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Archive Category: Arts & Crafts




Charlie Brown TIE Fighter

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Cartoon & Comic, Movies & SciFi, Pictures on January 25, 2010 at 5:55 am


Photo: gammaraybots [Flickr]

What do you get when you mash up Charles M. Schulz’s comic Peanuts with Star Wars? Behold the Charlie Brown TIE Fighter by Tom Torrey: Link – via The Zeray Gazette

 
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Lobster Man

Posted by Alex in Animal, Arts & Crafts, Food & Drinks, Pictures on January 25, 2010 at 5:51 am


Photo: daryl mitchell [Flickr]

Why waste all those shells from your lobster dinner when you can turn them into art? Here’s Lobster Man, as spotted by Daryl Mitchell in Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada.

That is all. Now you know what’ll be in my nightmare tonight! Link – via Rue The Day

 
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Giant Doll Heads Fashion Show

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Fashion, Pictures on January 24, 2010 at 12:03 pm

Craftster user gorgaus, as an art installation, put on a fashion show in which the women participating wore enormous plastic sleepy-eye doll heads.

They are made from fibreglass. They are quite light, they have a stem at the back of the neck that leads down to the waist where there is a back brace so all the weight is on their hips. The wigs are heavier than the heads, especially the geisha style one. They used dancers instead of models cause they thought they might have more strength and balance.

More pictures at the link. And in the comment thread, gorgaus provides detailed technical descriptions.

Link via Matthew Caverhill

 
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Seinfeld Wars

Posted by Jill Harness in Arts & Crafts, Movies & SciFi, Pictures on January 23, 2010 at 11:58 pm

You may have seen the Star Wars Arrested Development parody, now it’s Seinfeld’s chance thanks to artist Julie Bell. The best part is George just sitting on an R2D2 trash can.

Link via Laughing Squid

 
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The Wonderful Models of Matthew Albanese

Posted by Johnny Cat in Arts & Crafts, Pictures on January 22, 2010 at 6:13 pm

Photo: Mathew Albanese

This looks like a real volcano, but it’s actually one of Matthew Albanese’s finely detailed models made out of tile grout, cotton, phosphorous ink, and lit from within by 6-60 watt light bulbs.  Other realistic shots include the surface of Mars from paprika, and a lake vista using a common glass patio tabletop.  In his own words:

My work involves the construction of small-scale meticulously detailed models using various materials and objects to create emotive landscapes. Every aspect from the construction to the lighting of the final model is painstakingly pre-planned using methods which force the viewers perspective when photographed from a specific angle. Using a mixture of photographic techniques such as scale, depth of field, white balance and lighting I am able to drastically alter the appearance of my materials.

Link (via C-Monster)

 
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The Pop-Up Wall Sculptures of Kristine Suhr

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 21, 2010 at 5:13 pm

Danish artist Kristine Suhr creates images that move when tabs — like those on children’s pop-up books — are pulled. Since they’re brief Flash videos, there’s no way to demonstrate them in motion here at Neatorama, but at the link, you can view a whole gallery of them moving. Warning: sound effects.

Link via DudeCraft

 
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More Star Wars Sketch Cards

Posted by Johnny Cat in Arts & Crafts, Movies & SciFi on January 21, 2010 at 12:45 pm

Katie Cook has been featured here before with her cute renditions of Star Wars sketch cards, but she ’s still making more!

Link -via Super Punch

 
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Furniture Made from Shopping Carts

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Home & Garden on January 20, 2010 at 8:56 pm

Los Angeles-based artist Ramon Coronado made furniture from shopping carts. He calls the project “Mercado Negro” and his ambition lies in “reclaiming an ordinary, everyday object and transforming it into a whole new object.” At the link, you can see many more pictures, as well as photographs from his workshop as Coronado constructed these pieces.

Link via Fast Company | Photo: Ramon Coronado

 
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15th Century Tapestry Copied in Lite Brite

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Toy & Video Games on January 20, 2010 at 2:00 pm

The Lady and the Unicorn is a 15th Century Flemish tapestry, often said to be one of the greatest works of medieval European art. Artist Joey Syta copied the work in Lite Brite — an illuminated toy popular in the United States since its introduction in the 1960s. It’s called My Only Desire and is composed of 55,000 pegs.

Link via Gizmodo | Photo: Joey Syta

 
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San Francisco Recycled in Miniature

Posted by Miss Cellania in Arts & Crafts, Travel & Places on January 20, 2010 at 12:58 pm

The 2nd Annual Golden Gate Express Garden Railway is open at San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers. The garden features miniature versions of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, buildings, and of course, a train! Plus, they are all made of recycled materials. The exhibition is open until April 18th, but if you can’t go, you can see more pictures at Laughing Squid. Link

(image credit: Todd Lappin)

 
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Dust Photography

Posted by Johnny Cat in Arts & Crafts, Pictures on January 19, 2010 at 12:29 pm

Photo: Ujin Lee

“Dust” is a work in progress by Ujin Lee, with collaboration by Tom Edwards, where the subject matter takes on a life of its own.  More Dust and other neat projects at the link.  Previously: Paul Hazelton’s Dust Art.

Link.

 
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Jesus Toast

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Religion on January 19, 2010 at 12:04 pm

What with hazy images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary appearing on toast, potato chips, and other assorted food items, artist Adam Sheldon felt the inspiration to create a mosaic of the crucifixion out of 153 pieces of burnt toast. It’s on display at the Church of St. Peter in Great Limber, Lincolnshire, UK. More (and larger) images at the link.

Link via DudeCraft | Video about the Project | Photo: This Is Grimsby

 
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Crayola's Law: The Number of Colors Doubles Every 28 Years

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 18, 2010 at 6:54 pm

In this infographic, Stephen Von Worley observes that the number of discrete colors in a box of Caryola Crayons doubles about every 28 years. That’s an annual growth rate of 2.56%. Von Worley writes:

If the Law holds true, Crayola’s gonna need a bigger box, because by the year 2050, there’ll be 330 different crayons! Shortly thereafter, frazzled packaging designers rejoice, for to the rescue comes a revolution in household appliances: the new-fangled Replicator-Dissociator! Load it with the Crayola plugin, and you’re seconds away from every shade in the rainbow – no boxes required!

Link via Make

 
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Shakespeare with a Taste of Marvel

Posted by Miss Cellania in Arts & Crafts, Book & Lit, Cartoon & Comic on January 17, 2010 at 6:25 pm

What if Shakespearean costumes were designed by an artist who drew superheroes? That would never happen, right?

In 1969, Sheldon Feldner contacted Marvel Comics, asking if one of Marvel’s artists would be interested in designing costumes for a production of William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar by the University Theatre Company at Santa Cruz at the newly-built Cowell College of the University of California at Santa Cruz.

As luck would have it, the Kirby family had recently moved to California, and Stan Lee recommended that Feldner contact Jack Kirby.

Jack Kirby {wiki} was the creator of such characters as Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. But he went to work designing not only the costumes but also a poster for the student production. His sketches, and some pictures of the actual costumes, are posted at the Kirby Museum. Link -via Metafilter

 
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Tree Branch in Jars by Naoko Ito

Posted by Queuebot in Arts & Crafts on January 16, 2010 at 7:11 pm

New York-based artist Naoko Ito transformed a tree branch into art by sawing it into small pieces, putting them in jars, then stacking the jars into the original shape of the branch.

The piece above is titled "Ubiquitous." It’s a part of her art series "Urban Nature 2009."

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by rale87.

 
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Virgin Mary Mosaic Made out of Easter Eggs

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 16, 2010 at 1:05 pm

Ukrainian artist Oksana Mas created an enormous mosaic of the Virgin Mary composed of 15,000 wooden Easter eggs at the Santa Sophia cathedral in Kiev. The work was unveiled yesterday.

Elaborate Easter eggs — “pysanky” — are a major artistic tradition in the Ukraine. Gallery at the link.

Link via DudeCraft | Artist’s Website | Photo: Sergei Supinksy/AFP/Getty

 
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World's Largest Disco Mirror Ball is Groovy

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 14, 2010 at 9:42 pm

Break out the leisure suits, because French artist Michel de Broin used a crane to heft a huge mirror ball 50 meters over the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. It measures 7.5 meters across and is composed of a thousand mirrors. Can you dig it?

Link via Gizmodo (where there’s a video) | Artist’s Website | Photo: Michel de Broin

 
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Toilet Paper Tube Art

Posted by Johnny Cat in Arts & Crafts, Pictures on January 14, 2010 at 1:51 pm

Anastassia Elias is an artist who uses the rolls leftover from toilet paper as a showcase for miniature tableaus.   At left, children building a snowman, complete with wintry tree limbs hanging as a frame to Elias’ crafted scene.

By making the inserted figures out of the same color paper as the tube, and illuminating the piece from behind, he gives a sort of life to them.  Other works depict a woman taking clothes down from a line, a classroom, a market scene, and Anastassia’s grandmother dozing in a chair.

He said: ‘The imagery of my work comes from looking people around me going about their everyday life.  Sometimes I use recycled materials and find new things to do with them – this time it was the turn of toilet rolls.  The rolls remind me of the famous miniature boats enclosed in bottles.”

Link.  (via Unique Daily)  Photo: Solent News & Photo Agency.

 
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A Brief History of the Ampersand

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 14, 2010 at 11:31 am

Cameron Chapman of Web Design Depot has written a heavily-illustrated article about the history of the ampersand. This old symbol has again become popular in the last several years with the emergence of abbreviated written communications, such as tweets and text messages.

The word “ampersand” was first added to dictionaries in 1837. The word was created as a slurred form of “and, per se and”, which was what the alphabet ended with when recited in English-speaking schools. (Historically, “and per se” preceded any letter which was also a word in the alphabet, such as “I” or “A”. And the ampersand symbol was originally the last character in the alphabet.)

Link via The Presurfer | Image: Cameron Chapman

 
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A Magical Forest in Long Exposure Animation

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Video Clips on January 13, 2010 at 9:31 pm


(Video Link)

Long exposure animation consists of compiling long exposure photographs into an animated form. “Freezelight Magic Forest” is a demonstration of this technique, shot with about 300 individual photographs.

via Gizmodo | Behind the Scenes Video

 
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Chandeliers Made from Eyeglasses

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 13, 2010 at 9:57 am

chandelier

Designer Stuart Haygarth makes chandeliers out of discarded materials, including eyeglasses. Pictured above is one of his works, made from 1020 pairs. In an interview about this ongoing project, Haygarth wrote:

For years I have always wanted to do a piece of work with spectacles or sunglasses. This started because I was always finding strange spectacles at flea markets and the fact that each pair once had an owner who relied on them as a tool to see. This narrative and the idea of making a light from an object that helps people to see (in the same way a light does) I find interesting. I have specifically chosen to use spectacles with transparent plastic frames so that the frame becomes illuminated.

Link via Make | Official Website | Interview with the Artist

 
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The Carved Baseball Bats of Peter Schuyff

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 13, 2010 at 9:46 am

baseball bat

Artist Peter Schuyff, among other activities, carves baseball bats. When asked about the origins of this idea, he wrote:

The whole thing started with carving sticks on my walks. I’ve made long walks in New Guinea, the Amazon, Burma, jungles, I like jungles. At the end of the day there’s not much to do and I started carving sticks while staring off somewhere. Sometimes in the morning I’d climb a tree, bore a hole and put the stick in it. They were about the size of pencils and when I got back to New York I’d carve pencils in front of the television. It was weeks before I left for Vancouver, and in New Guinea I didn’t have much to do. When I got to Vancouver I saw straight away logs and totem poles

Link via DudeCraft | Interview with the Artist

 
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Emergency Escape Plan

Posted by Johnny Cat in Advertising, Arts & Crafts on January 12, 2010 at 7:15 pm

Poster by Lebedev Studios

From the people at Art Lebedev Studios, this poster would make a great wall decoration while serving as a reference guide in case of the unthinkable.  And oh yeah, it glows in the dark.

Link.  Previously, Lebedev’s See-Through Tractor Trailer.

 
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YouTube Doubler

Posted by Johnny Cat in Arts & Crafts, Music, Video Clips on January 12, 2010 at 2:53 pm

YouTube Doubler

Those who love to spend their time creating mashups now have another tool in their box, and those that haven’t ever dabbled in the medium have profound access to it now, thanks to YouTube doubler.  As someone already discovered, it’s a great way to imbibe in some Gestalt.  Above, cockatiel that likes to bang on can with bird picture, mashed up with previously-mixed death metal rooster.  Instant band.

Link (via BoingBoing)

 
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Illustrated Bowling Pins

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 12, 2010 at 9:34 am

bowling pin

Melbourne-based Lowbrow illustrator Nate Holmes Trapnell puts tattoo-like designs on bowling pins. The curves of the pins add a lovely element of three-dimensionality to the images.

Link via DudeCraft | Photo: Nate Holmes Trapnell

 
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Duct Tape Prom Outfits

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Fashion on January 9, 2010 at 7:16 pm

Every year for the past decade, Duck Tape brand duct tape has held a contest for the creative use of their tape in prom dresses and tuxedos. Winners earn scholarship money. Gallery at the link.

Link via DudeCraft

Oh, and congratulations to Paul Overton, the dude behind DudeCraft, on his first blogiversary!

 
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The Wooden Textiles of Elisa Strozyk

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts on January 8, 2010 at 9:49 pm

Artist Elisa Strozyk took discarded wood veneer, sliced it into tiny triangles, and repurposed it into an upholstery replacement. The end result looks like a pixelated image which can be used to cover chairs, couches, and tables. More at the link.

Link via Make | Official Website | Photo: Elisa Strozyk

 
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Amanda Wachob's Modern Art Tattoo

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Pictures, Tattoo, Etc. on January 7, 2010 at 2:27 am

Forget all you know about tattoos: Amanda Wachob will turn your body into a canvas for her abstract tattoos. No skulls, I Heart Mom, or other usual tattoo art here: Link [Flash website] | Gallery at Dare Devil Tattoo

Previously on Neatorama: Yann Travailles’ Crayon Scribble Tattoos

 
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Spinning Wheel of Death Art

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Video Clips on January 7, 2010 at 2:26 am

[Vimeo Link]

James Théophane Jr. was asked to contribute a piece of art for his company, so he decided to hack an old painting from a flea market and turn it into a physical rendering of a crashed Mac app, complete with the spinning wheel of death!

More pics (including several build photos) at Theo’s blog: Link – via Valentina Tanni

 
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Wald (Forest): Maze of Paperwork by Daniel Hafner

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Pictures on January 7, 2010 at 2:25 am

Daniel Hafner used about half a ton of 5-ft tall white cardboard to create this art installation called Wald (Forest), which looks kind of like a maze of paperwork one has to navigate in dealing with modern bureaucracy.

Link

 
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