Kay Nielsen's Stunning 1914 Illustrations of Scandinavian Fairy Tales By Maria Popova As a lover of illustrated fairy tales and having just returned from Sweden, I was delighted to discover, thanks to the relentlessly wonderful 50 Watts, East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North (public library; public domain) — a collection of Scandinavian fairy tales, illustrated by Danish artist Kay Rasmus Nielsen (1886-1957), whose work you might recall from the all-time greatest illustrations of Brothers Grimm and the fantastic visual history of Arabian Nights. Originally published in 1914, this magnificent tome of 15 stories was recently reissued by Calla Editions, the same Dover imprint that revived Harry Clarke’s magnificent illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe, and features 25 color illustrations, along with a slew of black-and-white ones, in Nielsen’s singular style of haunting whimsy. ↬ 50 Watts
Vintage Future Brooding Cityscapes Painted with Oils by Jeremy Mann San Francisco-based artist Jeremy Mann executes these sublime, moody cityscapes using oil paints. To create each work he relies on a wide range of techniques including surface staining, the use of solvents to wipe away paint, and the application of broad, gritty marks with an ink brayer. The resulting paintings are dark and atmospheric, urban streets seemingly drenched in rain and mystery. Mann’s work is in no way limited to cityscapes, he also paints the human figure, still lifes, and landscapes. He currently has work at John Pence Gallery and you can see many more of his cityscapes here. (via my darkened eyes)
Design Inspiration. Free Resources & Tutorials - Lava360.com Bookshelf Porn Inky Fool Amazing Pencil Sculptures by Jennifer Maestre When we are talking about pencil, what would you relate to? Maybe you would think about writing or drawing, but there is an artist who really thinks out of the box. She is Jennifer Maestre, a sculptor. Jennifer was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but finished her B.A. in Wellesley College, U.S.. She later gained her B.F.A. in Massachusetts College of Art. Jennifer was not only recognized by the public, but also by the professionals. Jennifer’s sculptures were inspired by the form and function of the sea urchin. The following are some amazing sculptures of Jennifer we selected.
THING 2. Successful Seduction and the Naked Truth: Rethink Cover Design for a Small, Small World “There’s something about you, Anastasia, that calls to me on some deep level I don’t understand. It’s a siren’s call. I can’t resist you.”–Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L. James)“I’m Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he’s the serpent, and I cannot resist.”–Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. The Siren’s Call How does the sexy billionaire mogul Christian Grey meet hapless college student Anastasia Steele? Oh, never mind. Of course, only later does Grey confess to her that she has it all backwards about the blonde beauties at the office. In other words, if you stood a bunch of blonde women in a row and threw a brunette into the mix, Christian Grey’s eye would naturally be drawn to someone he wants to spank. Uh-oh. Stop Eyeballing Me Speaking of eyes, did you know that your eyeballs are always moving? “Peripheral stimulus.” Ludicrous, you say? Look familiar? Christian? A Complete Mystery Just wanted to let you know I finally have my backlist on Kindle. “What?” See?