WHAT ARE ARTS-AND-CRAFTS?

The term arts-and-crafts has an interesting history. When we think about either arts or crafts or handicrafts we immediately think about hand made items of quality made by real people. This is in fact precisely where the term came from. The term came into being in the late 19th Century in England.

As the industrial revolution and factory processes advanced and machinery took the place of artisans and trades-people and their hand-crafted, many articles and products particularly, in the area of textiles, started to vanish. A movement, also known as the Aesthetic Movement, lead by William Morris started, with the prime goal of reviving and maintaining the decorative arts in which hand fabrication is the main activity. As a reaction against industrialization he fostered the preservation of design simplicity and fine craftsmanship.

These arts-and-crafts activities have continued to prosper and expand ever since, where local crafts in ethnic or cultural communities have continued to provide a valuable source of money and cultural awareness. Many people around the world, including advanced industrial and technology countries, have developed simple hobbies into true arts-and-crafts, developing and preserving these same artisan skills, and the American Indian and Amish communities typify this in North America

Many uninformed folk who understand arts-and-crafts often and mistakenly think that home crafted products are in some way inferior, or of lower quality, however nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone who loves to wander and browse through arts-and-crafts markets around the world will come across works of pure beauty and art.

This website will explore the many popular and even more obscure arts-and-crafts, and will provide valuable advice, tips and sources of inspiration. In the 21st Century the term arts-and-crafts and skillfully hand-crafted objects remain as relevant as the original aims of the 19th Century, and arts-and-crafts without a doubt make the finest gifts that one can give. If you are planning on buying a gift then look at something special and hand crafted and keep alive the creative skills of centuries.

FINE ARTS

All About Painting

I have painted since I was a young child and always dreamt of being an artist and studying in France. I have also been fortunate to have visited most major and minor art galleries in the world and maintained my love and passion for art and painting ever since. My parents were somewhat more realistic and were not enthused about this life aim and so I became an engineer instead. Whether you dabble in oils, watercolors, or like myself prefer acrylics painting is one of the most rewarding and challenging of the arts.

Let it be known that anyone can paint! Yes anyone! The object is not to always try and paint a photographic image of what you see, but to express yourself and what you feel. What is important is to start, and put brush to canvas. Whether you have an ability or talent with portraits, landscapes, still life or feel more comfortable with painting abstracts, eventually everyone finds the style that suits their own self expression. When you love what you do then you become good at it and perhaps even famous (albeit often after you die), and also you might even start making a living out of it as many do. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Contributors are welcome with useful information

All About Drawing and Sketching

One of the great things about drawing and sketching is that you can carry a pencil and pad and start any time and any place. Whilst some prefer to use pencils, both black and also colors, I prefer to use Conte crayons. Conte crayons from France go back to the Napoleonic Wars and 1795 when Nicolas Conte came up with a new medium after they ran short of graphite. It was made from powdered graphite and clay, although today they are made from fabricated chalk. They are usually in black, red and brown colors although I have a set of colored crayons which are a joy to use, and I would recommend these as a medium to anyone. Of course you can stick to using simple lead pencils, or even colored ones, I frequently do as well. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Contributors are welcome with useful information

Does Sculpture Interest You?

My first introduction to sculpture was again while studying art, and I chose this as an examination specialty. You can in fact sculpt in just about any material, clay, paper mache, wire, steel, bronze, plastic, marble, scrap objects and if you can think of a material to adapt or use you can make sculpture from it. Like painting, sculptures range from classical to abstract, the limits are purely your own creativity and imagination. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Contributors are welcome with useful information

ABOUT GENERAL ARTS

Do You Like Pottery?

My first introduction to pottery was also while studying art, I was so lucky that I had a great art teacher I must say, and still I have my first pottery effort, a rather misshapen coffee cup. However whilst my arts-and-crafts efforts remain at best mediocre, I still admire great potters and their efforts. I would initially recommend you look around at your local pottery groups and join them, it is a great way of learning basic skills before advancing into buying all your own equipment and setting up a small workshop at home. You can start by creating garden pots and decorative bowls and evolve into other items as your wheel throwing skills improve. There is something wonderful about the feel of wet clay spinning between your hands and the formation of something beautiful by simple hand pressure, it is a very tactile and sensual pursuit. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Contributors are welcome with useful information

Try Out Ceramics

Ceramics essentially falls into 2 principal categories, that of Pottery and Porcelain. Pottery was possibly the first hand made objects produced in early and primitive societies, apart from basic stone tools that is. It is astounding that the basic materials and the principal techniques being used today essentially remained little changed over thousands of years. One major development was the discovery of kaolin in 7th century AD China. This created a method for the creation of hard paste porcelain, and a revolutionary change in ceramics commenced. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Consider Working With Glass

Every time I pass a glass making exhibition I am always in awe. Red hot glass being blown and rotated into beautiful and functional objects, with creative shapes and decorations. Archaeological research and findings show glass being started in the Middle East around 3000 BC. It was during the Roman Empire that the blowpipe was invented somewhere on the Phoenician coast, and then it flourished and grew throughout the empire, and anyone who has been to Venice just knows how beautiful an art form it remains, having been revived there during the Crusades. In fact cristallo or soda lime glass originated on the Venetian island of Murano. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Create Beautiful Stained Glass

I have a friend who loves to make stained glass and lead-lights, and photographing lead lights in old churches always holds a certain fascination for me. With the light behind them it is no wonder that churches used them as they are inspiring and breathtaking. It is a very involved and meticulous exercise that requires great skill. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Contributors Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Try Your Hand at Candle Making

This is a very ancient traditional activity that goes back literally to the dawn of civilization. This was the first light man ever created, they are still central to most religious ceremonies and today the skills are still special. There is a certain amount of chemistry to creating candles, and these pages will cover the basics This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Why not try Soap Making

This is another very old and ancient traditional activity. It borders on domestic chemistry but the results are simply superb I have to say and the results of many are simply wonderful. This section will give lots of useful information, soap recipes and troubleshooting hints to ensure that you get good results. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Have a Go at Leather Working

My first experience with leatherworking was on a brief visit to a hippy commune in the 1970’s and I was immediately put to work helping make leather belts and they were really well made and very good quality. I decided the commune life wasn’t for me or leatherworking. However I still try and select had crafted leather goods for my own use or as gifts. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Explore the Beauty of Wood Crafts

One of my most popular purchase items in the world are hand crafted wood craft items. I have collected a lot of beautifully made wooden sculptures, ranging from Brazilian birds and American crabs to South African dolphins and African heads from Kenya and Tanzania, and in fact the list is endless. I still browse markets and souvenir stands, looking for that something special to take home. Wood crafts include both lathe work, hand made furniture as well as carved wood. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

What About Metalworking

My uncle is a master blacksmith, there is nothing he can’t make out of metal and make something beautiful as well. This is a long way from making horse shoes however metalworking skills arte on the decline. Also I have friends who do a lot of brass and copper work, both hand and on the lathe. In the past I have bought some lovely handcrafted brasswork in India and other locations. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

ABOUT the TEXTILE ARTS-AND-CRAFTS

The arts and crafts renaissance started with textiles and this is still a major arts and crafts activity. I marvel at the ornate works that are produced that take many weeks and months to complete. These works of art require immense patience, perseverance, and perfection. Arts-and-crafts contributors are welcome with useful information

Create some Beautiful Needlecraft

Cross stitch, quilting and patchwork, needlepoint, latch-hook, knitting, crochet, tapestries, lace making and embroidery are all needlecraft techniques that are widely practiced all over the world. This section will add useful information and advice and contributors are welcome, share your arts-and crafts skills.

Try Spinning and Weaving

Spinning and weaving are very old and skilled crafts, in fact spinners and weavers were classed as Goddesses in ancient mythology, and there are many in various ancient cultures. As we all know, beautiful hand crafted ceremonial robes still are very important. Sheep’s wool is by far the most common fiber used although people also use goats wool. This site will provide useful information and advice. All contributors are welcome, share your arts-and crafts skills.

ABOUT the LITERARY ARTS

Start Writing the Great Novel

Everyone has a story to tell. Writing is about story telling whether fiction or non-fiction. Many people are deterred from writing as they are worried about their language skills or simple writing abilities. Do not let this deter you, write in your own style, and write to enjoy the experience. Don’t start worrying about publishing and writing for profit, that comes later and I have many useful tips and advice on this. Start writing and develop your storytelling skills. Are you are an engineering or other technical person looking for a change, then consider Technical Writing. I decided years ago to merge my love of writing with my engineering technical expertise and retrained as a technical writer and author, and it opens up a whole new world

What do you write about? Don’t worry about writers block, everyone has a life full of stories, and people with stories, so simply choose a subject or theme from your own life, whether good or bad and write about that. It can even be therapeutic sometimes. The important thing is to develop your skills and then look at how to sell or tell your story to a wider audience. How do you get published? how do you self publish and the power of internet and e-book publishing. This site will provide basic information to get started, along with basic practical advice. Contributors are welcome with useful information

CREATE DELICIOUS FOOD and CULINARY ARTS

Give Cheese Making a Try

Good cheese making is often called an art, and in France the term artisan is used, along with bread making. Like good cooks and fine cuisine, cheese making falls into the art and crafts bracket, well it does for me in any case, and I can get away with it on my own website. I used to have a goat dairy and stud , goats cheese is still one of my passions, and having studied cheese making through a technical college still admire the artisans who lovingly make such wonderful food. In France alone there are some 1000 cheeses, and then with the rest of Europe the range is enormous. I will give some useful cheese making advice and information on making your own home cheeses

Save Money with Beer Making

My father has always brewed his own beer and so have I where possible. I was fortunate to have stayed in Belgium several years where there are over 500 beers in that small country, it is hard to choose. Beer making was a craft fostered and preserved over many centuries by the monks and monasteries and today they are still available. I will cover the basics plus some very useful tips and information on troubleshooting brewing problems

CHOOSE GIFTS FOR EVERY OCCASSION

Looking for Unique Gifts?

Finding a unique gift is very hard to do, no matter what the occasion. These gifts can be from arts-and-crafts and handicrafts made in limited and limited editions or is the case, all different. This section will give useful advice and sources for finding gifts that are different and unique

What about Funny Gifts?

Most people want to find a funny gift for many occasions. Laughter is a great gift, no matter what the celebration or occasion. The real test and challenge is being able to find some place or source that sells a good variety of funny-gift items.

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