The Occult Bot

Stencil graffiti, made famous by Banksy in the last 4 or 5 years, has actually been a form of street art for 25 years. You can employ paper, cardboard or other forms of media (such as plastics) to produced templated imagery and text. You merely cut out the shapes from your cardboard/paper/other surface, put said surface onto a wall (example), then spray or roll-on paint.

The definitive rule of stencilling is producing outlines via cutting shapes, and spraying paint within these cutout shapes – producing unmistakable graphics on the surface underneath. It’s also possible to use multiple layers of stencils to create an illusion of depth or even add colours.

So why do some individuals choose to be a stencil artist? For some, it is a great platform to communicate a political point. Many artists appreciate the PR that their artwork can acquire. Some simply wish their art to be seen. Since the stencil stays unchanged throughout its use, it is far easier for a stencil artist to promptly copy what could be a complex piece at a very speedy pace, when compared to other established tagging methods, so without question, there is also a compelling promotional reason to get involved with stencilling.

Banksy has applied stencilling as a way to make a political statement, often quite succinctly, leaving the witness to get the message themselves. This is oftentimes why people enjoy his artworks so much, as they make the viewer think. Banksy art is being reprinted as graffiti canvas artwork, t-shirts and posters, such is the popularity of Banksy.

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The wish lantern team have been known to emphasise the quality of their wish lanterns in comparison to most other lantern sellers. Though you may think that this is a sales tactic, and that any business would want to draw attention to the positive aspects of their product in order to secure a sale, it is actually important to the team to know that their customers are getting the best quality possible, and to direct your attention to other sites if we happened to find a better quality lantern. If this were the case (which it isn’t) wish lantern would also endeavour to improve their product so that there would be no need whatsoever to direct customers elsewhere. It is our aim to declare loud and clear, that we are the best lantern on the market. Seeing as many of our customers are budding brides and grooms, it is even more crucial that the lantern doesn’t let the customer down. Nothing would be worse than to ruin what is often the most special day of a couple’s life, due to a faulty batch of lanterns. Thankfully, this is yet to happen. Our lanterns are extremely durable and reliable, and what’s more, they could be easier to assemble.

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You have bought teak furniture, as you may have been assured while buying that you need not worry about caring of your furniture. It’s really true. Teak is a hardwood is strongest wood available in the market. It has natural oil in it which resists it from all the worldly conditions. It is completely resistant to insects, rain, sunlight etc. So you need not worry about maintaining it. Teak is naturally of lustrous honey color, but as time passes by its oil content is reduced and its color changes to silver grey. So you may need to apply teak oil.

It stops the continuous loss of oil content in the wood thereby preventing it from any undesirable changes. If the furniture is kept outdoor you are advised to wash it regularly, may be once in a month to remove the moss that may have grown over it. An ideal cleaning solution is 75/25 mild laundry detergent with bleach in water. Rinse the entire piece of your furniture with water after washing it so as to remove all dirt and cleaning solution residue. Teak being the strongest wood and resistant all factors of nature, needs very little attention but adds an elegant look to your surrounding.

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One of the fascinating activities in building a model railroad layout is the water scenes. Even with all the trees, fauna, grasses and other scenic materials it looks like a barren waste land with water.

The creation of water scenes are not necessarily ease but worth the effort. There a several materials that can be made to look like water. There are three types of resin plastic that I use to create water scenes. They are all non-toxic and readily available either by hobby shop or WEB site.

With out going into trade names the three types are different for specific reasons. One comes in a squeeze bottle that is very thick and does not run readily and I find hard to use. I use it for specific areas where a fast moving liquid would not stabilize fast enough to create the scene that I want. However, it is wonderful in making waterfalls. It is so thick that you can comb it with a fine metal comb that produces the look of a water fall.

The next type is a thick but fast pouring liquid plastic that can be used to begin a small to large pond and streams. The key to this one is that it has restrictions as to how much you can poor. It dries very slowly thus the amount you can pore at any on time is only about 1/8 thick. It dries very clear and is very useful when you try and get small amounts in specific areas to increase the realism.

The next type is hard and comes in beads with a slight yellow color. It is my favorite of the three because of its nature once heated to a liquid. It is very hot once heated and it pours fast but solidifies quickly. You do not have to wait a long period of time before you pour the next batch. It also has a unique characteristic of creating a wave like action.

The best example I can give you is when I poured the plastic down a pre-made stream bed. The stream bed had already been landscape with rocks wood brush and the like. There was a stop at the end of the stream. I poured the hot plastic gradually and watched it flow just like a stream and solidify with unique qualities like the real world. I repeated this action several times which gave the stream character and caused a waterfall effect over the rocks. At the base or stop a small pond was created as I wanted.

This type of plastic water is tricky to produce and use. Great care must be taken not to burn your self nor allow the liquid plastic to boil over. Also, you must use a container where you have complete control. The container needs to have a handle on it that will not act as a heat sink thus burning you. It would be wise to have a container with a spout like the coffee pots used on camping trips. This way you will not have the liquid plastic going places you do not want it to go.

A stove is not the best way to heat the plastic. For one thing, there usually are no stoves in the layout area and the heating would take to long unless you had a gas stove. The best method is to use a torch or some quick heating implement that would generate enough heat to liquefy the plastic rapidly. We have used a torch in a pinch but it is cumbersome and a bit dangerous. The safest method is a butane stove that can produce a lot of heat fast. What ever method you use where fire is concerned make sure you have a fire extinguisher available and there is plenty of fresh air circulating in the layout room. Also, use fire retardant gloves when working with this type of liquid plastic and fire. DO NOT MAKE TO MUCH LIQUID PLASTIC AT ONE TIME. You will accomplish each project in plenty of time by following the directions on the package. The more you make at once the greater chance of an accident.

There are other types of clear resins available but this set is easily attainable from more than one source and ease to use.

Joy Ball has been involved in the restoration and maintenance of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Through her years of expertise, Mrs. Ball has perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotive to the running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas. It should be noted that the above article was written by Joy’s husband Michael Ball. Receive her free newsletter at http://www.brasslocomotiveworks.com

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