Ice sculpture takes a large brick of ice and turns it into something magical. Ice carving is becoming increasingly popular and you can find sculptures at weddings and large-scale events. Sculptures adorn the already beautiful landscapes outside of grand hotels like the Fairmount Lake Louise or the Banff springs.

Ice carving can be used to create a sculpture that is realistic or abstract depending on where you are going to be placing your carving. There is several ice sculpture competitions held around the world. If you have any desire to start this as a hobby yourself, there are a few things you will need to add to your ice carving toolbox.

Ice Tongs:
First things first, you can’t do much ice carving if you can’t move your ice blocks around so you’ll need tongs at some point. You want to pick just the perfect sharpness because they have to be sharp enough to hold the ice firmly, but if they are too sharp you risk them sinking too deeply into the ice.

Nailboard:
This is a vital tool you will need to use in ice carving for every sculpture. It’s fantastic for quickly flattening a surface so you can make a level wall for a castle or a flat slab for your ice sculpture bar.

Small Nailboard:
When you need to clear off a little snow from a sculpture during set up for ice carving, a smaller nailboard will do a more precise job.  

Electric chainsaw: with a long bar
A Craftsman with an 18 inch bar, or a Stihl, either a MSE-220, or a long bar on a MSE-140 is an essential ice carving tool. This saw is usually used for splitting blocks, for making snow and for making long straight cuts. Tip: leave the chain a little loose because it isn’t cutting curved surfaces. A loose chain will cut more aggressively, but it will also come off the bar more often if the chain is pushed laterally during turning cuts.

Electric chainsaw: with a short bar
When just starting out you can use one saw, but eventually for ice carving it will be handy to have more than one. The variety will allow you to perform more precise maneuvers with the ice.

Flat Chisels:    
Select some flat chisels from a specialty ice carving store and at the same time pick up some tools for keeping them sharp.

Small Flat Chisels:
These are the simple narrow wood chisels that you can get at any hardware store. They are used for ice carving to clear out small sections of ice while doing white-on-ice engraving or removing small amounts of ice from three dimensional pieces.

Dremel Tool with Ice Needle:
The ice needle on a dremel is a fantastic tool for the fine, intricate details of ice carving.

Ice Pick:
You can find these at all shops which sell ice carving tools and they are useful for removing large, rough pieces of ice.

Bits and Pieces:
There are a few little tools that are also helpful to get you started when ice carving: Syringes, brushes, butane torch, handsaw, magic markers and small aluminum plates to perfect the flat surfaces.

This article was written by Vernie Pipher, on behalf of ISA Attractions, offering amazing displays in the frozen Ice kingdom. To know how an ice sculpture contains more energy, you may visit Wiki.answers.

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For many, the onset of the winter season is met with reluctant acceptance of the extra hassles that the season brings; what with the scraping of windshields before the daily commute, or putting on all those extra layers simply to take the dog for a walk. Winter can slow life down, but it also holds opportunity for exciting winter activities and entertainment. One such winter activity is the opportunity to attend snow shows, which offer displays of snow and ice sculptures and many other fun winter themed activities. A snow show will offer families a great opportunity to spend time together in the winter months without spending copious amounts of money.

In cities that experience snowfall every winter season, citizens tend to get creative and utilize the natural wonder that is ice and snow. Other than taking advantage of ski and snowboard hills, which can become quite costly with all related gear and entrance fees, many individuals opt for checking out their local snow show. Ice and snow sculptors look forward to the winter season to display their breathtaking pieces of art and there is no better way than to display it amongst other similarly inclined individuals. Walking through a winter wonderland of creatively designed sculptures is an activity that every family and individual can enjoy. This is particularly advantageous to those families who may not have the luxury of extended periods of time off that is required for other winter activities such as a ski trip.

Appreciation of artists and their creations is something that most individuals possess; if one were to travel to Florence it is highly unlikely that a trip to the Uffizi gallery to see Botticelli’s Venus or a quick glimpse at the Galleria Dell’ Academia to see the Michelangelo’s David would not be on the agenda.  Appreciation of art should, and does, go beyond the classic renaissance and neoclassical artists of the past, and extends to every conceivable expression of artistic passion with whatever material an artist may become inspired by. For those living their daily lives in northern climates, the presence of snow and ice may seem mundane, but to an artist it is a pristine and beautiful sculpture waiting to happen. Instilling an appreciation for art that is sourced from the very accessible material that falls from the sky and lands at our feet is the first step in building a wider appreciation of art. Families can attend a snow show to see how artists transform snow and ice into something to be admired and appreciated.

A snow show is a great way for families to not only instill an appreciation of art in their children, but to inspire future generations to pursue artistic endeavors. Snow sculpting need only start with that first snowman one builds in their backyard; it is a highly accessible way to create art. Taking a stroll among the product of hard work and creativity that has been produced at comparatively low cost is a great example to set for ones children; anything can be turned into art and ever form of art should be appreciated.

This article was written by Karl Cubias, on behalf of ISA Attractions, offering you the best attractions and events. To know about children’s snow activities, you may visit eHow.

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The world runs online. Nearly every important task—and some not so important ones—can be done via the Internet. People pay bills, order things, send cards. People read online advertisements to find things to buy. They post online advertisements to showcase things to sell. Many people, though, do not think of the internet as a tool for advertising themselves. People who have not yet started to self-advertize on the internet could benefit from doing so, especially people in the creative arts. An artist online portfolio could help every artist with self-promotion.

Extra Exposure: Why is an artist online portfolio beneficial? The main reason every creative person should have an artist online portfolio is exposure. According to 2011 internet usage data compiled by Miniwatts Marketing Group, over 2.2 billion people worldwide use the internet, which is almost the population of China and India—the two most populated countries on Earth—put together. This number represents an increase of nearly 530% since 2000, and those numbers continue to grow daily. No other media in the world provides greater exposure to potential customers and employers than the internet. With so many potential viewers out there ready to surf the web for fast, easy access to what they want, every artist should create an artist online portfolio to showcase work and talents.

Online Portfolio Options: Once the decision to create an artist online portfolio has been made, what options are there? Artists can choose from two main methods of creating an online portfolio. First is a stand-alone website. With this method, the artist uses a free domain name or purchases one and then creates a website that includes the portfolio. This method works for many people, but for others it has disadvantages. It can be time consuming to create a good website, especially if the creator is not tech savvy, and later has to keep the site updated. A larger issue, though, is access.

One of the main ways traffic is channeled to a personal website is through name recognition. Before internet users can find a specific person’s website, it is helpful if they already know that person’s name. The end result is that customer connection potential is missed if the artist is not already well-known. Yes, the artist’s site might be found through a keyword search, but it is harder, it takes internet users more time to arrive there, and users may stop at another website from the search results before the artist’s name is even seen.

The solution to these issues is the other main method for creating an artist online portfolio: websites that contain “portfolio banks.” With these sites, the structure of the portfolio is often already in place, so the artist needs only to upload documents, images or other digital files into it, which is faster and easier than creating a full website and requires much less upkeep. In addition, the likelihood of a potential client or employer locating that artist’s portfolio is increased because name recognition is not a factor.  The client or employer simply accesses many portfolios from the bank in one session, or, on some sites, can explore multiple portfolios by searching for specific criteria.

Keys to Artistic Success: One key to an artist’s success is exposure to as wide an audience—clients or employers—as possible. The key to wide exposure is the internet. This is why, regardless of method, every artist can benefit from an artist online portfolio. Every click on the portfolio’s contents is an opportunity to make a sale or win a job.

Art is something that takes many different forms, many of these forms quite unexpected and surprising. For many people, the term “art” typically conjures up images of paintings and sculptures. However art is even wider in scope, with things like architecture and poetry falling under this broad and diverse heading. The performing arts include things such as dancing, acting, and singing, all of which allow an artist to convey a message with their voice or body. Acrobatics is an art form that is especially engaging and fascinating to view. Whether in groups or individually, acrobats display immense flexibility, coordination and bravery for the audience at hand. Acrobatics is a beautiful combination of dance and gymnastics with an extra element of agility. Onlookers of acrobatics will delight at the beauty and poise of the human form and hold their breath in apprehension of the daring feats that are being performed. Chinese acrobats are particularly skilled and showcase a form of acrobatics that has been around for thousands of years and is world-renowned.

Chinese acrobats are well trained in the art of acrobatics and are certainly a sight to be seen. Acrobats who practice Chinese acrobatics often train for many years and from a very young age. The development of flexibility is crucial to being an acrobat, as is the learning of rhythm and balance. The muscle coordination required to carry out daring stunts and acts takes a great deal of time and patience to develop. Though Chinese acrobats make their craft look entirely natural and effortless, in reality, the high level of performance they exhibit is incredibly difficult and requires a great deal of skill.

This type of acrobatics originated approximately 2000 years ago. It is a large part of Chinese culture and history that is often further showcased in other forms of art, such as painting and sculpture. Today, people worldwide greatly enjoy this wonderful facet of Chinese culture. The unison that Chinese acrobats display is perfectly timed. Routines carried out by Chinese acrobats are often daring with many acrobats flying many feet into the air and landing with grace and poise. Somersaults and leaps through the air will have you leaving the show breathless. Chinese acrobats often use no props, supplying only their bodies as the performance piece. Some displays of acrobatics feature items such as chairs and tight ropes to enthrall the audience even further.

There are several exhibits worldwide that feature acrobats throughout the year. Many Chinese acrobats are in high demand and tour worldwide, captivating and exciting all of the audiences they encounter. Performances can be very different and two are never the same. Many Chinese acrobatics performances feature only two acrobats, working entirely off one another to effectively engage audiences with thousands of people. Other performances feature a large amount of acrobats, often synchronized and working in groups to create a large image for the audience. Whether in small or large groups, these acrobatics often tells a beautiful story conveyed entirely through the body and background music.

You might not be familiar with the term “fine art photography,” but odds are you are familiar with and have enjoyed the work of some fine art photographers. Photography is a fascinating art, one which takes years to master.

Fine art photographers are those who approach photography as an art, much like painting. While many other types of photography, such as photojournalism and portrait photography, serves the purpose of documenting events, fine art photography is about creating an image that will stir up an emotional response in the viewers. It’s about presenting images in a way that is new, stimulating, and evokes different feelings than a mere documentation would.

While there are different paths to becoming a fine art photographer, many aspiring photographers choose to study the art in a post secondary institution. Photography programs are available in many different lengths and intensities – certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, graduate studies – aspiring photographers can choose from a number of different paths to their career.

Studying the art in a university setting gives aspiring fine art photographers a chance to experiment with their craft, playing around with different tools, effects, settings, and themes, all of which are an important part of creating a piece of photographic art. They will also have the chance to study with professionals who have experience and clout as fine art photographers. There is nothing like watching an expert practice their craft to learn it yourself.

Some photographers choose to forgo post secondary training altogether and go for a more applied or hands-on approach to their training. Some apprentice other experienced photographers, so that they can get a feel for how to use equipment, set up a shot, adjust lighting, and manifest an idea or inspiration. Though apprentice work might at first deal with only the technical aspects of bringing another photographer’s vision to life, this practice is an important part of learning how to bring your own artistic visions to life. One must first understand the skills and tricks of their craft before they can understand how to take an artistic or creative idea and make it happen.

Some fine art photographers work independently right from the beginning. The advantage to this is that they have unlimited time to focus on their own ideas. The downside is that because they don’t have an expert to teach them their craft, there will likely be a little bit more trial and error involved in bringing an idea to life.

However fine art photographers choose to educate and train themselves, there are certain things that can’t be learned. Artistic vision and creativity have to occur naturally. These are qualities that can’t be taught or transferred from one person to another. They’re also the qualities that separate fine art photography from other genres of photography. Creativity and vision are what lie at the art of a good piece of fine art photography, so it is important that the aspiring fine art photographer have these qualities before they pursue their career.

I couldn’t find the one book that would lay out all the instructions I need and would have in turn, offered here in this blog about band photography. Perhaps I missed it as I perused the library shelves, but really, all you (or I) need is a band and a camera, right? Gather up the guys and maybe gals in the band, get them under the lights and in focus. Click!

It sounds so simple. Looks simple too, when you watch it depicted on TV, all those top model contests, but instead of taking pictures of lovely women in a wide variety of fashion outfits with all the accessories, no, we’re taking pictures of bands. So we need the musicians, and their instruments, and a location for the shoot, and an idea of a message that the picture should convey. Starting with, who’s in the band, what instruments do they play, what style or genre of music do they play in. Where do they hail from? Britain? Sweden? America? Canada? Japan? Who’s the frontman? Front woman? Are they advertising a concert, a tour, a CD release? An in-store appearance?  Maybe this photo will be uploaded on a fan’s blog, maybe on the band’s website or social media home page, maybe released to the media to be used over and over again, a part of the band’s marketing plan, to impress their band’s brand on their target audience’s brains. See how important band photography can actually be?

Ok, so now we’ve got the band, they’re on set, the instruments are set up, and some ideas have been tossed around earlier over coffee in Styrofoam cups. Get some classic, professional photographs first, something to fall back on if the experimental stuff doesn’t quite pan out. Straight on shots. Profile. Group line-up photos, you know, basic band photography looks; just like you’d see in the… which book?

What kind of look are you going for? Classic, contemporary, or nouveau? Is there an influence from a previous band that this group is trying to emulate? How best then to get across this band’s own identity? Maybe just a prop offering a hint as to who the band’s influences are, like a t-shirt. Now, will your own photos be in black and white or color? Vivid, saturated, or faded? Filtered, distorted…what, you just want to play in Photoshop? I understand! Well, you can do anything you want in band photography, take a picture of the guys with fingers in their noses or other taboo gestures; hey, maybe that’s expected with the type of music they play and the crowd they play to. Argue with success when you get there. Just take the picture!

Band photography can certainly be a fun foray in your photographic portfolio, and if you are a musician looking for a photographer to help you sell your band’s message, look, brand, identity, music, albums, concerts, etc… work with each and every photographer, get a feel for the variety of styles and work they all offer and have fun on the shoots, be cool. Who knows—perhaps the chemistry between band and photographer might show up in the pictures…. Click!