So very pointless, yet unquestionably spectacular. The best kind of "art" performs no other function than to delight the viewer, and Japanese YouTube user Denha's complex marble machines do just that. But are marble machines art? You can call them that—or toys, scientific contraptions, engineering feats—but however you choose to label them, the best marble machines are complicated, skillfully crafted, and driven by the principles of potential energy, kinetic energy and gravity.
Inspired by Justine Ricaud and Alexis Facca's amazing 3D illusion graffiti project featured a while back, WonderHowTo-ian Loki undertook his own awesome custom wall art project, pictured below. Loki says he hopes to write an accompanying HowTo soon. Can't wait to see it!
(This is a manifesto I wrote 2 years ago. I have never published it. It was a reaction to the ignorance I faced in graduate school from the modernist sculpture
Artist Sarah Yakawonis uses a technique called quilling to craft complex anatomy art with paper. Quilling, as defined by Wikipedia: "The use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is wound around a quill to create a basic coil shape. The paper is glued at the tip and the coil shaped, these shaped coils are arranged to form flowers, leaves, and various ornamental patterns similar to ironwork."
Not only does this solar-powered cinema have all the trimmings of a great movie theater — ticket booth, brick façade, Ionic columns, popcorn machine, fancy art deco signage —, it is itself remarkably trim:
What if you had a pizza made up with tons of tiny, little pizzas (20 to be exact!)? For all pizza lovers out there, that would be one magical, delicious work of art. And for all the art lovers out there, if you're looking to get into what makes this piece heady, check out the interview with artist John Riepenhoff.
We love it when everyday material is used in a new and unexpected application. Cardboard is something most of us take completely for granted. We need it when we're moving, and that's about it. When Frank Gehry created the cardboard chair in 1972, he blew the minds of both the furniture and the design world. So strong. So durable. So fluid.
Here at WonderHowTo we're overflowing with top-notch origami tutorials. However, when it comes to the lesser known art of kirigami, we could always use a couple more enthusiasts. Kirigami is a form of origami that (unlike origami) involves making intricate cuts, and the results are often incredible.
Jeremy Wood has turned the normally mundane task of lawn mowing into an art process. For the past nine years, Wood kept his mother's yard perfectly manicured, tracking every single motorized lawnmower ride with a GPS, and then converting the data into "maps".
Kevin Mathieu of California offers this interactive ART piece for rent at kids or adult parties. Based on a US Postal Jeep, this LEGO jeep is equipped with LEGO surfaces throughout its shape to stick LEGO's to. After writing a 40 page art proposal LEGO gave Kevin 600 lbs of LEGOs, but he is still looking for more. So if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area be on the lookout for the LEGO JEEP.
"Magnetic fields are everywhere- you just can't see them." The science-inspired-art project, Magnetic Movie, by Semiconductor, demonstrates the imaginary "secret lives of invisible magnetic fields". Don't miss it - it's an amazing project. The magnetic fields are beautifully depicted. However, they are indeed imaginary.
Tats that Fly! Augmented Reality Skin Art
Amazing series of charcoal/graphite drawings and oil paintings by Hong Chun Zhang. "Twin Spirits are large charcoal hair drawings, self-portraits of my twin sister and me. I use long hair to exaggerate our major characteristic and as a metaphor to reveal something that is beyond the hair. These drawings are presented as scroll paintings in order to accentuate the length of the piece and the flow of long hair..."
With the advent of the iPad and large inexpensive monitors, movie posters have not only gone digital but they have gone moving as well. Now we are not talking a trailer, we are talking moving Key Art or what is now known as a Living Moving Poster. This term is similar to a motion graphic Title card that has a "Living Hold" which simply means, the title is resolved but there is still movement in the background and lighting effects. Here is the final results. These same guys are now pushing i...
Carly Waito's beautifully rendered oil paintings of minerals totally inspire me to pick up a brush and start painting.
Internet culture loves many things, but there are two web crazes in particular that always grab my attention: the notoriously addictive facebook game, Farmville, and the insane art of cake decorating.
Nick Cave is the Willy Wonka genius behind the extraordinarily imaginative "soundsuits" pictured below.
At a very early age, I would go on summer camping trips. I remember every night being handed a pack of sparklers that were my own, to swing around wildly, which gave me many valuable life lessons on cause and effect.
Curve stitching is a form of string art where smooth curves are created through the use of straight lines. It is taught in many Junior High and High School art classes. I discovered it when my math students started showing me the geometric art they had created.
Jennisse Makeup teaches how to create beautiful nail art using blue and purple glitter nail polish. She begins by prepping her nails by buffing them for shine and pushing back her cuticles. Jannisse then adds nail tips to her natural nails. Trim the tips with a nail clipper and file them down. Use a non-acid primer by the cuticle. Use purple, ocean blue, silver, and pink glitter. Using a brush begin at the "smile" of the nail going side to side. Feather it down. Take some liquid (primer) crea...
If you're Christian or Catholic you're probably familiar with the infamous Hail Mary prayer. It doesn't require much. Just memorize the prayer and the next time you find yourself in need you will know just what to say.
Want to learn a cool glitch for the LEGO video game? Check out this video on how to create headless characters in LEGO Indiana Jones for Nintendo Wii. This is just for the Wii and may not work on other gaming consoles.
Calligraphy makes an art from out of writing styles. Learn the uncial calligraphy alphabet and how to write using the art of calligraphy from an expert in this free online video series.
Painting on glass is a great art project! In this free online video series about art projects, learn the basics for glass painting from supplies to how to finish your piece, and it's all taught by expert David A. Clemen.
In this series of videos you'll learn how to draw with charcoal from a professional artist. Expert William Cotterell shows you what types of art supplies you'll need to get started, including various types of charcoal, compressed and pencil varieties, types of erasers that work best with charcoal, and the best types of paper for making charcoal drawings. He also shares tips for choosing a subject, understanding light, blending techniques, adding highlights, and using Fixatif to protect your w...
Looking for a fun and creative project to do with your kids this weekend? In this arts & crafts tutorial, learn how to make custom designer flip flops or sandles - that your kids will not only enjoy making, but wearing! Learn how to complete this neat crafty project with the help of this video. Make designer flip-flops with your kids.
Learn how to make a cool origami flapping bird with this origami animation. Follow along with each step to learn each origami fold. Origami is a Japanese art and enjoyable pastime, so check out this origami video to learn how to fold a flapping bird! Origami a flapping bird with animation.
Adobe CS3 softwares are all about designing and creating art and other creative works. So why not learn a bit more about how to create interesting designs in Illustrator CS3?
Just because you live in a rented space where you aren't allowed to nail stuff into the wall does not mean that your walls have to be completely bare for the rest of your rental agreement.
In an ideal world, the art of gift-exchanging is a joyous, wonderful thing that makes both parties feel equally good. But as many of us already know, gift-giving is also an emotionally charged social minefield that can leave many of us feeling... awkward.
A friend of mine sent me a link to the work of Laura Bifano, and I was totally blown away. She has a whole gallery of Minecraft-inspired art of various animals, and it's just the coolest thing in the world! Check out this one, small example: I don't want to repost all of them here, because you should definitely go check them out at her gallery. However, if anyone wants to make any (or all) of these for our current Mythical Creatures challenge, I'll allow it!
On Tuesday night, at 9 p.m. EST, President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union Address before a Joint Session of Congress in the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives.
What is it about the infamous colored smoke bomb that is so deeply satisfying, so beautiful? Well, first there's an explosion (always fun), which then yields beautiful billowing clouds of saturated color. Check out artist Olaf Breuning's Smoke Bombs, 2008.
That's right, cars aren't the only mode of transportation worth customizing. Dekochari, the Japanese art of pimping your bicycle:
Rosemarie Fiore is badass. She makes art with pyrotechnics, amusement park rides, Atari, guns, and pinball machines. Though all of her work is cool, I have to say my favorite piece is Fiore's larger than life spirograph, made from an amusement park ride, entitled "Good Time Mix Machine".
Tom Friedman. One of my very favorite contemporary artists. Friedman injects the wonder into the humdrum. He creates magic from the unsuspected with his incredible sculptures assembled from simple, everyday materials. His materials have included: toilet paper, drinking straws, construction paper, masking tape, toothpicks, bubblegum, spaghetti, toothpaste, soap powder, sugar cubes.
Using a combination of technology and animation techniques, two students at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design have created a visual model of RFID fields.
Wikipedia's definition of dice stacking: "Dice stacking is a performance art, akin to juggling or sleight-of-hand, in which the performer scoops dice off a flat surface with a dice cup and then sets the cup down while moving it in a pattern that stacks the dice into a vertical column via centripetal force and inertia."
Let's face it: standing out in the digital world is challenging. Graphics platforms are either cumbersome to learn or produce generic stock art. A better solution is needed.
In the realm of internet security, it's becoming clear that augmented reality is not immune to the increasing wave data breaches plaguing users.
