Power of the pen

Artist CJ Hendry has taken the art of the pen to a new level.  Or at least I think so, maybe you will disagree.

She has drawn such a lifelike version of a basketball that you think she has taken a photo.

What do you think?  Do you think it is even more impressive if I told you it was done in a technique called stippling also known as dots?

Does it feel more impressive when you see the scale of these boxing gloves?  If you want to see more of her work you should look her up, she has an amazing collection.  What object would you draw if you had her talent?

Heavy Hangers

Have you ever wanted to hang from the ceiling by an umbrella?  What that thought has never crossed your mind?  Okay so it has never crossed mine either, but Czech artist Michal Trpak not only thought about it, he created people out of cement and hung them from the ceiling.

Yep you heard right, cement people.  It is an installation at a building in Prague called slight uncertainity.

Okay I have to ask, now that you know they are made from cement would you be able to walk under them?  Would you be concerned that they would fall and break?  What do you think of them?  Would you think differently if they were made from another material?

IT's so FLUFFY!!

Okay so that is one of my favorite lines from Despicable me.  And at the same it is a perfect way to describe stuffed animals.  Did you have lots of stuffed animals when you were a kid?  I had quite a few, but I think my oldest son had the most.  Do you still have those stuffed toys?  What are you thinking of doing with them if you do?  Have you ever thought of using them to create art?  I'm sure that never crossed your mind, but it did cross the mind of Hirushi Fuji, a Japanese contemporary artist.

Now I am the first to admit I don't always understand contemporary art, but I did think that these images are pretty cool.

What do you think of these toy sculptures?  Would they be something that you would like to see in person?  Do you think they would have a bigger impact if you could see them up close and personal or do they impact you on the computer.  What toys would you use to create a work of art, and what would you create?

Shards of Art

Have you ever looked at your old CD collection and wondered "What could I do with these?"  Okay so most of you probably don't have a CD collection, but your parents might? If you say your grandparents have one, then that will really hurt. OUCH!

Anyways, what if you took those old CD's and broke them?  Well now what could you do with them?  Would you consider making art with them?

What do you think of this CD dragon?  I think the details are amazing (especially the eyes) but maybe you have different ideas.  What would you make if you had to do this project?  Would you make a known animal or a creature?

Natural history art

What if you combined plants and animals and modern techniques to create amazing works of art?  What if you could see the world in a different light?  That is exactly what artis Ellen Jewett is doing with her sculptures.  She is combining the natural world, with our historical world into breath taking sculptures.

So what do you think of Ellen's sculptures?  Can you see what she is making them from?  What animal would you create and what materials would you use to create it?  Is there one that you would love to see if person?  Why do you like that one?

Leaf Art??

Art can be made out of anything even items from nature.  I couldn't find the name of the artist that created these natural works of art, but I still thought that they were clever.

What do you think of these works of art?  Would you pay for any of them, and if so how much do you think they are worth?  Is there one that is your favorite?  Do you think you could create any of them?

Art of Illusion

Optical illusions are the artist playing with your eyes and what you think you know.  While they are often the most intriguing art they are also the most difficult to create.  You need to be able to think of not only positive space, but what the shapes of the negative spaces look like and you need to figure out how to put the two together.

Here are a few examples that have been created by several different artists.

What do you think of these illusions?  Which one is your favorite and why?  Which one is the most intriguing or confusing?  Which one made you do a double take or question how it worked?

Do you have any ideas for a great optical illusion?  What would that look like?