then you should apply for the scholarship. Applicants are judged on talent and skill.

-          Performing arts

-          Communications

-          English

-          Fine Arts

-          Mass Communications

-          Music

-          Performing Arts

-          Theater Arts/Drama

-          Vocal Performance

-          Visual Arts

Annual Create-A-Greeting-Card $10,000 Scholarship Contest

The annual create a greeting card scholarship contest offers a $10,000 prize to the winners of the contest.  Submissions begin on March 6^th. Applicants must be 14 years old or older and have parental permission to join the contest should they be under the age of 18. All applications are submitted under the conditions that 1. They are completely original works and in no way infringe upon someone else’s copyright and 2. Any cards submitted will grant full rights to the competition for reproducing and selling the design. Winners receive $10,000 scholarship towards the college and study of their choice. The scholarship is open to all legal residents of the U.S. and outlying areas.

Archibald Rutledge Scholarship Competition

The Archibald Rutledge Scholarship Competition is a unique, one time, $4,000 scholarship that offers tuition aid to any deserving art students. Any students in the 12^th grade or enrolled in a college may apply. Applications include submitting a short story, poem, original song, drama or original artwork. Students must apply as one applicant (no joint applications) and may only submit one entry per person. Submissions are judged and students are given scholarship based upon artistic merit and skill.

As an art student or just as an art lover, you are into art and want to find out more about it.   The internet is the easiest way to do it because; whether you know it or not, there are literally hundreds of places you can discover art online.

So, instead of packing up to go visit an art museum or gallery, relax; type up your favorite search bar and start looking for these great ways to discover art online.

Online Museums

There are hundreds of online museums with full online galleries that you can look at. Some of these include the Smithsonian, the Louvre and the National Museum of Dolls. Look around, you’re sure to find something that is interesting enough for you to spend time at. Best of all, most online museums are 100% free (donations optional) so not only can you see art in the convenience of your own home but it’s free as well!

Online Art Galleries

Do you have a favorite art Gallery you like to visit? If so, they probably have an online website with their art images. If you don’t have a favorite gallery, it’s pretty easy to look them up online and even to look them up specifically in your area. This is great not only for discovering art but for discovering places you might like to go and see in real life.

Google Images

Google Images is actually a great place to find art. You can find everything from Picasso, Rembrandt, photos of Michelangelo’s work to more modern and contemporary work. Most likely if it is on the internet it will come up in Google Images and you can browse to your hearts content. Usually you can find a lot of amateur art as well but by typing in specific artists, art years or etc. you can come up with a lot more specific results.

Artist Websites

Another great place to find online art is through artist websites. Many modern artists have their own websites or blogs and will post photos of work as it finishes. Sometimes this work is also for sale (if you have the money) so you can collect it. Who knows, it might be worth a fortune in a few hundred years…. Not that you will appreciate it.

Photo editing software can be expensive and programs like Photoshop often aren’t covered by your scholarship or grant. If you do manage to afford it, you have to download the program to your computer which can take up valuable space and RAM, especially if you have an older computer.

FotoFlexer

FotoFlexer is a very advanced online image editor that allows you to do pretty much anything you want with your photos. Whether it’s retouching, distorting, adding muscle, lowering weight, drawing on the photo or whatever, FotoFlexer can do it. Best of all, it’s 100% free and like all of the photo editors on this list; can be used right from your browser.

PickNick

PikNick is another cool online photo editing tool with lots of options. The browser allows you to change the language to English or Spanish so you can work with whatever is more comfortable for you.  Features full photo editing tools including re-touching, blemish remove, scale and resizing. However; PicNick will be merging with Google +.

LunaPic

LunaPic is a free online photo editor with touch up, liquidize, paint and animation effects. You can upload photos from your computer or straight from the web (whatever you like). The editor is completely free and even allows you to create, add effects to and edit collages.

iPiccy

The name might sound funny but iPiccy is a fun, free and easy to use photo editor. The app allows you to upload, edit, add effects, paint, add stains and change color to photos straight from your browser. Ipiccy is also free and does not require registration (no passwords or usernames required.)

DrPic

Dr.Pic is not only a free online photo editor, but it also hosts your images for you. This means you can save your images and store them online. The app also allows you to crop, change color, fix red eye, resize, blur, add frames and much more.

If you have ever wanted to be a web designer, this blog post tells you how to be one, about the job and what you will have to study before you can be considered an official web designer. First, it is not necessary to attend college in order to be a web designer, if you are familiar with web building blocks such as CSS, HTML and XHTML and have basic design and layout skills than most likely you can already design websites on your own. However; if you wish to work in the field of web design, you are required by most employers to have a degree.
Web Designer Job Description
A website designer is expected to design and put together the visual and non-visual elements of a website on the World Wide Web. I most cases this will involve working with a photographer or stock photographs to add imagery to a site, using a palette of colors to design the site, working with a freelance writer to design content for the site and most of all, using business statistics, information and etc. to decide what will be visually attractive for sales, advertising and viewing purposes. The web designer will then build a website using programming code (generally XHTML and CSS) in order to program their design into a form that is readable and viewable on the World Wide Web.
Web Designer Degrees
There are perhaps eight different degrees that you can earn while studying to be a web designer. First, two year degrees or Associate degrees are a great way to break into an entry level job quickly and without a lot of study time. These degrees allow you to begin working after only two years and perhaps while you continue study for your bachelor degree with an online course or program. 2 year degrees that you can earn in order to begin your career as a web designer include fine arts, graphics design; publishing or computer science.
Four year courses that help you to being your web design career include fine arts, graphics, advertising, advertising design, graphics design, publishing and computer science. Earning your four year degree will help you to earn a higher salary than if you simply chose to study for a 2 year degree.
No matter what program you choose to study in order to become a web designer, remember; if it does not contain HTML, CSS, XHTML and hands on experience with writing, coding and fixing these codes than you will have to learn it separately, either through another course or through any self-taught method you might choose.

Web Designer Job Outlook & Salary
The starting salary for the average web designer is around $46,000 per year and with a little bit of experience and additional training a web designer can earn as much as $143,447 per year. The average payment for a web designer is usually between $50,000 and $80,000 per year respectively.
In most cases, web designers who work for large companies in big cities will receive the highest pay while freelancing web designers and designers working in small or rural communities will earn the least.
Web design is a constantly expanding field because of the growing popularity of the World Wide Web, the internet and its use by large corporations for sales, marketing and advertising.  Web design careers are expected to grow by around 12% by 2018 which is a faster than average growth and will include new jobs opening up, higher salary and different fields of work opening up.

As an online art student studying at a University such as Phoenix University Online or AUI Online you might have thought about taking an internship. First, an internship is a period where a student gains work experience and learning by working as an apprentice for an already graduated artist. In most cases this will mean watching and learning from experience rather than doing anything. Here are five reasons why you should take an internship!

1. Gain Work Experience

Gaining work experience is probably one of the most important reasons to take an internship. Work experience allows you to figure out what you need to know to continue and succeed in your career and will allow you to learn hands on work that you would otherwise learn after you graduate. This puts you ahead of anyone who chose not to take an internship!

2. Learn What It’s Like

Studying as an Intern will allow you to get a good feel for what your job will be like after graduation. This will be either encouragement for you to finish your major so that you can start working more quickly or might give you enough time to switch majors if you find out you absolutely hate the job…  Think about it, wouldn’t it be nice to know what your job will be like now instead of having to wait until you finish studying? An Internship makes this possible!

3. Enhance Your Resume

You’ve probably noticed it before; most job advertisements contain a “Work Experience Required” clause.  This makes it difficult to gain work experience without already having it which in the long run can make it difficult to actually find a job. Taking an internship will allow you to place the work done during your internship in your resume and can therefore be used to find a job! While you will not gain a great deal of work experience from the average internship, sticking to the internship period of 3-6 months will show a potential employer that you are ready to work and dedicated to doing your job even if you are not being paid for it (Internees are not paid).

4. Practice in the Real World

While studying online is easier and can usually be cheaper, you don’t always get a great deal of real world practice. Working at an internship allows you to put your thoughts and ideas into practice in the real world. This means you can see what works and what doesn’t!!  Most of all, you will be able to test your art and see if it works!

5. Meet New People

The biggest disadvantage of studying for your art degree online is that you have a limited chance of making connections that could lead to future jobs. Working at an internship allows you to make these connections and if you impress enough people, even guarantee yourself a high paying job after graduation. Working hard on your internship can lead to very good things after you graduate which is one of the single most stimulating factors towards working on an internship!

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh  is a well-established school of the arts located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school is for profit and focuses on teaching career driven courses to students in order to help them succeed outside of the classroom.  This review covers school courses, teaching methods, tuition and student success.
Courses at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh

The online division of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh offers a variety of courses including Bachelor degrees in advertising, culinary management, fashion & retail management, game art & design, graphic design, hotel & restaurant management, interior design, media arts & animation, photography and web design & interactive media. The school offers associate degrees in graphic design, kitchen and bath design, photography and web design and interactive media as well as a variety of certificate and diploma programs.
Cost of Tuition
This review of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh covers the cost of tuition. The average cost of attending a course at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh is $84,000 for a bachelor degree, $43,000 for an associate degree and $15,000 – $20,000 for a diploma or certificate. Overall, the prices are a great deal higher than they should be, although, course prices do cover the cost of most textbooks, students can also expect to receive computers at a greatly discounted price. However, students should expect to pay for laboratory and material use as well as software and technology fees of $50-$75 per semester. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is definitely not cheap.
Teaching Methods
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh online covers their tuition with mostly online and digital media such as online textbooks and materials. This makes it easier for students to acquire the information they need for their courses. The institute also pairs students to teachers at about a 1/40 ratio which means there is about one acting professor per student. This rate is extremely low and will put students at a slightly disadvantaged study rate.
Accreditation
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools as well as the American Culinary Association and the Council for Interior Decorating Accreditation.
The School
While the Art Institute of Pittsburgh has produced notable alumni such as Frank Kelly Freas, J. Miller and Martha Rial; their current classes do not quite hold up to the former quality of the school. Today, many former students say that the college is a waste of money and nothing but a ‘diploma mill.’  However, despite these claims, it should be noted that the Art Institute of Pittsburgh retains its accreditation and therefore holds up to the minimum standards required for higher education. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is not one of the best schools online, however; it is a fully accredited school where you can earn your degree.

As a student studying for an art and design career, painting makes a great hobby. Not only does it help you to learn more about your chosen major, but you can have fun while doing. However; actually fitting painting into your busy schedule can be a bit of a hassle. Here are a few painting while you study tips that will get you started painting; even if you are living in a dorm!

Also, depending upon which types of paints you are using, your painting will need different amounts of time to dry, time before you apply top coats and etc. which will give you different working times.

1. 1.       Paint With Oils

Oils are great for any student who loves to paint because most of the time you will find yourself having to wait hours or even days before you can add another layer of paint. This is great because it means that you have the perfect study interlude that won’t even interrupt your painting. Spend free time studying and when the paint is ready for another coat, go back and paint! This might sound really simple and in fact it is. However; if you are used to painting with acrylics, try to remember that the end results with oil will be different.

1. 2.       Add Details in Five Minute Study Breaks

Studying for long periods of time isn’t good. Try taking five minutes of break every thirty minutes. This will rest your eyes and give you five minutes to dab a bit more paint onto your painting. While this isn’t the fastest way of painting in the world, it’s a great way to catch up on adding time consuming, tiny details that could even become annoying if you did them all at once. There you go; two benefits in just one easy tip. If you want to paint for longer, you can try setting up twenty minutes of painting at the end of every chapter or whatever you like. Just remember that you have to work your full study schedule into this so that you don’t end up falling behind!

1. 3.       Set Aside An Hour To Paint In The Morning

The morning is the best time to paint, not only because it gives your painting more time to dry over the course of the day but because you can relax, drink a cup of coffee and paint while you wake up. That means when you finally get around to studying, you will be more awake and more relaxed and will therefore learn better. See, there are benefits to having an art hobby after all!

1. 4.       Reward Study with A Painting Session

You guessed it. You’ve worked hard, finished what you were supposed to study and now it’s time to reward yourself with a painting session before you move on to the next subject. Work out how much free time you can afford to take for painting and then paint until you have to study again (or you get hungry, tired or thirsty; those things matter to).  If you aren’t confident in your abilities of remembering the time to start work again, try setting a timer to go off. Because you will remember the timer, you will probably also be prepared and ready to stop when the timer actually goes off.

1. 5.       Use Easels

This might sound like a silly tip but it can save you a lot of time. An easel will keep your painting accessible and in a position to facilitate drying. It will also prevent you from having to put away and take out your painting every time you have to work on it. This means that whenever you want to paint, all you have to do is walk over to your easel!

If you have an art degree or are looking into getting one than you should be interested in learning about art and design careers . Believe it or not, your art degree can actually be put to several practical, and money making jobs that will keep you interested and learning about art!

Art Teacher

If you are interested in teaching careers as well as art than being an art teacher could be the perfect job for you. Not only do you earn the normal teachers’ salary of around $40,000 per year but you get teachers retirement and other benefits that are not applicable to folks employed at more mundane jobs. Not only that, but you get the pleasure of spreading your knowledge on to new, young minds!

Curator

A curator is the person who runs and manages a museum. Depending upon the museum you are running this can be quite a prestigious job. However; often, curating will have very little that is artistic and creative to do other than setting up exhibits. If you love antiquities, don’t mind dealing with hoards of screaming children and have an art degree than you should consider it. Curators earn between $30,000 and $70,000 per year!

Art Director

An art director is faced with the task of directing, organizing and creating images for use in consumer marketing OR can be in charge of holding, creating and managing art galas for the sale of works by artists. Each type of this field works in the same but slightly different methods by using advertisement, management, concepts and procedures to produce a good result for their business or client. Art directors earn a median salary of $55,000 per year.

Film Editor

If you are fond of movies or just like editing than being a film editor could be great. A film editor’s job is to take raw film and cut, clip and paste it together to create a visually appealing and fast moving image that runs smoothly together. Film editors mostly are required to have a strong knowledge of popular film editing software, techniques and the ability to decide what should go where as well as to change colors to be more visually appealing.

Archeologist

The job of an archeologist might sound like a thing of the past but believe it or not, archeologists are still at it and hard at work.  Archeologists find, excavate and investigate parts of art and history, and usually end up digging them up. Archeologists should have a Master degree and will earn a median of $70,000 per year!

Wondering how to become an art teacher? If you are interested in teaching art than you are required to have a few basic principles and qualifications. Here are the answers to a few basic questions you might have about how to become an art teacher.

Will I Need a Degree to Become an Art Teacher?

Yes, in fact, you will need a degree. Being an art teacher will generally require a minimum of an Associate degree in fine art though, some larger schools will require that you have a bachelor or even master degree before hiring you to teach art at their school. Degrees that you can earn to become an art teacher include art history, photography, painting, graphic design, or any other art and design degree.

What Other Qualifications Do I Need To Become an Art Teacher?

Being an art teacher means that you are required to have basic personality and social skills so that you get along well with the children or adults you aim to teach. If you do not have a personality that meshes well with others then you might find more satisfaction studying art or working in one of many art careers.  Teachers of any kind must be patient, understanding and willing to go over a method or idea multiple times until a student understands it. Also, in many cases, individual states will require you to pass a state teachers exam and probably run a background check as well. This is to ensure them and the parents of the children you are teaching that you are qualified, reliable and safe around their children!

What is an Art Teacher’s Salary?

An art teacher’s salary can vary greatly from school to school however; the median salary is about $55,000 per year.  Wages can range as low as $30,000 per year and as high as $70,000 per year. If you are starting out teaching with a low degree, expect to earn the minimum but be aware that your salary will grow as you gain work experience and possibly education experience as well!

What Age Group Can I Teach As An Art Teacher?

Depending upon your level of education and teacher training you can teach almost any age group. However, your education requirements will differ for each group. Teaching art to kindergarten students might require no degree at all but perhaps a great deal of experience working as a teachers aid, in a daycare or etc. while teaching high school or college students might require little to no teacher training and a master degree. Decide what age group you would like to teach and educate yourself accordingly!

Learning to illustrate can be the first step to getting a job at as a magazine illustrator, making your own cartoons, beginning to illustrate books or to do more contemporary art such as Manga, animated films or even modern art. Learning to illustrate is the key to successfully starting your art career.

Illustration is the art of drawing images or pictures to fit into a scene in order to decorate, clarify or explain its content. In some cases illustration is also the art of drawing pictures instead of using words in order to tell a story (such as with Manga).

If you wish to pursue your degree than you should be interested in attending an online school, online schools allow you the freedom to study where and when you want without the hassle of living in a dorm room or attending class every day. If you are interested in taking your art to the next level and being more creative; here are five of the best online colleges that offer illustration classes!

Academy of Art University Online

The Academy of Art University Online offers an Associate, Bachelor and Master in Fine Arts, Illustration. These courses cover classical art skills, portfolio development, drawing, painting, typography and digital illustration. The Associate is a 2 year course and is the most basic with very limited training in a wide array of art skills, Bachelor expands on these skills and students portfolios are judged and criticized (for their benefit) and students are taught to use their images in the marketplace, to tell a story with images and to convey feelings and mood through their illustrations. The Master of fine Arts in Illustration offers students the chance to develop their own personal style while learning classic drawing skills, perfecting their skills and learning to market, advertise and use their work in a variety of well-paying jobs.

Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh features several in depth courses in illustration however, they are not degrees. The illustration courses at Pittsburgh online are part of their other courses including illustration for game design, illustrating photography, animating illustration and etc. The school offers a wide variety of different illustration programs that will help you get started in the illustration path of your choice!

Digital Media Arts University

The Digital Media Arts University offers courses in illustration for game art, design and several others. The school is accredited and all studies can be done online. The Digital Media Arts University will teach you illustration skills that are specific to the field you wish to study in so that all of your education is beneficial to your future career.

Full Sail University             

Full Sail University Online offers illustration programs in their game art design, digital arts & design, graphic design and media design courses. These courses include associate, bachelor and master degrees and cover a wide array of study material other than illustration that is designed to help you succeed in your chosen field.

International Academy of Design & Technology Online

The International Academy of Design  &  Technology Online is based in Tampa Florida but offers classes to students worldwide. The school offers illustration programs in game art and design, design, fashion and animation!

Full sail University is a high profile art and design school that offers both offline and online college courses. This Full Sail University Review offers an in depth look at the schools teaching methods, curriculum, tuition cost and rate of graduation, etc. so that you can make a fully informed decision about attending the school.

Courses at Full Sail University

Full Sail University Online offers 23 online courses which is actually more than they offer on campus. These courses include Bachelors, Masters and Two graduate certification programs that require a Bachelor degree if you would like to take them. Courses include

• Creative Writing MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
• EBMS: Sports Management Elective Track (Master of Science)
• Entertainment Business (Master of Science)
• Education Media Design & Technology (Master of Science)
• Internet Marketing (Master of Science)
• Media Design (Master of Fine Arts)
• New Media Journalism (Master of Arts)
• Computer Animation (Bachelor of Science)
• Creative Writing for Entertainment (Bachelor of Fine Arts)
• Digital Cinematography (Bachelor of Science)
• Entertainment Business (Bachelor of Science)
• Game Art (Bachelor of Science)
• Game Design (Bachelor of Science)
• Graphic Design (Bachelor of Science)
• Internet Marketing (Bachelor of Science)
• Music Business (Bachelor of Science)
• Mobile Development (Bachelor of Science)
• Music Production (Bachelor of Science)
• Sports Marketing & Media (Bachelor of Science)
• Web Design & Development (Bachelor of Science)
• Education Media Design & Technology (Graduate Certificate)
• Internet Marketing (Graduate Certificate)

Cost of Tuition

Tuition at Full Sail University is actually somewhat high when compared to other schools; however, when considering what you receive, it is actually reasonable. Master degree courses cost about $600-$800 per credit hour (for online courses) and there is an average of 338-48 hours per semester with a total of three semesters. This means that each student will need $10,000 in tuition fees per semester or about $30,000 for the full tuition with Media Design coming in somewhere around $36,000 for full tuition. However, these fees include the cost of some study materials such as textbooks, manuals, media production and technology fees. Most online colleges charge each of these separately. It should also be noted that students will have the option of purchasing necessary software and computers from Full Sail University at a discount rate!

Teaching Methods

Full Sail University uses a variety of teaching methods for their online programs. In general each student is assigned to a classroom where they will work in teams and alone to complete projects. In most cases, one teacher will not have more than 15-30 students which means that you will get plenty of attention.

Full Sail University also provides an innovative final assignment that gives students the opportunities to create modules or samples that they can then use to find employment!

Statistics

Full Sail University has a $75 entrance fee, a $200 per degree seat reservation and rolling admissions which means that you can apply and begin study at any time of year. Full Sail University has a very relaxed acceptance rate which means that they accept almost anyone who can come up with the money to attend. Student faculty ratio is around 11:1 which means that there is around 1 professor to every 11 students! Their job placement rate after graduation is an amazing 80% which is much higher than most other schools! The school teaches about 12,500 students, many of whom study online.

5 Reasons to Study for Your Art Degree Online

Whether you are currently studying for your art degree at an on-campus college or are considering studying for your degree, you should consider attending an online college.  Distance learning institutions are a method of higher education that is rapidly growing in popularity and an estimated hundred million plus online students.

Multiple College Choices

Studying for your art degree online gives you an almost endless list of universities you can attend. If you were studying on campus you would have to select a college by how easily you could get to them, by the expense of their dorm rooms and you would also have to consider travel time between your college and your home. When you choose to study your art degree online, you can choose any school regardless of location and study it right from the comfort of your own home. Whether it be Phoenix University from Arizona or FloridaTechonline, there are no expensive dormitory or travel costs to be considered.

Cheaper Tuition

One of the most important things to consider about studying for your art degree online is that it will generally cost a great deal less than attending a normal on campus school. While on-campus education can cost anywhere from $4,000 per year for a community college and $40,000 per year for a private college, online education is usually under $20,000 per year and generally at least ¼ cheaper than attending the same school on campus.

Study Whenever

Another benefit is that you can study at your own pace. In most cases students who study for their art degree online are given a certain amount of work to complete within a week period and then are allowed to turn it in at any time during the week. This means that you can study everything in the first few days of the week, or study every day between the hours of midnight and 4 AM.  As long as you turn the work in on time you are free to study whenever you want.  Students studying for their art degree online will also have access to onlineartlibraries and will not have to travel to do research! This means you have the freedom to do whatever you like, whenever you like when you are not studying.

Work While You Study

One of the benefits of being able to study whenever you like is that if you want to or have to, you can hold down a full time job while you study your online art degree. This means that you can either provide money to feed yourself and your family or pay bills, you can earn work experience in your field or you can continue to work in order to support your lifestyle or etc. Other options include that you can care for a family member, spend a great deal of time with family or even raise children without any problems while you study. This means that studying online gives many people the ability to earn their art degree when they would otherwise be held back because of prior responsibilities.

Overall Benefits

Studying for your art degree online allows you to study whenever and wherever you like. It allows you to study from home if you like. Studying online gives you the freedom to choose your school and allows you to cut tuition costs. Much in contrary to popular belief, studying online does not even affect your ability to receive studentaid. As long as you are attending an accredited online school, you are just as eligible as a traditional college student for aid. So, what are you waiting for? Start looking for a great online art school today!

Five Online Art Libraries

If you are studying an onlinecourse for art than you should be interested in learning about onlineartlibraries. Finding your reference material and images online will not only save you time but money and flipping through books as well. Here are five great online art libraries:

Oxford Art Online

Oxfordartonline is a great place to find art history, images, reference material, biographies, and etc. The library has over 40,000 images and 21,000 biographies in over 23,000 subjects, all searchable by name, author, period and type. The Oxford Art Online Library is a division of Oxford University and does require students to sign up before use.

Dadabase

The best place to find modern art galleries and exhibitions, Dadabase is a Canadian project with mostly Canadian artists. If you are studying modern art, need a few images for your assignment or are just looking for inspiration, Dadabase is a great place to go!

WWW: Virtual Library: History of Art

This is a great place to find arthistory, art information and some images. The website is 100% free and features access to large, printable art images, art history, biographies and more. The site also features a search engine that allows search by category, period, type, author and more.  The site is funded by the United Kingdoms but is added to worldwide by museums, universities and artists.

Artcyclopedia

This website is great for finding out just about anything about art. History, images, biographies, texts, articles and more are all available within the reach of a search. The website features artists such as Van Gogh, Da Vinci and more and uses an easy search system that allows students to find their art information quickly and easily. Artcyclopedia features over 8,000 digital art images that can be referenced, printed and more.

Intute

Intute is last on this list because it does not solely cater to art students. Despite this, the website still offers a great deal of online art information and can be considered one of the best online art libraries available. The library features articles, images, sections on music, theatre, dance, drama and the visual arts and much more!

Online Art Degree

If you have ever asked, ‘How do I be an Artist’ than you might want to consider earning an online art degree.  Earning your art degree online allows you to study anytime, anywhere and allows you to hold down a full time job, gain work experience or take care of a family member without sacrificing your study time. Students who study online can study from the comfort of their own homes, pay cheaper tuition and do not face the restrictions or expense of living in a dorm.

Online Art Degree Careers

Students with an online art degree can either apply their knowledge to work or can apply it to becoming an artist in fine arts. Careers available for students with an online art degree are quite varied and can range from working in art galleries, museums, consultant, art appraiser, arts administrator, art editor, art writer and much more.

Today, students with art degrees are in high demand in the working environment, jobs are expected to grow at least 15% by 2018 which is faster than average. People with an online art degree are valued for their creativity, thinking abilities, knowledge and problem solving skills which are useful in almost any career!

Online Art Degree Benefits

Earning an online art degree allows you to do whatever you like while you study. You can finish your work more quickly or more slowly than you would be able to at a traditional university or you can attend special classes to help further your education during your study.

Online art students are part of a minority of students who study something that they love and that will eventually help them to earn a high income, employee value and a good, solid career with plenty of options and growth. No matter what branch of the arts you would like to study in, an online art degree will help you to achieve your goals and become a success in your chosen profession.

It’s great to be able to develop your writing. It’s even better to create a visual painting with words. Developing your artistic skills can be a challenge when you are trying to have readers see what you see in your mind.

Descriptive words, or adjectives, are your best friends in writing. These are the words that tell the reader how many, what color, and even what size. They draw the picture and add the technical effects for you, helping the reader become part of the scene. Your scenery in your mind isn’t black and white, so why should that be what your reader sees? Your mind sees a dark, creepy alley with many different aspects. However, if you don’t describe these details, your reader will not only see whatever they want but could possibly lose interest, too.

Here’s an exercise. take the following sentence and add as many adjectives you can to it:

The store was bit with lots of shelves.

Without creating an intensive run-on sentence, turn this store into something that everyone can relate to. These are my changes. See how they compare to yours:

The grocery was vast, shelves looming over shoppers and glowing with carefully arranged products while dairy items were set as neatly as soldiers on a defensive line.

By reading that sentence, you see shelves hovering over the top of the customers. By adding the word “glowing,” I changed the negativity of the word “looming.” “Soldiers” distinctly tells the reader the neatness and gives them a sense of order and operation.

Adjectives have many different purposes and can be used so many ways. Remember that adjectives are your friends and can make the difference between your story being a crying bore or tantalizing the reader to turn the pages. See how you can take one paragraph and make it a picture worth the thousand words you wrote.

You’ve made your characters real, as real as possible. From the tax accountant to the beggar on the street, you know that you can relate to everyone in your story somehow and in some way. Now it’s time to give that story some style. A way, a look, a thought that will not be forgotten.

From the serene and believable waters of Lake Tahoe to the quirky 9th world of Schakkanida, your story deserves the right form of settings as well as the style of a lifetime. This is the life of the book, what makes the reader be brought into the world that only your mind imagined.

Fantasy writers – you have this in the bag. As long as you make the situations realistic, meaning a plot that has a significant reason behind it that can be related in this “real” world, your job is a piece of cake. Not to mention, it’s a blast making up all of those aliens, seahorses, or whatever gets your goat. Though you have a job in front of you, you can also bet that when you are done, you will believe what you wrote, and so will everyone else.

For other genres, remember that you have to keep your story “real” to be believable. These are characters who count, relate, and have things happen to them that would be normal. The car broke down…too simple. How about “His 65 Shelby screeched to a halt as he heard the unforgivable release of chains under the hood.” Now that we can see.

Still using the car example, remember that there are over 10 different manufacturers of vehicles, and hundreds of models by each one. Whether it is a pick up, sedan, or even a monster truck, you will need to tell your reader what it is to make them see it just as you do. Define the car. Is it a Cadillac, used in police work? Or maybe a run down Gremlin from the 80s? How about a Scorpion, owned by the largest drug lord of Veracruz? 

Each of these define the person, the style of the story, and tell the reader whether or not you did your homework when looking. Do you know where the car came from? Is it European or Japanese or American?

The same goes with many of the details of your story. You may think that the smallest of details will be overlooked, but guaranteed, a hefty and avid reader will notice the missing links. Ensure that your world becomes theirs with the use of plenty of adverbs and adjectives to tell the world what you see.

It’s time. You are ready to sit down and write that amazing novel. You have an amazing idea, a plot, a wonderful and lovable ending, and characters that are present.

Wait, characters? Who are they? Can you see them, feel them? Can you punch that jerk in the face while scooping up the girl of the century? The real question is are your characters real?

How do you make them real? Well, one of the easiest ways is to continue to write about who you know. Perhaps your key character is a rich uncle who is deranged from the family. Now do the interview. Who is he? How did he get so much cash? Why didn’t you get any? Why does the family hate him so much?

This is the easy part. Finding out who your character is may be one of the easiest parts of your entire writing process. Knowing the age, where they come from, their styles, hobbies, relationships, children, dialect… Ok maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves. Once you know the base mold of your character, you can start adding in their subtitles, making them real, making them purely believable “people”.

As you write, think about where you want your character to be from. Are the local? If so, bring your setting into play. It is just as equally hard to wrap a Bronx dialect in as it is to sink Ebonics in to where the character not only is real, but has a voice. Read your dialogues back and see if you can hear them talking, as if you were eavesdropping. If you can’t hear them, break out the eraser.

Here’s a great sample, derived from a book in progress:

“This room be dusty. Ain’t you got no cleanin’ woman? You sho’ ain’t got cause iffin ya did this room would be clean as a whistle, mm hmm.”

“No, we don’t have a cleaning woman, or man for that matter.”

“Well, seein’ as how you rested my’s employah, I might be plyin’ for that job. Y’all sho’ could be usin’ a good cleanin’ round here.”

“I might just put you down for the job Mattie. Seems you keep Mr. Demure’s house fairly clean.”

“Fairly? Fairly!” Mattie was irate. “Listen, mistah, you don’t be knowin’ me, and you ain’t be havin’ no right to be sayin’ how I does my work.”

Look at the language, the obvious misspellings. The thing is, nothing is misspelled. It is the dialect of Ebonics and Southern culture wrapped together into one. It makes the main character, Mattie, believable, and recognizable. You can hear her voice in your mind, know that she is not only under-educated, but poor, Southern, and possibly African American. For the sake of this ideal lesson, we will say that she is and the man she is speaking with is a detective, well rounded, well educated, and trying to stay calm.

Didn’t see that coming did you?

The idea is to develop your character not only in his or her description, but to add and become the character as you write them. Your character can be a corporate paralegal, uptight and thinks they know everything. How do you depict this character? Find ways to make them awesome, even if they are the antagonist. Without the awesome, the character doesn’t exist and will never be memorable.

As a writer, one of the hardest things you will find is real character of a story. This is the emotion of the story, the feel that the reader gets as they continue to turn the page, and what makes or breaks your book as a page turner or page tosser. Thrillers are just as difficult to write as romances are, just as comedy can be just as difficult as erotica.

No matter what your genre is, you need to make the reader feel it. Suspense writers have the yearning to make a stomach quiver and force the adrenaline glands to burn calories. Romance novelists need to make the heart throb, the eyes water, and at the end, make the reader saw, “Awe.” Erotica writers…well, you know exactly what should be felt.

How do you change your style? The answer is you don’t. Keep your style of writing, but keep it real. Your genre should reflect situations that are real to you. This includes all of the sci-fi fanatics. If you can see it and believe it, it is real to you.

For example, a good thriller is expecting the unexpected. You know who  your antagonist is, but keep the reader guessing at who’s next on his or her list. After all, real life officers never know who might be next, so why should your reader? Keep the action up, and avoid repeating yourself. Even though your killer thriller may have an M.O., spice it up. The same boring “Oh he cut her down with a hacksaw” routine is exactly that… boring, and definitely a page tosser.

The same idea runs true for every fictional genre out there. Mysteries work better when every character is involved, no matter how minor they may seem. This includes paralegals, judges, company canines, the little girl across the street, and so on. Each player has a reason for being there, or you wouldn’t have thought them up in the first place.

Don’t be the next drop off at a local grab bag book sale. Become the tale that readers will remember for years to come, if not a repeat reader all the way around. Page tossers never make it past the third chapter, and many times, never will just to see if it picks up.