A Thought About Distortion of Reality and Idealism in the Visual Arts   Botticelli's Highly Idealized Venus Artists have been distorting reality through art for millennia. You can see this from the crude ancient fertility sculptures of the Pre-Columbian societies to today's photoshopped models, the works of the Surrealists or even the Impressionists .  To an even more extreme extent, body modification and plastic surgery can almost seem to be artistic expression , with the individual that modifies the body using art to express themselves creatively and create a more perfect version of themselves that they find aesthetically pleasing.  PHOTO: ladybud.com What is interesting is that there has not been as much of an obsession with other aspects of natural life...for example, sound. We accept the sound of the ocean as it is and do not attempt to improve upon it or change it in most instances. It's chaos is considered beauty, yet a painting of the ocean...

5 Graphic Design and Web Design Tips when Working with a Client:  Basic Tenets of Professionalism and Communication   When working in graphic design or web design, it is important to keep to some basic tenets to keep your client happy and your work looking professional. After all, if you do a great job with your client, then they will recommend you to other potential clients. 1. Know what the client wants. This is probably the most difficult part of working with a potential client. Many clients will not know exactly what they want. They will have an idea envisioned in their head, but will be unable to communicate it to you. All they will know is when your graphic design ideas do not correspond to the visual elements in their head. Ask your client simple graphic design questions and have samples of each type, especially if the client is not familiar with graphic design lingo. Ask about fonts, color schemes, formatting, photos, borders, buttons and rollovers, any Flash e...

For those who have been wondering about the hiatus here at the New Music Resource, wonder no more! The past six months I have been working on a sci-fi machinima musical Libertaria: The Virtual Opera . Created almost entirely in the machinima software platform Moviestorm and scored with a catchy combo of electronic music, film scores, and dramatic vocals, Libertaria has been an incredible collaborative project. Moviestorm has been an excellent and inexpensive way to create an entire epic sci-fi tale for a minimal amount of resources. Almost three years ago I started using Moviestorm for a variety of video projects, and then decided to make an entire feature length musical using only machinima. The project proved challenging, involved a couple of dozen singers, animators, and other artistic professionals volunteering their talent and resources to create an incredible feature. W atch a the lo-res version of  the song Pilar of the Underground from Libertaria: The Virtual Opera : ...