Holiday Wine Box DIY Lamp

All that stands between you and a festive, outdoor mega-lamp is a jigsaw, some wine crates and a light fixture. Artist, Tracey Johnson, apparently, has all three. Awesome.

via Dornob

Old Masters, New Additions

Speaking of graffiti, over at World Famous Design Junkies this morning, there's a great little gallery of renown paintings that have been "updated" to include some new touches. The works are part of a project called Graffiti Renovation brought to you by the people at W1000. Love it or hate it, you have to admit, it's interesting to look at.

Photoshop Fridge Magnets

Oh man! I love these photoshop fridge magnets over at One More Gadget! Forehead-slappingly simple in their execution, but brilliant nonetheless.

via SwissMiss

The Story of the Pink Lady

As graffiti artists generally prefer to remain anonymous, you rarely get a peek into the history of a piece. Not so with The Pink Lady. Over at Wooster Collective, there's a great retelling of how the 60ft nude came into being on the walls of Malibu canyon. Sweet!

Wesley's Paper Portraits

I love getting pictures in my email, especially if they contain a reader's attempt at one of my projects. So, imagine my sheer delight when Wesley sent me these pics of the paper portraits he did. Awesome! I especially love the angular and spiky Madonna. Way to go, Wesley!

If anyone else has attempted this project, please send along pics and I'll be more than happy to post them. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the original tutorial to get you started.

Crafty Tree Trimmings E-Book

Crafty Tree Trimmings from Paul Overton on Vimeo.

Here are the necessary links to locate the book and find out more about Project Linus!

Goals vs. Games

People have a lot of goals. I had them too. I gave them up this year, though. I gave them up because goals are dreary exercises in dauntless marching, dragging oneself through the swampy waters of duty. Blecch. And, we all know that if you don't meet one, it can become a real albatross. I'll bet your still kicking yourself over one or two of the awful unmet, aren't you? The word even has baggage attached to it. It's something you say on a job interview. "Why, yes Mr. Jones, I would say that I am very goal oriented." Again, blecch.

I much prefer the idea of games. Hardly ever does someone ask you to play a game and you think: "Oh my goodness, how dreary." No, games are fun. Games can be invented and reinvented. Games can be played over and over again. They teach strategy and sportsmanship and good manners and sharing. Games are awesome! Especially since most of us don't mind losing games every once in a while as long as we learn something from it. And, we don't go around kicking ourselves for weeks afterward either (with the exception of a 1987 Scrabble match that still haunts me).

This blog is a game for me. Doing dishes is a game. Walking dogs, paying bills, making art...all games. I win some, I lose some, but I keep playing. That's the true beauty. You just shuffle the deck, re-deal, and start over.

Death Spray Custom Track Bikes

Just ran across Death Spray Custom for the first time and there's some pretty neat stuff over there, not the least of which are these two, knock-out fixies. I could do with a front brake (too old to skip) and I'm not a big fan of feathers on my handle bars, but other than that, smokin'.

via NotCot

Olivier Kosta Lights It Up!

I'm always fascinated with people who develop new techniques or use unexpected materials to produce something extraordinary. Such is the case with Olivier Kosta and his burning work. Armed only with a Bic lighter and a concept, Kosta produces some pretty astonishing stuff. link

via DorNob

A Frozen Fall

A group of artists going by the name Luzinterruptus, made this magical little installation inside a city park in Madrid. Using LEDs and very thin wire from which to suspend their creation, the group managed to make the 200 fallen leaves appear to be caught in a sudden gust. I love stuff like this!

via Design Boom via Gizmodo

Is That a Rock in Your Pocket?

In the last few months, I've started carrying a small stone in my left pocket as a reminder to be grateful. The game is, that every time I touch the stone, I think of something to be grateful for. It's a fun game to play and it keeps one from self-indulgent, mental whining. Anytime I realize how much I've got, it shifts the focus away from trivial nonsense that my brain cooks up and puts me back in touch with the universal, the vital. It keeps me humble, reminds me that I'm not here to constantly serve myself, and removes meaningless distractions. Not bad for a rock.

So, as I  contemplate what I'm thankful for today, my best answer is that I'm thankful for being thankful. I'm thankful for realizing how much is in my life, instead of how little. And I'm thankful for the little rock that reminds me to be that way.

Now, before you go and make that joke in the comments section, let me make it for you. Yes, that is a rock in my pocket and, yes, I'm also happy to see you. Happy Thanksgiving.

Volpin Props

Okay, so I just spent the better part of my morning in dropped-jawed amazement, cruising around the build diaries at Volpin Props. My assessment? Harrison Krix makes some amazing stuff. My question? Why doesn't this guy have his own T.V. show? If you have even an ounce of geek-gamer-movie-prop-dork in you, head over to his site and kiss your afternoon goodbye. link

Puzzling Acorns

Check out these amazing puzzle boxes made from acorns that Jonathan Wolfe has been busy producing. Each one has a different, and equally genius, way of opening. Visit the Make blog to see more pictures and a great little video.

Venetian Blind Font

You know how annoying it is when one of the little strings on your blinds catches in the stopper-thingy and the other one doesn't and you end up with a big mess of venetian blind? Well, one man's annoyance is another man's typeface. Just ask Andrew Byrom.

via NotCot

1000th Post

Well, it almost worked out perfectly. My thousandth post nearly coincided with DudeCraft's birthday, but it seems I was a bit too prolific this year and made it to the 1k mark ahead of schedule. But, since we're here now, I'd just like to express my deep appreciation to all the people that have made DudeCraft such a fun ride over the last year. Thanks first, to all the folks who gave me support and guidance over the last year. Your mentoring was and is, much appreciated. Thanks also to all the readers who have stopped in, read my ramblings, left me comments, corrected my course, and participated in my little corner of the blogosphere. It was great fun hearing from all of you and I look forward to hearing even more in the next 1000 posts. Lastly, thanks to all the people who make such cool stuff. Without you, I wouldn't have anything to post about. Cheers!

Paul

Bare Bones Design

Felipe Ribon is making some incredible stuff from bones including these sweet glasses. Of course, as a vegetarian, I would have to verify that all these animals died of natural causes before I could rock a pair of these. Check out the whole enchilada over at World Famous Design Junkies. Whew! With the exception of the pun in the title, I made it all the way through this post without making a juvenile bone joke. *pats self on back*

Original King Kong Model for Sale

Ben Stansall-AFP/Getty Images

Wow! Apparently Christie's, London is auctioning of the original articulated model from the 1933 version of King Kong. It's estimated that the model will bring in between $168,000 and $252,000 when it is auctioned off today. I'd be willing to bet that Adam Savage is in the running. Wish I was.

King Kong was one of the first monster movies I ever saw. While not an animator myself, I've always had a soft spot for stop motion work. When I was in college, I took a class called Movies, Myths and Monsters that only deepened my appreciation for early animators like Willis O'Brien (Oakland native, Hey yo!), the animator of King Kong, Son of Kong, The Lost World, and Mighty Joe Young, among others. O'Brien, who was the mentor for animation great, Ray Harryhausen, had a long but tumultuous career full of ground breaking professional achievements, creative frustrations, and personal tragedy.

 

O'Brien started out as a marble sculptor and cartoonist for a San Francisco newspaper until he was hired by the Edison company to make a series of short, prehistoric-themed films. This eventually led to his work on The Lost World and his masterpiece, King Kong, in which he took the 18" metal model you see at top, covered it in foam and rabbit's fur, and made one of the most enduring characters in cinematic history.

Before setting to work on the film, O'Brien studied the movements of gorillas in zoos and other large animals to develop his characterization of Kong and the dinosaurs of Skull Island. He also attended professional wrestling matches to get ideas about how to make the battle scenes in the film seem more realistic. Shortly before filming was completed on Kong, O'Brien's estranged ex-wife killed their two sons and then turned the gun on herself, a tragedy some say, he never recovered from.

 

 In 1950, O'Brien was awarded a statue by the academy for his work on Mighty Joe Young, though it is widely rumored that Harryhausen had done most of the heavy lifting on the film. Later in his career, O'Brien had trouble finding work and was often frustrated by the cool reception that many of his ideas received from producers. His last bit of work before his death came on 1963's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in which he animated a group of characters hanging from a fire escape. He died before the movie was released in 1962.

sources: my own feeble recollections, wikipedia, netdoor, answers.com

Auction story via Neat-o-Rama

Custom NYC Subway Signs

I'm not much for things that look like other things, but these custom NYC Subway signs form Underground Signs are pretty dope. They're even made of metal! Dude Craft Avenue, here I come.

via SwissMiss

Pac Man, Tuna Can

Dig this photo of some (hundreds) of tuna cans stacked in the form of Pac Man. Apparently, this is from an event called Canstruction which is an annual food and drink can stacking competition of some sort. Who knew?

via SpriteStitch via Geekologie

Guns 'n' Ammo Reliquaries

Let it first be known, before this post goes on, that I do not care for guns and I abhor violence of any sort. Okay then. Now let's talk about the sweet gun and bullet reliquaries that Al Farrow makes for real body parts of fictional saints. Dark? Yes. Totally freakin' awesome? Affirmative. View the gallery here.

via Neatorama

Jim Simpson - The Toughest Knitter Alive

Betsy Greer over at Craftivism has a great article on Jim Simpson, an Australian POW who spent 19 months in a German prison camp during WWII. Jim spent some of his time knitting this incredible rug out of worn out, deloused jumpers and Red Cross wool, using straightened pot handles as knitting needles. It's an amazing story that culminates in what is known as "Australia's most valuable war artifact". Click over to read the rest.

Stuck - The Tape Work of Rebecca Ward

Rebecca Ward does some amazing things with tape. The pieces are seemingly simple yet visually rich. Must take some serious planning to pull these off. Check out her whole gallery of installations here.

via NotCot

The Paper Jewelry of Hila Rawet Karni

Ann Martin over at All Things Paper was nice enough to post a link to my paper portrait tutorial today and when I clicked over to have a gander, I found the paperwork of Hila Rawet Karni in the same post. Blown away. The photo above is just the beginning. Pay Ann's blog a visit to check out all the coolness. link

Wavy Wallpaper Shelves

Ran across this groovy wallpaper shelving idea over at Dornob this morning. Would've been cooler if they had managed to match up the lines a little better. Still, pretty cool.

Papercut Portraits - The Tutorial

Lately, I've had a few requests to put up a tutorial on the papercut portraits I've been doing, so here it is. Fair warning, it's longish at 10 minutes and 30 seconds because I was trying to be as thorough as possible. I hope you find it useful.

*Update: Hey, those of you without photoshop can posterize images online, for free here:Go to PicNik and upload a photo and then go to the effects tab and click on posterize. Good luck!

DudeCraft - Paper Cut Portrait Tutorial from Paul Overton on Vimeo.

Papercuts: Stop Motion by Andersen M Studio

Just ran across this incredible stop-motion, paper cut piece for the New Zealand Book Council, beautifully executed by Andersen M Studio. The video is hi-def and takes a minute to load, but your time will be well spent, trust me. Go here to view the piece.

via NotCot

Luke Butler's Star Trek Paintings

What's that noise? Oh, it's my fanboy-geek alarm, obviously set off by this series of schweet Star Trek paintings by Luke Butler. See the rest of the set over on SprayBlog.

My Mom Featured on CraftyPod

My mom is blowing up the blogosphere again, this time with her Pine Cone Turkey project, being featured over on CraftyPod. Cute, huh? Now, I ask you, who wouldn't want a pine cone turkey for their Thanksgiving table? Click on over there and get busy!

Christoph Niemann's Unusual Varieties

I'm loving Illustrator, Christoph Niemann's leaf series that is featured over at the Jailbreak blog this morning. Niemann, a prolific children's book illustartor and New York Times contributor appears to be "branching out" (ouch) into other media. Makes me really wish a Millenium Falcon tree was real. link

via flavorwire

Cathe Holden's Gift Making Guide

I'm sure, at this point, you have already begun to think about the handmade projects that you are going to attempt for this holiday season. Perhaps you are wracking your brain trying to remember all the cool projects you saw this year or clicking through vague links in your bookmark list one by one. Well, you can stop now because Cathe Holden has just gathered forty-two (forty-two!) of the great projects from her blog, Just Something I Made into one big post, and there's something here for everybody. Oh, did I mention it's FREE? Dig in, people.

Crazy 3D Pool Art

Robert Vogland creates some pretty spectacular Trompe L'oeil swimming pool art. Working without a single power tool, he crafts each piece using a mosaic technique of his own devising. Spectacular, no? See the whole gallery here.

Organized by Color

Digging on this post over at Dornob about an artist who organized all her worldly belongings by color. Probably hell on house cleaning, but it makes for some nice photographs. My stuff, of course, is organized autobiographically. link

Hand Carved Godzilla

Hello? Japanese woodcarvers? Yes, I'd like to order two Buddhas, one Quan Yin, and an army of big-assed Godzillas so my co-workers will stop bothering me while I'm trying to work on my blog. link

Lowbrow 8mm Film Box Design

I'm loving the gallery of low brow 8mm film boxes over at World Famous Design Junkies this morning. I actually own a copy of Puddy the Pup but, alas, no projector. The box is super coolio though. Not, perhaps, as cool as The Deadly Mantis which apparently weighs ten million pounds. That's a lot of Mantis. link

The Almighty Multi-tool?

Spiritually and practically, you are covered with this baby!

via NotCot