Awesome Art

Art Insider introduces us to Perth, Australia-based graffiti artist Straker – known for his ability to replicate the glowing look of neon lights using spray paints. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think his canvases were connected to a high-voltage transformer.

You don’t have to speak a word of Spanish to get the fire and enthusiasm of artist Porfirio Jimenez, who creates wonderful pop art paintings using spray paint and stencils. He may have talent, but his real super power is not getting any paint on his white t-shirt.

Artist Kenny Sing of Turn Studio first mapped out a series of geometric patterns on his computer, then carefully cut them out from a ceramic bowl before firing it. Once completed, spinning the piece on a potter’s wheel creates the illusion of movement.

Alvaro Gracia Montoya of MetaBallStudios likes to demonstrate the relative sizes of various objects. In their latest video, they start out with a 1.4″ tall paleolithic statue all the way up to India’s colossal 787 foot-tall Statue of Unity. And here we thought Mount Rushmore was huge.

Looking for a unique geeky gift? Heartwood Editions makes intricate, limited-edition, laser-engraved wood wall art based on franchises like Overwatch, Street Fighter, and Starcraft. Each measures 11.5″ x 17.5″ x 1″ thick. Also sold as a discounted 3-piece bundle.

These small wooden birdhouses from OneManOne Garage are inspired by the look of classic Scotty campers. Each one comes flat-packed and ready to assemble without glue. Available fully-painted or unpainted if you want to do your own decodrating.

Artist Dino Tomic shows off a cool effect he achieved using a two pens – drawing one layer with permanent ink, and another with ink that disappears when heated. The result is a secondary image that reveals itself as the lighter passes over it.

SuckUK’s four-color pen comes loaded with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, so you can draw images in full color with a single pen by crosshatching. While it doesn’t let you adjust saturation levels, it’s still a nifty tool for sketching and belongs in every artist’s toolbox.

Artist Roman Booteen carves on coins and lighters. Some of his hobo nickels are not only incredibly detailed, they have a mechanical aspect as well. Some even work like a mini puzzle that you have to solve before you can activate the moving part.

Maker of woo-den things Bobby Duke Arts shows us how to make a real work of art using something as mundane as the pine 2x4s that are used as wall studs in construction. The result of his creative efforts is a pair of wings that make a sweet wall hanging.

Artists FilthyLuker and Pedro Estrellas of Designs In Air bring old buildings to life by filling them with monsters. Their latest installation features an inflatable sea creature with 20 tentacles sticking out of Building 611 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. See it in person through 11/16/18.

“After probably about 200 sketches, I decided on the free-range chicken… and that makes sense to me.” TheCrafsMan shows us how he designs then sculpts a figure for resin casting, while wooing us with the most soothing voice in an art lesson since the mighty Bob Ross.

Change You Can Wear takes a momentary break from from crafting cool rings out of coins to transform a pair of U.S. half dollar coins into a tiny bell. It’s not exactly a useful thing, but it is a pretty nifty conversation piece.

Design collective onformative shows off a nifty mechanical sculpture they created, which uses a series of spinning black metal tubes which allow light from an array of fluorescent bulbs to pass through. The result is a binary pixel display with an alluring soundtrack. More here.

Artist Anna Zhilyaeva has perfected the use of Google’s Tilt Brush VR application. Watch as she creates a 3D interpretation of Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People while performing live at The Louvre in Paris. See more amazing VR art on her YouTube channel

Artist Lucy Sparrow specializes in crafting felt sculptures. Her largest installation is Sparrow Mart, a “supermarket” in The Standard, Los Angeles that features 31,000 hand-sewn and hand-painted felt replicas of grocery items. It took her and her team a year to make.