Consider Your Mind Blown. The Phenomenally Realistic Graphite Drawings of Kelvin Okafor.

above: graphite drawing in progress by Kelvin Okafor

Kelvin Okafor describes himself as a "Passionate penciled artist. Highly interested in detail and precision." I'd say that's an understatement once you see the phenomenally realistic graphite drawings created by this UK Illustrator. As astounding as the finished pieces are (it's truly difficult to discern whether or not they are photographs until you look extremely closely), the evolution of the drawings shown on his blog, and as videos on his YouTube channel, will blow your mind.


above, clockwise from top left: Timeless, Undeviating and Mana drawings by Kelvin Okafor

I'm sharing my five favorite finished works of his along with some images of his work in progress for you to see what I'm talking about. He almost always begins with the eyes and finishes with the clothing. His ability to render hair is beyond compare. My mind is blown and after viewing these yours will be, too.

Mana
His second drawing of model Mana.
Medium: Graphite pencils/Charcoal/black coloured pencil/on sketching paper.
Pencil brand - Faber-Castell
Paper type - Acid Free Cartridge paper 17 x 24 inches


In progress:


Final drawing of Mana on board:


"Undeviating" (Emmanuel)
A drawing of model Emmanuel, entitled "Undeviating"
Medium: Graphite pencils/black charcoal/black coloured pencil/on sketching paper.
Pencil brand - Faber-Castell
Paper type - Acid Free Cartridge paper 18 x 22 inches


In progress:


Final drawing of Undeviating (Emmanuel) on board:


Aisha II
His second drawing of Aisha.
Medium: Graphite pencils/black charcoal/black coloured pencil/on sketching paper.
Pencil brand - Faber-Castell
Paper type - Acid Free Cartridge paper 17 x 24 inches


In progress:



Final drawing of Aisha II on board:


"Timeless" (Jamal)
A drawing of model Jamal, entitled "Timeless."
Medium: Graphite pencils/black charcoal/black coloured pencil/on sketching paper.
Pencil brand - Faber-Castell
Paper type - Acid Free Cartridge paper 17 x 24 inches

In progress:



Final drawing of Timeless (Jamal) on board:


Adam II
His second drawing of Adam.
Medium: Graphite pencils/black charcoal/black coloured pencil/on sketching paper.
Pencil brand - Faber-Castell
Paper type - Acid Free Cartridge paper 15 x 24 inches


In progress:



Final drawing of Adam II on board:


Kelvin is a graduate from Middlesex University with a B.A. (Hon)s in Fine Art. On his flickr profile he claims that "He aspires to create art as vivid as eyes could see."

I think he's done it.

See all of his work over here on his flickr account. 

A big thanks to Vicki Mayer for bringing Kelvin's work to my attention.

Precious Vodka Has A Real Gem In Every Diamond Shaped Bottle.

above: the bottle of Precious Vodka shown has a genuine ruby gemstone you can see at the very top of the bottle

Jewel Lines® has produced a unique combination of Ultra-Premium Vodka with the most valuable natural precious stones in the world. The award-winning vodka (recipient of the Silver Medal San Francisco Awards in 2011) is bottled in a luxury diamond shaped container complete with a single real gemstone.




Precious Vodka is produced from distiller grown and harvested winter wheat and nourished with post glacial subterranean spring water. The wheat used in Precious Vodka is carefully selected with only the top 10% of the annual harvest making it to the distillation process. From there their master distiller distills 6 times then dilutes with locally sourced natural spring water. The water is high in mineral content and adds a very strong, yet natural citric aromatic nose and flavour that is Precious Vodka.



Precious Vodka is bottled in a unique diamond shaped bottle. Every bottle of Precious Vodka contains a beautiful natural gemstone from their collection of fully certifiable precious stones which include sapphire, emerald, ruby, topaz, and peridot. Their gemstones are specially crafted so that their customers receive only the finest genuine jewel stones. The gemstones add a unique quality to the overall experience that is only available when you purchase a bottle of Precious Vodka.

The bottle below contains a sapphire you can see just below the tip. The bottle also has a sticker that identifies the jewel within:





Precious Vodka is unique. Extreme detail was used when creating the diamond shaped bottle and its beauty alone makes it stand out and turn heads. Great pride and care is taken to achieve the highest level of luxury in every bottle of Precious Vodka, produced in distilleries utilizing the most innovative German technology.

Jewel Lines

Precious Vodka is available globally and shipped from Europe. For information or orders please contact email: info@jewellines.com
EU: +359 601 69 663

Voltage - Shockingly Cool Couture By Iris van Herpen With Electrifying Kicks for United Nude.

The edgy fashion designer from the Netherlands does it again with her latest shoe design for United Nude, part of her latest Haute Couture Collection named Voltage, all of which is shown after the shoes.

The Voltage Shoes by Iris van Herpen for United Nude:
Continuing the collaboration for the seventh season, United Nude and Iris Van Herpen joined forces to create another shoe for her Haute Couture show in Paris. These handcrafted leather ankle booties were made for Van Herpen’s Voltage collection and their availability will be very limited.



United Nude

Iris van Herpen SS 2013 Haute Couture Voltage Collection:


For her fourth collection presented in Paris as a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, Iris van Herpen explores the idea of electricity and the light it creates. Experimenting with its use in the field of creation, this collection seeks to render its tangible movement and power.




This light and electricity’s ability to change states and bodies is being reproduced using the most innovative technologies. Described as an alchemist fashion approach, Van Herpen’s designs perpetually initiate new collaborations with artists, architects and researchers.




As part of the show there was a performance arranged by New Zealand artist Carlos Van Camp, echoing his notion of controlling high voltage electricity and its interaction with the human body. Van Camp became known for founding “The Lords of Lightning,” an innovative show that depicts two fighters exchanging real lightning with three million volts running through their bodies.



Van Herpen shares Canadian architect Philip Beesley’s fascination with materials and structures. They focus specifically on how the reaction of chemistry and electricity causes structures to respond to their environment and react as living beings.

Iris van Herpen is also know for being todays leading fashion designer in the use of 3D printing. Drawing on the idea of movement, this technical revolution is the result of collaborations with Neri Oxman Keren Oxman of the MIT Media Lab, architect Julia Koerner, and Materialise.

United Nude
Iris van Herpen

Nature Inspired Modern Radiators and Towel Warmers by Marco Pisati for K8 Radiatori

Bring a little outdoors indoors with these nature inspired towel warmers and radiators by Marco Pisati for K8 Radiatori of Italy. K8 has introduced a new line of thermal furnishing designs to offer its customers modern and alluring solutions for the bathroom with refined and updated shapes. These products aim at enhancing any ambience and architecture, with new contemporary styles in elegant gold and silver finishes or colorful powder coated options. Crafted of steel to last a long time, but equipped with an extruded aluminium core easing the thermal exchange and making heating quicker.



Nature is a set of towel warmers radiators inspired by the garden. The twisted branches, buds and flowers that characterize the design are the natural elements on which to hang towel and bathrobes.

Nature Camelia


Nature Ribes


Nature Salice


Bamboo


Directly inspired by the slender growth of a forest of bamboo, this radiator is both minimalistic and elegant. By using a unique production process, no two radiators will ever be created with exactly the same design; as would be found in nature. It harmoniously brings the world of nature, in a modern and classic form, in to the home.

Bamboo Evolution

Like it’s sister product the Bamboo, the Bamboo Evolution is also inspired by a tropical forest of slender bamboo shoots. The new radiator, with its front and rear curves and floor to ceiling mounting system, becomes a elegant and modern room divider.

Mosaico

A new radiator with a design reminiscent of the minimalist decor of the old Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals. Like an ancient door, carved and embossed, "Mosaic" brings classic architecture into the modern home.

Trama

Trama, is a minimal designed radiator, featuring a coloured and dynamic design, changing the white top surface. Its peculiarity depends on the depth effect depending on the two parallel tops. The external top, bright white, is drilled as a simple and dynamic embroidered fabric. The underneath top features frosted and modern patterns. Trama is a radiator to be used in contemporary ambiences, standing out as a unique unit, perfectly mixed with the coloured and modern new designed accessories. Available in different colours and finishes. The essential design, the contrast between two surfaces and two colours, the detail of the vent cover, TRAMA enhances the modern ambiences and becomes the real scene protagonist.

Spekkio

With its elegant curved frame which embellishes and conceals a modern integrated lighting system, "Spekkio" is a heater that performs multiple functions in a single design: radiator, mirror and lighting system. For this reason, its inclusion is ideal in the bathroom, the bedroom, but also the entrance hall where both form and function combine to add to any interior.

About the Designer Marco Pisati:
Marco Pisati is fascinated by new materials and technologies, experiments with new design ideas reaching into the most extreme and diverse fields: from the aerospace, designing the interiors of zero G inhabitable space modules for the Italian Space Agency (ASI), down to the "nomadic" Earth landscape, designing the first example of an interactive nomadic office space (Motorhome ACI 2002) Invited to expose his works at the Leopolda exhibit space in Florence (Deep Inside / Image 2003) he showcased with Grado Zero Espace Company, a leading brand in the field of aerospace textile, the prototype of an astronaut jacket in Diaplex, a shape memory fabric. He collaborates with different companies as: ASI, Alenia Spazio, Iacsa, Grado Zero Espace, Iguzzini Illuminazione, ACI, Emilio Pucci, Bandini Rubinetterie, Il Bagno Bandini, K8 Radiatori, Glass Design, Ceramica & Complementi.


all images and info courtesy of K8 Radiatori

The DWR Champagne Cork Chair Contest Winners, Finalists and Honorable Mentions.

Congratulations to the winners of DWR's 2013 DWR Champagne Chair Contest. Reportedly choosing the top three was one of the toughest decisions the judges ever had to make in this contest. The judges DWR President and CEO John Edelman; COO John McPhee; VP of Merchandising Kari Woldum; and VP of Marketing and Creative Michael Sainato -- send their sincere appreciation to all of the entrants this year.

Instead of simply sending you toview the winners on their their blog (which is bizarrely narrow and small and makes it hard to see the images), I've enlarged them and included the finalists and honorable mentions for you.

First Place Winner:

$1,000 DWR Gift Card goes to Miwa F. for her "Rockin' Chaise." This design is truly masterful with a functional drink holder that moves. Our judges loved the innovation of this design using mid-century aestethics and were impressed with how the materials come together into one seamless piece.

Second Place Winner:

A $500 DWR Gift Card goes to Jeffery Molter who designed a modern folding chair as well as a case to store it in. Our judges were so impressed with this design and we cannot remember ever receiving anything like this before. Form meets funciton with this whimsical yet useful piece.

Third Place Winner:

A $250 DWR Gift Card goes to Aaron Padilla. Named "F8 Chaise," this is beautifully constructed, unique design. The underside of the seat is fully sculpted of cork and the the upholstery overlaying it is a foil basketweave. Thank you Aaron for this clean and well thought out design. We also loved the packaging it came in!

Finalists:
Wing Back, Designed by Kathryn Bachen:

Mantis Lounge, Designed by Billy Wages:

Rowan Rowan, Designed by Purin Phanichpant:

Champagne Chair, Designed by Willie and Tess:

The "O" Chair, Designed by Alfonso:

Champagne Chair, Designed by Alison Brummer:

Chateau Chair, Designed by Sawa Sakane:


The 7 Honorable Mentions
Mackwire, Designed by Devin Mack:

Circle Gets the Square, Designed by Catherine Choi:

Poltrona W., Designed by Mauricio Avilés del Río:

Champagne Twist, Designed by Dan Nawrocki:

Watch Your Step, Designed by Tony Abraham:

Royal Scrapenbaum, Designed by Dario Polaco:

Grape Divine, Designed by Tony Enn:


DWR would like to congratulate the winners and all of the contestants on their beautiful, innovative and functional designs this year. You can browse all 319 submissions here.