Secret Still

When I was younger I had an origami phase. It was really more just a day when I was bored and found origami in my Things To Do and Make books. It might have become a hobby if I wasn’t completely terrible at it. Paper doesn’t like me and I don’t understand how this folded thing is supposed to be a seal at the circus. It was a mutual disagreement between me and origami. That’s part of what makes the work of Brazilian designer Carlo Giovani even more impressive to me. I can’t imagine trying to sit down and figure out how I can take a sheet of paper and actually make a 3-D replica of something just by cutting and folding. That literally blows my mind. Blows it right out of my skull and onto the carpet.

Carlo Giovani

Artist/Designer Sander Plug demonstrates the effects of extreme heat on Chocolate Easter Rabbits. It makes me both hungry and a little revolted. So that’s pretty standard for Easter.

Sander Plug. The video should start playing automatically, if it doesn’t then click “Chocolade Haas”.

For some reason videos made entirely of typography never lose their appeal to me. For some reason the part of me that gets laid wants to punch the part of me that just wrote that sentence in the face. The turmoil of mankind continues.

Also, I think Abbott and Costello were fucking amazing.

Ok, maybe this is just the nerd in me having a good ol’ time, but I think that this is actually pretty dope. Is dope still around? Do people still say dope?

Oh my God. I actually dribbled a little water out of my mouth when I first saw these bikes. That’s right, America, I look at bike porn.

Vanilla Bicycles

I cannot overemphasize how important Calvin and Hobbes was to my development. It gave me an introspective and curious nature, and it was the first strip that I ever drew. I used to copy strips to practice drawing in the cartoon style rather than the comic book style that I had always worked in. It was the first strip that I was ever really excited to read, and I read it over and over again. Peanuts and C&H were the two genre changing strips that will always hold the highest places in my comic pantheon. If you had similar revelations you might be interested in checking out this page of rare Bill Watterson art. It’s always nice to get a glimpse into another part of an artist’s work, because it explains a little more about the artist. It’s lame to have to piece together what someone is like from just their work, but I don’t foresee Bill inviting me over for a BBQ anytime soon. Watterson also wrote the foreword to the new Charles Schulz biography (top of my purchase list) so pick that up if you like reading things that make your life complete.

Rare Bill Watterson art

If there is a niche for art that borders on offensive then Martyn Overweel is settling nicely into it. Pretty much every image from the German artist has something in it that makes me look over my shoulder to see if my boss is coming. I like it though. It’s got a dirty as hell feel to it which goes well with the usually dirty as hell imagery. Needless to say this shit is not safe for work unless you have a lockable office door. If you do caught you can at least beg out of it with the art defense. It’s not like you’re looking at Japanese clown orgies. Or are you? Pervert.

Martyn F. Overweel

For the sake of interactivity the comments have been turned back on. If I start getting a lot of spam I’ll turn on moderation. Otherwise, say whatever the fuck you want. I don’t give two shits. Actually I have to give one right now. TMI, internets? Expect more of that as our awkward relationship continues to grow into an abusive marriage.

**update**: I just realized that some of my code had totally blown out my divs. Don’t you hate when that happens? It should be fixed now, but if you notice anything anomalous leave me a note in the comments. Motherfuckers are coming in handy already.

How many times have you been working on a project and none of the fonts in your arsenal are right for your needs? You could go out and find suitable typography but chances are it’ll cost you some stupid high amount to purchase. Worry slightly less! I love Typography has a nice tutorial on creating fonts. It lists everything you’ll need to start mapping your own lettersets from software to tips and tricks. What more do they have to do, spell it out for you? Because that’s, uh…that’s what they did actually. So don’t come bitching to me about how Helvetica is played out, sucka.

Who knew that aerial photography could be so amazing? It’s all just a matter of perspective. From too far away the scene becomes jumbled and meaningless, although from space it takes on the quality of awe-inspiring, and from too close the scene is good but not as great as the whole. Combine that knack for perspective and a good eye for color, and you get Alex MacLean’s work. I wonder if spending that much time looking at the world from so far away can make perspective on the ground more difficult. Can you forget how to see the world from within it? Someone ask Alex and let me know.

Alex MacLean