Awesome Art & Design

Mattel Creations salutes Japanese pop artist Keiichi Tanaami with a special version of the Magic 8-Ball. The fortune-telling sphere is decorated with Tanaami’s colorful and surreal imagery and includes answers inspired by the late artist. Comes artfully packaged with a certificate of authenticity. We also love their Fisher Price telephone 8-Ball.

Ben Quaniche of Macro Room returns to YouTube with a bang. Instead of his usual close-up shots of everyday objects, EDEN is a short film made of montages that question humanity’s trajectory and priorities. As revealed in the post-credits reel, each scene overlays Ben’s distinctive slow-motion shots on CGI landscapes.

Joseph Marr specializes in sculptures made out of sugar. As his profile with Great Big Story reveals, his edible creations often invert the stereotype of the eccentric artist. Joseph is absolutely baffled that people would lick and eat his works when they’re out in public. But he does love the interactive aspect of his material, as evidenced by his latest piece.

Gecco’s silly statue may be riding on the coattails of the Silent Hill 2 remake, but we think it can stand on its own. This functional collectible depicts the game’s famous joke ending, where it’s revealed that a cute and cheerful Shiba Inu was orchestrating the horrors all along. The console doubles as a coin bank, and the dog can be displayed separately.

We love the look of those wood tables that incorporate epoxy to create a river effect. Burls Art thought it would be cool to try filling those gaps with copper instead of resin. As you’ll see from the video, it’s not as simple as pouring molten copper into the wood. The heat would set it on fire. Instead, he had to create molds from the wood and then cast copper in those.

The SolidPixels Tetra is a desktop gadget that can display colorful animated images and data on a 64×32 RGB LED grid. It connects via wi-fi to update real-time information like stocks, news, sports scores, weather, and more. It works with a companion mobile app to select and configure its apps. Launches 10.15.24 on Kickstarter with three sizes available.

We’ve seen time and again that humans aren’t done inventing new musical instruments. Musician and inventor Fron Reilly shows off his fron2, a stringed instrument that spins like a hurdy-gurdy but is played with a bow or other object to create warm, ethereal sounds. Contact Fron on Facebook if you’re interested in having one built for you.

(Flashing images) This frenetic animated short film by Oelhan & Johan Petit reflects the stresses of everyday life and how they weigh heavily on us until we break the chains that bind us. The colorful, psychedelic imagery is a standout and best watched in full screen in a darkened room.

Keycap Quarry takes artisan keycaps to a whole new level. Their Amber Collection consists of keycaps hand cut and polished from rough amber that formed millions of years ago. Some of them even have prehistoric bugs captured inside. They’re compatible with Cherry MX-style switches but probably won’t fit cramped keyboards since they’re really chunky.

Josh King’s M-Con is a Bluetooth gamepad for smartphones that works with the iPhone’s MagSafe connector (and compatible cases). Once attached, it slides in and out the back of the phone like the controls on the PSP Go. Josh is planning on raising funds for the gamepad on Kickstarter in 2025. Retro Game Corps got their hands on a working prototype.

Humans since 1982 is back with another batch of its mesmerizing wall clock. The ClockClock 24 consists of 24 analog clock dials that, instead of telling the time individually, move in sync to form a digital display. This striking white on blue version was designed in partnership with Kit Kemp Design Studio. Limited to 100 units.

Another cleverly designed desk accessory from The Workspace Hero. This pair of speaker stands each has a hidden drawer, perfect for storing keys, cables, thumb drives, and other small essentials. The outer shell can be removed entirely to reveal its contents, while a tactile bump gives a satisfying confirmation that the stand is fully closed.

This all-in-one machine can print full-color images on sticker stock and automatically cut them into whatever shape you want. It outputs high-quality, 300 dpi dye-sublimation images and uses a companion mobile app to upload designs. The app can even extract photos from backgrounds and generate a cutting outline, and includes a large template library.

Beautify any mechanical keyboard with these lovely real metal keycaps from Awekeys. They’re made from recycled aluminum with copper plating. The keycaps produce an extra-clicky sound and are cool to the touch. They fit a variety of MX key switches and come in a base 116-key set, with add-ons like etched eagle-themed keys by artist Daniel Mitchell.

This fascinating 3D printing technology creates objects from silicone as they float in a water-based gel. Rapid Liquid Print’s uses a moving needle to inject the silicone into the gel and allows for the creation of objects without supports. This time-lapse video shows it outputting a unique handbag for Coperni’s collection being shown at Disneyland Paris.

A razor blade can cut things fine on its own, but it’s not as versatile or interesting to look at as a fixed-blade knife. YouTube channel Knives Project walks us through the process of making a kitchen knife by forging and hammering 350 razor blades into an eye-catching damascus pattern. After honing the blade, he finished it with a handsome wooden handle.