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PapercuttingsPapercutting is an art form that has been seen all over the world, adapted to regional styles based on cultures. It should come as no surprise that the Chinese have the earliest forms of papercutting currently known to us as the 'ancestor to paper' has been found in China. This was dated as far back as 2nd century B.C. and is considered as important as their discovery of printmaking, gunpowder and the compass.

~Thessatoria's It's Your Life
Naturally as paper spread throughout the world this art form evolved, spreading all over the Far East through to the Middle East. For example Japanese Kirigami where origami folds are cut and Indian Sanjhi.
This art form is popular to this very day, take renowned British artist Rob Ryan, which I am sure many of you here would have at least seen his work before! His work has been seen printed over everything you can think of, kitchenware, clothes, books and probably more!
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A short history of QuiltingSince the history of quilting could easily fill a book and has in fact has filled many books, I'm going to keep this rather shorter. As it is a short overview there will be things left out that the more historically minded might miss but there are so many facets to quilting that I cannot include it all.
First of all some definitions to help you understand the terms I use:
- Patchwork is the sewing together of many pieces of fabrics to create a new larger piece of fabric that can then be used to make a quilt or a garment or anything else the maker chooses to make from it.
- Quilting is the layering of two fabrics with a filler layer in between that is then covered with lines or patterns of sewing stitches to hold the filling in place. In modern times it also often refers to a piece of patchwork that is given a backing and a filling and stitched through. In this article I will use both meanings.
Quilting has been around for at least 5000 years if not longer and used to pad fabrics for ma

Jerry Uelsman and Why Surrealism is ArtJerry Uelsman established his unique and famous Photography style in the 1940s by using multiple photos to create a surrealistic and impressionist composite image. He's what we'd call 'old school' and is a modern day photographer with old style equipment. Even though he lives in an era when digital Photography is widely available, he chooses simply to stick with his film cameras and is famously quoted as saying...
"I am sympathetic to the current digital revolution and excited by the visual options created by the computer. However I feel my creative process remains intrinsically linked to the alchemy of the darkroom."
Uelsman exhibits up to this present day with his work being showcased across much of the USA. His exhibition is famously titled, Faking it: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop and serves as a poke that perhaps we can learn a thing or two from this great man.
Source: Uelsma

Studio GhibliA Tokyo based animation studio that needs no introduction! Studio Ghibli is best known for their traditionally animated anime films. It was originally founded by the legendary pair, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, back in 1985. Ghibli is named after an Italian war plane that was used for scouting, this reflected Miyazaki's love for not only airplanes but also Italy. The name itself means "hot wind blowing through the Sahara Desert".
Takahata and Miyazaki
It was formed after the great success of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which both Takahata and Miyazaki worked on. Their first feature film hit was Laputa, or some of you may know it as Castle in the Sky. Most of the films that Studio Ghibli produces is by Miyazaki, followed by Takahata, although they have worked with other film producers and directors as well.
Family favourite, My Neighbour Totoro
Walt Disney later acqui

La LineaThis is one of the most influential and iconic animated series ever made in my opinion. La Linea (The Line) is a classic Italian animated series by Osvaldo Cavandoli. The animation follows the character, Mr. Linea, who is drawn by a single line. Even if you don't know La Linea, some of you may recognise the voice actor as the original voice of Pingu the penguin. The language he speaks is based on Italian (Milanese dialect) but spoken in a way that essentially is gibberish!
Due to it's 'lack of language' this became an international hit, which I think is one of the best essences of film making. Having the power to cross borders without a language barrier is a fantastic skill to have!
But why do I think this is one series we should all know about?
Mr. Linea is always presented with obstacles, drawn in by the animator. Sometimes he'll succeed, sometimes he'll fail. So for example perhaps he's trying to reach something high up, so he complains to the animator. The animator draws a flight o

A History of Photography (Mostly)Art History Photography Month has begun and where better to start than with the History of Photography! I appreciate not everything is included, but here are some key main events and features, images and happenings that have impacted Photography across the years. If you don't want to read it all, scroll to the bottom for my tl;dr handy summary

1000AD
This is said to be where it all began with Alhazen inventing the first pinhole camera - known as Camera Obscura. Heard the phrase before? Now you know where it originates from! Aristotle observed and noted in around 330BC the optic laws that made pinhole cameras possible and questioned why the Sun could make a circular image when it shined through a square hole.
Source:LOC
1794
The First Panorama opens - the forerunner of the movie house invented by Robert

Art History- Welcome to Literature!
Hello everyone!

This Month, the #ArtHistoryProject has collaborated with #CRLiterature to bring you a whole month of Literature history! We have got a very exciting month ahead, varying through an array for specialist subjects from six word stories, to chidlren’s literature and from tricksters to fantasy literature. Hopefully there will be lots of informative articles that interest you as a reader!
From early hieroglyphics to 50 Shades of Grey, literature has had a wonderful and varied journey, one which spreads over many genres, styles and cultures. This month we will be looking at just some of these through a series of articles written by members of the literature community. These articles are snippets of the great history this proud art form has to boast.
We are inviting everyone, not just “writers” to come and get involved with this month! Maybe you will uncover a subject you knew nothing about but found deeply interesting, or feel

Brief History of ClaymationClaymation is a method of animation where clay figures are filmed using stop-motion photography.
Claymation (clay animation) dates way back to 1897, when the material plasticine was introduced to the artistic world. In this article, we will briefly explore the history of Claymation!

(scene from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas)
So.. where have you seen this method used before? Films such as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Chicken Run were all made using Claymation. TV shows such as Wallace and Gromit, Gumby, and Bob the Builder also use this method.
Sammy Squid: Turns The Other Tentacle by SuperDaddytv
In terms of notable clay animators, Jan Švankmajer is someone worth talking about. Švankmajer created his first film in 1964 and has impacted the film and animation world

Nick ParkWell I am sure this is a name a lot of you are familiar with! But for those of you who need an introduction to him, Nick Park is stop motion animator who works for Aardman Animations in Bristol. So to name a few works that you may be familiar with are Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts.
His works have been nominated for and also won quite a few BAFTA awards and Oscars.
He continues to work with traditional stop motion animation and plasticine, so the old 'move it a bit and take a photo' technique. His first feature piece for Aardman, A Grand Day Out, was a student project at the time. This was funded by the studio which allowed him to continue to work on it part time whilst continuing his studies. This became a huge hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short Film. Unfortunately he lost this award to another short, Creature Comforts, which was also his work anyway!
His animations have graced British TV for many years and it has gained a lot of a

10 Things a Photomanip Newbie Should KnowHi all,
I wanted to talk for a moment to our newbie photomanipulators or even older photomanipulators who are out of the fray. How are you? Welcome to the inner circle.
Here are some things that you (and all photomanipulators) need to know about dA and the photomanipulation community.
1. Stay in touch with the Photomanipulation CV (currently me, ^Aeirmid).
Watch me. No, that's not an ill-formed plea for pageviews, favorites, or watchers.

Actually, I rarely even post art anymore.

I am the Community Volunteer (CV) for photomanipulation, which means I regularly run contests, feature art, share news, post Daily Deviations (DDs), and do other things to support the community. It is in your best interest to watch my journal because I post every photomanipulation-related update there. This information is important to you so you can learn about upcoming events, changes in rules, new groups, and other news.
2. Watch :devcommunity

Famous Photographers: What we can learnThere are things that we can learn from everybody, whether it's as they say - sitting at the feet of an elderly person - or indeed reading from a book, looking at history in photos and so on. But what, if anything, can we learn from the Famous Photographers of the past? Well, plenty.
Julie Margaret Cameron
She was a shrewd business woman, and her fame came from having the only photographs of some very famous iconic people in History. And how did she manage this? By meticulously keeping details and registering her copyright with every single Photograph she took. We can learn a lot from her actions, particularly in an age where anything can be replicated, if you have the right tools. Equally, we can also learn the value of the equipment we have around us, and how easy it is now to capture a photograph and share it with the world. Julie's time in Sri Lanka served as a testimony that without pure water and chemicals, she couldn't continue with her craft and a

Japanese TemariAn introduction to vast world of embroidered balls for #ArtHistoryProject.
History
Temari, coming from words hand (te) and ball (mari), truly began as a simple toy. Around 7th century game Kemari (similar to hacky sack nowadays) derived from China's Cuju game was introduced in Japan. At first, it was played with leather ball. But as the ball games evolved into tossing and catching, first hand balls were created. Those were made mostly from scraps of old kimonos, wrapped with string so tightly that they would actually bounce.
Around 16th century, noblewomen started wind the balls with colorful silk threads and embroidering them. While competing with one another, the patterns would become more and more perfected and intriguing. Mothers gave temari to they children on New Year's Eve, not just for playing, but as a "love token". Inside some mari cores you could even find piece of paper with mother's w

Famous Photographs: The Afghan GirlIf you run a google search on what are the top famous Photographs of all time, The Afghan Girl is sure to appear. She is truly a face from History and one that many across the globe have tried to capture within others time and time again. But what exactly has made this image and its photographer so captivating?
Source: Daily Mail/National Geographic/Steve McCurry
Eyes, they say, are the window to the soul. And capturing such a piercing and expressive look in a photograph is a highly sought after skill. The Afghan Girl exhibits suspense, suspicion and a sense of distrust at the person behind the lens, she gives off an air of maturity, a foreboding feeling - a vulnerability behind years of strength. That, is what makes her so captivating.
Sharbat Gula is her name, although few even know this rather important detail. Sh

Stock Provider, Stock User 3- MontvalentStockWelcome to Stock Provider, Stock User!
This is a series of articles where we interview a deviant who is both a stock provider and a stock user.
Our third interview is with *MontvalentStock/*Anne-Wipf!
You have been on your art account, *Anne-Wipf, for 4 years. Did you have any accounts before that one?
Yes. At first, I mostly did traditional artwork and I did a series of watercolour and acrylic paintings about « The Lord of the Rings ». So, I opened an account on a French site dedicated to Tolkien, called « Tolkiendil » http://www.tolkiendil.com/ (I'm no more in it : not enough time, and others of interest) ; then, I did a series of fairies, an opened an account on Elfwood http://wipf.elfwood.com/ Then, navigating on the web, I discovered dA, but, at the time, we had to answer to a big questionnaire and my English was not very fluent (I did some progress since I'm here!), s

Art History: Writing a Pantomime:iconarthistoryproject: :iconcrliterature:

Pantomime is easy to write? (Oh no it isn’t!)
Pantomime is a traditional form of theatre, which in its most recognised form originated from the Victorian era and continues to be a prominent aspect of British theatre today. Writing a Pantomime as a scriptwriter may seem like an easy feat- the traditional fairy-tale put onto stage, but in fact it is a style where the traditional conventions are still a strong element of modern pantomime scriptwriting.
This art history article not only shares where the origins of pantomime came from, but shares some of those conventions which as a scriptwriter need consider before writing.
The birth of Pantomime
Like most forms of theatre, the origins of pantomime derive from the ancient Greeks. Greek theatre was not only an entertainment form, but a celebration of the god Dionysus and a way of retelling the stories we now know as Greek Myths. Significant

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Food As Art

Thu Dec 13, 2012, 7:41 AM by ^cakecrumbs

“So all you have to do is take a photo of your lunch and you get a DD?”

“Food isn’t even art”

While I’ve been fortunate enough to have never encountered such comments, I’ve heard from older hats around dA than I that this is the sort of criticism they have received when their deviation has gained enough popularity to draw wider attention around the site.

Now, it would be easy enough to dismiss such notions by pointing out that art cannot be defined. It is a fluid entity, forever being shaped, changed, challenged and expanded. Art is usually considered to be anything produced by skill and/or imagination: to exclude an entire medium from it can only do a disservice to this wonderful entity.

But that’s too easy.

Instead, I’m going to take some time to explore all the creative aspects of culinary arts that make it a medium as worthy of the title ‘art’ as any. Not only is food art, it's everything in between.

Food is sculpture

Sculpture is an ancient art form. It began as carving three dimensional images from wood, stone, metal and ceramics, but today is created using a limitless array of materials. While food sculptures certainly wont last the millennia of traditional sculptures, creating something out of perishable material brings about its own challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge of all is finding someone game enough to be the first to take a bite!

Food is sugar craft

Sugar craft is a huge sub-genre in of itself. Most people are familiar with cake decorating, specifically with fondant. In the last few decades, cake decorating has progressed from regular white wedding cakes with typical adornments, to a boundless medium of expression. It is a medium that is being expanded, challenged and redefined on an almost daily basis. Now weddings and celebrations are graced by cakes that defy belief, and sometimes they even defy gravity. Seasoned cake decorators often talk about witnessing this dramatic shift throughout their career. It is an exciting time to be involved in sugar craft.

While working with fondant is the medium with which we’re most familiar, let’s take a moment to remember the giant breadth of this craft. From blown sugar to chocolate wrapping – sugar craft has it all!

Food is plating

I’ve heard many a person dismiss the art of plating as too sterile, or others criticise it for all looking the same. However, such quick dismissal of this sub-genre does an injustice to it. Plating is a difficult skill to learn, and in turn involves mastering other difficult skills. There are many different styles of plating, varying across cultures and continents. Great plating is more than slapping a small portion of food onto a white plate and calling it a day. Great plating requires an artistic flair and careful consideration of the fine details, from the type of plate used to the colour of the garnish.

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Food is fan art

Artists take to a variety of different mediums to express their love for a fandom, and Culinary Arts is no exception. Many have used food to replicate the characters they love. Food art is a great way to showcase a love for a fandom during a celebration, or for a gift for a loved one. I've seen many get excited by great culinary art, but culinary fan art blows minds at a whole new level.

Food is photography

Here is where the crafts cross over with the skill of still life photography. When sharing a culinary creation with the digital world you lose communication with many of the senses that food arouses. You can’t taste or smell the food. You can’t touch it. You can’t hear the sizzle of meat on a grill, nor the crack of perfectly tempered chocolate. All the artist is left with is sight, and a poor photograph will not make you hungry. Photographing food is much more than pointing a camera and shooting. Food photography is a skill in of itself, one that takes time and practise to master.

Food is mastery

Above all else, culinary art is a skill that takes practise. Something that is easy to overlook is the years of practise and learning it takes to be able to make food. When you look at a masterful sketch or painting it’s easy to imagine the many years it took to develop such a skill. But food is so commonplace, it is easier to overlook it. But we encounter food every day. We make food, we have it made for us. We have food delivered to us or we have it packed into containers in which a few minutes in a microwave results in a meal. It’s such a necessary part of our day, of our survival, that over exposure to it can make us blind to the magic.

Making a simple dish requires mastering the basics of cooking and food preparation. Creating something more intricate, such as a sugar craft sculpture, takes many more years learning just how to control the ingredients before you begin to develop your own creativity.

This article is only a brief glimpse at the many art forms food may take. But if you have ever doubted that food could be art, I hope this has given you pause for thought!

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