The hottest Art & Illustration Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Art & Illustration Topics

#48 Putting a bang in Christmas 💥

Design Lobster • 119 implied HN points • 28 Dec 20
🎨 Art & Illustration Design
  1. Combining ideas from different disciplines can lead to innovative design, like the evolution of the Christmas cracker incorporating elements of confectionery and pyrotechnics.
  2. Adding elements of shock or surprise can enhance the emotional impact of a design, similar to the intentional surprises in Christmas crackers.
  3. Finding connections between unrelated ideas is a valuable design skill, as seen in the Milton Glaser Christmas card that creatively combines typography elements to form a Christmas tree.

10 extremely expensive items on Etsy

escape the algorithm • 39 implied HN points • 03 Aug 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Sculpture Crafts Painting Design
  1. The prices for some items on Etsy can go extremely high, ranging from unique collections to mysterious boxes
  2. The listings on Etsy include a variety of unusual and unconventional items, such as mentorship programs from witches and immersive escape room experiences
  3. There are sellers on Etsy offering unique and controversial items, like lifetime mentorship under a witch and an inflatable erotic bouncy castle

Variable Fonts, Neural Graphic Primitives and Flash-backs

Generative Arts Collective • 65 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative Arts Creative Coding Typography
  1. Flash technology heavily influenced the development of modern tools used in creative coding and generative arts.
  2. The transition from Flash to other technologies like ActionScript, Processing, and P5 played a significant role in shaping the current landscape of digital art.
  3. Exploring variable fonts and neural graphic primitives can lead to innovative and intriguing creations in the digital art world.
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The Pleasure of Pattern

Software Design: Tidy First? • 45 HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Patterns Music Programming Psychology
  1. Finding patterns in tasks like programming, music, and poker can be intensely satisfying and enjoyable.
  2. Music is full of patterns that can be discovered and enjoyed, especially through improvisation and communication.
  3. Seeing patterns in different activities like programming, music, and poker can lead to moments of satisfaction, indicating a brain wired to crave order and appreciate pattern recognition.

Designing in a Post-Taste world

Design Lobster • 2 HN points • 27 May 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Design
  1. In the post-taste world of design, there is a shift towards embracing ugliness and authenticity over traditional aesthetics.
  2. The concept of 'ugly design' challenges the boundaries of good taste and encourages a more real and genuine connection with audiences.
  3. It's important for designers to balance experimentation with ugliness while ensuring usability is not sacrificed in pursuit of aesthetics.

VFYW: They Can't Stop Drawing Dicks

The Weekly Dish • 42 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art Drawing Photography Travel
  1. The View From Your Window contest inspires a strong sense of community among the participants, with each offering unique perspectives and insights.
  2. Participants in the contest showcase their diverse geographic knowledge and deduction skills to identify locations based on subtle clues.
  3. The contest features engaging narratives of sleuths deciphering clues, enjoying wild goose chases, and making educated guesses about the window's location.

Artt in the Age of Artifficial Intelligence

Donkeyspace • 18 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Contemporary Art AI Art Art Theory Art Criticism Visual Culture
  1. Art is not just pretty pictures; it's a project deeply connected to its context and history. Each piece of art tells a story influenced by the time and place it was created.
  2. Many people struggle with modern and contemporary art because they don't want to engage with the complicated ideas behind it. They just want nice visuals to enjoy without any deep thinking.
  3. The relationship between art and public taste can be messy. People may like things not because they are genuinely good, but because they want to fit in or impress others.

Everything Dall-e share all at once

escape the algorithm • 39 implied HN points • 21 Jun 22
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Visual Culture
  1. Text-based image generators are becoming advanced, creating unique visual outputs from simple descriptions.
  2. Creating AI-generated images can be a mesmerizing and addictive experience, channeling thoughts into visual form effortlessly.
  3. In a world where image creation is easy and abundant, the value of art and the essence of self-expression can be questioned.

The Swooning Gardens of C. Monet

Euro Desk Paris • 19 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration
  1. Impressionism challenges traditional art norms and captures the beauty of changing surroundings
  2. Monet's Giverny garden in Normandy is a popular and captivating site, showcasing his fascination with light and flowers
  3. Monet's relocation to Giverny was inspired by a sudden stop during a train ride, leading him to discover the enchanting landscape

Artist/Administrator Par Excellence in His Head

The False Consensus Effect • 19 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Paintings Exhibition Gallery Fundraising
  1. Artist/Administrator Ron Throop is dedicating a year to volunteer work at the local art association, balancing art and administrative duties to enhance community engagement.
  2. Throop is using an artist/administrator residency to raise funds for gallery upgrades through a solo exhibition of 50 recent paintings.
  3. The artist's paintings during the residency focus on various subjects like eyes, personal encounters, and imaginary creatures, showcasing his creative exploration.

I just met Bob Dylan 🎨

Mindful Musings • 83 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual Arts Artistic expression Community Engagement
  1. The author shares a story of encountering an artist named Blob Dylan in Brooklyn, which seemed to resonate deeply with them.
  2. Despite the mystery and intrigue surrounding Blob Dylan, the author ultimately learns that heroes may not always meet expectations when met in person.
  3. The encounter with Blob Dylan inspires the author to realize the power of having a dream and making a mark on the world, encouraging readers to embrace their own potential for change.

Happy Paintings and Propaganda

The False Consensus Effect • 39 implied HN points • 06 Feb 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Paintings Propaganda Artists Politics Nuclear Weapons
  1. The text discusses the power of propaganda and how it influences opinions and perceptions, emphasizing the impact of repeated messaging.
  2. There is a strong critique of nuclear weapons, highlighting their destructive potential and the author's belief in the urgency of addressing this global threat.
  3. The author expresses skepticism and criticism towards political leaders, particularly focusing on their role in conflict and perpetuation of harmful ideologies.

Translating oneself

The Leftovers • 59 implied HN points • 28 Aug 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Translation Creative Writing
  1. The author realized they could translate their own work, even though they did it for a living, showing that writing in multiple languages changes the writer's voice.
  2. When writing in a language that is not native, writers tend to prioritize clarity over decorative language.
  3. Writing in a second language can make one feel like they are always being cautious, resulting in a simpler and clearer writing style.

Coming soon

The J. Burden Show • 39 implied HN points • 13 Apr 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Newsletter
  1. The J. Burden Show is a newsletter that talks about 'Riding the tiger with both eyes open.'
  2. The newsletter is coming soon, as indicated by the heading 'Coming soon' on the website.
  3. To learn more and subscribe to the newsletter by J. Burden, visit jburden.substack.com.

An image of happiness

The Leftovers • 19 implied HN points • 02 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Critique Creativity Expression
  1. The film Sans Soleil reflects on an 'image of happiness' with a powerful scene of three blond children in Iceland from 1965.
  2. The narrator discusses the fleeting happiness, contrasting it with the subsequent destruction of the children's village in 1973 due to a volcanic eruption.
  3. The author connects personal reflections on happiness to the themes in the film, expressing the desire to evoke his own 'image of happiness.'

Where Does the World Happen?

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 27 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Creativity Psychology Consciousness Ecosystems
  1. Redefining relationships to the rest of existence is crucial for survival and progress. Adapting our understanding and connection to the world is essential for moving forward.
  2. Worlding involves exploring the emergent place-making between subjects and the quality of relationships within that space. It's about the relationships built through interactions, perspectives, and scales.
  3. Questioning the extractive nature of capitalism and technology is vital. Recognizing the interactivity with the world and challenging extractive consciousness through new perspectives are key to fostering more respectful and sustainable relationships.

The Misadventures of Mona

Euro Desk Paris • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Art history
  1. Follow the intriguing travels and history of the Mona Lisa, from 1500s to modern times.
  2. Many have tried unraveling the mystery behind Mona Lisa's smile, but its allure remains unshattered.
  3. Notable historical figures like Napoleon were captivated by the Mona Lisa, with some trying to claim it as their own.

Exact and Inexact

Journal of Gurdjieff Studies • 19 implied HN points • 04 Dec 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual Arts Historical Art
  1. The post discusses the concepts of 'Exact and Inexact,' potentially exploring precision and accuracy in various contexts.
  2. The content seems to be available to paid subscribers only, indicating exclusive access to the information shared.
  3. The post includes an image and references for further reading, enhancing the content and providing a richer experience for readers.

The economic birth of style

On Looking • 39 implied HN points • 09 Apr 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Style Market Economy Copyright Authorship
  1. Discourses of style and copyright emerged around the same time, intertwining romantic ideas of creativity with economic and legal rights for authors.
  2. Style interacts with the market through constraints like deadlines and budgets, impacting the types of illustrations that are in demand.
  3. Understanding the economic aspects of style can empower artists in a commercial world, providing agency and prompting critical reflection on their practice.

Flower Power

CTOrly • 19 implied HN points • 22 Sep 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Painting Creativity Design
  1. The act of recreating something isn't just imitation; it can be a way to continue the essence of the original.
  2. Documenting decisions and actions may not fully replicate the original intention, but it keeps the essence alive.
  3. Utilize tools and methods that support your work effectively, like Linear for workflow management, to avoid unnecessary challenges.

Throwing Soup on a Painting Wasn't As Nonsensical as People Claim

The 21st Century Proletarian • 19 implied HN points • 02 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Climate Crisis Cultural critique Symbolism
  1. Throwing soup on a painting was a symbolic act meant to attract attention to climate activism.
  2. The action was more about performance art and disturbing the status quo than about causing real damage.
  3. The use of soup as a symbol conveyed a message of impending loss and the need for radical change to save what we have.

VFYW: Quite The Impression

The Weekly Dish • 37 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Painting Photography
  1. Readers of the View From Your Window contest use intuition, deduction, and history lessons to pinpoint locations and share in the joy of guessing correctly.
  2. By analyzing details in photos and researching clues, participants in the contest are able to locate specific spots from around the world, showcasing impressive sleuthing skills.
  3. The diverse perspectives and creative approaches of the contest entrants, along with their shared enthusiasm for solving challenges, contribute to a vibrant and engaging community.

Seeing Like a Dataset: Notes on AI Photography

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 06 Nov 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Photography AI Art Visual art
  1. Photography rules shape how we see; AI photography requires composing multiple images to train models.
  2. AI photography focuses on continuity and variation in datasets over single images, contrasting with human instincts.
  3. AI photographers aim to create predictable outputs through training models with large datasets, reshaping how we perceive the world.

Generative AI and the death of the artist

Kyle Chayka Industries • 71 implied HN points • 26 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Generative AI Artists Creativity Technology Culture
  1. Generative AI tools are being used to replicate artists' styles, impacting the livelihood of traditional artists.
  2. The role of the artist is changing as AI allows anyone to easily create art, potentially diminishing the value of artistic skill.
  3. AI is making it possible for people to generate art or music in the style of established artists, leading to a redefinition of what it means to be an artist.