Interior Decoration and Art Studio



Every artist has a dream of owning a studio. As the space crunch is faced by many artists are opting for smaller studios having basic necessities. Even the backyard or the lobby or the garage will do as a make shift studio. Some tips to beautify your personal space and studio are as follows.

This studio represents the individual, their personal likes and dislikes, interests, education and creativity levels. Keeping in mind the artist's nature one can have individual display of art pieces. Successful and good works can be displayed on the walls as this gives feeling of confidence to the artist. Arrangement of art materials and canvasses can be done in a neat manner to make the place attractive. Hanging green plants and also having fresh water arrangements in vases can help enliven the environment.

Colour in any form is very attractive. Upholstery and furniture must be of attractive as well as dark colours to avoid staining with paints. Wooden flooring must be protected as spill of solvents and paints may mess up the coating. Avoid rugs and mattresses as they may accidentally be stained during sessions of painting. Have a display board to put up[ attractive pictures for getting new and fresh painting ideas. Each individual must display materials that encourage the creative spurt from within and depending upon the nature and likes of individual one can decorate the studio to represent their identity.

Art studio must be decorated keeping in mind the style of work as an abstract artist needs more space than any other style artist and keeping everything neat here would hinder the creativity of the abstract artist. Decorations in the studio must be such that which promote growth and encouragement for the artist. So all you wonderful artists go and decorate your studios as painting career does not mean to have the paint only on canvas and a boring studio, but all this can also be brightened by having colours around!

Art Studio Air Purifier - 5 Things It Must Do



Having an air purifier in your visual art studio is as necessary as having the right lighting, proper tools, and enough space to work effectively. Here are 5 things your purifier should be able to do to keep your air fresh and healthy while you create.

Remove Chemical Fumes---Many of the products that are used to create beautiful works of art contain volatile organic chemicals that evaporate into the air. These chemicals are contained in oil paint, inks, varnish, turpentine, and many other solvents. Inhaling even a small amount of these fumes can cause headaches, watery and burning eyes, sore throat, and dizziness.

Studies have shown that breathing these fumes day after day can cause long term health problems. And if your studio is connected to your home, these fumes can expose others in your family such as children and pets to the hazards of these chemicals.

Carbon has been shown to be the most effective type of filter to remove gaseous pollutants. An air purifier that is to be effective at eliminating these chemicals must have a carbon-based filter with an additive that increase its effectiveness at airborne chemical elimination

Eliminate Particles---Sanding, chiseling, and grinding can all send millions of particles into the air. Wearing a mask is effective to a point, but many of these particulates remain in the air for quite a while. An effective air cleaner must be able to effectively and continually eliminate these particles.

HEPA or high efficiency particle arresting filters are the best for removal of airborne particulates. By definition they must be able to remove 99,997 out of every 10,000 particles that are.3 microns or greater. This is the same type of technology used in hospitals to insure clean air.

Adjustable Filtration Speeds---Because no 2 days are probably the same in your studio, your air cleaner must be able to adapt quickly to the conditions around it. When you know there are more chemicals and/or particles in the air, you need to be able to filter the air faster to keep air quality high. A cleaner must have the ability to clean at various rates in order to keep the air fresh regardless of how many pollutants are being created in your studio.

Run 24 Hours----It may take hours for fumes to dissipate and particles to settle from the air in your studio. A cleaner with a split capacitor motor is able to run 24 hours a day every day. This is important because it can continue to clean the air while you are away. This means you are always able to enter a studio that smells clean and encourages the creativity within you.

Be Cost Effective----You are much more likely to use an air purifier that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to run. There can often be hidden costs such as frequent filter changes, and the cost of your time to maintain it. Your cleaner should be able to run for years without a filter change. And maintenance should be as simple as vacuuming the outside whenever you vacuum your studio. Any thing more in terms of maintenance is too expensive in both time and money and should not be considered.

How to Pick a Martial Arts Studio



What To Look For In A Martial Arts Studio

Most parents who choose a karate school make their choice based on convenience. While this is an important factor in selecting a school, this shouldn't be the only factor in your choice. So what qualities does a professional school have? Remember, martial arts training requires a commitment of time and money so you should know what to look for. There are many great schools and instructors out there and unfortunately there are as many not so good. How do you tell the difference if you have no experience? Having been in the martial arts industry for over 25 years, if I was searching for a school to train at, these are the things I would look for.

1. Positive and High Energy Classes-

Students and people in general thrive in a positive, friendly environment. Choose a school that brings out the best in yourself or your child. Does the school have friendly staff and instructors? Is the staff happy to be there with a smile, is it sincere? Do they cultivate an environment that you makes you feel better after every class? Are there parents watching their children in the audience area, or are they participating and encouraging their kids? Can you feel the energy when you walk in? A school that focuses on positive and high energy classes will do their best to encourage you, give you appropriate feedback, and ensure your success in their program.

2. Classroom Discipline and Management-

This might seem to contradict the first statement but in reality both concepts can exist simultaneously. While martial arts should be fun, when a student comes to class they should also adhere to studio etiquette and discipline. I would evaluate this by seeing if the instructor can hold class attention without being authoritative. Are students "hustling" from technique to technique? Does the instructor work from a lesson plan or just make it up as he goes along? Is the class moving as one unit or are kids being left behind? Can you hear the "snap" and "power" coming from the group or are kids just following along? A good disciplined and managed class should closely resemble the order of a military unit. Standardized movement,discipline, and order.

3. Quality Instruction-

Quality instruction is the hardest for a parent to spot without having any experience in martial arts. Since books can be written on this subject alone, I will describe what process it takes to have quality instructors. Unfortunately the way the industry is, anybody can say there a black belt by putting one on. Most martial arts schools that teach quality instruction do the little things to make sure they stay up-to-date on methods and training. Look for the not so obvious aspects of instructors like how long have they been practicing the martial arts, how long have they been teaching, how often do they go on courses to improve their own skills? Does the studio require CPR and First Aid qualifications? Some other important aspects to look at include: Do they do background checks, are they qualified to rank you once you get to black belt? Is their school a part of a larger organization that offers support and guidance to them? A quality martial arts school should have an infrastructure like an elite college institution. It should be stringent, have extremely high standards, and have a process of on-going training and development.

4. Effective and Challenging Curriculum

The signs of an effective, challenging curriculum is how many Black Belts are training? Are they able to retain students after their Black Belt? Does the program include life skills as well as martial arts? More importantly, do the instructors lead by example and live their creed? Are they able to retain 2nd and 3rd degree Black Belts? Can you study a lifetime and still not learn everything in their curriculum? Of course, with a new school you won't have this option, but after three to five years of opening you should get a pretty good idea.

5. Clean and Safe Environment

Since a martial arts studio will have many kids, safety should be first in importance at a martial arts school. A good martial arts school makes safety its principal goal both physically and mentally. Is the training equipment in good shape? Are there plenty of instructors on the floor? Cleanliness goes along with safety in protecting students. A school should be hygienic from it's waiting area to it's training floor to it's locker rooms and bathrooms. Is the school clean from the front door, to the bathrooms, to the training area? Are the mats washed on a regular basis? Does the school reinvest back into itself?

6. Month-to-Month Agreements

Having a 9 year old myself, I know from first hand experience that kids change their minds all the time. The last thing I want to do is sign a contract and then have to force my daughter to do something that she doesn't want to do six months later. Just look at the health industry, in the 80's and 90's contracts were popular and the industry made a lot of money off them. A person would come in and sign a contract, stop working out after three months, and never show up again. During this time, the gym would get paid for the next three years! In today's market, the gym's that are flourishing and thriving are the ones that give customers the options of canceling at any time. Think about it, if adults had a hard time sticking to a membership, how difficult is it for kids? Don't make this mistake!