Get an overview of all the graffiti supplies available to you
Designs of the Year
I must admit I don’t often think about how design is all around me. I could say it is embedded in my life, from when I wake up to when I go to bed. My alarm clock, the typography in my book, the label on my favourite bottle of plonk and the lamp I switch off at night.
If you think design is just function, think again. Immerse yourself in the top floor of The Design Museum with their Designs of the Year exhibition.
This array of international pieces span: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product and Transport. Feast your eyes on this ‘look book’ across the design spectrum for the museums Design Awards. A high profile judging panel decide the best entries in each of the seven categories. The category award winners and the overall winner of the Design of the Year Award shall be announced in April 2012.
Turning function on its head, the Design Museum display also includes works poking fun at design in computer functions with – Your Browser Sent A Request That This Server Could Not Understand – an illustrated depiction of the internet by Koen Taselaar.
Designs of the Year looks outside the box; not just new spangled technology or expensive materials. Noma Bar (above) produces simple shapes, that reveal hidden possibilities, whose negative and positive spaces draw the eye every time. There are designs that are simplistic, that save lives. The Earthquake Proof Table by Arthur Brutter and Ido Bruno (below) is astonding in its clean back to basics design that could help thousands.
Shopping online and on the move is nothing new but South Korea have taken mobile and digital aspects to the next level. Homeplus Tesco Virtual Store is the result – below. Choose your item from their virtual store!
Augmented reality is given a breath of fresh air by Swappu, creating a ‘holo-deck’ feel, well, okay it’s not quite up to Star Trek level. The animations are great and the playfulness of it will be a hit for kids. Its a soft and easily lovable digital world that shall no doubt advance rapidly.
See the app in action here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBmLWdjtzPw
One Thousand Cranes for Japan is a charity project that aims to inspire and bring people together to be part of a final creation. Members of the public can choose, download and print off the paper designs to fold into their own origami creation. A chance to be part of the designs final creation, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s not meant to be.
The Comedy Carpet (below images) takes typography bold and big. It reminds us font is more than just Arial and Times New Roman selected on a computer screen. This gigantic installation, created by Why Not Associates, sprawls out in front of the Blackpool Tower and features over 160,000 granite letters embedded in concrete. It refers to the work of more than 1,000 comedians and comedy writers, giving a visual form to jokes, songs and catchphrases.
The Crates (below) by Naihan Li & Co is a product that is a must for the clothes obsessed, and those who need organisation of all their essential fashion items. See just how functional a plain industrial looking crate can be, reacting to our clothing hoarding and need for storage.
This work is in stark contrast to Sarah Burton‘s now infamous handmade lace that’s delicately on display. This painstakingly handcrafted work was stitched into the nations memories on Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.
The wide spectrum at the Designs of the Year should open up your eyes to the flexibility and intricacy of design and its ability to problem solve, whilst looking back to the past for inspiration.
With mass market production all to easy to snub, design is at an exciting point; using mass production processes to save lives but taking us back to simplicity, creating unique angles on our lives.
The Designs of the Year exhibition runs 8 February – 4 July at The Design Museum. For tickets and information click me!
Etam Cru, Anthony Lemer and Cix street art
Part of our 3 street art works series you should see today. Etam Cru, Anthony Lemer and Cix.
Etam Cru – done for the Richmond Mural Project in Richmond, VA
Anthony Lemer – located in Clermont-Ferrand (France)
Cix – located in Mexico
THE UMBRELLA REVOLUTION AND ITS REBELLIOUS ART
The umbrella, as a symbol of the protests that are going on in Hong Kong, resulted from police pepper spray, used against activists, who used it as a shield. In no time, this was picked up by creatives, artists or just supporters who via that object, represent their support to the cause through art and imagery.
The Umbrella Revolution was born
#OccupyCentral and its demonstrations began peacefully last week but turned more intensive at the time where we are writing this article. The uprise is about activist who are calling for democracy in Hong Kong and free elections in 2017 (See more photographs about the events on the Mashable website).
We have collected a fe examples of the art and imagery incorporating the umbrella and other symbols of resistance on social media.
Another symbol widely used is the the yellow ribbon, which protestors are using as a symbol of democracy and suffrage and we found this awesome piece below
More imagery/art from protesters and artists below
Three of the best painting apps available today
For a long time, artists have had to rely on their desktops and laptops to do work. Even with the dawn of smartphones, which are now as powerful as some PCs that were released over a decade ago, people still preferred working with their traditional computing devices. That all changed, however, when tablets were popularized by Apple. Now, professional artists can work in the comfort of their own home as well as on trains or buses when they need to do some work en route to the office.
If you’re in the business of producing art for a living, and are a tablet user, here are three apps that you might want to consider using.
Tayasui Sketches
Let’s start with the one of the most basic apps out there. If you don’t need a lot of advanced tools for drawing on your tablet, TayasuiSketches can be a good app for you. It is very easy to get used to, with over 8 essential brushes for users to choose from including watercolors, charcoals, and pencils. It’s free but those who are willing to pay for its premium fee get two extra brushes. It’s also a great tool for creating quick sketches and portraits.
We included a few examples of what can be achieved with the app
ArtFlow
ArtFlow is being marketed as a tool for kids but with over 70 paint brushes to choose from, it can easily become a professional’s best friend. It even has support for pressure-sensitive pens to help artists turn their tablet into a proper digital canvass.
What’s great about ArtFlow is that it supports high-resolution digital canvasses for up to 4096×4096. If you’re planning to use this resolution, however, make sure to keep an eye on your battery life. The last thing you want is to loose unsaved work. Alchemy Bet, an associate of the software company that runs Spin Genie Slots, suggests that people should check for apps that are running in the background and close them to save battery life. If possible, artists should only rely on WiFi and not data to save on juice since most tablets have short battery lives especially Apple products.
We included screenshots of the app
Procreate
Now this is for the seasoned veterans out there. Procreate is a fine app from world-renowned app maker Savage Interactive that allows people to create quick and accurate drawings of highly-detailed and striking artworks. It has advanced features such as GPU accelerated filters, and even a 64-bit support for high-end tablets. Check out the artworks that you can create with Procreate and see just how amazing this app is for work and leisure.
We included screenshots of the app
Do you have a favorite painting or drawing app that you use for work? Share them with us in the comments section below.
Astro Naut – 3D toys
We met with Astro Naut who can be described as a street art sculptor. We need more of his stuff out there as what he does is just awesome and more importantly we like very much the manufacturing aspect of it. Did I mention that he is from Spain, a very creative place.
Astro Naut was kind enough to answer a few questions:
ARTPIE: Tell us about yourself/your crew in a few words?
ASTRO NAUT: Astro Naut is just me, myself and I. I started drawing and pasting up my street art character in 2008 in Madrid, Spain
A-P: For how long have you been doing street art?
A N: I started doing street art in the beginning of 2008, I think. I discover the freedom and the exiting of illegally and I fall in love with it..
A-P: And what drove you towards sculptures rather than other mediums such as paint?
A N: I do all the techniques with my character. I paint, paste up, but what I prefer the most is the sculptures, the toyz. I think It´s another step in street art and I love it!
A-P: What are you trying to say if anything through your sculptures, if anything?
A N: mmmm, there´s no a specific message.
A-P: Tell us a bit more what your sculpture are made of/ your making process?
A N: The mattress if made of silicon. The toyz are made of plaster and painted with spray and markers.
A-P: Any other project in the pipeline
A N: Well, I´m developing the second generation of my sculptures. And I´ve just finished this mural in Madrid.. (see photo below)
Mural in Madrid
Visual Impact – Creative Dissent in the 21th Century
Liz McQuiston‘s new book ‘Visual Impact – Creative Dissent in the 21th Century’, is out now. It is a richly illustrated exploration on art and design driving major social and political change in the 21st century.
Loads of events, such as Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, etc., plus social issues like poverty, equality, gun-control and more, have given rise to what is known as ‘activist’ or ‘protest’ art.
Visual Impact highlights the extraordinary power of art and graphic design to affect social and political change. Generously illustrated with over 400 images, this is a visual guide to the most influential and highly politicized imagery of the digital age. Read more about the book
To celebrate the book and all dissident artists, we’ve included some famous and striking images below from artists conveying a strong (and often) political message.
Artist: JR
Artist: ROA
Artist: unknown
Artist: Princess Hijab
Artist: Blek Le Rat
5 Batman related street art pieces you ought to see
With the release of the new Batman : Arkham night video game just around the corner, we looked at 5 remarkable street art pieces related to the broader ‘Batman’ theme.
JPS
JPS , UK street is our first artist. JPS’s does pop culture works with a witty slogan. JPS’ often depicts iconic comic book and movie characters including Ted, Batman, Spiderman, and even Freddie Kruger and normally stencils them. Read an interview with Street Artist United States
Mario Calvo and Pato Kozow
The work below, ‘The Creation of Batman‘ was painted in a square in Buenos Aires and you may have recognised its reinterpretation of Michael Angelo’s ‘The creation of Adam’ he painted in the Sistine Chapel. God is played by The Joker and the part of Adam is played by Batman.
memeIRL
This artist is France based and the piece is called ‘Batman and Robin kissing’
Artist unknown
This is actually an illustration but we thought we’ll throw it in there as we find it quite funny
Artist unknown
Katrina Rupit new show at Westbank gallery
Over the last couple of years Kathrina has lived and worked in Dublin, Ireland and has become a vital fixture of the vibrant street art scene there.
Kathrina uses an array of mediums to achieve an extraordinary effect – From spray paints, newspaper collage and urban markers to assemblage of cardboard, door parts and even Popsicle sticks. She is constantly challenging the means of urban representation, reinventing the genre in a feminist context.
Her work is deeply tied to her Mexican roots, addressing social issues such as racial discrimination and embracing a culture without the curse of violence and gangs.
She is the voice of a new generation, producing artwork that is bold and seductive. Like Frida before her, she is conscious of the innate power of her gender. She excites the male gaze with her portraits being alive with a raw sexual energy. They are alluring and even provocative.
Kathrina’s technical ability and artistic representational skill are first rate, creating both an awareness of environmental issues and tapping into the Mexican concept of the cycle of life, seen in the celebration of ‘Dia de los Muertos’.
The physicality of life in Kathrina’s work is seen in her numerous performances and live events, which is a crucial aspect of her practice. She wants the work to be alive, she wants the audience to see the process in action and feel the creative energy as it happens.
Remi Rough mural for Morgan Furniture
We have been a big fan of Remi Rough‘s works and have been following him for a few years. Yet, he manages to keep his artistic output fresh and keeps surprising us every day.
I would mention for the records, this very similar project we covered back in 2011, the Havana Wall Project at Rich Mix, our beloved East London based culture center.
The artist has become a master at curves, lines and perspective and this installation surely demonstrates just this.
Why such a commission for Morgan Furniture?
We gathered this statement from their website: “This is part of our exploration in to art relaxation and the benefits of colour in the workplace.”
After reading this and looking again at the piece, we can say that Remi Rough did meet the brief in a superb way. The giant curve will definitely set your mind to some untroubled mode, the colours will tempt you for a dive while the black and broken ribbon will draw you further.
A word from the artist
“I shall be transforming the two interior walls of Morgan Furniture’s Clerkenwell showroom into a huge painted installation. The two works, although separate will have a continuation and format that allows them to be viewed as one piece.”
– Remi Rough
Remi Rough exploration of shapes and colours is not something new, we again gathered from the Morgan Furniture site that he has been doing so for roughly 25 years now and that it all started a can in the hand back in 84 very late at night somewhere in South London.
Trains and walls were his targets by then. They still are, well at least walls as far as we know but more and more of his works can be seen in art galleries and commissions, sometimes commercial, keep coming his way we hear (Remi Rough will tell us if the above is not accurate).
From streets to showrooms
is how Morgan Furniture starts his blog post and we believe this got past the artist which seems to be okay with this statement and we are very happy to hear that (again, we hope this is the case – we’ll talk to Remi rough soon about so watch this space).
I wanted to highlight this point as too many so-called “street artists” this day hate this association with such organisations, campaigns or galleries as this makes them less “street” apparently. But Remi Rough does not seem to mind and we welcome this.
We could write pages about that but let’s leave it for now and just say that it is the choice of the artists to get involved or not and if they get involved, it does not take much to make sure to keep any integrity these artists may cherish.
Last but not least, these souls would bounce of joy to be featured on such (wicked) sites like ours even if they cannot admit it. Remember, if your work is awesome, get out there and be seen!
You may tell us your views on this in the Comments section below
A video which shows you how it is done
Make sure to watch the short video below which gives you an insight about the technicality and techniques it took to produce such a work. Great footage.