Active Fine Art Posts
News: Mechanical Sculpture Spits Out 441 Perfectly Sphered Water Droplets
Beauty is a fine line between art and science for Pe Lang, a Swiss sculptor living and working in both Berlin and Zurich. The autodidact artist specializes in graceful, hand-built kinetic sculptures made of magnetic, electrical and mechanical devices, all of which are elegant and completely mesmerizing. "Positioning Systems - Falling Objects" is one of his newest contraptions, which feels like a mix of home waterfall fountains, mechanical metronomes and a busy manufacturing plant.
News: 3 Ways You Can Protest Ai Weiwei's Detainment by the Chinese Goverment
The Free Art and Technology Lab (F.A.T.) has provided three different energetic and passionate methods for voicing support for Ai Weiwei, the famous Chinese artist and activist who has been detained without known reason by the Chinese government since March 31st.
News: Cut & Fold Your Own DIY Prada
Prada is genius. If you're a hater, you've never been to the flagship store on Broadway in NYC. The fashion powerhouse enlisted the Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Rem Koolhaas to design the space, a stunning retail location with impeccable service, rotating installations, beautiful architectural details, hypnotizing music, and a gigantic, monolithic glass elevator. (You can go on an interactive tour here).
How To: Draw a leopard
Start with a faint outline of the leopards head which is an oval shape and is body which is connected to the head, then add the outlines of the legs ears and tail. In the oval draw the proper perspective lines for the face of the leopard. Now draw the outline of the tree or branch the leopard is laying on. Begin to darken the outlines, drawing with proper perspective, while adding the outlines for facial features. Add your shading depending on your light source then begin to erase the faint l...
How To: Create a high-waisted poofy skirt with Gianny L
High waists and poofy balloon skirts are both two of the hottest fashion trends this season, seen on stars like Lauren Conrad and Jessica Simpson (yes, of the famous "Mom jean" snafu).
News: From Puppy to Adult in 40 Seconds (+ 3 Methods for Creating Time-Lapse)
What's cuter than a puppy? Not much, especially when you omit all the peeing, barking and furniture chewing, as Remedie Studio did with this sweet time-lapse homage to their beloved pup. Below, watch Dunder the German Shepherd grow from 8 weeks old to 1 year in 40 seconds. Inspired? Make your own time-lapse video and post it to the WonderHowTo company blog. We'll show off the best ones. Here are three different methods to get you started:
News: Conjuring the Apocalypse on Tabletop: Lori Nix Talks Dioramas
Lori Nix is a photographer whose stunning work depicts curious scenes of danger and disaster: abandoned spaces, architecture in a state of extreme deterioration, natural calamities, and more. But the mysterious places she captures with her 8x10 large format camera aren't actual found locations—they're meticulously fabricated miniature dioramas.
News: Lasciviously Lathered in Superhero Body Paint
It's perhaps every male Comic-Con geek's lecherous daydream: Pretty girls slathered in bodypaint, but not just any design or pattern. Superhero bodypaint—a crest of Superman slashed across the chest, a mysterious mask enclosing sultry eyes, a Spiderman hand clutching at… ugh, I just creeped myself out. I sound like I'm composing an Anaïs Nin novel for Marvel geeks. I'm going to stop now so you can scroll down and see for yourself.
News: Fashion Loves the Pixel
Not since JC de Castelbajac's infectiously fun LEGO fashion line have I seen such energetic geek-inspired ware. Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga pays homage to ye olde 8-bit days with his extensive catwalk of video game inspired womenswear—ranging from dresses to suits to streetwear. The pixel-printed Fall/Winter 2011/2012 collection debuted during Tokyo Fashion Week under his label Anrealage. Not only did the models don classic pixel prints, but they also strutted to a live pianist perfor...
Sewing the Invisible: Jum Nakao's Paper Couture
The challenge of creating garments with unconventional materials has become an all too familiar gimmick for most first year students at fashion schools. The end result is more often than not a catwalk of garbage bags, zip ties, plastic bottles and cans, assembled into a menagerie of mediocrity. Enter Jum Nakao. But while the Japanese-Brasilian artist/fashion designer does use an unconventional and impractical material (paper) for his collection "A Costura do Invisivel"(translation: "Sewing th...
News: That Graffiti Is Playing Tricks on Me
Mimmo Rubino applies the art of brain melting to the streets with his perspective-distorting, optical illusion graffiti art. The coolest part is Mimmo includes links to Google Maps for some of the pieces, so you can go take a look for yourself (if you happen to be in the vicinity of Rome).
Enter to Win: The Secret Tips from the Yumiverse DIY Contest
If you have yet to check out the Secret Tips from the Universe DIY Contest, now's the time! The clock is ticking—you only have until Sunday, 11:59 p.m. to enter for a chance to win original artwork by Yumi.
How To: Draw a beautiful Mother's Day bouquet for your Mom
Nothing touches a mother's heart more than receiving a handcrafted gift. If you're looking for ideas of what to get mom this mother's day, watch this video and learn how to draw her a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Your mom will love it.
How To: Tie dye a shirt with the sunburst technique
Most people (who have never done tie dye before) think that tie dye is simply squirting a bunch of psychadelic colors onto tied up fabric and going crazy with it. But there's more to tie dye than trippy rainbow hues and organic designs. There is more than one way to add a tie dye effect to a shirt or scarf.
GIVEAWAY: "Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them" (NOW CLOSED)
If you missed our profile on photographer Sharon Beals' new book, Nests: Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them, now's the time to check it out. You have until 11:59 pm tonight to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Beals' book, a beautiful series of photographs demonstrating the astounding self-sustainability of the avian race. To enter, you must:
How To: Draw four different styles of manga hair for girls and boys
This tutorial shows you how to add hair to a manga face. Two male hairstyles and two female hairstyles are demonstrated - a bun or topknot and loose hair for women, and a short shaggy cut and long ponytail for men.
News: Birds as the Ultimate DIY Architects
The widely used expression "free as a bird" intimates an enviable existence: delicate, yet mighty wings transporting to destinations no human could so breezily venture. But despite their fanciful, superhero ability, in truth, the avian race leads one of the most difficult existences in the animal kingdom. Yes, birds have existed for eons—they likely evolved from small dinosaurs of the Jurassic period—but for these creatures, life can be ruthless.
News: Making Ordinary Objects Extraordinary
Kevin Van Aelst creates witty visual "one-liners" by recontextualizing everyday, ordinary objects. With a few simple tweaks, the viewer recognizes a roll of tape as the ocean or reads gummi worms as chromosomes or understands mitosis through the use of sweet, sugary donuts.
How To: Take macro photographs with the reverse lens technique
If you want to take beautiful macro photos, without having to pay for an expensive macro lens, try the reverse lens technique and use the lens you already have. This is a creative way to get great photos without spending all of your money on equipment.
How To: Give your cartoon cows hilarious facial expressions
Take your cartooning to the next level! This video will show you how you can make your cartoon characters more expressing and emotive with outrageous facial expressions. Watch the artist demonstrate a full range of facial expressions and you will learn how to draw.
How To: Draw fun cartoon characters like cows and farmers
In this video, professional cartoonist StiK shows you how to draw a number of fun characters. If you are interested in cartoons or cartooning, you will surely learn a lot from watching this video. Practice the techniques you see here and you will be able to make your own cartoon strip.
How To: Draw cartoon cars
If you want to make cars come to life as hilarious cartoons (car-toons!) then this is the video for you. The artist will show you how to draw a cartoon car. Learning to draw cartoons is easier than you think!
How To: Draw a really funny cool looking cartoon gorilla
If you are looking to expand your inventory of cartoon characters, this video will show you how to draw everyone's favorite great ape, the gorilla. Gorillas make a great addition to any scene in a comic strip or single panel cartoon. Happy drawing!
How To: Draw a cartoon tractor and other fun things
Cartoons are great because they can bring anything to life. In this video, you will learn how to draw a cartoon tractor that could star in its own comic strip. Learn to draw by watching this video and studying the artist's technique.
How To: Draw a cartoon cat attacking a lampshade
Are you interested in developing your artistic talents? Have you got great ideas for cartoons but not enough technical know-how to make them come to life? This video will show you to draw a cartoon cat that will jump right off the page.
How To: Create your own cartoon bird characters
Birds are a challenging subject for any artist, cartoonists included. Watch this professional cartoon artist demonstrate his technique for drawing cartoon birds that are lively and fun. These birds fly around the page. If you are looking to add birds to your cartoon portfolio, watch this video.
How To: Draw Bloom from Winx Club
If you're a fan of Italian animated television series, Winx Club, here's your chance to bring the characters to life! In this video, learn how to draw Bloom from the series with help from Drawing Now. Search WonderHowTo for more videos from Drawing Now to learn how to draw a variety of characters and cartoons!
News: Farm Your Manga
Hmm, what to do with all those old comic books lying around... How about a little Manga farming?
How To: Draw male and female manga eyes
In this clip, Mark Rilley teaches how to draw male and female eyes in the Japanese manga style. Breaking down the anatomy, he distinguishes the gender differences between the two in order to give your drawings more masculine or feminine qualities. For more information, and to get started drawing your own Japanese comic-style eyes, watch this free video drawing lesson.
News: Pour! Paint Puddle Psychedelia
Holton Rower's Pour recalls the lysergic 1960s at their most saturated. So much so that, had Timothy Leary been an abstract expressionist, it's easy to imagine that his work might have borne more than a passing resemblance. The process is essentially self-evident: build a flat, geometrical sculpture and pour cup after cup of paint on it. Gravity does the rest. But, gee, what an effect! SOURCE Holton Rower via poppytalk.
News: Realist Painter of the Hollywood Stars (Yes, Those Are MJ's Spooky Eyes)
Sebastian Kruger is a German artist known for his "star caricaturist" paintings: stylistically exaggerated, realistically painted portraits of pop icons. My personal favorite depicts the classic Clint Eastwood stance (as Harry Callahan: Go ahead! Make my day!). Scroll below for the Stones, Tom Waits, Michael Jackson and more.
News: Alexander McQueen's Final Collection Is Strikingly Sci-Fi
Sci-fi being just one descriptor, the late Alexander McQueen's final Spring 2010 collection draws inspiration from that and much more.
How To: Make heat press transfers with vinyl
This video printmaking tutorial demonstrates the process of using heat transfer vinyl. From cutting to weeding to heating, watch this instructional video to learn how to heat press transfer with vinyl.
News: Handmade Living Paper Dolls
Inspired by Jules Verne sea demons, Bea Szenfeld's “Sur la Plage” collection includes 12 pieces handcrafted with cardboard. The idea of unconventional material constraints is a classic art school "test", as well as a typical (and somewhat tired) formula for competitive design reality shows. However, Szenfeld's garments do transcend the material and would surely win any Project Runway challenge.
News: 10-Year-Old Girl Imitates Banksy
When children's book author Aaron Zenz took his family to see the highly acclaimed Banksy documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, his 10-year-old daughter Gracie was immediately inspired to become a street artist. Aaron quickly explained that "while the art was fun and the story was great, vandalism isn’t a good thing" so the family was challenged to come up with an appropriately stealthy public art project that didn't entail defacing public property. So, what do you get when you cross an in...
News: The Secret Life of a Love Doll
Famed artist and photographer Laurie Simmons boasts an impressive career spanning over three decades. She's shown at some of the world's top art institutions and galleries, and appeared on art world popular PBS television series Art 21. She also happens to be the the proud mother of promising young filmmaker Lena Dunham, the 24-year-old director of last year's indie hit Tiny Furniture.
Photo of the Day: Meanwhile, in Afghanistan...
From Boston.com's The Big Picture, what a real-life version of the Green Hornet's gas gun might look like. Taken in Afghanistan in February of this year, an Afghan army recruit is pictured shrouded in a cloud of shocking green smoke as he participates in a graduation parade after an oath ceremony at Ghazi military training center—an American effort to strengthen Afghan forces so they can fight against Taliban strongholds.
How To: Paint eyebrows and hair onto your reborn baby doll
The importance of paint cannot be underestimated when it comes to correctly constructing a reborn baby doll. There are many tutorials showing you how to correctly replicate the hair on your baby doll's head, but what about the eyebrows? This tutorial shows you how to use a variety of paints and fine tip brushes to correctly achieve realistic eyebrows as well as head hair for your next reborn project.
News: 2011 TED Prize Winner Invites You to Participate in Global Art Project
A Parisian street artist anonymously known as JR—his pervasive works feature massive photographs of poor urban residents plastered across the cityscape—was awarded the 2011 TED prize some months ago.
Eye Candy of the Day: WiFi Networks Visualized
Norwegian designers Timo Armall, Jørn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen visually capture invisible WiFi signals by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs. The trio set up a four-meter long WiFi-detecting rod with 80 LED bulbs to depict cross-sections through the WiFi networks of various Oslo neighborhoods. Armall says: