Old Masters Playmobil Paintings

French Artist Pierre-Adrien Sollier creates these fun paintings that recreate old Master Paintings using Playmobil.  We have included the original painting below the new Playmobil one, so that you can see the resemblances.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Game of Thrones Watercolours & More

American Painter and Illustrator Chris Uminga creates these drawings and watercolours giving them his personal touch and interpretation.  The main theme revolves around his Game of Thrones paintings, but we have added more of his work to show more of his individual style.  With the last series recently over, this will have to last till the next one, don't worry it will be here soon. 

Hyper-Realistic Paintings of the Past

Incredibly talented South Korean Artist Joongwon Charles Jeong recreates these hyper realistic paintings from images, live models and marble statues.  We have included three examples of Jeong creating paintings from pictures he took of marble busts, centuries old.  His tones and and attention to detail are beautifully realistic.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  See the comments & history below the images.  Enjoy...

Hyper Realistic Pencil Drawings of Dogs

The title is not all together accurate, it should read Dogs + 1Cat + 1Stag and 1 of the drawings is painted acrylic.  That said, these beautiful drawings are the creation of American Artist Charles Black, he loves the outdoors and conservation, he uses his work to make people more aware of nature and the environment.  He specialises in wild life drawings and paintings, on this occasion we have chosen to focus on his dog portraits, if you are a dog lover this is the post for you.

Inject 3D Details in your Building with Murals

American artist Eric Grohe Creates these elaborate and massive 3D paint effects on buildings that give them a new lease of life.  We have included in the images, the before shots of the buildings, to show you the difference he makes for the building and the surrounding area.  We have added a video that shows the progression of one of his paintings.

Pencil Vases

We have a short video to show how these lovely pencil Vases are made by Styudio Markunpoika.  Pencils are usually used to express artistic ideas, they are the unseen hero behind artistic drawings, architectural and engineering drawings, poetry and many more forms of art.  Now it is the time of the pencil to be seen as art (just joking...)  Finnish Furniture designer Tuomas Markunpoika is behind this novel use of pencils.  We have included various angles of these vases, so that you can appreciate the finish and the beauty of the patterns the lead and colours leave behind.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Finger Painting Fine Art

We have featured American artist Iris Scott before (Finger Painting Impressionism Style), in fact she was one of our fist ever articles. Scott adds an incredible amount of texture and colour using this technique, that resembles an impressionist style of painting.  In the article we have a video of the artist explaining how she came about this style of painting, so we will not go over that.  The richness of texture, the vibrant colours and the fluidity of the strokes, make her paintings lovely to look at, with mesmerising quality to them.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  Enjoy...

Sand Art From 1880–1886

American Artist Andrew Clemens (1857 - 1894) created these incredible sand sculptures, just stacking the different coloured granules to create the image without the use of any glue.  When he was very young Clemens suffered from encephalitis which rendered him death and not able to speak.  He would collect the different, naturally occurring sands, himself and sort them in different jars, as a painter would do in his paints.  It is said that his first works were of simple geometric images, that then became more and more intricate with shadows and complex designs.  To date he is thought to be the inventor of this art and its only practitioner.  At the time he would sell his work for $5–7 in 2012 one sold for  $45,000.  He is thought to have made hundreds but only a few survive today. Via Friends of Andrew Clemens and Visual News

Comic Collage Art

American Artist Mike Alcantara uses collage with comics to produce one of a kind illustrations, he does not use paint or markers on his pieces, all he uses are comics cutouts.  Incredible eye for detail to pick the right images to form the one that he has envisioned.  If you love comics you will be happy to know he sells his work.  He has also used his art to cover mini dumpsters 11 inches across, see in the article.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Fluid Drawings and Compositions

South Korean Artist Kim Jung Gi produces incredibly detailed art on-the-fly using markers, without sketching it out first or a reference drawing to follow.  Drawing with markers, if you make any mistakes you are stuck with them, as you will see from the videos, he makes none.  As well as pictures of his work we have included 3 Videos showing this versatile artist at work, with the third one being the most complex one.  The first 2 are short but the third is 19 minutes long and really worth it.  To see the amazing details you will have to enlarge the images you can do this by pressing them (not the first one).

3D Drawings - Optical Illusionism

Dutch Artist Ramon Bruin creates these fantastic drawings he calls "Optical Illusionism".  They are 2D drawings that when photographed or filmed from the right angle give the impression of being 3D.  We have included 2 short videos to show how this is achieved.

Everyday Life in a Model

American Artist Alan Wolfson sculpts these incredible realistic models of small portions of the world we live in and frequent every day.  His models are built 1inch = 1foot scale, not everything he constructs has a counterpart in the real world, but when does replicate, he takes a lot of reference pictures to capture the essence of the place he is going to reproduce, down to the posters and lighting (Placement and access to lighting is very important for maintenance).  He never goes out to buy a finished detail, he constructs everything himself using plastic, wood, cardboard, paper and various types of metal.  On average it takes Wolfson between 3 to 9 months to construct one of his models, depending on the difficulty (like lighting) and the level of detail in the piece.  More information in the Article.  We have included 2 Animated Gifs for some of the models, and some of the images can be enlarged just look out for the prompt below them.

Hyper-Realistic view of our World

Hyper-Realistic Artists Denis Peterson allows us to set up a different type of article.  Usually hyper Realistic subjects vary from inanimate objects, animals to people posing.  Peterson reminds us that there are other themes, other than beauty and ethereal subjects.  We have decided to interlace both aspects of his art, to show the contrast and a more balanced view of our world.  In the article you will be able to find an interview with Peterson.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Scrap Iron Animal Sculptures

American Sculptor John Lopez creates his scrap iron creations from his home in South Dakota.  For the most, he relies on sculpting what he knows and what he has grown up with, the notable exception is the Triceratops, above.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Books Hold States of Mind

Clever and symbolic work from Thomas Wightman, a newly graduated graphic designer from Scotland.  Amongst his work we are concentrating on 3 of them that focus on mental disorders.  He uses books, in an artistic way to draw metaphors between art and the state of mind of the people that are afflicted with these debilitating conditions.  He is very insightful choosing to use the book in his work to suggest that when the book is closed everything looks right and everything is contained, but when it is opened the full extent of the condition is in full view.  Opening the book represents opening up about the mental condition, dealing with it and getting help.

Surreal Absurdist Paintings

As you may have guessed we have a soft spot on DesignStack.co for Surreal Art, Russian born Artist Michael Cheval refers to his, as Absurdist Paintings. Like the best in this kind of art, he has the paintings skill to produce the work but also the imagination to make it say things, you don't immediately see, when you fist look at the painting.  Whilst listening to his interview (video in the main article) one thing becomes very clear, that the same way a book becomes alive when we read the words, his paintings are brought into existence when people look at them in detail and start picking up, all the subtle details the artist has inserted in them, including the title of the piece.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  Enjoy...

Facebook Hand - Thumbs Up Art

Young Italian Art Director, Matteo Bergami dresses the classic "Thumbs Up" of Facebook, in many different and creative styles inspired by comics, films, celebrities and video-games, to name a few.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Black Light Bodyscapes - Body Painting

Beautiful creations by American Artist and Photographer John Poppleton.  In his body painting art, he calls "Bodyscapes" he uses temporary fluorescent materials to paint incredibly vibrant and colourful landscapes brought to life by a Black Light.  We have included 4 short videos (watch them full screen if you can.) to show his technique and the richness of the colours he uses.  There are also various pictures that can be enlarged below the videos.

Micro Architecture in the Cabin DROP XL

The Cabin DROP XL project, is the brainchild of designers Manel Duró and Marta Gordillo.  This type of habitation is very versatile type of construction, at the moment it is predominately focused on the growing market of eco-tourism, because of its great design credentials.  It measures 30m² (323 square feet) and can be customised for the client's requirements, like the addition of a Kitchen.  The structure is built in a factory and then carried on the back of a lorry to site.  Here the adjustable feet allow the structure to sit above the ground and to compensate for irregularities in the terrain.  More information in the main article, like the video of the interior and more pictures including Plans, Elevations and Sections. Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Black and White Surreal Altered Reality

We are revisiting Freelance Polish Photographer Dariusz Klimczak's work as he has produced more images.  The beauty of surreal imagery is that it says different things to different people.  We are going to put the titles the Artist gave them, but try looking at the image first and then compare it with the message from the Artist.  Let us know if you would have given any of the images a different title and why, at the bottom, in the comment section.  Your imagination is just as good as what you feed it.  Hopefully this will fill you for the time being.

Klimczak's previous work on our site Surreal Dream World.

Hyper-Realistic - Life Snapshot Drawings

American Artist Justin Meyers creates these wonderfully precise and full of expression artworks.  He draws using primarily charcoal and graphite on paper, with a photographic images as a reference starting point and then adds small details to personalise them even more.  Meyers is one of those artists that does not draw using other people's references, he goes out and finds subjects that speak to him and then recreates and enhances the subject and their expressions.  We have put together a sample of his portrait and and his still life drawings to showcase the amount of detail that goes into each and every one of his creations.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Poker Cards Illustrated by 54 Top Artists

Illustrating every card in the pack was an idea of company Digital Abstracts.  It originally started as a crowd funding campaign on KickStarter (where they were asking for about $5,100 and were given about $34,000)  This project managed to get amazingly talented Designers and Illustrators from all around the world to contribute towards this venture.  We have created Gif Animations for easier viewing and we listed all the Artists and their links below the image.  The cards are still for sale on their site, meanwhile you can enjoy the Art.  Have you got a favourite? let us know in the comment section below the Article.

Rolling Pin for Food Stamp Designs

Polish designer Zuzia Kozerska creates these fantastic rolling pin patterns, using a laser engraver.  You can either buy one, from her off the shelve assortment (that vary from $42 to $56), or have one custom made for $136 (This price includes creating your pattern).  Kozerska says that the pins can be used with cakes, pasta, sugar frosting, dumplings (and clay???).  Using a pattern makes decorating an easy and effective process, like cookie cutters with biscuits.  The images of the pins with writing have been taken this way just for clarity, in reality they would be engraved backwards, so that when they leave the imprint, it is the right way round.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).  What pattern would you have?  Let us know in the comment box at the bottom of the article.

Hyper-Realistic drawings on Boards

Singaporean Artist Ivan Hoo, works for a children's art class company, as his day work and creates great art in his time off.  He is self taught and experiments with different mediums, the one we have chosen to display in this article are the hyper-Realistic ones he creates on wooden boards.  What complicates these drawings is that the board its self is not perfectly flat as you have the undulations of the wood-grain.  On the other hand the wood grain gives fantastic background texture to the transparent components, like the eggs.  Some of them are not finished and still look amazing.

The Doodle Ramblings Drawings - Animated

We have featured drawings from, Storyboard Artist Marty Cooper aka (Hombre McSteez) before, but now there is a twist... he animates some of the drawings now.  As we said before, he carries around with him a Transparency Sheet, White-Out (or Tipp-ex) and a Sharpie.  When he finds his inspiration he just draws the doodle on the spot and then takes a picture with it.  If you want to see some of his previous work that we featured, go to The Doodle Ramblings Drawings (<= Press the link).  Which do you like more the static or the moving images?  Let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the article.
Title of the image above "Milkshake enjoys itself"

Matchsticks Sculptures

With a background in carer counselling at a community college in Marshalltown, Patrick Acton aka (The Matchmaker) has recently retired and taken on Sculpting / Model-making full time.  He has constructed some amazing models that include Minas Tirith (from Lord of the Rings) Hogwarts School (from Harry Potter), The International Space Station, Notre Dame Cathedral (famous Cathedral in Paris France), to name a few.  All the stats and information are in the article but just think, it took 420,000 matchsticks to create the city above.  You can go and see is amazing work at the Matchstick Marvels Tourist Centre in Iowa.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Symbology in Surreal Oil Paintings

Romanian Artist Raceanu Mihai Adrian, creates these beautiful and full of meaning paintings.  We have shown Surreal artwork before but we think that Raceanu's is up there with the best.  When looking at the images, we suggest that you refer to the title, the artist has given the pieces and enlarge the images to get a clearer view by pressing them.  There is a lot of messages in all of these image, you almost get lost in your thoughts, when looking at the detail.

Infinity Mix Doodles

Lei Melendres aka (Leight) describes himself as a "Freelance professional doodle artist and illustrator from the Philippines".  What a lovely job title, I am not being sarcastic, it just shows how the world can change.  Doodling used to be associated with wasting time, not concentrating in class, having your head in the clouds... and so on.  Now it has definitely found a space in the art world, with his artwork being used for clothing, packaging, mobile apps and exhibited in local galleries.  Melendres is in very good company on our site, see the Drawing-Sketchbook Folder (<= press the link), We hope you enjoy his work as much as we do.  Do you prefer the doodles Coloured or Black and White?  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).

Japanese Styled Illustrations

American Artist and Illustrator Chet Phillips creates these funny character combinations form Scifi, Cartoons and Movies, set on a typical old style Japanese painting backgrounds.  Phillips has created a book containing these and more characters that you can buy.  At the bottom we have added a couple more of his illustrations.  If you like "Breaking Bad" and "Big Bang Theory" you will love these.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).

Frog Macro Photography

Here on DesignStack we don't do much photography, but we thought that Dutch Photographer Wil Mijer and her vibrantly coloured photographs, were too good to pass-up.  We have cropped the size of the image to keep the frogs as big as possible, you can purchase the full size on her page.  Mijer photographs all sort of small creatures, but we have chosen to concentrate on the frogs and the beautiful tones and colours of her pictures.  Because of the shape of the frog's mouth they always looks like they are smiling, we hope it brings a smile on your face.

Intricately Designed - Book Covers

Talented American Artist Tim Baker describes himself as a Sculptor and a Special Effects Artist.  Amongst the things he produces we have chosen to illustrate his books (this refers to the first 4 shown below, he has 2 more yet to produce).  We understand that he created some these wonderfully detailed covers to house his new graphic novels.  This is a labour intensive project, that can take between 40 and 150 hours to complete.  These are some of the materials he uses: leather, brass, stainless steel, aluminium, river pearls, rivets, hand made paper and parchment and many more.  Once in the article you can enlarge the image by pressing it (not the first one).