May 13

One Doll Painter to Rule Them All

Aragorn & Arwen dolls with creator Noel Cruz

Allow me to introduce you to Noel Cruz, re-painter of dolls. He takes dolls that are mass-produced to look like celebrities/characters and refashions them to look more realistic and lifelike.

While he has (re)created literally hundreds of dolls, from Bette Davis to Robert Pattinson, of particular interest to us geeks is his work on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s characters from Lord of the Rings. Behold Aragorn and Arwen, as recreated by his very precise brushstrokes.

Aragorn doll by Noel Cruz

Arwen doll by Noel Cruz

The Before and After shots are very impressive – the Before’s look so flat, and the After’s look like they belong in Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

Which beloved characters would you pay big money to have recreated in doll-form like this?

Links of Interest:

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April 22

Take Your TARDIS to School Day

Can one be a “non-practicing Whovian”? I think that’s what I am. I have seen a handful of episodes, and appreciate various Dr. Who references when I see them out and about, but must admit I don’t always get what I see in the shows. Maybe because I haven’t watched a whole season all the way through?

Practicing or not, I can still give mad props to young Oraicia, who painted her locker, and two of her friend’s, as a TARDIS (which, by the way, stands for “Time and Relative Dimension in Space“).

TARDIS lockerTARDIS locker closeup

Here is how she described her project, which apparently was an art project for school (get to paint your locker for a grade?? Cool!!)

 The process of painting the locker was a bit lengthy. I first had to prime the locker, which left it in a nasty-looking shade of grey. It stayed this colour for much longer than I would have liked, due to the no-blue-paint issue. After I got the locker primed, I went on to sketch out the design. This involved a lot of measuring, in order to get proportions as close as possible, and to get the design to be symmetrical. When the design was sketched out, painting could commence. I taped the borders, so that the paint would only go where I wanted it. Each part of the locker required multiple layers of paint. Anywhere that was white took two layers. Blue areas took three; a light layer, a medium-toned layer, and a dark layer on top. Because I painted the layers on with a sponge, you could see some of the lighter layers through the darker surface layers. This was done in order to recreate the ‘wooden’ texture of the TARDIS.

I know there were several points in my high school career when I wished someone would just appear and whisk me away – maybe Oraicia created the ultimate “Get Out of High School Free” card with a few strokes of blue paint. If only I had known that’s all it took, I could have saved myself many embarrassing moments.

I also have to wonder if the lockers are bigger on the inside.

Links of Interest:

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February 9

Teeny Little Super Guy

Remember him? “You can’t judge a hero by his size. He’s just a teeny little super guy.” 

I was thinking about him the other day, (we were watching some old school Sesame Street) I thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to have one of those cups? Then I thought, I’m sure I could find one on Etsy.

Guess what? NO! No teeny super guy on Etsy! I couldn’t believe it! Everything is on there. So I had to make one myself. I’m not a great painter, but he’s not too bad for a first try.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Get paint for glass. I thought I did, but I ended up getting just plain acrylic. It’s not durable, or washable, but if you just want to keep it on a shelf it’s fine. You need Yellow, Red, Tan, and Black.
  2. Print out the little super guy, or draw him freehand (what I did) on a piece of paper.
  3. Put the paper inside the glass. Now just paint in the lines.

That’s all. It only took a few minutes. I made him on a mason jar, and I use him as a piggie bank on the top of my fridge. I sing the song every time I put a coin in. Now you can have your own little super guy.

 

December 18

What a crazy random happenstance!

If you have these on your wall, what does it say to people who walk into your house?

“I have a PHD in horribleness.”
“You’re driving a spork into your leg.”
“I don’t go to the gym, I’m just naturally like this.”

somekindofrobot on Etsy has made these beautiful canvas paintings of your favorite Dr. Horrible characters. They’re definitely unique and will certainly liven up the place when Dr. Horrible gives you the keys to a shiny new Australia. 

Also in her shop you’ll find a Boba Fett canvas painting, Ghostbusters painting, and even a GLaDOS painting.

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December 15

Wednesday Wolf’s Wonderful Watercolors


These paintings by Wednesday Wolf are amazing—dark and evocative and deceptively simple. They also really run the gamut of geekery, encompassing everything from Sackboy, the Ninja Turtles’ Michaelangelo, and Gir to Powerpuff Girls villain Him, Voldemort, and even Trogdor. And I’ve never seen such a menacing Pokedex or such a tragic depiction of Dr. Horrible. It’s hard to choose, but I think my personal favorite is the Alot. (You know the story of the Alot, right?)

I’m running out of wall space, but I may need one or more of these prints.

December 8

The Best-est Geek Art Ever

Okay, I know best-est isn’t a word, but it should be, because James Hance’s art is better than the best.  If you haven’t checked him out yet, go see James Hance,  Relentlessly Cheerful Art.  He has turned his geeky craft into fine art, showcasing our favorite Muppets and cartoons.

His series Wookie the Chew combines Star Wars and Winnie the Pooh, and features amazing characters like Chrisolo Robin, Droidlet, and of course, Wookie the Chew.

I have a few of his prints, and one of his originals in my house, and I LOVE them.  I’m still waiting for the Dr. Horrible/ Calvin and Hobbes cross over. (wink wink, nudge nudge.)

So check him out, and get inspired.

How about an amigurumi of wookie the chew? A parody of a parody. How great is that?

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