Typewriter Sculptures
Jeremy Mayer makes complex sculptures out of typewriter parts; the human figures in particular are anatomically correct (within reason). No soldering, welding or gluing; it’s all cold assembly.
Category
Art + Design
Art and design that challenge expectations. Discover creative works, clever concepts, and beautifully executed ideas across multiple disciplines. Designs that highlight form, function, and innovation.
Making an Origami Typewriter
We’re used to seeing origami animals. But Siesta Origami shows how the traditional paper-folding technique can be used to make other objects, like this intricate model of a mechanical typewriter from a single sheet of paper. They’ve also made an origami fighter jet, an antique car, and a sneaker. Check out their YouTube channel for more
Turning Rulers Into a Damascus Meat Cleaver
Random Hands shows how they turned a stack of stainless steel rulers into a unique Damascus pattern, which he sandwiched around high-carbon steel to make a beautiful Japanese-style meat cleaver. He fitted it with a hexagonal wood handle and a hand-stitched leather sheath. We’d love this knife in our kitchen, but sadly, this one isn’t
Making the World’s Largest D20
Jazza teamed up with Lumin’s Workshop with the goal of setting a record for the largest rollable die on the planet. They made the giant D20’s frame using metal tubes and 3D-printed connectors, then wrapped its exterior with lightweight foam sheets and hand-painted details. Want your own giant D20? Lumin’s sells kits, though they’re not
Making a Miniature Metal Violin
Artist Soroush JWL has wowed us with the detail work on his metalcraft. In this video, he shows how he created a tiny violin (which we could definitely use for whiners). Inspired by a 19th-century match safe, he created his version by melting brass, flattening, cutting, and shaping its body, then soldering its pieces together.
Making a Damascus Glass Knife
Damascus steel is made by folding layers of metal to produce unique organic patterns. Glass artist Jacob Barfield used a similar technique to make a Bowie knife out of glass. He started by heating layers of blue and white glass and folded the molten glass onto itself. After shaping the blade on a sanding wheel, he
Ayscrim Studios Pinball Machine Clocks
Ayscrim Studios makes these awesome desktop clocks built to look like the backglasses from classic pinball machines. Based on officially licensed art from Gottlieb and Bally with credit to the original artists, they come in electromechanical and digital versions with colorful edge-lit translites. The pinball flipper buttons for setting the time are a nice touch.
The Matrix Dot Matrix Coffee Table
We’ve seen coffee tables with screens built in, but this over-engineered table from Axes: Garage is significantly geekier. Inspired by the green computer displays in The Matrix, these guys built a tabletop loaded with LEDs which serve as backlights for a laser-cut grille packed with katakana characters that light up to replicate the movie’s falling
Making Cardboard Animals
London-based wildlife artist Josh Gluckstein is a known for creating incredible animal sculptures using recycled cardboard. His paper menagerie includes giant turtles, a manta ray, whales, an elephant, a giraffe, a lion, and an awesome looking shark he created for Discovery’s Shark Week. He also created version of Mabel in Beaver form from Hoppers.
Scorch Paint Woodburning Paint
Scorch Marker’s heat-activated paint lets you create detailed wood-burned designs with a brush and a heat gun. Paint freehand or use stencils, then apply heat to permanently burn your artwork into the surface. The water-based formula cleans up with soap and water before heating, and each 2 oz jar covers 30+ projects. Pre-treatment and Heat
Turning a Mortar Shell Into a Balisong Knife
Abdulla Siddiqui from Random Hands shows how he transformed one weapon into another by taking apart a rusty old mortar shell and using its metal to create a shiny new balisong knife. After discovering its cast iron casing was too brittle to hand-forge, he switched to using its steel tail fins for the knife’s blade.
Hangable Acrylic Jigsaw Puzzles
Tree Art Store combines puzzle building with wall art. Each colorful, laser-cut puzzle is a reproduction of an original painting by artist, architect, and teacher Sylvia Levy. Each includes a frame and mounting hardware, so after you complete a puzzle, it can be hung on the wall as a permanent piece of art. They look