There’s an interesting piece on the CNN site about Bryan Berg, who builds houses of cards professionally. With just normal playing cards, he’s set a number of world records with his creations. The following links will have great examples of the myriad of designs he’s done.

Here’s the CNN piece:

CNN link

and his website:

http://www.cardstacker.com/

Photo from his website.

Apparently, he travels all over the world to build exhibits of card “houses”, many of which take days to complete. At his website gallery and in the CNN video, you can see his buildings include things like rotundas and stadiums, etc., not your typical run-of-the-mill structures.

He’s developed techniques that result in very stable structures, and, for skeptics especially, at the end of the exhibits he turns a leaf-blower onto his creations and everything comes crumbling down.

It’s like sand painting, but on a more…3-Dimensional level.

It’s amazing how he turned what was first a simple hobby into a full-time profession.

So cool.

I’ll be adding a link to his site on the left.

Enjoy: What the Duck

Actually, I’m referring to the following ad that has been the topic of amusement among San Francisco swing dancers.

Said ad have recently appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, but most noticeably on some Muni bus shelters.

I offer for your perusal Exhibit A:

and detail:

Chad tells me the follow is not even an actual swing dancer!

Shhh!

Adobe has their answer to Apple’s Aperture application — Lightroom, which is currently a free public “beta” download.

Download it from Adobe (currently only for Mac)

Of course, I don’t have a Mac, but this can only mean Apple will come back with an improved Aperture somewhere down the line.

Anyway, some times an ad comes along that’s so good, so clever and perhaps more importantly, so timely, that it clamors for everyone’s attention.

Check this one out:

www.bigad.com.au

Sometimes artists are given a vague concept, with which they can “run with” and come up with inspiring pieces that further develops the storyline.

On the other hand, sometimes a movie script is very fleshed-out, with lots of details, and the artist is asked to visualize what is written.

All in all, it seems to be a very rewarding occupation.

www.FengZhuDesign.com

Not a lot, just for a short stint — about 4 or 5 actual, bona-fide, gen-u-wiiine issues of pictorial literature.

I like to think I can draw pretty well when I have to, but I think I take better photos than I draw.

In any case, drawing comic books meant I read comic books as well. However, I would normally go for work with art that I admired. So, from time to time, I’ll share some of my thoughts on artists and illustrators.

First in line:

Alex Ross

Here’s an artist who took comic book illustration to a new level. Using watercolor gouaches, he opened people’s eyes to the comic book form with the limited-series Marvels, telling from the point of view of a civilian, the experience someone might have living in a world of “marvels”, super-powered beings.

The series was a big hit — new, different, and refreshing.

I have no doubt it played a role in the recent rise in popularity of comic book character-based films.

In any case, feel free to check out Ross’s work at AlexRossArt.com

Take a look at this collection — a “best of” series of interstellar photographs taken by the Hubble Telescope.

Quite impressive.

www.SpaceTelescope.org

There’s a narration of the history of this dance, and includes “re-enactments” of sorts — basically dance numbers set in different locales to fit the narration.

Looks pretty good.