Sculpture: Words of Steel

"Brilliance"

"Words of Steel" by Joe O’Connell and Blessing Hancock

A series of six typographic "lantern" sculptures, each featuring phrases in many languages, were commissioned by the city of Palo Alto for public exhibit throughout the plaza between the Palo Alto Main Library and Arts Center.  The sculptures are made up of multi-lingual phrases collected from the community, cut out of steel and welded together in three-dimensional lantern-like forms.  Each of the sculptures lights up at sundown, and each sculpture is equipped with LED lights that change color upon being touched by a passerby.

Illustration: Chromatic Fracture

"Chromatic Fracture" by Eric Bellefeuille

"This new series of posters represents the metabolic fracture our body faces when subjected to disease and trauma. We have all lost someone we love to cancers, strokes, mental illness and other fatal diseases. This series was made in beloved remembrance."

Paintings: Tolkien Watercolors

Tolkien Watercolors by Kinko-White

Watercolor, ink, acrylic

Lego Creation: Terminator Arm

"Hand prosthesis with LEGO" by Piotrek839

Piotrek839 of the LUGPol forums created this life-size Terminator arm powered by twelve separate Lego Technic motors.

Lego Creation: Terminator

Lego T-800 Terminator by Martin Latta

Latta created this 6' 1" thirty-one pound full-scale replica of the T-800 for an exhibit in Lipno Point, Czech Republic.  It's composed of fifteen thousand individual bricks.

Fresh Take: Game of Thrones Cards

  

Game of Thrones a Magic: The Gathering cards by JermTube

People all across the Tumblr have been mocking up their own Magic cards for year, but I've never seen such a complete collection as this.  Some of the cards are clever, but I wish I had the time to make my own - they'd be much funnier.

Artist: Sarah Sze

"Triple Point of Water" by Sarah Sze, 2003

Sze builds her installations and intricate sculptures from the minutiae of everyday life, combining domestic detritus and office supplies into fantastical  fractal-like installations on an architectural scale. Often incorporating electric lights and fans, water systems, and houseplants, Sze’s installations balance whimsy with ecological themes of interconnectivity and sustainability.

The Venice Biennale is kind of like the Olympics of art. Every other year, each country picks a single artist to represent it on the international stage—a weird but interesting way to quantify success in the art world. So who’s the most interesting artist in America right now?  Meet the 43-year-old sculptor Sarah Sze, The Sculptor Who'll Represent America in the Art World's Battle Royale. Check out a photo gallery of other entries at the BBC.

Learn more about Sarah Sze at PBS.org.

Posters: Assassins Creed 2

Posters of Ezio from Assassins Creed 2 by Procrastination Posters

Posters: D.C. Super Heroes

D.C. Super Heroes by Mactivo

Paintings: Wrench In The Gears

"A Wrench In The Gears" by StrangelyDrawn
24" x 12" Acrylic on wood board

Link Round-Up: May 31, 2013

Star Wars on Vinyl by CyclopticSpider

Water color on vinyl

500 Worst Passwords Print by Kate Bingaman Burt

How to make an Origami Business Card Holder. 

I can't think of a single reason I would ever need a pile of large colorful jems, but that didn't stop me from bookmarking this tutorial on how to fold 3D Paper Diamonds.

These Parasite pancakes by Nathan Shields look both delicious and infectious.

What being a Web developer means today: Front-End Guidelines for Newcomers

What is art? A collection of favorite definitions, from antiquity to today.

Who Wore It Better is an ongoing visual research project presenting associations and common practices in contemporary art.

Quick Pic: This is a Bookshop

"This is a Bookshop" from the door of The Albion Beatnik in Oxford

Via: Reddit

An image of this clever bookshop sign from the door of The Albion Beatnik in Oxford has been making the rounds on Reddit.  Reaction have been mixed.  Some think it's pretentious, while others find it deeply moving.  Buried amongst the comments in this Reddit thread are some other gems, including this bookmark giveaway that another reader reported spotting:

“Please use this free bookmark wisely. Do not leave it in the rain, nor throw it at your enemy. Eschew the urge to use it as a substitute memo pad. Avoid open flames. It has a hallowed purpose; it reminds you of how happy you were before you were rudely interrupted by anything but reading.”

Short Film: Shave It

"Shave it" by Jorge Tereso and Fernando Maldonado of 3dar Studios

This short film could have been written by Dr. Seuss himself... if the good doctor had been imbued with a more sinister mentality.  As it is, it'll tickle your funny bone and maybe make you wonder why the Lorax wasn't just a little more proactive.

Video: Mine of Steel

"Mine of Steel: Superman in Minecraft Trailer" by Machinima

Media studio Steelehouse recreated the recent full trailer for Man of Steel in incredible, block-y detail. Below is a side-by-comparison of both trailers.  Man of Steel will be released June 14.

Crafts: Alien Pendant

Xenomorph Skeleton Pendant by Ivona Posavi Pšak

Pendant is available for purchase from Etsy. US$695

Read more about how this pendant was made at Deviant Art.

Sculpture: Flow Series

Flow Series by Texas-based artist Gil Bruvel

On exhibit at Chloe Gallery in San Francisco starting June 30th 2013

Busts formed of  stainless steel ribbons meant to reveal “an essential underlying fluidity that exists simultaneously within the physical, quantum, and metaphoric realms.”

Posters: Game of Thrones

"A Game of Thrones" by Mikhail Dingle

Download: 3D-Printable Cyvasse

Fan-Created 3D-Printable Cyvasse Set from Thingiverse

Via: Reddit

Arian Croft of IllGottenGames and his friend Nate Stephens have pieced together a version of the game of Cyvasse, the chess-like board game mentioned in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series.  What's more, they've made their version of the game free to download, along with a specific set of rules extrapolated from the text. Read other interpretations of The Rules of Cyvasse online.

Street Art: Thantos

"The Mad Titan" by Shae and Merlyn_One

"The character's name is a derivation of Thanatos, the personification of death and mortality in Greek mythology."

Street Art: Mario's Shrooms

Mario Street Art by iCON

Paintings: Wildlife Maps

"Map Paintings" by Paul Morstad

Paintings on maps inspired by the natural sciences and wildlife artists such as John James Audubon and James Fenwick Lansdowne.

The dendritic process that leads me from one painting to the next is mostly inspired by the old charts and abandoned objects I come across as well as the challenges I encounter in the act of painting a given piece. This process allows me a broader exploration of the themes of migration, encroachment, ecological decay and extirpation. I am interested in the obfuscating of the map or chart, in the visual reciprocity and tension at play between the zoological images emerging from the map and the map itself, and ultimately in arriving at a form of interspecies counter-mapping.

Illustration: Electro Animals

"Electro Animals" by Yo Az

Sculpture: If I Were

"If I Were" by Chinese artist Cao Hui

Hui re-imagines inanimate objects by re-imagining their innards as something more.  Assembled, the artist’s  sculptures appear to be classic Roman or Grecian stone statues, but disassembling them like a Janga tower reveals an interior that mimics the color and texture of flesh.

Posters: Minimalist Marvel Characters

  

Marvel Minimalist Posters by Marko Manev

Sweets: Earth Cross-Section Cake

"Earth Structural Layer Cake" by CakeCrumbs

"A little while ago, my sister approached me with an idea. She's doing an education degree, and her and her friends had to give a series of lessons on the geological sciences to a class of primary school kids. One of their lessons involved teaching the kids about the structure of the Earth. One of her friends came up with the idea of presenting a model of the Earth made out of cake. So my sister asked me if I could make a spherical cake with all the layers of the Earth inside it."

Link Round-Up: May 30, 2013

"Design is not some buttons in your photoshop." by Fariedesign

Global graffiti: 8 powerful street artists

Video Games vs Classical Art: Parallels and the Graphics Plateau

Watch Joss Whedon Address Wesleyan Graduates

Why curator Paola Antonelli added video games to the NYC Museum of Modern Art.

Resources: ItsAlmo.st

ItsAlmo.st lets you quickly make a countdown to share with friends.

Video: Game of Drones

"A Game of StarCraft" by Tolkfan

You know nothing, Jim Raynor...

Short Film: Appearance

"Appearance" starring Charlie Higson from Meat Bingo

UK comedian Charlie Higson plays himself for this short dark comedy in which he share the truth about where his book ideas really come from.  In the short film, Higson is confronted by two creepy kids while at a book signing.

Advice: If I Knew Then

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Advice for Young Creatives" by 99U

Living the life of a creative isn't easy. Attendees at Behance's 99% Conference share some of their hard-won lessons learned to help the next generation get a head start.

Advice: Overcoming Creative Block

A hand-lettered list of advice on breaking through your creative block from artist and writer Debbie Millman.

Video: Know your Design Saints

"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" by David Sizemore

38 seconds of educational fun, featuring Milton Glaser, Jessica Hische, Stefan Sagmeister, Debbie Millman, and others. 

Sculpture: The Beetle Sphere

"The Beetle Sphere" by Ichwan Noor
Photographed by  See-ming Lee

An Actual 1953 VW Beetle shaped into a Sphere
On exhibit at Art Basel Hong Kong

Tech: Chainsaw Robot

“Mataerial” is a Robot That Draws Sculptures in 3D

Mataerial is a large robotic arm capable of extruding three dimensional objects both vertically out of the ground or horizontally out of walls. Unllike 3D printers, where objects are created additively, layer by layer, Mataerial uses a thermosetting polymer that solidifies almost the instant its two components are mixed.

"One of the key innovations of anti-gravity object modelling is the use of thermosetting polymers instead of thermoplastics that are used in existing 3D printers. The material is cured because of a chemical reaction between two source components with such proportion of extrusion and movement speeds that it comes solid out of the nozzle; this feature makes it possible to print hanging curves without support material."

Papercraft: PowerUp Collage

PowerUp Collage by Upcycled Comics
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$45

Link Round-Up: May 29, 2013

Star Trek: Origins by Paul Shipper

Part of the Star Trek tribute art show, Final Frontier, presented by Geek Art.

Opening June 3rd 2013 at Le Dernier Bar avant la Fin du Monde in Paris.

The 10 best podcasts for designers.

A collection of patterns and modules for responsive designs.

Foldify lets you create 3D figures on iPad. Then print and fold them from paper.

Great artists rise early, stay up late, float themselves in coffee, flirt with amphetamines, drink carefully, eat if necessary, take morning walks followed by afternoon naps, procrastinate, amuse themselves, avoid their friends, hold down jobs, indulge their oddities, and work — work like draft horses.

Install Picturelife on your computer, tablet or smartphone and every photo you take is automatically stored in your Picturelife library. Automatically backed up and accessible from anywhere.

Stupid for Art: So you’re at a gallery—now what?

The fact is, nobody knows what art is or why people make it. This is blatantly disturbing. Some say the function of art is to generate conversation—an unpleasant thought. I’m not sure we want to put art in the same category as skin disease and Carl Winslow: things to talk about on the internet.  This is why so many of us have a bad time at galleries: we try to make art Interesting when we should just let it be weird. Art should never be Interesting.

Event: Comics: Philosophy and Practice

For three days in May of 2012, seventeen cartoonists gathered at the University of Chicago to discuss the philosophy and practice of comics.  Art Spiegelman and W. J. T. Mitchell begin the conference by asking the question, "What the %$#! Happened to Comics?"  You can watch videos of most of the event's panels using the links below.

Resources: Screensiz.es

Screensiz.es is worth a bookmark if you design sites for mobile devices.  The site lists the screen specifications of the most popular devices and monitors on the market.

Short Film: Silicon; BootDrive

"Fighting Spirits" by Gene Kim

Blame it on Joss Whedon, but the frail-looking girl breaking out a can of whoop-ass is a popular motif these days, and Fighting Spirits throws a few new twists into the mix.  I'm pretty sure that this would have made an awesome Saturday morning cartoon back in the eighties.

Short Film: Silicon; BootDrive

"Silicon;BootDrive" Written & Directed by A.T.

This effect-heavy extravaganza is a veritable grab-bag of sci-fi plot conventions twisted up into a fairly simple premise.  It's a fun film that manages to be more entertaining than either Battle Los Angeles or Skyline.

Quick Pic: This Painting

"This painting is not available in your country" by Paul Mutant

Street Art: Robot Charging Station

Robot Charging Station by Icon
Photographed by Takphoto

Mash-Up: Dalek Classics

Tone Cartoons imagines classic movies re-cast with Daleks

Papercraft: Metroid Armor

Metroid Papercraft Patterns by Tetra Variations
Patterns available for purchase from Etsy.

Posters: Star Trek

Star Trek Poster Series by Patrick Connan

Part of the Star Trek tribute art show, "Final Frontier," presented by Geek Art.
Opening June 3rd 2013 at Le Dernier Bar avant la Fin du Monde in Paris.

Link Round-Up: May 28, 2013

Craig Mullins’ cover art for Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley

Mark Englert talks about the process of making his Star Trek Into Darkness print

Move Over 3-D Printing. Hello 4-D!

Universal Studios has revealed their concept art for a real life Simpson's theme park. Io9 asks how many references you can spot.

Why Humor Makes You More Creative:

"A growing body of research shows that when you share a laugh with someone, you’re mirroring not only one another’s body language, but also the hormonal and neuronal activity, prompting a mutual investment in each other’s well-being. That’s a bond of kindness–and you’ll need acts of kindness to make it in any career."

Short Film: Worlds Apart

"Worlds Apart Short Animation" directed by Michael Zachary Huber of Project X

"Completed in 2011, Worlds Apart tells the story of a young Central California family caught in an unimaginable situation. Told through the eyes of a child's teddy bear, Worlds Apart is part cautionary fairytale and part science fiction thriller. The film has garnered fourteen Best Animation awards from festivals around the globe."

Short Film: Baby Boom

"Baby Boom" by P'ti Luc

Documentary: Beauty of Space Photography

"The Beauty of Space Photography" by PBSoffbook

"Space presents a fantastic mystery to human life. Unfathomably large, with characteristics that defy our experience and understanding, the stars have perplexed and amazed humanity for our entire recorded history, and likely before. In the present, astrophysicists and astronomers are aggressively studying the universe in an attempt to solve critical scientific and philosophical questions. One of the primary tools for measurement and observation is imaging using cameras connected to powerful telescopes on Earth and in space. And although it's not the primary motivation for photographing space, beauty is one of the most intriguing byproducts. Images of space communicate the grandeur of the universe, and spark essential curiosities about what may be out there waiting for us once we make our way into the stars."

Architecture: Tokyo International Forum

Tokyo International Forum

Photographed by Kenji Doi

Photography: Urban Zoom

"Urban Zoom" by Jakob Wagner 

Interview: The Man Who Built Westeros

"Game of Blocks: The Man Who Built Westeros in Minecraft" from Time.com

The continent of Westeros is home to 'Game of Thrones' and now exists in the virtual world of Minecraft. Meet Jacob Granberry, the artist behind the epic build.

Sweets: WALL-E Cake

WALL-E Cake by Kara's Couture Cakes

Sweets: Trek Wars Cookies

Trek Wars Cookies by Sarah Trefney

... or should we call them Abrams cookies?  These delicious mash-ups combine our two favorite franchises, Star Trek and Star Wars into one delicious cast of characters.  Darth Vader is a Klingon, Uhura is a Princess, and Chewbacca is a tribble.

Posters: Alternative Vigor

Bioshock Infinite: Alternative Vigor Advertisement by Joe Trinder

Source: Imgur via Reddit

Posters: Bioshock

"Bioshock" by Ron Guyatt

"I used 2 textures the first being India Ink and the other is from a Photograph of dried up soil. The Poster includes a lot of things from the game such as the plane crash, entry tower, submarine, Rapture, Big Daddy & Little Sister. Credit goes to the creators of Bioshock for the Concept"

Posters: Retro Star Wars

Retro Star Wars Posters by UK illustrator Ben Smith

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$19.99

Event: Daft Punk Art Show

"Daft" by Serge Gay Jr.

15.5” X 21.5” Acrylic on wood.

More pieces from the Daft Punk tribute art show, ReDiscovery, which will be held at the Gauntlet Gallery glorious group show in San Francisco from May 18th through June 15th.

Quotes: Good VS Evil

"The flawed concept of "Good VS Evil"" illustration by Jesusbutt

Quotation from Hayao Miyazaki

Paintings: Dune Trading Cards

Dune Trading Cards by Mark Zug

In 1997, the game company "Last Unicorn" gave Zug a chance to recreate Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic Dune for a new series of trading cards. Originally, he intended to base his work on David Lynch's iconic film, but after complications arose in regard to licensing the property, Zug decided to take the project in a new direction.  The results leave me wishing someone would re-release Dune as a picture book.

Illustration: Dark Knight Sketches

The Dark Knight Sketch Series by Richard Cox

Paintings: Toy Box

"Toy Box" by Robert Xavier Burden
On exhibit at the Shooting Gallery

Toy Box will consist of 16 oil paintings both on canvas and on panel, all of which place childhood icons into compositions of reverence and majesty. Backdrops that appear like ecclesiastical stained glass or elaborately woven rugs from afar reveal something different at closer view; characters once only at home in comics and cartoons are crossing over into the realms of oil portraits with the help of Burden’s imaginative eye and deft detailing.The funding for these paintings was raised via Kickstarter.

Illustration: Madon­nas of Sci­ence

"The Madon­nas of Sci­ence" by Chris Shaw

On exhibit at The San Fran­cisco Museum of Mod­ern Art until June.

36″ x 48″ Acrylic on Can­vas

"Madonna of the Par­ti­cle"

"The mod­ern icons I cre­ate also con­vey infor­ma­tion, it could be a sci­en­tific con­cept, a polit­i­cal state­ment, or a pop-culture ref­er­ence. Regard­less, each icon has a story and a rea­son for existing.

In this body of work I use the Madonna as the vehi­cle to lit­er­ally carry the ideas I’ve cho­sen to por­tray. The titles are straight for­ward. How­ever, under­ly­ing and obfus­cated by the image is a rigid geo­met­ric base, over which the Madonna icon is con­structed. The geom­e­try within this base is a rid­dle to deci­pher as are many of the sym­bols within.

I’ve mainly learned about hid­den geom­e­try and sym­bol­ism in art by decon­struct­ing an art­works com­po­si­tion, then research­ing what I find, some­thing I like to do for fun. Golden ratios, spi­rals, and fibonacci sequences are eas­ily found in many types of art, but espe­cially deeply woven into icons. How and why this geo­met­ric lan­guage was used fas­ci­nates me, it ulti­mately led to cre­at­ing my own icons with their own meanings."