I am absolutely in love with the work of Pascal Campion. I recently came across some of his work and I can’t get enough. He is definitely a very talented artist, but with two kids of my own, the stories he tells are so familiar and dear to me. You can check out more of his work on his personal website: pascalcampoin.com There is also a great video interview here.

Our family is expanding, which meant the chance to create a new room for my 3-year old son. I really wanted to paint a special mural that would commemorate his favorite things to do in our town. So with this crazy idea, some paper, and a pen, I got to work. I interviewed my son and together we came up with a list of possible locations.

Sketching out the buildings and transferring them to the wall was by far and away the easiest part for me. When I began to paint I quickly realized how steady my hand would have to be to create the level of detail that I was going for. Frustrated, I tried painter’s tape and was thrilled at the crisp lines it produced. As you can see from the image above, I went through a ton of tape. I’m fairly certain that I could give a master’s class on creative use and application of painter’s tape after this project.

So, after a coat of primer, 2 coats of blue and green sky/landscape paint, 7 transparencies (to transfer the sketches to the wall), 3 jumbo rolls of tape, 19 different tubes of acrylic paint, 100+ hours and too many Diet Dews to count, here is the finished product.

View of the left side wall.

Detail of  the art museum, clock tower, Sample Gates, and Assembly Hall at my alma mater, Indiana University.

The courthouse on the square in Bloomington.

My son is a big fan of construction equipment, so he requested a huge crane.

The firehouse that we pass each day on our way to preschool and the Kirkwood Observatory since he is interested in space shuttles and the moon.

His first request was Target, which is his favorite store in the entire world. (Sounds odd for a 3-year old, but it’s true.) And Curious George flying a kite to the left.

WonderLab, a local science center for kids and some playground equipment from his favorite park.

I knew this would be a rewarding project to take on, but when he gave me a huge hug and said it was beautiful, it made it all that much more worthwhile.

Cover creation from Peter Belanger on Vimeo.

I love the sense this time lapse gives someone who is unfamiliar with marketing and design on just how much effort goes into some of the artwork we encounter on a daily basis. Seeing a video like this makes me question my sanity, as I do stuff like this on a daily basis. I guess it is the love of the process and seeing something complex through to completion that keeps me at it.

Kuroshio Sea – 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

I came across this video and found myself watching it twice. I love the sense of scale you get from the people standing in front of the glass. If you look closely there is a diver in the tank on the lover left. This must really be a sight to behold and if I’m ever in Japan I’d love to see it in person. Below are some details about the tank and facility.

The main tank called the “Kuroshio Sea” holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank.

Website: Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Stunningly rich illustrations by Alberto Cerritento. I really admire his artistic style, use of texture, and the vivid colors he utilizes in his illustrations. He can come decorate any room in my house with his artwork. You can view much more of his fantastic work on his site.

I came across Grant Hamilon’s Flickr Stream today and was stunned by his Polaroid work. He definitely has a handle on color, composition, and presentation. These photos make my insides smile. I could really look at these all day long, so simple and serene.

Visit Grant’s Flickr Stream.

Visit Grant’s portfolio.

I love the Olympics. I always have and I always will. I watch everything that is televised and have my DV-R filled with Olympic coverage. I have also always had a passion for architecture and heavily considered pursuing a career in it, but decided on graphic design instead. This year’s Olympic venues are incredibly stunning and very artistic in style. I came across these great artists renderings of a few of the buildings and wanted to share them.

More images of the Bird’s Nest.

More images of the Water Cube.

Great information graphics on all things Olympic.

I can honestly say that Cole Rise’s photography stopped me in my tracks a few days ago. I dropped what I was doing and spent a good 20 minutes looking through his site. He really has a unique eye for detail. I found myself staring at beautiful landscapes and being amazed at how much visual interest a small silhouette of a cow or a bird flying in the distance could add to the composition. His work with people as a subject matter is also equally interesting.

Check out his website at colerise.com or his Flickr stream.

Mark Khaisman is a Ukrainian artist based in Philadelphia who creates artwork from brown packing tape. Khaisman works on a light easel, applying translucent brown packing tape to clear plexiglas panels, the layers are built up to create varying degrees of opacity.

I find his work very inspiring and was absolutely shocked to find that his works are created entirely with packing tape. Each “line” is made by twisting and molding the tape to the plexiglas. I love when artists find new ways to use materials that were never “intended” to make art.

I enjoy doing illustrations with simple blue ball point pens, which are a less than common drawing utensil. I have found that using untraditional mediums can lead to some very amazing outcomes that would have never been achieved using traditional materials.

If you would like to see more of Khaisman’s work you can visit his portfolio.

Scott Hansen is a California-based multi-disciplinary artist who has produced work for a broad range of clients from Barack Obama to small label musicians. He also writes, records, and produces music under the name Tycho.

I first came into contact with Scott’s work a few years ago in an issue of Communication Arts. I was immediately drawn to his vintage and organic style.

I think what impresses me most are his use of color and strong sense of composition. My eyes always seem to know exactly where to go. I really enjoy looking at his work on his portfolio site because he pairs his work with his recordings and the two mesh nicely.

If you would like to see or hear more visit Scott’s portfolio, blog, or music sites.