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livingcorner · 3 years

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How to Create Your Own Herbal Tea Garden

For these uncertain times, a step-by-step guide to growing brew-friendly plants at home, and using them to make infusions that soothe and restore.

Here, tea ingredients of rose, chamomile and lemon verbena are shown in their natural, harvested and dried states.Credit…Fujio Emura

Oct. 22, 2020

You're reading: How to Create Your Own Herbal Tea Garden

The tea garden — a typically modest plot dedicated to the growing of herbs and flowers for steeping — has its roots in ancient herbalist traditions and helped lay the foundation for modern botany. According to “The Gardener’s Companion to Medicinal Plants,” a 2016 guide to home remedies, the study of herbal medicine can be traced back 5,000 years, to the Sumerians of southern Mesopotamia, who listed the names of hundreds of plants — including fennel, mint, thyme, sage, myrtle and marjoram — on clay tablets that were later rediscovered in what is now Iraq. Modern scholars believe that the Sumerians used what they grew in medicinal preparations such as tea infusions that were intended to treat ailments from toothache to inflammation. And in England, says Timothy d’Offay, a tea importer and the founder of Postcard Teas in London, tea gardens have their origins in the work of 17th-century apothecaries such as Nicholas Culpeper, a botanist and physician whose encyclopedia of herbs, “The English Physician,” has remained in print since it was first published in 1653. “The apothecaries’ focus was on the use of herbs in healing,” explains d’Offay. “It was really the beginnings of modern medicine. We often think that drinking anything without caffeine is innocuous, but herbal tea has power.”

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In Deborah Needleman’s tea garden in New York’s Hudson Valley, rows of lemon verbena, lavender, calendula, basil, thyme and bush bean fill a rectangular bed flanked by boxwoods.Credit…Fujio Emura

Now, in this time of uncertainty, as we cleave to small, controllable comforts, the idea of the medicinal tea garden is taking root once again. Easy to cultivate on a windowsill or balcony, or in any garden bed, and yielding ingredients more potent than typical store-bought equivalents (specimens cultivated in artificial terrains tend to produce less flavor), these plots of herbs and edible flowers offer a chance to reconnect with nature, and a soothing balm for our collective anxieties. “Herbalists have long talked about the value of growing your own plants,” says Karen Rose of Sacred Vibes Apothecary in Brooklyn, “and with a tea garden you can propagate plants that will actively improve your health.” Since the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, she has seen a dramatic rise in homegrown plants, such as lemon balm, mint and chamomile, which are thought to relieve stress and help regulate disrupted sleep patterns.

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Needleman’s tea garden is attached to the 18th-century barn she uses as a drying and processing room. In the foreground, lemon verbena and calendula grow in a bed of dahlias.Credit…Fujio Emura

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Bronze fennel, whose burnished yellow florets are often used fresh in tea infusions, proliferates in Needleman’s garden.Credit…Fujio Emura

For the writer and editor Deborah Needleman, formerly of T, the joy of the tea garden is at once horticultural and aromatic. “Growing and blending teas extends the gardening season in that it allows me to be with my plants all through the year,” says Needleman, who nurtures herbs in her garden in New York’s Hudson Valley. “And the smells are so wonderful. Opening a jar of dried lavender during winter is heavenly.” Last year, she developed her first small-batch dried blend, Summer Tea, and this fall, her loose Garden Tea mix of mint, lemon verbena, rose and other fragrant herbs will be available at the florist and soap-maker Sarah Ryhanen’s World’s End farm and online store, Saipua. Here, Needleman shares her tips for establishing and harvesting your own tea garden — and she, Rose and a few other growers and herbalists share their ideas for putting your bounty to use.

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In a scrubland field beneath a walnut tree, Needleman has planted mint and lemon verbena. “They’ll just keep going until they form a carpet,” she says, “so if you have a space that needs ground cover, they’re a great, low-maintenance option.”Credit…Fujio Emura

How to Plant

While it is possible to grow your own black tea (camellia sinensis) in northern climates, without the warmth and abundant sunlight the plant needs to thrive, the effort is unlikely to be worth the negligible yield. A herbal tea garden, by comparison, is far more resilient and manageable, especially if you’re in a city apartment. “Use whatever space you have,” says Rose, who suggests starting with individual pots of lemon balm, lavender and chamomile — ingredients you can blend for a relaxing bedtime infusion. “Just a few sprigs can create an effective blend that you can use all winter.”

Where you position your plants is crucial, though. “Many herbs are Mediterranean, and so they need at least six hours of sunlight a day and they want to be dry,” says Needleman. If you’re planting in pots, make sure they have drainage holes or stones at the base and, if they’re outdoors, she advises moving them to a sunny windowsill inside during the colder months. For those planting directly into the ground, she suggests using a corner of a vegetable plot. And approach the planting, or placing of pots, much like you would a floral display, juxtaposing the various colors, shapes and textures of different species. Low-lying plants such as lemon thyme look nice along a border, while the chartreuse tones of lemon verbena create a vivid contrast against dark leaves.

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Bunches of bronze fennel, lemon balm, sage and Thai basil bound with twine for drying.Credit…Fujio Emura

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Read more: Shed Organization: 8 Easy and Inexpensive DIY Garden Tool Storage Ideas – Gardening @ From House To Home

A damask rose sits alongside dried rose petals. “All rose petals are edible,” Needleman says. “But for tea blends it’s nice to use a fragrant variety like a damask.”Credit…Fujio Emura

How to Harvest

“The more you cut, the more they grow,” says Needleman, who recommends investing in a pair of sharp scissors for trimming (she likes Joyce Chen’s Original Unlimited Scissors). Aim to harvest leafy varieties (mint, lemon verbena, lemon balm, thyme) before they flower: “once a plant blooms, the leaves lose freshness and become bitter.” By contrast, gather the floral herbs you’d like to dry (rose, lavender or chamomile) as soon as they start to bloom and before the blossom starts to decline. The time of day can play a part, too: “It’s good to harvest in the mornings, after the dew has dried, but before the plants get stressed by the sun — that’s when they’re at their most fragrant,” Needleman says. The rule of thumb is to collect around 5 percent of a plant’s total volume each time you trim and, she advises, “you want to make a clean cut for the health of the plant, cutting down to the next set of leaves and removing any damaged ones.” Wash your harvest under the tap carefully and then gently dry the herbs and flowers with paper towels, otherwise you risk bruising them and leaching out their essential oils.

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Inside Needleman’s barn, sage hangs to dry on a ladder beside bunches of the willow sticks she uses for basket weaving.Credit…Fujio Emura

How to Dry

In the spring and summer you can snip plants from your garden and put them straight into your teapot, but as the colder nights draw in, it’s worth shoring up supplies by drying what you collect. To dry, store your crop in a cool place with good air circulation and away from sunlight. Needleman likes to gather her herbs into small bunches and hang them upside down. To preserve flower heads such as chamomile, she spreads them out in wicker trays or baskets. “You have to rustle them up a bit to get the air into them,” she says of the dehydration process, which can take up to a few weeks. “When it’s really crumbly, it’s ready.” Once your ingredients are completely dry, the meditative process of destemming can begin: Strip the leaves or flowers from their stalks before storing them in airtight glass jars. It’s a task that Needleman likes to carry out at the kitchen table after supper. “It’s just so mindless and relaxing,” she says.

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Needleman’s infusion of fresh chamomile, lemon verbena, mint, lemon thyme and damask rose.Credit…Fujio Emura

What to Make

Now that you know how to plant, harvest and dry your herbs, here are a few recipes — and a couple of less expected uses — to try. Unless otherwise specified, each of the drinkable blends makes one pot and can be made with either dry or fresh ingredients (loose or enclosed in a bag) in ratios according to taste. Use hot rather than boiling water to best preserve the potency of the plants and keep your pot covered during steeping.

Deborah Needleman’s Uplifting Aromatic Blend

“The chamomile in this tea is crisp and bright like a fresh apple,” says Needleman of her custom infusion, “while the mint and lemon balm are earthy and grounding, and the lemon verbena brightens everything up. It’s a balance between sharp and earthier tastes and scents.”

Ingredients (in equal parts):

Chamomile

Rose

Lemon verbena

Mint

Lemon thyme

Preparation:

Steep for 4-6 minutes.

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The herbalist Karen Rose prescribes a healing blend of, from top, echinacea blossom, lemon verbena and calendula blossom.Credit…Fujio Emura

Karen Rose’s Immune-Boosting Garden Blend

“I love this blend because it’s so accessible,” says Rose. “Echinacea blossoms are believed to have antimicrobial and immune-stimulating properties, lemon verbena is an antibacterial known for its nervous system and gut support and calendula blossoms can also help enhance the immune system. The fact that we can all grow these plants means that wherever we are we can have access to a form of medicine that has the potential to help keep us well through the cold and flu season.”

Ingredients (per cup):

A couple of echinacea blossoms

A few calendula blossoms

1 teaspoon lemon verbena

Preparation:

Read more: Harvesting Watermelons – When is Watermelon Ready to Pick? (Updated)

Steep for 20 minutes.

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Heidi Johannsen Stewart’s Le Hammeau blend combines, clockwise from top left, lavender, rose, chamomile and lemongrass.Credit…Fujio Emura

Heidi Johannsen Stewart’s Le Hammeau Blend

“Herbal tea is such a cathartic companion,” says Bellocq tea atelier’s Heidi Johannsen Stewart, whose own Park Slope, Brooklyn, tea garden features lemon balm, rosemary, mint and sage. “This hydrating blend — one of the first I ever infused from my garden — provides an overwhelming sense of well-being. Although the flavor profile is complex, the effect is both calming and uplifting, and it particularly supports the digestive and nervous systems.”

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon lavender

1 tablespoon rose petals

1 tablespoon chamomile

1 tablespoon lemongrass

Preparation:

Steep for 6-10 minutes.

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Deborah Hanekamp recommends a blend for the bath featuring, from top, lavender, calendula blossom, pink tea rose and sea salt.Credit…Fujio Emura

Deborah Hanekamp’s Bath-Time Soak

For Deborah Hanekamp, the founder of the wellness company Mama Medicine and author of the book “Ritual Baths” (2020), the windowsill tea garden in her Brooklyn apartment provides plants for both brewing and bathing. To create her soothing tea-inspired bath soak, steep a quarter of a cup each of dried lavender and calendula, along with a small handful of dried rose buds, in a teapot for a minimum of 20 minutes — or, for a more potent blend, up to 8 hours — before pouring the brew into a warm bath together with a handful of sea salt, a spoonful of honey and a few drops of organic cold-pressed olive or almond oil. Light some candles and enjoy. “It can be beautiful to have a few flowers in the water, too,” she suggests. “Let some roses float on the surface; it’s soothing for the skin and a healing visual meditation.”

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An arrangement by the floral artist Joshua Werber featuring rugosa roses, mint and hyssop — plants often used in herbal teas.Credit…Fujio Emura

Joshua Werber’s Edible Flower and Herbal Tea Ensemble

Herbs and edible flowers can be as pleasing to the eye as they are therapeutic for the body, and overgrowth and surplus cuttings can provide material for dramatic table decorations. “Homegrown herbs have these really beautiful, wispy shapes,” says the Brooklyn-based floral artist Joshua Werber, who fashioned the sculptural arrangement above out of rugosa roses, orange and hyssop, as well as mint harvested from his own city garden — all ingredients selected in homage to his grandmother’s blend of choice: Celestial Seasonings’s Raspberry Zinger Herbal Tea.

To recreate his arrangement, take a favorite teapot (Werber used one by the English studio potter Seth Cardew) and start with a base of rose-hip branches, which will give the piece its structure. Next, introduce a few of the rugosa rose flowers, making sure you remove any foliage that obscures the blooms and position them in a way that allows the deep fuchsia petals to play off the bright orange of the rose hips. Then, tuck in a few sprigs of mint to create flow and movement, and accent with a couple of flowering hyssop tips. For a final touch of whimsy, take a citrus zester and peel off strips of orange rind before wrapping them around a chopstick and placing them in the freezer; after 20 minutes, uncoil and drape them throughout the arrangement. “I wanted to show the cycles and the processes behind the plant materials used in herbal teas,” says Werber of the piece. “Even though they can be shared, making these infusions is often a personal ritual. There’s an intimacy to them.”

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-create-your-own-herbal-tea-garden/

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easy-ambitions · 5 years

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My most used writing supplies with swatches:

Pens and sharpies:

The Pentel Energel is one of the best writing experiences I've ever had with a pen! Its super smooth and nice to write with. I bought a three pack of these at Barn and Nobels, but I don't remeber the cost.

The Frixion pens are a good writing experiance as well. They aren't as smooth, but have a nice feel. The eraser works great and the click is satisfying and I would recomend these for something like notetaking where you might need to erase. I was gifted these, but you can buy them online (http://pilotpen.us/brands/frixion/frixion-ball-clicker/) they are on the expensive end for pens, but its not too rare to find them on sale in store or on Amazon.

I love the metallic sharpies! They don't bleed like normal sharpies and feel good to write with. The writing of the diffrent colours is completely diffrent because the colours have very diffrent formulas. The silver comes out thicker, the green ghosts while the others don't and the bronze smells a little odd. I got these at a local drug store on sale for 4 dollars. However they are normally around $8 (Sharpie Metallic Permanent Markers, Fine Point, Assorted Colors, 6-Count Permanent Marker (2029678) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DPLQJVN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7TXBDb91P75EX)

The Tul medium is one I found in my house and never remebered buying. It is an adorable pen and writes amazingly and very smoothly. If you know anything about this brand please tell me!

The studio one pens are ones I got from an inking set when I was much younger. I don't know where the rest are, but these are very nice pens that I appreciate.

The bic intensity fineliners were at my local Fred Myers for $6 today and I picked them up. They are wonderful to write with and I would totally picking them up, espically if you find them on sale like I did. They make larger sets and sell smaller colour sets, but this collection was good for me, espically at the price. The red and green seem to have a diffrent formula and are more runny. (BIC Color Collection by Intensity Fineliner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0793KHKTR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XUXBDb7G3S48F)

Brush Pens

I use the crayola Singature brush pens that were fairly recently released. One end is a brush pen and the other is a detail marker. The brush and detail are not the same colour, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. I got the decorative tin box of them. They are normally about $13, but I got them on sale for closer to $8 on Amazon. (And that sale is still going on when I post this!) I do have some issues with them. They write really well out of box, but I have found that my red and black have already started to become less pigmented. I tried storing them brush tip down to see if that would help, but it did not. The labels of the colours on the pen also rub off very easily and to label the colours in my swatches I had to look at the swatches already in my bullet journal. However, if you are not using these constantly and or are a beginner they are really easy to work with and feel good. They ghost on thinner paper, but don't bleed and they didn't ghost on my thicker journal paper. In addition they come in a beautiful range of colours. (Crayola Brush Markers, Dual-Tip with Ultra Fine Marker, 32 Colors, 16Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722YLZTY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3LWBDbZQ0FS51)

Markers

Super tips

I use crayola supertips for colouring and fake calligraphy. These are very fun to play with and come in an amazing range of colours. I got lucky and found this 50 pack on sale at Fred Myers for $5. I have heard of these being used for faking calligraphy for a while and I decided to pick them up to try and I've been having a lot of fun with it! I would 100% recomend picking them up if you get the chance. They are afordable even at full price (plus you totally don't need a 50 pack, but this was about the same price as the 20 pack at the store.) I didn't label the colours on the swatches because they aren't labeled on the markers and I had tried to match the colours to the back of the box but that was too hard and I gave up. Anyways they are currently on sale for $7 on Amazon (Crayola Super Tips Washable Markers 50 Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004UFOO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Y6WBDbZJWSPGV)

Crayola Silly Scents

These are very similar to the Crayola Supertips both in shape and formula. However, the cone comes to less of a sharp tip, which makes fake calligraphy slightly harder to do with these. The smells are enjoyable and fairly long lasting on the page. It fades, but it lasts strongly even after it drys and will be there very faintly for even longer. The markers themselves don't lose the smell either. These are really fun for colouring with and even when the scents get mixed together it doesnt get overwhelming or gross, which I find pretty common with most other scented products. I was unable to find the smaller markers on amazon, but Im sure they still exist if you dig slightly harder than me. However I did find the wide ones. These are more expensive than the normal markers, at $7.78, but still adorable. (Crayola Silly Scents Scented Markers, 12Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0727KVNGV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wfXBDb2B2NM65)

Crayola erasable coloured pencils

As you can tell I really love Crayola and these coloured pencils are no exception. These come out lighter than other coloured pencils, but I kind of like that. The lead is also softer than creates a diffrent writing experiance. They erase about the same as a regular pencil. I admitiedly dont need the erasing aspect of it very often, but its a cool thing to have. I have the 10 count for $4.20, but they have 24 and 50 counts as well. (Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils, 10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IXJYNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ioXBDbPNCYWM6)

Highlighters

Sharpie

I love these! Both on pen and pencil most colours don't smear as the smear guard label on it promises. The yellow does minorly smear on top of pencil as you can tell though. However it's much better than many other highlighters. These also have these windows so you can actually see what you are highlighting while using it. The window doesn't affect the ink flow through the highlighter and they are very bright and highly pigmented. The tip also allows for both thin underlines and thick underlines. I like it much better than traditional chisel tips. I couldn't find the exact colour selection I got at Wallgreens nor do I remeber what I payed, but this three pack on amazon is $4 (which is a bit expensive, but they are wonderful) (Sharpie Clear View Highlighter Stick, Assorted, 3/Pack (1950748) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019PGLR9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dDXBDbKVQRF2V)

Frixion erasable highlighters

These are alright. I use them sometimes, but unlike everything else on this page I wouldn't recomend them for most people. They should not be used on top of pencil because erasing off top of pencil is pretty much imposible. Erasing off top of pen is ussually okay and erasing off top of print is fairly good. Oddly enough the yellow also smears while the other colours do not once again. I would only recomend these if you are highlighting on top of text that you own. It leaves small traces even on top of text so I would not recomened it for barrowed items. They are also fairly pricy for highlighters. (At $9.24 for 3, I got them on sale for $5 and I woipd only recomend it if you are able to get them at that price or lower.) Hopefully Poilt will make a better formula and I will be able to change my mind. However, if you just want these for on top of text and the ability to erase highlights is important for you these work well enough and have very nice colours.

(Pilot FriXion Light Pastel Collection Erasable Highlighters Chisel Tip 3-pk) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0102OODZ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YRXBDbMXD61ME)

What are your favourites? Do you have any writing utensils you would like me to review? Tell me! I'm always looking for new supplies.

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blackgoddessofsassiness · 5 years

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the-space-case · 7 years

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Hello, yes, hi, I recently found your art and account and I love what you do. I'm turning 14 in April and I've asked for a drawing pad, but I have no idea how to use one as of yet. Have you got any tips or anything? Because I've wanted to try digital art for a while and your art makes me want to even more lmao. Thanks! - B.A.

BOI OH BOI DO I GOT SOME TIPS FOR U

(I’m not sure what kind of comp you’re going to be using, so I’ll list for both.)

FIRST: Drawing Programs; the free and the great.

-Firealpaca: Lightweight drawing program. I draw Recovery using this! It’s easy on the RAM if you have a weak comp/are paranoid about yours like I am, it is mainly for basic comic making, and has all the basic brushes you need (pen/pencil/airbrush/symmetry/etc). You can add your own brushes as well but they’re p basic settings. Has basic Animation/Gif making as well using Onion Mode! Layout is a piece of cake. Please note that If you leave it open for a week it’ll crash on you, even if you haven’t anything on it at the moment, and sometimes the brush sensitivity just stops working so you just have to close and then open it again. (Also I have no idea how to update it aside from deleting it completely and just downloading the new version from scratch, so thats a thing.) Mac/Windows

-MedibangPaint: This is basically FireAlpaca But Better. Has tons of screen tones, brush patterns, and tools. I don’t use it much because I’m used to FA’s layout and get confused with the the placement of tools in here, so if you can I highly suggest just going with this first. Also has basic animation/gif making! Has storage for the website as well, and you can upload more preset brushes. It’s v anime. This program has waaay more in terms of basically everything, so it just takes more RAM. NBD, you don’t have to have every brush downloaded from the storage ^u^. Mac/Windows

-Clip Studio Paint: Okay this one isn’t free, it’s a pricey one, HOWEVER once a year they take the price way fuckin down by at least 75%. Sign up for the email list and it’ll let you know when that precious day comes. It’s how I got it @u@, around christmastime? This program is basically MedibangPaint On Steroids. I do all of my digital-yet-tradition-style-painting on here! The brushes all have some neat af settings to play with, you can make your own brushes, has tons of screen tones, pre-made panels, and settings. You can save projects as basically anything you need, is a hardy program that almost never crashes, and It’ll take a nice chunk of space on your comp depending on how much memory you have but hey, its worth it. It’s much more complex layout-wise than the other two here, but you get used to it after playing around and watching tutorials haha.

-Mischief: It’s a 25$ app, has like four brushes and five layers only but is vector-based with an endless canvas. Not really worth having unless you like the vector thing. UP TO YOU. I spent forever with this one doing all that homestuck stuff, so it’s not really bad so much as it is a basic bitch. Mac

-MyPaint: I used this a bunch when I still did digital art on my windows laptop before I upgraded to a Mac. It’s easy on the comp and has plenty of brushes and settings. You can also get brush packages if you don’t feel like you have enough that comes with the program! Also has endless canvas; pretty sure you can just select an area and then export as is. I barely remember the rest but It’s pretty great. Windows/MacPorts(which I hate)

-GIMP: I hate this thing. I cannot figure it out for the life of me. It’s got loads of shit though, can handle layers, has plenty of brushes, and can do basic animation/gifs if you ever figure it out. Windows/mac

I’ve heard good things from paint tool SAI and Krita as well, but have never used them myself.

***You can always pay through the nose/use a student discount for the photoshop series and pay that shit monthly, those fuckers have literally everything, but I am a cheap college kid making minimum wage with a car payment; I’d rather just pay once/not at all.

TABLETS: treat that shit like a newborn babe 24/7

-I have literally only ever owned a Wacom Intuos4. It has lasted me six years, and at least five moves across many miles. I broke one of the cord ports the day I opened it by holding it wrong, have one left, and now treat it like it’s going to die if the cord moves badly. Please be aware that if you break both ports, you better either sodder it back together yourself or upgrade to smth else because it costs about as much as the tablet itself was bought at to be fixed. Good news, though, it comes with at least six extra pen nibs, has programable buttons on the side (that I have never bothered to use) and a scroll bar in case you’re too lazy to use the keyboard (…I don’t really use that either unless I’m just scrolling through tumblr LMFAO).

-I would die for a Cintiq.

HOT TIPS: its useful.

-most of the programs listed use the same keyboard shortcuts. MEMORIZE THEM. It’s pretty easy, since you’ll use em a lot. [cntrl/cmmd+T] lets you resize what you just drew on that layer, and [cntrl/cmmd+z] is undo. I use those the most, for obvious reasons.

-vector-based programs are pretty great because when you resize an image it looks prefect. You can’t do that with a program that isn’t, so I just resize the base roughdraft and draw the lineart again on the layer above so I don’t get weird JPEG quality lines.

-You can use a ruler with your tablet, just slap it on and go, but honestly most programs have settings for that. just use those.

-You can also trace stuff on your tablet, so long as the paper isn’t too thick. I just scan/take a photo and then open it up in the program, though. much easier.

-SAVE CONSTANTLY. Art programs like to crash on you, even when they’re hardy and you have a good comp. make it a habit to quick save your work.

-Use a desk and have good posture. You’ll be able to draw a hell of a lot longer if you do. I personally keep fucking up my knees by sitting on my legs as I work out of habit, and don’t actually have a desk chair. Keep your screen at eye level and at a fair distance to prevent eyestrain and also neck-strain haha

-Chances are you won’t be used to the tablet right away. Most places you buy from say it’ll take a couple of months to get used to how weird it is to draw while not looking at your own hand, so don’t be frustrated If your drawings look a bit off at first.

-if you draw at least one thing every day, by the end of the year you’ll have improved exponentially. I literally made this blog to make myself draw once a day.

-don’t be afraid to check out speedpaints and tutorials. It’s always good to get more familiar with the program you’re using and new techniques previously unconsidered.

-get familiar with clipping layers. They are insanely useful; you clip one layer to the one below and then when you draw it only shows up on the drawing of that layer below. Shit is a godsend if you’re bad at coloring in the lines/lazy. The bucket tool is also really useful, and you can adjust the expansion by pixel so you don’t miss anything between the lines.

-experiment with your brushes, shit be fun af

-warmup your wrists before and after drawing. prevent swollen veins and such. dont want hand pain/numbness, its reaaaaally bad.

—basically if your hands hurt stop for the day.

-PNGS are for internet, JPEGS are for printing/fucking with quality (cough hack homestuck)

-resolution doesn’t have to be much more than 350 dpi if its just going to be on a webpage. Maximize that shit if you’re going to be printing, though. Especially if you put stuff on redbubble.

-DeviantArt has this thing called Sta.sh where you can dump art, keep it in perfect quality and just share it with certain people with a link instead of all of the website. Great for storing commission pieces, its the only reason I have DA in the first place.

-you get a different audience depending on what site you use for posting art, so keep that in mind for the kind of feedback you want.

-after awhile of drawing using a tablet, you may lose patience/forget that in traditional art there isn’t an undo button lmfao It’s cool; you don’t have to choose one over the other or anything.

-Honestly you can work around almost anything. You just invent new ways and techniques for yourself and you’ll do just fine.

Aaaaand that’s all I got for today! Thanks for sticking around

#personal jazz #tutorial #ref #digital art ref #tips and tricks #digital art masterpost #Anonymous

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rleonia · 4 years

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Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from China date to before 220 AD. Wikipedia

I wish I had the time and expertise to create woodblock prints the traditional way – by carving out designs and using ink to stamp the pattern on paper or fabric. However, I do not have that sort of time (or expertise, or patience really) to produce authentic woodblock prints so over the years I have learned a few techniques to get that same aesthetic working on a digital platform.

My prints start with a hand drawn or painted motif – usually a floral. In the past, I used a variety of filters to get a woodblock look. The easiest way was to use Corel Painter’s woodcut filter. Here are some of the results I’ve had with that technique:

They look awesome when you play with the erosion time but there’s one drawback to that technique. In order to turn the pattern into a seamless repeat design, I have to then spend a few hours matching up my edges because the woodcut filter does the entire image rather than just the transparent layers. Here’s an example of what happens when you apply the filter to one transparent motif (or 5 as you can clearly see in the image):

The woodcut effect comes out as a solid block of black and then I have to remove the black which also removes those gorgeous lines that I want to border the motif. Don’t get me wrong, I still love that aspect of Painter, but I wanted a few more techniques to add to my arsenal to produce different looks that still mimic a woodblock print.

Enter the image trace feature in Adobe Illustrator. The first time I tried it I thought “Aha! I’ve found the answer!” My motifs came out with those irregular lines outlining them and I could easily change the color in Photoshop to get just the tone I wanted. By adjusting the method of image trace I can get cleaner lines or just an outline – which might be a nice overlay to a colored motif. Here’s an example of a design I’m currently working on with that technique:

This is a simple element that I will use in a new collection I’m developing and I like the organic quality to the lines. The original of this branch was actually created digitally and I think that adding the lines over the original image could give that cool woodblock look, but as often happens when I’m just playing, I fell down the digital rabbit hole and tried another method without finishing this one.

Keeping that idea of organic lines outlining a motif in mind, I then tried layering a different filter – this time from Alien Skin Snap Art 4. It kept the motif on a transparent layer without a large rectangle bordering them:

I like the look of this, but it really needs some more of the fancy lines I get with Corel and it needs to have the look of one color being layered on top of the next that comes with a real woodblock print. I think I’m getting closer to my goal, but right now I’m trying a fourth technique for a collection inspired by Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa. I’ll post more about that as I complete the collection this month.

If you’d like more posts like this one, please leave me a comment so I know what you’re interested in learning about. I love sharing this stuff and I can be much more detailed about my process if you’d like.

Creating woodblock prints digitally Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper.

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kaliiwashere · 5 years

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Hollywood Siren of the Day - Dorothy Dandridge and Her Fashion Style

Can how we dress affect your quality of life? Some experts say it may. Of course dressing inappropriately to the season can lessen your body's body's defence mechanism, but that is only some of the way your wardrobe may potentially affect your wellbeing. Nor will be the physical element of health the only concern. You have the same constitute as almost every other person. Your body responds for the same stimuli. If you neglect certain parts of the items allows you to your identiity, you open yourself around many negative things. Whether put it into practice consciously or not, how we dress tells an account in regards to you. It lets people know how you really feel mentally in addition to physically. If you really feel good about yourself coming from a physical stance, you will have a tendency to wear clothing that showcases confidence along with a have a look at me aura., thereby, assisting to keep the body's defence mechanism healthy. However, should you not be ok with your physical state, regardless of what you put on it is going to show feeling of using clothes to cover up in plain sight of everyone; and that can suppress your immune system.

Designer clothes are authentic and original garments manufactured by the designers under their label and therefore are bought from exclusive stores and online. The customer will get expert advice from your creator as to what type of apparel is best suited for structure. The best way to discover is always to give them a go on and earn necessary alterations to give that perfect fit. Luxurious clothes are expensive due to immaculate stitching and finished. The client can proudly exhibit their finished garment and be the centre of attention.

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Locating the Right Materials

We are very mindful that choosing the right materials is quite tough, however, if you work hard you'll be able to surely do so. A large number of shops sell amazing fabrics that can be used for preparing costumes for role play. You need to buy high quality items set up price is too high. Get in touch with a trendy art and craft store that deals such items. Go for economical yet dependable options. You should never rule out Halloween stores. They can be quite economical also. Choosing the right colored fabric is most important. Another think about attempting to look good is your hair style. Natural Hair Extensions - What and the way? Don't wear ankle boots with the mistaken pair of pants. Having totally different types and colours of Ugg boots makes it potential to match your temper and Apparel Group Brands your clothes. People from the entire world go in fashion exhibits for having the knowledge of dressing sense. Discover a new method of having an intergalactic empire make selections. There may be a technique that is destined to achieve success in attracting others consideration. Never enable bad habits get in the best way of making your soccer video sport all it can be. Don't get me incorrect, sporting older fashion jewelry exhibits fashion too, which is an entire completely different conversation. Get a outstanding picture, not just very good, make it outstanding. This text will include both styles, however will make it a point to call out when something is more recent or dated so that you wont be out of the loop. It should not be the first thing you put on your face, since concealer is simply too heavy for an all-over coat that evens out your pores and skin tone. If you would like to buy a brand new cologne or cologne, try out a sample by the store very first.

People wish to look nice, and reading glasses are a terrific accessory for that since others look you in the eyes first. A properly made wig - even the quality artificial varieties - can look completely lifelike. You can look extraordinarily trendy while carrying designer leather bags and you can create a fashion assertion. And with the coming of a new school 12 months come the fall trends in fashion. At the tail end of last 12 months and the start of this 12 months there the place a large variety of in style kinds being sported by celebs that actually stood out. For a few years within the 90s baggy denims had been considered to be the biggest fashion statement, however slowly they ran out on followers. Barthelemy Thimonnier invented a sewing machine in 1830 and within ten years owned an 80 machine garment manufacturing unit that produced uniforms for the French army. As an alternative, many years later, at this time skinny jeans are ruling the runway and streets alike.

It's not that tough to be taught just what these attributes are either! Because the nineteenth twentieth, and twenty first centuries have shown, fashion developments are becoming historical past all the time, since traits are at all times evolving. Numerous modern ideas about fashion can be discovered online. Nonetheless, there was a notable enchancment in fashion manufacturing through the period of industrial revolution of the late 18th century. From a novel women’s dimension small to plus measurement clothes to the waist coaching corsets to the plus dimension corsets, there are options for everybody. Take the time to buy around before you purchase so that you're positive you are getting the best deal on one of the best products. So it is best to choose the ring that you really like and most closely fits your character. Deciding what to wear in family pictures could be simply as difficult as discovering the proper photographer. My advice is to go for what you like, no matter what the media tell you to wear. Thats why customers hesitate to decide on merchandise they need in front of varied kinds.

Tons of individuals like to hold across the mall and explore new products. Doing Famous internet options , you'll have space for extra fantastic discovers, and one other particular person is profiting from your unneeded items. Indian fashions, Indian artists and Indian models take part within the different events and performance happening abroad. In case you are FULL-BODIED AND SHAPELY, WOULD YOU CARE TO BE A PLUS Measurement Model? The good news is that these designer handbags are not only for the wealthy and famous. Males's ties are a perfect example. And, to be honest, these adjustments are value adopting, particularly if you are a fashion-loving lady. It’s simple, fast, and our fruits and vegetables are all the time contemporary so that you don’t have to fret about unintentionally touching a moldy peach. The police and press at the time characterized all Mexican American youth as petty criminals, and White sailors and Marines, who have been offended by the very thought of zoot suits, have been solely too completely satisfied to have their stereotypes confirmed. The patterns should be traced and the seam allowances added in. It is only not your issue.

In truth, this can be a trending model in terms of marriage ceremony garments. As any self-respecting fashionista knows, the change of season can imply only one factor: a fantastic excuse to go shopping! Getting help from an expert skilled that has labored with commerce current booths in numerous venues will probably be invaluable by enhancing return on funding. And on this last one, simply remember we report on the trends. And they no have to search for different sources to know about the information. Thanks Yusra, I am blissful to know that it helped you. This has created much affect in pop circles. You will be stunned at how a lot money you save. No matter what age group the woman belongs, she would at all times carry a bag alongside with her. You may must get pleasure from group actions and acknowledge you're only part of a bigger picture that pulls from the input of many gamers. Hancocks and JoAnnes. Especially in case you just need a stable to reinforce one thing.

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fucking-nachos · 7 years

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Halloween Songs For Preschool Children

One of the biggest issues about Halloween is the ridiculously great amount of music that provides the soundtrack for the holiday. We have put collectively our personal playlist from our favorite Halloween songs (and asked readers to suggest theirs too), so you must have plenty of music to get your get together began. Superstition ain't the way,” he preaches on this 1972 music, however there's something about that funk that still sounds nearly… spooky. One of the crucial regularly lined songs within the rock ‘n' roll canon, I Put a Spell on You” is an unsettling minor-key dirge with a gentle waltz tempo and lyrics that concern a jealous narrator who needs to regulate, and probably abuse, his lady. The Hearse Tune brings us brings us to the top of our listing of 13 Halloween songs acceptable for kids, nevertheless it's simply the beginning of the perfect Halloween social gathering you've but to throw. I was singing what I can bear in mind of it to my grandchildren, so if anyone is aware of all the verses please write. Flour-filled, orange balloons make super toss-it is to throw at a Halloween ghost. It was enjoyable to see the ship all decked out with Halloween decor and the themed activities had been fairly nice too. Some researchers have also suggested that these seemingly nonsensical rhymes have been not really meant for youngsters at all, nor are they nonsense. Within the UK movies are divided into categories depending on whether or not they're for kids, teenagers or adults. Mr. Halloweenster teaches youngsters, age three-7 years, that the perfect part of Halloween comes from their creativity and creativeness, particularly once they're making Halloween decorations, telling Halloween tales, carrying their costumes, and fooling around while marching in a Halloween parade or trick-or-treating. One of many few artists to have recorded two bona fide Halloween classics is Mike Oldfield , whose ‘Tubular Bells' has given us the chills for over 40 years, because of its iconic use in The Exorcist. In this song, the singer argues that Halloween is basically his day by day life. Though a contact extra psychedelic than horrific, the legendary Erickson has usually dabbled in songs in regards to the unseen. SCARIEST LYRIC: This music doesn't have lyrics but the scariest half is probably round 1:10. Groove Child Nation: High Nursery Rhymes - A collection of popular nursery rhymes, together with Little Miss Muffet, Rock-a-Bye Child, and Three Blind Mice. At Kaboose they've Creepy Coloring: You and the children can color within the Halloween pictures in your computer or print them out to paint in the class or at house. Another non-musical option to play at your occasion is an audio recording of a ghost story Verify your local library for options, and gather the company around to get pleasure from a spooky tale. See below for our most devilish Halloween playlist recommendations, from the eerie and obscure to widespread crowd-pleasers. Halloween Songs 30 scarey, spooky songs for kids with lyrics and music to hearken to. About 300 animal songs and animal nursery rhymes with lyrics and music to take heed to. Food Songs for youngsters, numerous songs about meals, consuming, drinking and eating with lyrics and music to listen to. About 60 songs listed alphabetically. It has the right amount of speed, aggressiveness, melody, and of course - cheesiness that you often heard in Helloween songs.

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If no person at your Halloween get together imitates the zombie dance moves when this music comes on, you need better friends. On this web page, you will discover the entire songs from our Super Easy Songs - Halloween CD. Throughout the fall, we'll be releasing a brand new Halloween video each Wednesday, so you should definitely verify back typically. Add extra enjoyable to your class utilizing these free nursery rhymes and animated rhyming videos for youths. For every music video, I am including the activities I am doing with my own children to connect the track to other studying abilities. Various composer Best of” and so on sequence have numerous songs that can be utilized for the fall and Halloween. The phrases and music for the Soul-Cake track (which begins A soul, a soul, a soul-cake!”) can be found as Soul-Cake Spherical on Digital Tradition. Because the band moved into the Nineteen Eighties, they modified their sound and fell into making the kind of ska-influenced new wave that was beginning to take over the popular music scene at the time. Prime members get pleasure from FREE One-Day and Two-Day supply on eligible gadgets, unlimited video streaming, 30-minute early entry to prime offers & extra. From beelzebub booty bass to trick-or-treat trap, listed here are eight fabulously freaky Miami music originals for your Halloween fiesta. All the extra cause to get it on the stereo at a party, as people are guaranteed to recognise Rih-Rih's song. Obtain Halloween Music - Scary Sounds and get within the groove with scary sounds. Should you're one of the service's free or premium listeners, discovering the proper music for this year's Halloween party shouldn't be a problem. Not precisely a mysterious or even really a spooky music, in the context of Halloween Howlin' for You” produces some good imagery of a blood-starved (or perhaps just love-starved) werewolf — but the first verse does appear to trace on the constructing madness within the narrator's mind. On the eighth day of Halloween my real love gave to me eight monsters shrieking, seven spells are going, six goblins gobbling, 5 scary spooks, four skeletons, three black bats, two trick or treaters, and an owl in a lifeless oak tree. Older children may get a kick out of making their very own music video to traditional Halloween songs like Michael Jackson's Thriller. Given that we already collected our scariest pop , rock , and love songs, it made sense to chill our spines with a new beat. You must in all probability check out our Nursery Songs class for those who don't find what you're in search of. By means of dancing, these youngsters dance Halloween songs present a perfect opportunity in your children to foster these needed relationships. The quintessential Halloween track, the Monster Mash” is actually a dance inspired by the effectively-identified Mashed Potato”… though apparently can solely be performed by the dead! The lyrics for this song begin, Now the door is open, between spirit and physical realm...” From the Other Aspect of Midnight CD, this has music that sounds each foreboding and delightful, but the phrases are reasonably candy in the event you listen to them. The track is pop/punk gold although, I do not need to be buried in a pet sematary!” It would have everyone embarking on a drunken singalong very quickly. It is even considerably less horrific that different songs from the 1960s, if you think about Little Peggy March's stalker anthem of I Will Observe Him ” and The Angels' jovial promise of a severe beatdown in My Boyfriend's Again Despite it being somewhat annoying, Monster Mash” actually is the only strictly Halloween anthem there's. Let the thrills and chills start, remember the candy, tell us which songs you would add to the record in the feedback below! There are a number of good fashionable songs for Samhain that you may like, although some are Wiccan in outlook. It actually began life as an instrumental by Ron Hirsch (or saxophonist Mike Sharpe, there's been some dispute about who wrote the thing), so the lyrics had been a total afterthought. This is a stunning ethereal track on The Visit CD, and it's avaiable for purchase by the Loreena McKennitt official web page , although her web page is impossible to navigate. That is in all probability the primary time that almost all of us were actually scared by a music, and who else might do it higher than Eminem. Most of those songs were a part of an oral-primarily based society that relayed news, spread coded rumors about authority figures, and worked out its moral dilemmas (for kids and adults) in rhyme and tune. The truth is, up to now, Halloween has been referred to as San-Apple Night and Nutcrack Evening.

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austenmarriage · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Austen Marriage

New Post has been published on http://austenmarriage.com/rules-road-regency-language/

Rules of the Road for Regency Language

Recently, some writers online were discussing language, particularly the use of language for an historical period such as the Regency age. I was traveling and unable to jump into the discussion, but the comments set me to reflect about my approach—which I had considered for quite a while as I began my historical fiction based on Jane Austen’s life.

As for general language, I take the actor’s approach when preparing to play an historical character: don’t imitate the person, inhabit the person. Learn all you can, absorb the way the individual thinks, feels, and acts, then speak naturally. The voice will come to you. Afterward, with a period piece, check for anachronisms. It’s not unusual for me to check five or six words a page. Trouble is, some old English words sound new, and some new English words sound old. “Ignition,” for example, sounds like a modern word: We relate it to car ignitions, “ignition, liftoff,” and so on. However, this word has been firing up our vocabulary since at least 1612.

The discussion covered a variety of bugaboos, mostly prohibitions that grammarians in the 19th Century tried to force on English to make it more like Latin, to rein in English’s sprawling structure to become more “proper.”

Among these rules, there’s no law against beginning a sentence with “And” or “But” or other conjunctions; however, that usage was not typical of traditional English and it does sound modern. Austen, though, uses an opening conjunction once in a while. Here’s an early example from “Mansfield Park,” when Fanny is trying to settle in: “And sitting down by her, he was at great pains to overcome her shame in being so surprised, and persuade her to speak openly.”

When I begin a sentence with a conjunction, it is usually to express a character’s thoughts, to distinguish a character who speaks abruptly, or to mark the less formal aspect of speech. Austen does the last in the same section in “Mansfield”: “And remember that, if you are ever so forward and clever yourselves, you should always be modest; for, much as you know already, there is a great deal more for you to learn.”

Austen commonly uses the “semicolon-and”; perhaps fifty for every “period-and.” Why should the former be seen as stately English, connecting two balanced phrases, and the latter as improper?

Split infinitives are another bogus issue. English is an accented language, and sometimes sentences split an infinitive for the rhythm: “To boldly go where no one has gone before” is a “Star Trek” phrase in almost perfect iambic. “To go boldly” or “Boldly to go” strike the English ear as wrong.

The phrase originated in a 1958 White House pamphlet on space travel; it was amended to “where no man has gone before” for the first “Star Trek” television series, then returned to “where no one has gone before” for the revival, “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” The phrase is also brought out in the split-infinitive debate. I’ve always wondered why the phrase wasn’t “to boldly go where none has gone before,” because that is perfect iambic pentameter. Perhaps the author thought it sounded too lyrical. Or perhaps “none” might have been contradicted by alien species, of which there are aplenty boldly going somewhere in the “Star Trek” saga.

There are other sentences in which the only correct sense requires the infinitive to be split. How else could you construct the following: “Prices are expected to more than double by next year.” The words that split the infinitive are nothing more than modifiers of the main verb; i.e., adverbs.

Split prepositions are also fine. Both Austen and Shakespeare used them. When challenged on his use of sentence-ending prepositions, Winston Churchill is reputed to have responded: “This is the kind of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put!” Though there is no definitive source of the remark that traces directly to the British Prime Minister, it sounds like the English bulldog—though he might have thrown in a “bloody” or two. Ending a sentence with a preposition is fine if it gives the sentence a punch. The same is true of keeping the preposition with its object where it technically belongs.

Among the other language issues that arose in the earlier lively discussion, I admit that it bugs me when people don’t know the difference between “farther” and “further,” but Jane Austen didn’t. Neither did Thomas Hardy, who wrote nearly a hundred years later. They both used “further” to mean distance. “Further” has always had the broader sense, but it’s a relatively recent development to separate the two so that “farther” means only “distance” and “further” means everything else. A nice distinction, but new.

Having been a copy editor, I learned and enforced all the rules. I was part of the priesthood. Over many years since, I have become more flexible. I do not believe technicalities should overcome the sense the writer is trying to convey. Some technically correct solutions are so cumbersome they break the spell by taking the reader out of the story. Usually, the best solution is to rewrite the sentence entirely, but that sometimes creates other problems.

I have a good friend and fellow writer who was never very good with spelling and punctuation. He asked me one time if the technical stuff really mattered, since the writer must focus on content. I replied that the rules were part of our box of tools and after twenty or thirty years we should be able to use them. I noticed decided technical improvements in his work after that. These changes, in turn, led to crisper writing. Sharpening his tools paid off.

There are many good style guides, from the plain and simple “AP Style Book” to the dense and complex “Chicago Manual of Style.” Even when the rules seem unintelligible, you can usually find an example that matches the phrase you’re concerned about. E.B. White’s “Elements of Style” is another classic, more about elegant writing than technical style.

One of the problems for American writers with an English audience is the difference between English spelling and punctuation and American spelling and punctuation. Some of the differences, mostly in spelling, evolved over time (“colour” = “color”, “encyclopaedia” = “encyclopedia”). A few developed independently (automobile “boot” = automobile “trunk”).

The main differences, however, happened abruptly and deliberately. Have you ever wondered why American punctuation is the inverse of English? American usage begins with a double quotation mark, and any interior quote is a single quotation mark: “Jones said angrily, ‘I hate quotes within quotes!’ ” English usage is the opposite: ‘Jones said angrily, “I hate quotes within quotes!” ’ Another difference is that in English usage, a noun that has a plural sense takes a plural referent: “The government/they.” In American usage, the same word has a singular sense: “The government/it.”

The reason is purely arbitrary. After the Revolutionary War, American printers wanted protection from the more established and cost-efficient British publishers. In a patriotic and protectionist fervor, Americans established a style just different enough to keep British printers from winning U.S. print contracts. It was the literary equivalent of driving on the other side of the road.

(Originally, most nations used the left side of the road in order to have the (right-handed) sword hand in a protective position against people coming the other way. The U.S. switch to the right side related to Napoleon’s preference for the right, which shifted the continent in that direction, and to the larger freight wagons over here in the U.S., which favored a rider on the left rear horse. This person would have a whip in his right hand for the horses and would want to see oncoming traffic on his left, putting his wagon on the right.)

Back to language. In some cases, the arbitrariness of the grammatical rule frustrates sense.

Consider a mixed group of men and women asked a question, and no one knows the answer. Which should it be:

“Everyone shook his head in confusion.” grammatically correct but leaves out women

“Everyone shook her head in confusion.” grammatically correct but leaves out men

“Everyone shook their heads in confusion.” grammatically incorrect but correctly inclusive

Most “singular/he” constructions can be avoided by changing the noun to plural, something like “people/they.” This is one example of trying to write around the problem. Most grammarians say it is fine to use the “everyone/they” construction in informal usage, but not in formal usage. I would normally use “everyone/he” or “everyone/she” in nonfiction, depending on sense. Nonfiction wants to be rigorous. In the above example, I would use “everyone/they” in fiction. Why? Because in fiction, there’s a different kind of rigor, which is maintaining the spell of the scene. There is no good substitute for the word “everyone” in English. Try recasting the above sentence to “people” and you’ll see what I mean: “People shook their heads in confusion.” What people? Everyone!

Also, rewriting the section might create more awkwardness than it solves; and being the way most of us speak, “everyone/they” is far less intrusive to a reader who, you hope, is caught up in your story. If the only one who objects is a grammar freak, I’m OK with that. I know I would have tried every workaround beforehand.

There’s only one unbreakable grammatical rule: You can’t break a rule unless you fully understand it, know why it exists, and have a good reason to break it.

As an American, I use U.S. spelling and punctuation. I know the obvious differences between U.S. and UK style, but a UK publisher will be far more capable than I of properly dealing with the nuances. English and American readers buy the opposite editions all the time, and neither has any trouble reading the other’s punctuation and spelling style. The best thing is to be proper and consistent with whichever you use.

When writing from an English point of view, however, I avoid Americanisms. In writing about Austen, I have readers versed in both the Regency period and UK English review my work before I publish. I have been corrected in the American use of “fall” for “autumn,” “creek” for “brook,” and a few other such provincialisms. I was embarrassed to learn from an English friend that I used the American “momma” instead of the English “mama” near the end of Volume II of “The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen,” my novel on Austen’s life, after having used the correct form earlier. This was a late addition and suffered from the lack of vetting.

A few times, my intrepid early readers caught a few words they thought were anachronisms but were not. One flagged “administratrix” as modern technical, but it goes back to circa 1561. I follow a rule similar to that of Regina Jeffers, another Austen blogger, who will use a word if its documented use comes within ten or twenty years of the time she writes about. The rationale is that a word must have been circulating in speech for a while before it became part of the written lexicon. In my Austen trilogy, the character Ashton Dennis uses the word “stomp” in late 1802. The first known written use of the word was 1803. I decided that Ashton must have been the one to coin it.

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