Pixelpaint Gives Back

We've recently teamed up with Volunteer Wellington and we got out first project a few weeks ago! Our assignment was to graffiti proof the new mural at Naeae Clubhouse so we put on some sexy painting overalls and got to work! 

Naenae Clubhouse is a community centre where local youth can go to get involved with all sorts of cool stuff like 3D design, crafts, sound recording, video production and graphic design. We were really feeling their vibe so we made a few stencils for their music room door, and our resident artist Nayte freehanded a stereo to set it off.

Volunteer Wellington is super approachable and easy to get involved with so if you have any spare time and you want to get involved with community projects like this, get in touch with them! Hit up their website here: http://www.volunteerwellington.org.nz

Here are some snapshot's of our day volunteering:

Wellington Walk2work Day - Pixelpaint

Today was Walk2work day in Wellington and the Pixelpaint crew were up bright and (hideously) early to make the 10km trek from the city to Pixelpaint HQ in Shelly Bay. Walk2work day is an initiative started by Living Streets Aotearoa in an effort to encourage people to leave their cars at home and cut back on pollution. We fully support the cause and we had a blast, not to mention we got some good exercise in and a tasty breakfast at the end of it, thanks boss! Check out our snapshots of the walk below and get your workplace  involved. 

Our 10km route

Sunrise over Oriental Bay

Emma and Kyle representing

Starting the mission up Shelly Bay Rd

Nearly there!

Branding Competition - 3 Free Canvases Up for Grabs

We're working on our branding, and we would love to get your ideas and feedback because we value your opinion. 

Canvas prints are an emotional thing. We've asked a few people why they buy canvases and here's what they told us:

• Happiness: You feel happy when you see it.
• Pride: You feel proud of the moment or achievement AND of the canvas itself hanging in your home.
• Nostalgia: You look back at the memory and feel nostalgic.
• Admiration: You admire the canvas and what it depicts, and other people admire you for your taste/achievements.

So here's the competition:

We want you to come up with a phrase, statement or sentence of no longer than 6 words that sums up your reasons for buying a canvas print. This statement should sum up what Pixelpaint is all about.

The person who comes up with something that we can use or develop further will receive vouchers for 3 canvases (an A3, an A2 and an A1).

Entries now closed, thanks!

Cut off date is Friday the 15th of March 2013. 

Canvas inspiration: Light trails

One of our favourite elements of night time photography is the way you can play with and manipulate lights. There are endless tricks and ways you can do this, and a popular favourite of ours is creating light trails by using a long exposure and a slow shutter speed. It sounds difficult but it's easy to do if you're willing to put some time into it!

You've probably seen this done before, the most common way is to photograph the tail lights of a moving car (or to take a photo FROM a moving car...). There is something kind of nostalgic and beautiful about showing movement this way, and the results are pretty awesome. We wanted to share some quick and easy tips to help you to get this effect using your camera at home.

Choose a cool location with a clear view of the road. Pick a spot where there is lots of traffic, make sure the surroundings are interesting and frame the shot well as they are the backbone of the photo. Remember if cars are coming towards you your light trails will be white, if they're driving away they will be red. 

Plan the shot! Light trails don't only work in pitch black, sunset/sunrise light trails look pretty awesome too. Make sure you have a tripod if you want the lines to be sharp and the shot to be clear. Getting the right shot can take time so don't rush it. Make sure the shot is framed nicely and test out a few different angles. 

Time the shot correctly. Typically you want to take the photo just as the car enters the frame, but this will take a few tries before you get it right. Experiment with the shutter speeds and exposure until you're happy. Setting your shutter speed for 20 seconds is a good place to start. More or less is fine depending on what you are going for. The longer you leave it, the duller the light trail will be. 

Here are some pictures of light trails we love to give you some ideas! Good luck!

Summer Snapshot Competition Winners!

We keep forgetting that summer is officially over! It's still so warm and the beers are still so cold. It's almost turning into a joke around Wellington. Once lovingly dubbed by the crew as 'funeral city' (because of the depressing weather and large amount of people dressed in head to toe black), Wellington had the last laugh by transforming into a tropical paradise for the past three months.

Apart from the sun setting a little earlier the only thing reminding us it's Autumn is the calendar. This past summer was a winner, one of the best! And we have the photos to prove it!

Check out the winning entries for our summer snapshot competition below! Thanks to all who submitted.

Photo submitted by Marion Reynolds

Photo submitted by Rowan Miller

Photo submitted by Tarry Mortlock 

Photo submitted by Victor  Gilpin

 Our winners all took home an A3 canvas each! Make sure you sign up to our newsletter to stay in the loop with all of our up coming competitions. 

Manual Photography Cheat Sheet!

Manual photography gives you complete creative control over all of your photos, but we're often put off switching to manual mode because it can be kind of tricky getting all of your settings right! We came across this and thought it was too handy not to share with you. Enjoy! 

Artist Spotlight: Alison Withers

Time for a quick brag session! One of our clever customers won the peoples choice award at Cliftons Art Prize 2012!

Alison Withers took it out with the stunning piece pictured below and we feel privileged that we got to print it for her on one of our canvases. Read her words below and check out her website here!

"How do you write an Artist Statement without sounding pretentious? You don't. You create it instead." - Alison Withers, aka Jennifer B

I am a New Zealand-based, contemporary artist, originally hailing from England. I explore a wide range of genres.

My body of work is ever evolving and unpredictable. Sometimes controversial and provocative, I question life's conventions and nuances, through my artwork, and attempt to bring life, energy and emotion to the mundane. A passion for original ideas and exploring human emotion has inspired me to diversify into digital art.

My work has been exhibited and sold through galleries, art publications and art shows, I was recently honoured to receive The People's Choice Award, for my artwork, 'Because He Needs To' in the prestigious, 'Cliftons Art Prize 2012.'

I am looking forward to submitting a new, but very different style of artwork this year, entitled 'Broken',and am grateful to Pixelpaint, for providing such a high quality, printing service, which enables me to achieve this.