Awesome Art & Design

Animator Han Yang’s Unreal Engine CG short film feels more like a video game cutscene than a full-fledge work of science fiction, but it features a thrilling fight sequence, and some truly awesome character design by Ben Erdt, Perry Leijten, and Vick Gaza.

Artist Joe Takayama’s short film juxtaposes modern animation technology with traditional Japanese art styles. He developed an algorithmic method for rendering Kiriko (cut glass) and Kumiko (wooden lattice work) using a system typically used for simulating plant growth in CGI.

A fun coffee table book or bathroom reader filled with random and strange bits of trivia, each accompanied by a silly illustration. Learn how Napoleon was attacked by rabbits, how dancing goats are the reason we have coffee, and how it’s illegal for a mortician to swear in front of the dead in Georgia.

These funky, chunky rings feature intricate sculptures of cities sitting atop them. There are models of Rome, London, and New York City, crafted from copper, silver, or gold, and set under durable, see-through resin. Sign up here to be notified when they’re available for pre-order.

Experimental filmmaker and motion graphic artist Dirk Koy provides a unique perspective of a traffic circle. By rotating top-down, time-lapse footage of vehicles as they pass in and out of the lanes, it almost looks like they’re being magnetically pulled towards the center of the circle, then released back into the world.

The THX sound, the Mac and Windows startup tones, the Nokia ringtone, and the Intel Inside music are all immediately recognizable. Two sound experts explain the psychology and conceptual approach behind such memorable auditory cues, and why they’re so important to brands.

A fascinating work of kinetic art by Piotr Jędrzejewski. This endlessly moving creation uses a pair of gear-driven rotating spheres to constantly keep in off balance and in motion. The sculpture is on display in front of Poland’s Wrocław–Copernicus Airport.

It’s been 40 years since the Sony Walkman first came on the scene, and since been supplanted by CDs, MP3s, and streaming. But if you’re craving that old cassette tape sound, NINM Lab’s portable player/recorder has Bluetooth 5.0, so you can wirelessly send its sounds to a speaker or headphones. Sadly it’s not stereo.

If you don’t have a bag of Skittles lying around the house, you’ll want to run out and buy one right now, just so you can try and replicate Dexter See’s video, which shows what happens when you car fully arrange the colorful candies in a circle then pour hot water over them.

The brick-building enthusiasts at Vonado make a variety of custom LED lighting kits which are designed to bring added life and dimension to dozens of stock LEGO kits. Among our faves are War Machine Buster, ECTO-1, the Saturn V rocket, and the TRON Legacy Lightcycles. Prices don’t include the original LEGO kit.

Janice of East Dixfield, Maine is no ordinary grandmother. She has a love for classic 8-bit video games, and crochets wonderfully soft and comfy looking acrylic yarn blankets using granny squares in place of pixels. Her Etsy shop currently has blankets inspired by Donkey Kong, Galaxian, TRON, and Mario.

Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé’s incredibly inventive animated short film tells the story of a “a vain and arrogant youth dares to enter Baba Yaga’s living house of bones.” But after the young man wreaks havoc on the old lady’s world, she delivers a swift and just punishment for his misdeeds.

Theory11’s vintage style cards are a nod to the rich history of Philadelphia, the hometown of their designer True Hand Society. The cards feature an off-white card stock and 19th century style line art on front, with vibrant red backs embellished with snakes. Packed in an embossed box with gold foil outside and in.

Music label INDUSTRIAL JP presents a hypnotic, close-up look at the metal bending machines at Goko Spring Co. which take spools or stiff wire and convert them into tiny springs. We could seriously put this on repeat and watch it all day long. The track is Goko Bane by Sountrive.

Artist DP Truong shows off his mad compass skills as he creates a detailed portrait by drawing hundreds of concentric circles and varying the pressure of his pen to create shades of grey. Here’s another one of his images celebrating the collab between Son Tung, Snoop Dogg, and Madison Beer.

Artist Dieter Stahlwerx shows off a couple of his creations – thick metal sculptures which are cut so precisely that their second part nearly disappears into the background as it glides smoothly into place. Second video here.

Wigwams are a kind of shelter historically built and lived in by Native Americans and other indigenous people. Watch as members of the Historic Huguenot Street recreate one of the structures by bending tree saplings, and covering them with dried grasses, tree bark, and other natural materials in this enthralling time-lapse.

Woodworker lignum shows off another cool carpentry project. This time, he created the frame for a chair by bending layers of laminated wood slats using a custom-built form. After cutting, sanding, and assembling the pieces, he wrapped the finished frame with hemp rope to create a pliable seat and back.

Domino master Hevesh5 and six of her friends spent half a week setting up a number of constructions designed to delight. In all, the structures were comprised of roughty 32,000 dominoes, each one offering up a different style of trick. We especially loved that thing with the 10 tentacles, or whatever they were.

Sharpen your pencils, and learn to draw accurate human figures, comic book characters, faces, pets, still life images, and more with this extensive bundle of online art training. Another great bargain from The Awesomer Shop.

In this beautifully illustrated short science fiction film, a pilot and a spaceship depart on a very long journey with some very precious cargo headed for a better place. Based on a short story by Karin Lowachee and directed by Chad Thompson for Yeah Haus as part of The Verge’s Better Worlds project.

Digital artist Tomin’s short film features one of the slickest and most mind-bending transition effects we’ve seen. Each location starts out looking quite ordinary, but then as the camera approaches, it fragments into blocks, revealing a new scene.

Interactive designer Sabba Keynejad put together a simple, but wonderful rig for recording animations. By feeding sheets of paper under a pair of motorized rollers, a stack of 1000 individually printed sheets are brought to life. The track is Drinkee by Sofi Tukker.