Category — Crafts

Brazil’s Rita de Cássia Baduy Pires of Ana Beatriz Miniatures, creates amazing little miniature scenes set on a ratio of 1:7.8 inches.

She has been working on her art for 20 years, conceiving her own scale to differentiate her work from regular dollhouse dimensions.

Pires actually makes every single piece in her artistic dioramas—violins, copper pots in a kitchen, Japanese teapot—which are created from wood, paper, clay and scrap metal in her atelier in Curitiba.

She comes up with different scenes under their respective themes, with film and music the most requested and are those that happen to require the most detail.

Custom orders always float in from clients who want miniature recreations of real-life places.

Ana Beatriz Miniatures

Via CoolHunting

Technorati Tags: Ana Beatriz Miniatures, dioramas, model making, models, Rita de Cássia Baduy Pires

Ann Smith spends her days making little robotic like figurines from broken electronics and machine parts.  There are a couple of artists whose work I’ve seen online, who also create similar things, but Ann’s look quite elegant and actually work as kinetic sculptures!

They’re sold in stores and galleries throughout the US and have been published as illustrations in magazines and brochures.

On her website you can view a couple of animations of some pieces and you can also buy both the sculptures and prints of them from her Etsy store.

Ann P. Smith’s Burrow Burrow website

Via DesignBoom

Technorati Tags: Ann P. Smith, electronic parts, figurines, kinetic sculptures, models, Robotic Sculptures, sculpture

These Scissor Spiders by sculptor Christopher Locke, are handmade from scissors confiscated by airport security.

You can still tell they’re scissors, bringing a familiar element to the way these sculptures look, but they’re creepy for the same reason that such a common household object is made into an arachnid!

See more on HeartlessMachine.com

Via Uncrate

Technorati Tags: scissors, sculpture, spider scissors

If you collect designer toys and are mclovin’ the DIY kind, then check out this selection to download and make.

Artist Chris Beaumont has promised to bring us a new cube styled paper toy every week, available at CubeCraft.com and there are a few more on 4Kids.tv

Download at Cubecraft.com

Download at 4Kids.tv

Via UrbanRetroLifestyle.com

Technorati Tags: crafts, designer toys, models, paper toys, Chris Beaumont

I love these quirky ideas from the world of Longoland.

Longoland is a multidisciplinary funhouse lead by artist/designer Joshua Ben Longo, who created his fantastical visions in reaction to the restrictive world of traditional product design.

I find his visions are both a little disturbing yet appealing touchable as a result of the cuddliness of the materials he uses.

They’re a little like aliens from b-movies which appear to be cute and friendly, but as soon as humans go near them, they reveal their nasty sides! Or maybe like “Critters” from the original 1986 movie of the same name, one of my favourite old school creature features.

It would good if the rug dude kept his mouth closed until you step on him - a great way to treat unwanted guests!

See more on Longoland.com

Technorati Tags: crafts, Joshua Ben Longo, Longoland, monsters, plushes

These are some seriously cool sculptures by Jennifer Maestre, with a simple enough concept - to use pencils. I like the fact that pencils are traditionally used for art, but just not in this way!

From something so humble, Jennifer creates almost illusionary, beautiful sculptures which sometimes look familiar but other times become unusual abstract structures.

In particular are the techniques she displays where the sharp ends create the spiny surface of sea urchin like beings, or are composed with the round cross sections of the pencils to form mammals with a protective outer fur and a softer inner belly.

See more on Jennifer’s website
Also, check out Jennifer’s  Etsy store for other ways she creates with pencils

Via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: pencil sculpture, Jennifer Maestre, sculpture

Hubcap Creatures are animal sculptures made from hubcaps found on the side of the road, along with other recycled materials.

Although the materials are “second-hand” the designs certainly aren’t, looking quite slick instead. The creator states “marks add texture and history to the creatures they decorate, and so choose not to fill, overpaint or alter them in any way.”

They sell for about $250 - $975 each although you can commission a piece to be made.

Find out more on HubCapCreatures.com

Via Uncrate

Technorati Tags: crafts, design, hubcap creatures, models, sculpture

Tree houses are buildings constructed among the branches or next to the trunk of one or more mature trees, and are raised above the ground.

Tree houses can be built for recreation or permanent habitation. As a kid, its the sort of thing you’d love to have but rarely have the knowledge, practicality and persistence to create a decent, secure example, let alone one which has been uniquely designed.

Well, the FreshHome blog has posted the 8 of the most amazing tree houses ever built. I posted the Japanese examples on my other site OneInchPunch.net, but this one below is a rather funky design, which sticks out in a forest, but to my mind still works.

This tree house is called a ‘Free Spirit Sphere’ and is designed by Tom Chudleigh. Its an eco-friendly living quarter that was created to co-exist unobtrusively with its forest environment.

Wooden spheres are built much like a cedar strip canoe or kayak, suspension points are similar to the chain plate attachments on a sailboat and the stairways hang from a tree much like a sailboats shrouds hang from the mast.

See more of the Top 8 Most Amazing Tree Houses

Via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: crafts, design, tree houses

Now, this is just amazing. Who knows whether this artist/craftsman has specialist tools to craft these designs on an eggshell, but the skill and creativity is obvious from the shells themselves.

How are these designs marked out so geometrically accurate? Or is this just the artistic skill in process?

Even more baffling, how are the holes and negative spaces punched out without breaking the already fragile shells? Are they treated somehow?

And I wonder whether countless hours of intense, detailed work has often been destroyed whilst this artist has been “learning” the trade, by a careless slip, or a little too much pressure.

I guess when a craft is intriguing and baffling to understand the “how”, it just makes it all the more interesting and admirable.

Via Piclicious

Technorati Tags: arts, crafts, eggshell, ideas

Molly “Porkshanks” Friedrich’s Ludiculous Skytop Zeppelin Hat is a sky-blue, cloud-decorated leatherette top-hat, featuring a miniature zeppelin on its brim.

I’d love to see someone wearing this to Ascot! On a traditional day for hat wearing, this is sure to stand out for its quirkiness - well, I think it would look great amongst the supposedly more refined designs.

As a symbol for old victorian cool, you probably can’t get better than a zeppelin, in my opinion. Why did someone have to invent more efficient, faster forms of air transport like planes?!?

More via BoingBoing

Technorati Tags: crafts, hats, ideas, models, zeppelin