Upon getting information about an upcoming school science fair and the need to consider a topic of interest, many students will typically have no idea where to get started. While the science fair is typically a common occurrence in any school at any grade level, there are different types of topics that should be taken a look at depending on the age of the student. After first taking a look at the many different categories of science projects, you will be able to locate a suitable choice of topic to take to the next level.There is a wide variety of categories that fall under the types of science projects that can be chosen for a school science fair. These include biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, biochemistry, medicine, environmental, mathematics, engineering, and earth science. While you may not have yet learned very much in any of these categories, don’t be afraid to see what each one entails. Taking a good look at your interests will allow you to focus on the right direction to take.Many resources are also available for those who are unsure as to the topic they are wanting to use to create their science projects. If you take a look at the topics that fall under the biology category, you will likely notice that there are topics that deal with plants, animals, and humans. For those who are in 2nd grade or 3rd grade, an interesting topic may be to determine if ants are picky over what type of food they eat. While this topic might not be of interest to an 8th grader, it is certainly something in the biology category that an elementary school student would enjoy.Along with the biology category, a high school student may want to take a look at diffusion and osmosis in animal cells as this would be a more appropriate topic for the grade level. A student in 6th grade would be more advanced than an elementary school student, but not as advanced as a high school student. At this middle school grade level, a topic of how pH levels effect the lifespan of a tadpole may be of interest.Whichever resource is used to locate a topic for science projects, it is always a good idea to consider the grade level of the student prior to making a selection. It is always assumed to be best to have a project at an appropriate level in order to keep the attention of the student and provide a fun and enjoyable learning experience.
Art Prints as An Additional Revenue Source
A very common challenge that all artists face is that they have very limited time. When you take a closer look at the career of a professional artist, he or she is mostly exchanging time for money.For instance, an artist may sell a piece of painting for X amount of dollars. But time is a limited resource. There’s only so much time in a single day. So no matter how fast an artist works, there’s a limit to the number of art pieces he or she can product in a single day (without compromising on the quality of the works).Professional artists know their limits. And they also know that to make a full time living as an artist, he or she has to sell a pre-determined number of art pieces for a pre-determined amount of dollars. Anything less means the business is not doing too well, and the consequence is that he or she may be forced to give up art.To make a living full time as an artist, one would have to understand business as well.
Unfortunately, not all artists possess business skills.The professional artist knows how to increase the number of revenue streams. They understand that the only way to increase revenue without requiring them to put in more time is to increase the number of products they own.Products here mean items that can be reproduced without needing additional time from the artist. For example, he can paint an oil painting and have it mass produced for sale at retail shops. That’s where the subject of art prints come in.Art prints, in the online world, provide an additional income source for the artist with no immediate additional expense. How this works is that the artist produces an artwork, convert it into digital format through a scan or a digital photo, and upload it to a website for sale.Art prints are sold through these websites (also known as art print marketplaces) as physical products such as posters, T-shirts, mugs, etc. These vendors do all the printing and shipping. All items have a base price, and the artist earns a commission after the vendor has taken his cut.If the artwork of the artist is popular, the artist can continue to earn a steady revenue stream without putting in additional work. This is a great way of earning passive income. Both full and part time artists can do this. There’s very little risk involved.And who knows, maybe a customer may become a fan of the artist and ends up spending a fortune on an original artwork.
Fine Art Photography and Giclee Printing – Finding the Right Supplier
If you are an artist about to order Fine Art Photography and Giclee printing, it is sometimes difficult to know which supplier to choose. If you are having your Art photographed, then a supplier within easy driving distance is important, because the cost of transporting expensive art can be prohibitive, but if you already have your own images then you have a large choice of online suppliers.As far as the photography of your art is concerned, look for a Professional Photographer with experience of working with and handling Fine Art. Many suppliers out there have no background experience of copying art and many do not even use photography. They will offer to ‘Scan’ your artwork on a flatbed scanner, which I am sure you are familiar with. Scanning can be satisfactory depending on the type and size of artwork. It is not really suitable for Oils if you want to eliminate all surface reflections. Many suppliers use A3 scanners a few A2. If your art is larger than the scanner your image will be ‘stitched’ together. It will be scanned in sections, sometimes as many as four depending on the size of the original. It will then be digitally joined together to form a full size image. Certainly not the best approach if you want the very finest reproduction of your art and physically impossible on large or framed paintings.You will find that suppliers that scan your art may also offer the option of photography if you request it, but the price will be considerably more than scanning as you need an experienced photographer and in most cases they use an outside provider. Better to find a professional photographer experienced in Fine Art who also offers a Giclee printing service.When providing your own image for Giclee printing, you may be unsure if it is suitable, unless of course it was produced professionally and you have had prints produced from it before. Ask suppliers if they will give you a free assessment of your image and ask if it is suitable to produce a Giclee print at your chosen size. Ask if they will advise you if there will be any issues that may effect the quality of your Giclee print, before you commit to a print run.Giclee print prices and quality vary from different suppliers, but the lowest prices, although attractive, are not acceptable if this means low quality. Apart from the basic requirements of high end printer, archival papers and inks, the end result will depend on the skills of the person producing the print. The final print quality of an image is determined well before it even reaches the printer. The digital image needs to be balanced, corrected and matched to the original to achieve the finest reproduction. Unfortunately this is where some suppliers are lacking. To truly understand a digital image and what needs to be done to produce a superb Giclee print, needs a skilled person with a background of dealing with images for print. Again a good professional photographer has these talents.A good Giclee print should be indistinguishable from the original art if produced correctly. There are always occasions when it may be impossible to match an individual colour exactly, but the real test is that the print retains the full tonal range of the original. There should be no loss of detail, even in the darkest shadows or the brightest highlights. If your print has lost detail in these areas, reject it. There is no excuse for this problem and the offer of a reprint will not usually solve the issue. The problem will almost certainly lie with the origination.Always be sure to insist on a proof before committing to an order for Giclee prints, most good suppliers will provide a proof prior to printing. There may be a charge for the proof, but it is worth it if you are ordering a run of expensive Giclee prints. It is important to view and compare the proof with your art under the same lighting conditions. Most suppliers will proof your image at A4. This is quite satisfactory to judge colour balance but if your final Giclee prints will be printed larger than this e.g. A2 the smaller sized proof will not allow you to check the tonal balance or detail that will be visible at the larger reproduction. I offer my clients a ‘Split’ A4 proof. One half of the proof has the full image, the other half is an enlarged section at the chosen print size. Ask your supplier if they can do the same.Choosing the paper for your Giclee prints will be a matter of personal choice. Weight, finish and quality of manufacture will be the main considerations. Giclee papers are generally in the 250gsm to 350gsm weight range, but feel the papers first to make a decision. I have a 280gsm paper that feels heavier than my 300gsm paper, I am not sure why but it pays to check papers first before you go to print. The surface finish will vary between types, as will the whiteness of the paper. Practically all papers produced for ink jet printing today are ‘Acid Free’ and any paper from a well known manufacturer of paper for Giclee printing should be of a suitable quality for fine art printing. If you are ordering online, ask your chosen supplier if they can provide you with paper samples. Some will charge for this service, I provide Giclee paper samples free when requested, as a set of A6 prints.Finally, your Giclee print should be incredibly sharp. If the original has been photographed correctly your print will be as sharp and crisp as your original. Do not accept anything less!