Ask me anything about my art, makeup, hair or life! http://formspring.me/KrissisArt
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
In The Spirit
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| My GLAAD Spirit Day purple eyeshadow, all by Glittersniffer Cosmetics. Say, did you know she's running a GLAAD fundraiser? Yep! Check it out! |
If you don't know about Spirit Day, you can read all about it here, but here is the short version: Purple symbolizes 'spirit' on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride. Wearing purple not only honors the three teenagers who recently took their own lives after experiencing anti-gay bullying, but it's a way to show every singly LGBT youth who face the same pressures and bullying, that there is a vast community of people who support them.
I live in Folsom, a pretty uptight little town 30 miles east of Sacramento CA (and about 2 hours from San Francisco, where I lived until my 30s). In my neighborhood, I hear a lot about family values and how we need to "save the children" while people spread hate and fear with things like Proposition 8. Oh, the irony.
Today, however, my faith in people may have been restored, if only a bit. There were so many people just going about their regular business, albeit wearing an unusual amount of purple! I asked a few if they were wearing it for the same reason I was (they all said they were!) and I'd venture to guess I made some new friends.
Oh, and if you don't know me and stuff like this matters to you: I am a straight, married woman in my 40s who believes that everyone is entitled to the same rights. So there. Take that.
Monday, October 18, 2010
FAQ: Can I Use That Image? (aka Copyright 101)
Intellectual property (patents, licenses, copyrights) is a pretty tough concept to get your mind around, but you are in luck. As it happens, before I was a full time artist, I used to negotiate licensing agreements. True story. And since I received two almost identical inquiries involving this very subject in the last few months, I figured it warranted its own post.
In both cases, the requests boiled down to this:
they wanted to commission a piece of art from me and then sell reproductions of the image (one on jewelry, one as prints).
My short answer was "no" to both because, whether or not they purchase a physical painting from me, the image still belongs to me. That's where the "intellectual" part of intellectual property comes in - the idea (and execution of that idea) is my property. Yep. No matter what they pay for the paintings themselves, such payment does not include the right to use the images.
Still a little confused? No problem.
Think of it this way: Let's say you go to Borders or your local book store (they still have those, right?) and you buy a copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. You own that physical book, that thing with pages (the "tangible property") - you paid for it. You may put it on the shelf or dog-ear the corners, sell it in a garage sale or even, God forbid, burn it if you want to. However, you don't own the rights to the IDEAS contained therein. You may not make copies of the book and sell them. You may not make a movie of the book.... unless of course you have permission from Ms. Rowling (customarily in the form of a license agreement and huge-ass amounts of cash going from you to her).
Art works very much in the same way. Let's say you pay me for a custom painting of your cat. No matter how much I charge you for that painting - you are only paying for my time, supplies and creativity, not for the rights to use the image. So even if I charge you an exorbitant amount, you still may not make copies, prints, Christmas cards (not even for your own use) unless we have a written agreement where I specifically give you those rights (which would be under a License Agreement). Yeah, I know, even though it's YOUR cat. Even if I painted from a photo you took.
2011 ADDENDUM: The reverse/reciprocal is also true: I have the right to do whatever I want with the image. As the artist, I may create prints, cards or another painting OR I may license the rights to someone else to make items using the image: rubber stamps, posters, car wraps, whatever. The recipient of the original has no rights outside of the ownership of the tangible, physical property (painting) and may not dictate what the artist may or may not do with the image. Even if it's a painting of YOUR cat. Even if it was painted from your photo.
Another intellectual property tidbit: you need to enforce your intellectual property rights or you lose them. That's why the Disney Corporation protects Mickey so vehemently. It's also why I do not ever make exceptions - not even for friends. I mean, you all saw The Godfather, right? "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business."
Anyway, I hope this helped to give you a very brief overview of intellectual property as it pertains to questions I get asked pretty often. If you have more questions, let me know!
Krissi
Read more ...
In both cases, the requests boiled down to this:
they wanted to commission a piece of art from me and then sell reproductions of the image (one on jewelry, one as prints).
My short answer was "no" to both because, whether or not they purchase a physical painting from me, the image still belongs to me. That's where the "intellectual" part of intellectual property comes in - the idea (and execution of that idea) is my property. Yep. No matter what they pay for the paintings themselves, such payment does not include the right to use the images.
Still a little confused? No problem.
Think of it this way: Let's say you go to Borders or your local book store (they still have those, right?) and you buy a copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. You own that physical book, that thing with pages (the "tangible property") - you paid for it. You may put it on the shelf or dog-ear the corners, sell it in a garage sale or even, God forbid, burn it if you want to. However, you don't own the rights to the IDEAS contained therein. You may not make copies of the book and sell them. You may not make a movie of the book.... unless of course you have permission from Ms. Rowling (customarily in the form of a license agreement and huge-ass amounts of cash going from you to her).
Art works very much in the same way. Let's say you pay me for a custom painting of your cat. No matter how much I charge you for that painting - you are only paying for my time, supplies and creativity, not for the rights to use the image. So even if I charge you an exorbitant amount, you still may not make copies, prints, Christmas cards (not even for your own use) unless we have a written agreement where I specifically give you those rights (which would be under a License Agreement). Yeah, I know, even though it's YOUR cat. Even if I painted from a photo you took.
2011 ADDENDUM: The reverse/reciprocal is also true: I have the right to do whatever I want with the image. As the artist, I may create prints, cards or another painting OR I may license the rights to someone else to make items using the image: rubber stamps, posters, car wraps, whatever. The recipient of the original has no rights outside of the ownership of the tangible, physical property (painting) and may not dictate what the artist may or may not do with the image. Even if it's a painting of YOUR cat. Even if it was painted from your photo.
Another intellectual property tidbit: you need to enforce your intellectual property rights or you lose them. That's why the Disney Corporation protects Mickey so vehemently. It's also why I do not ever make exceptions - not even for friends. I mean, you all saw The Godfather, right? "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business."
Anyway, I hope this helped to give you a very brief overview of intellectual property as it pertains to questions I get asked pretty often. If you have more questions, let me know!
Krissi
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Make-Up Quickie (Blog Version): Brush Cleaner Recipes & Tips 'N' Hints!
I don't care if you clean your room, but you MUST clean your makeup brushes after every use. However, it's not necessary to do a full wash every single day unless you are a professional makeup artist using your tools on others! I usually wash my brushes (full scrubby wash with soap and warm running water) once a week if I wear makeup every day.
For between applications cleaning, I use a liquid brush cleaner which I spritz onto a clean white towel or directly onto the bristles and then wipe off my brush. For stubborn or deep pigments (reds, blacks, some dark blues) I saturate the brush by dipping it half-way up the bristles into a small container with some cleanser and then squeeze the bristles in a clean towel or washcloth.
I'll tell you a secret. Brush cleaners are EXPENSIVE and they're really no magic in them, so instead of using a commercial brush cleaner, I choose to make my own and spend my samoleans on MAKEUP! Here are two of my personal favorite recipes:
Recipe #1: Krissi's First Brush Cleaner:
I've been using this recipe for months and LOVE it.
Pour water and alcohol into a clean glass dish. Do not use unfiltered or tap water as bacteria could grow in that over time. Add soap(s) & conditioner and stir gently with a clean utensil. Add lavender oil until your preferred scent is achieved (lavender oil will act as an antimicrobial/antibacterial agent AND make your brushes smell pretty). If the smell is stronger than you like, leave the product open for a few hours and the smell will dissipate. Fill a small spray bottle (you will have LOTS of cleaner - just store the leftover in a clean container - I save my eye makeup remover bottles and clean them out).
Recipe #2: Gentle & Easy Brush Cleaner:
I found this recipe from Gina of Great Minds Shop Alike on YouTube - here is her original recipe:
***********
January 9, 2011: UPDATE! I have been using the "Great Minds" recipe and LOVE it! It's my new HG brush cleaner. However, I tweaked the recipe just a bit and keep it in a spray bottle (the original recipe was a bit thick for that).
Recipe #3: Krissi-fied version of the conditioning daily brush cleaner
Removing creams, concealers and stubborn piggies from synthetic brushes: I know, I told you all to blend your NYX jumbo eye crayons and bases with a concealer brush, but didn't tell you how to get that junk OUT of your brush (especially if you've used black crayon - eep!). Well, just put a little of your usual eye makeup remover (I like the 2-part oil-free kind from Neutrogena, myself) into a spray bottle and clean your 'greasy' brushes with this product first, then with your other brush cleaner. That's a tip that seems totally obvious to me now, but I didn't figure it out on my own - I learned it from the fabulous Cora at Vintage or Tacky!
That's it! For more makeup quickies, visit my makeup & hair page on Facebook.
Read more ...
For between applications cleaning, I use a liquid brush cleaner which I spritz onto a clean white towel or directly onto the bristles and then wipe off my brush. For stubborn or deep pigments (reds, blacks, some dark blues) I saturate the brush by dipping it half-way up the bristles into a small container with some cleanser and then squeeze the bristles in a clean towel or washcloth.
I'll tell you a secret. Brush cleaners are EXPENSIVE and they're really no magic in them, so instead of using a commercial brush cleaner, I choose to make my own and spend my samoleans on MAKEUP! Here are two of my personal favorite recipes:
Recipe #1: Krissi's First Brush Cleaner:
I've been using this recipe for months and LOVE it.
- 1 Cup distilled or purified water
- ¼ Cup isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol (70% or 90%)
- 1 Tablespoon Dawn dish washing liquid
- 1 Tablespoon leave-in spray conditioner (any brand)
- 4-8 drops cold pressed lavender essential oil (do NOT use perfume oil or any other scented oil besides natural essential oil)
Pour water and alcohol into a clean glass dish. Do not use unfiltered or tap water as bacteria could grow in that over time. Add soap(s) & conditioner and stir gently with a clean utensil. Add lavender oil until your preferred scent is achieved (lavender oil will act as an antimicrobial/antibacterial agent AND make your brushes smell pretty). If the smell is stronger than you like, leave the product open for a few hours and the smell will dissipate. Fill a small spray bottle (you will have LOTS of cleaner - just store the leftover in a clean container - I save my eye makeup remover bottles and clean them out).
Recipe #2: Gentle & Easy Brush Cleaner:
I found this recipe from Gina of Great Minds Shop Alike on YouTube - here is her original recipe:
- ½ Bottle (8 oz.) Cetaphil (or Generic Version) - Cetaphil replaces both distilled water and leave-in conditioner
- ¼ Cup Isopropyl (90%) or Ethyl (70%) Alcohol
- ½ Tbsp. Shampoo
- ½ T. Dish washing Soap
***********
January 9, 2011: UPDATE! I have been using the "Great Minds" recipe and LOVE it! It's my new HG brush cleaner. However, I tweaked the recipe just a bit and keep it in a spray bottle (the original recipe was a bit thick for that).
Recipe #3: Krissi-fied version of the conditioning daily brush cleaner
- ½ Bottle (8 oz./1 Cup) Cetaphil (or Generic Version) - Cetaphil replaces both distilled water and leave-in conditioner
- ½ Cup Isopropyl (90%) or Ethyl (70%) Alcohol
- 1 Cup distilled or purified water
- ½ Tbsp. Shampoo
- ½ T. Dish washing Soap
- 10-12 drops cold pressed lavender essential oil
Removing creams, concealers and stubborn piggies from synthetic brushes: I know, I told you all to blend your NYX jumbo eye crayons and bases with a concealer brush, but didn't tell you how to get that junk OUT of your brush (especially if you've used black crayon - eep!). Well, just put a little of your usual eye makeup remover (I like the 2-part oil-free kind from Neutrogena, myself) into a spray bottle and clean your 'greasy' brushes with this product first, then with your other brush cleaner. That's a tip that seems totally obvious to me now, but I didn't figure it out on my own - I learned it from the fabulous Cora at Vintage or Tacky!
That's it! For more makeup quickies, visit my makeup & hair page on Facebook.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
YAY! Bewbies!
For the entire month of October, 8x10" prints of my painting "Survivor" will be on sale for only $8.50. This sale may not be combined with other offers, but there is no limit on the number of these you can purchase, so if you want 10 of 'em, I'm happy to package them all up for you!
"Survivor" features a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon with butterfly wings in shades of purple, on a bright green background with inspirational words. This painting was created for a friend's wife, a breast cancer survivor, and is a representation of her tattoo.
And as always, you can get deals on my other prints by buying multiples - there are 2 for $22, 3 for $33 and even 5 for $45 deals.
Oh, and speaking of cancer, my pal Mo Love of Madd Style fame is still running her Cancer Fund of America campaign! ALL profits from listings in the CFA section of her shop will be donated. She has LOTS of awesome lip products, goodies and... THESE babies!
Thanks for reading. Now go FEEL YOUR BOOBIES!
Read more ...
"Survivor" features a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon with butterfly wings in shades of purple, on a bright green background with inspirational words. This painting was created for a friend's wife, a breast cancer survivor, and is a representation of her tattoo.
And as always, you can get deals on my other prints by buying multiples - there are 2 for $22, 3 for $33 and even 5 for $45 deals.
Oh, and speaking of cancer, my pal Mo Love of Madd Style fame is still running her Cancer Fund of America campaign! ALL profits from listings in the CFA section of her shop will be donated. She has LOTS of awesome lip products, goodies and... THESE babies!
Thanks for reading. Now go FEEL YOUR BOOBIES!
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