Escher Illusions

The Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher was known for his mathematically inspired art. I know what your thinking, math and art don't go together, but actually they go together all the time.  Escher did not have any mathematical training, but most of his math was done visually and by instinct.  I guess he had some great instincts.  

His work created some of the first optical illusions.  He loved to draw stairs that went nowhere and water that flowed up.  If he always tried to find a way to make you think about art.







Which one is your favorite?  What is some of the unique and unusual things that you can find in these drawings?

Day and Night in the same work

Have you ever wanted to create a work of art that has both day and night in it?  Well photographer Stephen Wilkes has done just that.  He positions his camera in a specific spot and turns it on for as long as 15 hours to catch both a night and day image in the same shot.

New York City

 

 

It is fun to find the line where the image switches from day to night. In the one above it is right around those bushes.  This one was also done around a Sept. 11th memorial, you can see the lights in the background.

 

 

 

I love this one in winter, but I don't think I could have stood up in his crane all day and froze in the name of art, could you sit still with him all day?

 

 

 

 

Perhaps you like the angle of this one better.  From the picture can you tell where the sun was compared to him?

 

 

This is a fun one of Coney Island.  You can see all of the beachgowers enjoying the hot summer day and all of the carnival riders having fun at night.  Could you have sat in the hot sun and got the shot? 

 



Forcing the perspective

Depending on your perspective of any situation you might see something different than someone else.  Well what if a photo forced you to change your perspective on a situation?  Can you force your brain to make it change the image to the right way?

Do you see the world different?  Do you have a creative idea you would like to try?

Failure

We are all scared to fail.  It means we did something wrong or that we are perhaps unable to do the task at all.  It never feels good to fail, but sometimes you have to fail in order to succeed. 

 One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Edison.  It took Edison almost 2000 tries to get a working lightbulb but when asked about all of these failures all he would say is that he found 2000 ways how not to make a lightbulb. 

Here are some other famous failures.

 

There are even more examples of people who were considered failures but became huge successes.  So please keep in mind that if you never try anything you will never fail, but you will also never find success.

 

Is there anything that you have ever tried and failed at?  Did you just give up or did you try again?

Burning art

Now from the title you would think I am talking about burning artwork, but in a way you are both right and wrong.  I found a work of art that was created by candle smoke.  Yes you heard right, candle smoke.  The artist attaches paper to the ceiling and then holds a candle so far away from the paper depending on the shading that he needs.  They he puts the papers together to get his work of art.  Make sure you look at the details.

 

What are your thoughts on this artwork?  What would you like to do that would seem unrealistic?

Rocks

Have you ever wanted to create a sculpture out of something that you think you can't make a sculpture out of?


 
What do you think about a human made out of rocks and wire?  What do you think about this?  Can you see the hands and the feet and that there is a face in the wire?

Hands

Like learning to draw anything one of the most difficult things to draw are hands.  There are so many lines, wrinkles and differences in someone's hands that it is hard to create a realistic drawing.

 

One thing that you need to look for when drawing hands are the shadows.  The shadows will give the hands the depth and the realistic markings that they need.  Also don't forget the highlights.  Sometimes where the light hits is just as important as where the shadows are.

 

 

As you can see you don't have to shade everything dark, but there is not just shading on one side of the hand or on the side of it.  Both sides have some coloring to give the rounded feeling of a 3D object.

 

Does it help to look at pictures like this when thinking about drawing your own project?  I don't want you to copy but does this help show the shading?

Painting of a woman

This painting was created by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1508 in Milan, Italy.  It is a simple study of a young woman that is painted on a wooden panel.




This painting was even featured in the movie "Ever After" which was a Cinderella type story. 

Leonardo Da Vinci did many paintings of women, and he often did studies of some women that he would later use as his main models in larger paintings.  This is a very simple picture, however, it has very beautifl details and the blening of the shadows on the face are done so softly it could have been a photograph except for the fact that the hair is done very roughly.

What are your thoughts on this piece?  Do you like it or could you live without it?  Do you think it is finished?

Anamorphic drawings

Most of you have seen pictures of the artist that draws angles pictures on sidewalks that create illusions.  But today I found an artist that does a similar drawing style but he uses the reflection in a small mirrored object to create his drawings.



Look closely at the above picture, it is drawn to be seen in the metal cylinder.  Now maybe this one isn't impressive but how about this one...




How about this one...




Maybe this one.....








These are beautiful pictures on their own, but when you see their reflections they are amazing works of art.

Packaged Art

   Can you guess how these sculptures were made?  Here is a hint...it is one of the cheapest mediums that could be found in any office supply store. 



So what are your guesses for medium?  And what would you make if I let you have the chance?  Would you make a scene like the fishermen or would you create an object like the carousel tree horses?

Halloween

Even on halloween I had to find art that has an All Hallow's Eve feeling, and the most famous work that I could find was "Skull of a Skeleton by Vincent Van Gogh."  Van Gogh is one of the world's most famous artists.  He didn't start painting until later in life, and then painted for 10 years (most of which was in an insane asylum) and then he commited suicide.  At the time he only sold one painting and now his artwork is some of the most expensive in the world.

Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette

1886

Vincent Van Gogh

 

Happy Halloween!!!

 

 

Photo depth

I ran across the photography artist David Reeves today and I think his pictures are unique and interesting.



I love the depth that his photos create.  They bring out that saying that a picture is worth a thousand words by creating a story that is left up to the viewer.



The are usually on the violent side, but at the same time they are great images done with a camera.  Also would it help if I mention that they are made out of black construction paper and trick lighting?

  

Do you feel different knowing that they are just cutouts?  Can you think of a scene that you would like to create?

Well placed

Sometimes just placing the right objects in the right spots can create a very simple, but unique and intriguing work of art.



Can you think of other objects that could create a work of art like this?  How much time do you think this took to plan out?

Linocut

A technique of creating art is called a linocut.  A linocut is a piece of linoleum, usually applied to a block of wood and then cut into with carving tools.  When you are carving a linocut you cut out the negative image so that the positive image will show when you are done making a print.








What kind of design would you like to do?  Would other colors make a difference in these pictures?

TMNT

The teenage mutant ninja turtles were a huge hit in the 90s, and they are trying to make a comeback today.  But do you know where they got their famous names?  They actually come from the four famous artists of the Renaissance. 



These men were the most brilliant of their time not only in art, but in a variety of sciences and technologies.  They were the men that changed and challenged what we knew at the time.  They were painters, architects, geologists, astronomers, military experts, engineers, and sculptors.

If you have actually read this article and can name me these four men of genius I will give you two weeks of points.

Tricks of the light

Some of the most fun you can have is at night with a camera and a glow stick or lightbulb.  You can create fun and unique works of art with the simplest things.







So is this type of photography art?  Is it something you would be willing to create or even buy?  What do you think would work as the best type of light source?

Glass Mosiacs

One of the oldest forms of art has been making a comeback in the art world.  More people and especially home artists are creating glass mosiacs that they can use in their homes or in their gardens.

They use tiny pieces of glass or colored stone to create these masterpieces.  So the smaller the pieces and the closer that they are put together, the more detailed the project.







As you can see some are small and some can cover whole walls.  Would you like to do a mosiac?  What would you cover, a small table or a whole wall?

Max Zorn

I found this artist named Max Zorn that uses only brown packaging tape, clear plastic and lights.  He places the tape in layers on top of the clear plastic and then uses lights behind the whole project to backlight the piece.  So the areas with less tape become lighter and the areas with more tape become darker.

What do you think of this type of art?  Would you have the time or patience to create this art?  Can you think of other types of mediums that this style would work with?