Apple Picking Machine Ideas

Well I have started many a sketch for my apple picking machine. I was having a bit of trouble with one because I had a particular look in mind.....I knew I kinda wanted it to look something like the breakfast making contraption from Pee Wees Big Adventure. Kind of homemade, reconstituted items all working together to accomplish one simple task (like making breakfast...or....picking apples). I stumbled upon 2 illustrators that basically illustrate mainly only these contraptions. They have spent days and days (maybe) thinking through the processes of what their design needed to accomplish and built something that not only solves the original "problem" but do it with the utmost creativity.

Heath Richardson's Potato Peeling Machine:



















Rube Goldberg's Automatic Back Stratcher:

Escape to Dali

I've found a place I need to visit before I die. The pictures alone are awe inspiring. Las Posas de Edward James is a huge concrete surrealistic palace on the mountainside of Xilitla, Mexico. It was created by Edward James, an English eccentric, and lover of Dali and others of the surrealist movement. Even Dali was known to comment on Edward and his behaviour. This structure has been in decay since 1984, when Edward James passed away. Which I think is a shame.....well at least we have pictures.

Yarrrrrr!!!!

Well seriously still have pirates??? Seriously?? Apparently they are alive and well. I never knew. I think I want to be a pirate but since this socially kinda a "bad job", maybe I'll hold off....for now. So with that in mind.....read this story about pirates........I'm sure their are very easy ways to get rid of pirates for good. We're not dealing with muskets and cannons anymore c'mon.

The Age of Duck and Cover

So much of 50's design inspires me. It's graphic illustrations and saturated hues. So many different artists during that time with so much talent. Graphic designers in that time were artists. They were illustrators who hand drewn their ads....and typographers that rendered only type in hand.

Here's one piece of 50's design I stumbled upon that's simple, graphic and impactful.
I'll add more at a later date.

Mary, Mary why you buggin?

Oh, this is just so very pretty.....and all in just spray paint.

Here are a few of my favorite things......

Here are a few of my favorite things......

To narrow down my 2 favorite websites was hard. I enjoy several websites on a more than regular basis but I narrowed down my choices based on 2 specific parameters. The websites had to be ones that I visit either twice a week or more and also be a constant source of inspiration and ideas.
Boing Boing is great for not only creative inspiration but also just other cool stuff you can (and probably should) learn. I find it more interesting to spend 2 hours here than watching TV. Feels like you've actually accomplished something.

Veer is a stock image site. Rather pricey but they have an extraordinary amount of extremely creative illustration and photography. A lot of work that I haven't seen on any other sites. If I've ever been stuck on one idea, this site gets all sorts of ideas flowing through my head. It's hard to write them down fast enough after going here.

Amautalab is a super fun site from a design company in South America. Not only is this site well designed but it FULL of landscapes to explore and play. It took me a few a times playing there to find them all. After you're done playing there, you can spend a lot of time exploring their portoflio which is pretty impressive.