Tender master

A Girl Under A Thousand Blankets by vladstudio
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Today I present you with a real master of tender, imaginative design. Anyone who's interested in discovering digital art on the web will have -at one time or another- come across this great Russian artist, Vlad Gerasimov of Vladstudio. He has created countless works of sweet, colorful creatures, whole fairytale worlds based on unique concepts.

Trombombone by vladstudio
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His works leaves a smile on your face and conjures positive feelings and childhood's awe of the fantastic.

Typographic World Map by vladstudio
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And, of course, there is his more conceptual work, too, like this -often imitated- typographic world map.

Star Field by vladstudio
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Some artists can get away with being cute: their art cleverly avoids the skin-deep sensitivities of their peers and reaches the inner child inside us. Vlad is one of a kind!
Apart form his zazzle shop, you should visit the Vladstudio website for exquisite wallpapers, downloads and other goodies!

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Message to the goddess

The Messenger by lynnetteshelley
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In this poster I see an attractive combination of folk art and Greek-Orthodox iconography (the flat background, the stylized muscles and golden elements are some of the characteristics of Byzantine religious art). Yet, instead of the introversion and the austerity of forms there is so much sweetness expressed in the lady's face and the bird!
Madonna, female deity or an expression of femininity? It doesn't matter... What matters is the quiet beauty of this painting made and offered by Lynnette Shelley, a great painter and illustrator from Philadelphia. Her rich, imaginative colors and shapes are outstanding.

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• Haunting femininity (surrealitywatch.blogspot.com)

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Printed koan

One Hand Clapping by unruly_e
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Spiraling Buddhas, over-saturation (reminding of lomography), and strangeness make this poster unique. It seems that not even koans resist photo-manipulation!
A koan (or kōan) is a seemingly irrational statement that may be accessed through intuition. Koans play an important role on Zen Buddhism and they are created mainly to shock the mind into awareness. "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" may be the most famous. It also served as an inspiration to talented Unruly-e, who tried to answer by creating a visual koan, eccentric and delicious enough to catch my attention (and yours, I'm sure).

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• N.Y. gets 'one hand clapping' Zen debut (search.japantimes.co.jp)

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Cats as cats can

Cat Washing Bottom by Squirrell
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Why cats do that? Well, because they can! A funny and sweet illustration of cattitude that matches perfectly  the color of this t-shirt, by the hands of Squirrell (yeah, I know how this sounds...).

Squirrell's is a great shop to be when looking for humorous, wacky and imaginative pet designs.
Seeing is believing so here's a little something for those who prefer dogs -the superhero kind:

Hero by Squirrell
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See? Told ya this shop's great, didn't I?

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Molecular love

MOLECULARTOUCH by HopeAli
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It's been a long time since I saw this great tote bag but this particular color/size combo wasn't available. Fortunately it is now and I'm sure you'll like this delicate abstract design. It feels like a playful version of an image from a biology book and I discovered it in HopeAli.
The artist is Yanula Chevalier from Brooklyn, and she offers many colorful, upbeat designs.

[This post is the 200th on Surreality Watch! Thanks to all for reading and following. I do hope we'll be keeping each other company for many hundreds more!]

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Life reused

Akayo Found Objects by akayo1
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Reinventing. reusing, combining fragments to form a new, meaningful whole is an enchanting process. I have a soft spot for artwork that finds exciting ways to deal with the past and the mundane. This poster - a collage created from found objects- by Akayo was an instant favorite.

441803119_31302392f1_o by akayo1
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You don't need big surfaces to get a wonderful piece of art. Akayo's talent impresses even in the tiniest format of this fine pin button. His sense of colors and the graffiti character and slogan is delicious! From stickers to city walls, from galleries to skateboards: this artist from San Francisco Bay Area knows no boundaries.
If his store isn't enough for you, there's more beauty to explore in his website.

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The game tightens

Game Tight Print/Poster by 40ozcomics
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Great artwork here, by the multitalented Jim Mahfood and his 40oz store. A bold illustration, with a boxer as the main character, that showcases his comic book experiences. I love the lines and the color combination. Jim's work is tense and vibrant and you should really check his great blog , too -many fine sketches to be found there.

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Free and beautiful

Girl with pink umbrella by nerosunero
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How come this vibrant painting of a young girl with an umbrella walking on the streets of Dublin reminds me so much of summer? Well, I guess it's the colors. This explosion of warm, glorious colors balancing with the subtler, cooler hues that transform the image into a dreamy walk towards the seaside.
This is an exquisite poster from Nerosunero, the store that showcases the great work of Mario Sughi -an Italian illustrator living in Dublin.

Dancing by nerosunero
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His vivid style is said to bring back memories of David Hockney but I think (looking at the sexy "Dancing" poster) that there is a trace of good old Milo Manara in there, too. All this namedropping can be quite unfair: Mario's artwork conveys a unique flavor and his good-looking people and psychedelic landscapes form his own, distinctive universe. An enchanting, sensual universe that gets richer by a hidden sadness and a nostalgic touch. That's the material life -and summers- are made of!

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Attack of the Burramundi

Flock of Burramundi by kerryone
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Look at these little devils descending like a squadron of Stukas on your desk! They are the fabulous Burramundi (though they look like cute flying piranhas to me) made by artist Kerry One, and they look great indeed. Nothing's better than a flock of awesome, colorful... somethings on a blue sky to cheer you up.

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Gioconda of the streets

Mona Lisa - La Gioconda Street Art Mousepad by Lamrockimages
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The colors on this mousepad are amazing. So is the concept behind this Mona Lisa graffiti, found in the streets of London by the photographer of Lamrock Images.A curator of urban landscape, handpicking street art shrapnel with a keen eye and unique sensitivity.

Jog On - London Street Art by Lamrockimages
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He captures graffiti and curiosities with a great sense of composition, giving us strange and poetic snapshots. Sometimes the art is already there to be spotted. Even then, it gets transformed into something more crucial and intense. In this store you won't find just apparel, prints and pretty gifts. You'll find the soul of a city.

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Songs from deep down

Fly by justinaerni
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What happens when you take cartoon forms and you start tweaking the cuteness factor until the distorted outcome expresses your feelings about death, love, loneliness and sadness?
Well, if you have the rare talent of Justin Aerni, the outcome is this vibrant, raw, emotional, gripping art that leaves people with their mouth open!

pReTTy PReTty uNiCOrNs by justinaerni
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The term "cartoon surrealism" comes to mind. But, like any other term, it's just words and doesn't begin to describe the strength of Justin's work. I'm very happy I found about him and I'm very proud to present the beautiful nightmares that adorn the t-shirts in his shop.

My Monster Face by justinaerni
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What gets me every time is the colorful palette that seems to contradict his themes. This contradiction adds to the charm of his great artwork. Don't miss on this one, people, or you'll be doomed to stay imprisoned in a world of mediocre, syrupy kawaii nonsense, the kind that floods the apparel market.

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Yesterday's snow

February 11th by Krissy_B
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Was it the day the picture was taken? Is it something special on February 11th, something that changed the artist's life? We don't know and it doesn't matter. What matters is this strange design with the red and ochre hues and the grungy texture. The weird-looking sky and the wires that travel through it. It's a great mousepad from Krissy B.

The meeting by Krissy_B
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I love the use of these vibrant colors over dirty backgrounds. Krissy's style is at it's best when it is unexpected and intense. Plus, dinosaurs never looked so playful before!

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Handmade 3D

Subway / Lonely Travelers Postcard by anneklar
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I love this unique combination of sculpture and painting. Notice the details! The postures and the colors are excellent. A great poster by Anne Klar's Art Store, where Anne Klar exhibits some serious skill and artistic sensibilities in the creation of these unique designs.

Santa Fe Dreaming - Mousepad by anneklar
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Clay is the No1 material here, giving rich textures and creating a very unusual 3D sensation. Find more about this kind of work in Anne's great website.

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Striped lunacy

lunatiks! postcards by sandygrafik
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Some artists overdo it with patterns and textures. They seem to get carried away and lose their sense of composition, the one thing that makes a design tic. Sandy from Sandygrafik, doesn't! She knows what she's doing and why, and that's how she makes astonishing work such as this crazy, stripey character. Funny and wild, this postcard is sure unusual.
Do you want to see some of her other lunatiks? Thought so...:

lunatiks! by sandygrafik
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She is great at making unique creatures from fairy tales, too, but I felt more at home with this particular product line. [Some times I wonder why... Naah!] You could also visit her interesting blog and see more of her work.

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Bourbon, bluegrass and beard

BBB by jiveafro
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When it comes to music posters with a '60s flavor, nothing can beat psychedelic illustration and lettering. And in that game, it would be difficult to beat Jon Griffin Art. It's the store of Jon Griffin, a true master of crazy ideas and imaginative drawings, whose artistic skills and humor will drive you nuts -well... yes, actually I meant this in the best sort of way! He's got wild characters, superb coloring and top-notch lettering, mixing  an old-school style with his own refreshing modernity.
He's also great when he decides to go black and white:

Cash-bw by jiveafro
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His modern style is very good, too, but I can't get enough of his vintage-looking, cartoon-ish creations. Do yourself a favor and check out this great artist.

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Xmas mood II: Cards with a twist

Here is a second bunch of Christmas cards, hand-picked for being creative, original and crazy -the way we love things here, actually!

(1)

Go Colder by Gingerbloke
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A card to make art lovers happy -inspired by the great Belgian surrealist René Magritte. Countless snowmen float (or just fall, like snow) and bring joy to the world -all wearing the famous black hat! J.L.Hill's Cornucopia, where this great card came from, is a great source of funny holiday designs.

(2)

Darwin Atheist Christmas Card by Orderofstnick
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Do you consider the whole Christmas deal a childish, religious set-back of mankind's logic? Well, being human, I'm sure you love holidays too. Atheism deserves his own saints, so to speak, and Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who changed the way we view the world, poses proudly as a non-believer's Santa in this great card from the Order of Saint Nick. A clever and funny design from a gallery that specializes in cards. Their surreal ideas for Xmas cards (including "I saw mommy eating Santa Clauss"!) are top-notch.

(3)

Little Pig's Christmas greeting card by Lioness_Graphics
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Happiness, warmth and friendship are the focus of this colorful beauty from Cheerful Madness. Nothing traditionall or boring in this card, just a glorious feeling. Plus, I want a scarf like this too (all men are pigs, as they say, so I fit the bill!).

(4)

Christmas Bikinis & Boots Card by reddesignhead
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I get an eerie, otherworldly feeling from this card. The contrast of holiday ornaments and those mannequins wearing bikinis in the shop's display makes me think of film-noir movies. An interesting photograph that makes a great card. It relies on the late-night mood it conveys rather than expressed jubilation. Created by RedDesignHead.

(5)

Joy World Blah Blah by koncepts
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Lazy Christmas carolers know what this card is all about! A funny typographic design that's sure to bring joy to the world and blah, blah, blah. Short and full of attitude, created by Koncepts.

(6)

Nutcracker Suite Christmas Card by ChristyDeKoning
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Last but not least: a fine artwork by Christy DeKoning based on the marvelous fairy tale-ballet The Nutcracker. Fantastic blue and red hues in this awesome and tender drawing (I particularly like the bluish tree) offered on a really beautiful card!

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Fantasy in black

Dragon lizard mini bookmarks by thedancingemu
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A fine tiny dragon makes a delightful mini bookmark for today's post.Young artist Teal Newcomb prefers fantasy and anime themes, uses a rich and vivid palette of colors and hues and creates interesting worlds and charming creatures.

Blue dragon postcard by thedancingemu
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Dragons, chimeras and other ethereal beings inhabit her imagination and are vividly and delicately put to paper and other products available in her gallery, Metal Kirin Illustration. Or, you might want to have a look at her website or her Etsy store.

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Beautiful mob

Crows Feet by PeppersPolishMafia
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Sometimes describing and explaining gets me nowhere. There are things that can only be experienced. Rebecca S. Czosnek's art -as found in her gallery Peppers Polish Mafia - is one of them. I could try: original, surreal, odd, tender, wild, dashing... It's futile! I could talk about an explosion of colours, but then, what about her other exquisite designs?

Spooky Romance by PeppersPolishMafia
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Her imagination knows no end and that's Surreality Watch's final verdict. Seeing is believing, though. Check this lady's store but be careful, before you know it you could lose a month's salary in there.

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Library stroll

Library Stroll Mouse Pad by memoir
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Being a bookworm, I can't help but loving this design by Courtney Snyder's Memoir. It looks awesome on a mousepad but I love it on a coffee mug too. Here, check it out:

Library Stroll by memoir
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It makes me think of sitting on a warm living room during those cold winter nights that lay ahead, reading and sipping hot coffee. Courtney Snyder creates interesting, colorful designs -it was difficult choosing this one! She has an interesting blog with background stories about her work.

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