Hyper-Realistic Wildlife

British Artist Peter Williams comes from a very varied background that does not include any artistic training.  He has been in the Army, was a college tutor, computer analyst and lorry driver.  Art was just a past time hobby for him till 2002 when he committed to his love of art and became an artist full time.  He produces art using different mediums that include graphite, charcoal, watercolours, pastels and mixed media.  We have chosen his wildlife drawings for the beauty of their expressions, and the humour he injects in some of them, with the choice of animal pairing.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first two).  Enjoy...

Building Design Face Lift

A couple of weeks ago we featured a An artist in Tehran that created murals like these.  This week we are going to have a look at French Artist Patrick Commecy's incredible murals.  The images we have chosen are the ones that have rejuvenated the blandest building facades.  These lovely paintings lift the look of the buildings and makes us pay attention to buildings we see so often they almost become invisible.  For a town or a city, this can also be an amazing tourist attraction.  Some of these drawings give a flat 2D facade an inviting 3D view, have a look at the Before pictures in one of the corners of the main picture.

If you like this have a look at Rejuvenate your Building with a Paint-job (<= press the link).

Merging Worlds - Black & White Photography

With a background in Art Directing, Spanish Artist and Photographer Antonio Mora constructs these beautiful and well balanced images.  The face of the model suits, in some cases, perfectly the landscapes they are paired with.  Amazingly surreal compositions that will transport you to a daydreaming world, if you let them.

Hyper-Realistic Hollywood Sculptures

Incredibly accurate sculptures by Sculptor Bobby Causey.  As most of his colleagues he says that he takes a huge amount of pictures to capture every little detail, that is going to make the difference between a good sculpture and Photo Realistic one.  He says he has been asked to work on films, but has not accepted as yet, as he prefers to work for himself.  In the article pictures of the full size Batmobile he built from scratch, which is fully working.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Surreal Black and White Porcelain Sculptures

British Artist and Sculptor Katharine Morling creates these fantastically Surreal Ceramic sculptures that look like Black and White 3D drawings.  Her sculptures come in all different sizes from miniatures to life size.  We are not going to go through her history, as she does that her self in her video, with advise on how to make money and what to prioritise as an artist.  The advise is very practical and comes from an artist that has had to work for her success.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  Which is your favourite piece?  Let us know at the bottom of the article in the comment section.

Miniature Animal Rings

Japanese Artist Jiro Miura creates these brilliant animal miniatures, that come in the form of rings, pendants, earrings, and miniatures for aquariums.  We have chosen to concentrate on their rings, Count Blue, the company, produce a number of different animals, birds and reptiles, you are bound to find one of your favourite amongst these.  If you find your favourite, please let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the article.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  Enjoy...

Miniature Wire Bonsai Tree Sculptures

Artist and Sculptor Ken To aka (KenToArt) has a degree in accounting, (Not expecting that?).  He originally started by growing and shaping real Bonsai Trees, for which he became quite famous.  He then started practising on these wire sculptures, to perfect his skills and try new designs.  Within a short time, he became just as famous with his sculptures, with collectors requesting his pieces from all around the world.  Which do you prefer these wire sculptures or the real trees?  Let us know below in the comment section.

Vintage Hyper-Realistic Paintings

We think of Hyper Realism as a new form of art, but there are artists like American Charles Bell (1935 – 1995) that have quite a head start compared to their modern counterparts.  An Accountant by profession, Bell seemed to have quite a predilection for Gumball Machines, Vintage Metal Toys, Marbles and Pinball Machines, very popular in the eighties (we have shown examples of all).  All the objects he chooses have qualities that make the finish painting look amazing, from the transparency of the glass, the vivid colours of the objects, he uses, reflections, shadows, that make his work as technically proficient as what we see today.  He is said to have had no formal training in Art, you don't need a piece of paper to be an artist, and he proves that. These paintings are worth seeing full size, to do that, just press the image (not the first one).

Architectural Cardboard Night Lights

Dutch Animator and Film Maker Vera van Wolferen has many interests, but has a particular fascination with cardboard.  In this article we are going to share with you, her night-light Architectural Sculptures.  @VeravanWolferen creations can provide a very different type of light on your bedside table or, adorn your children's room where they can be used as a night light.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Upcycled Iron Pipe Lights

Kozo Lamps are made out of upcycled iron pipes, with which they construct a fantastic array of designs.  David Shefa and Anati Shefa head the little team that construct these very versatile lighting sculptures.  These are some of the lighting options they cater for: desk lamps, table lamps, shelf lamps, wall fixtures & sconces, ceiling fixtures, pendants and even chandeliers.  We have included two short videos to show the details and specifically the switch, which is not a conventional one and is activated by a tap.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Black and White Photo Realistic Paintings

Artist and Painter Charlie Bierk is the creator of these amazing Hyper-Realistic Oil Paintings.   These are large canvasses and paintings, on average measuring 70 x 60 inches (1.8m x 1.5m).  These paintings originate from photographs he takes of his friends.  @charliebierk takes a huge amount of pictures from which he chooses the one he thinks is more expressive.  This is not a fast process it takes him an average of a month an a half.  The beauty of the paintings is only surpassed by the depth of the expressions he is able to convey through them.  Enjoy...

Cast Paper Sculptures

Husband and Wife Allen and Patty Eckman produce these lovely and expressive paper sculptures.  They use a method called Cast Paper, that is said to have originated in Mexico in the 1950s, the Eckmans came up with their own way of working the paper, which they call the Eckman Method®.  In brief this is the process,  a sculpture is made, from that they make a mould, unbleached paper pulp is added to it, then they remove as much as the the water as they can, then comes the real work of sculpting and detailing of the paper.  Depending on the size and the level of detail of the piece, it can take a few months to complete.  Because the light colouring of the sculptures, you will be able to see more of the details, if you enlarge the images, once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Recycled Re-Purposed Furniture Sculptures

Benjamin Rollins Caldwell of BRC Designs, is one of those designers with a definitive artistic and imaginative view of the possibilities that everyday objects hold.  He uses all sorts of materials, mostly recycled, to construct one of a kind, pieces of furniture.  @brcdesigns constructs his pieces as they were sculptural art pieces with a practical use.  In the article we have shown a few of the materials he uses in the construction of his furniture that doubles as art (brass pipes. book ends. Cans. computer parts and much more) Dimensions on some, not all the furniture.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Odd Clay Sculptures with Charming Expressions

American Artist and Animator Deanna Molinaro aka (Chickenshoot) creates these odd looking but very cute clay toys.  As well as sculpting,  Molinaro writes books and paints.  She got the inspiration for these pieces whilst taking to a neighbour about a Sci-Fi movie.   Chickenshoot comes across as being very gentile and personable, with an incredibly vivid imagination that she puts to good use in her art.  Do you have a favourite?  Let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the article.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

365 Days of Doodles ½ Way

We initially covered Artist Gabriel Picolo, creator of 365 Days of Doodles, in March this year.  This is a project that sees Picolo drawing 1 doodle every day of 2014.  At the time we said that we would revisit this artist halfway though his project to see how well he was doing and to see if he had managed to keep his drawings to a high standard, as he did at the beginning.  We are glad to say that his drawings are as good as they were then, covering popular films,  cartoons, comics and many more subjects.  Some of the more popular include, Game of Thrones, Frozen, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Alice in wonderland and much more.  Let us know what you would like him to draw next, you never know he might see this article.  We will do one final visit at the end of the year.  Following, are links to 2 more posts we wrote about Picolo, just click the links:
"365 Days of Doodles" and "365 Days of Doodles end of 2014".

Period Architecture Miniature Models

American Artist Narcissa Niblack Thorne (Born 1882 – Died 1966), is most famous for having made detailed and to scale reproduction models of, mostly, English, French and North American Rooms.  She employed Skilled workers during the American depression in the 1930s, so it isn't clear how much of the work she did, but one thing that is attributed completely to her, is the design work.  Her 99 reconstructed models span from the 13th century to the 20th.  We have illustrated some of the most lavish and interesting ones, in chronological order.  All of these models were constructed between 1932 and 1940, there are 99 models known to exist, The Art Institute of Chicago own 68 of them.  Which is your favourite room and era?  Let us know in the comment section below the article.  To enlarge the image just press it (not the first one).

Vintage Sci-Fi Postcards

Italian Illustrator Franco Brambilla collects vintage postcards from a selection of countries around the world and gives them a Sci-Fi feel.  He uses as his inspiration, Sci-Fi films, television series and cartoons, most of which are becoming vintage themselves.  The title of this body of work is called “Invading the Vintage”.  Most of the images we have chosen to display are the Star War themed ones, that most of us can relate to, but we have also included a few other Alien related.  To appreciate all the details you have to enlarge the images, you can do this by press them (not the first one).  Is there a favourite Sci-Fi not featured here that you would like to see?  Let us know in the comment section, below the article.

Vintage Typography

We have tendency to think that typography (drawing letters in an artistic form) is a modern invention.  These images were Printed by Charles Joseph Hullmandel a lithographer (early form of printing that used stone or metal on which images or letters or a combination of the two were reproduced using ink and paper) sometime between 1819 and 1850.  It looks like the artist that created at least some, if not all of the letters, was L.E.M. Jones, have a look at the inscriptions under the letters A, C, D, I, K and Z.  These wonderfully detailed imaged are now kept at the British Museum. You can enlarge them by pressing the images, not the first one.  How do you think these compare with their modern equivalent?  Let us know in the comment section at the end of the article.

Ethereal Light and Dark Photography

Swiss photographer and director Patrizio Di Renzo, creates these ethereal and very defined photographs.  He is described as very meticulous and precise, these are qualities that definitely come through these pictures.  Di Renzo gives his models rigorously detailed make-up job, that coupled with the poses they assume, make them look non human in their perfection and the coldness of their expression.  If you are someone that likes precision and order we think you will love these images. 

If you like this have a look at  Black & White Face Photography (<= press the link).

The Hobbit Watercolors 2

The third instalment of the Hobbit was supposed to be in July 2014, but that date has changed and the movie is now going to be shown in December 2014.  We have selected these lovely watercolors by Kinko-White to ease the pain of the extra wait, even if just a little bit.  You will find paintings of Characters, Maps and Weapons, in the article.   These images are best seen enlarged, to do that just press them (not the first one).  Which is your favourite character from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings?  Let us know in the comment section at  the end of the Article.

Layers of Car Paint Used for Jewellery

Jewellery designer and maker Cindy Dempsey, has had a love and an interest for this material since the 70s.  It is called Motor Agate but that she calls Fordite.  This is where it comes from...  In the early days of car manufacturing, when they were painted, excess paint would collect on the floor and then it would get backed with the car, to dry the paint on it.  This would happen time after time with each layer backed again and again.  When the paint accumulation and started getting in the way, the workers would have to remove it and throw it way.  As you can appreciate, it was something that they put off as much as they could as it was a tedious job.  Someone then saw the potential of this material and eventually groups of people, started touring car manufacturers offering to clean this by-product of car building.  Now, that supply has gone, because cars are painted using an electrostatic method, that does not create waste paint. We have shown examples of this car paint rock formations in the article, which make these beautiful and unique jewellery designs.  They also produce Cabochons (a stone polished but not cut into facets) which we have shown at the end of the article.

Portraits on a Finger

Italian Artist Dito von Tease uses his or her finger to design a multitude of portraits from politicians, celebrities, religious leaders, to cartoons and many more, using photo manipulation software.  At first we thought it was a bit of fun but when you see the way this artist has commercialised this niche type of artwork, we were impressed.  It has been used for advertising campaigns, book illustration, an App  to create your own images, mobile covers and many more outlets, which makes this idea really remarkable. Dito (finger in Italian) was inspired by Dita Von Teese when it came to choosing a name.  The artist hides his or her identity behind these creations not revealing anything about her or himself.

Rejuvenate your Building with a Paint-job

Persian Artist Mehdi Ghadyanloo and his company Blue Sky Painters are changing the way the buildings look in Tehran one at the time.  So far his company has completed 100 buildings with the consent and the blessing of the city's council.  Ghadyanloo adds an incredible amount of colour and regenerates what look like tiered buildings with his 3D images.  This could be a cheap solution compared with expensive upgrades or rebuilds that could have a place in our cities.   We have included Gif Animations to show the different stages of the process and details of his paintings.  Further down there are static images that you can enlarge by pressing them.  If you could have an image of your choice on your building or house what would you have painted?  Let us know in the comment section at the bottom.

Find More uses for Paper

French Designer and Artist Maud Vantours finds other uses for what, most consider a very mundane material like paper.  In the article we will show how it can be used for lamps and general 2D and 3D art.  Vantours  has worked with a lot of the big luxury brands like Guerlain, Tag Heuer, YSL or Lancôme.  This is a good chance to get inspired by a material that is plentiful and all around us.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

If you like this and want more inspiration as to what can be done with paper, have a look at Folder Paper Art (press the link).  More folders on the left of your screen.

Conceptual 3D Illustration for iPhone Patent Application

Apple have submitted a Patent Application to create 3D images. 3D Artist and Animator Mike Ko creates a conceptual animation of what this technology could look like on an iPhone. We have included a Video that show the Animation, a Gif Animation that shows how the various parts of the scenery have gone together.  Images that can be enlarged, if you press them (not the first image or the Gif). What function would you want to see the 3D phone perform? Examples like, the image of the caller in 3D, google maps as you were seeing it through street view in Google, what else? Let us know in the comment section below the article.

Body Painting Artworks

Amazing Body painting by American Artist Trina Merry, these lovely and highly precise paintings show an incredible skill on her part. She has to overcome and sometimes use the curves on the body to make it look like a flat canvas or to accentuate the curves and the 3D aspect depending the effect she needs to accomplish.  @trinamerry's blending techniques and the precision of her lines are a joy to look at.  As you will see in the article she does individual and Group Paintwork (the pagoda is made of people, so is the car).  Marry apprenticed under Body Painter Craig Tracy, if you want to see his work click “Body Painting 2”.   We have included a video and artwork that features motocross racer Erin Bates, if you look carefully her suit is painted on.

Shoe App to Customise your Shoes

This August Adidas is going to launch an App for Android and iPhone mobile phones that will allow you to customise your shoe with your own high quality pictures.  This App will only be able to be used with one of their shoe lines at the moment, the ZX Flux.   The App will be called “mi Adidas”.  This will see more sneaker lovers make their pair a unique fashion statement.  This could be another an outlet for famous artist that might be able to take orders to apply their artwork on the shoes and then sell them on.  Or it could be used to advertise your business, get your team to wear them.  What image would you put on your shoes if you had the chance?  Let us know in the comment section at the end of the article.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Retro Vintage Recycled Robots

These lovely Robots are put together with recycled items, that when assembled have a real retro feel.  Brian Marshall constructs them from discarded materials of all different sizes.  When you recognise some of the components that are used for these Sculptures you will be able to give them scale.  We don't think that these sculptures will put an end to our wasteful habits straight away, but it is a way of showing that used recycled items have value and this starts counteracting decades of being told that we have to throw away the old and keep buying new.  Enjoy the lovely creations,  once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

3D Desktop Printer

This is the first affordable and working, 3D desktop printer we have seen so far.  There have been a lot of start-ups and established companies trying to be the first massed produced printer, wanting to make them as popular as our everyday laser and inkjet printers.  M3D have just finished their Kickstarter campaign in style, they were asking for backers (normal people like you and us) to sponsor $50,000 to go towards the development of their machine, they ended up with over $3.4 million.  The printer will cost $349 plus P&P and every spool of plastic will costs $13.  If 3D printers follows the same trend as the inkjets, as they becomes more popular, the prices will come down.  For orders placed now @TheMicro3D say, the printer will be delivered February 2015.  2 Videos and pictures in the article will show some of the things you can do with this printer + all the specifications.  If you had one, right now, what would be the first thing you print on it?  Let us know in the comment section below the article.  To get the best effect, once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

10m² Coffee Shop in Japan

This small coffee shop, sat on a small triangular area with a footprint of just 10m² (108 sq. feet) is located in one of the most affluent districts of Tokyo, Harajuku, in Japan.  The envelope of the building seems to have been made of various containers stitched together with the main one sat on end.  Hiroshi Sawada, barista and owner of Streamer Coffee Company, which he founded in 2010.  He has 3 coffee shops at the moment and prides himself with giving all of his costumers a very personable service and the very best coffee.   The  Harajuku building has two extra floors above the ground floor, with a small balcony on the top floor.  Every floor has windows with views of the street, with free wi-fi to allow their costumers to keep in touch, while they relax on the comfortable sofas.  There are two small benches outside to accommodate more costumers on a nice day  We can do with more of these, one off buildings to make our cities  more interesting and diverse.  We have tried to get as many pictures for you to get a feel of this lovely quaint Coffee Shop.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  Via archwanders.