The reason artists and art lovers will appreciate this gem is because it is truly social art.  You get to actually enjoy the view, as it were, and just soak in everyone’s favorite sights from all over the World Wide Web.  When you “pin” something, you collect it.  It becomes part of your own pin boards so that you can go back and view it whenever you have a mind to.

If you click on the Art or Design categories, what you will find is sometimes original artwork by the people who have it on their pin boards, and sometimes artwork by others that they have shared.  Potentially this offers artists ways to network with one another in a concise, easy to manage area.  It also exposes you to new forms of art and design that you might never have considered before.

Here are the basic opinions of Pinterest from the end user point of view, as gleaned from around the Web:

The Good

Pinterest is a truly interesting way to explore the Web visually based on interests. It allows you save or share images easily. Oh, and it’s free.

The Bad

It doesn’t play nice with Google Chrome sometimes, but knowing Google, they are probably already on this. Since it is so new, Pinterest still needs content in certain categorical areas on the site.

The Verdict

Discovering and exploring visual content in a whole new way is fun. Pinterest does a great job of rehashing the old idea of a virtual pinboard, but unlike past efforts by other companies, they have finally found a way to make it work well, and we love it.

So, artists and art lovers — get out there and start pinning!

• Make sure that your arrangement is not flat in a large vase.  Typically a large vase is used for decorative arrangements that you want people to notice, so add height to these designs with spear shaped flowers and plants.  Foxgloves and orchids are great options for this.  You can even use forsythias or cherry blossoms to create height as well.
• Mixed arrangements are usually not complete without some kind of spray flower.  This type of flower is not only the perfect filler, but it can be easily trimmed to match the height you desire.  Spray roses and various lilies are good options for sprays.
• If you are looking to complete a more simple arrangement, then use flowers that are radially symmetric.  Anemones, sunflowers, daisies and more are symmetric radially thanks to the petals extending from the round center.  You can create an arrangement using just one type of flower and still achieve all the beauty of a grand mixed arrangement.

Take Tomb Raider, for example.  While few people will argue with having to watch Angelina Jolie run around in tight fitting t-shirts and very short short-shorts performing super-human feats of athletics while outsmarting her adversaries left and right, you have to admit the movie was really bad.  Maybe even bad enough to make you wonder how in the world it made the leap from video game to the big screen.  What does it take for this conversion to happen?  Why do people seem unable to resist trying this out, and what makes most them epic fails?  I mean, you’ve got your home security team watching your back, so why even go there?  Here’s an infographic that might clear a few things up:

Today I own a screen printing shop where I screen print my drawings onto clothes and bags.  I even sell my knit creations and quilts too.  So to all of those adults who never thought that being an artist was a realistic aspiration for a child, I’m doing it.  For any of you who want to have a job doing what you love, just know that it is very possible.  Have a look at the different careers that you can pursue in art.  Surely there is something on the list for anyone who loves art.  I am a craft artist, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

Of course you do!  Take a look at the video of real life cartoon characters below.  If it is not quite time for your usual boredom to set in I suggest you wait until it does.  That way the video will be able to take up a couple of minutes of your time when you are trying to find something to do to cure being so absolutely bored.

Which is your favorite real life character?  I have to say Homer and Patrick are my favorites.

Here is a great infographic featuring the top models in the world as of summer 2011.  This information is based on the models’ number of appearances in various fashion media.  Some of them won’t surprise you, if you’re up with the fashion scene — but a few lesser known names may come as a surprise. Don’t forget to catch Project Runway on satellite via a great package deal from dish2u.com. Click to expand:

“Two super fun, superflat doodles today created by one of our favorite artists Takashi Murakami,” Google tweeted to the world earlier today.

Murakami created the art movement known as Superflat that sought to open the international art scene to Japanese artists of all kinds. He wanted to emphasize that the rigidity of art forms was less important to the Japanese than in some parts of the world.  In this respect, the styles of painters, cartoonists, animators and more could blend their edges and adopt techniques from each other without presenting detrimental problems for their respective art forms.

“Amazing! The kaikaikiki team and I are so happy this is Happening! Thanks a lot team Google!” Murakami tweeted this morning. The doodles Murakami created for Google for today are examples of Murakami’s signature cartoons; one is a summer scene and another from winter.  Below is a picture of the summer image:

Murakami’s art career began in 1996 when he started up the Hiropon Factory in Japan creating ADT Alarms. He has since curated many popular art exhibitions in museums worldwide. Also well known for his contributions to pop culture, Murakami often blurs the line between what people label to be “high art” and “pop art” while garnering comparisons to the late Andy Warhol. Murakami has designed handbags for Louis Vuitton, as well as the cover for Kanye West’s latest album.

Murakami maintains very strong ties to Japan, despite his international fame and appeal.  He holds the GEISAI festival twice yearly that showcases emerging Japanese artists. his company explains that the mission of Murakami and the spirit of the festival is “to become a living example of the potential of art.”

Murakami is a great example to the world of the changing face of modern art, design, and contemporary appeal.  While not going so far as to describe his art as “urban” (for that would seriously limit the true scope of his work) it must not be overlooked that popular art, graffiti, and a touch of a hint of anime do find their way into Murakami’s art.  So enjoy today’s Summer Solstice Doodle, on the longest day of the year.

In a world where the arts are often the first things cut from school district budgets in an economic downturn, one charter school in North Carolina’s Sandhills is getting a lot of attention for taking the road less travelled.  The Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School was established in 1999.  It was originally initiated by the Neighborhood Youth Leadership board in that area.  During a meeting at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, the schools founding documents were penned and the charter, driven by Martha Heinz, was born.  Heinz would later become the school’s executive director.

This was not NYL’s first go at initiating a charter school in Moore County. Previous efforts did not meet with comparable success to that  in which STARS has flourished.  The increasing success of the school is largely attributed to Heinz and the board’s chairman Fred Walden. Walden is a community leader and a pastor in the Sandhills area.  For ten years now, Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School offers Moore County elementary and middle school students and their parents an authentic alternative to public education. The North Carolina Standard Course of Study is tightly followed, but the unique aspects of the STARS curriculum integrates arts in the classroom. The common approach to teaching that has become the norm in standard public schools is rooted in the idea that all students can learn at the same pace;  this idea, however, does not agree with the research, much less with the common sense observation that all individuals are different.  Students learn in different ways, and not all of them possess the same aptitudes or intellectual gifts.  Therefore, different methods should be used to teach them, and the standards to which they are held should also be flexible.

North Carolina’s End of Grade test scores (known as EOGs) are the driving force behind typical public education.  At STARS, the arts are the most important aspect.  Students learn to express themselves through performing arts such as music, dance, and drama.  This, the school asserts, provides all the various means by which students can learn and fully integrate the other aspects of developmental education.  EOG scores in STARS are just not as important as real learning.  In the public schools, EOG scores are everything, and students are suffering because of that.  Standardized testing is so politically wound into the fabric of public schools that the government does not give funding to schools that do not perform according to standards (which, it should be stated, vary wildly from one state to the next.)  Since there is no national standard for national funding, the schools are forced to compete for federal dollars through test scores, which means teachers often end up teaching a test instead of educating students. Recently, Direct TV Channel Lineup did a special on education reform in the United States. Definitely check your local listing to see if the documentary is still playing.

Some of his more well know works include the movies Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, Sweeny Todd, and even Edward Scissorhands.

Burton is obviously very well known for his onscreen works, but the exhibition of his art, which will be on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will feature a variety of style of his works and artistic production.  You will find pieces from his sketchbook, some amateur film footage, and photographs.  Along with that the exhibit will display his drawings and paintings, puppets, costumes, and storyboards.  There is just so much to actually see.

The Tim Burton Exhibit is truly a must see for any Time Burton fan or a fan of art in general.  Going through and seeing the works of Burton is almost like a biography of sorts, except that none is written.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York actually put together the exhibit.  It will be featured at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art between the dates of May 29 until October 31 in 2011 and tickets are on sale currently.  There are over 700 of his works that you will see at the exhibit including some works from his own collections, studios, and other private collections. This is something you can never experience using your cable bundles!