Blue Delft Eyes by Francine LeClercq and Ali Soltani

http://www.beautifullife.info/industrial-design/blue-delft-eyes-francine-leclercq-ali-soltani/


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Beautiful Paper Bird Sculptures by Diana Beltran Herrera

Beautiful Life Beautiful Paper Bird Sculptures by Diana Beltran Herrera

Colombia-based artist Diana Beltran Herrera has been fascinated by birds since she was a child, however it wasn't until four years ago that she started working with their forms. Her incredibly lifelike depictions are built entirely out of cut paper and imitate a variety of bird species from all over the world. Each iteration of […]


http://www.beautifullife.info/art-works/beautiful-paper-bird-sculptures-diana-beltran-herrera/

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New Australia $5 Bill — To call it tricked-out would be the understatement of the year

bookofjoe New Australia $5 Bill — To call it tricked-out would be the understatement of the year

From fastcodesign:

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Australia has a new $5 banknote.

It's a psychedelic trip to the bank, layered in metallic foils and a seemingly endless array of color shifting inks that glisten like an oil slick.

Bend the note, and a printed bird flaps its wings.

The ink has texture.

It even has nubs.

Part of the bill has been carefully primed like paper, while part has been kept relatively pristine and pure, pushing printing technologies to their limits.

And perhaps most notably, the center of the note isn't printed at all.

It's a clear window, revealing the note's greatest coup: This bill wasn't printed on paper, even though the texture feels that way.

It's a magic trick of plastic.

In a world full of smartphone payments and cryptocurrency, 85% of all transactions are still done in cash.

"What you're trying to do is create a banknote that's very difficult to forge, either in being costly, or in effort. If someone has to go through a huge amount of effort to reproduce these to pass it, it's not going to be a cost-effective proposition," said [James] Holloway [deputy head of note issue at Reserve Bank of Australia].

Australia's $5 note has been in development for a decade.

It began with three concept designers reimagining the existing currency with royalty, flora, fauna, and more than 200 proposed security measures.

That was only step one.

Most of the real work happened when the winning design was taken to the country's banknote printing industry, and over years, engineers figured out how they could actually produce the most complicated bill they could imagine.

Because in a world where our off-the-shelf ink-jet printers can seemingly print anything, currency has to be designed to be as unprintable as possible.

Even today, smearing and bleeding are real issues at the industrial scale, and the modern Australian banknote continues to exploit this fact in several ways, pushing printing to its technical limits.

They feature microprint — tiny text that's difficult for machines to handle.

Then they squeeze "security features"—those complex printed foils are embedded with holograms, while color-shifting inks seem to spontaneously catch light in a predictable rainbow — very close to one another.

"We're trying to cram a lot of different things in a limited space, and printing to tight tolerances so colors don't bleed from one part to another," says Holloway.

Any graphic designer would find the results fairly hideous, and yet, they're very hard to reproduce.

As for the image of the queen, that's been rendered like an engraving, with long, spindly, and swirly lines.

It's a throwback to an older aesthetic we expect in currency, but this linear graphic approach is also "very difficult for most printers to reproduce," says Holloway.

"Most printers are dot matrix, so if you look under a microscope, they're just a lot of dots put together. So it's actually part of the security printing process."

In other words, older print graphics are actually harder to counterfeit.

Printing is just part of the moneymaking process, however.

There are 13 different production processes in all, and machines are also set up with specialized tools to further alter that plastic to feel just right.

This means foils are stamped onto plastic, sure, but the physical security goes much further than that.

After some layers of the banknote are printed, they're placed under high pressure, pressing the inks further into the plastic.

The effect creates micro valleys on the surface called Intaglio, creating that distinctive rough feel you get when you rub your hand across some print.

Along the same lines, the new notes feature a nub at the top and bottom edge.

It's just a bump — what's the big deal?

"The issue is, if you put a tactile feature on a banknote, you need it to be durable. It's not much use if it wears down on circulation," says Holloway.

Indeed, if the bump were to wear down, it would essentially make real money look like it was counterfeit.

The solution was an assembly line tool which pokes into the note, bending the plastic and embossing the cash.

The Reserve Bank says that it can produce 300,000 bills an hour, and many of these different treatments to the banknote come off the line very quickly.

But that stat is a bit misleading, because the entire process is still painfully slow.

Each note takes months to produce, mostly because the print needs to be able to dry or cure between all these different steps — again, reinforcing that an investment in counterfeiting would be a big one.

Finally, the bank had to overcome issues in scaling the note's pièce de résistance — that clear window, which was so hard to print, so hard to duplicate.

Think about it — every other part of that note is covered in a base coat of primer, and all these inks.

And here is this clear window that lets light right through.

The problem was, it was actually too clear.

This break in the note was registering to money collection and distribution machines as a bill being fed in two separate pieces.

"[Machines] see it as, the banknote stops," says Holloway. "So we had to find a way for the machinery to see this clear thing and keep processing it. We've done quite a bit of work with the industry to find technical solutions so they read that as one banknote."

How exactly they solved it?

Holloway won't say. Just like he won't list every way that the banknote has been designed to spot counterfeiting.

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Why don't you waste even more time?

Here's a video to amuse and distract from whatever it is you're avoiding.

Worked for me.

You can too: $6.66 (USD).

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/tkMXPHGDb5g/new-australia-5-bill.html

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When marble becomes transparent

bookofjoe When marble becomes transparent

The illusion of transparent cloth carved in marble.

"The Veiled Virgin" (1856) by Giovanni Strazza.

The sculpture is in the care of the Presentation Sisters, Cathedral Square, St. John's, Newfoundland.  

It may be viewed by appointment.

Apply within.

[via RealityCarnival]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/Q4RR2eKkxe4/when-marble-becomes-transparent.html

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Surreal Ceramics That Look Like Wood

Beautiful Life Surreal Ceramics That Look Like Wood

Sculptor Christopher David White is known for his ceramic creations that double as fantastic optical illusions. It's hard to believe the hyper realistic pieces are made of clay, as they resemble knotty wood and dilapidated cardboard. These visual effects demonstrate incredible artistic skill, and White utilizes multiple hand-construction methods—such as modeling, molding, and casting – […]


http://www.beautifullife.info/art-works/surreal-ceramics-look-like-wood/

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The Real Value of $100 in Each State

bookofjoe The Real Value of $100 in Each State

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From Tax Foundation: 

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The states where $100 is worth the most are Mississippi ($115.34), Arkansas ($114.29), Alabama ($113.90), South Dakota ($113.64), and West Virginia ($112.49). 

In contrast, $100 is effectively worth the least in the District of Columbia ($84.67), Hawaii ($85.62), New York ($86.43), New Jersey ($87.34), and California ($88.97).

Regional price differences are strikingly large; real purchasing power is 36 percent greater in Mississippi than it is in the District of Columbia. 

In other words, by this measure, if you have $50,000 in after-tax income in Mississippi, you would have to have after-tax earnings of $68,000 in the District of Columbia just to afford the same overall standard of living.

It's generally the case that states with higher nominal incomes also have higher price levels. 

This is because there is a relationship between the two: in places with higher incomes, the prices of finite resources like land get bid up. (This is especially true in cities.) 

But the causation also runs in the opposite direction. 

Places with high costs of living pay higher salaries for the same jobs. This is what labor economists call a compensating differential; the higher pay is offered in order to make up for the low purchasing power.

This relationship is important, though it is not the only thing that matters. 

Some states, like North Dakota, have high incomes without high prices. 

Adjusting incomes for price level can substantially change our perceptions of which states are truly poor or rich.

For example, Nebraskans and Californians earn approximately the same amount in dollars per capita, but after adjusting for regional price parity, Nebraskan incomes can buy more.

 

 

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/bLN2a-c8THI/the-real-value-of-100-in-each-state.html

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Vespa Water Purifier Concept

Beautiful Life Vespa Water Purifier Concept

What if Vespa released a water purifier product? In order to create a more fun design, a unique brand concept was applied to the water purifier. "This is the Vespa team's design. I tried hard to put in the charactrastic of the vespa such as colorful, the shape of secure and roundish, feeling of vintage […]


http://www.beautifullife.info/industrial-design/vespa-water-purifier-concept/

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Hermès Headset Winder

bookofjoe Hermès Headset Winder

This could be the world's priciest earbud cord control device.

Features and Details:

• Natural Barenia calfskin

• 1.3" x 3.1"

• Fawn

$205.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/tTmEdqI20kE/herm%C3%A8s-headset-winder.html

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Uncut Sheets of Playing Cards

bookofjoe Uncut Sheets of Playing Cards

From the website: "Authentic uncut sheet of playing cards pulled straight off the factory press at the U.S. Playing Card Company prior to being cut and boxed."

"These are extremely rare and a great collectors item."

• Ready for framing

• 22" x 26.5"

• 19 decks

$20-$50.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/R8TCZ6_JgFc/uncut-sheets-of-playing-cards.html

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Limited-Edition Shadow Forest Chandelier

bookofjoe Limited-Edition Shadow Forest Chandelier

From the website:

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Our previous limited-edition (100) Forms in Nature light sculpture sold out.

We are producing a new limited edition of 100 this year (2016).

Forms in Nature resembles Darwinist Ernst Haeckel's drawings.

Using a simple action, such as intensifying the brightness at the center of the artwork, the light transforms the space and adds character, as the work throws oversized shadows onto walls and ceilings in the space in which it hangs.

Forms in Nature is a artwork with a light source surrounded by a dense and unruly tree and root system created in miniature sculpture.

The forest is mirrored around its horizontal central axis and forms a 360° circle around the light source.

The shadows engulfs the room and transforms the walls into unruly shadows of branches, bushes, and gnarled trees.

Mirrorings are thrown out upon walls and ceilings and produce faint Rorschach-like images.

Each chandelier's hundreds of branches are first 3D-printed, then carefully hand assembled in our studio in Copenhagen in a 48-hour process, and shipped worldwide in a sophisticated and safe wooden box.

Features and Details:

• 23 x 55" x 49" x 23"

• 3D-printed PVO composite

• Light source: 60 W with dimmable 90W output

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Price on request.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/RM3cppGQ0Tg/shadow-forest-chandelier.html

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34 First Lines of Famous Books

bookofjoe 34 First Lines of Famous Books

[via BoingBoing]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/uAQ3UJA1KB8/34-first-lines-of-famous-books.html

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Origami Bird Lights by Umut Yamac

Beautiful Life Origami Bird Lights by Umut Yamac

The Perch Light by London-based architect and designer Umut Yamac sits perfectly at the intersection of form and function: the bird-shaped light is made to look like a folded origami creation that's illuminated from the inside. Made from actual synthetic paper, the elegant light is counterbalanced and rocks back and forth at the slightest touch […]


http://www.beautifullife.info/industrial-design/origami-bird-lights-umut-yamac/

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Nature-Inspired Swirling Illustrations by James R. Eads

Beautiful Life Nature-Inspired Swirling Illustrations by James R. Eads

Exploring ideas of human connection and our relationships to nature, illustrator James R. Eads paints multicolored, psychadelic scenes that seem to pulsate with swirling patterns. Eads says his work is heavily inspired by music, and indeed the LA-based illustrator is constantly cranking out gig posters for the likes of the Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band, […]


http://www.beautifullife.info/art-works/nature-inspired-swirling-illustrations-james-r-eads/

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Anatomical Art of Juan Gatti

bookofjoe Anatomical Art of Juan Gatti

Read about 

this sui generis 

66-year-old

Argentina-born artist

here.

Video below.

[via RealityCarnival and Michele Filomeno]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bookofjoe/~3/PY2T4cdn9dY/anatomical-art-of-juan-gatti.html

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Figurative Wooden Sculptures by Stefanie Rocknak

Figurative Wooden Sculptures by Stefanie Rocknak:

It may be hard to believe, but these stunning sculptures were carved from a single piece of wood. Artist Stefanie Rocknak is behind these fascinating figurative works. These pieces are slightly larger than lifesize, torsos and heads twisted into intense expressions that can be seen in both the face and body. Each work is incredibly […]

The post Figurative Wooden Sculptures by Stefanie Rocknak appeared first on Beautiful Life.

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Photography Project ‘Las Muertas’

Photography Project ‘Las Muertas’:

Take a look at photography project Las Muertas by Tim Tadder. “The Dia De Los Muertos festival is a beautiful display of culture, one that being in southern California is hard to hides its influence on visual arts. In October of 2014, I discovered Krisztianna, a Los Angeles artist that creates incredible Dia De Los […]

The post Photography Project ‘Las Muertas’ appeared first on Beautiful Life.

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Detailed Miniature Dishes by Tomo Tanaka

Detailed Miniature Dishes by Tomo Tanaka:

Japanese artist Tomo Tanaka’s highly detailed miniature dishes. Although each dish looks delectable, the mouth-watering glazes and textures are deceiving. The dollhouse-sized food items that would barely amount to a mouthful are actually made out of clay and epoxy. Every item is made to scale – precisely 1/12 of the original size – which makes […]

The post Detailed Miniature Dishes by Tomo Tanaka appeared first on Beautiful Life.

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1924 Chicago Car Wash

1924 Chicago Car Wash:

After 90 years, things really haven't changed all that much, all things considered.

[via History in Pictures]

(Via bookofjoe)

Old Hubcaps Recycled Into Stunning Animal Sculptures

Old Hubcaps Recycled Into Stunning Animal Sculptures:

For over twelve years now, Brighton, UK-based artist Ptolemy Elrington has been morphing discarded hubcaps into amazing animal sculptures. Within his work he concentrates on creating sculpture of natural forms from found and re-cycled materials. At the moment he is working with a variety of materials including shopping trolleys, scrap metal and car wheel trims […]

The post Old Hubcaps Recycled Into Stunning Animal Sculptures appeared first on Beautiful Life.

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Tiny Whimsical Porcelain Creatures

Tiny Whimsical Porcelain Creatures:

Anya Stasenko and Slava Leontyev is a duo of Ukrainian artists creating tiny whimsical porcelain creatures. Each sculpture is painted with a wildly imaginative and creative array of painstakingly detailed and brilliantly colorful designs. Given the tiny size of these creatures (most measure anywhere from 4 to 40cm), it was all the more surprising that […]

The post Tiny Whimsical Porcelain Creatures appeared first on Beautiful Life.

(Via Beautiful Life)