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Many people take up oil painting as a hobby in their spare time as it can be really rewarding. Our guide takes you through some key things to think about when you’re getting started with oil painting. Firstly, you need to get the right supplies. It’s definitely worth getting some decent paint brushes, but when you’re a beginner, don’t worry about spending lots on paint. Also make sure you get some canvas to paint on and supports to hold the canvas up while you’re working.

It’s also important that you spend some time preparing your equipment before you start painting. For example, paint brushes can have loose hairs that fall out and get in the way of your painting, so make sure these have all been removed before you begin. Also work out the best ratio of turpentine or water to paint, as a lot of oil paints are quite stiff to work with on their own so thinning them down is really important to get the right consistency.

You also need to think a bit about the practicalities of painting. The lighting is really important as good lighting will enable you to tell the true shades of your paints, so consider where would be a good location for you to start your work. Outside can be really good for natural light. Also think about why you want to paint and what you want to paint, as inspiration is just as important as artistic talent, if not even more important.

When everything is prepared, there’s nothing left for you to do except start painting. It can be a good idea to keep things simple at first, so don’t worry about using complicated techniques. Just do what comes naturally to you as this will help you to discover your true ability and to enjoy painting without worrying about it. It’ll also help you identify how you like to work and enable you to learn a lot about your preferred painting methods.

Finally, once you are more comfortable with oil paints, you might decide to learn some new techniques. You could try going to a painting class and learning new tricks from other people. Alternatively, there are lots of good tutorials in books and on the internet that can teach you how to do new things, such as adding depth to your pictures or how to paint particular things such as the sky or water droplets. This can help to enhance your painting repertoire.

Now Try – Oil Paints

Are you considering buying a pool table? Before making a final decision on which one to get there are several things that you need to take into account…

Size – The size of the table relative to the size of the area into which it will be installed is of the utmost concern. You may very well be able to afford any of the standard 7, 8 or 9 foot tables but if it is too large for the space into which it is to be installed it may not be a wise choice. Consideration must be given to the amount of playing space required around the table. Placing a table in a space that allows inadequate space for making shots with your pool cues will spoil the playing experience.

Slate vs. Non Slate – The choice of material used for the play surface beneath the billiard felt must be made. If money is no object, there is no decision to be made here, always opt for slate as it is the traditional, preferred and most durable material for the job. That being said, non-slate options have improved considerably with the addition of materials such as accuslate. While this is basically just a high density fiber board, the quality is such that it comes with a 7 year warranty.

Shipping – Is there any shipping and / or handling costs? This is especially important if you have to have the table imported or any of the materials imported. If you are shopping online, it never hurts to ask the manufacturer or retailer if they offer free shipping and handling since this can either make or break a deal, depending on your budget. And you also need to be careful because a lot of online retailers make their money not in the actual item that they are selling but through the shipping and handling fees. Online comparison shopping is smart, but you need to make sure that you are looking at all the factors, including shipping, to make sure you are getting the best price on your pool table.

Accessories – These are often forgotten about when people are working out how much they can afford to spend. How much fun can a great pool table be if the accessories are sub-standard? You will need quality pool cues, quality chalk and a great rack. You also want to make sure that you pool cues go with the look and feel of your pool table. And you can not forget the actual pool balls, the cue rack and any other accessories which will make you pool playing experience top notch.

Now Try – Pool Tables Yorkshire

The Carolina Panthers finally got one in the win column on Sunday afternoon, using a furious second half comeback to defeat the slumping Washington Redskins 20-17. Washington led 17-2 early in the third quarter before Carolina scored the final 18 points of the game to earn the victory. Jonathan Stewart’s eight yard fourth quarter run for a touchdown with a successful two point conversion completed the Panthers comeback.

NFL betting devotees who backed Washington as +5 road underdogs were finally rewarded for their faith as the Redskins covered for the first time this season. The Redskins are now 1-4 against the spread while the Panthers remain winless against the money at 0-4. The 37 combined points just managed to stay UNDER the posted total of 38. Washington has gone UNDER in four of five games this season, while Carolina evened their NFL totals mark at 2-2 on the year.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn is now on the hotseat after another defeat. The Redskins started the 2008 season 6-2, but are only 4-9 since then. The biggest problem this year has been offensive productivity”heading into this game the Redskins were averaging a mere 14 points per game. By that metric, the 17 points they put up in the first contest under new offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis has to seen as a marginal improvement.

The victory, meanwhile, may have taken at least some of the pressure off of Panthers QB Jake Delhomme who is suffering through an awful season. Delhomme threw for 181 yards against Washington with one touchdown and one interception. Delhomme now has eight interceptions in four games this season, contributing greatly to the -8 turnover margin that the Panthers took into Sundays encounter. After the game, he expressed relief at getting a win under his belt:

“Anything that could have gone wrong the first month or so has gone wrong. We’ll take it any way we can get it.”

His Washington counterpart Jason Campbell was efficient, if not spectacular, with 145 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. In another bright spot for the Redskins, Clinton Portis scored his first rushing touchdown of the season early in the fourth quarter. He had caught a pass for a touchdown to open the Washington scoring in the first quarter.

The Panthers will now try to string together a short winning streak as they head to Florida next Sunday to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Theyll return home the following week to face a struggling Buffalo Bills team before going back on the road to play the Arizona Cardinals. The Redskins will play their next two games at home and then enjoy a bye week. Theyll welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to FedEx Field next Sunday, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles the following week.

Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Age sneaks up on professional prizefighters, at least in terms of their competitive abilities. There are exceptions–Archie Moore, George Foreman, James Toney–but they are rare. Typically, a high level boxer can go from legitimacy to retirement in a matter of minutes. The most recent victim of ‘Father Time’ was Mexican Superstar Oscar De La Hoya, who looked completely outclassed in what would be his last bout–an 8th round TKO loss to Panamanian sensation Manny Pacquiao.

There was much concern prior to the fight about Pacquiaos ability to handle the naturally larger De La Hoyas strength and power. That concern was completely ill founded, and the reigning pound for pound king began to overwhelm De La Hoya from the opening round. Pacquiaos seemingly nonstop flurries of strikes began to show their effect on De La Hoyas face as his elusiveness made it impossible for his opponent to retaliate with any offense of his own.

As the fight progressed, it became nothing less than a one sided beating. His only effective flurry came in the 5th round, when he scored with a few solid body punches. It did little more than prolong the inevitable finish. Between the 7th and 8th round, trainer Nacho Berenstein told his fighter that he wasn’t going to let him stay out there and take a beating if he wasnt throwing punches. After the 8th round, Berenstein stopped the fight and Oscar smartly didn’t object to what was clearly the right decision.

The judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage vividly reflect the one-sidedness of the contest: two of the three judges scored the fight 80-71, with Pacquaio winning all eight rounds (with a 10-8 margin in the 7th). One judge charitably gave De La Hoya the fifth round, which was certainly a stretch resulting in a 79-72 margin. De La Hoya displayed the class of a champion following the fight, as he deflected Larry Merchants pointed questions about his relatively low weight to keep the focus on Pacquiaos masterful performance. He stopped short of retiring in the ring, but certainly sounded as if he were leaning in that direction as he observed:

“At this stage when you face someone like Pacquiao, it’s going to be a hard fight. I worked hard and trained really hard to get ready for this fight, but it’s a lot different story when you’re training than when you are actually in the ring. I just felt flat, like I didn’t have it. My heart still wants to fight, but when you physically don’t respond, you have to be smart.”

De La Hoyas post fight behavior should be required viewing for all aspiring prizefighters to learn how a champion carries himself with class, dignity and respect for the sport even in defeat. De La Hoya is an international superstar with a nine figure ATM balance; if he can be humble and gracious in this setting other fighters have no excuse for not being able to emulate his gentlemanly manners.

The most touching moment came as De La Hoya prepared to leave the ring to allow Pacquiao to enjoy the glory he had earned. As De La Hoya gave a congratulatory hug, Pacquiao assured him that “You’re still my hero”.

To which the defeated De La Hoya responded: “No, now you’re my hero.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t so much win their Sunday Night NFL Football game against the Chicago Bears as much as the Bears lost it. A series of costly mistakes and turnovers in the red zone negated an otherwise solid road effort for the Bears, as Atlanta held on to win 21-14 at the Georgia Dome. Chicago held a decisive edge in most of the statistical categories, but was undone by untimely turnovers. Atlanta improved to 4-1 with the victory while Chicago slipped to 3-2.

Chicago also disappointed fans who bet on NFL football by failing to cover the pointspread as +4 road underdogs. Both teams’ ATS records match their straight up records with the Falcons moving to 4-1 against the number while the Bears slumped to 3-2. The 35 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 46.

Winning Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan chose to credit his defense rather than point to Chicago mistakes as the determining factor in the outcome:

“Our defense, give them some credit. Our guys stepped up and made some plays when we needed them to.”

The Bears did a good job shutting down Falcons’ star running back Michael Turner holding the NFL’s second leading rusher to only 30 yards. He came through with the game on the line, however, rushing for the winning touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Ryan praised his running back’s effort:

“Our offensive line did a great job just giving me just enough time to get the ball off, and then Michael Turner did what he does. The offensive line provided a great push and just paved his way.”

The Falcons are now 4-1 for only the fifth time in team history, the last coming in 2004. Despite their solid start, they’re still trying to keep pace with the red hot New Orleans Saints who improved to 5-0 with their win over the New York Giants earlier in the day. On this occasion, the Falcons’ Ryan was outplayed by the Bears Jay Cutler between the twenties but the Atlanta signal caller made all of the right moves in scoring range.

Atlanta can improve to 5-1 and break the mark for best start in franchise history with a win on the road at Dallas next Sunday. That’ll be followed by an even bigger road game, on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints-a contest full of all sorts of implications for the eventual divisional championship in the NFC South. The Bears will be back on the road next weekend to take on the Cincinnati Bengals before returning home for games the following two Sundays against the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.