THE BEST 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.

We first came across artist Alexey Zakharov aka seccovan when he created a full CG version of the world of Futurama, and then his wild 3D update to vintage imagery. But he also has an interest in transforming works of art into versions with motion and depth.

Thomas Pavitte’s clever illustrations offer a unique spin on adult coloring books. Each image is hidden within a pair of concentric spirals, which only reveals itself as you fill in the lines. Use two colors to create a duotone. Choose from music icons, cities, or animals.

Artist Heath Knuckles creates stunning organic works of art by taking pieces of uniquely textured wood, cutting them into layers, and filling the in-between bits with colored resin. He then works them on the lathe into a perfect spherical shape. More here.

Director Douwe Dijkstra presents a transportive short film in which a man travels the streets and beaches of Brazil carrying a portable green screen. After capturing the vignettes of modern life, he replaced the contents of the screen with other scenes from around the country.

Artist Rene Eisenbart demonstrates Ebru, a wonderfully-satisfying technique which uses paints floated in liquid suspension. After dropping colorful pigments into the vat, she uses a giant comb to create marbled patterns for printing. Learn more about Ebru here.

The perfect way for artists and creators of all types to carry the tools of the trade. Measuring 14″ x 10″ x 2″ when closed, Le Whisper’s handmade canvas/leather bag holds dozens of pens, pencils, markers, notepads, and accessories, and even a small tablet.

Among his diverse works, artist Jason “REVOK” Williams creates enormous Spirograph-style images using a wall-mounted set of wooden gear rings, which allow him to spray paint geometric patterns. Here’s an earlier circular rig he set up.

Glass artist Raven Skyriver demonstrates the team effort required to create a large sculpture of a sea turtle. His studio creates all kinds of incredible glass animals, including lizards, sharks, whales, seahorses, fish, octopi, and more. Video by Derek Klein Films.

After wowing us with his million dot illustration, David Bayo is back with an even more intricate image. He claims there are about 3 million dots in this portrait, though we still have no idea how he keeps track of how many dots he drew. Find original images and prints of his work here.

Sculptor and builder of things Bobby Duke decided to do something that serves no purpose but to prove that it could be done, as he bought a pack of pencils, then carved a tiny pencil from it’s wood, and then an even tinier pencil from the lead of the tiny pencil.