Pencil Art

Pencil Art

All artists use pencils to draw and paint over their canvas, all but one. By the name of GhostPartol, this this australian artist creates beautiful works of art the other way around: using the pencils as canvas! A self-taught illustrator, he moved from the area of stencil art to exhibit his illustration work worldwide. His works of art ranges form fine ink drawings, graffiti, and commissioned murals to soft sculptures.
Meet GhostPartol's Pencil Art.

Pencil Art

Pencil Art

The speed of light- graffiti art

They look like the Tron cars speeding through picturesque country settings.
But these ghost vehicles, created to look like they are travelling at speed, are the creation of two university graduates armed with just an LED key ring and a camera set to long exposure.
Each one takes artistic duo Marc Cameron and Mark Brown up to four hours to make in a painstaking process of refracting and reflecting light to paint the outlines of the cars.
The pair meticulously plans each picture down to the very last detail - including logos, body kits and shadows in puddles.

They created the impressive light graffiti art effect using picturesque Cotswold locations at dusk as a natural canvas on which to draw the iconic cars using the keyring.
RThey wave the LED light quickly through the air to 'paint' the cars in a similar way to how you write your name with a sparkler on Bonfire Night.
And by leaving the camera on a long exposure - that can last up to an hour - they can freeze the light trails left by the movement to make it look as though the cars are speeding along the roads.
Professional photographer Mark Brown, 26, from Cheltenham, said: 'By using extended exposures I am able to step in front of the lens and paint with light using the camera as a canvas.

The LED torch is my paintbrush effectively.
'People are usually blown away by it especially when they see a really iconic car recreated in such a spectacular way. It's not just car buffs who love them though, everyone can appreciate it as an art form.
'Everyone always wants to know the secret behind the technique but it is something of a trade secret.
'But I haven't met anyone to date who has anything negative to say. Even the cynics who think it is photo shopped still think it is impressive.'
The project was the brainchild of media entrepreneur Marc Cameron who enlisted the skills of friend and photographer Mark Brown to create the impressive collection of cars that any motor enthusiast would be proud to own.
At first they did it for fun but things soon spiralled as the project went viral - even attracting the attention of car legends Jeremy Clarkson and co.
Marc, 31, said: 'The top gear team loved the series from the word go - it's been great getting such high-praise for our work.
'The first one we thought was just going to be a bit of fun. But I always had a feeling it would become something bigger and better and it has just spiralled into this brilliant series.
'We are on our fourth series now. It's quite touching that people don't want it to stop - they just keep asking for more.'
Having created some of the most iconic cars on the planet - from a VW camper van to a Pagani Zonda racing car - the duo plan to embark on a new project tackling some of the newest motors in the world.

Marc said: 'It's got easier with time - the lines are a lot cleaner and clearer now.
'People have said that the last series was more visually stunning than the first so we are hoping to pull out all the stops in the next one and do something a little bit different.
'Light painting is the most awe-inspiring type of photography at the moment.
'There is a real synergy between the two - cars are an art form themselves so our work just seemed so natural to combine the two.'

How gallery visitors only viewed work by Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin for less than 5 seconds

Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin

The basic fact about art is that you, the viewer, decide how much time you're going to give it. Other art forms give you no choice.

Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin

A symphony is going to take up 40 minutes of your time; a film two hours; a play perhaps three or four hours. But you can choose whether to look at a painting for ten seconds or ten minutes. That's a good measure of how interested you are by it.

Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin

We wondered whether there was a difference between the amount of time people were prepared to give a classic painting, and to modern art.

Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin

We chose Tate Britain for a scientific experiment. Its collection of British art includes both the historic great masters  -  such as Whistler, Hogarth, Sargent  -  and recent famous names including Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Rachel Whiteread.
The explosion of interest in art in recent years has focused on fashionable young artists, doing outrageous things  -  exhibiting their unmade bed or a dead shark, or persuading people to sprint from one end of the Tate to the other at two-minute intervals.

Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin

These things easily get into the newspapers, and are famous among people who aren't even interested in art. These days, Turner and Constable seem less exciting than these celebrity artists. Could the classics stand up in a simple test of people's interest?

Rubik's Cube Creative Objects Inspired

The Rubik's Cube is a 3D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally, it was called the "Magic Cube". Meet 12 of the most creative objects inspired by the famous cube.

Nike Rubik's Cube
Inspired by the Rubik's Cube, Nike has produced the Rubik's Cube Nike Blazer. The Blazer has an upper which features completed lines on the Rubik's Cube in all the colors you would find on the puzzle such as red, white, blue, yellow and green.

Rubik's Cube Light Lamp
Rubik's Cube Light Lamp is a Fun Gadget remake of the infamous Rubik's Cube we all grew up on. Created by Eric Pautz, this is another variation to add to the many before that grants additional utility with the light it shines from the many colorful patterns created.

Colorblock Note Cube
Here is a fun desk accessory for all the Rubik's Cube fans out there, the Colorblock Note Cube.

Rubik's Cube Wooden Furniture
It is inspired by the Rubik's Cube made of MDF painted with original colors. Designed by Umberto Dattola (Italy).

Rubik's Cube Salt and Pepper
The coolest looking salt & pepper mills on the market. Perfect for your dinner table or as a great gift with a retro twist. The action of grinding the salt & pepper has the same feel and sound as the classic Rubik's cube puzzle.

Rubik's USB Flash Drive
In this Instructables website, you will learn how to make your own Rubik's USB drive, a great DIY for the weekend.

Cube Clock
Given up on trying to solve the original Rubik's cube? Try this one instead. It only takes a simple twist to jump between the built-in features.
The display on the 3-inch cube will show you the current time, date and room temperature, and there's an alarm function as well to go with that.

Rubik's Cube Bag
Made from bright-colored squishy fabric complete with a Chanel-style chain, this would be a perfect dressing-up or going-out piece for those who want to add a little fun and novelty to their look. (Link)

Rubik's Cube Cake
A 6" square 1980's inspired on Rubik's Cube cake with 2 hand sculpted monkeys created by www.fortheloveofcake.ca in Toronto.

Rubik's Cube Sandwich
Ever wondered what a Rubik's Cube would look like in sandwich form? Well, now you know: delicious. The "Rubix Cubewich" contains "cubes of pastrami, kielbasa, pork fat, salami, and two types of cheddar. (Link)

Rubik's Cube Dessert
How pretty and delicious does this look? Food doesn't have to be boring, chop some fruits, give them a Rubik's cube shape and have fun!

Keyboard/Sudoku Rubik's Cube
Tired of the normal Rubik's cube challenge? Have the keyboards from a dead computer? Well, here is the thing for you! The Keyboard/Sudoku Rubik's cube!

Beautiful Primitive art

Probably you have been at an art museum, and you've seen some beautiful pieces of art, made from indigenous people.

primitive form of art, something simple and beautiful.

Paintings from Leonid Afremov

 

I found the work from Leonid Afremov while I was navigating on deviantART and I have to say that his paintings really got my attention. Leonid Afremov is a Belarusian painter who was born in Vitebsk, in 1955. Coincidentally or not, he was born in the same town as Marc Chagall, the famous artist who also founded the Vitebsk Art School along with Malevich & Kandinsky.

Leonid Afremov graduated from Vitebsk Art School in 1978 and is one of the elite members. His painting are often colorful landscapes, cityscapes and figures, and are typically painted using a palette knife and oil paint.

    "I tried different techniques during my career, but I especially fell in love with painting with oil and palette knife. Every artwork is the result of long painting process; every canvas is born during the creative search; every painting is full of my inner world. Each of my paintings brings different mood, colors and emotions. I love to express the beauty, harmony and spirit of this world in my paintings.

My heart is completely open to art. Each of my artworks reflects my feelings, sensitivity, passion, and the music from my soul. True art is alive and inspired by humanity. I believe that art helps us to be free from aggression and depression." Leonid Afremov

Graffiti Brazil: ENIVO

Marcus Vinícius aka ENIVO signed a pack with the vital essence of art at the age of 12, through his first experience with graffiti back in 1998. Since then, he has been scoring the city streets as a stamp of poetry, materializing ideas and feelings through images.

He spent much time following the intuitive experimental in his art through techniques, materials and possible languages in and out of Graffiti. Painting the movement, appreciating the unconscious to the expressive final result.

Today, he takes all the mutations of his work as a portal to the new understanding that the technique, aesthetics, concept and expression of transiting in a cyclical form that comes and goes, where each new series is the result of what's been done while at the same time is a step to further research, branching ideas and bringing a range of possibilities for the future creations.

hinese Thumb Rings

 

From ancient times, archery in Asia was well developed for warfare, hunting, and sport. Archery implements have been unearthed in Chinese tombs going back at least 4000 years. The Mongolian warriors who conquered China in 1271 to establish the Yuan dynasty owed much of their success to their skill in shooting arrows from horseback. Their implements, techniques, and tactics allowed them to shoot their targets from galloping horses and then twist around in the saddle for a parting backward shot after passing. The Manchu clan that conquered China 400 years later to establish China’s final dynasty, the Qing, was equally skilled with bow and arrow. Their prowess with archery—again, especially from horseback—allowed a relatively small band of Manchus to conquer all of China and rule it for over 250 years.

A number of technological developments contributed to the success of archery in north-eastern China. Among these was the use of archer’s rings, called she in ancient China (modern term banzhi). The archer’s ring is used on the thumb of the stronger hand, the one that pulls the bowstring. In addition to protecting the thumb, the ring provides a precise release action for the bowstring. The sidebar explains how these thumb rings were actually used.

SHAMANS

 

Black masks with facial expressions that are solemn, or occasionally grotesque, wild, or fantastic, but usually serene and strangely profound, incarnating the entire memory of the world yet rendered untamable by the spirit of the forests: statues both humble and haughty, their form reduced to essentials, furrowed by time, frozen in a pose of prayer and meditation:

slighter objects such as boxes, cases, and butter-churn handles whose refined decoration apparently contrasts with the coarseness of the statues and the rawness of the masks, but in fact harmonizes in the way female does with male; all of these are part of the tribal arts of the Himalayas.

Liz and Phil Down

 This Australian sculpture featured Elizabeth and Prince Philip sitting in the buff in front of the Canberra Parliament House. It lasted a mere week before an angry protester beheaded Queen Elizabeth. Further vandalism of the sculpture resulted in its removal.

Auspicious Carpets

It's an exciting time for those interested in Tibetan carpets and the wider world of Tibetan design. An incredible wealth of old and antique Tibetan carpets have been uncovered in the past few years. In their stunning numbers, breadth of imagination, and design virtuosity, they may soon well turn conventional carpet wisdom on its head. As with many things Tibetan, no one knows quite what to make of this treasure trove. Previous theories of a "crude imitation" of Chinese carpets simply will not do. The corpus is now too large, representing in endless variety an aesthetic sense or "aesthetic space" all its own. Together the thousands of pieces that have recently appeared form a unique world-view, one that can be felt almost subliminally, but that is very difficult to describe. They are not generally otherworldly or mystical, but rather transcendently playful, a pleasing vision of the propitious. In the Tibetan view they are, along with other decorative goods, more like auspicious companions, helping to light up the day and the night with positive energy. They are auspicious carpets.

Auspicious, however, does not mean sacred. While lama artists had a very large role in creating myriad design forms, these carpets with few exceptions were not intended for sacred use. Rather they were intended to help create an auspicious environment, an environment of good fortune, in some general way emanating a favorable connection to the unknown, yet very powerful, forces around us. Here they succeeded in a previously unimagined proliferation. There are now literally thousands of pieces available, and research is really only beginning. This research, however, will have to take a wider view than ordinary rug scholarship. Simply describing the constituent motifs is not sufficient, for the whole is greater than the parts, and the successful whole was the intended effect in the first place.

Fortunately a number of recent publications have introduced the subject, and through these one can begin to get an idea of the totality of the Tibetan aesthetic (Kuloy, 1982, 1989; Myers, 1984; Harrer, 1987; Lipton, 1988; Page, 1989; da Costa, 1989).  And the field is growing. In all the arts Tibetans had a way of keeping the best pieces back. New collections are being formed, energetic young dealers with an affinity for the auspicious are continuing to unearth ever more fantastic examples, and new publications will soon be coming out. Research is being undertaken with old Tibetan master weavers and craftsmen, and we may soon have a much clearer picture of the processes involved, both conceptual and practical. In any case there is now enough material to reach for a greater appreciation of the craft and its art.

snake earrings

 Traditional earrings in the villages and tribal areas of India are manifestations of symbolism, religious meaning and social significance. A woman wears a particular type of earring as a sign of identity, of membership in the defined social group into which she was born. Wearing the specific earrings of her community, she continues the tradition of her ancestors.
In a field work of ten years, I could locate and describe in detail 170 specific types of earrings, of which a majority are worn until the present day. Many more are extinct or neglected, others will follow this fate in the future under the present fast economic growth and impact from the west, which erodes values of tradition and heritage.
One of the most interesting and conspicuous traditional Indian earring types is the snake earring which can be found in three far-apart areas of the continent: Orissa in the East, Tamil Nadu in the South and Gujarat/Rajasthan in the West.

Inspiring Artworks

The work of Sara Holbert is delicate and inspiring...her smooth style and beautiful imaginary gets our attention right away. She illustrates, paints and draws using all her imaginations and love for digital and traditional art.

Kanwal Dhaliwal Immigration

 Immigration: Some countries live on it by getting the best brains or brawn in the world, by simply giving them nationality and a place where they can explore and exploit their talents. Others forbid it, afraid. Some make anyone who leaves pay for all the education and food received when living there. Still others are happy to have our work but not our presence: one must pay taxes but cannot be a citizen. Sometimes we own land long before a land owns us.
Kanwal Dhaliwal has drawn, sculpted and painted the many themes of immigration, the country one grew up in, the country one learned to call home where everything looked the same and nothing was familiar: Homes with shoots but no roots, horizons of fool’s gold glimpsed while traveling, children who speak a strange language and look at you as if they do not know you, new bugs, new officiousness, strange climates . Often immigrants think of killing the past, of beginning afresh or of adventure, not that this too is an end. Many manage to forget they had to jump ignominiously through the eye of a needle and the thousand days of waiting. Meticulously, with deep introspection, Dhaliwal brings these sometimes vertiginous experiences into forms where we too may remember and reflect.

Still Life with Stem Cells

 Part of Piccinini's 2002 exhibit, "Still Life with Stem Cells" explores the possible consequences of genetic engineering by portraying a young girl playing with what appear to be blobs of human flesh.

Piss Christ

 Serrano caused a scandal that was heavily debated on the floor of the United States Senate in 1989. The photograph of a tiny plastic crucifix in a cup of Serrano's urine sparked much debate surrounding artistic freedom, but won a competition held by the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.

Love and Redemption

Peter-Witkin's highly graphic photography features the dismembered arm and head of a human corpse. This piece was created in Mexico, because its production would have been illegal in the United States.

The Difference Between Art and Design

The subject of what separates art and design is convoluted and has been debated for a long time.
Artists and designers both create visual compositions using a shared knowledge base, but their
reasons for doing so are entirely different.
Some designers consider themselves artists, but few artists consider themselves designers.
So what exactly is the difference between art and design? In this post, we’ll examine and
compare some of the core principles of each craft.
This is a subject that people have strong opinions about, and I’m looking forward to reading the
various points of view in the comments.
This post isn’t a definitive guide, but rather the starting point for a conversation, so let’s
be open-minded!

Good Art Inspires. Good Design Motivates.

Perhaps the most fundamental difference between art and design that we can all agree on is their
purposes.
Typically, the process of creating a work of art starts with nothing, a blank canvas. A work of
art stems from a view or opinion or feeling that the artist holds within him or herself.
They create the art to share that feeling with others, to allow the viewers to relate to it,
learn from it or be inspired by it.
The most renowned (and successful) works of art today are those that establish the strongest
emotional bond between the artist and their audience.
By contrast, when a designer sets out to create a new piece, they almost always have a fixed
starting point, whether a message, an image, an idea or an action.
The designer’s job isn’t to invent something new, but to communicate something that already
exists, for a purpose.
That purpose is almost always to motivate the audience to do something: buy a product, use a
service, visit a location, learn certain information. The most successful designs are those that
most effectively communicate their message and motivate their consumers to carry out a task.

Good Art Is Interpreted. Good Design Is Understood.

Another difference between art and design is how the messages of each are interpreted by their
respective audiences.
Although an artist sets out to convey a viewpoint or emotion, that is not to say that the
viewpoint or emotion has a single meaning.
Art connects with people in different ways, because it’s interpreted differently.
Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been interpreted and discussed for many years. Just why is she smiling?
Scientists say it’s an illusion created by your peripheral vision. Romantics say she is in love.
Skeptics say there is no reason. None of them are wrong.
Design is the very opposite. Many will say that if a design can be “interpreted” at all, it has
failed in its purpose.
The fundamental purpose of design is to communicate a message and motivate the viewer to do
something.
If your design communicates a message other than the one you intended, and your viewer goes and
does something based on that other message, then it has not met its requirement. With a good
piece of design, the designer’s exact message is understood by the viewer.

Good Art Is a Taste. Good Design Is an Opinion.

Art is judged by opinion, and opinion is governed by taste.
To a forward-thinking modern art enthusiast, Tracey Emin’s piece “My Bed”, which was shortlisted
for the Turner Prize in 1999, may be the height of artistic expression.
To a follower of more traditional art, it may be an insult to the medium. This goes back to our
point about interpretation, but taste is more about people’s particular likes and dislikes
rather than the message they take away from a piece.
Design has an element of taste, but the difference between good and bad design is largely a
matter of opinion.
A good piece of design can still be successful without being to your taste. If it accomplishes
its objective of being understood and motivates people to do something, then whether it’s good
or not is a matter of opinion.
We could go on discussing this particular point, but hopefully the underlying principle is
clear.

Good Art Is a Talent. Good Design Is a Skill.

What about the creator’s abilities?
More often than not, an artist has natural ability. Of course, from a young age, the artist
grows up drawing, painting, sculpting and developing their abilities.
But the true value of an artist is in the talent (or natural ability) they are born with. There
is some overlap here: good artists certainly have skill, but artistic skill without talent is,
arguably, worthless.
Design, though, is really a skill that is taught and learned. You do not have to be a great
artist to be a great designer; you just have to be able to achieve the objectives of design.
Some of the most respected designers in the world are best known for their minimalist styles.
They don’t use much color or texture, but they pay great attention to size, positioning, and
spacing, all of which can be learned without innate talent.

Good Art Sends a Different Message to Everyone. Good Design Sends the Same Message to Everyone.

This really falls under the second point about interpretation and understanding. But if you take
only one thing away from this article, take this point.
Many designers consider themselves artists because they create something visually attractive,
something they would be proud for people to hang on a wall and admire.
But a visual composition intended to accomplish a specific task or communicate a particular
message, no matter how beautiful, is not art. It is a form of communication, simply a window to
the message it contains.
Few artists call themselves designers because they seem to better understand the difference.
Artists do not create their work to sell a product or promote a service. They create it solely
as a means of self-expression, so that it can be viewed and appreciated by others. The message,
if we can even call it that, is not a fact but a feeling.