Water is the new hair.

Water Wigs, a project by Tim Tadder and team

It's hard to look at these silly pictures and not laugh. Bald guys are given the coolest hairstyles made with water balloons and some super fast shutter actions. These 'hairstyles' are priceless. All the different ways the water splashes unto their heads are just phenomenal! 

The artists also used colorful lighting to increase the fun and weirdness of the pictures. The BOOM factors are all there: the colors, the clarity of crystallized water droplets, cheeky expressions of the models, the shape the water makes as it hits the scalp. It's definitely a way to capture the form of water at its best! 

What surprises me is the perfect curves of the water that contours the shape of the head so fittingly. Its the split second when the balloon had just burst and water was still held in the shape of the balloon previously - the shape before it disperses. Not one result is the same. If only we could keep the shape of the water that way longer.. Hmm :)

Images retrieved from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Water-Wigs/4889175

Impossible is Overrated

http://vimeo.com/33423425

This video is a good illustration that possibility and impossibility is something made up by our own minds. It's an advertisement by a telecommunication service company called AT&T. The same designer that came up with the advertisement for Twinings Tea did this creative piece too.

This time its a mash up of real swimmer and some CGI on the underwater scenes and the vast sea. Using the sea as a setting for an advertisement about overcoming impossibilities is an interesting combination, because the deep blue sea holds so much mystery in it. To picture a swimmer swimming in it is not as common. When the designer opens by showing the swimmer diving into the big ocean that sees no end, it grabs attention immediately as I was eager to find out where he's heading and where he'll end up. It turns out he swam on through the night and into a new dawn. Along the way, breathtaking scenes of underwater creatures were shown that created harmony between the swimmer and them. He swims with might and had only one goal in mind which is to reach the finishing line. The video, however, did not end with him crossing the end victoriously, it ended with him still swimming into a landscape of city at the end of the ocean, which could also possibly be the end of his journey.

The video also ended with a tagline, which is "Rethink Possible". Indeed, it is humanly impossible to cross the ocean in a period of time like that. The company, using this concept, tells the viewers that they are constantly breaking limits to achieve greater heights, too. Thinking beyond the possible and touching what no one dares to do. What a way to promote :D

Animation Advertising

http://vimeo.com/33423425

Above is a video of a digital animation advertisement for Twinings Home of Tea. It is seldom to see tea advertisements in Malaysia and I personally am not a big fan of teas. But when I saw this beautiful animation, I felt compelled to go for this brand of tea. haha. It's in the way that it doesn't brag too much on the taste of the tea, but rather it centers around the connection of tea with human emotions.

The beginning of the video, it shows a girl struggling to row her boat among the harsh waves. Help came to her shortly after. Bird-like water splashes carried her above the storm and she overcame the difficulties effortlessly. It's calming to see her arriving at the other side of the storm where everything is bright and smooth - the same feeling when the taster of the tea comes close to savoring it. And when she finally arrives at the shore of an unknown island, it was herself that greeted her warmly. The animation ends with the two girls combining into one. The tagline at the end is "Gets you back to you".

What a beautiful way to promote teas. The setting of the animation is intelligently chosen. Detailed and close up scenes like when the girl touches her feet to the shallow waters really enhances the visual and emotional impact. Not only that, the 'camera' pans from left to right in a perfect angle where two girls disappeared into one. It was a very eye-catching way of connecting. Not too abrupt and not too boring. It fits with the tagline very well. No extra words were needed because the animation itself has already told of the goodness the tea brings to all who taste it.

The Giant Green Canvas

At first sight this tree seems like a really normal piece of drawing to me. I read on only to find out it's actually a tree on a huge piece of canvas -- set on the road! This beautiful installment is set in China, called the Green Pedestrian Crossing. 

A gigantic green ink pad, a huge white piece of canvas, and some everyday pedestrians and you have yourself an awareness raising reminder. Though it's set in the most unlikely place, it's a place where most people come in contact with on a daily basis. Who would actually thought that leaving footprints can be made into a kind of art, eh?

The message that is trying to be carried across is Walk More, Drive Less. As simple as that. Green is the default color used for most nature awareness campaign. I'm sure as the pedestrians walk across it, a gentle reminder will come to their mind and they will remember the contributions -not just to the artwork but- to a greener world. It might also attract more people to walk to their destinations just for the fun of putting down their green footprints. It's such an adorable idea that suits people of all ages. It's so direct. It reminds the youngest to the oldest that age and size is not a matter when it comes to saving our earth. 

images retrieved from http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/08/green-pedestrian-crossing-in-china-creates-leaves-from-footprints/

Nature meets Photoshop.

It's always a simple yet connective kind of artwork when nature is involved. Just like this one done by viaframe for an autumn advertising campaign of the Swiss fashion store Charles Vögele.

They adapted the simple elements of nature like leaves, clouds and rain for these inspiring ensembles. The idea is to bring out the autumn tone in every landscape, adding in animals made from the elements mentioned above. Using not the outline of the animals but the shape and movement of it still enables the viewers to make out the animals that're portrayed. It's not an easy task to catch the values just right to make it blend into the landscape. 

The artist also took into consideration the compositions of the artwork to make the focus balance. For example, the animals are not placed directly in the center but at a one-third position. It is as if the animals are overlooking the landscape and directing our eyes to gaze together as well. This creates an overall connection with the artwork that is so simple and natural. Autumn, where everything changes from one colour to another, shows the courses of nature transitioning together into a whole new look. Using this concept definitely fits to the apparel advertising. 

Images retrieved from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Charles-Voegele-Autumn-Campaign-2012/4948463

Surfs up!

I've been following this underwater photographer called Elena Kalis on social networks for quite some time now and today I decided to blog about her works :) The photographs she takes are one of the most beautiful and calming scenes i've seen. It is all set underwater. And her models are some awesome swimmers too!

She features her children and friends in the photos which make it truly inspiring to see a family and close friends star in her own artworks. Not only that, the benefit of water buoyancy is what give underwater phtography a dreamlike effect.

Through her stories and photos, I learned that she is really a sea lover by nature. She could spend all day long just immersing in the waters or basking in its beauty by the coasts. Though she's a full time mother, she is still devoted to her passion to the sea and the wonders that it holds. I am in complete serenity every time i come across her works. Its like sitting on a cloud. It just feels out of this world! Simply beautiful! 

one of those 'wow' moments.

there're so many kinds of creative minds in this world, one of them is the musically creative ones. ThePianoGuys who are widely known in the YouTube community creates beautiful song covers with the piano and cello. I subscribed to them since the first 10 seconds of the first video i saw of them. hahaha. And their latest video involved 5 guys playing 1 piano altogether! it's really one of those 'wow' moments.

Though you can't really say it's a completely original idea to have more than 2 people playing on one instrument at the same time, the composition and arrangement of the song cover is amazing enough to bring a smile to my face. If sounds can come from pressing the piano keys, then sounds can definitely come from plucking the piano strings itself! I once had this curious thought when I was little too. But never had a chance (and courage!) to try it for real. Watching this video of them really making music out of plucking the piano strings impressed me so much and made me flashback to the little naive me again. It is possible. :)

I've played in a full band and sang in a choir team before so I know it's really not an easy task to work with people to make the song sound just nice. Even if it's just a small team of 3. It's really the entire package, from the improvisation of the song to the practices to the real video recording. This's a kind of creative art where it is not possible if one person is missing. Where the team members rely on each other, trusting that each other will play on beat and in tune.

Okayyy, maybe i've not talked much about their creative skills in this post, but I'm more inspired by the way they worked together so passionately. Just look at the smiles and enjoyment on their faces! The true joy of creating art. This is what it's all about! :D