Avid Technology
All about avid technology informationHow to Make Realistic Diorama Terrain
Posted on October 20, 2011
Whether you are making a diorama for wargaming, fantasy scenes, or model railroads having woods, forests, cliffs, and other terrain that really looks good is the most important part of the project. This article shows you the eight steps to take for making great looking terrain.
The most important part of making really good looking terrain is the materials and if you want your diorama to look very real and authentic I recommend you use store bought materials from a company called Woodland Scenics. They have a wide range of products that are inexpensive and very realistic. But, if this is impractical for you and you want to keep the cost of your diorama down you can be creative and make much of your own materials. This takes a little bit of imagination but if you think about it you can come up with some great materials. As an example you can use plain sand as a base in your diorama and you can dye it different colors with water-soluble paints to get different looks from grass to dirt. You can also dye the bristles of a small paintbrush green, then after it dries cut off the bristles and use them as stalks of grass. If you just look around your house and basement you can find lots of ways to make great diorama materials without spending money.
The Eight-Step Process to great diorama terrain
Step 1: Design your diorama on paper first. Sketch out the different areas and put marks where you want the main terrain to be and where the various objects will be. Show any water, rocks, trees or figures. This sketching is important because it will help you as you build the actual diorama.
Step 2: Create a base frame for your diorama. Use strips of cardboard and crumpled newspaper to form a base. This use of materials will give the diorama a three dimensional landscape. Refer to your sketches so you know where the high and low points are.
Step 3: Cover the base with strips of paper towel that have been soaked in papier-mache, Hydrocal, or Plaster of Paris. This forms a beautiful hard shell that you can paint and add items to.
Step 4: Paint the base shell different colors based on your sketches. These colors could range from green where the grass and trees will go, to blue where the water will go. You can be liberal with the color because terrain materials will cover it. The color acts as filler between particles.
Step 5: Add the ground cover materials. Sprinkle on sawdust sized materials in the colors desired. Put green where the grass is and gray or brown where bare ground will be.
Step 6: Add mid level texture and items. At this point you are transforming your diorama from a flat object to something three-dimensional. Sprinkle on thicker terrain materials. These could be small pebbles, or thick brush.
Step 7: Add the taller items such as trees and large bushes.
Step 8 Add the finishing touches like animals, figures, creatures, or buildings.
This eight-step outline is just a guide to help you understand the process of making realistic terrain for a diorama and the important thing to remember is that you work from the bottom up. Each step adds another layer to the scene and each step is a bit taller than the previous step. You don’t have to be a professional artist to make professional looking dioramas. With a little practice, some good materials, and by following these steps you can make some really attractive and realistic dioramas.
By: Will Kalif
Scrapbook Materials – Use Your Imagination to Create Wonderful Works of Art
Posted on September 27, 2011
There is a wide variety of scrapbook materials you can use to turn your precious memories into wonderful works of art. If you are or plan to be an avid scrapbooker then you may want to set up a storage area for your supplies so that you can keep them organized and easily find just the element you need at any given time. Many scrappers are constantly on the lookout for scrapbook supplies so they can buy them when they are on sale, knowing they will use them at a later date.
The two most important elements of a traditional scrapbook is the photographs you will use and acid free paper, which you will want to use to protect your pictures and memorabilia. Other than that, your scrapbook materials can comprise almost anything you desire. We’ll look at some of the most popular materials scrappers use along with other resources that you may want to consider.
Some people use mats to frame their pictures and they use tags to write captions or titles on. Die cuts are also popular. These are just pre-cut shapes in various sizes that you can use to dress up your scrapbooks. Ribbons and flowers are also popular embellishments that people use to jazz up their scrapbook albums.
Stickers and stars are inexpensive yet popular scrapbook materials you can use. Many people like to include mementos of special events, such as programs, menus, and copies of documents. Some people include see through envelopes that hold locks of hair, keys, and other small mementos.
You will want to have a good supply of scrapbook adhesives handy when you are working on your albums. The most popular adhesives that scrappers use are glue and tape. You can also buy adhesives in shapes, such as dots to adhere your memories to your album. Since different types of materials may require different types of adhesive, it is a good idea to keep a supply of your favorites on hand.
There are also various scrapbooking tools you will want to have on hand. While many scrappers get along very well with the basics, some scrapbook enthusiasts invest in the latest tools and technology in order to turn out beautiful scrapbooks quicker and easier. Shopping for scrapbook materials, supplies, and tools is almost as much fun as creating the scrapbook. Even if you are on a tight budget you can still find everything you need to create stunning scrapbooks without spending a lot of money.
By: Debra Botting
Managing a Family With a Travel Nursing Career
Posted on August 12, 2011
With a struggling economy many families are forced to come up with creative ways to make ends meet. Cutting expenses by eliminating luxury items, taking staycations instead of expensive vacations, reducing the number of meals eaten at restaurants, shopping at thrift stores, and using coupons are just a few ways people are reducing their bills. But the creativity does not stop at saving money; people are also exploring new ideas for making money. Returning to school and making a move to cities with better job opportunities are just two of the ways people are adapting to our changing world of work.
Even RNs are looking at the job market with different eyes. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects more than 581,500 new RN positions will be created through 2018, which will increase the size of the RN workforce by 22%, the current economy has temporarily made it harder to find permanent nursing positions. An alternative that many experienced RNs are turning to is Travel Nursing. Travel nurses typically enjoy higher salaries, more bonuses, comparable benefits as well as the opportunity to travel and work in different parts of the country. Add in the fact that travelers experience less hospital politics as well as a chance to quickly build upon their skills and you can understand why now is the time to explore travel nursing!
While travel nursing seems ideal for younger single nurses or empty-nesters, more married couples with children are exploring the option as well. And it just makes sense – taking a travel nurse position is an ideal way to replace the lost income and benefits when a nurse’s spouse has lost his/her job. Parents with children are finding travel nursing to be a viable solution as well and say that juggling family life with a travel nurse job is well worth the effort – and even adds to the quality of their family life.
When weighing in the benefits and opportunities travel nursing jobs provide RNs, parents should take a look at these considerations:
Consider home schooling your children to avoid making your children change schools multiple times. Resources for home schooling are plentiful. And talk about an opportunity for your children to learn more about geography and their country first hand! If both parents are RNs they can ask to work different shifts so that one parent can be home with the children at all times. Higher salaries allow families to consider day care, special after school programs, or nannies. Check out available positions within a few hours from home so it’s possible to drive back/forth on the days you work or even travel home on weekends or your days off. Traveling nurse positions often lead to full time employment; it’s a great way to test drive a new position, new city, new hospital.
While the idea of having a traveling nurse career and managing a family can seem daunting, it’s important to remember that once a routine is established families soon realize the benefits the position provides. When considering a career as a traveling nurse, remember to keep an open mind, weigh your options, and always think creatively!
By: Troy Fridget
Hand Gardening Tools – It Is Time To Change The Hand Gardening Tools
Posted on March 30, 2011
No matter what sort of gardening you plan to do hand gardening tools are a must and you cannot do without them. There is a toll for every task and this makes the job much easier today than it did earlier. Earlier the tools were more like those used on a farm and we had to make do with them no matter what the size was. However times have changed and we now have smaller and sleeker hand gardening tools which are much easier to use.
A wide range of hand gardening tools – There is a wide range of hand gardening tools and one for almost every task you have in the garden: Compositors, laser levels, seed spoons, planting tools, augers for digging holes for bulbs, spreaders for fertilizers, hoes, axes, loppers, knives for pruning, trimmers, forks for weeding, sheers, digging tined forks, cultivators, spades and shovels to name a few. These are just the basics of gardening tools and they may be so many in each category too.
Gardening tools are sold on the internet too – If you have broken a family heirloom that has been passed down generations from your grand mother to your mother and then down to you, then you have to replace it before you tell them what you have done. That is no problem. You can now find what you want easily on the internet and through catalogues. You need not go out to buy it but can have it shipped or mailed to your residence. You could start your search at the next door nursery and if you do not get it there is no need to panic, you will definitely find a sleeker and much better one than the family heirloom that you broke. The tools that you get now are not just sleek but have the latest technology incorporated in them.
Gift your Mom with a light weight easy to use hand gardening tool – If you want to get a new set of hand gardening tools for your mother, you will have to have a look at all the new ones in the market. You can now get hand gardening tools that are made of aluminum, stainless steel and iron. These different materials mean that the tool will either be light or heavy. You should keep in mind the kind of gardening you are going to do, and whether the soil is hard or soft before deciding on the material of the gardening tool that you ought to buy. You should thing of the price and affordability of the tool, the place to store them and the general look of these tools. If everything is just perfect and you get yourself exactly what you know your mother would love to have, you can feel quite relieved.
By: Abhishek Agarwal
Vegetable Gardening Software – 3 Key Reasons to Go High-tech In Gardening
Posted on February 05, 2011
What are all the objections people come up with when questioned about not being interested in any kind of gardening activity? “I have no time.” “I cannot put in that much of time and effort.” “Who will teach me how to go about it and correct me when I make mistakes?” The same people cannot now come up with new excuses, for the vegetable gardening software has been developed just for them! This tool promises success to any one who wants to take up gardening as a hobby or as a serious activity!
Be it a complete novice or a veteran, any one with a true love of gardening will love to purchase the vegetable gardening software! It is indeed a perfect addition to the other gardening tools! One has not even sown the seeds as of yet, but the entire garden is visible in the mind’s eye through the vegetable gardening software! It is like managing the garden before it has even been designed!
And what is more–if the vegetable gardening software be something that no gardener should do without, it can be gifted in turn to a close friend who is equally in love with gardens. After all, the tool comes at an affordable price.
There are several key elements incorporated into the vegetable gardening software. The tool can indeed prove to be a good teacher if used wisely. With regular use of this software, a gardener can–
(1) Become the designer of his own garden. This software can give information related to all kinds of vegetables. Questions such as–which area is best suited for a particular kind of vegetable, should beans and tomatoes be placed close to each other or far away, and so on–get deserving answers. This tool gives guidance at every stage and every phase.
(2) Prepare a calender for the garden. The calender is designed by the vegetable gardening software. The gardener therefore knows when the seeds are meant to be sown and when the plants have to be harvested. Weeds tend to grow fast; so the best times to pull out these weeds can be found out from the computer. Many vegetables find it hard to survive in colder conditions. What are the precautions to be taken before winter sets in? As a matter of fact, the calender is like a readymade map guiding each step. It may be set up for just a month or for many months ahead.
(3) Educate himself/herself. The vegetable gardening software is a great learning tool for any gardener. He/She is forearmed with knowledge and can find solutions to general as well as specific problems related to plants quite easily. For instance, which plants require pruning, which require tying up, etc.
By: Abhishek Agarwal
Your New Retirement Lifestyle – Using the Tools of Technology (Part 1)
Posted on January 05, 2011
During our retirement years, a very important consideration for all of us is how we can make life more accommodating. Clearly, using technology can help. That is; the tools of technology can and will accommodate your planned lifestyle in ways that reduce time consuming activities and allow you to focus your efforts on what you really want to do.
At the same time, you will have the world at your fingertips. These tools are a means to an end! If you need to spend excessive amounts of time figuring out how to use the technology, then what is the point?
I’m reasonably certain that you have some understanding of the benefits of technology.
You go online to bank, invest, find volunteer opportunities, participate in interest groups, and perhaps even start up something new for fun or profit. In my many years of experience as a technology facilitator for a public school district, I learned that there are few things in life that tools of technology cannot help you with.
If you need help understanding and utilizing the tools of technology and you have Internet access, there are extensive resources available to you. For example, Generations on Line states that their mission is to “promote technology to enhance the quality of life of older people.” They attempt to reach out to older Americans who do not enroll in any computer or Internet training. They provide specially programmed software to senior centers, public libraries, and other locations where seniors meet. There is no cost to elders. All of the software is available online. Seniornet has an all inclusive technology link that include a wealth of information on tutorials, tips, and demonstrations. The American Association of Retired Persons offers convenient and easy to understand online assistance via their Learntech link. There is help with scanners, MP3 players, working with surge protectors, and even advice on how to play video games. I’ve recently noticed that they are offering tech advice on how to buy an HDTV. If you reside in a community with an active adult education program, there is always that possibility that you can enroll in an evening course. In my second book, entitled Technology & Your Retirement Lifestyle: Tools For the New You, I discuss in detail a variety of these tools including Bluetooth technology, PDA, GPS systems, and webcams.
The following examples illustrate ways the tools of technology can be of use to you.
MEETING PEOPLE AND CYBERDATING
With the evolution of the Web 2.0, it has become easier to meet new friends and yes, even to develop a romantic relationship through Cyberdating. The social networking websites that we have been discussing have opened new doors for many people. It is easy to develop new relationships based on common interests.
Eharmony – Dr. Warren, a well-known author and clinical psychologist, founded this site in 2000. Its success is based on matching compatible singles supported by its new service that helps couples achieve stronger, healthier marriages. Their marriage wellness program is supposed to encourage marriages to flourish by building a deepened sense of understanding, appreciation, and connectedness.
Match.com – The goal of the site is very plain: ” to take the lottery out of love.” Instead of leaving the process totally to chance, the site allows members to take control of their own romantic destiny. The site boasts twenty million members. They have created a great many tools to make it easier for you to narrow your search utilizing every possible criterion. MatchWords supposedly assist you in finding someone that shares your common interests. These key words create a portrait of you that is shared with others. For example, popular match words for men include movies, walking, running, music and black hair. Popular words for women include reading, travel, honest, swimming, and family. Apparently, match.com must be pretty successful as more than 400,000 people made romantic acquaintances during 2006.
VIRTUAL VOLUNTEERING
The word virtual means doing something in almost every respect. In this case, the one aspect missing is volunteering while not being there. Tasks are completed via a home or work computer. Virtual volunteering can really also be referred to as online volunteering, online mentoring, or teletutoring. Of course, in to do this you’ll need to be somewhat skilled in using your computer and navigating around the Internet. Volunteer agencies can expand the benefits of their programs by allowing a greater number of volunteers to participate. Additionally, new areas of volunteerism can more easily be created with the increase in staff. Potential volunteers will find it easier to search for opportunities. If you have time constraints, or if you are experiencing physical limitations, or if you have obligations at home that prevent you from leaving the premises, then virtual volunteering may be for you. There are many schools or government agencies that utilize these services if that is your preference. So, depending on your expertise, you may fit right in. And, as I indicated earlier, you can do this from any location whether it be home, office, or from the comfort of your RV.
In my next article we will explore additional ways that the tools of technology can be useful to you during your retirement years.
By: Jeffrey Webber