Awesome Art & Design

We’ve visited Manila before, and can attest to thew fact that it can be one of the most overwhelming places on the planet. But there are also pockets of quiet and order to the chaos in this densely-packed city. Photographer Joerg Daiber managed to capture both ends of the spectrum in his vibrant tilt-shift, time-lapse clip.

Designer James Paulius extends his collection of colorful wooden architectural blocks with a miniature version of New York City. The full set features two iconic skyscrapers, a handful of shorter buildings, and a smattering of urban greenspace. The Empire State building and greenway models are available separately as well.

Artist DP Truong creates works in a variety of medium, from paints to pens to pencils, but one of his most intriguing approaches to art is portraiture made from thread. Watch as she transforms 44 white threads into a portrait reminiscent of the waveforms on the cover of the Joy Division album Unknown Pleasures.

Not only is this teensy axe that blacksmith Paul Pinto made adorable, he upped the challenge of creating it by using a miniature anvil and hammer he previously made. The only problem with the video is the sped up drilling sound reminds us of the dentist too much.

Herschel Supply Co. pays tribute to the enigmatic NYC artist’s work with a dynamic print of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s most iconic 1981 painting Untitled (Scull/Skull). The featherweight snap-front windbreaker comes in a water-resistant, polyester diamond dobby ripstop fabric, thin enough to pack inside an internal storage pocket.

While the metal helmets worn by soldiers in ancient times weren’t exactly cushioned like today’s foam-filled models, they did save lots of heads. In this clip from metalsmith Andrey Yumanov, he takes us through the process of heating, forming, and finishing sheet metal to form one of those old-style military helmets.

Kenma’s unique silicone phone cases feature a surface on back which can be written on, then erased. It’s compatible with oil-based ballpoint pens, and is designed to resist smudges and ink bleeds. Available from Amazon Japan or importer Japan Trend Shop.

Artist Scott Reinhard creates images of America’s national parks and other notable locations by rendering a topographic relief map onto a survey map, then printing them onto high quality photographic paper for a stunning 3D effect, despite being flat sheets of paper. Each one has lots of nifty geographic and geological details.

Artist Justinas Zozo shows us the amazing technique he uses to create his photorealistic paintings. He painstakingly cuts dozens of intricate stencils, which he then uses to mask layer after layer of spray paint colors. Kingfisher took him about six months to complete.

Filmmaker Roman De Giuli used crisp macro photography of iron powder, magnets, pigments, and glitter to capture this visually spectacular short film, which despite its otherworldly looks was created without any CGI. Music by Son-J.

Designed by December Boys, these unique playing cards feature a twisty black and white zig-zag pattern on both their fronts and backs, creating for dramatic illusions for cardistry enthusiasts. Comes with four double-backed green cards for chromakeying effects in videos.

Ukraine model designer Denis Ohrimenko of TimeForMachine makes a variety of cool laser-cut wood kits, including a series of awesome robot monsters. Each one has movable legs which can be swapped out with other models. Choose from Scorpio MN 3.1, Scarabeus MN 9.1, Arachnoid MN 2.1, and Prometeus MN 1.1 designs.

Black Light Visuals shows us how they use a tank filled with water and various colors of paints to create a truly one-of-a-kind marbled shoe design. Here, they dip a pair of ordinary white Converse Chuck Taylors and turn them into a wearable work of art.

HeroQuest is a tabletop fantasy game that’s been around since 1989. As a fan of the game, LEGO builder King Glorious Squirrel has designed an impressive concept for a set that’s packed with tons of details, wonderful dungeons and minifigs, and is playable. Show your support for the project on LEGO Ideas.

This boxed set comes with a total of 100 full-color postcards, with more than 20 unique designs, each based on the final frames of one of Studio Ghibli’s incredible feature-length animated films. Each 5 1/2″ x 3 3/4″ card would make a beautiful piece of wall art, individually, or framed together.

Give your headphones an appropriate home between listening sessions with this stand from Luckies of London. The hand-shaped stand is posed in the familiar devil’s horns gesture, signifying that you’re ready to rock. It’s made from cast resin with an antique gold finish. We promise Gene Simmons won’t sue you if you buy it.

An elegant and unique collection of beer glasses from Swedish glass maker Sempli and designer Daniele ‘Danne’ Semeraro. The set includes IPA, Pils, Pint, and Birra style glasses, each featuring a bold modern outline, and a mountain peak at its bottom.

Retro system master builder Love Hultén continues to outdo himself, this time creating a sweet game cabinet not only inspired by the classic Nintendo Famicom system, but has a fully-playable console built-in. It also packs an old-school 9″ Sony Trinitron CRT, and has storage for controllers inside, and cartridges on top.

Mashable introduces us to Tomislav Topic and Thomas Granseuer of Quintessenz. The duo creates colorful and dynamic art installations by spray-painting flexible mesh material, then layering them into gradations of color. When set against real-world backdrops, they look almost like digital imagery.

Visual artist Nick Cobby combined amazing top-down drone footage with abstract digital art to create the hypnotic video for Max Cooper’s Perpetual Motion, an audio-visual piece commissioned by London’s Barbican Centre. The work transforms the movements of people into ever-changing geometric patterns.

We’ve seen footage of a factory where they make animatronic dinosaurs but never really got a look at how they’re made. This clip from the Discovery UK edition of How It’s Made walks us through the process of transforming foam and metal into a moving, mechanical monster, with a focus on sculpting and molding its body.

Artist Iris Scott doesn’t believe in paintbrushes. Instead, she creates detailed and vibrant images using only her gloved fingers. Her works include people, animals, landscapes, water, and urban scenes. Find more of her art on her website, and canvas prints are available here.

Headed by blacksmith Aaron Cergol, Cergol Forge makes axes, knives and other hand tools. It’s most famous for its beautiful hammers, which often have forged, carved or burned details. In addition to its in-stock pieces, the shop accepts custom orders.