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If you wanted to ask Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinska, who make up the Polish web design Hipopotam Studio, why they created Bubloe, the answer is not far from their homepage: “Because =)”.
Because why not create your own typeface? Why not load it with your own beat box sounds? And why not let users design their own monsters in endless amounts of ways, from mutant animal heads to showgirl legs, and make them fight? Bubloe never hides the fact that its existence is fun, and its fun is contagious.
Though as far as traditional game play goes, Bubloe may seem at first a dud. Think 1980s Street Fighter arcade games but with less functionality: you can punch and you can block, and other than that, it’s all timing.
| Recommended by Rhys Dipshan | Tuesday, September 8th, 2015 | No Comments » |
I’m a sucker for digital art, especially the animated kind. Maybe it’s because my art taste still hovers around my childlike love of “shiny” things–things that dazzle the eye instead of the head. And sure, I can see how that might spur criticism from those who question how long our interest in innocuous tech (gifs, etc.) can hold up past the novelty stage in a medium that’s already constantly evolving. But one look at artist Sam Ballardini‘s work proves we don’t have to worry about that just yet.
Ballardini’s work is quintessential for Tumblr and exists in their trademark realm of fan art and high art. Her world celebrates the lightness of popular culture, whether it’s an homage to Terminator or FKA Twigs, while casting everything in a shadowy grey. It’s a world encompassed by ghostly heroines with daggers, black cats, and uncertainty. Her animated sketchbook style brings her work to life, making them feel tangible and real, as if they were living and breathing pieces that could be accessed through a dimensional Tumblr warp hole. It’s the type of work that, once seen, must be shared. Sure digital illustrators are a dime a dozen, but this new generation of artists is proving that “shiny” art can be just as innovative.
| Recommended by Tiffany White | Tuesday, July 28th, 2015 | 1 Comment » |
Even though I switched to Macs years ago, I still have a close, nostalgic connection with MS Paint. Back in the ’90s, before people learned how to pirate Photoshop, it was the go-to program for everything. You could edit photos with “cool” effects, whether it was the spray brush tool or the color filler tool, then save the photo and set it as the background of your desktop. It all felt pretty cutting edge at the time. But as our taste for photo manipulation tools grew more sophisticated, MS Paint became synonymous with the internet “low brow” aesthetic. No one actually expected anything created in MS Paint to look good, but that still didn’t stop some artists from choosing it as their unlikely digital tool of choice.
| Recommended by Tiffany White | Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 | No Comments » |
We stumble across lots of cool, interactive projects designed by coders/animators who are looking for new ways to blend art with the digital experience. VOID, a new project produced by Hi-REs, is another interactive experience to join the fray. The project takes you on an immersive experience through space as you fall through a glittery black void, hence the name. The experience is structured much like a book, with a prologue, chapters, and an epilogue. However, the narrative is nonlinear, telling the tale of various black mirrors and ice that can be clicked to reveal cool effects. But if you approach VOID expecting an actual storytelling experience, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, forget trying to figure out the point of VOID and instead focus on simply enjoying the experience, especially the interactivity. Each chapter has a different, cool effect to play with, making it fun for mindless tinkering. Sit back, and fall into it.
| Recommended by The Absolute Staff | Thursday, July 2nd, 2015 | No Comments » |
