finding cain

If you’re a fan of art that makes you do a double-take, you need to check out  Richard Brener . Based in the UK, Richard is an internationally collected artist who works primarily with ink, fineliners, and gouache. When you first see his pieces, they actually look pretty playful. Then you realize the entire canvas is packed with thousands of tiny, ghost-like shapes he calls "champs." They’re all squeezed together like commuters on a rush-hour train, and the level of detail is honestly mind-blowing. Richard spends hundreds of hours drawing these little guys over and over. It’s obsessive, very intentional, and a little bit wild. The cool part is that the longer you stare, the more the vibe shifts. Check out more photos below:

Ever see art that makes you want to step right inside and look around? Meet Shih-Yu Lin, a Taiwan-born illustrator whose work does exactly that. I came home one evening, scrolling my phone, expecting just the usual noise. Then I found his drawings. His pictures burst with color and loose charm. They're lively, dreamy, and you can feel his happiness in every stroke. It’s rare to find art that doesn’t just show joy, but shares it—and I realized that’s what makes his work such a treasure. Shih-Yu was born in Taipei and grew up in Puli, a small mountain town that feels like a painting itself. After discovering his love for picture books, he earned an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art in 2017. He’s been drawing nonstop ever since. Want to escape into a brighter, warmer world for a bit? Check out his Facebook . Don’t be surprised if you end up smiling the whole time.

I recently stumbled upon the work of Margritt Martinet , whose drawings are giving my brain a delightful yet exhausting workout. This French artist, you see, deals in the glorious, mind-bending borderland between the organic and the futuristic. She doesn't just create art; she crafts entire visual universes that are so immersive and dynamic you feel like you should be wearing a spacesuit just to look at them. My mind simply cannot wrap itself around the sheer volume of focused physical labor that goes into these things. The pieces are intricate, layered, and incredibly consistent. But what truly inspires—and simultaneously mocks—me is her patience. This, my friends, is the real superpower. I once attempted a similar large-scale, intricate project. It started so well: my early lines were sharp, and my geometric shapes were perfect. Then, slowly but surely, as the hours stretched and the cramping started in my wrist, the inevitable descent began. The sharp lines became... a little mo...

If you follow contemporary art, you know the name Simon Berger . This distinctive artist should have been on my blog sooner—my apologies for the oversight, but I’m fixing that right now. Simon literally draws with a hammer. He uses concentrated, surgical blows to create stunning portraits in safety glass, where the resulting cracks become the lines and shadows. It’s the ultimate high-wire act: he's one wrong tap away from turning a masterpiece into expensive debris. The Swiss genius might have started his career with wood, but you know artists get restless. Now, his process is pretty neat: He begins with a simple model photo, transfers the outlines onto a large glass panel, and meticulously marks the areas he’ll refine. Then comes the tricky part: he uses his hammer to carefully crack the surface, meticulously transforming the sheet of glass into an incredible portrait. WATCH: Scroll down to see more of Simon's fascinating glass art, and follow him on Facebook to keep up with ...

Using digital tools, Poshichi makes nihonga-style pictures of everyday life. These images can be anywhere from funny to calm, thoughtful, imaginative, or even a bit wild. It's a wonderful harmony: the past rendered perfectly in the present. Nihonga is basically Japanese painting that gets its look from using mineral pigments (and sometimes ink) on surfaces like silk or paper. The term was created back in the Meiji period (1868–1912) just so people could tell it apart from Yōga, which is what they called Western-style painting. Art was everywhere in Poshichi's childhood: the grandfather ran a framing shop, and the grandma was an art teacher. Poshichi loved to draw, and was destined for an art career. But, you know how it goes—life had other plans. Thankfully, a friend encouraged the Japanese artist not to quit drawing, even if just as a hobby. Though Poshichi initially created dark, gloomy pieces due to depression, adopting a cat two years ago changed everything. “I felt the nee...

With a simple pen in hand, Warpsol masterfully creates whimsical robotic characters. His drawings not only inspire me but also brighten up my day. Check out some of my favorites below and explore his world at warpsol.com .

The drawings of Frédéric Forest are pretty much basic. They're deliberately minimal, yet truly enticing. Often, they're figures – sometimes a little melancholic, sometimes peaceful, always with a touch of elegance. He's not trying to impress us with technical skill; he's trying to connect on a different level. We're often drawn to the complex and the intricate, but sometimes, the most memorable art is the one that says the least.

For years I thought I disliked Ian Ferguson's work, especially the early illustrations. But I became enamored by his art when I saw his more recent creations on Instagram . Also known as Hydeon, the Brooklyn-based visual artist is largely inspired by baroque, gothic, medieval and victorian era architectural movements, as well as Americana, street art, ancient myths, fairy tales, surrealism and graphic design. Hydeon's art ranges from small ink and graphite works to large painted installations, created with the use of cheap and found materials, such as ball point pens, pencils, wood panels and acrylic paint. He has worked with clients such as Bergdorf Goodman, Vans, RedBull, and more. In this video, Hydeon presents En Forme de Cône at Bim Bam gallery in Paris; a fusion between urban, medieval and folk art.

Today I was creeping out on Behance and I came across the work of Anthony Ventura . There are so many talented illustrators out there, and it's always refreshing when I find someone who's work pretty much makes my day, for a bunch of reasons. It's easy to get lost in his world, and I could spend hours looking at all of the posters, magazine artworks, and digital drawings that he created. The images of Chris Cornell and Nick Cave are quite ominous, and George Harrison looks somewhat sublime. The portrait of Ginger Wildheart for Planet Rock really amuses me and puts me in the mood to eat cannabis-laced sweets for dessert. If you like what you see (and why wouldn't you?), you can get signed prints from Anthony's Big Cartel store or T-shirts from Threadless .

When did I first see the work of Iemza ? I can't remember. Most likely it was on tumblr, while I was searching for awesome outdoor murals. I've been a long time fan of the French artist, and the striking mainly black and white drawings and paintings he produces on decaying walls always struck a chord with me. Despite the absence of color, his illustrations are shaded just right and the way he lays everything out consistently creates a recipe for perfect balance. Here are some of them:

This is a series of videos demonstrating typewriter art as performed by James Cook . The UK-based artist and architecture student has spent seven years honing his skills on vintage typewriters, creating hundreds of detailed drawings from letters, numbers and symbols. James receives commissions from across the globe, and each artwork can take anywhere between a week and a month to complete. Impressive, right? I haven't used a typewriter in over two decades, so I think I'm going to break something if I try to operate it.

Nethmie Hetti is the artist behind this somewhat mind-bending toilet paper art. For almost a year, she drew European cityscapes and landscapes onto an entire roll of toilet paper to create a continuous 37 feet long panorama. Ok, just watch it. I'm bad at describing things.

Love her or hate her, whether her pieces make you laugh out loud or cringe in disgust, you have to admit that Louise Bonnet 's work is certainly distinct. Sphinxes is on view through July 31 at Gagosian Basel.

So many lines. That's I can think of when I look at Marina Mika's art . Her ink illustrations are usually black and white, with minimalistic yet highly detailed imagery inspired by the secession movement as well as the Art Deco style, New Romantic era and Japanese graphics. Marina's drawings prove you don't need color to breathe life into art. She's beautiful, too, did I mention that?

Édouard Chimot garnered considerable praise and caused some controversy when he exhibited his work in the 1920s. His erotically charged pieces revolved explicitly around hookers and junkies, who usually worked and lived near his studio in Paris. Throughout history, artists have used prostitutes as key subjects for their artwork, and Chimot was no different. He often paid these ladies of the night to sit for him—as hookers were often cheaper to hire than models. Many of his drawings, etchings and paintings have a dark, slightly sinister feel to them. I can imagine the scandal they caused back in the early 1900s.   Thanks, Bridgette.