A Japanese artist named Makaon has an amazing skill turning cans into sculptures. Here are just some of them. (Click Image to Enlarge) [easy_image_gallery]
Hobby
98 Year Old Makes Amazing MS Paint Art
While reading through a few articles on web, I came across a truly inspiring video. It’s about a 98 year-old man named Hal Lasko who creates amazing 8-bit style artwork using Microsoft Paint. Hal worked as a graphic artist when he was younger and he used to create his own unique typography by hand.
Hal started using Microsoft Paint later on in his retirement when his family introduced it to him around 2005. Hal has been spending hours upon hours every day since then creating his own unique artwork.
You can view more of Hal Lasko’s artwork at hallasko.com and for a deeper look into Hal Lasko’s world, you can head to WIRED.
How To Make an LED Cube
This is a great build video for an 8x8x8 LED cube by Kevin Darrah that I stumbled upon on the web. It goes over the basic build techniques and shows you how to utilize a jig for assembling the LED arrays. As you watch the video you will quickly begin to realize that this project is not for the entry-level builder, clearly this is something that will consume a lot of your time and patience but the end result is awesome. Either way, it’s interesting to see how it all comes together.
There are many Arduino builds out there that can be great for beginners. If you’re not familiar with Arduino then I highly recommend that you read this introduction to Arduino, it covers everything you will need to get up-to-speed on what it’s all about.
You can find many projects in the Arduino Playground, they include schematics and code to help you build cool stuff. If you want to make a much more novice-friendly 3×3 LED Cube you can use these schematics and code.
So what are you waiting for? Find a project and get building!
How to make Halloween potion bottles
If you go into any craft store this time of year, they are starting to bring out all their Halloween decor. I came across some awesome potion and poison bottles (fake of course) but the price was a little high, so I thought I will just make my own.
For this project you will need:
- Glass bottle(s)- Any shape and size you want. I got mine at the craft store for very inexpensive, they also came with corks.
- Paint– I used acrylics, they tend to dry fast.
- Paper and Printer– To print out labels, for the tags I used a thicker paper, like scrapbook paper. You can also use card stock.
- Double sided tape– For stick on labels
- String/Yarn- To wrap around the bottle neck
Optional:
- Hole punch- If you want to make a tag
- Coffee or Tea- For “aging” the paper
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LABELS:
For the labels, you can either make your own or find them on the internet. You can search ” free Halloween potion labels”, or I found a bunch of pre-made potion bottle labels on flickr.
Print out your labels then take your cup of coffee or tea (I used herbal tea, so it didn’t come out as dark) place your label inside and soak for a few minutes, or dab on with a paper towel until desired darkness.
You can either let the paper air dry, or use a blow dryer on low heat (careful not to burn yourself or the paper). While still a little damp I crunched the paper in my hand, opened it back up and continued drying. This seemed to keep the crumpled look in tact. After that you can cut, rip, tear, bend, whatever you want to do to “age” the paper.
BOTTLES:
First, wash your bottles and let dry completely.
Next, you will take your paint and poor a small amount right inside the bottle, start by slowly tilting and turning it so the paint starts to coat all the way around. Be careful around the opening that you don’t get any paint on the outside. Depending on the color you choose, you may have to use two coats.
Set upside-down on a few layers of paper towels to get the excess out.
Turn over to air dry. Acrylics will usually dry pretty quickly.
Once dry add your corks.
For tags skip this step! Take your double sided tape and center it on the bottle. Carefully place your label because it probably won’t come off after it’s on there.
Cut your string whatever length you desire, if using tags take your hole punch and make a hole where you want the string to go through, wrap around bottle neck and thats it! You’re done!
Now you have an awesome DIY decoration that looks even better then the ones in the store!
“Design Nerds” Flash Cards
What geek wants their kid to learn the ABC’s the boring way? U is for Umbrella?! Nope, U is for USB Drive!
These awesome little creations were designed by Emma Cook, a freelance illustrator in South Africa. You can follow her and check out her other projects HERE.
