Maserati Race Car Papercraft

The Maserati 250F was the car that Juan Manuel Fangio drove to victory in the 1957 World Championship. This paper model of the race car was created by Grand Prix enthusiast Paul Cheard using Adobe Illustrator. Cheard estimates that the ten piece model takes about 3 to 4 hours to build. A free download of the template is available here.

J.D. Salinger

Vintage Cover of Catcher in the Rye, 1964 by Per Ahlin

One of the unfortunate things about going to bed at 10 o'clock in the morning is that you miss the entire day's events. Just now I have been informed about the death of J.D. Salinger.

By tomorrow there will be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of blog posts about J.D. Salinger. Catcher in the Rye is an American classic that seeped its way into the culture, overtook the minds of young people, stole their hearts, spoke their voices . . . For me, it was no less.

Literature is always in flux, the trends come and go. But some books seem to never go out of fashion. Their place in the history of literature is defined by each generation's new perspective. Granted, many of us were younger when we read Salinger. But those experiences of reading his novels and short stories were often so powerful that we continue to reflect on them with nostalgia. Sven Birkets, in a book I highly recommend called Reading Life: Books for the Ages, writes beautifully about his memories of reading Catcher in the Rye:

All of us who love The Catcher in the Rye love it in our own special way--or imagine we do--for the nature of the bond with this book is that it feels like a private place, a sanctum custom-fitted to the contours of every unique alienation and holding for each of us our noblest and most wounded sense of ourselves.

I just started publishing chapters of a novel about my own adolescence on the Blog of Innocence. There is something about adolescence that is so powerful and hard to describe that when an author is able to convey these "special" emotions with candor, we listen. Salinger did just that. He retold the story of our own adolescence. It didn't matter that we had different experiences than Holden, we still could relate to him. Inside, both of us knew what it was like.

And now we've all become phony adults. Not quite. But we're aware that we're living in a different reality, of how things work, and what people are like. My adulthood continues to be wildly irrational sometimes, but nothing like when I was 18 or 19. By writing down my adolescence I am able to distance myself from that world. I can reflect on the person I am now versus the person I was then.

Birkets writes:

And from these talks I realized that the secret of Holden, his undying appeal, is that he remains fixed, through the genius of his disaffection, through Salinger's perfect grasp of the pathos of adolescence--its pained awareness of imminent fall--right at the point of sacrifice. Unable to take the one small required step toward accommodation, he becomes a martyr to the cause of doomed innocence, possessor of a cynicism that is so heartbreaking because it is entirely preemptive, in training for the disappointments of the life to come.

There is so much wisdom in this. The fact of Holden couldn't be more solidified as we read the parallels that are now made to the author himself in the New York Times and other newspapers. Salinger was Holden Caulfield, maybe not in the literal sense but in the self-portrait of the author. After the success of the novel, Salinger's desire to remove himself from society altogether is evidence of this. The world was too phony for him too.

Some writers commit suicide, Salinger stayed alive and miserable until today. What's strange is that I don't feel a close connection to the actual man who wrote these books. It's the author in my imagination that I admire, that I sympathize with, that I want to honor with this blog post. It's no secret that Salinger was not a happy man. His daughter has said he was abusive. Whatever the case, I feel a connection to the man who wrote these books, not the shell of the man who lived afterwards.

But it wasn't Catcher in the Rye which had the biggest impact on me as a young writer. It was the collection of short stories, For Esme-with Love and Squalor. It just occurs to me that while I was in Spain, living out the drama I recount in The Novel of Life, I was reading this collection of short stories.

I now recall carrying the book of short stories through the subways of Madrid. The blue cover faded, the spine breaking apart at the top, the words on the binding creased and unreadable. It is the same now as it was then.

I loved these stories that Salinger wrote. They amused me, entertained me, but also taught me matters of the heart. Of course, I admired the crisp, ebullient sentences, and that Salingeresque voice which is inimitable and immediately recognizable. There is intelligence in every word, and a particular attitude that almost never goes away. Salinger critiques society from the oddest angles, with detached humor or a kind of palatable morbidity.

The paradox of J.D. Salinger is apparent in the writing. It's a love/hate relationship to the world, and we can all identify with it. It's just too bad that he spent so much time on the other extreme during the second half of his life. With any death of a celebrity or a major figure, we have our own private meanings, our secret connections. Perhaps, then, it is us, the readers, who finally get to love the author.

More Essays . . .

District 9 concept ship by Greg Broadmore

The KING of FATBOSS blog... Greg's robots are off the conveya belt!



Keywords: concept alien spaceship from the movie film cinema district 9 nine concept art by greg broadmore king of fatboss blog weta workshop new zealand visual effects house

Where Do Creative Ideas Come From?

I am never at a loss for ideas. They seem to grow in my brain like weeds that need trimming. I guess some of them are weeds and some of them are flowers. This month I have been focused on the topic of inspiration. I think this year I want to try to tackle a different subject each month on the blog that is related to art and spend a month thinking and writing about it.

So today I am posting my Top 10 list of where I find inspiration ( in no particular order).

#1 Talking with other artists, the exchange of creative energy charges my battery.
#2 Revisiting my old work and old themes or subjects
#3 The Mall, no really, I rarely shop but when I do I can quickly get a feel for what is new and fresh and where the trends are heading. It is easy ... if rich ornate patterns are all the rage for a couple of years then the next big thing will be big bold simple geometrics, and then it will all swing back again. Patterns, colors, and styles change constantly in fashion and interior design.  I do not let the trends dictate what I do, but yes they do influence my work at times.  My clients pay attention to this stuff so I would be a fool not to be aware of what is going on out there.
#4 My husband and his writing.
#5 Packaging design .... I love it!
#6 Art and design magazines. I still love printed magazines, yes I am old.
#7 Old postcards, books, all types of ephemera.
#8 Visiting my artist friend's blogs.
#9 Museums
#10 Really good looking movies.

Ok that is my list. If you are an artist reading this consider posting your own list on your blog then leave a comment so we can discover what inspires you.

At the International Institute

International Institute , Madrid

On the morning of September 5th, 2001, instead of going to class, a student panicked and ran into the bathroom on the first floor of the International Institute in Madrid, Spain. As the clock struck eight, a monastery silence reigned over the building.

Staring so deep and hard at his reflection drew an excessive amount of strength and soon the student was overwhelmed and needed to sit down. He pressed the stall door, which opened like a confession booth.

“What’s wrong with me?” He asked.

As he waited for an answer, he stared up at the birds walking along the parapet.

“I’m living in a city without a single person who speaks my language . . . I could disappear tomorrow and nobody would know I’m gone.”

The rules of the study abroad program in Spain dictated no English allowed. The student saw this as a harsh and impossible demand. There were several other study abroad programs in the International Institute, none of which had to follow the same absurd rules. Americans chattered endlessly in the halls, unaware of their own freedoms. The sound of their carefree voices was the constant backdrop to his day. He lurked in front of the bathroom before disappearing into it, unable to communicate his frustration.

The walk from the Senora’s apartment to the International Institute took approximately thirty-five minutes. Walking in the city of Madrid was like making one’s way through a giant abyss, the immensity stretched to invisible corners, with crisscrossing roads and similar-looking plazas, and soon the endurance of walking became painful and self-conscious.

Of course, he was thinking of what awaited him at the Institute, what he would have to endure once he was there. The tiniest things transformed into a rash of paranoid fantasies. A little sweat, breaking out on his temples, gave him the sensation of razor blades.

At a certain intersection, construction workers swarmed the sidewalk. Cigarettes burned down to their teeth as they shouted orders in raspy, phlegmy voices. Then came the jackhammers with a crescendo of shrill intensity.

Lethe ran down a stone alleyway into a wide-open plaza, breathlessly watching the stones pass beneath him. Finally he arrived at a chamber of the city hidden from the march of pedestrians and the wail of traffic. Inside this serene plaza, a cluster of old men sat with their legs crossed, reading the morning paper. Sunlight scattered in equal measure on the fountain and across the granite stones. The plaza formed a mosaic under the big-domed sky. A lazy dog with thick, yellow bristles breathed heavily under one of the old man’s chairs.

Lethe stood next to the fountain, debating whether he should go to class this morning. The yellow dog looked up at him.

“What’s wrong with me?” The inner voice said.

Then, one of the Spanish gentlemen smiled wistfully, as if recalling a far-off dream. The Moorish columns of the city glinted behind him.

Lethe glanced back at the dog, and saw how perfectly content it was . . .

“Que Vida! Que Vida!” The old man shouted.

The other men in the chairs hardly moved; they were like the dog, barely awake.

“Que Vida! Que Vida!”

It was too late to make it to his next class. He decided to stay here.

--Scenes from The Novel of Life

"Silkscreening squeegee" by Craig Silva

Thanks to Craig Silva for his vector works. Enjoy.
Visit Craig: www.craigsilva.net or craigsblog.tumblr.com
1 AI : 2 MB

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"Automobile and Motorcycle logos"

A big logo collection of automobile and motorcycle companies.
Authors unknown. Only for personal use.
1 AI : 1,4 MB

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Scenes from the Novel of Life

Balconies by Eric Chan

Scenes:

At the International Institute

Donte

Dinner with the Senora

Juanita

A Noise from Lethe's Room

How I Escaped from Rehab

Author's Note:

The Novel of Life is a project I formally began about seven years ago, although it seems I was drafting the novel in my journals even farther back than that, almost ten years now . . .

Lately I've been working on the section of the novel that takes place in Madrid, Spain. Gerardo Gonzalez, a comic book artist from Argentina, will soon be creating a graphic novel version of the Spain section. He is almost finished with the Las Vegas section, which can be viewed on Escape into Life.

I have the first part of the Spain novel complete. I envision two more parts. My problem is, however, I continually revise the Spain novel until it perfectly evokes the memory of my experiences in Spain. This is the first time I can say with confidence that the first chapter is done--no more drafts.

I plan to publish the finished drafts of the Novel of Life to this blog. Most of the chapters are scenes that can be read separately. I'll continue to write my series of posts on 25 Profound Works of Literary Genius, and I'll continue to publish essays from time to time. But I would like to now focus my energies on fiction.

Fiction has always been my first true love. I grow apart from it when I lose the inspiration to work, and for the last year and a half, I've been writing essays. I feel I am ready to return to my fiction, and I want my readers on the Blog of Innocence to enjoy this experience.

I encourage you to read the scenes on the Blog of Innocence, if you can wait for the story. Most of the first part is done and the chapters should appear with frequency.

Concept ships by wakkawa

It's always interesting when an artist has a strong sci-fi tech piece amongst tons of female anatomy studies:)



Keywords: concept spaceship art by wakkawa on deviant art nude female anatomical drawings portrait comic book style fine art

Max & Sparky The Westies

Max & Sparky ( In progress)

© artpaw.com

I am sort of loving these 2 Westies. They will be proofed next week.

Simple Sea Serpent Papercraft

Sometimes simple papercraft can be the most fun to build. This paper toy sea serpent by artist Laura Schlipf gets my vote in the fun-to-build category. Despite being Laura's first papercraft design, she has added some creative touches like including an extra page of "humps" in the template which may be printed out as many times as desired to make (as she puts it) a serpent that is "reeeally long". The three pages of the template may be found here, here, and here.

Related Papercraft:
Loch Ness Monster

Color Inspiration

"CD" ( see all proofs)

© 2010 Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

Artists often walk a thin line between being inspired by their peers and borrowing way too much inspiration from them.  Often times people will not even be aware of their influences. I think the important thing when creating is to have a style and a voice that is uniquely your own. If other people's work influence you in your journey it is all good as long as you are bringing something new to the table that is your own.

I try to be be aware of my influences and this last week I broke out of my normal color options and played around with an existing background on CD the lab puppy, tweaking the colors to come up with a new combo. After I achieved the fun acid green & pink ground above I paused and smiled thinking about the work I had seen the previous week that must have inspired this combo. I am not a "pink" girl and when I see it used in a fresh non-frilly fashion I get very excited.  When pink is combined with unexpected or non traditional colors it often shows up as a brand new hue in my  brain as though I am seeing it for the first time. Check out Linda O'Neill's portrait of Kahla the kitty and you will find the color seeds that got planted in my brain. Thanks for the inspiration Linda, you have an exquisite sense of color!

Francois L Cannels concept ships

IgnusDei on deviantart... Concept robots!













Keywords: Francois L Cannels concept spaceship art IgnusDei deviant art account science fiction sci-fi design art blog out of vancouver bc

Spot and his Puppy Porto Potty

Spot and his Puppy Porto Potty
Originally uploaded by Moe's Ache

Found this whimsical creation this morning while browsing Flickr. The artist is Cappi Phillips and you can see more work from Cappi on her website: http://www.moesache.com.

Concept ship by the raoxcrew

Wox & Raku on deviantart.




Keywords: gator style concept spaceship spacecraft design art illustration by raox crew daniel lucanu and ismael municio concept artists from spain

"Comic book elements"

Real cool sketched elements from comics. POW!
Authors unknown. Only for personal use.
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"Diamonds"

Pimp up your designs with this bling-bling diamonds.
1 AI : 100 KB

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Escape into Life: Issue no. 9

Victor Moscoso, Incredible Poetry 1968

A couple months ago we did an article on the poster art movement, and in this issue our newest writer Lara Cory talks about the extraordinary artistic talent appearing in rock posters of the last decade. She also gives a brief history of the rock poster, suggesting that sex, death, and animals dominate the genre's favorite imagery.

I'm very pleased with the intellectual, artistic, and literary submissions coming into Escape into Life. Here are some of the highlights of this issue:

Sex, Death, and Animals: The Art of the Rock Poster . . . Complete with a rock poster art gallery, Australian writer Lara Cory introduces artists of this magnificent genre then and now.

Poetry by Chad Redden . . . Soothing, quirky, and intimate, Chad Redden's poetry acts as an elixir on the mind.

Clayton Eshleman's Poetic Art . . . Published author, David Maclagan, delves deep into the poetry of Clayton Eshleman and shows how Eshleman's poetry re-creates works of art in the poet's own subjectivity.

Microfictions by Jonathan Everitt . . . With a tremendous economy of words, writer Jonathan Everitt delivers subtle and nuanced fiction.

What is Escape into Life?

EIL is a publication based on the concept of citizen journalism. The goal is to create a journal of poetry, essays, and art from writers who are already publishing on the Web and who would like to gain more exposure to their blogs. The artists we feature are the very best we can find, and the writers have a background in writing and a passion for the arts.

More information here

Selected Poems by Lethe Bashar

Tony Bevilacqua

I go down into the cool basement where

I go down into the cool basement where
the open foundation peers out of the walls
upstairs she's sleeping, beautiful and
uncomplicated, in a dream I'll never know
my cats want to know what happened
what can I say to them?
I'm sorry, I went back to smoking . . .
don't come down here, I want to be alone
my work is fulfilling but
there is something the size of a needle
it rents a hole inside my brain, a tunnel of worry
air escapes and makes things cold
I used to have that control
things to keep me busy, a goal, some bright idea
countless directions and possibilities
the reason why I came down here tonight
I had a meaning,
a strong sense of knowing
but now I just shiver from the dropping temperatures
and wait for the old spirit of wonder to make me feel better
the basement is a blunt place
to awaken the soul
so what was it I came down here for?
the future has no home,
it looms like a pendulum, moving
from desire to desire, and back to
love, time-honored
my teeth sink deeper into a bed of gums
I'm growing old, and in my house
like guests, they come and go
they smile, nod, give encouragement
I return to this
rhythm of exhaustion.


the memory of disappointment

the memory of disappointment
looms over every lover's head,
the pain of longing is

protracted
extending into future lives,
the world turns

in a continuous way

nothing is permanent
and that makes me dream
again


the people we dream about are

the people we dream about are
enigmas
and they have overwhelming powers
with their words, with their ideas

how could a few words
produce
a bright little dragon of hope?

still the experience is inchoate
not finished yet,
it conceals the final result

this state is more like a dream
than a perpetual longing--
the hope which

alters your reality
will most likely
fly away on butterfly wings

and yet I live for the chances,
how encouraging
when she wakes me out of bed
and dips me into a bath of possibility

not impotent fantasy
but real hope--
the kind that promises

an ultimate end.


surprises--what are surprises?

surprises--what are surprises?
looking back they lose their glow

wishes may be granted
if my wishes are granted
then I will breathe easily

dreams, fantasies, terrors
the cat meowing at the shut door
purposeless I drift in my cocoon
of wonder

my story is so old, so repetitive by now
not even you would like to hear it

my humdrum life, the wheel
of it turning--with only
vivid fantasies to keep me alive

I ache with wonder at
the slow action of my self
growth and maturity are
not quick enough for me

I need a dream to hang on
I need an opium pipe to suck in
clouds of happiness

there is nothing,
not even anger anymore
just the longing

a lake of separation between us.


I don't know if I can ever satisfy my longings

I don't know if I can ever satisfy my longings
with any person or thing,
my outward gaze
sees a paradise of fleeting figures
some lost, others connected by
a rift--

I invite this shapeshifting desire
into my life,
I call it forward, only to turn it down
and my adventures
I'd never give them up, I live
for change, transformation, renewal
but how dark it is to exist in a

pool of longing and astonishment.


Altheabashar is my poetry blog. You can follow the feed here.

Star Wars Papercraft: X-Wing Starfighter

There are quite a few different papercraft models out there of the X-Wing starfighter from the Star Wars movies, but what sets this one apart is its cartoonish looks which I find kind of cute for some reason. This model is the creation of Al MacDonald who does the online comic "Diary of a Crazed Mimbanite". The style of the X-Wing somewhat matches the style of the online comic. Al has also created a TIE fighter to go along with the X-Wing. Both templates may be downloaded here.

3D concept ships by Francois Brigouleix

After sending in more work, I've bumped up Francois to weekly header.

Francois from copirate.fr sent this in. He writes:
"Hi... Here is a all 3d picture with a special tribute to the "ccp game's" space ship that i saw on your site." Pretty nice Francois... Thanks!












Keywords: 3d three dimensional space scene infrastructure hub spaceship models from ccp games eve online video game series by from francois brigouleix

David Levy concept ships

Vyle's website and weekly header post on conceptships. New weekly header tomorrow!












Keywords: concept spaceship illustration design art by vyle david levy founder of steambot studios concept planes ships for wolverine movie

More Projects In the Home

Thanks to Linda for sending us these in home shots of her artwork hanging. You guys may recall Hank from last year.  Recently we had the opportunity to do a more playful Hank with football and Turbo kitty. This client has a love for rich colors and pattern. I love how well these two 12 x 12 prints stack  in the space above the couch. Linda is local and she dropped by about a week ago to pick up her artwork in person and she brought the Scotties biscuits. My little boy Ajax was so overwhelmed and amazed that one of these "client-people"  ( that is what he calls my patrons ) brought biscuits!  After Linda left he ran into the office and rubbed his beard on the carpet while singing a happy song.  Ajax loves the "client-people", so do I ... they are the best. I hope we get to meet a lot more local clients in 2010, and Ajax hopes they bring treats.

"Hank" ( notice the drool on ball)

© 2010 Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

"Turbo"
© 2010 Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

My Repeat Clients Inspire Me!

" Romeo, Bella, and Juliet"

© 2010 Rebecca Collins/  artpaw.com

My repeat clients inspire me and make me want to do better art, and give the best customer service I possibly can. Five years ago I did a Warhol style portrait of Romeo & Juliet.  We also created artwork of their cow dog Pepper. My client is Steve and if I recall correctly it was a gift for his wife. This last Christmas he contacted me to do a project of Misu for his brother as a holiday gift. He ordered a little past our deadlines but of course since he was a repeat client I did everything I could to deliver on time for Christmas and we made the target date.  I was happy to hear from him earlier this month about doing a new painterly project of Romeo & Juliet along with a new addition ... Miss Bella  ( see artwork above).

Steve is a lot of fun to work with and one of those clients that I feel I know a little bit. He sent me a link to  a site he built for his Father, Darwin Musselman.  It is that site and connection I made with Steve that made me start thinking about my own early art influences ( see yesterday's post).  Darwin Musselman is an extremely talented artist that had more than 50 one man shows in Museums across the country. There is a terrific page on the site called "Thoughts and Memories" where some of his former students have posted sweet memories they have of studying under Mr. Musselman. The site is a well done labor of love. I especially liked the portraits section and seeing a young Stevie, posing for a rainbo bread illustration. Anyway, do check out Darwin Musselman, you will be intrigued by this talented artist that had a hand in defining what has come to be known as the "California Style".

Tomorrow I will share more repeat client projects with artwork of Hank and Turbo. Their human is a fun local client that brought my Scotties  biscuits last week. Now Ajax is trying to talk me into working for doggy treats. I really do have the best clients on the planet.

Concept ships by Robert Kim

artofroboto blog and article on conceptrobots.












Keywords: concept ships art illustration design by robert kim art of roboto blog roboto kun anime robots spaceships final fantasy ff bike motorcycle art

Alan Moore Paper Toys

Alan Moore is the UK comic book writer who brought us Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V for Vendetta. Despite his excellent writing abilities, I always thought Moore's looks were a little creepy. These paper toys turn up the creep factor a notch by adding glowing red eyes to the mix. Both these toys are available from Mustard comedy magazine as part of their paper toy series of celebrities who have appeared on the cover of the magazine. A download the PDF templates is here.

Ling Yun concept ship drawings

lingy-0 blog.





Keywords: concept spaceship spacecraft art by ling yun lingy-o digital concept art massive alien ship over city chongqing china