“One of the projects on show at IDW is ‘sand carpets’ by the dutch studio muurbloem. A 2010 winner of the dutch design awards, the spatial design utilizes one of the first materials people used to create images – sand. To execute the patterns, a PVC tube is perforated and filled with the granular substance. To facilitate the work, the roller is fitted with a handle. These whimsical floor coverings do not last long however, a day at most in public spaces, but their ephemeral character lends a particular aesthetic quality. It is probably one of the simplest ways imaginable to formally decorate just about any place imaginable.” w/ photos

“Glue that and TAKE MY MONEY!” — vppqp

“Looking at Kate’s masterpiece from afar, you’d think it’s just another well-done recreation of Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’, but after a close inspection you realize it’s actually made of millions of tiny dots. Entitled “True Love” this unique piece was created for the 2011 ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It started out with Askegaard’s wish to prove to herself that she was a good artist, and she got it into her head that if she could capture what Michelangelo did with his Pieta, and the public would respond, than she could call herself a good artist. Kate referenced a 12in x 12in photo of the classic artwork, which she gridded out into over 10,000 squares. She used 9 sheets of paper, each 19in x 24in, glued them on a 5ft x 5ft canvas and finally painted black around the image. Then came the really hard part, reproducing every detail with nothing but tiny dots.” w/ photos + video

“It has taken nine months and more than 35,000 toothpicks – but Stan Munro has once again proved he is a real stickler for detail with the unveiling of his latest masterpiece. The model-making maestro has recreated Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia out of nothing but tiny pieces of wood and PVA glue. And the stunning construction is entirely faithful to Antoni Gaudi’s original design – with the Basilica’s nativity facade and highly detailed spires all visible. Stan, from Syracuse, New York State, created the structure – scaled as all his other models are at 1:164 – in sections before piecing them together. He said: ‘This is my 100th model, and probably my best. It has taken me nine months to complete, but I enjoyed every last minute.” w/ photos

“At first glance, these houses looks like they could have been the victim of a dramatic gas explosion. But the beat-up homes in Houston, Texas, are in fact an elaborate traffic-stopping work of art using the homes’ own wood siding. Artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck smashed the interior walls of the homes, before nailing the wooden planking at strange angles to complete their project. Featuring several horizontal and vertical vortices which appear to ‘rip’ through the interior of the first house, the designs offer a unique view out of each of the buildings. The front of the house is designed to act as a stage, but is only meant to be a temporary exhibit.” w/ photos

“Although it’s a lot like painting with water color, beer is a little more difficult to work with because it will come off if she spills a drop of water on it, and has to be layered on just right or the painting won’t come out right, but Karen says she’s really happy with how beer painting has turned out so far. She likes to show how rich the color of brown can be, and it’s apparently fun to do. Her career as a beer painter took off after an English ad agency commissioned her to do some work that they presented to Guinness and she has since then done many other paintings for breweries, restaurants and labels of beer.” w/ photos

“When I hear that someone out there has taken the time to make food into dragons, I naturally go bananas. Apparently, this guy did too. Japanese artist Y_Yamaden is responsible for these culinary creations and you have to admit there is a striking amount of detail put into each one of these fruits. From Davy Jones to outrageous faces, there seems to be nothing this guy can’t sculpt into a banana.” w/ photos

“After making this little discovery, Mary Ellen Croteau changed her project completed and decided to create a plastic bottle cap self-portrait, instead. She used no paint except for the shadow areas where the white board showed through, and only trimmed a few caps so they would fit in tight spaces. She achieved all the different color tones simply by combining different color bottle caps. Her 8-foot by 7-foot masterpiece is truly a remarkable example of eco art and is sure to get people thinking about recycling plastic bottle caps.” w/ photos

“It looks like the work of a few seconds. But while this striking image may appear to be a photograph at first glance, it has actually taken weeks of painstaking work. Right down to the creases in his forehead and the highlights in his hair, it would take a very sharp eye to spot that this head shot of a man is in fact an oil painting. Artist Jan Mikulka painted the amazingly realistic portrait in a bid to mimic the effects of a photography in canvas form. Visitors to the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award have been so stunned by its life-like qualities that it was voted the best in the exhibition.” w/ photo

“At one point he started working on the gloves, I said to myself ‘Oh, he’s using white colored salt now!’ Then I face-palmed myself.” — howlingarmadillo