Awesome Art & Design

With the advent of computers, typewriters became pretty much obsolete. But it’s still amazing to see the incredible engineering that went into this once ubiquitous office equipment. Jake from Animagraffs takes us deep into the inner workings of a mechanical typewriter using a detailed 3D model of an early 20th-century Underwood.

UK artists Two Brass Monkeys make wonderfully challenging sculptural puzzles from brass and stainless steel. Among their tricky designs are the spherical Gob Stopper, the hexagonal Joy of Hex, and log-shaped Pygmy and Marmoset. Each one will flex your brain as you attempt to separate and put together their geometry.

The Kokoni Sota aims to improve upon three shortcomings of 3D printers: speed, noise, and color. Its makers claim it can output at up to 600mm/s at a whisper-quiet 30dB and can incorporate up to seven materials with the optional external filament tower. It’s also the first FDM printer we’ve seen that works inverted.

If we had to pick our favorite character from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, it would have to be Rocket Racoon. So we loved watching this video from artist Steven Richter building a picture-perfect sculpture of the furry little badass. Every detail is there, from his sad brown eyes to his boop-able nose.

ElectroBOOM’s Mehdi Sadaghdar often makes videos about electricity and ends up shocking himself. But in this clip, he uses his powers to create something beautiful. His magical fairyland lantern is filled with LED “fireflies” that dance around on a cushion of air and are powered wirelessly via induction.

There have been lots of memorable battles in the Star Wars universe. To celebrate his love for these action sequences, Boylei Hobby Time created a diorama with a trio of tiny battle scenes. He used miniatures from Star Wars Legion to recreate moments from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

These unique serving bowls from Pendulux feature an embossed design inspired by the lines and icons used to identify flying objects on radar screens. The pattern looks like it came from some ancient alien civilization. The set includes 13″, 9″ and 6.75″ diameter bowls, and comes in nickel-plated brass or natural brass.

There’s no question that Wes Anderson has a distinctive visual style. Curious Refuge envisions what sort of movie we might get if the auteur filmmaker was invited to direct a Star Wars movie, titled The Galactic Menagerie. Though we’re disappointed that Jason Schwarzman isn’t playing C-3PO. (Thanks, Rob!)

Filmmaker Conner Griffith scanned more than 1400 vintage engravings to create this meditative short film. It tells a series of abstract stories by isolating objects into individual frames. Conner’s effective sound design helps drive it along. The entire library of public domain images is available for download here.

This 208-page reference book is packed with tips and tricks you can use to build your DIY abilities. You’ll pick up skills like building your own metal forge, working with glass, wiring basic circuits, screenprinting, and more. It’s also got a section on organizing your workshop for efficiency.

Belgian filmmaker Gilles Havet sets our screens on fire by capturing an epic stage performance inspired by Norse mythology. The professional fire artists of Pyronix Production portray fire-wielding warriors in a eye-popping nighttime ballet of flame.

GazR’s Extreme Brick Machines modified a LEGO treadmill they built and turned it into an extreme obstacle course for a remote-controlled tank. The treadmill is powered by four Powered Up L motors and includes a variety of hills, rollers, ramps, speed bumps, a turntable, and a spinning gate for the tank to navigate.

Whether you played with Slinkies, Silly Putty, or Sea Monkeys when you were a kid, you’ll find some wonderful nostalgia in Steven Heller and Jim Heimann’s catalog of American toy advertising. The 528-page book features hundreds of vintage ads that sold dreams to kids and often served as a reflection of their time.

VFX artist Teun van der Zalm takes us on an immersive journey through a simulated nebula formation. Thanks to modern graphics hardware and software, he created this striking visual from an incredible 15 billion particles illuminated with 250 virtual lights. Watch it in full screen in a dark room if you can.

Harry’s makes shaving awesomer with their limited-edition Kevin Lyons Shave Set, a fun collaboration with the monster murals street artist. Lyons’ grinning critters cover his Harry’s box kit containing a colorful version of Harry’s best-selling Shave Handle, a matching stand, two German-made blades, and monster art stickers.

Random Hands took a piece of rusty metal from the shaft of an industrial drill bit and transformed it into a shiny new ballpoint pen. After sanding the surface rust off of the metal rod, he drilled out its center, added a cutout for a bolt-action mechanism, and gave its case a beautiful hammered texture with a rotary tool.