Archive for the ‘Features & Interviews’ CategoryCustom Kicks For the Pop Culture Set
Posted:
Saturday, August 28, 2010
in Creative Company, Features & Interviews, Product Art, fashion, mashups, pop culture
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These Batman and Robin Nikes are just the latest set of custom kicks from Brass Monki (featured previously), which is actually just the trade name for Daniel Reese, one very enterprising and super-talented 22 year old from the outskirts of Liverpool, England. But we suspect that if he keeps putting out stuff like this, he’ll probably find himself in need of some employees real soon. As you’ll see in the photo gallery below, the Dynamic Duo are just the latest pop icons to get Daniel’s sneaker treatment. He’s done a whole slew of other styles inspired by Pac Man, Cookie Monster, Captain America, Bansky and a whole bunch more. While Batman and Robin aren’t for sale yet, all the other shoes we’ve featured are available in the Brass Monki store though they don’t come cheap. Prices range from £250 to £500. [First spotted at Dangerous Minds] The Art Cars of Burning Man [120 Photos]
Posted:
Thursday, August 26, 2010
in Counterculture, DIY, Features & Interviews, Feeling Creative, Photography, Spotlight, Things That Might Be Art, Trendspotting, inventions, pop culture
Every summer, in the sweltering heat of the Nevada desert, 50,000 people come together for an event called Burning Man. This year’s gathering kicks off next Monday, August 30, and to celebrate we’ve thrown together a little photo gallery of the various art cars people have constructed for use there over the years. After the jump are 120 amazing art cars, ranging from boomboxes to birthday cakes to animals and everything in between. If you think we’ve missed one that deserves to be included, please feel free to drop us a line. [Above photo Via] Trendspotting: 14 Cassette-Inspired Products That Rewind Time
Posted:
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
in Features & Interviews, Spotlight, Tech, Trendspotting, inventions, mashups, products
Above: Tape Dispenser | J-Me (UK) | $20 While some readers out there might not know it, our main activity here at the Jailbreak is designing products. And because we’re always looking around the web for stuff that’s already been made, not to mention our time spent at gift and toy fairs throughout the year, we tend to see product trends develop among other companies in our industry. From that, we’ve already devoted entire posts to trendy stuff like ice-cube trays, weapons of mass production, and the mighty moustache. Today we’re back with the fourth installment of our semi-regular trendspotting feature: products inspired by the cassette tape. After the jump check out 13 such products, including everything from doormats to iPhone skins to tote bags and ties. Hello Kitty As Everyone
Posted:
Monday, August 23, 2010
in Features & Interviews, Feeling Creative, Tech, Toys, Trendspotting, Turning Japanese, illustration, mashups, pop culture, star wars
In one of the more epic mashups we’ve seen, an illustrator named Joseph Senior from New Zealand has taken Hello Kitty and combined her with a number of pop-culture mainstays, including Darth Vader, Buzz Lightyear, Iron Man, Homer Simpson and Mr. Spock. It’s a shame these are only illustrations — they would look fantastic sitting on our toy throne. Hit the jump to see 12 more. [Spotted at Toysrevil] Wookiee the Pooh
Posted:
Sunday, August 22, 2010
in Art, Features & Interviews, illustration, mashups, pop culture, star wars
A pretty adorable pop-culture mashup by artist James Hance. There are a bunch more illustrations from this series after the jump. [spotted at Buzzfeed]
We all have our childhood influences; in my case it was comic books that grabbed me first. They were the spark plug that got me into drawing and design, and all these years later, even though I haven’t read a comic book in ages, the characters still hold a very special place in my heart and in my imagination. Given the proliferation of superhero movies in recent years, I’m obviously not alone in these sentiments. But alas, something gets lost amidst all the CGI, the tracking shots, the high-megawatt Hollywood stars and, of course the unrelenting hype. These hand drawn cards speak to my inner comic dork in a way that no Hollywood blockbuster ever could. Simple, soulful, and heartfelt, they remind me of what the world looks like through eight year old eyes. In fact, the illustration style is more reminiscent of a childrens book than a comic book which works brings out a side of the characters that the movies miss. They’re drawn by Matt Kaufenberg, a graphic designer/illustrator from Minnesota, who goes by the name Skutterfly on the internet. (Of course, he would have a duel identity.) For practically the same price as an IMAX movie ticket, you can own one of these originals. Kaufenberg sells them for $20 each and it seems he’s willing to custom-make cards on commission as well. From where I sit, that seems like a steal. Batman, Plastic Man, Spidey, Wolvie and many, many more await you after the jump. The Cute & Gory Illustrations of Greg Darrol
Posted:
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
in Art, Counterculture, Features & Interviews, Spotlight, illustration
At any rate, Japan-meets-South Africa is certainly a fascinating cultural/aesthetic mashup as they are both first world countries with huge cultural and economic sway in their respective regions of the world, yet they’re both still coming to terms with the momentous violence and darkness that defined each of them in the twentieth century – Apartheid for South Africa and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. It all makes for a surprisingly neat fit in Darrol’s illustrations. So while I often find colorful skulls and cartoon mutilation a bit trite or overindulgent when done by Americans, I just want to see more and more of them in Greg Darrol’s art. As you’ll see in the gallery after the jump, Darrol dabbles in various media. He’s made sticker sets, T Shirts and a really impressive series of skate decks featuring his artwork. Also, take note of the up-close detail shots of the details on some of his more intricate pieces. They’re reminiscent of Tokidoki’s art, but after someone dropped an A-bomb on it. And at the end of the gallery, there’s a nice little four-stage series showing how he gets his work from concept to final product. Enjoy!
In January of this year, Artbistro published a list of the 25 best cities in America for artists and designers to live in. The results might surprise you as it’s not just a roundup of the usual suspects and the list is notably heavy on smaller cities. In creating the list, Artbistro (which is a division of Monster.com, the ginormous job-hunting site) first narrowed the field down to cities with vibrant art and design scenes and then focused primarily on cost of living and other economic factors. So keep that in mind as you browse. Whether you’re looking for a new scene, hunting for work or just want to see how your city stacks up, click through for the full list.
The ALT1977 series, by Bay Area illustrator Alex Varanese, recasts some of today’s most ubiquitous consumer technologies as the stars of imaginary magazine ads from the year 1977. When he’s not traveling in time Varanese does freelance and commission work for the likes of Nike, Fortune, CBS and Playboy, amongst others. He’s got several other equally wonderful galleries of work up on his website as well as some retrotastic free iphone wallpaper downloads. And there’s plenty of orange too. More after the jump.
New York based creative Jason Freeny has a unique specialty. He creates anatomical drawings of fictional characters. Freeny seems to be partial to dissecting toys and edible treats that bank on their cuteness. His work is summed up quite artfully in his online bio:
As to that last sentence, here’s hoping that one day Jason and the Jailbreak Collective can do a little product collaboration! In the meantime, there are a some buyable items available on his site. There are plenty more anatomies after the break, including gummy bears, Dunnies, Domos, Lego Men and a whole bunch of other unusual suspects.
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