e-fg-zine

the newsletter for wood crafters on-line

Issue #4
June 2003

A sunny welcome all the new readers and a hearty hello again to returning readers.

I must apologize for getting this issue out so late. I'm still needing to devote extra time and energy to my special needs son. As it turned out, my new-ish computer (my other baby) had some special needs too! It was in to see my local techie 3 separate times for repairs since the last issue. Fortunately, nothing permanent except time lost.

I hope you agree that this issue is *better late than never.*  ;-)

All the best wishes for your wood crafting adventures,

Wendy Maki,
Faux Grain.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
--Albert Einstein

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE

Article: 3 Decorative Techniques For Non-Painters

Tip: Raid the Cosmetic Bag for Craft Tools

Recommended books & links: Finishing Touches

Marketing your crafts on-line: Keeping Up With Changes & Guest Article by Jim Edwards

3 Decorative Techniques For Non-Painters

by Wendy Maki

You don't have to consider yourself an artist or decorative painter to have an arsenal of techniques to draw from when you want to add a little extra to a
painted wood project.

Here are just 3 ideas for adding texture or depth to a painted area, especially a background.

Start by painting your area a solid background color. Let it dry thoroughly. Then try out one of these techniques or invent your own.

******

1. Gauze Daubing (See A Picture)

Everyone is familiar with sponging. It's still *king* of the easy paint techniques, but the same concept can be extended beyond using sponges or crumpled plastic wrap to apply paint. In fact, just about anything can be used to dip into paint and daub it onto a surface. Gauze type materials are particularly effective.

Just loosely wad up any kind of loosely woven gauze-like material, and use that instead of a sponge.

There's a wide variety of weaves, thread types, and textures of weave, so the same idea can produce a wide range of results. Here's just a few possibilities:
medical wound gauze, cheesecloth, burlap, lace, even drywall repair mesh (sticky side away from the paint, if it has it).

This is a good technique where you want a woven impression.

Always test the effect on scrap paper first, until you work out the amount of paint, pressure of touch, etc. that will give you the effect you want.

The subtlety or drama of the effect will depend on the type of gauze itself, how closely related to the basecoat color the added color is, and also on the
consistency of the paint used for the daubing.

2. Salt Shaker (See A Picture)

This watercolor technique is best used on smaller areas that can be kept wet, and will only work with water-based paints. Also, you must be able to lay the
area flat so that the paint won't run.

Mix up a wet wash of the color you want to paint over the background color. Quickly brush this wash onto the area. Make sure it's very wet. The more absorbent your surface is, the more wash will be needed to keep it
wet enough.

Then, while the wash is still wet, just take a salt shaker and shake salt all over it.

The more salt you use, the more dense the texture will be. The larger the crystals, the larger the scale of the final texture.

Make sure not to move or disturb the project while it dries.

Once it's dry, gently brush or rub the surface to remove any remaining salt crystals.

******

3. Smoking (See Picture)

This is an old technique that is best used on flat panels or small objects like boxes that can be held easily above a candle.

It's easy. Try it out on a scrap first, just to get the feel of it. It shouldn't take more that a few tries to get the knack of it.

(Always remember to handle fire safely.)

Light a small candle. Put an old butter knife into the flame sideways, adjusting the position until you're getting a dense black smoke wisping up from the flame.

Hold the surface in the smoke, adjusting position until the smoke is marking the surface. Slowly move the surface around so that the smoke marks the area until
you're satisfied with the effect.

Finish up by spray varnishing to seal and protect it from smearing.

The result is subtle and can be quite sophisticated. It's never the same twice!

******

Each of these techniques can be used on their own, to add interest and depth to an otherwise flat color area, or they can be used as the background for other decorative painting techniques that are applied after.

One of the great things about paint is that if you don't like your result, just paint over it! So, experiment and be creative.

Raid the Cosmetic Bag

Continuing the theme of using items meant for other purposes in your craft projects...

Here's just a few of the handy items you can snitch from a cosmetic bag to put into your crafter's bag of tricks:

Emery Boards ...great for sanding edges and hard to reach places

Cosmetic Sponges ...comes in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and textures

Tweezers ...always handy

Powder Blush ...rub a spot of good quality powder blush onto the cheeks of a decoratively painted or fabric face and bring the project to life
...try good quality powder eyeshadows for other rub-on effects

Good quality cosmetic powders are made with pigments, just like paints are. Just seal with a light mist of spray varnish if you have any concerns about
the color rubbing off.

Recommended books & links: Finishing Touches

Marketing your crafts on-line: Keeping Up With Changes & Guest Article by Jim Edwards

One of the biggest challenges of doing business online is keeping up with the rapid changes that can dramatically alter your business overnight. Even more
important is knowing which changes you need to respond to. Offline businesses hardly ever experience that rapid pace of change.

No matter how small your business is, if you are on the internet, that usually means dealing with international issues. Even if you are outside of the USA, as I am, it's smart to stay aware of events and issues that can affect your business.

I was writing up a short bit about one of those changes when an article by Jim Edwards came across my desk. I decided that I liked what he had to say about recent FTC (USA) actions better than anything I was trying to write. So, this issue I'm sharing Jim's article with you, by permission.

Uncle Sam Cracks Down Online!

- by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com

In a recent move that rocked the online world and left many Internet marketers shaking in their boots, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated a sweeping crackdown on what they termed "Internet Scammers" and "Deceptive Spammers."

The FTC, along with state and federal officials, filed 45 criminal and civil law enforcement actions and froze the corporate and personal assets of some defendants.

According to the FTC, they went after a wide array of deceptive schemes and illegal scams including auction fraud, illegal sale of controlled substances, bogus
business opportunities, deceptive money-making scams, illegal advance-fee credit card offers, and identity theft.

In other words, Uncle Sam gave notice that people can no longer treat the Internet like the Wild, Wild West!

I welcome this long overdue crackdown on real Internet evildoers. For years, honest business owners suffered because Internet scammers caused consumer fear and reluctance to conduct business online. As the government cleans up the back alleys of the Internet, consumer confidence will rise and sales will increase.

However, as with any crusade to bring about law and order, innocent and honest businesses stand a REAL chance of getting caught in the crossfire.

Let's face it, if you get named in a lawsuit by the government - even though you may be innocent - you'll still lose a lot of time, energy, emotion, and money defending yourself.

If you operate any business online, or plan to set one up, the following guidelines should help you avoid problems.

** Always Tell The Truth **

Actually, this basic lesson from your Mom ranks the best way to avoid all kinds of trouble! "The truth shall set you free" ranks just as appropriate in the online world as in the offline world.

In fact, in the light of recent events, the truth might actually keep you out of jail!

** Avoid Outrageous Claims **

Don't make outrageous claims you can't substantiate. A big difference exists between good copywriting (salesmanship in print) and making claims that no sane person, or at least the average person, could ever achieve.

It's one thing to tell people you can show them "how to get thousands of hits to their website." It's quite another to say you will "show them how to get 10,000
hits to their website by tomorrow and make $15,000 this weekend."

** Get The Correct Legal Documents **

Every website should maintain certain legal documents in order to operate within the guidelines set forth by the FTC. As with any law, ignorance of the law does not excuse disobeying the rules!

You must know whether your business needs a disclaimer, terms of service, privacy notice and other legal documents. And, by the way, the time to find out you should have posted them on your site is NOT after you've been served with legal papers by the government!

** Turn the Tables **

Look at what your business promises and actually delivers from the standpoint of a consumer.

Would you feel happy or sad once you did business with yourself?

Would you feel like you got your money's worth, or would you feel like you'd been held up at gunpoint in the middle of the night in the mini-mart parking lot?

Your gut answer to that question will go a long way toward keeping you out of trouble with the government.

Sort of funny how the "Golden Rule" of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" keeps cropping up in life as a way to consistently avoid trouble and heartache.

Copyright 2003 Faux Grain. All rights reserved.
Third party copyright material remains copyright of the original copyright holders.

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