Gathering Inspiration

David A. Smith: glass embosser and sign artist

A beautiful video on David A. Smith, a glass embosser and sign artist.
Words do not do justice for the most gorgeous works this man creates!

What I would give to have apprenticed with someone like him!
(Is it too late to scamper off to England to learn a dying trade?)

 

(Via Cameron Moll)

 

David A Smith - Sign Artist from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

Handmade banknote by Xavi Garcia

Spanish illustrator Xavi Garcia created his stunning ‘Handmade’ banknote illustration as a reaction to soulless digital design. “This note pretends to remind the viewer the amount of work, hours, patience and love that artisans put into the handicrafts they produce and stress how valuable they are, replacing currency for the amount of time spent working on it (3 months were given for this project). Entirely drawn by hand, using different printing techniques, it features security measures common in banknotes such as watermarks, tactile elements, see-through images and invisible UV ink.” On the front it says “Tempus Neminem Manet” meaning “Time waits for no one” and on the back it reads “Tempus Fugit” meaning “Time Flees.” As you stare at his work, it makes you wonder about the world it may have come from… and i love the concept of time as currency. After all ~ Time is Money, right? How nice would it be to be paid with one of these 3 month notes? How would you spend it? See the details up close on the next page…

Drypoint, screenprint and stamps on newsprint. 110x190 mm

ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!

(via notcot)

 

 

                       

Julia Randall: (You eyes aren't playing tricks)

No matter how much you rub them (your eyes), there's no denying it. Julia Randall is QUEEN at pencil illustration! Read it again, PENCIL ILLUSTRATION!!!

Bernard Maisner: I went in search of myself

Bernard Maisner, an internationally renowned master calligrapher and stationer, who's name is synonymous with luxury and the most high-profile society events and special occasions. Well, wouldn't you know it that tonight he lectured and presented this video for The Art of Craftsmanship at the Parsons School of Design.

Bernard, if you only knew... I'm searching myself in works like yours. Beautiful.

Seamless Media from Art of Craftsmanship on Vimeo.

If you have, are, can . . .

A little reminder to myself in how lucky I and most people I know are.
I think I need to get branded to remember this.

(via freshness factor five thousand)

Nathalie Lété

 

Nathalie Lété lives and works in Paris. She works in many ways, mixing different techniques and mediums, illustration, ceramics, textile and painting… She is inspired by her travels, but also by the mixing of vintage toys and old engravings of flowers and animals. Her work is colorful, naive and poetic, sometimes strange, to the point of tending towards art brut. Her world is nurtured by popular and folk art. She produces children’s and graphics books, knitted and stuffed toys, glass pictures, patterned dishes, but also postcards, ceramic sculptures, silkscreen printed t-shirts, rugs and jewels in limited edition… both for herself and for commissions. Can I be her when I grow up?

Timothy Goodman: a good man for sure!

Timothy Goodman

New York-based artist Timothy Goodman was recently asked to make an artis­tic con­tri­bu­tion to the incred­i­bly chic and design-savvy Ace Hotel. And what he came up with is a thought­ful, inter­ac­tive piece that encour­ages dis­cov­ery. I loved read­ing about his process. Says Timothy:

While brain­storm­ing in the weeks before, it was impor­tant to ask some larger ques­tions before I started my sketch: What’s its rel­e­vancy? What’s its impor­tance? Can it become engag­ing or par­tic­i­pa­tory? Having an idea for a mural that’s both rel­a­tive to the space it exists in and reflec­tive of the cul­ture around it is not an easy task to accom­plish. However, I felt it was some­thing I had to account for.

With those ques­tions in mind, I hand drew 99 pic­ture frames to cre­ate a dense wall of “dis­cov­ery” about NYC that could be passed to the com­mon tourist stay­ing in the room. Each frame con­tains a dif­fer­ent fact / love / tid­bit / thing of inter­est / or shout-out to a place I dig in the city. At roughly 120 square feet, the art was drawn impre­cisely to cap­ture the spon­tane­ity and grit of the city. I used paint mark­ers and opaque black paint to help this tech­nique excel. Consequently, it became a labor of love, an act of obses­sive­ness that was pleas­antly grueling.

         

wet with jealousy: stina persson

A favorite illustrator of mine: stina persson...
i decided to check and see her latest works...

(and of course, I am left with awe and
secretly insane jealousy at the beauty of her work.)

some people make it look so incredibly easy...

     

...almost... like being there. The Sistine Chapel

Sometimes I like to hit my Stumble Upon! tag, to see what comes up (almost my equivalent to the lottery or fortune telling). Some days are blah... and others... well does WOW say it?

Today's find is definitely a WOWZA! I think I'll leave it on for a while...as the music is sooo soothing! Hope you enjoy it as much as I am (for those not as experimental, click with your mouse, and scroll around. You'll get a full 360° of the Sistine Chapel...and make sure you zoom in to get the close ups!)

And one day..... I'll make it a point to actually walk inside!

Re-imaging the Roman Coliseum in Type: Cameron Moll

Be prepared to be awed!

Colosseo: Reimagining the Roman Coliseum with type (Canon 7D) from Cameron Moll on Vimeo.

Inspired by master calligrapher M. Giovambattista Palatino, carefully crafted with Roman and Italian typefaces: Bembo and Goudy Trajan to celebrate his 10 year wedding anniversary to his wife that was spent in Rome.... utterly gorgeous!

A serious 12 month study on how to arrange typographical letters in the form of the coliseum. If this isn't just plain ol' beautiful and soulfully inspiring, I don't know what is! Thank you Cameron Moll (a designer, speaker, and author living in Sarasota, Florida). You've inspired this west-coast designer in ways that are so awesome!

Buy yours here... I am!

(Note to self: Julia, get crackin' on some self published pieces with your own letterpress beauties that need some cranking up!)