Incredible Calligraphy, Drawn to Look Like It’s 3D

As a graphic designer, I have an EXTREME admiration to those who also appreciate typography and the skill behind it. The art of hand-drawn type – and even drawing on paper – is not something you witness in person as readily as you once did before our digital age. When’s the last time you noticed someone on the train or sitting in the park with their sketchbook? Scratch that. When’s the last time you looked up from your own phone to pay attention to what’s happening around you – to notice someone like Tolga Girgin who’s been going to town on a type rendering not two seats over from you in your favorite coffee shop.

Husband and Wife Team Launch the Imandra Brand into Space

Sometimes two heads are definitely better than one. In this case, those heads belong to this talented and dynamic duo: David and Sissy Hobizal. They’ve managed to strike a balance between married life and work, and in this project, they have really mastered it to give Imandra its own heartbeat. In the span of three months, this dynamic duo concepted everything from the logo to business cards, presentation templates, a product launch video, white paper templates, etc. for AI (Aesthetic Integration), a London-based financial technology startup.

This Graffiti Artist Creates His Work in 3D ::: Meet Shaka

1.60m x 1.30m. Bas relief et huile sur toile. Collection privée. ©shaka

6.00m x 3.00m. Bas relief et acrylique sur toile. Galerie Moretti-Moretti. Photo: Chrixcel. ©shaka

1.40m x 1.40m. Bas relief et huile sur toile. Limited serie #4. ©shaka

3.00m x 1.10m. Bas relief et huile sur toile. Collection privée. ©shaka

2.10m x 1.40m. Bas relief et huile sur toile. Collection privée. ©shaka

1.46m x 1.14m. Bas relief et huile sur toile. Collection privée. ©shaka

SHAKA is a visual artist who incorporates a unique 3D in his work. It uses a process that allows him to sculpt directly onto the canvas. His theatrical scenes beyond the literal space of the work to create a bridge to the place where we are. The characters challenge us by their behavior often exacerbated. Faces are fragmented, ribbed, made of abstract shapes or figurative tending to complicate or to codify their behavior, giving the impression that they wear a mask. This show is a static call the meeting to deal with nonsense reflection of our way of being in everyday life.

::: 3D Illusions Sketched on Paper :::

It’s not too often I post up sketches on my blog, but this guy’s talent deserves some props. His name is Nagai Hideyuki, and what can I say except that I really like his work. He’s able to create these optical illusions just using pencils on paper.

You’ve seen plenty of love stories, though none in the style of this animated film.

“Thought of You” by Ryan Woodward

Before I looked up more information this artist, I’ll admit I was completely enthralled as each frame unfurled. It wasn’t so much that this was about another love story, but more so it was the style he used to let the story unveil that was so captivating to watch. Both characters, brought to life each frame through this impressive and expressive sketchbook style to a song that evokes just as much emotion as the overlapping, gyrating pencil strokes. Of the multitude of videos and sites I’ve browsed over the years, I keep coming back to this video. Let me conclude by saying beautiful is an understatement. Thank you, Ryan, for creating this piece.

Oh, and the music is: “World Spins Madly On” by The Weepies. There. Done.  🙂

…………………………………………………………………………………

Here’s a peek at the “making of” video for this… very interesting!

…………………………………………………………………………………

 

And if you’re still wanting more information, you should probably know Ryan has a long history of success behind him – as an animator, animatic artist, storyboard artist and concept artist. Most recently, he has worked as a storybook artist for the new Avengers movie. Before that, he worked on: Thundercats, Where The Wild Things Are, Ironman 2, Spider-man 2, Spider-man 3, Power Puff Girls The movie, to name a few. Here are a couple of examples to see his work.

Showcasing Each Letterform in 3D ::: Architypo ::: The Final Alphabet

Johnson Banks is the firm that took on this request from a suggestion made from their client, Ravensbourne. The request was to see if they’d take their 3D prototyping skills to the next level and create a 3D expression of the current alphabet. Each letterform is showcased in a different expression of itself – repeated, stacked, rotated, scaled, skewed, while still maintaining parts of its recognizable shape. Not only that, but each font or typeface they used – whether they chose to use the lowercase or uppercase letterform – each detail in these 3D constructions was carefully considered and reflected in the description as well. This is Arkitypo: The Final Alphabet.

Take for instance the letter “H” for a moment…

Helvetica
Originally designed in 1957 as Neue Haas Grotesk, its 1960 version was renamed Helvetica. Given that its name was based on ‘Helvetia’ (Latin for Switzerland) it was no surprise that it became the vanguard of the Swiss style, and the typeface of choice for corporations across the world for the last fifty years.

Now, having read that – look again at their approach. They incorporated the letterform that’s made up of all of these recognized names who use “Helvetica” as their chosen typeface for branding the company. (Nestle, Blaupunkt, Basf, Target, Kawasaki and more…)

Let’s look at the letter “C” now…

Courier
Courier was originally commissioned for 1950s IBM typewriters, but soon became the standard font throughout the then-emerging industry. As a nod to the torturous days of jammed machinery, this ‘C’ is built from a small forest of typewriter keys.

This being a little more literal in its translation is still quite clever in its expression. The execution of these typewriter keys, overlapping, stacked, rotated… they create interesting angles and shadows upon one another. They mimic the true shape of the letter, while tying back to the history of the font. Impressive interpretation!

Here’s what they created for the letter “I”

Industria
Originally designed for The Face in 1984 by Neville Brody, Industria was released publically as a font in 1989. It has a mechanical structure of straight strokes, rounded corners and square inner spaces that refer back to Art Deco and design pioneers such as Ladislav Sutnar.

This could be a sculpture I’d feature in my living room! To take a letter, observe its rigid form  and then create a piece that not only adds movement… this piece also ties back to its Art Deco movement with this ultra thin case used in this industrial interpretation.

The result can be seen in this video – which shows 360 degree renders of each letter sculpture.

Unbelievable ::: 3D freehand illustration, etched by lasers in glass cubes

“Exiting the realm of flat depiction and stretching the limits between sculpting and graphic arts by creating three dimensional freehand drawings.”  ~ Robin Kosnas has really gone into a new dimension, literally. She has created these amazing and unbelievably detailed sculptures from her 3D freehand illustrations. Apparently, the lasers engrave and etch the detail into these glass cubes, and what it creates are these incredible pieces. Take a peek at the photos up close to really see the finite precision captured. What a beautiful execution… just brilliant!!!  These were taken from her profile on the Behance Network.

Now THAT’s an impressive reel… check out this guy’s MOVES!

Let me present to you… ANTON NENASHEV. Made in Russia. Lives in Moscow. Owner. Designer. Art Director at Nenashev, his post-production studio. I’ve seen a sh!t ton of reels in my life, but none that have had this much variety to offer. Your eye is constantly teased from start to finish with one visual execution to the next, AND with each one, I just want to see MORE! That is the ultimate sign of (1) a great montage and (2) an incredible exhibition of talent. Watch his reel below and then jump on over to his site to satisfy your hungry eyes!!! OH! In the top right corner, make sure you click the fullscreen mode for the ultimate in viewing pleasure!

A Glimpse into the Mind of Edouard Salier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Replicants “User” | Directed by Edouard Salier

I love the concept of the flip book featured here. Although you’re seeing the same composition pretty much through this whole video, the style of the visuals changing up so frequently keep it fresh. Whether it’s photography, motion sequences or hand drawn visual elements and typography, the variations keep you fixated throughout the piece. It almost mesmerizes the user into watching it oh-so-intently, so you try not miss anything flipping by you. I will mention there are a few surprises as well along the way, which also help to keep it fun and interesting.

The Replicants "User" | Directed by Edouard Salier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nike “Woman” | Directed by Edouard Salier

Although this commercial shows an expressive style of animation, and it’s pretty dark in its nature, the concept of this piece still captures the spirit of all of Nike’s athletes, showing: strength, determination, endurance and not to mention the ability to persevere through anything – even what Mother Nature throws your way. All because you’re wearing Nike of course. They don’t even have to show the clothes or accessories anymore b/c their name carries the poise and reputation in this world-renowned brand. For this reason, a director like Salier doesn’t need to show their products either – but, it is implied by watching this play out. Brilliantly executed!

Nike "Woman" | Directed by Edouard Salier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jehro “I Want Love” | Directed by Edouard Salier

I’m including this because I love how the waterly texture, extra-vivid colors and how he managed to integrate them with the illustrative typography. Even the layering used when the painterly textures overlap and the colors bleed over another, while the text and type convey the lyrics throughout… all of that combined with the illustrations just really bring this video to life.

Jehro "I Want Love" | Directed by Edouard Salier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tété “L’envie & Le Dedain” | Directed by Edouard Salier

I have no clue what this guy is singing about, but with the type visuals and the ability to stop and start, I might be able to teach myself some French by the time I look up the words for translation. The song and the singer are definitely not my personal favorites, but I’d venture to say Salier’s video for Tété’s song has definitely elevated his cool factor for sure. (Not sure about you, but he kind of reminds me of a French version of Hootie & the Blowfish.) Ok, back to the video though… what I LOVE is the how interesting the visuals are in this piece, with the constant camera moving into Z space, rotating, incorporating the singer surrounded by the layering of lyrics that seem to pop up in perfect time with the music. I LOVE the European/Neville Brody style of using poster fonts on 90 degree plains to create a rhythmic, visual flow throughout. AND, I’m a big fan of black and white, so at any point, I could do a screen capture and admire the composition at that instance. Take a peek.

Tété "L'envie & Le Dedain" | by Edouard Salier

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oh yea, well ShinyBinary can show you how it’s done…

Nik Ainley, the artist of this amazing work has been producing these incredible works for various clients for ten (plus) years. The guy started out studying Physics, and what a WASTE that would have been to the art world if he had stuck with it. Instead, he discovered he was interested in the digital arts, and thankfully, decided to follow his passion.

Take a look at his work, and the detail that goes into it. When you get up close, you can notice all the finite textures in his playful compositions. The typography skills, his use of shapes, colors… very balanced and polished. The guy’s got talent, that’s for damn sure!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Find out more about this talented artist here.

If you think this is cool, check out the complete portfolio here: http://www.shinybinary.com/

Buy the limited edition prints here: http://www.clickforart.com/Artist/NikAinley/2

This is how you can learn how it’s actually made: http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/designing-tutorials/the-making-of-mystic/