Ukrainian glass artist Nikita Drachuk of Glass Symphony creates all manner of glass spiders, octopi, and other critters by hand. He uses a method called lampworking, where a lamp or torch is used to melt rods of colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass can be formed by blowing and shaping with various tools and small movements. You can see more of their delicate glass critters here.
I want him
I do lamp work. This is hard. And they break.
I love these trompe-l’oeil chalk drawings by David Zinn (via Colossal). He has an interesting perspective on reality that the streets of Ann Arbor benefit from.
This post is for my friend Carol, who is participating in the “Color My World” challenge.
The folks over at Que Interesante created this clever sticker pack for crayons, effectively turning color names into the chemical compounds the correlate with each hue. The sets seem like a fun way to learn for a science-minded family and are available in number of different packs or in bulk for schools.
Tattoo artist Pony Reinhardt creates delicate collisions of plants, animals, and elements of space and alchemy in her black line tattoos reminiscent of vintage woodcut etchings. Studies of anatomy mingle with constellations and crystals, while woodland creatures right out of a storybook are wreathed in densely illustrated greenery. Reinhardt graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA degree in fibers and her artwork has been exhibited in the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art as well as earning a number of awards and accolades. She founded an appointment-only tattoo studio in Portland called Tenderfoot Studio, and you can see many more of her pieces on Istagram. (via Illusion)
Story by Christopher Jobson at Colossal
Artist James Merry cannot stop doodling. In this case he doodles beautifully embroidered flowers integrated into company logos on apparel. I admire the skill – all hand-done – not machine embroidery.
A handmade ceramic pot serves as an ingenious zoetrope-like animation device in this collaborative video. The video was created by animator Jim Le Fevre, filmmaker Mike Paterson, and ceramicists Roops and Al Johnstone of RAMP. It was commissioned by the UK-based Crafts Council. – from Laughing Squid
I admire the concept and the skill.
With origins that date back as far as the Tang Dynasty (around the year ~700), the Chinese craft of Dongyang wood carving is regarded by many to be one of the most elegant forms of relief carving in the world. The craft is still practiced in a few workshops in the region of Dongyang, China, and most commonly appears as ornate decoration on ‘everyday’ objects such as cases, cabinets, stools, desks and tables.
Photo credit: Michael Lai
I am a fan of stippling – although my stippled drawing that appeared in my high school literary magazine was criticized for having “too many dots” – mmm. I think Xavier Calsata’s work is amazing.
This homage to Vincent’s Starry Night is created by colorful colonies of bacteria grown in petri dishes.
Today marks the winter solstice – the beginning of the story-telling season, the time when the earth’s northern hemisphere is at its maximum axial tilt away from the sun, the day when your noontime shadow is the longest it is going to be all year. So break out your cakes and ale, light some sparklers, and call back the sun!
Because it is tattoo Tuesday – here is one I liked . . .
There are more interesting solstice mandalas over at deviant art.
Firearms, fibers, any news or behaviors that make me say, "hmm, let me take another look at this."
I still miss my man, but my aim is getting better.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 