virtualDavis

Sometimes the image says it all. And then some… “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking permission.”

run in the tunnel! by gingalegendweed, made at DoInk.com

“DoInk brings two things to the table: a community of talented people, and all the tools they need to share their ideas. Once, you’ve signed up you can begin animating, drawing, and sharing. And to speed things up, you can re-use the work of thousands of other users.” (DoInk.com)

DoInk is a website where you can roll your own animation. How does this work? No clue. Is it cool? Oh-so-very! And if you’re artistically challenged, that’s okay too… They’ve got you covered.

Despite my withering review of M on the Bund in Shanghai, I remain intrigued by some of the design elements of their website… Although the actual restaurant-specific drill downs are not particularly innovative, the general home page experience is similar to the concept I’ve been working on for Rosslyn Redux.

via dailycognition.com

Although the idea underlying the twenty five photographs in this posting isn’t terribly innovative, the visual impact of the hand holding the old image is compelling. It adds a subjectivity, diminishing the clinical feel of the exercise and provoking the curiosity of the viewer. An interesting scrapbooking concept that I’ll continue to explore further.

Have you used picnik? It’s an online image-editing software that’s free, easy and powerful. And it integrates nicely with flickr, facebook, etc. It’s no PhotoShop, but did I mention that it’s free?

image via mashable.com

3D Sidewalk Art (via huffingtonpost.com)

3D sidewalk art makes the best graffiti ever!

Maybe these fellows will come to my town and chalk up a canyon across the road in order to slow down speeders. 30mph and cars routinely double the speed limit! But strategically selected 3D sidewalk art could change that quickly…

The example above suggests all manner of similar concepts because our road skims the lake shore. Imagine three dimensional chalk art creating the illusion of a vast chasm washed out in the road. Or 3D sidewalk art (in this case it would be more appropriate to call it 3D road art perhaps?) depicting a freighter crashed into and through the road. Or a flock of sheep blocking traffic…

3D sidewalk art to the rescue!

3D Sidewalk Art & Law Enforcement

Instead of punishing the creators of 3D sidewalk art, lumping it together with graffiti and categorically assuming that it is all destructive vandalism, what if we shift our thinking in a more positive direction? What is we deam 3D sidewalk art part of law enforcement’s tools to deter high speed traffic? Instead of pitting law enforcement against the 3D sidewalk artists, law enforcement could become the most vital patrons of the public displays. The art form might get catapulted into its heyday, with municipalities all around the world celebrating the intrepid creators of sidewalk and street illusion. Traffic would slow. Accidents would diminish. Road rage would vanish. The driving and walking public would swap stress for joy, assertive myopia for panoramic vision… Just imagine!

Related articles

• 3D Art on Sidewalks (virtualdavis.com)
• 3D street painting (gpcartappreciation.wordpress.com)
• There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk (rredwildroses.wordpress.com)
• The Skrapan 3D Street Art Easily Conquers Your Fear of Heights (trendhunter.com)
• Street Artist ‘Bored’ Leaves Life-Size Monopoly Pieces on the Streets of Chicago (inhabitat.com)
• Woman Starts A Kindness Campaign By Leaving Nice Messages In Chalk On Sidewalks. (thepuffington.com)
• Nationally Acclaimed Chalk Artist Jennifer Chaparro to be Featured at Two South Florida Festivals (prweb.com)

Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviantART

[Click to play.]

This animation by Alan Becker was passed on to me by my mother who is an amazing cartoonist in her own right (despite her protestations to the contrary…)

Nude with Yellow Background, by Paul Rossi (paulrossiarts.com)

I just whipped up this prehistoric fellow over at the scribbler. A primitive hare. A cobwebby doodle…
Want to make one? The scribbler allows you to create a “generative illustration” (I prefer doodle to “generative illustration”, but maybe I’m too old school) based on your drawing. And you can save it afterward by following the instructions on the left hand side of the screen.

Why did I draw a funky petroglyphic hare? No idea… It’s not even rabbit, rabbit time of the month!