Watchman's Note

This is a journey to the best designs in the world of Zazzle.com. Handpicked and presented (along with my own artwork) by yours truly, the driving force behind Surreality designs. We'll discover great artists and special products -mostly with a taste for the eccentric. But let us not confine ourselves in specific genres: the possibilities are endless and so is the great art one can find at Zazzle.

3/29/2010

Wild bunnies

I had never thought about it: what if bunnies had dentures like these? They may be all smiles now, but I'm pretty sure that, sooner or later, strange -and possibly violent- things could happen! Thanks to this weird and funny mug by Michael Dodge (aka KLAATUWI), we are forewarned.
Michael, an imaginative doodler, has a sense of humor I really like!

3/27/2010

A hill that is a head

Intense colors and liquid forms are characteristic of the work of Talisbird, an alternative digital artist from Tasmania. The kaleidoscopic surreality of his Cock flies hill design is astonishing. Elements of fractal art conspire to tell a fascinating story and show a talent that goes beyond what you might expect when you hear the term "fractal art". I like the head-thing that looks at the determined rooster in this poster.
Another favorite is the Elephant Game, an intriguing and artful collage of images that give a sense of Africa and game-hunting-in an unusual and exciting lime t-shirt.
Talisbird's website showcases more of the artist's talents (including poetry and prose).

3/24/2010

Clean elegance

This is an elegant letterhead based on an almost abstract artwork (plus some happy butterflies flying amongst the paint smudges!). You'll have to customize it,  which is super-easy, but it will be great to write on this smooth and tender design by Clean World, a shop full of abstract nature and textured finesse by John Finnegan-Allen.

I also liked this playful mouse pad:
Full of interesting details, yet simple, almost childlike. And the tiny blue flower is irresistible! You see, even Surreality Watch has it's softer moments!

Oh, the girls!



Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Delight) is the title of a novel by the French author Émile Zola. It seems that it also was the name of a wild French rock band, back in the '70s. And by wild I mean screaming, rock 'n' rolling, androgynous, surrealistic, campy and utterly wacko! I didn't know about them but this video is the proof that the past is a strange place to be. The name of the song is Oh, les filles (Oh, the girls). The last forty seconds are truly bombastic.

3/22/2010

Star Wars fail

So far I have avoided the mega-brands, but there comes a time when you have to give it to the big fish: some things cannot be overlooked! What we have here is an epic design, the mother of all sci-fi Fail images. Found at  a galaxy not very far away from your own keyboards, the Star Wars Shop.
The All Terrain Armored Transport (of The Empire Strikes Back fame) are endearingly known as AT-AT and, in this case, prove to be less fearsome than expected. Well, you know what they say about size...

3/21/2010

I'm a skateboard, hear me roar

Ninja jesters, two-legged mutant mutts, Joris-Karl Huysmans and Nicola Tesla's forehead have something in common: they are in good company at Segrid's dimensionally transcendental store! Segrid, aka Patrick Reinhart, is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to strangely humorous and surreal designs. His Roar skateboard is one of my all-time favorites -plus, it may be the only mustachioed skateboard around!

One more thing to consider is the utter coolness of having something dimensionally transcendental, too. I choose stomach -because it may be the only thing in me that comes close to it.
You have to experience his work and his sense of reality. This man's designs bite!

3/14/2010

Catch a cloud

"On a sunny day we could go cycling together. Maybe catch ourselves a cloud or two... What do you say?"

There is a certain relaxing feeling, a feeling of open spaces and of having all the time in the world. This is the feeling I get from this postcard from Matasaburo, the store of Japanese artist Matasabu. A serene, soothing design that is both strange and calm.

I put a Screamin' Jay on you



Here is a true master of the grotesque, the Pope of Weird Rock 'n' Roll , Screamin' Jay Hawkins, in a great performance of his classic I put a spell on you. Wild, crazy, surreal, the kind of showmanship that put dark theatrics, black humor and voodoo extravaganza in the map of modern music. His influence is crucial in artists as diverse as Alice Cooper, Marylin Manson, Black Sabbath, The Fuzztones and Dread Zeppelin.It so happens that all this comes to serve a strong backbone of great music and of songs that stood the test of time.

[Also, if you liked this you'd be more than happy to check a splendid cover version from Shane McGowan and his talented friends, recorded for Haiti's aid.]

3/11/2010

Eerie journey

Endless Journey - Poster (small size only) print
Endless Journey - Poster (small size only) by Houk
See other poster designs on zazzle.com
This print is the work of a true storyteller. An image of epic fantasy and marvelous surrealism. It is made by Houk, an artist with a true talent for digital fairytales. I can't decide what I like more: the weird balloon or the crooked tower on the right? Or, maybe, it's the quality of light that makes this a haunting piece.

3/08/2010

Gone bananas

Cartoons can often be right on target by proceeding sideways. By playing with what's NOT in the picture. In this case, the missing part is the notorious "1933 incident" (for the filmically-challenged: remember King Kong?). This great greeting-card is designed by StiKtoonz, aka Bill Greenhead, an illustrator from UK.
Cow Moosic shirt
Cow Moosic by StiKtoonz
Many more tee shirt designs available on zazzle
He has ways of making you laugh! Some may be subtle, some more obvious, but he'll get you there every time. That's the prerogative of people with a great sense of humour and a keen eye for the absurd. And cows.

3/03/2010

Capturing the surreal

In some artists' work, surrealism, magical realism and symbolism merge into a single language that strives to describe the world. Boundaries cease to matter and we are left with visions that transform the mundane and the figurative into strange fascinating images.
I found such images in Victoria Champion's shop, Maedusae. I especially like the deep red cloth that emerges from the camera in her Illuminating the Capture poster, and the way that she conveys the sense of creation.
What would she have to say? Maybe Interrogation of the Artist gives us a hint. The artist is not to be found on the chair -there's more urgent work to be done than answering questions. Instead, we have these great digital paintings that speak volumes about our inner mechanisms. They have cast a spell on me since I first saw them.

3/01/2010

Spring in red

Spring is here, lurking silently below the snow, infiltrating the cold winds, promising resurrection and already dreaming of summer. Enter this fine photograph of a poppy: a warm, red explosion in a serene field. It makes a great polaroid-like postcard, and you can find it in FA Photography. FA stands for both Felicitas Art and Friederike Alexander, a lady from Germany, who has a great eye for capturing beauty, especially in nature close-ups.
This is an image suitable for true daydreamers! Friederike's website has more of her astonishing work.
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