My Beauty Best Teacher

The portrait artist faced with painting blonde hair may automatically reach for titanium white and vary it with black or dark brown for shadows in the belief that these colors will create convincing blonde hair. Instead, the hair looks muddy and flat. What colors should the artist use for blonde hair?

How Not to Paint Blonde Hair

How to Paint Blonde Hair Rachel Shirley

Before making changes to a portrait with blonde hair, the artist may identify what went wrong with the hair aspect of the painting, which could be any of the following:

• Making blanket assumptions about blonde hair in that it always contains lots of white paint, and allowing this to reflect in the painting.
• Darkening pale colors with black or dark brown for the shadows, resulting in dirty darks.
• Applying the dark areas prior to the pales, contaminating the pale colors when they are applied afterwards. In an effort to put this right, the artist may add more white on top, resulting in an overworked painting with dirty pales.
• Painting the blonde color mix onto a white painting surface, which appear dark by comparison. The artist may inevitably make all the color mixes paler, which has a knock-on effect upon the painting, resulting in a washed-out representation of a blonde haired person in the portrait.

Tips on Mixing Colors for Blonde Hair

Close observation of blonde hair will reveal that it often contains lots of dark color mixes which can be found between strands and on the dark side of the head. Ash blonde, for instance often contains earth colors; platinum hair contains a little blue.

Rather than use black or dark brown to darken blonde hair, use a complimentary color. Warm blonde hair, for instance such as honey blonde or strawberry blonde can be darkened with a little blue and earth colour. I often use ultramarine and burnt sienna or ultramarine and a little burnt umber.

Cool blonde hair such as ash blonde or dirty blonde hair can be darkened with a little burnt umber and pthalo blue.

Work onto a toned ground rather than white when painting a blonde subject. A mid-toned neutral color such as pale brown or smoky blue is ideal. This makes it possible to key in the pale color mixes with the darks more accurately and prevent a ghostly painting of blonde hair. Working from dark to light is also a great exercise in gauging tonal variations accurately.

Art Techniques for Painting Blonde Hair

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Apply the pale colors prior to the darks. This preserves the clean color mixes for blondes highlights for example, from being sullied by a neighbouring dark color.

Create soft gradations between pales and darks with a soft clean sable. Keep wiping the surplus paint onto a clean rag with each stroke to prevent unwanted tonal bands from appearing on the hair.

Work from thin paint to thick, finishing off with highlights. I express light catching strands of hair by dragging neat white paint onto selected areas of the portrait with a fine sable. I use the same method for expressing outlines of the hair, such as flyaway stands or rogue locks falling over the face. Remember to express the shadows cast from the hair, such as on the cheeks and brow. Doing so will make the hair look in keeping with the subject.

Blonde Hair Colors for Painting

Although many color mixes can be found in blonde hair, the following suggestions may help guide the artist on which oil pigments to use for the base colors. Lots of creams, beiges and greys are not necessary. In fact, I use only the following colors for blonde hair: titanium white, ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, burnt sienna, permanent rose and burnt umber. Remember to always observe the subject for chromatic accuracy. Colors are ordered in largest quantity first.

Platinum blonde hair: Titanium white, ultramarine and burnt umber.
Ash blonde: Titanium white, pthalo blue and burnt sienna.
Golden blonde: Titanium white, burnt sienna and ultramarine.
Honey blonde: Titanium white, burnt sienna and burnt umber.
Strawberry blonde: Titanium white, burnt sienna, permanent rose and ultramarine.
Dark blonde: Titanium white, ultramarine, permanent rose and burnt umber.

Highlights in Blonde Hair

Rather than use neat white for highlights to blonde hair, use pale color mixes. White mixed with a touch of burnt sienna creates warm yet intense highlights for hair. Other pales to look out for are pale blues, violets, eggshell and pastels. Such definite hues will suggest form and depth of color to blonde hair instead of just white.

External Links Relating to Painting Hair

It is my pleasure to announce that the Independent candidate for Michigan Congress in the 9th District, Bob Gray, has just withdrawn from the race and endorsed the Republican nominee, Rocky Raczkowski! This follows the recent similar announcement from Libertarian candidate Adam Goodman who also withdrew from the race and endorsed Rocky.

After hearing the news, Gary Peters considered releasing yet another statement saying: “The news that Bob Gray has also joined the Rocky campaign comes as no surprise. The Rocky Campaign is the Noah’s ark of fringe candidates and ideas." There you have it- if you are not a liberal Democrat who embraces nationalizing our healthcare system or giving the government the power to cap and tax our energy and manufacturing system, then you are part of the 'fringe' that Peters laughs at. If you believe that government debt is a problem and that just throwing money at wild projects is not a wise solution to unemployment, then you are the 'fringe' to ignore to Peters. It just proves how out of touch Peters is and how much he in reality dislikes moderates, libertarians, independents, Republicans, or anyone else who isn't a far left liberal. If you are anything but a far-left liberal, you should know that Peters thinks you are the 'fringe'- but Rocky thinks that you are a good American whose values and beliefs should be respected. I hope you vote accordingly.

Egondu Onyejekwe on eHealth:

In Feint & Margin Kate Nkansa writes:

I have come to a few of my own conclusions as to why we cannot even get the basics right on the African continent. We have no pride, accountability, sense of responsibility and ownership. This includes politicians, citizens and civil society in our continent. We are mediocre and accept mediocrity instead of demanding excellence. We have no benchmark to measure ourselves against. Let's stop blaming: slavery, apartheid and colonisation for our mediocrity. We have nobody but ourselves to blame. It is 2010 and many African countries are celebrating more than 40 years of independence. We have, however failed to achieve anything tangible in this time. Let us foster some pride and take responsibility for the poverty, hunger, corruption that prevails in our countries. Our continent’s success solely rests on every African’s shoulders. We as Africans need to create the standards we deem acceptable for Africa. Africans should hold politicians who plunder our resources for self-enrichment accountable. If someone tried to steal or take advantage of your family, you would be outraged. This is the same principle we need to cultivate as Africans. This continent has so much potential, we all need to start believing and actively striving for excellence starting from the way we treat each other as Africans, our work ethic and how we use state and public resources.

More here

The artist assigned to paint a portrait of someone with brown hair may reach for any brown pigment to represent the follicles in the hope that it will do, the result being the hair looks flat, dull and more like wool than fine strands. How can the artist paint brown hair realistically?

How to Paint Brown Hair on Portraits

Painting Brown Hair Rachel Shirley

The artist may reflect upon what went wrong when painting hair in order to make changes to how the oil painting was completed. Any of the following painting practices could be at fault:

• Making blanket assumptions about the colour of brown hair, using any tube of oil paint labelled “brown” to represent anything from brunette to auburn.
• Illustrating every strand of the hair in a linear fashion with a fine sable, resulting in a synthetic appearance that resembles a wig rather than real hair.
• Allowing harsh dividing lines to remain between tonal areas, making the hair appear solid or plastic rather than divisible strands.
• Mixing the brown colour with white to represent highlights, or black to darken it, resulting in dirty grey colours.
• Treating the hair area as a separate entity to the rest of the face, by omitting to illustrate how the hair casts shadows over the brow and cheeks, resulting in a cut out appearance to the brown hair.

Tips on Painting Brunette

The observant artist will notice that brown hair is a mere blanket label for a diversity earthen colours, including brunette, ochre, auburn, coffee, toffee, bronze tan, chocolate and russet that require different colour mixes to achieve. With this in mind, the following remedies may help the artist paint brown hair realistically.

• Avoid using generic brown paint to represent the whole head of hair. The brown colour will vary between individuals and even between strands.
• The key to suggesting the soft texture of hair is through blending. Look out for harsh divisions in tonal areas that could draw the eye. Use a soft sable for achieving smooth gradations.
• Highlights are not merely white, but other colours. Some brunettes exhibit blue highlights, others show pinks, violets and even red.
• Avoid using black to darken brown hair. Warm brown hair can be darkened with a little pthalo blue and burnt umber; cool brown hair can be darkened with a little ultramarine and permanent rose.
• There is no need to draw every strand of the hair. It is better to blend the colours of hair and to suggest detail with a fine sable on selected areas of the hair, such as highlights and stray strands.

Pay special attention to the outline of the hair, particularly strands that fall over the face or catch the light.

Illustrating local shadows over the face can be effective at creating an almost photographic representation of hair and making it look as though it belongs to the subject.

Backlit hair will create bright russet colours, pinks, golds and bronzes, with tones similar to bright translucent autumn leaves. Take advantage of these opportunities to create a striking portrait.

Colour Mixes for Shades of Brown Hair

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Lots of browns and earth colours are not needed for every shade of brown. I use burnt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine, pthalo blue, permanent rose, cadmium red and titanium white for all my brown hair paintings.

The portrait artist may find the following pigment mixtures helpful when trying to capture a particular colour mix for brown hair. The pigments are suggestion only, as in real life, more colours will be seen in highlights, reflections and darks. Varying amounts of white will be required in each case to express paler tones.

Ash brown hair: burnt umber, a little pthalo blue with white.
Auburn hair: burnt sienna, permanent rose and ultramarine.
Russet hair: burnt umber, cadmium red and a little ultramarine.
Toffee hair: burnt umber, cadmium red and a little ultramarine.
Dark coffee hair: burnt umber, pthalo blue and permanent rose.
Almost black brown hair: burnt umber, pthalo blue and a little permanent rose.

Oil Painting Techniques for Painting Hair

Glazing and dry brushing are great for suggesting realistic hair. Such painting techniques are explored on my articles via the links below and also via the links on this site navigation.

• Glazing technique for oil painting
• How to paint children from a photo
• Flesh tones in portraits

Emmanuel Franklyne Ogbunweze writes:

A society that imports her gods, has offered to live under the caprice of foreign pestilences. She has mortgaged her destiny to the insular enclaves of alien theologies. Her doctrines and dogma are overthrown by derivatives of alien thought patterns, rendered canonical by capricious and absentee conclaves. In such a theatre, foreign metaphysics rises to displace local values. Irreverent incoherence isolates and devastates local cosmologies. Local mores are alienated to make way for the import to march to supremacy. Such is the trajectory of the contact between an occupying power and native reality...[continue reading]

In the NYTimes Daniel Bergner writes about the rule of Africa's first female president.
On corruption:

“We can’t stamp it out, not yet,” Sirleaf said to me, clenching her fists in frustration over the country’s bone-deep corruption. She spoke of being torn between firing every transgressing official and keeping enough ministers and staff members at their desks so the government can go on operating, no matter how badly it is compromised. And meanwhile, unemployment in the country, whose population shifted heavily to Monrovia during the war, stands as high as 85 percent by some estimates. Instilling faith that Liberia’s economic wasteland can be redeemed, however gradually, may be the only way to ensure long-lasting peace, especially with the U.N. troops expected to start pulling out after next year’s elections. Over the radio, Sirleaf put the emphasis on gradually. “I beg you I no magician,” she said, letting a plea seep into her lecture. “I can’t just wave a magic wand.”

Regarding the country's options from a value-add perspective:

Liberia’s natural resources just aren’t in high-enough demand around the world to spur the economy and generate much public revenue. Firestone is providing the government with $4.7 million this year, Sirleaf estimated. To truly take advantage of its iron, rubber and timber, Liberia would have to manufacture things with them; it would have to export finished products rather than raw materials. And it can’t; the country is all but pre­industrial...[continue reading]

We would disagree on this last point of being "preindustrial". Liberia does have innovation assets that lie in plain view. Like every other African country its makers and innovators are largely overlooked while emphasis is placed on largely unsustainable initiatives. From building up is nascent market gardeners, training a techie workforce to building its tourist assets we dispute the uninformed claim that that salvation lies in oil based resource extraction.

Grant Brooke writing in the Huffington Post:

...in Nairobi I sat down for curbside soda with a local street vendor to chat politics and theology. Because of his liberal politics, I expected to hear a liberation theology, so I was surprised when he offered a simple prosperity Gospel message asserting, to paraphrase him, that God does not desire poverty for anyone, and that those who have faith can lift themselves from poverty. At its core, these beliefs are a statement of autonomy and upward mobility placed into theologized language.
This is a discovery I am not alone in. Peter Berger, father of American Sociology of Religion, went to South Africa and found the same core message as the Kenyan street vendor driving prosperity teaching there, leading him to pen a scathing sociological piece against the prosperity Gospel's opponents in The Wall Street Journal. And the late David Martin, of the London School of Economics, demonstrated in his comprehensive studies of Pentecostalism in Latin America that church-goers who believe in God-given prosperity are more autonomous, economically responsible, self-confident, and optimistic about life outcomes than their Mainline Protestant and Catholic counterparts. He called this belief "betterment" and argued that it bore itself out in greater chances for upward mobility into the emergent Latin American middle class. A belief in one's own prosperity, Martin suggests, is often a self-fulfilling prophecy.

More here

Third parties play an important role in our political system- the suck votes away from the major party candidate who is closest to that third party and help the major party candidate who is the most opposed to the third party win. In 1992, Reform Party supporters helped elect Clinton, in 2000 Green Party supporters helped elect Bush, and in 2008 Libertarian supporters helped elect Al Franken (see my posts Libertarians Screwed Themselves By Not Voting or Voting Libertarian or Libertarians Screwed Themselves Again by Not-Voting or Voting Libertarian). It is a two party system here in the United States, and those of you who vote for third parties out of principle are voting to hurt the major party candidate who is closest to your principles.

Recognizing this fact, and recognizing that one of the candidates is much closer to libertarian views than the other, it is my pleasure to announce that the Libertarian candidate for Michigan Congress in the 9th District, Adam Goodman, has just withdrawn from the race and endorsed the Republican nominee, Rocky Raczkowski!

In 2006 the Libertarian candidate (Adam Goodman) for the 9th District Michigan Congressional seat won 3,698 votes, or 1% of the votes cast that year, and in 2008 the Libertarian candidate (Adam Goodman) won 4,937, or 1.4% of the votes cast that year (source). It is my guess that 30% of the libertarian voters have already voted absentee and another 30% won't realize that their candidate has endorsed Rocky, but even still, this decision should send Rocky an additional 1,700 votes! The race right now is rumored to be very tight, and this might just make the difference!

After hearing the news, Gary Peters spokesman Dan Farough released a statement a short time later that said (source):  “The news that Adam Goodman has joined the Rocky campaign comes as no surprise. The Rocky Campaign is the Noah’s ark of fringe candidates and ideas." There you have it- if you are not a liberal Democrat who embraces nationalizing our healthcare system or  giving the government the power to cap and tax our energy and manufacturing system, then you are part of the 'fringe' that Peters laughs at. If you believe that government debt is a problem and that just throwing money at wild projects is not a wise solution to unemployment, then you are the 'fringe' to Peters. It just proves how out of touch Peters is and how much he in reality dislikes moderates, libertarians, independents, Republicans, or anyone else who isn't a far left liberal. If you are anything but a far-left liberal, you should know that Peters thinks you are the 'fringe'- but Rocky thinks that you are a good American whose values and beliefs should be respected, and I hope you vote accordingly.

Oh, if you haven't seen the latest advertisement from Rocky yet, it's great- go to http://www.rockyworksforus.com/ to help him get it on the TV everywhere.

The artist who strives for realism may feel dissatisfied if a painting of a dog or portrait looks cartoonish. Mountains or rivers appear look cut out, shadows resemble dark smudges and flowers idealised. How does the artist create paintings that look convincing?

How to Make Paintings Look Real

Oil Painting with Realism Rachel Shirley

The reason why a painting lacks realism is often down to one thing: the dictatorial part of the brain that overrides what the eye actually sees. This dictatorial part of the brain may insist upon illustrating symbolic versions of objects regarding lines, shapes, colours and tone, which could be some or part of the following:

The sky is blue, all chairs have four legs, all fingers are long, children are scaled-down versions of adults, all shadows are dark, snow is white, the grass is green and all eyes are almond shaped.

When it comes to what the eyes sees, the above is often not true: Skies can be silver or indigo, chairs can appear to have three or two legs, fingers may appear stubby in foreshortening, children have different proportions to adults, snow can appear blue, shadows can be orange, grass can be violet and eyes can be lots of shapes.

These are simplified examples, but the dictatorial part of the brain may interfere with the painting process in very subtle ways which the artist may not always be aware of, such as how a line curves or the chromatic shift of the sky.

Why Paintings Look Disappointing

What is the solution to this dilemma? The theory is simple, the practice is more difficult: Shut off the dictatorial part of the brain. This will help not only the painting process, but the whole business of creating realistic art, including drawing, pastels and watercolours.

Illustrating the world how it actually is can be done by the following strategies:

View the subject matter in front as abstract shapes and lines rather than what it is. A cup is no longer a cup, but a jigsaw of colour and tone. Half-closing the eyes will help simplify this jigsaw.

• Keep looking at the photograph or subject matter in front. Not doing so means relying upon memory and the memory is the enemy of realistic art. Memory is where the dictatorial part of the brain takes over.
• If copying from a photograph, turn the photograph and painting upside down.
• Stand at least ten feet from the painting periodically. This will help the artist appreciate the painting as a whole rather than in its parts.
• View the painting through a mirror. This will reveal hidden errors in the painting.
• Take half an hour’s break from the painting and return with a fresh view.

Creating Realistic Tones in a Painting

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Working on a white surface will mislead the artist on the true tonal values of colours. Pale blue for instance will appear dark by comparison. Work on a toned ground. This entails the application of a thin wash of oil or acrylic paint over the painting surface, which could be grey or brown. This will kill the off-putting white and give a more accurate indication of the colour’s tonal value. I always include all tonal values in my paintings from pale to very dark to prevent the artwork from looking insipid or washed out.

Oil Painting Techniques for Realism

Overriding the dictatorial part of the brain will take the artist a long way towards creating realism. However, the artist may use art techniques to achieve a high finish. A combination of oil painting glazing and fine detail will create a photographic painting. Smooth effects can be achieved by applying two or three translucent layers of oil paint for skies or backgrounds for instance. A broken glaze can be applied for skin tones and dog fur. A few touches with a fine sable will create realistic hair and highlights.

Art Materials for Realism

The following are vital if the artist hopes to achieve photographic realism in paintings:

• Good quality photos.
• A good range of oil colours that include the primaries. Cadmium yellow (pale), permanent rose and pthalo blue are close to the mark. Other essential pigments are: titanium, ultramarine, cadmium red, burnt sienna, burnt umber, lemon yellow and viridian.
• Good quality fine sables such as Kolinsky. Winsor & Newton or Daler Rowney are good manufacturers of sable brushes.
• Linseed oil for thinning the oil paint to glazes.
• An alert artist.

There is more to achieving a high finish to oil painting than this article can cover, but the links below will explore glazing techniques and producing high detail in painting, as well as articles on this blog.

External Links on Creating Realism in Oil Painting

• Glazing techniques for oil painting
• Advice on buying sable brushes for oils
• Which art medium to use for glazing
• Using alkyds for glazing
• Mixing accurate colours
• How to draw accurately
• Flesh tones in portraits
• Oil painting art materials

Today while listening to various liberal talk radio stations, I heard the same thing over and over again- it isn't the Democrats fault that everything is going wrong in our nation, they just need more time. If only they were given another decade with total control over every aspect our nation, things would continue to get worse and worse, but after that, we could look forward to unicorns and rainbows and heaven on earth.

Here is the data. Based on this, what do you see that would cause you to continue to vote for Democrats and their policies?

Come on- what is the data telling you? What truth is staring you straight in the face? When you put in place liberal policies, what is the result? If this is the result after 4 years of Democratic control of Congress and 2 years of the Presidency, what do you think will happen if you continue to leave them in control?

Don't overthink this one.

From Kwame Anthony Appiah's soliloquy on honor to Zehd A's discourse on the loss of shame. In Nigerian Curiosity:

According to cultural anthropologist Ruth Benedict, shame differs from guilt in that it is a violation of social and cultural values rather than personal values. Shame is an important tool for socialization as it is often used to regulate behavior, and is an important pillar of punishment in most societies. A shameless society therefore, implies a complete breakdown of social values that compel individuals of that society to exercise some degree of responsibility towards each other. How does one appeal to the conscience of a man who is impervious to disgrace? This is a trait that characterizes not just our political class, but even average citizens. Shamelessness is the disease that has permeated every aspect of our consciousness, from our schools to our churches to our institutions of government. It is everywhere and it is destroying us as a people.

More here

From the Huntington Post, via Gatewaypundit, we get a glimpse into exactly how the President of the United States spends his time running the executive branch of our nation:

President Barack Obama has gone on a veritable media blitz as the election has approached, speaking to reporters in off-record settings, doing sit-down interviews with traditional (National Journal) and alternative (Rolling Stone) publications, and appearing on radio programs with varying audiences (Al Sharpton and Michael Smerconish’s shows just this week). The reach extends deep into the entrails of the new media world as well. On Wednesday, the president conducted what appears to be the first ever in-person sit-down with political bloggers, hosting a group of five in the White House.

A lot of blogs are focusing on the fact that the bloggers that the President of the United States met with happen to be some of the most liberal bloggers on the net and advocate views ranging from fascism to communism, but that's not really what I want to point out- I want to point out that while our economy continues to suffer, while the war continues against terrorism, while poverty continues to grow, and while Iran goes about building a nuclear bomb to wipe out Israel, our President has decided that the best way to spend his time, talents, and energy is taking a break from making appearances on TV shows and playing golf to instead do interviews, radio programs, and hold meetings with pajama bloggers.

Did you vote for this clown? Did anyone you know vote for him? Are you serious about even thinking about possibly voting for him again?

G. Pascal Zachary writes:

The legacy of colonial rule and the earlier ravages of slave trade forever changed the “trajectory” of African development. That is the biggest cliche of African studies, however axiomatic. What is less appreciated is how “independence” from colonial rule was constructed in order to promote personal rule of a sort that, however unique to the sub-Saharan, exhibited parallels with forms of personal rule elsewhere in the world, notably in China (under Mao) and the Soviet Union (under Stalin)...[continue reading]

Quoting a recent Chanda Chisala piece:

Let our history books be reset. The struggle for African independence was not always as hard (or perhaps even as urgent) as our old "freedom fighters" and their "historians" claimed. What has been really hard is the struggle against tyranny – after independence.

The United States has dropped out of the "top 20" in a global league table of least corrupt nations, tarnished by financial scandals and the influence of money in politics, Transparency International said on Tuesday. In response, US President Barack Obama (Democrat) said "My name may not be on the ballot (for the midterm elections on Nov 2), but our agenda for moving forward is."
Obama's agenda for moving forward, which increasing includes questionable lending practices in the subprime crisis, various campaign funding schemes, and rows over political funding, have all rattled public faith about prevailing ethics in America and contributed to the increasing corruption in the US political system, to a level not seen since. "I also think anybody who is concerned about the direction of the country has to understand that this election is just as important as 2008," Obama explained.

Obama is right- this election is about the direction our nation is headed and his agenda- an agenda that favors corruption, crony capitalism, lawless takeovers, taxpayer money flowing to politically connected companies and groups, and increasing state control over larger and larger segments of the economy. Before you go to the polls, before your family members go to the polls, remind them of what they are voting for this election- America is increasingly rated as less free, less prosperous, more corrupt, and it has all been going on under Democratic control of Congress and the Presidency.

Transparency International pointed out that in many states, notably Democratic-run New York and Illinois, iinfluence apparently could be bought and sold, and that was not good. Also it was noted that in the United States, because the Democrats control the Congress, there appears to be almost no oversight of the sprawling and active and unrestricted executive branch, and this also increased the corruption of our political system.

"Essentially, in 2008, we won the ability to start making change, and that's what we've done over the last two years," Obama said. He's right- and it now is up to you to vote whether or not you like these changes by voting for Congress this election.

The Hill and Reuters helped contribute to this post. I could only find Transparency International's report from 2007 to buy (Global Corruption Report 2007: Corruption in Judicial Systems (Transparency International Global Corruption Reports)- it'd be interesting to buy that though and compare it to the one from 2010, after Democrats gained control of Congress and the White House.

J. Lorand Matory on African-Inspired Religions:

Whether you realize it or not, there is only one week left- 7 days- until the midterm election. This election in Michigan is about several things- getting rid of our liberal Democrat Governor, keeping Republican control of the offices in charge of elections and law, putting in place the right conservative people at the local level, and letting President Obama know that we reject his agenda by rejecting Democratic candidates at the national level. At the least, you need to make sure that you vote Republican for Congress or Senate this year, but if you want to become more involved, you should volunteer to help out by making some phone calls or go door to door or donate some money. If your race for Senator or Congress isn't competitive, then you can always feel free to help out or donate to the race for Congress here in Michigan's 9th District.

Here in the 9th District of Michigan, the Republican candidate Andrew 'Rocky' Raczkowski is in a dogfight with the incumbent Democrat Congressman Gary 'Pelosi' Peters. Peters won the historically-Republican district in 2008 by riding the coattails of Old Hope'n'Change, and now is pretending he is a fiscal conservative Republican by running commercial after commercial bragging about how he supports the opposite of everything that he voted for the last two years in Congress. Peters doesn't mention his party and doesn't mention his votes on the issues, and like most Democrats around the country, he is dumping massive amounts of special interest money into unbased and false personal attacks of Rocky. This race is an important race- Erick Erickson at Redstate put together a list of the top 99 GOP hopefuls this election, and the race for MI-9 was rated as #76 (he says it 'leans Dem', but that means nothing if on election day the GOP and independents and moderates all vote for Rocky).

MLive.com reports that both candidates recently appeared separately on WJR-AM 760:

Peters attempted to frame himself as a job-facilitator, touting recent his work on the Small Business Act, which is designed to spur local lending, and the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act passed last year.

Raczkowski replied "I've never so much rhetoric before in my entire life," referencing Peters' controversial votes on health care reform and cap-and-trade legislation.  "...I haven't seen anything come out of his office that helps Michigan or focuses on Michigan or actually really works on the issues that we have to do. He's been a rubber stamp for this administration, and I'm not a rubber stamp for any administration. I'm a rubber stamp for Michigan and for Oakland County families."

Peters is attempting to frame the situation, and Rocky is attempting to get voters to vote based on Peters record. Here is how dagblog analyzes the situation:

MI-9: First-term incumbent Gary Peters (D), a nine point winner in 2008, seeks to defend this depressed suburban district against the almost unfunded challenge of Rocky Raczkowski, who was nicked in the primary by charges that he committed fraud in connection with his business. Rocky led in one poll, and trailed in another, by EPIC-MRA, which seems to have a major house lean. This is a jump ball, but I really don't like relying on the EPIC-MRA poll. Jump ball, but I take the GOPer.

The only reason why this race is close is because Rocky is running his campaign by raising money from real people and isn't getting bought off by special interests like Peters. If you contribute to his campaign at http://www.rockyworksforus.com/ you can help him win!

Shadow and Act reviews Andy Okoroafor's Relentless:

Relentless Teaser
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Taking a very European and somewhat retrospective approach, tropes that are familiar to many Nollywood productions – prostitution, corruption, ritual slaughter… get the nouvelle vague treatment. The narrative is far from being dialogue heavy and, with regard to performances, it must be said that Gideon Okeke as the quiet, introspective loner, Obi, gives a perfectly sublimely restrained and understated performance. And for her first film performance, Nigerian songstress, Nneka (Nneka Egbuna) doesn’t do a bad turn as the prostitute, Honey, although her performance isn’t quite as nuanced as it could be. But while, the acting is somewhat uneven, the melodrama prevalent in your average Nollywood film is practically non-existent. In fact, existentialism and introspection are key themes that run throughout the film, and long, quiet takes are interspersed with rapid, short cuts symbolic of the underlying chaos of both Lagos city and the lead character’s inner turmoil. And in a country where continuous electricity supply isn’t a given, that the filmmaker committed to using natural light is no mean feat. No doubt, his use of 35mm film and an adept cinematographer is what gives the film in visual depth and texture...[continue reading]

 In an interview he gives his reasons for making the movie:

I wanted to make something that is aesthetic, a true reflection of Africa today and how we go about our normal everyday lives without any exaggeration or apology. A lot of what is out there doesn’t project the real Africa in my opinion. I also wanted to showcase how the history and politics of the place affect normal citizens going about their every day lives.

Read the entire Catch a Vibe Interview here

Muza Gondwe writes:

A science cafe, known around the world as café scientifique “is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. Meetings take place in cafes, bars, restaurants and even theatres, but always outside a traditional academic context.”...Science cafes are slowly and steadily spreading across the African continent. Regular cafes are being held in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ghana, and Morocco. It began in 2007 at a workshop on African Science Cafes in South Africa supported by the British Council.

via Communicating Science,the African way

How to Paint Impressionism

Autumn Impressionism Rachel Shirley

• Sitting too close to the painting, causing each brush mark to appear to have more significance than it actually has.
• Using fine sable brushes throughout the painting session.
• Sitting in one position during the entire painting session or not viewing the painting in any other way.
• Painting onto a white support, causing pale colours to appear dark by comparison and resulting in a pale painting.
• Over-mixing the colours until they are completely even.
• Not using vibrant colours or tempering bright colours with browns and greys.
• Overworking the painting until it looses life.

How to Paint Impressionist Style

When striving to emulate the Impressionists, the following painting practices may be followed.

• Use only hog brushes no smaller than no.6, to force the artist to use economy with brush marks and avoid linear detail.
• Use every tonal value from pale to very dark within the painting. Working on a toned ground, such as grey or neutral colour, will give the true tonal value of each colour.
• Half close the eyes to simplify the view and cut out irrelevant detail
• Don’t use black to darken colours but the opposing colour. Red for instance, can be used to darken green.
• Don’t over-mix colours. Allow colour streaks to remain on the brush on application.
• Get up and view the painting from a distance. Turn it upside down or through a reflection to reboot the brain on what is vital about the painting and what is irrelevant.
• I believe every painting is allocated a limited number of brush marks before it becomes overworked. Make every brushstroke count. Allow imperfections to remain within the brushstrokes, and as soon as the artist starts to “fuss” over the painting, stop.

Vibrant Colours in Painting

Don’t be afraid to use colours neat from the tube. Juxtaposing them against neutral colours will make them appear more vibrant rather than cheap. Monet’s sunsets, for instance, contained lots of neutrals which provided the stage for the bright colours.

click to buy from Amazon

External Links on Painting Impressionist Style

• Books on landscape painting
• Alla prima oil painting technique
• Impasto technique in oils
• Oil painting on location
• Demonstration on how to paint tomatoes
• Demonstration on painting cornfields

Nothing surprising here,Western banks and the usual shady deposits:

British high street banks have accepted millions of pounds in deposits from corrupt Nigerian politicians, raising serious questions about their commitment to tackling financial crime, warned Global Witness. By taking money from corrupt Nigerian governors between 1999 and 2005, Barclays, NatWest, RBS, HSBC and UBS helped to fuel corruption and entrench poverty in Nigeria.

More here
via Sahara Reporters

That's right- according to Democratic candidates and strategists and pundits and blogs, every tea party candidate supports privatizing popular and successful Social Security program, or at least this is the word-for-word line that Democratic candidates and strategists and pundits and blogs are parroting. By similar logic, every Democratic Candidate Supports Nationalizing Popular and Successful Car Companies! Oh wait...

So you're saying that just because one person or a couple people who is affiliated with something says something or characterizes something in a certain way we can't blanket stereotype everyone from that group? Yes, it is true that some Tea Party candidates believe in privatizing Social Security, although since there is no real official 'tea party' that would be hard to be clear on, plus there is no national 'tea party' platform, so it would be hard to prove that a candidate who isn't labeled 'tea party' supports a platform that isn't written down anywhere. So I guess saying 'every tea party candidate supports' is as accurate as saying 'every Democractic candidate supports.' But the rest of the statement is true, right?

So you're saying that exaggerating the position of a group isn't something that we should do? Some candidates support modernizing and changing and hoping and unicorning a program like Social Security by allowing people choices and control, but this isn't the same things as 'privatizing' the program, any more than Obama and the Democrats swooping in and seizing a large private company in violation to the bankruptcy laws of our nation is the same as nationalizing a company. Overstating positions and exaggerating a candidates position is the kind of sleight-of-hand and trickery that real candidates, blogs, and pundits shouldn't rely on. Although in retrospect, I guess I'm still confused how what Obama and the Democrats did to GM was not illegally nationalizing a company so that political elites could divide up its assets and distribute them to political supporters. Regardless, GM and Social Security were both successful and popular, right?

Does successful and popular mean a giant pyramid scheme that benefits a particular group in society? Oh sure, old people and those nearing retirement age really like social security, but young people and those far from retirement age don't (and if they do they are morons). It won't be there for them when they retire, at least not in its current form, so the deal that is being made now- pay a fair percentage of your income to the government to hold on to it for you so that when you retire you can retire with a comfortable source of income- is a raw deal. Young people will pay their entire lives into a system that will pay them greatly reduced benefits when they retire, but old people who are getting the sweet deal now certainly like it, that's for sure. Oh, and as far as being successful- I've got a business opportunity for you, you just sell this thing to seven people, and if they sell it to seven people, then you'll make lots of money... social security is successful just like Democrats are successful, in that it exists and is sucking the system dry before it collapses.

Huh, weird, when you actually listen to what liberals and Democrats say and throw it through some logic and analysis, their best arguments are pretty lame.

Via The Hill:

David Zucker, the director of the 1980 comedy classic "Airplane!" who has worked on myriad films including the "Naked Gun" and "Scary Movie" franchises, directed the "Call Me Senator" spot for Right Change, a 527 and 501(c)4 organization "committed to supporting policies and candidates dedicated to fiscal responsibility and a strong national security for the United States, while upholding the principles of freedom, competitiveness and entrepreneurial spirit of the American people."

The spot goofs on Boxer's testy exchange with Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh at a June 2009 hearing of the Committee on Environment and Public Works. "You know, do me a favor," Boxer told the officer, who was using military protocol to address those higher on the chain of command by "sir" or "ma'am." "Could say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?'"

"Yes, ma'am," Walsh responded. "It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you," Boxer continued. "Yes, senator," he responded.

Pretty funny stuff. Here it is:

Memeorandum is all over this story!

Kate Nkansa writing in Feint & Margin:

I often listen to Africans speaking and boasting about how many European countries they have been to, they however fail to mention one African country they have visited. Have you ever heard of anyone mentioning that they have been saving for a trip to visit Timbuktu in Mali, which was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th century...We travel to France to get a taste of French bread and wine; Italy to experience their pasta and pizza; and Switzerland for their cheese and chocolate. What cuisine are African countries celebrated for having?

More here
via Kabissa

The artist who ventures into oil painting impasto may paste the oil paint on thickly for impressionist skies or landscapes, using up lots of costly oil paint. The result is that there is little of the paint left in the tubes for another painting. How can oil painting be made cheap when using impasto?

Textured Painting Techniques

Producing an oil painting with impasto paint can work out expensive if the artist is wasteful with oil paint. This can be a problem if using a palette knife or wide bristle brushes for relief effects. The following practices could make impasto techniques costly.

• Using exclusively artist quality oil paints and applying liberal amounts over the oil painting to produce relief effects.
• Depositing liberal amounts of oil paint onto the artist’s palette and then simply disposing of the residue at the end of the painting session.
• Putting too much oil paint on the palette in relation to the size of the oil painting. For instance, if the impasto work is small.

How to make Thick Paint Go Further with Impasto

Few artists wish to worry about how much paint to use when working in impasto, for impasto techniques are all about freedom of expression with paint. A great technique when working in alla prima, impasto can suggest energy and give vibrancy to large expanses of an oil painting, such as skies, water, seascapes, mountains and even backgrounds to still life and portraiture. But how can the artist make the oil paint go further with impasto? Here are some tips on making applying impasto paint effectively.

• Avoid depositing large amounts of a pigment onto the palette in the first instance, for surplus paint cannot be placed back in the tube. It is better to squeeze out a little at a time rather than one big splodge.
• Don’t dispose of the left over oil paint on the palette at the end of the painting session, for the medley of colours can be mixed to make lovely neutrals for a future painting. Place a Tupperware lid over the palette and seal with cling film. If placed in a cool place, the paints will remain workable for up to a week.
• Again, don’t throw away old oil paints, regardless of how garish the colour; they can be used to create bulk to an existing mix or used to mix neutrals.
• Allow some of the oil paints to thicken on the palette over a day or two. This will result in a thick, pasty consistency, ideal for impasto.
• A large impasto painting may benefit from the purchase of impasto medium or Oleopasto. This is an alkyd based medium that can be mixed with the oil paint to thicken the paint and make it go further.

How to Use Impasto Gel

Impasto medium click to buy from Amazon

Impasto medium is often sold in tubes, and when squeezed out, a brownish substance will emerge. Once mixed with the pigment, it will not affect the colour, but will thicken the consistency of the oil paint. Mix to about one parts to four. Adding too much may take the tinting strength from the oil paint. The impasto mixture can then be used for palette knife techniques or Sgraffito with textures.

Impasto Painting Made Cheap

Impasto techniques with oil can be made inexpensive with a few adjustments to how the artist applies the paint. Avoid throwing out old tubes of paint for these can always be used for future mixes. Surplus paint on the palette can be saved for a future painting by sealed under a cover and placed in a cool place. Impasto medium can be mixed with oil paint to thicken its consistency and make it go further, helping to cut the cost of oil paints.

External Links on Impasto Painting

• Advice on oil painting mediums
• Alla prime painting technique
• Advice on impasto techniques
• Creating textures in oil painting
• Demonstration on painting sunsets with palette knives
• Demonstration on painting Sgraffito with oils
• Oil painting mediums

Featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence & candidate for WTU General Vice President