Beautifully strange iPhone cases

Dead Geisha Case by palehorse
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Welcome to the paradoxical world of an extremely talented artist, a world blessed by strange totems, where death figures roam and religious symbols are transformed into strange heroes. It's the world of Chris Parks and his outstanding Pale Horse store. The small, modern format of the iPhone case is enough to showcase his offbeat ideas and his supreme technique.
The skull-faced, kimono-wearing Dead Geisha is a fine example of his line work and his imagination.

Christos Mysterio Jr. by palehorse
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The impressive luchador Christos Mysterio Jr. gives a small taste of how his designs turn out when he uses color: striking yet balanced! I love the way he uses well-known cultural symbols to create new, strange concepts and images. This store is one of a kind!

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Psychedelic nature

Hallucinogenic Psychedelic Nature Fun Flower ipad by Rupydetequila
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I don't know whether this pretty iPad case is hallucinogenic as it's title implies, but I can tell you that this great illustration caught my attention! I discovered it in Rupy de Tequila store, the place were Ruth Fitta-Schulz showcases her amazing digital art. Rita has a rare sense of color and an imagination that brings forth playful childhood images.

Dark fruits nature handmade illustration shoe by Rupydetequila
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It's difficult to decide on favorites from her amazing store. I could point out, though, that she has a special talent for unique, unprecedented Keds shoes designs, like this Dark Fruits beauty. Do check out her artwork: I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised!

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Hey, dickhead!

Dick Head by Dickcherry
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A rockin', crazy and hilarious character decorates today's featured skateboard! It's one of the true gems you'll find in Dickcherry's store, created by an artist whose artwork and illustrations help form the current zeitgeist. His work has been used by Pixar, Tinsley Studios and countless rock musicians. Browse his store and you'll know why: his imagination runs amok, powered by his great talent.

Bent 8 by Dickcherry
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Dickcherry's use of color is impressive but I fell in love with this black and white poster. Check him out and I'm sure you too will find something to get excited about!

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Heavy metal and clients from hell

Old Metal Fan by tuomasikonen

The designs and illustrations of Tuomas Ikonen have a quality I really admire. Apart from being gorgeous, they seem to embrace the product they are applied to. Many times I come upon interesting artwork that seems to be thrown upon stuff, while Tuomas's work uses carefully the format of each product. Hence, his creations -like this iPad case with the old metalhead listening to Slayer!- have a distinct personality and character.

The Client is Always Right by tuomasikonen

In is hands, the well-known motto about the client always being right (a nightmare for every freelancer and merchant alive, if you ask me...) becomes a wonderfully conceived poster of humorous satire. There are great things to be found in his small but beautiful artsproject store.

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Strolling skull

The Stroll by ChaostheRed

A strange skeleton-like creature, wearing a top hat, boots and something that resembles a tuxedo, strolls through this marvelously weird raglan shirt. This design, originally an ink drawing on watercolor paper, is one of the humorous dark characters of Chaos the Red, a store with horror and fantasy artwork -often funny, in their own way. Great shirt!

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Sexy mug

25. vanitas by jeanzapata
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Every time you take a sip from this mug this voluptuous comic book beauty will be watching you. Not a bad deal, especially considering that she is made only of black lines on a black and red background. What perplexes me -and makes it more interesting- is that the artist (the talented Jean Zapata) named it vanitas, which is an artistic shorthand for the meaninglessness of earthly life and vanity.
So, what we have here is a killer brunette as a symbol of the certainty of death... Not a bad combination of elements, don't you think?

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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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Top 15 Zazzle Calendars for 2011

You got that right folks! These are the best calendars in the whole zazzledom , according to Surreality Watch. Yes, it's a subjective list and, yes, your favorite may be left out but that's how it goes.
I should note that the items of this list are in random order. They are all winners, anyway! So, here it goes:

(1)

Playroom_Nightmare[1], Playroom Nightmare, 2011... by paintingmaniac

This includes fourteen of Leah Saulnier's surrealistic and playful paintings. She is absolutely great!

(2)

CHERNOBYL 2011 EN by SPERRZONE

An eerie, ominous collection of photographs from Chernobyl. Industrial archeology by SPERRZONNE.

(3)

Silent Ghost 2010/2011 Calendar by chimaerastudios

A comic book calendar from Chimaera Studios.

(4)

In the Year 2011 by lizwiil

A surreal-pop calendar featuring Lizwiil's unique art.

(5)

MID-CENTURY BOOGIE 2011 calendar by LiliChin

A trip through furniture design's finest moments (plus a Boston terrier!) as proposed by Lili Chin's Boogie Wonderland.

(6)

Surrealism art calendar 2011 monthly wall calendar by artsgrie

Fantasy meets surrealism in George Grie's magnificent landscapes.

(7)

GRAFFITI 2011 by EMangl

Graffiti and urban art through the lens of Emangl.

(8)

Skeleton Calendar 2011 - Antikamnia - Crucius by VintageCabaret

Vintage, 19th century artwork with the skeleton characters of Luis Crucius. Found in Vintage Cabaret.

(9)

Dinosaurs Conquering 2011 by tyskkvinna

Fun micro-photography with dinosaurs roaming the Earth, by Lis Bokt.

(10)

The Kitsch Bitsch : Living Retro 2011 Calendar by kitschbitsch

Colorful, kitschy retro fun from Kitsch Bitsch.

(11)

arteology 2011 by arteology

Hand drawing and digital art in this unusual calendar by Gregory Gallo's Arteology.

(12)

Observations From The Urban Landscape 2011 Calenda by DeborahJulianArt

City life and photography. Nice work by Deborah Julian.

(13)

Workers United 2011 calendar by patrimonio by patrimonio

Patrimonio's tribute to the working life, with illustrations in the old propaganda-poster style.

(14)

Casey Shannon Studio~ 2011 Calendar by CaseyStudio

A collection of Casey Shannon's ink paintings. Tender sumi-e!

(15)

2011 Black & White Photography Calendar by RocklawnArts

Wonderful black and white photography by Claire E. Skinner's Rocklawn Arts.


[Did you like this list? Comment your heart away and tell me what you think!] 

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Let it roll!

Recently I've become particularly interested in skateboard decks. They provide a wonderful format for edgy, unusual designs -and, yes, even surreal ones! Here's a selection of unique decks that stand out:

still listening ver. 2 by mad_king
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The first one is from Mad King and I believe that the radio telescopes looking for strange frequencies under this red, grungy-textured sky, give it an ominous intensity. A fine work of art by Jake Johanson, Denver, USA.

Cool skateboard with crazy monster graphics by designalicious
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This one, by Designalicious, is a totally different approach. Playful, with funny and wild monochromatic characters, yet not overdone. The artist is Maaike Boot from the Netherlands and she has done a wonderful job.

Stone Cross by Avandas
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The knot work on this deck makes it look like it was carved in stone. This intricate, medieval look is, actually, a great piece of fractal art by Scott Ferman and you may find it in his store Avandas.

SIT "Unwired 8" by SITartwork
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Back to Netherlands, with a minimal, modern and, somehow, futuristic design.A great dystopian piece of an unwired mechanism. I love it's simplicity and the hidden darkness that contrasts with the white background. Found in SIT''s store.

Sky by DECKDOM
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Last but not least, this extravagant beauty from DECKDOM, a place with a marvelous taste for strange, surreal decks. I do wish they put up more designs because the ones I found there were absolutely magnificent!

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A strange roller coaster

Le Grand Sept Trois Quarts by AurelienPolice
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Every time I take a look at Aurélien Police's shop I'm left speechless and awestruck. This great French artist has a way of mixing scifi, fantasy, cuberpunk, gothic and symbolism that transcends the norms. There is always a story to be told through his art, a small detail that takes all this eye-candy and gives it a profound dimension. Look at the center of this gloomy poster: see the wagons falling?

Postcard - The Rope by AurelienPolice
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This ominous postcard has it's secrets, too. The decrepit interchange is a strong image but what sets it apart is the rope hanging above the highway. It hints of human despair, madness and solitude. It oozes humanity! That's what sets Aurélien apart and makes me come back to his work again and again. I'm sure you will feel the same way once you look deeper.
If his shop is not enough (and, I guarantee, it is not!) there is always his website, full of amazing artwork.

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Vita brevis

Memento Mori by Aegis_Strife
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This beautiful, moody piece brings a new vigor to the ancient memento mori tradition -that is, artwork that reminds us of mortality and inspires us to have a more serious approach to our life and choices. The strange female figure seems to float while holding a skull and the light is simply amazing!
I found this great poster at Aegis Strife, the shop that showcases the art of Mario Sánchez Nevado (aka Aégis). Mario is a master of strong symbolism, grotesque concepts and exquisite skill.

Masochistic Artist by Aegis_Strife
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Mixed techniques, rich textures and a splendid sense of color and light source make him a unique artist and illustrator. So don't be shy and cover your walls with his surreal imaginings: life's too short to resist such an eerie temptation!

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Skating lesson on war

War kid by ErlaMaria
Make your own skateboard decks online at Zazzle

You could not expect a generic, run-of-the-mill skate deck from an unconventional artist like Erla Maria.She's wild and likes to play with strange imagery. War kid is compelling -and I do believe it's yoyoing days are over. This kid's open skull left a strong impression on mine. Not for the squeamish...

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Oh, the hipness of it all...!

So Hip, postcard by kasei_lee
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Now, where does one start to describe this unbelievable design? For once I'm at a loss for words, so I'll just quote the words of it's creator:

A part-man part-dog hipster. His green singlet like shirt features a double rainbow and the words "What does it mean?". Over the top of his turned up stovepipe blue jeans, he has a pink tutu like skirt. Under one arm is the mounted head of a white unicorn. He also has on a pair of yellow diving flippers and a pair of thick rimmed glasses.

Can you picture someone writing these words straight-faced? It seems that Lee Leplaw Deichmann, the artist behind the great Lee Lee and the Bee store, has tons of weird humor. It's not just the awe-inspiring surreality of this postcard. There are plenty of other unique designs to prove my point:

Shrunken Head Dilemma, shopping bag by kasei_lee
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Imagine shopping around with this bag (aptly named Shrunken Head Dilemma). I do. Things like that change lives, folks! Lee's imagination and talent is one of a kind.

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Strange kind of beauty

walk by noumeda
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This is a strangely fascinating postcard, featuring ink work from Noumeda. The birds and the running woman give a dreamy, haunting quality to the landscape. Noumeda Carbone's work is mostly monochromatic with small touches of color that explode in surreal ways. Do have a look at her illustrations (shown in her great website as well as her store). She is one of the best, with a strong feminine aura that is both enchanting and unexpected.
As for me, I'll keep staring at those eyes, trying to hear the story they tell:

P#12 by noumeda
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Something to cool you down

Pluto Postcard by stevethomas
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August is so hot and scalding, it's time for something cool and soothing, don't you think? How about vacationing on the snowy mountains of Pluto? Steve Thomas is willing to take us there with this ice-cold illustration (a great way to brag about your summer endeavors to your friends that stayed behind!). Based on old poster aesthetics -like most of this great artist's work- it makes for an amazing postcard.

Fantasy travel poster - elves by stevethomas
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For those of you who prefer a more classic destination, Surreality Travel Bureau proposes legendary Rivendell, and this great poster by Steve brings it right to your home! Surreal ideas, excellent execution and a fine sense of humor guarantee an unforgettable time when visiting Steve Thomas's store.

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