Awesome Art & Design

Printed full-color images are often made from dot patterns called halftones. From a distance, they produce the illusion of smooth shades and millions of colors, but made from just four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Posy’s video offers a brief overview of the technique and a series of close-up dot patterns zoomed out to see their full images.

Etsy seller BUproducts makes these unique decorative racks for organizing keys. The hexagonal honeycomb design is made from bamboo and has five magnets for holding its matching hexagonal metal key rings. The rack measures 11.2″ W x 4.3″ H x 0.4″ D.

Louisville, Kentucky-based The Wooden States creates precision-cut hardwood wall art based on state shapes. Each one is backed with four strong magnets which can hold onto key rings, pocket knives, jewelry, and other metal objects. In addition to individual states, there’s a version of the entire continental U.S.

Woodworker Frank Howarth wanted to turn a slice of a fir tree into something different than a typical coffee table. So he set out to create a giant version of a LEGO gear. After patching a crack in the wood with bacon-shaped ties, he encountered a frustrating obstacle while cutting the pattern but persevered.

The Smithsonian Channel takes us near Shanghai, China, where what was once a rock quarry has been transformed into an extravagant luxury resort. Architect Martin Jochman of JADE+QA designed the structure that appears to be just two stories when approaching from the top, but is actually a 16-story tower that blends into the rocks.

When Serengy Technology came across a micromotor from a camera, he thought it would be perfect for driving a miniature power tool. He made his mini drill from a hunk of acrylic, which he painstakingly cut and shaped, then outfitted it with the motor, wiring, hearing aid batteries, and a tiny switch.

The whole point of a laptop computer is that it’s portable. That didn’t stop makers Evan and Katelyn from building a laptop that’s so ridiculously large that you need two people to carry it. It has a 43-inch display, an oversize keyboard and runs on batteries. They should try and borrow Glarses’ giant keyboard.

Mustard’s Instant Coasters look like blank Polaroid instant photos. Each tempered glass coaster has a slot where you can insert a 3.3″x 3.3″ photo, so you can personalize and change it up whenever you want. Sold in a set of four, they also come in gold.

This stainless steel stencil is ideal for sketching out user interface and user experience concepts. It features common icons for things like menus, arrows, buttons, and sliders, as well as social media. Its top edge includes a pixel ruler and column guides as well.

We’ve seen jawbreakers face off against a blow torch, a hydraulic press,and a sanding belt. But Ben’s Worx used his power (tools) for good not evil, turning a Monster Jawbreaker into a work of art by turning it on a lathe, coating it in resin to preserve the design, then turning it again to form a new sphere.

These wall decals look like giant sheets of ruled notebook paper but work like dry-erase whiteboards. The set of decals is easy to place and remove from walls and includes four sheets in sizes from 8.2″ W x 8.8″ L to 16.5″ W x 23.5″ L.

Starting and keeping a fire going takes time and effort, not to mention wood. The Flameship creates a convincing illusion of fire without the dangers of a real fire. It uses computer-controlled LEDs illuminating steam vapor to produce its cool-touch flame effect. It offers five flame effect settings, and its body looks like a sculptural work of modern art.

When somebody says they’re going to build a cardboard model of a Star Wars ship, we assume it would be something you could fit on a bookshelf. But cardboard artist Bodoc likes to make things at a slightly larger scale. This time-lapse video shows how he created a 1/2-scale version of a crashed TIE advanced X1 fighter out of shipping boxes.

In today’s work-from-home world, having a good desk is a must. You could buy one, or you could do what HomeMadeModern did and build one to your own exacting specifications. We love how Jessie incorporated walls, and sound-deadening felt to make it her own. We’d probably do corkboard for tacking up notes.

Petrol Vibes makes metal wall art based on the silhouettes of sports cars and motorcycles. In addition to classics like the Ferrari 250 GTO and C2 Corvette, they can fabricate custom designs. Each is made from laser-cut 2mm steel and comes in sizes from 31″ to 55″ wide.

After making a BB-8/Hulkbuster mashup, Adam of North of the Border imagines what it might be like if two of our favorite green characters combined forces. The figure features the muscular body of the Hulk with Yoda’s head, hands, and feet. Smash or do not smash. There is no try.

From dice towers to dice spinners to dice cups, you can roll dice in many different ways. Pixelcadet’s dice-tossing blunderbuss might be the best dice roller yet. This large-bored, rubber band-powered gun uses dice as ammunition instead of bullets. Here’s how its cartridge works. You can purchase the .STL files to print your own on Etsy.

It’s amazing what you can do with a precise laser cutter. This video from Tranyond shows how a powerful fiber laser can cut such fine lines that it can turn a flat sheet of aluminum into a series of nested spheres. The trick is that each cut leaves a tiny bit of metal on its edges to keep them connected when it’s opened up.

Beatles fans will adore these colorful playing cards from Theory11. The box set of four decks is illustrated with vibrant, psychedelic designs inspired by the Fab Four. The boxes and Kings are based on John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s look from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, while the other face cards feature not-so-subtle callbacks to classic Beatles songs.

This fancy artisan keycap set includes 16 metal keys made using the element indicated on their face. The materials include zinc, nickel, chromium, aluminum, copper, iron, brass, black aluminum, titanium, tin, bismuth, magnesium, gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium – the first dozen use solid metals, while the more expensive ones are electroplated.

Musician Nicolas Bras is known for inventing some truly unique musical instruments from off-the-shelf parts. In this video, he shows us how to build a simple string instrument from metal cans, wood, an electric guitar string, and a little water. You can grab blueprints to make your own aquatic harp on Patreon or download digital sound samples from Soundpaint.

Modelmaking has always fascinated us. Cath from The Square to Spare shows us the steps to make a miniature fridge that looks just like those fancy French door models. Its cabinet can be 3D printed or cut from balsa wood, with acrylic or resin shelves, wrapped in stainless steel contact paper, and lit with LED fairy lights.

Electronic instrument maker Elias Jarzombek created this unique synthesizer that looks like an abacus. The otherworldly sounds it makes are controlled by sliding and spinning its triangular “beads” on metal bars, along with turning its side dials. Read more about the Abacusynth on Elias’ website.