I would love to see this Predators series from Maxim Shkret recreated with actual paper. Anyone up for the challenge?

Loving the illustrations from Maximum Black - very tattoo style and emblematic. There are plenty of incredible artists doing this sort of thing but I particularly enjoy it when it hits just the right balance of hardcore and humor. Follow on Instagram or Tumblr.

HT Darian.

Happy to announce that the film Stripped is now available on VHX. It's a phenomenal documentary that looks at the history and artistry of comics and comic strips. Watching interviews with Jim Davis, Matt Inman and Scott McCloud (to name a few) makes for a fascinating tale. I'm particularly smitten with one portion of the film that tells of the switch into self-publishing and self-empowerment. It is, obviously, a subject close to my heart and it's great to see it being so eloquently expressed from such fine artists.

Oh, and the film features the first audio interview with Bill Watterson in a very long time, as well as some phenomenal poster art to go along with it.

Font Men is a great short documentary on Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, the premiere typography designers. It is rather refreshing to hear them speak on the creation of typefaces and the obsessive nature of type design in general. Check the great type animation starting around 2:55.

I love this series of portraits from Russian photographer Katerina Plotnikova. The images are done with real live animals - which makes them even more surreal. I think I pretty much feel like this every day. Lovely images without a doubt.

The other day someone sent this link around the office of an animatronic figure "dancing" in a mirror - complete with facial recognition to look right at you and a terrifying face mask. It is, without a doubt, nightmare fodder. The artist responsible, Jordan Wolfson has a rather varied and interesting portfolio but this particular show is really something different. Basically, I couldn't live with this image by my lonesome so I had to share the bad dream fuel with you.

Given today's date, it seems mildly appropriate to start a new feature - GIF Archiving. This has absolutely no purpose other than to put these out into the world and keep them safe from local hard drive deletion.

I'm not sure if the data this is based on can actually be trusted but this infographic of Creative Routines looks good. The fullsize version has a lot more examples and, if the data is trustworthy, Mozart wins the prize for the least amount of sleep.

I've been a fan of Monster Rally for some time now but it never dawned on me to further investigate the man behind the music - Ted Feighan. Just from a quick glance at his page you can tell he's an incredibly accomplished designer and artist. Diving into his store will unveil a number of phenomenal prints that should absolutely adorn your walls - all of them.

HT Will Bryant.

Today I am happy to announce the newest official track from Tipper Whore. The "glitter punk sextet" has a new album waiting in the wings - Just the Tip and "Tipper Whore Party Program" serves as the first taste of what the album offers. As I've said in the past, what I love about this band is that their main underlying function as a band is to have a good time. Listen to the track and you'll understand exactly how they go for that and achieve it with great success.

I'm a sucker for a free-wheeling, fun-loving band that happens to have a song with their own band name as the refrain. Very much so looking forward to sharing this whole album with you but, for now, this is just the tip.

Hear it on Soundcloud or Bandcamp.

composed using only Michael Jackson's vocal arrangements.

Adam gave me the heads up on this phenomenal Vanity Fair article, The Class That Roared - an exhaustive look at the beginnings of the California Institute of Arts and how it spawned a renaissance of animation from the likes of Brad Bird, Tim Burton, John Musker, Jerry Rees and John Lasseter to name just a few. It's remarkable to think that not only did all of these folks go to the same school but were in the same classes together. It's a long read but well worth the discovery that pretty much every solid animated film from your childhood to today was from the same ragtag group of talented friends.

I dunno when his efforts will bear fruit but the various sneak peeks of the work of Saver Screensson look to be quite promising. I mean, when a skilled German designer and Icelandic developer come together, what else would you expect?

via Jed.

I'm diving into it this week but when Mr. Schwartzblog himself recommends a music show to you, take heed. Chances with Wolves has been running for approximately 286 iterations (as of this posting) and the tracklistings look to run a rather incredible bit of diversity. Can't wait to hear.

Every week I feel like work gets more and more intense - which means less browse time for videos. This is far from a complaint - just a warning that Friday videos may become a solid four each week instead of six minimum. Better to fade away gently, right? All jokes aside, I think you'll enjoy this playlist.

• Generic Brand Video - another video based on a solid McSweeney's post. If this is an emerging trend, I'm into it.
• Bane Cat - it's not hysterical but it's pretty funny. I mean, Cat As Bad Guy is a time tested formula, right?
• St. Paul and the Broken Bones - Don't Mean a Thing - it's not so much the performance that surprised me as it was the lead guys voice.. did not see that coming.
• Time League's Cheap Thrills guarantee - if you see Cheap Thrills and don't love it, Drafthouse owner Tim League will let you slap him in the face (and give you a refund).
• Buck Wild! - this little Wonder Showzen clip comes up in my mind pretty regularly.. it's a good one to revisit at least once a week. A Chomp and a Hoagie!
• Original Acid Warp - after my little trip down After Dark memory lane I couldn't help but revisit this classic.

Have a great weekend!

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing a screening of Mistaken for Strangers this week - a documentary about The National and, specifically, the bond between frontman Matt Berninger and his brother Tom. From watching the trailer you get the sense of comedy and heart that the movie conveys but the film itself is much funnier and much more touching than you'd first assume. It's out today on all the platforms - including direct from the band. If you're looking for some solid weekend entertainment, this is it.

At it's core, the story of Pia Karrenkopf is a tragic one. In 2009, she died in the back of her Jeep that was parked inside the garage of her home... she was undiscovered until 2014. Her neighbors never noticed because she was traveling regularly anyway and her bills were all paid automatically online. It was only until her funds ran dry and her mortgage payments came up empty. This New Yorker story is an interesting little thought piece on how our lives are changing with the advent of having digital lives as well as physical ones. It's a good one for discussing late night with friends - give it a good pondering.

I was clued in to a new app recently called ToDo Movies - which aims to help you keep track of movies you want to see or have seen. From what I can tell, the intent of the app isn't the main draw - it's the slick design and compelling animations and transitions during interaction. Having toyed around with it, I found myself just enjoying the experience of using it - a helluva compliment for any app. It's a free download, so I certainly recommend nabbing it.

As a youth, I did not have a Mac. However, I do recall going over to more fortunate friend's homes and seeing the collection of After Dark screensavers they had available to them. Now, in 2014, such wonders have been recreated entirely in CSS. Yes, that's right, you too can have Flying Toasters grace your screen whenever you see fit. Today is a good day.

Prior to the release of Quiet Machine, Jasmin Kaset released this preview video - showcasing friends and family listening to the album. I thought it was a pleasant way to preview the record and visually entertaining in that voyeuristic kind of way. Apparently Jasmin's friends and family over in Australia felt similarly because they put together and posted a Quiet Machine Australian Listening Party.

I understand that not everyone wants to watch someone listen to a record but it's a great background visual and hearing Quiet Machine one more time is certainly not a bad thing.