Category: <span>Blog</span>

Three Main Factors to Consider When Selecting Sennelier Pastels

December 15, 2021
Blog
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Pastels are one of the most appreciated techniques by artists. The technique does not require a lot of tools to start, as long as you have a sheet of paper, pastel sticks, and your fingers, then you are good to start!

Sennelier pastels are manufactured by mixing dry pigments with some filler and a gum binder to make a paste that is then made into sticks and left to dry. However, the ratio of these ingredients will determine the quality and type of the pastel. So before you purchase the pastel sticks, you should first find out about the following crucial factors.

Tips for finding the best pastels

  • Quality

There are two main grades of pastels that are available in the market: student’s quality and artist’s quality.

In the student’s quality pastels, there is a higher ratio of fillers and binders than the pigments. The advantage of having more binder and filler is they do not easily crumble when compared to the artist’s quality. They are also cheaper than the artist’s quality since they entail cheaper pigments. On the other hand, the disadvantage of students’ quality pastels is the colours are not as immensely as they should be. Thus, it gives a poor quality work when compared to the artist’s quality.

Artist’s quality pastel entails the best dry pigments and usually has a pigment to binder ratio. Therefore, the colours are more intense than in students’ quality pastels. In addition, they do not fade easily and are long-lasting. The limitation of using artists’ quality pastels is they are very expensive because they are made from the finest pigments.

Thus if you are looking for pastels, you should know whether you should buy the student’s quality to start with or the other way.

  • Safety

When using pastels, they discharge fine dust particles into the air which when inhaled can lead to serious respiratory problems. Thus, you should observe all the precaution measures when using pastels to prevent such risks. Moreover, you can now find non-toxic pastels that are safe to work with. One way of protecting yourself from the fine dust particles is by wearing a face mask or working in an open environment where there is fresh air.

  • Type of pastels

Various types of pastels are available in the market. The five most common types include soft, hard, pencil, oil, and pan pastel. Soft, hard, and pencil pastels can be used in the same drawing or painting because they are all held together by resin or gum binder. On the other hand, the oil pastels cannot be mixed with other pastels because they are bound using oil and water, making them have the same texture as oil paints. Each type of pastel is suitable in a given kind of circumstance and also depends on the artist’s preferences. If you have trouble choosing a suitable one for you, then you should ask the experts to help you out.

The reason why Sennelier pastel has gained ground over the recent years

Most artists now prefer dealing with pastels to pencils and paintbrushes. Although they may not have the same opinion for why they prefer pastels, it is clear that using pastels in artwork brings fun and lessens the work. It also reduces the cost of purchasing plenty of art supplies because it can be applied using bare hands.

Pastels are one of the most appreciated techniques by artists. The technique does not require a lot of tools to start, as long as you have a sheet of paper, pastel sticks, and your fingers, then you are good to start!

Sennelier pastels are manufactured by mixing dry pigments with some filler and a gum binder to make a paste that is then made into sticks and left to dry. However, the ratio of these ingredients will determine the quality and type of the pastel. So before you purchase the pastel sticks, you should first find out about the following crucial factors.

Tips for finding the best pastels

  • Quality

There are two main grades of pastels that are available in the market: student’s quality and artist’s quality.

In the student’s quality pastels, there is a higher ratio of fillers and binders than the pigments. The advantage of having more binder and filler is they do not easily crumble when compared to the artist’s quality. They are also cheaper than the artist’s quality since they entail cheaper pigments. On the other hand, the disadvantage of students’ quality pastels is the colours are not as immensely as they should be. Thus, it gives a poor quality work when compared to the artist’s quality.

Artist’s quality pastel entails the best dry pigments and usually has a pigment to binder ratio. Therefore, the colours are more intense than in students’ quality pastels. In addition, they do not fade easily and are long-lasting. The limitation of using artists’ quality pastels is they are very expensive because they are made from the finest pigments.

Thus if you are looking for pastels, you should know whether you should buy the student’s quality to start with or the other way.

  • Safety

When using pastels, they discharge fine dust particles into the air which when inhaled can lead to serious respiratory problems. Thus, you should observe all the precaution measures when using pastels to prevent such risks. Moreover, you can now find non-toxic pastels that are safe to work with. One way of protecting yourself from the fine dust particles is by wearing a face mask or working in an open environment where there is fresh air.

  • Type of pastels

Various types of pastels are available in the market. The five most common types include soft, hard, pencil, oil, and pan pastel. Soft, hard, and pencil pastels can be used in the same drawing or painting because they are all held together by resin or gum binder. On the other hand, the oil pastels cannot be mixed with other pastels because they are bound using oil and water, making them have the same texture as oil paints. Each type of pastel is suitable in a given kind of circumstance and also depends on the artist’s preferences. If you have trouble choosing a suitable one for you, then you should ask the experts to help you out.

The reason why Sennelier pastel has gained ground over the recent years

Most artists now prefer dealing with pastels to pencils and paintbrushes. Although they may not have the same opinion for why they prefer pastels, it is clear that using pastels in artwork brings fun and lessens the work. It also reduces the cost of purchasing plenty of art supplies because it can be applied using bare hands. Choose Sennelier pastels from MES.

Reasons Why You Need To Make Your Own Balloon Mosaic Number Frame

July 8, 2021
Blog
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As a host of any event, you must ensure that your place is attractive and well set to entertain your guests. However, you may not have the necessary money power to go for the expensive kinds of decorations. You can still make your place gorgeous just by the use of simple resources to come up with creative mosaic balloon frames, which we all know is the most affordable of all.

Here are some of the main reasons why you need to make your mosaic number frames rather than relying on the market ones.

  • You get to choose your design

If you are in charge of making your mosaic balloon frames, then be rest assured to have total control over the design of the frame. This way, you get the chance to make it to your specifications that you consider suitable.

  • You get a proper blending of colours

Since you are the one making the frame, you know the colours that you need to use to maintain the appearance of your home. The balloon colours also contribute to the overall appearance and you should do well to maintain a consistent outlook.

  • You get to decide on the suitable size

You will also decide the size of the frame that is suitable for you, provided you have your materials and tools in place. Whether you want a gigantic frame or a small one that can fit in a small room, it is all up to you.

  • You get to add more stuff

While a standard built mosaic balloon number frame comes with limited features, you have the chance to add more tools to the frame that you built on your own. The most thrilling addition to a mosaic balloon number frame is glowing bulbs with different colours to emphasise the beauty of the mosaic. A party is held only once in a while and you would not want to make it lame. Therefore, you should do everything to ensure that your place is beautiful.

  • You get to choose the materials to use

You do not necessarily need to go to the market and purchase all the materials because some of them may just be lying in your homestead. Hence, you can go around your homestead and collect such materials and convert them into useful materials by making mosaic balloon number frames.

Moreover, you have the chance to decide which material you will use and this can be an exciting adventure for most of us. Most importantly, always remember that the materials you select should go in hand with the period you intend to use the mosaic.

Considering the reasons mentioned above, it is an excellent idea to build your own mosaic balloon number frames.

What to consider when making your own mosaic balloon number frames

There are certain things that you have to consider when you are about to assemble do it yourself balloon number frames. Here are a few of them.

  • Time period

When making mosaic balloon frames, time is of the essence. Make sure that you do everything on time to get free time to plan for other things.

  • Cost of materials

You should carry a background study on various materials for making mosaic frames and then reach a suitable budget that can help you spend reasonably.

Five Main Benefits Of Childcare Centres For A Child’s Development

June 23, 2021
Blog
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In the past, a child was allowed to go to a formal school when they reached a certain age. There were no childcare centres where one could take their child until they became the right age for formal education. As a result, a child had a rough time coping with the school environment since they were fresh from their homes without a clue of how to conduct themselves in a class environment.

Due to this and many other challenges, there was a need to introduce childcare centres where children can receive informal education as they await schooling. This article will outline the major benefits of childcare centres, especially to children.

Benefits of childcare centres to children

The following are the advantages that childcare centres can bring to a child:

  • Kids learn how to interact with others

The number one benefit on top of the list is socialisation skills. A child who attends a childcare centre tends to be more friendly and interactive with others than one who sits at home. Home care is not bad for a child, but by doing so, you are only limiting your child to a few family members that are present at home. The child has no time to interact with other children from different backgrounds and may end up having poor socialisation skills.

  • Provides smooth transition to kindergarten

When you start taking your child to childcare, the child gets used to the new environment aside from the home they are used to. The goal is to make the child adjust to a completely different environment with new faces to get to know. Thus, once they adjust to a childcare centre, they will have no issue when the time comes to start kindergarten. The gradual transitions go on until they are no longer in fear of a school setting.

  • A child becomes organised

If there is one thing that a childcare centre teaches the child most, it should be organisation skills. Children are shown how to be responsible by organising their things properly. The events offered also assist children to be organised on what to do at which time. Such a child can know when to do a given task without anyone reminding them. This is a very important skill that will help them later in school.

  • A child becomes respectful

Not all families are well-mannered; some may just be destroying a child before they even know what is good and bad. However, a childcare centre will teach children to respect one another and to help others in time of need. The child learns how to address adults with respect and also how to play well with others without fights.

  • A child develops strong self-esteem

Since every child is encouraged to behave and interact well with others, their self-esteem is greatly boosted, and they can speak in a huge crowd with confidence. Such skill will help them later on in their lives when they will be presenting in large crowds of people or during a presentation at work. Children who failed to pass through childcare centres have very low self-esteem.

Is it expensive to take a child to a childcare centre?

The cost of taking a child to a childcare centre has been greatly reduced due to the fact that there are many centres that exist today, and they often compete to get many children in their place. Thus, one of the strategies that are employed in such cases is by reducing their charges.

Contact Happy Hippo for more information on childcare.

5 tips to learn the battery

February 24, 2018
BlogGuitar SkillMusic Tips
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When I started the drums I did not know where to start. I had an idea of

lost ? to learn the battery

kind of music that I wanted to play, I bought my drums, but I really did not know what to do other than a “poum-poum-chak” on my drums.

After a year of more or less successful debut, here are the 5 tips that I wanted to have from the beginning, and have radically improved my game since

1. Take classes

It sounds obvious, but many are beginners (like me) who at first want to save money. It is true that after buying our dear battery, it is difficult to go out (15-20 € per lesson). But the advantages of taking drumming lessons with a teacher are so huge, that on all forums, all the drummers I know told me the same thing: “Magalie, take classes! ”

With a teacher,

  • We quickly learn the basics we would take months to learn alone.
  • We learn straight away good habits , while it’s so complicated to get rid of bad habits.
  • We have someone to correct us , we discover all the palettes of the battery and different styles .

2. Learn rhythmic theory

Tablatures, it’s good, to play by ear is good too. But knowing how to read a drum score opens up new horizons! It allows to see a structure of rhythm, to draw in the immensity of the partitions available on the net. It also allows you to record your own songs when playing in a group.

The rhythmic music theory is a bit like English for drummers, with that t veryone comes almost to understand

3. Register

If there is a council that pays, that’s it! When you practice, you have to register

It’s so hard to have a perspective on what we’re playing. And when registering we notice right away if we are regular , if the accents fall in the right place, what are the parts of the pieces that hang and need to rework.Sometimes when registering we notice that parts pass better we did not think so, while others are really not top while we thought to master this part!

And to register . It’s quite  easy (yes, even with an acoustic!)

4. Playing with a metronome

The metronome is the best friend of the drummerand his most faithful companion. And that’s the advice for me the hardest thing to follow! It’s so forbidding. But soon I saw tremendous progress in my regularity . And the day I managed to play on the ‘click’ (so we do not hear it anymore!), Frankly, it’s pretty awesome as feeling. But it must be a habit, like to wear shoes in the morning.

And finally, it’s really cool to be able to say: this song I can play at 90, 100, 120, 130 beats per minute without problem.

5. Take a good posture

That also the old people of the old insist a lot! It is in the long term , after 10-15-20 years of practice that one pays the errors of posture , with a stuck back, a beautiful scoliosis, tendinitis on the wrists.

And a good posture can play better . Take good habits to sit in front of the drums, hold chopsticks, these are “good practices” that no drummer ever regrets!

There is nothing to do with holding chopsticks : a flexible hold allows you to play faster and longer . How do you think the pros can send 180 bpm for 2 hours in concert?

10 pieces to start on the drum for beginners

February 24, 2018
BlogGuitar SkillMusic Tips
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10 pieces to start on the drums

Like many beginner drummers I wondered what songs I could play from the beginning, knowing only the basic “rock” rhythm.

I believed that with only a month of practice, I would have to work a lot of my theoryand continue, again and again, until I reached a level sufficient to start playing pieces in full. Well, I was wrong !

In fact we can play well known songs with a basic rhythm, and this from the second hour of practice! I do not claim to reach the level of pro drummers in just a few hours, but to play on a piece, keep pace, and have fun

So, over the course of time, I gathered a list of 10 well-known titles that I like and which are all based more or less on the basic rock rhythm.

But first, a little reminder of this basic rhythm:

Mark the eighths to the charley, beat 1 and 3 on the bass drum, beat 2 and 4 on the snare drum. Small subtlety: the second bass drum right after the 3rd beat (which can be left at the beginning). Once this groove goes well to the metronome (90-100 bpm), it’s good we can move to pieces!

The 10 songs that I advise to start the battery

When I say play the pieces, I specify, play “to his sauce” over the pieces. Do not make the same mistake as me to try from the second hour of practice to reproduce identically the game of the drummer of the song!

It may distract you from playing because you may be frustrated at not being able to play “exactly the same”, and you will not find any pleasure in it. While music is above all a good sound and pleasure above all !