THE BEST Art & Design

DipYouCar is back with another amazing automotive paint job. This time, they covered an Audi with a specialty pigment that packs thermotropic liquid crystals. Like a mood ring, it changes colors with temperature differences. We love how they can play with such crazy ideas thanks to the peelable base coat they spray on first.

Forged and hand-polished from stainless steel, the HALO is both a work of minimalist modern art and a functional bottle opener. It can rest on a bottle’s neck when not in use, and has two ridges on its underside which can pop off a bottle cap. In PVD gold, black oxide, or polished stainless finishes.

MysticGlo’s gigantic hand-poured candle makes a dramatic centerpiece. It has six wicks and measures 15″ across by 3″ high. They come in a variety of colors and unscented or scented for $15 extra. They also make a 20″, 8-wick version, and a 15″ square, among other designs. Made from a blend of paraffin, soy, and beeswax.

When it comes to photography, you can go crazy with lighting, filters, lenses, and post-processing, or you can keep things simple. COOPH’s latest photo tip video shows off some simple, yet effective techniques for creating dramatic images with a minimum of embellishment and effects.

After leaving his friends for work, a satellite tech becomes bored and shifts his focus to his phone screen. Ironically, his lack of attention results in a catastrophic loss of communication. Benjamin Morard and Frederic Siegel’s short film is less of a cautionary tale about technology, and more a story about friendship.

This intricate wooden sculpture offers a wonderful way to pass the time, first by assembling its 180+ laser-cut pieces to form its structure, then by guiding a marble through its 3D maze. In all there are over 150 obstacles to navigate inside of its acrylic cube. Includes everything you need – no tools or glue required.

We’ve already seen what artist Brother in Wood can make using his creativity, woodworking skills, and high-tech CNC equipment. Watch him create his most impressive cutting board yet, an inlaid design based on an awe-inspiring engraved coin design by Alexey Saburov. Custom cutting boards can be ordered here.

After being stuck inside for far too long, Fraser Munden and Catherine Dubeau of Thoroughbread Pictures decided to animate some of the visions that isolation and dozing off with the television on has manifested. Despite the product placement, they’re quick to point out that Old Grand-Dad whiskey is not a sponsor.

From Andre the Giant to The Texas Tornado, Pop Chart’s print celebrates the many fanciful and flashy names assumed by wrestlers. It includes more than 500 names, organized and connected by the traits they each share. It measures 18″ x 24″ and comes unframed, framed, or mounted on a birch plywood panel.

Etsy store Candlelit Desserts makes candles and soaps that look like a variety of food. Its bestseller is this candle that not only looks but also smells like Froot Loops. The 14oz candle comes in a 6″ bowl and has a spoon embedded in it. Not part of a nutritious breakfast.

Artist Roman De Giuli is known for the eye-catching moving images he makes by mixing paints and inks. His latest work is a sequence of images that resemble satellite photography of the Earth. This time, he made custom paints using materials like pigments, sand, and finely ground stones to create the rich palette of earthy colors.

Concord Aerospace makes replicas of the switches found in NASA’s space vehicles, including the Apollo command module and the Space Shuttle. The switches feature accurate labeling, and can be wired to control circuits, should you decide to build your own basement simulator. You can also order switches with custom labeling.

Do you have an Apple TV? Tired of staring at that boring black box sitting on your TV stand? Elago’s clever cover transforms Apple’s set-top streaming box into a retro gaming system. The Super Famicom-inspired silicone cover is strictly cosmetic, but it looks awesome. Elago also makes a matching cover for the Apple TV remote.

O3D’s modular storage drawers remind us that hexagons are the bestagons. They’re perfect for organizing small hardware and electronic parts. Modules include two types of drawers, which can be customized by sliding together sections. They’re sold as a set of digital files for 3D printing, and also come in a square design.

Marc Hagan-Guirey – aka “the dark king of kirigami” – creates marvels with paper, a ruler, a sharp blade, and an equally sharp eye. For Le Corbusier Paper Models, he created templates and step-by-step guides so patient crafters can cut and fold their own mini-models of 10 iconic buildings by modernist architect Le Corbusier.

Give your home an explosive new look with one of these handmade hand grenade side tables from Reimagined Wood Shop. Their skeletonized design cuts down on weight while still offering rigidity. They’re cut from 0.72″ thick hardwood veneer plywood and come in 18″ tall and 24″ tall variants. Just don’t pull that pin.

“Your biggest enemies during this will be blinking and closing the mouth for syllables.” Joel Haver gets all meta with a video about how he makes his stupid funny videos about video games. He animated himself animating himself, and actually ended up with a halfway decent tutorial on his AI-assisted rotoscoping process.

Illustrator Daniele Turturici shows off a little bit of his digital painting technique, as he takes a scene and brings it to life through the addition of light and shadow created by a neon sign. The restaurant’s proprietor is known as a “Draak” in the artist’s universe. Be sure to check out more of his work on Instagram.

A dovetail joint that locks on four sides seems physically impossible. But craftspeople have figured out a way to build these perplexing objects with some tricky diagonal cuts. Fix This Build That used his X-Carve CNC machine to create a cutting board with the technique, and the resulting piece looks really awesome.

Artist Alona Dudich runs a shop called Crazy Pillows. There, she specializes in handmade pillows that look like classic electronic instruments like the Roland TR-808 and SH-101, along with some playful original designs. She also makes pillows that resemble Technics turntables. They’re great gifts for musicians and DJs.

These tall green glasses from DOIY Design are modeled after the color and texture of a saguaro cactus (minus the prickly bits). They come in a set of four, and when stacked they form one tall plant, complete with those upwards-pointing arms. They also make a shorter version, though it’s currently sold out.

The guys from That Works are knee-deep in other projects, so they’re sharing the video spotlight with the talented smiths at Bellorphon Studios. Watch them use two very different techniques to make a mismatched pair of axes based on the ones Eivor wields in Assassins’ Creed Valhalla. The flames start at 3:20.

Origami artist Juho Könkkölä created this incredibly detailed statuette of a samurai warrior from a single sheet of paper. He posted a video showing his process on an earlier samurai sculpture, which involves lots of folding, holding bits in place with binder clips, wetting and drying the paper to hold it in place.

For the 2021 virtual Tokyo Auto Salon, Nissan showed off its concept for a sweet office on wheels. Based on their NV350 Caravan, the Office Pod features a desk module that can extend outside its rear, providing fresh air and a view of the world while you sit and work. It also has a see-through floor and a rooftop relaxation area.

Adam of Empire of Joy thought it might be interesting to animate a scenes from other movies in a handpainted style similar to A Scanner Darkly. For his first effort, he painstakingly painted over frames from Avengers: Endgame and used them as keyframes for his animation. (Thanks Joe!)

Artist Norihiko Terayama’s handmade acrylic desk accessory is filled with tiny dried flowers for a dramatic display. It’s also a functional ruler, as each stem is placed precisely one centimeter apart. Measures 1.5″ h x 11.8″ w x .31″ d. Available exclusively from Generate.