Drawing
April 8, 2015

Exquisite Photorealistic Portraits Created Using a Ballpoint Pen

Ghana-based artist Enam Bosokah captures incredible likenesses using only a blue ballpoint pen. The stunningly-realistic portrait drawings depict world leaders, writers, as well as children and couples. Bosokah's work showcases emotional scenes in elaborate detail, and it's as if we're looking at cyan-toned photographs rather than hand-crafted creations. The artist's drawings offer a glimpse into his process, and the exquisite images are produced with many layers of pen marks.

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Design
April 5, 2015

Remarkable 240-Year-Old Doll Automaton Can Write Actual Programmable Text

Designed and constructed in the 1770s, this extraordinary little doll is actually a self-operating machine that's believed by some to be one of the oldest examples of a computer. Known as “The Writer,” the automaton was built by Swiss-born watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz in order to entertain nobility and promote watches. In addition to “The Writer,” the ingenious craftsman created two other incredible doll automata with the help of his son Henri-Louis and Jean-Frdric Leschot.

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Art
April 4, 2015

Amazingly Intricate Laser-Cut Wood Relief Sculptures by Gabriel Schama

Oakland-based artist Gabriel Schama creates incredibly intricate, densely layered wood relief sculptures using thin, laser-cut pieces of mahogany plywood. He starts with a vector illustration that is sent to a laser cutter. Lasers carve designs into 1/8-inch sheets of plywood, which are then glued together and varnished. The result is a magnificently textured, mandala-like work of art comprised of ornate layers that twist, overlap, and intersect spectacularly.

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Art
April 3, 2015

Beautiful Scratchboard Portraits of Animals by Allan Ace Adams (Every Line is a Scratch)

To create these breathtaking portraits of animals, artist Allan Ace Adams uses a scalpel and an x-acto knife to scratch away a top layer of black ink to reveal the white clay underneath. Called scratchboard art, it's a time-consuming process that takes commitment and a fine level of detail. One piece can take hundreds of hours to complete due to the many layers of tiny scratches that have to b be made.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.