Patternbank stumbled across Bike Geeks Flickr page that contains more than 400 pictures of awesome retro antique bicycle head badges. Such a wealth of Graphic inspiration from around the world with the tactile texture of steel, the smooth feel of enamel and the myriad of logos, typefaces and vintage graphics. Check his Flickr page out here.
Street art takes many forms, Patternbank stumbled across these unique and dynamic murals and thought we’d share. These hand cut, hand painted creations are the work of Rome based Italian street art duo Sten & Lex. Using a technique they call ‘Hole school’ Sten Lex create huge murals that consist of cut out stencils and blown up photocopied imagery. The duo are best known in the history of stencil making for introducing the halftone stencil technique where the main part of their stencil portraits are composed by thousands of lines. Graphic subject matter is a mix of historical and religious figures as well as Lex herself. They are currently showing at Magda Danysz Gallery in Shanghai until the April 30th so definitely worth a look if you are visiting.
With the Spring/Summer season just around the corner, keeping track of new and emerging graphic tee shirt trends is key. Patternbank spotted these graphic delights by street-wear brand Carhartt. They have just released a batch of 70 strong tee shirt styles with a real mix of inspiring graphic. The S/S13 collection sees a strong visual play on twisted retro sports graphics, outdoor hunting themes and comic book inspired prints. Guest artists called upon these season included: David Lanaspa, Doubleday & Cartwright, Rise Above, Typeholics, Playarea, Will Kemp, and Sergey Shapiro. Check out the full range at Carharrt website.
Patternbank are loving Jason Thielke’s stylised linear interpretations of the human form. Jason Thielke’s beautiful imagery navigates the astoundingly complex dynamics of human nature, mixing a hard linear style with soft and fluid emotion. Thielke combines many different techniques which include acrylic paintings, block printing, pencil drawings and his signature laser-etching techniques, which have real visual impact. Jason Thielke earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Illinois University School of Art. His work has been featured internationally in galleries and art fairs, with solo exhibitions in Denver, Portland and Seattle.
‘New Levels’ is an experimental collection of work by John Chae. Here Chae mixes surreal Pop art techniques with anime visuals to create a real modern twist on Escher style. The Patternbank team love the fresh new aesthetic and fractured effects created in these mesmerizing artworks. Chae was born in Boulder, Colorado but grew up in Seoul, Korea. He studied painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art and after graduating moved to Brooklyn.
As you probably know the Patternbank team love vintage graphics and find these sorts of sites incredibly inspirational. The Bottle Cap Man is a great visual catolog of old and new beer and soda bottle caps from the U.S. We love the diversity of the graphics on show within the site, from cool layout ideas to interesting colour combinations, this site is a treasure trove for inspiration and ideas. Check out more of this inspiring resource and get lost in the world of bottle caps.
Rob Sheridan is an American graphic designer, director, and photographer best known for his extensive work with the band Nine Inch Nails. Sheridan attended art school at New York’s Pratt Institute for one year before being hired at age 19 by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor in 1999, on the merits of a Nine Inch Nails fansite he created during high school. See more at rob-sheridan.com
Patternbank have a major crush on Contino’s work and not surprisingly, he has garnered considerable attention for his unique approach to design utilising hand-drawn lettering and typographic illustration in conjunction with a modern, yet minimalistic sensibility. He has received numerous accolades for his fusion of old and new world aesthetics and continues to influence modern trends in graphic design and apparel design. Jon resides in Brooklyn with his wife Erin where he works not only as a freelance illustrator, but also as Co-Founder and Creative Director of menswear brand CXXVI Clothing Company (see our post on their Spring 2012 T Shirt Collection). The Great Discontent have just done a great post on him which you can read here or check out his website for more inspiring work.
