Paint Oil Portraits

Oil paints are smooth and easy to work with. They have a fluidity and are easy to blend. If you have ever wanted to paint someones portrait using oil paints, you will enjoy how easy it is to blend skin tones and to create natural shading. Here is a step by step guide to painting a portrait with oil paints.

Instructions

1. Prepare your painting area by laying down a drop cloth, setting up your easel, and setting up the stool where your model will sit . Make sure the stool is in an area that is well lighted and visible. Fill an empty can with odor-free turpentine to clean your brushes while you work and set it up next to you. Set up a hand towel so that you can clean your hands or your area. Lay out your brushes, linseed oil, oil paints and palette. You are ready to start painting.

2. Set up the model so that she is facing the direction you want to paint her and begin to draw her face onto your canvas. Drawing faces well takes practice and patience. Try to make the face as lifelike as you can.

3. Block out the face. Using your paints and a larger brush, block out the face using skin tone colors in generalized areas. If you see lighter areas where the light is hitting, paint those areas lighter using the colors that you see on your person. For darker areas that are shaded from the light, paint those areas using darker shades. If your paint is too thick, use your linseed oil to thin out the paints. Once your blocking is done, you can paint in the details.

4. Paint the details. Using a smaller brush, begin to paint in the details of the face, such as the eyes, ears, lashes, wrinkles and specific shadowing. Take your time when adding in the small details. Since oil paints do not dry right away, you may want to take your time, even days, to complete your painting. Once you are finished with the detailing and are satisfied with your work, set your painting aside and let it dry completely.

Get A Good Performance Evaluation

Although employee performance management systems are necessary to objectively assess a worker's performance, most people are concerned that they will not get a good performance evaluation. Why? Because it can be a de-motivating time when the boss reads off a list of mistakes the worker has made since the last performance appraisal. But, all is not lost. A performance evaluation can be a positive experience if you are well-prepared and armed with facts to support your own evaluation of what you achieved over the performance review period. To ensure that you get a good performance evaluation and that it is fair, accurate and positive, take these steps.

Instructions

1. Avoid the "Halo and Horns" effect as much as possible. The halo effect occurs when a worker does something outstanding just before the performance review that causes the boss to overrate his overall performance. The horns effect is just the opposite. The worker makes a big mistake or fails to achieve a visible result, again right before the performance review that causes the boss to underrate her overall performance.

2. Set goals in advance of the employee performance evaluation. Prioritize your goals and discuss them with your boss. Quantify results to be achieved as much as possible. List personal development goals on the performance evaluation form that you wish to accomplish such as completing a degree or developing a new skill.

3. Keep score all year long. Bosses like to be kept informed about your progress toward goals. By keeping records of achievements and problems, you will have sufficient documentation to support the formal employee assessment.

4. Fully participate in your performance evaluation by preparing for the formal performance review meeting. If necessary, schedule the meeting yourself. Take the initiative in discussing how your performance has positively impacted company results. Ask for and provide specifics to support your results.

5. Assess yourself against performance goals and job requirements. Both you and your boss are responsible for evaluating how your performance contributes to the bottom line. If your performance appraisal system consists of 360 degree feedback, pay special attention to the employee assessment component. Use it to provide your boss with balanced performance feedback.

6. Maintain a positive attitude throughout the performance review discussion. Show your boss that you are a productive employee who takes performance evaluations seriously.

Paint Ocean Waves In Watercolors

Mask off areas to preserve where the waves crest.

Have fun experimenting with different effects when painting ocean waves using watercolors. The basic rule for painting in watercolor is that white areas are left white. Mask off areas where the crests are formed to keep them white and sparkly. When applying color, lighter values go on first and then build each layer of color to the darkest. This is the opposite of acrylics and oil painting, where dark values go on first.

Instructions

Soap

1. Dip brush into blue paint, and then move it around on a bar of soap. (See Reference 1)

2. Paint on paper using wavy patterns. The soap will create a wavy streak effect on the paper.

3. Repeat the process using another shade of blue and create more wavy patterns on the paper.

Newspaper

4. Mask the water color paper with newspaper randomly placing were the ocean waves will crest and create white foam. (See Reference 2)

5. Paint an ocean color over the newspaper with a wash such as blues or greens over the randomly placed piece of paper and let dry. Use a variety of washes by applying colors side by side and letting them bleed into each other. Let dry.

6. Remove the newspaper.

Sea Sponge

7. Using a sea sponge dipped in a liquid mask, sponge on paper where the waves will crest. This will keep the area white as paint is applied over the mask. Let dry. (See Reference 3)

8. Apply various shades of blue-green color to the paper by painting side to side and then dragging the paint brush down to create a flow-down effect.

9. Add dark blue paint under the mask to outline the foam and add shadows. Let dry and then wipe away the liquid mask.

Paint On Linen

You can paint on linen in oils or acrylics.

Painting on linen is the preferred canvas of many artists for the authentic feel it gives and for the liveliness of the colors that linen brings out. Linen can come in rolls or in sheets fully primed and stretched from art suppliers. However, doing your own priming and stretching will make these canvases last longer. Linen also comes in different grades of roughness. You can use oil or acrylic paints on linen. It is an organic fabric that will swell as it absorbs moisture but will return to its original state once dry.

Instructions

Priming the Canvas

1. Add gesso into the plastic container and stir. Add water to thin the gesso, following instructions on the packet for how much water to add. Stir quickly since this mixture dries rapidly.

2. Wet the gesso brush with water and squeeze off excess. Dip into the mixture, ensuring there is not too much gesso on the brush for the first coat. Brush the gesso on the canvas in strokes equal to the length of the canvas in the same direction.

3. Clean the brush with soap and water. Lather, add water, squeeze dry and reshape brush. Cover the remaining gesso in the plastic container with plastic wrap.

4. Allow the gesso to dry for at least an hour.

5. Sand the first coat lightly using fine sandpaper. Wipe the canvas with a cloth to get rid of any dust. Apply the second coat in the opposite direction and allow to dry.

Stretching the Canvas

6. Take four stretchers and join to make a square, using a tongue-and-groove method. Align the corners using the metal right angle and use the hammer to align them into shape. The stretchers should all show the maker's name on the same side.

7. Put plastic sheeting on the floor to protect your canvas. Lay the canvas on the plastic and then put the square stretcher bars on top. Use a hammer to adjust the stretcher bars until all lay flat. You must have an excess of one and a half to two inches of canvas paper to fold over the stretchers. If necessary, use scissors or knife to cut canvas to correct size.

8. Lay one side of canvas paper over the stretcher and tack it to secure in the center. Turn canvas over. Pull the canvas with pliers until a crease forms. Tack in the center the opposite end of the stretched canvas.

9. Do the same for the other two sides of the canvas. After all four sides are tacked, a diamond-shaped crease will appear in the center of the canvas.

10. Tack the canvas sides nearest to the corners, one and a half inches from the center tacks.

Paint Ocean Scenes With Watercolors

Even if you live miles away from the sea, painting an ocean scene with watercolors provides a chance to develop your artistic skills. When you're finished, you'll have a beautiful piece of custom artwork suitable for displaying in your home or giving as a gift.

Instructions

1. Use masking tape around the edges of your watercolor paper to attach it to a stiff board. This creates a smooth surface for your painting and prevents your paper from buckling while it's damp.

2. Sketch a light outline of the ocean scene onto the watercolor paper. For a beginning artist, it's usually easier to sketch from a photograph than it is to paint directly from nature. When you work with photographs, there's no need to worry about problems caused by changing light or weather conditions.

3. Apply a light wash of color to the paper to distinguish between the background and foreground areas of your ocean scene. Leave a few white areas in the sky to suggest the presence of clouds.

4. Build up depth to your painting by applying additional layers of pigment as needed. An ocean scene painted with watercolors needs two or three layers of color in most cases, with the darkest point being at the horizon line.

5. Add waves with a small brush to make your ocean scene look realistic. Remember that the waves need to be larger at the bottom and smaller at the top.

6. Soften hard edges in the sky and water by using a clean, damp brush and a gentle scrubbing motion. This technique works particularly well for areas that would be touched by sea spray.

7. Lightly erase any visible pencil marks once your ocean scene is completely dry. Remove the masking tape before you frame your painting.

Paint Ocean Scenes

Seascape artists learn paint water, waves, sky, and light.

Ocean scenes make a wonderful subject for a painter. Artists use a variety of media, including acrylics, oils and watercolors, to represent the beauty of the ocean. With practice, you can learn paint water, waves and sky skillfully.

Instructions

1. Draw a line with a pencil across the canvas where you want the horizon to be. Place a strip of masking tape along the bottom of the line, across the width of the canvas.

2. Mix the colors for your sky. For a blue sky, mix ultramarine blue, thalo blue and white. Thin with a small amount of water and gloss medium. Brush the paint all over the sky area with a large brush. Add a little more white to the paint and brush the lighter tone across the bottom of the horizon, about 1 inch high. Blend the paint with a wet rag, moving from right to left.

3. Allow the sky area to dry. Remove the tape. Place a fresh piece of tape across the canvas with the top edge along the bottom of the sky.

4. Mix ultramarine blue with a small amount of thalo blue and green for the sea. Set aside some of the paint and add a small amount of white to it for a lighter tone. Brush the darker color onto the canvas, leaving a couple of inches below the horizon uncovered. Paint with the lighter tone under the horizon line. Blend the paint with a wet rag, from side to side.

5. Mix white with a small amount of ultramarine blue. Apply some horizontal dabs with a small brush to suggest waves. Add small specks of pure white to the waves to suggest froth and bubbles. Remove the tape from the horizon line.

Paint Oceans In Oils

Painting the ocean can be a relaxing hobby.

The ocean makes an enjoyable subject for oil paintings. Whether you want to paint a calm ocean scene or depict the often-violent nature of a stormy sea, capturing an ocean in oil can be enjoyable and relaxing, and the finished painting will make a fine decorative piece for any room in your home -- or even a gift for family or friends. Using a few simple colors and some classic blending techniques, you can create an ocean oil painting to be proud of.

Instructions

1. Sketch your scene on canvas with a pencil. Don't worry about the details -- you need a rough guide that will show you how you're going to fill your space. Determine what you want in the scene. You may have some of the shore, or you might choose to focus more on the ocean and the distant skyline. What you choose will depend on the type of ocean painting you want to create.

2. Paint light undertones of oil paint on all areas of your painting to provide a foundation upon which to build. Use a light blue oil paint along the sky line and over the water, a light shade of gray oil paint over rocks if you have them in the composition, and white oil paint around the edge of the water. Applying this undertone will add support to the colors you apply later as you build your oils onto the canvas.

3. Layer on darker surface colors to bring out the depth of the painting. Apply the paint with short brush strokes or curved strokes that allow the bristles of the brush to produce some texture. Paint darker colors over your lighter colors after the lighter colors have dried. For the water, use alternating applications of blue and teal to give your water tonal variation.

4. Add touches of dark red throughout the water to deepen the color. Where your waves break, add another darker layer of teal and blue, with touches of gray or black to bring out shadow and to help create the swell of the waves.

5. Sponge the white around the tips of the waves to create a foamy effect. Apply two or three layers of white to build up the definition of the waves, and then sponge again to bring out more foam.

Paint Natural Stones

Allow the rock's shape to suggest a subject: for example, a round, flat-bottomed stone might ask to be painted like a turtle.

The next time you comb the beach or walk through a natural trail and find a flat-faced, smooth stone, pick it up to use as an unexpected canvas. You can use a larger, hand-painted stone as a doorstop, or you could gather many stones to use as vase fillers or landscape decorations. You can also use your natural stone painting project as an activity for children. Participating children will appreciate your adventurous use of materials and will also take away a personalized keepsake.

Instructions

1. Scrub your stones clean with your scrub brush and hot water. Allow your stones to dry completely before proceeding.

2. Paint the stones with a layer of overall color if you want to cover the entire stone with paint. Use your large, flat tip brush. Paint one flat side of each stone first, allow the paint to dry, and then paint the opposite side. If your first coat of paint dried semi-transparent, and you wanted a more opaque background, add a second coat of paint.

3. Trace a light outline of any designs you plan to paint on your stones. Skip this step if you just want to paint a large amount of stones to use in a decorative display.

4. Paint any dark outlines over the lines you drew on your rocks first, and allow them to dry. Paint the rest of the rocks following the sketches you drew. Since controlling and blending multiple colors is difficult on the rocks' smooth, hard surfaces, you'll want to paint each color separately and allow each color to dry between applications. For broad shapes, use your medium brush; add details to your work with your narrow tip brush.

5. Coat your work with varnish once the stones are totally dry.

Paint Murals On Stone

Within your home, the personal touches you add can bring a welcoming feel to any room. In many households, stone tiles accent the kitchen or bathroom. A popular trend is painting your own murals on the stones. Painting these murals yourself may be more cost efficient than purchasing ready-made stones. Whether you cover a few tiles with separate designs or create an entire showpiece emulating a window or other large scene, murals painted on stone are a beautiful addition to your home.

Instructions

1. Lay out newspaper on a flat surface and place ceramic, granite, marble or any natural stone(s) on top.

2. Put Styrofoam plates onto a flat table surface and squeeze desired acrylic paints onto the plates.

3. Place the stencil on the stone, or plan your freehand design.

4. Apply paint onto the surface of the stone. Continue until you have completed the mural you want.

5. Wait a full 24 hours and then apply the acrylic glaze over the painted surfaces. Wait another 24 hours before using the stones. The glaze prevents surface damage such as scratches and makes your designs waterproof.

Paint Mountain Ranges With Spray Paint Art

Spray paint art started as an accepted form in New Mexico, but its influence now covers the globe. Landscapes are among the common themes of spray paint art, and you can use them to express yourself with real life portrayals or surrealistic depictions.

Instructions

1. Paint your sky or background first. Make sure that you have completely covered the areas of the canvas that might be seen through your mountains with spray paint. You can't go back and fix missed areas later.

2. Tear a ragged edge onto your card stock or newspaper. This tear will form the silhouette of your mountains. If you want your mountains to appear layered, then you can tear multiple shapes of varying height into the card stock, or even use multiple sheets of card stock.

3. Place the card stock which contains the mountain shapes you wish to appear farthest away against your background. Mountains in a night scene will appear almost black, while during a daylight landscape they will be a somewhat hazy blue-green color.

4. Use the mountain stencil to spray on darker and lighter ridges to give your mountains a 3D effect. Use the ragas and newspaper to add more depth to your mountains. Use the original mountain stencil to spray snow on the tops of your mountains. You can carefully bleed this snow down the ridges of your mountains.

5. Set the second stencil, containing the torn layout of the nearer landscape against your mountains. Use greens, browns, blues, and yellows to spray in the rolling hills, or canyons which your stencil creates.

6. Add any additional detail to the image that you want. Then let the painting dry for just a few minutes. Thoroughly coat the image with clear coat enamel spray paint.

Paint Faces On Glass

Create a masterpiece by painting faces on glass.

Glass painting is a fun, creative activity that involves tracing, stenciling and painting on transparent glass. You have probably seen face paintings on glass at cathedrals or certain retail stores, and now you can learn to create your own glass paintings at home. With guidance, you can paint faces on glass for home decor, to give as a gift, for decorating a retail window display or as an arts and crafts activity.

Instructions

1. Clean the transparent glass with alcohol and dry with a soft cloth.

2. Take a piece of paper and draw an outline of a face in the center, leaving a margin of 1 1/2 inches on each side; it is ideal to have the piece of paper and the glass roughly the same size or get paper that is slightly larger.

3. Place the sheet of paper on top of the glass and align perfectly. Make sure your traced drawing is facing the inside of the glass so it can be seen through the other side of the glass and you can trace it. Use a clear adhesive keep the paper in place. Turn the glass over.

4. Slowly trace your drawing with glass liner, starting at the top and working your way to the bottom; try not to smudge the liner while tracing. Once you are finished tracing, leave your glass to dry for 3 hours. Once dried, fill in the drawing with your choice of glass paint colors; do not give the paint a second coat to avoid a shabby appearance.

5. Let your painting dry overnight on a flat surface. Do not lift vertically while wet to avoid bleeding colors. Remove the paper from the back of the glass once the paint is dry.

Paint Monotypes With Oil Pastels

Any monoprint can be accenuated or detailed using oil pastels.

A monotype is a simple ink or paint print. A design or drawing is painted or inked onto a flat plate, and then a sheet of paper is pressed onto the plate. A roller is used to fully transfer the design to the paper. This produces a single high-quality print of a design, making each monotype an original work of art. Monotypes can be inked in various colors, but many artists choose to paint over a monotype to add details and color. Oil pastels are very popular for this method.

Instructions

1. Choose a dry, finished monotype. Monotypes with wet ink will smear when the oil pastel is added. Oil pastel also will not adhere easily to damp paper.

2. Consider where you will add the oil pastel. Monotypes are generally known for being black and white, and adding too much color may detract from the quality of the original piece of art.

3. Apply the oil pastels. Oil pastel artist Sarah Theophilus recommends laying down a thin layer of color first, then blending and building layers slowly for more control over the finished look.

4. Apply an oil pastel fixative. The experts at Draw and Paint recommend spraying an oil pastel fixative over the whole monotype when the piece is completed, as oil pastels never fully dry out and can be smudged or damaged without a fixative.

Paint Mexican Glazed Tile

Color gives Mexican tile designs the variety unique to Mexican culture. The geometric tile patterns seen in homes and public buildings have traditional motifs and symbols dating back to the 13th century, with roots in the cultures from native Mexico, Spain, the Mediterranean, China and the Italian Renaissance. Familiar designs decorate each tile. The hand-painted shapes give Saltillo, Alhambra and Talavera tiles their beauty.

Instructions

1. Make your design to fit your decorating plans. Choose a traditional pattern with geometric shapes, motifs and symbols from Mexico. Squares, ovals and triangles make good geometric shapes. Use a pattern with both straight sides and lines that turn in and out. Then, select your colors. Traditional tiles have three to seven colors chosen from three sets: blue, orange, green, red and yellow; brown, beige and tan; and white and black.

Each tile is part of a single pattern you plan for the kitchen countertops, backsplashes, step rises, floor, patio or fireplace mantle. In the single pattern, alternate decorated tiles with solid color tiles. Traditional mission tile designs use four tile sets that make up one pattern that is part of the whole pattern.

2. Glaze the tiles to make the smooth surface ready for fine painting. Dip each tile in glaze in the tray. Fire all the tiles in a kiln to make the tile surface hard and glassy smooth. You can choose either gloss or matte glaze to give the tile a brilliant top that reflects light.

3. Hand-paint each tile. With your design as a reference, paint each tile with craft brushes. Begin with thin black lines that lay in the tile pattern. These lines are borders for the color shapes. One color at a time, paint each colored shape. Layer paint until the faces are solid and consistent. Paint your edges so the colors meet at the border.

4. Fire the tiles to make the painted top hard and durable. Place the painted tiles in a kiln, and heat until the paint sets permanent. The colors take on their final hues and values in the kiln. Know how your colors change in the heat.

5. Finish the tiles with a tile sealer. Brush on an even sealer coat with the flat brush. Let dry. Radiant, colorful tiles are ready to be layed in the design.

Paint On A Magnetic Dry Erase Board

If you're looking for a larger canvas for your work, a dry erase board may be just the solution.

Magnetic dry erase boards are large boards typically used in classrooms and work spaces. They are created for writing on with dry erase markers, and having notes attached to them with magnets. Some people may see them differently, however -- perhaps as a canvas for a large painting. In just a few steps you can paint on your magnetic dry erase board, turning it into a piece of art for display.

Instructions

1. Sand the board using 220 grit sand paper. Do so until all gloss and sheen has been removed.

2. Wipe the board down with a damp cotton cloth.

3. Dry the board completely with a towel, or allow it to air dry.

4. Paint the board with an acrylic primer. Allow it to thoroughly dry, and apply one more coat. Allow to dry again.

5. Paint the board, using an indoor acrylic paint for optimum longevity.

6. Take the finished product outside and spray the board with a paint sealant, available at any art or craft store. Allow it to dry and for the fumes to evaporate before bringing the board inside again.

Make A Photo Look Like A Painting In Fireworks

Fireworks is an offshoot of the Adobe Photoshop program, and features a number of the same capabilities. With these types of presentations programs, you can complete a variety of changes to your digital photographs. You can alter your photo in Fireworks to get it to look like a painting with a few different filtering and shading techniques that can be done from the program's main menu.

Instructions

1. Open a picture in your Adobe Fireworks application.

2. Right-click on your picture and select "Duplicate" in the pop-up menu.

3. Click "Filter" in the upper bar menu and select "Blur." Click "Gaussian Blur" in the next menu.

4. Change the value of the pixels until you get a look for the picture/painting that you like. Start with 20 and try going up from there. Increasing this value will increase the blue of the picture, making it look more like a painting.

5. Click "Layers" in the upper menu and select "Darken." Click "OK" and your file will now be presented in a more painting-like manner.

Make Brown With The Color Wheel

The color wheel has long been a standard guide to mixing colors for artisans and painters. Mixing the colors opposite to each other on the color wheel will yield darker, more earth-toned colors such as brown, umber, sienna, tan and so forth. Painters typically know the benefit of understanding the dynamics of the color wheel to such a degree that over time they can make colors without consulting the color wheel. Normally this basic concept is taught early on in elementary school, and different techniques for producing different colors are taught throughout a person's art education. Today, many colors of paint are produced commercially; however, these premixed paints are quite expensive. One can easily make any color they desire, even the color brown, by knowing the dynamics of the basic color wheel.

Instructions

Make the Color Brown Using the Color Wheel

1. Mix the primary colors of yellow and blue together using a swirling motion with your paintbrush. Ensure that you mix the colors together well to make a smooth variation of green.

2. Add the color orange or a bright red to the green paint that you just made and mix it in thoroughly. Ensure that you use the same amount of orange or red as the amount of green that you've produced.

3. Mix in just a small portion of black to darken the mixture to a nice standard brown. You can add more black paint to produce a darker brown or add white to produce a lighter sienna brown color.

Paint Like Claude Monet

The forefather of French impressionism, Claude Monet is known for his soft-focused portraits in pastel pinks and blue hues. With a sharp grasp of lighting and its effects on the eye, Claude Monet was able to paint a popular body of works that are often reprinted today on posters, calendars and other merchandise.

Instructions

1. Enroll in a fine arts school. Claude Monet studied at the Le Havre secondary school of the arts, where he started out with charcoal caricatures and drawings.

2. Study the masters-but don't copy them. One popular story about Monet's formative years is that the painter visited The Louvre in Paris while he was studying fine arts, and opted to paint what he saw outside the window of the building rather than copy the breathtaking work inside.

3. Use your home as your subject. Monet lived in a country house with two acres of land, and also had a garden and water lily pond which became popular subjects of his paintings.

4. Paint with short, rapid brush strokes of varying, unmixed oil colors. The visibility of the brush strokes in a painting is one of the hallmarks of Impressionism, and the unmixed colors increase the painting's intensity.

5. Work outdoors. It might not seem like a very novel concept by today's standards, but painting outdoors became pivotal to the Impressionist movement during the mid-1800s. In addition to the proximity of the scenery, Monet also painted outdoors because of the advantages of natural light.

6. Create a series of paintings based around one banal object or theme. Monet painted a series of haystacks, depicted from different angles and at different times of day; as well as a series of poplar trees and a series of portraits of the Houses of Parliament.

Paint Gun Stocks

It's a good idea to put a new coat of paint on your gun stock once a year, whether you want to preserve the gun or just give it an updated appearance. Painting the gun stock yourself is not too difficult and will save you money versus hiring someone to do it for you.

Instructions

1. Set up your painting location in a well-ventilated area. Lay out canvas material or newspaper on a flat sturdy workspace. Break down the gun in order to paint each of the pieces more easily. Remove the barrel or any other pieces that you don't want to get paint on.

2. Prep the gun by dipping a rag in acetone to quickly swipe over the gun pieces that you are going to paint.

3. Rub a piece of steel wool firmly over all the pieces you are going to paint, to provide some abrasions for the paint to stick to. This is an important step. You do not need to make scratches; you just want minor abrasions. When finished, wipe down one more time with a coat of acetone from the rag.

4. Paint the gun in even strokes with spray paint. Do at least two coats, more if you feel it is necessary. Let the paint dry in between coats, which will take about 10-20 minutes per coat.

5. Let the paint dry, than reassemble the gun.

Play A Tenstringed Harp

In ancient times, kinor harps could have as few as five strings.

One of the oldest musical tools known to have been used by mankind, the 10-stringed harp is a very calm and soothing instrument that people of all ages can enjoy. This harp comes in lyre and kinnor (also called kinor and King David) styles and differs from classical and Celtic harps in its small size and number of strings.

Instructions

1. Tuners, though digital in the present day, function and are set up like scales, because their purpose is to balance sound.

Tune the first string. Typical scales for harps are D for newer harps and Eb, or "E flat," for older ones. Tuning to a particular scale in western culture means that the letter representing the key is the home note, or note that the other notes build off of. To tune the harp to the key of D, locate the highest, or thinnest, string. This string will be tuned to the actual D note. Pluck the note in front of the tuner and adjust the head of the string with the tuning key. The string will need to be repeatedly plucked in order for your tuner to get a signal from it, and you must then tighten or loosen the head until the tuner's indicator aligns with the setting, which will usually be in the center of the device.

2. Each single note in music has a particular pitch that is exact and stands apart from all other tones.

Repeat the tuning process for all other strings. In order from thinnest, or highest, to thickest, or lowest, the nine remaining strings will be tuned to the following notes: C, B, A, G, F#, E, D, C# and B.

3. Pick up the harp in the upright position. To position the harp, make sure the thick, wooden body is below the open, airy part across which the strings are stretched.Cradle the harp in your left arm if you would like to play with your right hand and in your right arm if you prefer to play with your left hand. To cradle a harp means to hold it securely while not squeezing it too tightly. Make sure that the strings are facing you.

4. Begin to play. Even if you know little about music, playing random notes on a well-tuned harp can still sound beautiful if the playing is executed properly. Unlike a guitar, a ten-stringed harp is plucked rather than strummed. Thus, to play the harp, begin with the lower of the two D strings and gently pluck the center of it alone for a soft note. Pluck it a little harder for a volume that will correspond to the strength put into the plucking. Continue plucking other strings in an order that sounds pleasing to you.

5. Hours of practice a day can turn an inexperienced harpest into a well-rounded musician in a few short months.

Practice often. A number of books and instructors can teach you read music and play familiar songs, but you can teach yourself with enough dedication and practice.

Paint Landscapes In Watercolor Washes

A set of watercolor cakes.

Watercolor paints are great for making landscape paintings. Watercolors are diluted with water to make washes. Many layers of washes are laid on the paper to create a landscape image. The initial washes put down are highly diluted and very light in color. As the painting progresses, the colors become less diluted and darker opaque washes are laid on top of the initial light washes.

Instructions

1. Tape the edges of the watercolor paper to a drawing board or another flat surface with masking tape. The tape should completely surround the papers edges, with no edges popping up.

2. Squeeze small amounts of watercolor paint onto the palette or open your set of watercolor cakes. Reference your landscape photo or on-site landscape to determine what colors to use. Common landscape colors include cadmium red, quinacridone red, raw sienna, burnt umber, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, permanent green light, sap green and ivory black.

3. Sketch the landscape lightly with a pencil, putting more detail in the foreground and less in the background. Plan what areas will stay white, such as reflections in water, a white rock or house.

4. Chose a color for the sky and mix water into the paint until the color appears very light on the paper. This is called a wash. Test on a practice sheet of paper before applying the wash.

5. Run the brush across the top of the paper, then dip the brush in the paint and run the top brush edge along the bottom edge of the first stroke. Continue this step until you reach your horizon line where the sky meets the earth. Avoid painting areas that should remain white.

6. Blot the wet sky wash with a paper towel to form clouds.

7. Use the same technique used to apply sky to form the ground wash. Preserve any white areas.

8. Allow the applied watercolor paint to dry. Mix slightly less water into the paints to make darker washes to define mountains, rocks, trees, shadows or other objects. Use a medium sized round sable brush to apply these washes.

9. Gradually make the washes darker to define the details in the landscape. Use various sizes of sable brushes to make different marks, such as a small round brush for grass and a medium flat for trees and rocks.

Make Stretchers For Art Canvas

Even the novice painter or artist knows how expensive art supplies can be, especially when it comes to canvas. In fact, many artists will opt to paint on other surfaces as the cost of canvas board or other types of pre-stretched canvas can really start to add up. The good news is that canvas, when purchased on its own, is much cheaper than canvas that has already been stretched for art, and can be purchased by the roll. The process of stretching your own canvas for art is simple and easy, and it also has the added benefit of allowing the artist to choose exactly what size and shape the canvas should be.

Instructions

1. Determine the size of canvas that is going to be used for art and record these dimensions. Next add 2 inches to each of these dimensions. Measure and mark the canvas again with the new dimensions, and cut it accordingly. Adding two inches to the size prior to cutting the canvas section is important because it will ensure that the canvas can successfully be attached to the stretching frame while leaving the original dimensions that will be used for art exposed.

2. Use the original dimensions for the canvas to construct a wooden frame. Measure and mark the wood before you cut accordingly. Bring the edges of the wood together to form the corners of the frame, and then use your hammer to drive a nail into the corner to secure both edges. Repeat this until all of the corners have been fitted together. If you are unfamiliar with basic building or carpentry, just make sure that as you work your way around the frame, the tips of two nails never point directly toward each other on one edge.

3. Bring the canvas up over the top of your completed frame to stretch the canvas for art. the edges of the canvas should overlap the frame slightly; make sure the edges of the canvas overlap as evenly as possible on all sides. Next, use the stapler to secure the edges of the canvas to the frame, along the edges where it is overlapping. It will be helpful to use the stapler in an open position, to make quick hard staples into the wood. Stretch the canvas for art by moving in one direction around the edge of the frame; do not skip to the edge across from one you have just finished because this will interfere with the stretching process. As you begin to staple the last edge, pull the canvas tight against the frame as you staple. When you finish, there should be enough tension to create a flat surface of canvas that is now stretched across the frame for art. The excess canvas can be removed from below the stapling points, if desired.

Paint Tombs

An Egyptian tomb painting depicting a scene from daily life

Ancient Egyptian tomb painting is subtle art. To attempt a replica on your own, it is essential to understand basic beliefs of ancient Egypt. Egyptian tomb paintings were symbolic and stylized, emphasizing the afterlife. A tomb, or pyramid, contained the owner (the mummified body of the deceased) and artifacts he'd need in the afterlife: animals, food, baskets with various goods. Tomb wall pictures depicted scenes of daily life and most important details of the tomb owner's career.

Instructions

1. Look at Egyptian tomb paintings to find the motif that suits your imagination best. Good examples can be found on historylink101.net and travelsinparadise.com.

2. Draw a mummy using a thin brush and pastel colors. The mummy is the most important motif, so it must be the biggest object in the painting.

3. Draw simplified triangular pieces of bread. Use a thin brush and pastel colors. Add more food paintings, according to your preferences. The tomb owner must eat something in his afterlife. Images of the food he ate in life are common motifs.

4. Draw a standing human figure. Use lively colors, as in the pattern. Draw a flat body and a face in profile -- with frontal view of the eye. Depict the upper body from the front, with one arm in front and the other at the side. The lower body is in profile. The legs must be turned to the same side as the head. If you are satisfied with the result, draw several more human figures.

5. Draw simple artifacts: flowers and boxes, for example. Use lively colors -- it should look realistic.

6. Draw an animal -- an ibis, for example. Use a thin brush to paint long, curved beak, common bird body and long legs. Add more animals, such as cats and coyotes. Opposite to human figures, animals should be more relaxed and natural. Since they are not as significant as humans, paint them smaller.

Paint In The French Style On China

Gilding adds an elegant feel to a beautifully painted piece of china.

China Painting in the French Style comes from the signature style of china that was produced at the Sevres factory near Paris from 1738 to 1771. The style is characterized by the use of bright colors and precise brush strokes, with a single brush stroke for each element of the picture (for example, one brush stroke per petal on a flower). Other typical designs include scenes, birds, flowers, portraits, ribbons, garlands and gilding. Because the art is so detailed, begin by doing simple designs with clearly separate elements that easily blend to make a complete picture -- such as daisies.

Instructions

1. Mix paint powder to toothpaste-like consistency with mineral oil (mixing medium).

2. Mix lavender oil, clove oil and Balsam of Copaiba to form a painting medium. If a faster drying time is desired, use a larger proportion of clove oil. If it is desirable for the paint to stay open longer, use a larger proportion of lavender oil. Proportions of the painting medium are at the discretion of the artist.

3. Dip brush into painting medium, then fill brush with paint.

4. Use one brush stroke per element in each image or picture. When painting a daisy, for example, use one brush stroke per petal and one brush stroke for the center.

5. Finish painting and fire at Cone 015, or 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Paint In The Baroque Style

To paint in the baroque style is to paint in the style of the masters like Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens. These painters glorified subject after subject in their art. Try your hand at baroque style and glorify a subject of your own.

Instructions

Paint Using the Baroque Technique

1. Use good detail when painting skin and cloth. Baroque had very realistic skin tones and a lot of draping cloth painted with painstaking detail.

2. Light and shade the picture dramatically. Use dark, black shadows and bright, white lights. Consider the way light works in a dark room with a single candle. Imagine a small, single, but intense light source amidst dark shadows.

3. Use strong colors. Baroque painters often used bright reds and golds in their paintings. The color themes were regal to emphasize the glory of the Catholic Church.

4. Make everything in the painting seem royal and fancy. Add gold and silver wherever you can. Add intricate designs to patterns in clothing and walls. Make it seem like every setting is worthy of a palace.

Paint Baroque Themes and Subject Matter

5. Choose glorious subject matter. Baroque paintings depicted heroes in moments of victory. There were representations of religious icons and monarchy. You will not find a baroque painting of a sad peasant.

6. Place the figures in your baroque painting in grand poses. Warriors should have their swords high in the air. Kings should be raising their scepters as a decree is spoken. Saints should be on their knees with hands raised up toward the heavens.

7. Keep it simple. Do not include underlying meaning or subtleties. Baroque painting was part of a movement where church and art began to target the illiterate population rather than the educated.

8. Paint about broad ideals. Baroque themes are also very simple. If there is a painting of a priest praying, then the painting is about piety and nothing more. If there is a painting of a knight in battle, then the painting is about courage and nothing more.

Honk A Clown Nose

Learn to use your clown nose for optimal effect.

It is the clown's job to create humor by linking two disparate things; on the most basic level this is accomplished by acting as a clown for an audience of non-clowns: you are a clown and they are not. A participant of Contemporary Clowning Projects workshops notes the emotions a clown portrays are the clown's. These emotions are about the clown and her unique perspective. In Shakespeare's plays, fools, or clowns, challenged authority by drawing attention to uncomfortable truths. Modern day clowns, too, challenge authority and draw attention to their unique perspective. The clown's nose is a tool to highlight a joke and thus highlight a perspective. Honking a clown nose is an art of timing.

Instructions

1. Rehearse your skit without makeup or costume. Map out how your makeup and costume can highlight your skit. Plan honking your clown nose to coincide with a joke's punch line: either to foreshadow a coming joke or to encourage people to laugh after the joke has been executed.

2. Practice honking your clown nose. Each nose has its own peculiarities. It is essential for you to know exactly how hard to pinch the nose in order to achieve the desired sound effect.

3. Experiment with different faces to accompany the nose honking. A face can reflect the high-pitched intensity of the honk or it can be executed to contrast.

Make A Guy Break Up With You

Relationships don't always work out. But sometimes they can be hard to end. You are no longer interested. He is still in love. There is no need to suffer any longer. With a few smart tactics, you will soon be single again.

Instructions

1. Give him reason to leave you. Analyze your current relationship. What does your boyfriend like about you? What doesn't he like? Accentuate the negative. Eliminate the positive. Don't mess with anything in between. You want to become the most irritating person you can be to your boyfriend. Phone calls and emails are a great place to start.

2. Break a date at the last-minute. Arrange to meet him somewhere. Let him sit there for 20 minutes. Call him on his cell and tell him something came up. If he questions you, hang up. If he calls again, don't answer the phone. Let him email you. The first few will be "accidentally" deleted. If he persists, email him back, though not on purpose. Write an email to your best friend. She must be someone your boyfriend knows. Your message should be a litany of complaints about your boyfriend. Send it to your boyfriend by "mistake."

3. If you are still seeing your guy, make arrangements to go out. Tell him you want to talk. Make sure it is an expensive place. You want him to spend as much money as possible. The restaurant should be as far away as possible. Tell him you are working late. You will need to meet him at the restaurant. The working late excuse also guarantees that he can't come there straight from work. It will be inconvenient. You want him to have to make a special trip. Make the reservation unusually late.

4. Don't show up. Do not call in advance. Extreme rudeness is essential. If necessary, enlist the help of your friends or co-workers. Be prepared if he shows up at your office. Leave instructions to have him kept in a waiting area. Have your colleagues whisper something like, "I thought she broke up with him." Be in a meeting or on a break. If he visits your home later, do not answer the door. Turn up the music. Turn on the shower. He should break up with you pretty soon.

Paint Hydrangeas In Acrylic

Hydrangeas are large, bushy flowers that grow in clusters.

Hydrangeas are large, leafy, flowery plants. The color of the flowers on hydrangeas often depends on the acidity of the soil. In fact, the color of the blossoms can change over the course of a year as the PH of the soil it is planted in changes. Hydrangea flowers may be pink, purple, white and combinations of these colors. Painting hydrangeas is not necessarily difficult. Doing so with acrylic paint poses an advantage and disadvantage because the paint dries very quickly. While the fast drying time of acrylic paint will allow you to continually paint over old layers of paint without smearing or blending the colors together, this can be a disadvantage when trying to paint blossoms that represent a blend of two colors, like pink and blue. Blending colors with fast drying paint can be very difficult.

Instructions

1. Select a picture of the Hydrangea you'd like to paint. This will help you get a sense of the size of the bush and the size of the flowers relative to the bush.

2. Paint the base coat of the leaves of the Hydrangeas. Thin green paint with a few drops of water and paint the base coat as a green blob on the canvas, in the shape and position where you want the bush to be. Give the base coat a minute to dry before proceeding to the next step. This will not take long -- acrylic paint dries in just minutes. Use a medium-size brush.

3. Paint several clusters of leaves using a darker or lighter green than you used in step 1. Position these clusters in random areas over the green blob you painted in step 1. Use a small detail brush.

4. Paint several clusters of flowers over the green blob in a manner similar to the way you painted clusters of leaves in step 2. These clusters of flowers should be either pink, purple or white. Don't worry about painting individual flowers -- simply paint the flowers as large irregular bulbs with somewhat jagged edges. Don't add details. If you have chosen to paint clusters of flowers that are a blend of two colors -- perhaps, pink with a hint of blue in some places -- then load your brush with the color that you see the most of one the bush. Thin it with a little water, then paint the clusters on the bush. Next, dip your paintbrush in the secondary color and thin it with a little water. Add dabs of that second color to the clusters. Do this quickly, before the paint on the canvas dries.

5. Repeat step 2, adding the appearance of more depth to your bush. Overlap some clusters of leaves.

6. Add a second layer of paint over the clusters of flowers you painted in step 3, especially if the paint was thin enough that you could see the green paint beneath through the layer of paint you applied for the flowers.

Mix Flesh Color Paint

Mix the right colors of paint together to get different flesh tones.

If you are painting people or a figurine, you will need to come up with a realistic-looking flesh tone. Some brands of paints may provide a base color for flesh tones, but you will still need to mix in some other colors to get the specific shade that you need. Different amounts and shades of black, red, white, yellow and even blue are the primary colors that you need --- you can use these if you don't have paint colors with more specific names.

Instructions

1. Create a basic shade of flesh on which to build each skin color. Mix some burnt sienna, white and naples yellow together in small amounts until you get a medium peachy color.

2. Mix in some raw umber to deepen the base color to different shades of dark brown skin tones. The more raw umber paint you add, the darker the mix will become.

3. Add a very small amount of cadmium red to the base to create a copper skin tone. Alizarin crimson is a cool red with a blue undertone --- add a very small amount of it with white to the base for a light skin tone with a pink cast.

4. Combine cadmium yellow or lemon yellow to the base to create a light color with gold undertones.

5. Mix a very sparing amount of ultramarine to the base color along with a little more yellow or gold to get an olive skin tone.

Paint Graphics On Cars

Paint Graphics on Cars

Contrary to what you might think, much of the time spent detailing a vehicle goes into preparation rather than the painting process itself. Take your time with this preparation and practice a few pieces before you commit yourself to working on your car. Prep your car by washing it thoroughly with soap and water, as well. Creating a graphic for your own car requires a lot of patience and skill, but the more work you put into it the more pride you can have in the end result.

Instructions

1. Spray clay lubricant over the spot that you want your graphic on. Wipe the automotive clay over your car in circular motions to clean it of debris that a simple soap and water bath cannot reach.

2. Tape graphite paper to the back of your graphic with the powdered side is facing out. Tape this graphic to your car with masking tape, and trace over the image with a pencil.

3. Remove the image and the graphite paper. You should now have a sketch of your graphic on your car.

4. Tape masking tape around the outline of your graphic. Be very precise when you do this.

5. Use an airbrush to paint gradients and large blocks of color. Use a synthetic brush to paint details. Let the paint dry.

6. Apply a new coat of paint over areas where the first coat is thin.

Promote A Rap Artist

Rap musicians sample other genres including Rock, country music, R&B, and jazz.

Rap music, once a new offering thought to fade, still serves as a method of expression for today's music artists. Rap artists originally performed for select audiences. Decades after its initial appearance, however, the international music community continues to embrace the art form. Many music hopefuls enter the business with little to no experience, and promoters seeking new talent must understand the various methods necessary in establishing a new artist.

Instructions

1. If a rapper finds himself unable to deliver onstage, his career will be short-lived.

Require that the potential artist audition. Many new artists attempt to enter the rap community, only to fail in gaining popularity. A promoter believes in his artist. Prior to agreeing to promote him, ask that he perform for you. Also, ask that he write his own work. Merely reciting another's composition does not require the same talent as composing your own.

2. Radio stations still play a major role in the promotion of new and existing artists.

Once you establish the talent and writing skills of the rapper, introduce him to the public. A rapper generally does not require a large stage, needing only a microphone and turntable. Print flyers, advertise in local newspapers, and request radio interviews. Meet with radio personalities prior to the performance. This provides immediate contact with the audience, as well as show promotion. When managing a new artist, seek methods of audience-building.

3. Spend time recording a reputable mix tape. It should contain the artist's best work.

Create a mix tape. Record the artist live, in a number of venues once he composes enough solid material. The mix tape serves as a rapper's primary source of publicity, and can help him to receive large-scale attention. Distribute the tape, but give away a few of the first samples as well, as not all potential audience members pay for an unestablished artist. Free, word-of-mouth publicity serves the artist.

4. A showcase allows for a number of industry professionals to judge the talent in person.

Hold a showcase. Industry members continually seek out new talent, and in the rap community, established artists maintain their relevance and crispness by collaborating with new talent. Decide the rapping style of the artist prior to distributing his mix tape to industry members, as they only attend if his method of rapping fits their vision.

5. As a newly-signed artist, appearing with a well-known heavyweight offers widespread promotion.

Piggyback an established artist. Request that an established label mate support your artist's exposure once he receives solid interest from a label, and a contract. Though his contribution may be minor, possibly consisting of a few lines, if the delivery offers something unique, his popularity will grow. He promotes his own work in this method, and a new audience will partially come from that of the established artist.

Polish A Car Intake

Bring your old intake back to life.

The intake on your car, also known as the intake manifold, carefully balances the air/fuel mixture to the engine’s cylinders. Although it performs an important duty in a fuel injection engine, it can become dirty and gather greasy residue. While grease won’t hurt your intake manifold, it isn’t very becoming. If you enjoy caring for your car and want to show off what’s under the hood, you can polish the intake to keep it looking new.

Instructions

1. Start by removing the intake manifold from the engine. Consult your owner's manual for the correct tools needed. While you can leave the intake in place, it’s much more difficult to reach the underneath side.

2. Place the intake on a thick layer of newspapers on a table or work bench and make sure you have all the items you need to polish it within arm’s reach. Put on the gloves and protective eyewear before you handle the chemical products.

3. Spray the intake manifold with the degreaser and allow it to absorb for a few minutes before wiping the excess off. Your manifold will still be grungy looking, but most of the grease will be gone.

4. Apply the degreasing spray again, but this time begin sanding the intake with the largest grit wet sandpaper. It’s important to choose wet sandpaper. Regular sandpaper will disintegrate when sanding with degreaser.

5. Sand the intake thoroughly, spraying more degreaser on as needed to keep the surface slightly wet. Make sure you reach all the areas on the intake before wiping the excess degreaser off with a clean rag.

6. Switch to a slightly smaller grit of sandpaper and repeat the process, spraying and sanding. Continue in this manner, going over the intake manifold each time with a smaller grit of sandpaper until you reach the smallest grit. By this time, the intake will be very clean and smooth.

7. Clean all the degreaser from the intake with the rags, making sure to clean the small ridges and indentations.

8. Spread the aluminum polish on the intake manifold thinly in a 3-inch-by-3-inch area. Gently buff the polish into the metal with the finest grit sandpaper. This step produces the shiniest finish possible on your intake manifold. Repeat the polishing/sanding process on the entire manifold, wiping each small section clean as you go.

Paint Glass Vases

Paint glass vases to give them a lift.

Homeowners may often be at a loss when it comes to finding flower vases. Either they cannot find a color they like on a pleasant shape or vice versa. It may also be difficult to find the proper size that matches your color and size requirements.

Instead of searching endlessly for the perfect vase, make one yourself. Find a clear glass vase with a shape you love and paint it to match your style, decor and expectations.

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry your glass vase gently with a lint-free cloth. This eliminates dust and oil that might prevent the paint from sticking later.

2. Experiment with designs. Draw your designs onto your vase with a grease pencil, sketching and doodling until you find a pattern you like. Erase undesirable patterns with a damp cloth.

3. Squeeze a few colors from your tempera paints onto a paper plate. Erase a few of your grease pencil marks and paint the design back in with paint and a brush. Continue removing a little grease pencil at a time this way until you have painted the entire vase.

4. Allow the paint to dry overnight before use. This ensures the paint is cured all the way through.

Paint Glass Tiles

Paint brushes are available in a wide variety of sizes. Choose yours accordingly.

Glass tiles create decorative displays in the home, such as a backsplash in the kitchen or a fireplace surround. Crafters use glass tiles to decorate fountains, table tops, and myriad other projects. Glass tiles are available in a wide array of colors, but you can also paint them to add embellishments or to alter the background color. Paint designed specifically to adhere to the slick surface of glass tiles is available at most craft stores.

Instructions

1. Clean the side of the glass tiles that you plan to paint with glass cleaner. Dry the tiles and clean the same side with rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol removes oil and fingerprints that may interfere with the paint. Be careful not to touch the cleaned side of the tiles again with your hands.

2. Tape a stencil or a template to the clean side of the glass tiles with painter's tape. Omit this step if you do not need a decorative painting guide, or if you are painting clear tiles a solid color.

3. Fill in the cutout of the stencil or around the outside of the template with glass paint. Apply the paint with a paint sponge if the surface of the tile is large enough. Paint sponges do not leave brush strokes. Apply the glass paint with a small artist's brush if you are covering a small area. Remove the stencil/template after painting.

4. Place the painted tiles face up onto a cookie sheet covered with tin foil. Make sure that you handle the tiles carefully by the edges.

5. Follow the glass paint manufacturer's baking instructions. Baking the paint onto the tiles creates a more permanent adhesion.

6. Allow the tiles to cool before removing them from the cookie sheet.

Project How Much Do I Need To Retire

Use all of the available retirement savings tools and accounts.

You would certainly like to have plenty of money saved up when you reach retirement age, so you can enjoy those golden years after a lifetime of work. You can calculate or project how much money you will need to retire in several ways. Although your calculations may present you with a daunting goal, taking a series of smaller steps can get you there.

Project Needed Income

Your retirement savings will provide the income to replace the wages you now earn by working. Use an inflation-based or compound-rate calculator to estimate your income just before retirement based on your current earnings. For example, if you currently earn $50,000 per year, in 20 years your income will be $90,000 if it grows at 2 percent per year. The rule of thumb is that you will need 70 to 80 percent of your pre-retirement income in retirement to maintain the same standard of living. In the example, the midpoint would be a retirement income goal of $67,500 per year.

Other Income Sources

Not all of your retirement income will come from your savings. You may receive a pension from your employer and you will definitely receive something from Social Security. Estimate your other income sources and subtract the amount from your calculated retirement income needs. The Social Security Administration -- SSA -- website has a benefit estimator that allows you to generate an estimate of your Social Security retirement benefit. Subtract the result from your projected retirement income goal. For example, following the example above, if the SSA estimator shows you will receive $20,000 per year, subtract that amount from the $67,500 you calculated you will need and your savings must provide $47,500 per year of income.

Apply Some Rules of Thumb

A couple of rules-of-thumb allow a quick estimate of the amount of money you need to retire. Financial planners recommend that you withdraw no more than 4 percent of your retirement money each year to make sure the money lasts as long as you do. Divide the calculated retirement income from investments by 4 percent (0.04) to get a nest egg goal. For example, to get an income of $47,500 per year, you would need to have approximately $1.2 million. Benefits consultant Aon Hewitt, as reported in "The New York Times," says workers should have put away 11 times their final salary if they plan to retire at age 65; 9.4 times if they delay retirement until 67. Using the $90,000 final pay rate, the savings range would be $850,000 to $1 million.

Set Intermediate Goals and Adjust

The thought of saving a million dollars or more to retire may seem daunting. However, a plan of steady savings into your retirement accounts combined with the power of compound growth make the goal very attainable. Fidelity Investments' retirement savings goals suggest that at age 35, you should have saved one times your income, adding another year's income to savings every 5 years after. So, by age 40, you should have saved two times your income, three times by age 45, until you have eight times your income by age 65.

Paint On Glassware

Painted Glassware

Painted glassware can be both unique and attractive. Not only is painted glassware a beautiful addition to any table or china cabinet, but the painting of the glassware can be an enjoyable skill to learn as well. With special acrylic enamel paints, almost any design can be easily painted onto a variety of glassware. After a short curing time, the beautiful glassware pieces are ready to be used and enjoyed.

Instructions

1. Wash the glassware with dish soap and warm water. Rinse the glassware completely with warm water. Dry the glassware with a towel or allow to air dry.

2. Prepare the enamel paint by placing a small dollop of each paint color onto the palette.

3. Spread newspaper onto a work surface and place the glassware onto the newspaper.

4. Plan the design you wish to paint. Some suggestions for easy designs are a series of different-colored lines in different widths to create a plaid pattern. Create daisies by making flower petals in a circle shape and make a small center circle in the middle of the flower petals. Make the daisies along the top of the glassware and paint stems down from the daisies. Make leaves along the stems, if desired.

5. Use the damp paper towel to wipe away any mistakes, if necessary. The enamel paint wipes off easily while it is still wet.

6. Allow the glassware to dry for 24 hours.

Paint Furniture

Paint Furniture

Adding a fresh coat of paint to an old piece of furniture will update the look of the piece for just pennies on the dollar. Refinishing furniture is an easy task well worth the results. Once you master this skill, you will not have to buy new furniture to change the look of your home.

Instructions

1. Work in a well ventilated area. Paint fumes are toxic and can be very potent in an enclosed area. Working in an open garage or outside will offer the best ventilation.

2. Sand any rough spots on the furniture with a light sand paper. Ensure that the finish is nice and smooth with no signs of peeling paint or bumps. Use a damp cloth to remove any dust from the furniture.

3. Remove any hardware from the furniture. Drawer pulls are easily removed with a screwdriver. Insert the screws back into the pulls once they are removed so that the screws are not lost. Put all hardware in a plastic bag.

4. Prime the furniture with a primer that is tinted the same color as your paint. Using tinted primer will allow less coats of paint. Priming is especially important on surfaces that have never been painted before, laminates or anything that is stained badly.

5. Use a small roller for untextured surfaces. The roller is extremely easy to use and rather quick. You will not have brush strokes in your finished surface when you use a roller.

6. Roll the paint onto the furniture using even strokes. Do not apply the paint too thickly, or it will run. It is better to do several light finishes than one thick finish. Wait for the paint to dry in between coats.

7. Allow the furniture plenty of time to dry. Do not place anything on top of the furniture for at least a week. The paint will appear dry but will remain somewhat tacky and will be easily marred for about a week. Replace the hardware after the paint has dried.

Paint Folk Art Furniture

Painted folk art furniture can liven up a house.

Painted furniture can add life and excitement to any room. When you paint in a folk art style, you transform furniture from a utilitarian object to a statement and a work of art. You can use folk art painting with furniture that you have just purchased or built, or liven up an older piece of furniture and hide wear and flaws. While there are guidelines for best durability and appearance, there really are no rules for content, so let your imagination have a field day.

Instructions

1. Clean the piece of furniture to be painted. If it is a new piece of furniture, prime any bare wood with latex-based primer. If it is an older piece, clean all the surfaces with a mild dish soap in hot water, then with clean water, then dry thoroughly. If there is any loose paint, scrape the surfaces and sand with 100 grit sandpaper.

2. Get design ideas by reading in books or on the Internet about various folk art styles. Consider how the different styles will blend with the piece of furniture you are painting and with the room you will be putting it in.

3. Paint over any knots in the wood with shellac before priming. If you don't do this the knots will bleed through your painting. Remove knots and fill the holes with glued-in pieces of wood or wood filler.

4. Use latex-based house paint for ease of use and affordability, or oil-based artist paints for richer colors. Oil paints dry much more slowly than latex, so if you are painting a complex design that involves a lot of color mixing and shading, they are preferable.

5. Draw the design of your painting on a piece of paper before beginning to paint on the furniture. Paint the background color on first. This is particularly important if you are painting something with many small figures or elements. By painting the background first, then painting the smaller elements on top of it, you won't need to paint around all the smaller bits.

6. Paint either decorative, nonrepresentational designs, or realistic images such as landscapes, animals or people.

7. Cover your painted furniture with a protective coat of polyurethane. For an antiqued look, rub over the piece with a light coat of stain or shoe polish before applying the polyurethane. Don't overdo this--too much will make it look muddy.

Paint Flowers With Acrylic Paints

You will learn paint flowers with acrylic paints.

Instructions

1. Set up your easel, place canvas on your easel and get your paints and paint-brushes out and ready to go.

2. Choose a smaller brush and dip it in a subdued yellow paint and apply it to the canvas in a circular shape (size will depend on intended flower size). Choose a few other brown and yellow colors to give the flower of the center depth and apply them as you see fit.

3. Now choose the base color of your flower petals and create each petal one by one (be sure to start smaller because you can always add size, but you can't take it away).

4. Fill in your flower petals with other colors as desired to add realism.

5. Create your stems and leaves by using an olive green paint as a base and working in other greens, browns and yellows for depth and texture.

6. If you choose to paint them inside of a vase create the leaves and stems after. You will use the same painting techniques (layering colors) to create the vase to your desires and standards.

7. Allow to dry and frame if desired and then clean the brushes with the acrylic paint remover.

Paint Flowers On Glass

Paint Flowers on Glass

Painting on glass can sound tricky initially because most paints will chip or flake off the piece after it has dried. And finding a paint that can withstand the dishwasher or even being handwashed seems like a challenge all its own. Luckily, there are specially formulated glass paints that can be made permanent after a special bonding reaction occurs when you bake the glass piece. Painting flowers on glass is fun and yields a beautiful finished product.

Instructions

1. Make sure your glass piece is completely clean and free of oil, dust, and fingerprints.

2. Dip a paintbrush into some bake on glass paint, such as Vitrea 160. Choose a color that can be used as the base of the flower bud, like a darker red or pink. With each stroke, complete a petal on the flower. Continue creating the petals in a circular pattern, with the edges wavy and soft.

3. Add another color on top of the base bud color, this time a little lighter of a color to give the flower more depth and detail. Create as many flower buds as you wish.

4. Glide a paintbrush dipped in green paint around the buds in swirls to create vines. Add leaves to the vines by painting a small heart shape filled with leaf detail lines inside. Highlight the vines and leaves with some yellow and/or a different shade of green.

5. Set the glass piece into a cold oven and turn it on to the temperature listed on the back of the bottle. Allow the piece to bake for the amount of time listed and turn the oven off. Allow the glass piece to completely cool inside the oven before removing it.