Ninja vs. Pirate

I guess I've been kind of fascinated with illustration lately. I've also been reading the Chronicles of Narnia and just finished The Dawn Treader, so maybe my imagination is just super happy to be feasting for the last little while!
    Anyways, Dan Matutina, a Philippines based illustrator, has some pretty fun work. He has worked with some big clients and also has some great independent projects. I love the texture and I especially love the really graphic and simple shapes. You can see his portfolio HERE.

Sam Weber

I'm a sucker for cheesy sci-fi shows and fantasy books. I also love books like 1984, Lord of the Flies, Ender's Game, etc. Generally, cover art in the genre tends to be imaginative but pretty bad. Which is a shame because there are some really powerful stories out there. It's obviously not the visuals that appeal to me, but Sam Weber, one of my favorite illustrators, really has the right touch.
   He seems to be able to eliminate non-essential information and when you see his work, you know that each element has a reason. It's simple, great use of light, composition and color. I like that he frequently works with designers to strengthen concepts as well. You can see his portfolio HERE, it's pretty awesome.

Warehouse

This guy has some pretty sweet environmental photography of things like parking garages, warehouses and also some cool abstract architectural shots. You can see more HERE.

Lifeless

You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find good interiors/furniture photographers these days. I love looking at interior design/furniture/architecture magazines,blogs and books. Most seems…"eh, there's another room. Cool chair. Nice lamp." I mean, it's one thing to make a person (with wardrobe, make-up, and the whole being alive part) look lively, interesting or to tell a story, but its quite another to do the same with a coffee table or a chair.
   This photographer (danish, of course) though, in addition to using some beautiful props, does an amazing job at bringing these inanimate interiors to life. Simple and serene compositions allow an interesting interplay between chairs, tables, lamps, etc. Overall, the photographs have obvious main subjects, complimented by supporting cast members who all together, tell a story. Not to mention the lighting and subtle combinations of texture and color values are pretty stunning. It was hard not to post every photo, but to see more click HERE.

Nothing Like a Real Book

Here is a charming stop motion video about the secret lives of books after dark. I know other motion pieces take a lot of time and production and everything but when I see stop motion like this, I can't help think of all of the moving pieces that had to be physically moved over and over and over.

Mind Powers

This is a pretty awesome stop motion piece that's been floating around lately, by Steven Briand. The lighting is really beautiful, the music is pretty great too, although, I think I would have changed the way it syncs in a couple places. Whenever people ask the question «what super power would you have?» I have always wanted mind powers. So the whole time watching this video I was thinking, «I wish I could do that for real.»
   
PROTEIGON from BURAYAN on Vimeo.

The Hunkiest Most Bodaciously Elastic

I stumbled upon the FontShop typefaces of 2011. It's a pretty sweet and inspiring list. A couple of funky guys in there but it keeps things pleasantly interesting and fun. Although, to be perfectly honest, I'm a pretty sick of the Archer-esque balls-serifed type out there at the moment. Though a very nice typeface, it was way over-used and now way over-copied. In the end though, I like seeing people doing lots of new things and mashing things up and even taking what's out there and tweaking it. After all, where would Gutenberg be without the wine press. Enjoy the "tasty FontShop morsel" here.

Simple Nordic

Ditte Isager is a photographer from Denmark who describes the work as being inspired by Dutch masters, storytelling and layers of New York. The photography is very beautiful and inspiring. I especially love the interior shots and the food photography, which definitely show the influences of Dutch paintings, the lighting is really stunning.