The second technique is the wet-on-dry technique. I know that you already know what to do. Work on the space allotted to the wet-on-dry technique. Wet the bristles of your brush with water and apply some paint on the bristles. Gently apply the paint on the dry paper and see how it turns out. You can write down your observations. Feel free to use other brushes if you like.

The third technique is the dry-on-wet technique. Work on the space allotted to this technique. In this case, be sure to wet the water color paper first before we use the brush. After we wet the “dry-on-wet” portion of the water color paper, be sure again that the bristles of your brush are perfectly dry. Apply now some paint on the dry bristles of your brush and spread the paint on the wet surface of the water color paper.

What is the difference of this third technique from the first two techniques? You can write your observations down.

The last technique is the dry-on-dry technique. Again, work on the last dry space for this. This is actually the easiest because your watercolor paper is dry already and you don’t have to wet the bristles of your brush. But be sure that the bristles of your brush are dry. Put some paint on your dry brush and brush away on the dry surface of the watercolor paper. Again write your observations.

Now with your observations written down, you can now say that wet-on-wet technique is the one to use if you want to paint a sky with feathery clouds or a nice sunset. We can also say that the wet-on-dry technique is the most common technique used in transparent water color painting because you can paint many things using this technique like a ball, a flower, a house etc. However if you want to add a touch of visual effect, you can use the last two techniques. You can use the third technique in painting distant mountains where the edges are a bit blurry or if you want to soften or blur down a leaf or grass. The last technique is ideal if you want to add texture to your subject like a stone, dusty road, textured wall of a church etc. Try to experiment first before doing a masterpiece. Good luck.

I have received a question from someone and it is also a very good question. I just love it when people are beginning to get interested in art.

The question is this: “If there are transparent method and opaque method in watercolor, are these applicable as well to other mediums like oil paint and pastels?”

The answer is yes.

I have mentioned before that the medium to be used for transparent watercolor painting is of course transparent water color and one popular brand is Prang but there are other brands like guitar or pentel but I like Prang more. As for Opaque watercolor painting, I use poster colors, the ones in small bottles. The brand Sakura is nice.

With regards to pastels, there are two kinds of pastels namely the chalk pastel and the oil pastel. The chalk pastel is the ideal medium for transparent method and the oil pastel is the ideal medium for opaque method. In using chalk pastel, simply rub the chalk on the paper and use your fingers to rub the chalk on the paper if you want it to lighten up or to soften a tone. Although there is a white chalk pastel, it isn’t often used. In oil pastel, the white oil pastel is often used.

With regards to oil paints, it is ideal to use the opaque method. We can use transparent method for acrylic paints although there are some artists who use opaque method for acrylic paints. Both oil and acrylic paints are fun to use. Oil paints don’t dry quickly unlike the water-based acrylic paints. It’s up to you if you want to take a painting fast or slow…but enjoy the whole process.

Looking for some place to go after being in a hard day’s work? Well then, Ibiza is the right place for you. When you travel to Ibiza, it would be like being in a new world where you get to enjoy almost everything that you want to experience in life. When you are a lonesome tourist traveling in this wonderful place, Ibiza hotels are readily available to serve you any time of the day.

Ibiza is considered a popular tourist destination in Spain especially due to its legendary and, at times, riotous nightlife. Going to Ibiza would not be much of a problem since there are many airline companies that offers cheap flights. You just only have to book earlier to avail of the cheaper flights. Ibiza is also known for its wonderful weather conditions so you won’t have a hard time getting there.

Apart from its good weather conditions, you may have many things to do once you’ll be able to travel to this wonderful island. One may do sightseeing or excursions. For those adventurous types, water sports are also a great deal in Ibiza. You may also bring your family and friends with you for more fun and enjoyment.

Pentax products are one of the best-selling gifts for professionals that are always on-the-go. Pentax Pocket Jet Ultra-portable printer is an excellent gadget travelers. It is one of the smallest, lightest and most effective full-page printing solutions you can buy for your on-the-go printing needs.

It does not matter whether using a laptop or a handheld device, as it can give you sharp text, crisp graphics, and high-quality documents in almost any environment, including extreme temperature and pressure variations.

The powerful, compact, and feature-rich Pocket Jet printer provides wireless operation with IrDA. With this built-in Infrared Interface, you can print wirelessly from popular handheld devices. Just point and print.

To eliminate messy, expensive ink, toner, and ribbons, Pentax Pocket Jet Ultra-portable printer uses an advanced Direct Thermal Printing Technology. Printing ample of pages is no problem at all. You’ll never run out of ink or increase the cost of your printed page. The Pocket Jet produces crisp, laser-quality text and graphics and completely eliminates the hassle of smudged prints.

You can see these items on their online retail stores, it also has cameras retail and like any of their products, it provides quality that’s worth every penny you are spending.

Do you want to have a beautiful smile? If so, you should know how to take care of your teeth. We all know that brushing our teeth regularly will prevent tooth decay. But it does not matter many times we brush or loss  or how frequent we see our dentists, it is still not an assurance to be free from cavities. For health promotion purposes, we must also consider the food that we eat in order to attain an optimal oral health.

First, we should make it a habit to eat carbs during mealtimes rather than as a snack. Carb-based foods such as breads and crackers will break down into simple sugars by which the bacteria in the mouth will convert them into plaque causing damage to teeth.

Second, we must drink tea. Tea has the antioxidant which has the potential to inhibit the growth of the bacteria that causes the odor which is also another important for health promotion. Third, when sipping acidic drinks, you must sip it with a straw to limit the contact of decay-causing acids with your teeth and preserve your enamel. Fourth, you must increase your Vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is the mother of all vitamins and it is the one responsible for holding your cells together. Consume more of it because it’s important for your gum tissue. Fifth, consume 800 mg of calcium a day. Foods like cheese, milk and yogurt will help hold your teeth in place.

If you are conscious about health promotion, you must avoid foods contain large amount of sugars like lollipops, candies, cookies, cakes, pies bananas and etc for these can be a fuel source for bacteria.

People can say whatever they want about him and I won’t care. He’s not the greatest actor out there, but he does have depth. In my book, Tom Cruise movies make one hell of a viewing experience!

One of Hollywod’s good comedy movies was also Tom’s biggest break, Risky Business. The 1983 film had Tom playing the role of high school student Joel Goodson. His performance literally propelled him to stardom. Up to this day, one particular scene stands out in the moviegoers’ minds: the scene where Tom dances in his pink shirt and briefs. Tom earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in Comedy for this movie.

In 1986, Tom’s fans trooped to the theaters and watched him play the role of Maverick in the movie Top Gun. Maverick was a young Navy aviator who was determined to become the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School’s top fighter pilot. Top Gun is one of Hollywood’s top action movies and also has one of the best movie soundtracks with songs like “Danger Zone”, “Take My Breath Away”, and “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling”.

Tom Cruise movies with noteworthy performances include “Rain Man” (with Dustin Hoffman) in 1988; “Born of the 4^th of July” in 1989 (for which he won a Golden Globe as Best Drama Actor); 1992’s “A Few Good Men” (where he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor); “The Firm” in 1993; and his cameo in Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” where he played the role of loud mouth studio head Less Grossman.

Other examples of Hollywood’s top action movies are Tom’s “Mission Impossible” series and the action-drama “The Last Samurai”. Cuba Gooding and Tom’s award-worthy performances, couple with Renee Zellweger’s oozing charm, has made “Jerry Maguire” a favorite when it comes to good comedy movies.

So no matter what people say, I will keep watching Tom’s movies. In fact, I’m eagerly awaiting the opening of his 2008 flick “Valkyrie”. It’ll be fun watching Tom on the big screen again.

A recent study shows that adults with Vitamin D deficiency are more prone to death compared to those with high levels of vitamin D. This is evidence that Vitamin D is very important for health promotion especially in protecting from heart ailments and skin cancer.

When we are exposed to sun, it is the only time that the Vitamin in our skin will be used up; this is the reason why people in the United States are more prone to vitamin D deficiency due to their winter season.

Aside from various health benefits, Vitamin D is also an essential component of our bone health as it aids the mineral calcium to be absorbed and retained in our system, protecting us from bone loss and increased risk of bone fracture.

Exposure to sunlight is also vital as it sunlight is a good source of Vitamin D. Other sources of Vitamin D are salmon, green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and many more. We should make sure that our bodies acquire enough Vitamin D for health promotion reasons. But keeping things at moderate levels should be in place, since high-levels of Vitamin D in our body can also be harmful.

I love painting and I love going to art exhibits. I would usually visit nearby art galleries and just appreciate all of the art works that were displayed. I took several minutes usually in one painting alone appreciating the artist’s unique style and use of colors.

Style varies. The artworks of Van Gogh are much different from Monet’s artworks. The artworks of Amorsolo are much different from Mananzala’s artworks. While I was viewing one painting after another and another, a thought came to mind…a thought of having my own exhibit someday - a thought that was so moving that I shared the idea with my loved ones. I must devote a time for that they told me.

How many paintings must I do for an exhibit? How much are the materials or the cost of framing?

Eventually I started answering my own questions and I also set a time for painting with a given deadline. 10 paintings in a month. Possible? Yes.

Since I didn’t have any work during that time. I set my mind to finish 3 paintings in a week. Right after a month, all of my paintings were framed already and ready to be exhibited. I have a friend who works in a bar in Malate. Malate is a nice place for artists like me and she said that I could exhibit my paintings there for free. That night was so memorable because one of my dreams came true and it all started with just a thought.

Ever since I was a kid, adventure and travel are two words that could be associated with me. I like to explore new things and visit different places. Now that I’m a grown-up, I dream of traveling to Paris – The City of Light.

As the largest city in France and as one of the most famous tourist destinations, Paris boasts of leading business and cultural centers. It has always been considered as a great place for traders, students and religious pilgrims to visit, not to mention the hopeless romantics, too. The city is famous for its three landmarks; namely, the 12^th century cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe, and who will ever forget the 19^th century Eiffel Tower.

If those places are not enough for adventure and travel, you could also stroll around the city’s oldest and famous gardens like the Luxembourg Garden and the Jardin des Plantes. The Jardin des Plantes is Paris’ first public garden and was built by King Louis XIII’s doctor in order to cultivate medicinal plants. Now, if you don’t want your day to end yet, you may check out their opera houses, too –- the 19^th century Opera Garnier and the modern Opera Bastille.

Those are just a few tourist attractions that Paris is proud of. So, I should probably start looking for cheap flights to the City of Light for my dream to become a reality.