Author Archives: Aya Katz

About Aya Katz

Aya Katz is the administrator of Pubwages. When she is not busy administering, she sometimes also writes posts like a regular user.

Alternative Social Media Sites and the Current State of the Union

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Aya Katz

We held an election. Who won? No results have been certified yet. Will the Electoral College be allowed to meet? Will they decide it? Will the Supreme Court have something to say about voter fraud? Everything is still up in … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics and Computers, Opinion Pieces and Editorials, Virtual Worlds | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Character-Based Family Portraits

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Aya Katz

This week I finished another family portrait. Is this a realistic painting or a caricature? I discuss in the video below. Character is the most important element that I try to represent in paintings. But unlike the connotation of caricature, … Continue reading →

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Constitutional Checks and Balances: President and Vice President Should Not Be Running Mates

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Aya Katz

The original constitution of the United States provided many checks and balances, all to make sure that it would not be possible for any part of the Federal government to tyrannize and overpower the people or the States. The three … Continue reading →

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How to Turn Caricatures into More Realistic Paintings

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Aya Katz

  For Halloween I painted a spooky portrait based on an old, faded and overexposed photo. Part of what made it creepy was that it was in fact a caricature of the original image. What would it take to make … Continue reading →

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Realistic Paintings are Not Necessarily More Detailed

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Aya Katz

There is a popular misconception that the more detailed a painting is, the more realistic it must be.  But today’s animations can be extremely detailed, while remaining cartoonish, while some very realistic paintings do not share many details. Yesterday, while … Continue reading →

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Different Ways to Remember a Trip to Scotland: Painting Swans

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Aya Katz

In 1963, my family went on a trip to Scotland and England. We rented a car and saw the sights. But the biggest impression that stayed with me over the years was of seeing the swans. Yesterday, I decided to … Continue reading →

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Do Nazis Need Jews and Vice Versa to Exist?

Posted on October 24, 2020 by Aya Katz

When things get very polarized, the two sides of the coin  — the two polarities — seem to need each other so much. Where would Republicans be without Democrats? Where would Antifa be without the KKK? Where would anybody be … Continue reading →

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How to Paint a Halloween Portrait from an Over-Exposed Photo

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Aya Katz

When trying to paint with a reference photo that is overexposed, we can use harsh colors to replicate the overexposure. Continue reading →

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How to Paint a Miniature Painting in Acrylics

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Aya Katz

Yesterday I painted a miniature portrait using acrylics. It was on a 4×4 inch stretch canvas. Here is how I painted it: What I thought was most delightful about the process was that I was able to get my iPhone … Continue reading →

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How to Paint a Vampire with a Baby

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Aya Katz

Paitning with acrylics can be a quick and satisfying process. First we prepare the canvas. Then we paint. In less than an hour we can have striking paintings.

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