Archives for category: Art/Design

AP Clash Immunity Round 1 Walls Pimpage

July 10, 2010 //

Since the Clash immunity challenge winners for round 1 have been announced, I figured I’d give a little extra love to some of my favorite walls from this challenge:

Wait by jubjub
Loved the exquisite simplicity and the subtle melancholy that this wall was able to convey through so few elements.

Da Ba Dee, Da Ba Die by Horseradish
Funk + soul + Spike of Bebop fame, what’s not to like?

Give Me Symphonies by ze
I’m obviously a junkie for simplicity, but the typography in this wall is also love!

Nodame Cantabile: Finale

July 8, 2010 //

I marathoned through the whole of Nodame Cantabile: Finale yesterday, and now there is a dark gaping void in my life which used to be filled with Nodame goodness. I almost blew the internet cap in the viewing process, but gosh it was worth it. I had delayed starting Finale because I thought this would happen, given how much I love the series. Despite the fact that I was utterly traumatized by the abrupt manga ending, seeing it again in anime form the second time wasn’t quite as bad. In fact, the anime actually helped me come to terms a bit more with the manga ending.

I think Nodame Cantabile is the ONLY series where I’ve read the entire manga, watched all three anime seasons, and the live action series (to the Europe special). I may have to track down the two live action movies soon. I also started a Nodame WIP to attempt to fill the abyss in my soul… it’s sort of helping

Seeing this image in the ED sequence always tore at my heartstrings, so… love to Nodame and Chiaki, and why, WHY did such an awesome series have to end? Whyyy?

I Heart Fail Whale

June 22, 2010 //

Because Twitter’s iconic Fail Whale is love, this comic strip by aksrnk is a terrific addition to the trove of Fail Whale tributes!

From Gigazine: “Missed You…Twitter’s Fail Whale Welcomes Home Hayabusa Asteroid Explorer“

Spoon & Tamago

June 11, 2010 //

I was actually looking for more info on these awesome looking Cupmen (which hold down instant noodle lids and turn white once the noodles have finished cooking – cool right?!) when I stumbled onto Spoon & Tamago. And I promptly fell in love with the blog, because author Johnny Strategy has an impeccable eye for the quirky and charming in Japanese design. Browsing through the blog was a real treat for the eyes and feast for the mind!

Apart from the forementioned cupmen:

I was also very taken with these little wooden magnets that look like delicious pebble-buttons. As Johnny said, “The smooth, rounded surface beckons you to touch and caress it. Looking at them lined up makes me want to put one in my mouth.”

But the tree page-markers were probably my favorite – such brilliant conceptual design by artist Megumi Takahashi!

Anyways, if any of the above caught your eye then I would highly recommend a browse through Spoon & Tamago – it’s sure to inspire!

Mokona Nouveau

June 7, 2010 //

I was actually pretty excited when I saw that the Minitokyo Knockout Round 3 theme was Art Nouveau, since I’ve never tried the style before. And with the non-human subject requirement I immediately thought “YEAH MOKONA!!!” Gotta give loves to my internet alter-ego The scan that I ended up using immediately struck a chord, not only because it puts Mokona up front and center, but also because of the heavy Japanese style which feeds directly into the Art Nouveau theme.

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120 War – Shinigami no Ballad Wallpaper

June 7, 2010 //

Finally participated in 120 War for the first time w00t! And here’s what came out of it after close to two hours of fiddling:

Download: 1920×1200

Momo partially extracted from this scan; then I slapped on a paper texture from Stock.XCHNG, a cloud texture from Mayang, and a pattern from Stuntkid. Thanks to Yina-chan for hosting this round!

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2010 AP Clash of the Wallers – Now Recruiting Participants!

May 30, 2010 //

EPIC SUMMER WALLING COMPETITION GOODNESS for the AnimePaper community, brought to you by Jay and myself. There’ll most likely be three elimination rounds that run from June to August, in additional to two concurrent (optional) immunity rounds. It’ll be lots of fun, plus there is an awesome prize. So what are you waiting for? SIGN UP NOW @ AP!

Catch Me If You Can – Title Sequence

May 28, 2010 //

Tama referenced the Catch Me If You Can title sequence as an inspiration for her recent wall – which reminded me how fabulously stylish this opening was

The site which hosted the CMIYC opening clip, The Art of the Title Sequence, is also quite interesting to browse through in its own right. I definitely recommend a visit if you like opening sequences and/or if you’re in need of some cinematic inspiration.

P.S. Happy 10th birthday to DA! May you have many more

theJADED Network

May 25, 2010 //

I’ve been a fan of Jay‘s works for a while now. So this morning when she asked me if TJN could affiliate with pixel ellipsis, I was like… of course! (HUR HUR ) As I gleefully told Jay, I regularly stalk TJN for her awesome walls – so affiliating makes my stalking a lot easier.

By the way, Jay and I have been busy working on a big summer project for the AP community. It’s *almost* ready to go, so do keep your eyes peeled for more news on this! We’re both working madly (and excitedly) for the big reveal, so expect major pimpage from me once it officially kicks off

Steve Bialik and Li Wei

April 29, 2010 //

I recently came across two artists with very different styles, each inspiring in their own ways. Steve Bialik I found a little while back, and given how his work has been featured in so many other blogs recently I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already seen his stuff as well. Steve is the awesome creator of “Samurai Star Wars” – a series of ukiyo-e styled renderings of Star Wars characters

I’ve never seriously considered shelling out for a print online before, but if Steve ever makes these into prints (as he’s hinted he would) and they’re not too pricey, I would totally buy a set of these and hang them all up in the apartment. My walls have been bare for far too long!

Then there’s Li Wei, whose work speak so eloquently for themselves that he needs no introduction:

And having done a bit of digging, it appears that Photoshop was NOT involved in the creation of these images – just wire work and steady poses. Amazing!

From Mighty Optical Illusions: “Chinese artist Li Wei’s Optical Illusions“