Thursday, June 28, 2007

Artiststamp

Artistamp referd to a postage stamp-like artform. It is similar to a Cinderella stamp, in that it is not suitable for postage, but it differs from a forgery or a bogus stamp in that (typically) no intention is made to fool any post office or collector of stamps. The artistamp is proposed to be a miniature artform which can depict or commemorate any subject its creator chooses.

Techniques for the creation of artistamps may or may not consist of perforating the boundaries of the piece to more resemble a (water-activated) stamp, as well as applying gum to the reverse side of the paper. The artwork can be hand-drawn or painted, lithographed or offset-printed, photographed, xeroxed, rubber stamped, or still output by computer-driven printer.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Topiary

Topiary is the art of creating sculptures using clipped trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener, topiarius, creator of topia or "places", a Greek word that Romans applied also to fictive indoor landscapes executed in fresco. No doubt the use of a Greek word betokens the art's origins in the Hellenistic world that was influenced by Persia, for neither Classical Greece nor Republican Rome developed any complicated tradition of artful pleasure grounds.

The plants used in topiary are evergreen, have small leaves or needles, produce dense foliage, and have compact and/or columnar growth habits. Common plants used in topiary comprise cultivars of box, arborvitae, bay laurel, holly, myrtle, yew, and privet. Shaped wire cages are sometimes working in modern topiary to guide untutored shears, but traditional topiary depends on patience and a steady hand; small-leaved ivy can be used to cover a cage and provide the look of topiary in a few months.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Analog Display

Traditionally, watches have displayed the time in analog form, with a numbered dial upon which are mounted at least a rotating hour hand and a longer, rotating minute hand. Many watches also integrate a third hand that shows the recent second of the recent minute. Watches powered by quartz have second hands that snap every second to the next marker. Watches powered by a mechanical movement have a "sweeping second hand", the name deriving from its continuous smooth movement across the markers. All of the hands are normally mechanical, physically revolving on the dial, although a few watches have been produced with “hands” that are replicated by a liquid-crystal display.