If you think that calligraphy is only hieroglyphs, then you are mistaken. Cyrillic, Arabic, and Hebrew can elevate alphabetic characters to the level of art. And it's always more than drawing. Calligraphy is pure creativity and zen.
Improve your calligraphy skills:
- "Ultramarine" is an online magazine about graffiti, street art, design, art and street culture in Russia and abroad. A separate section is devoted to calligraphy.
- Calligraffiti.nl is the website of one of the most popular calligraphers and street artists, Nils Möllmann, known as Shoe. He is considered the inventor of the calligraffiti style.
2. Doodling and zentangle - irrational painting
sibmama.ru This activity is suitable for those who start scribbling as soon as they pick up a writing medium. This is how it is translated from English - “doodle”. This is an irrational drawing style that develops memory and creativity, as well as an independent form of modern art.
Get better at doodling and zentangle:
- Tanglepatterns.com is a well-known site with a huge number of patterns for creating zentangle tiles.
- Zendoodle- a large community for those who love doodling and zentangle.
3. Marbling - drawing on water
youtube.com Have you ever looked for weird cloud shapes in the sky? Then this hobby is for you: using insoluble paints, a pattern is created on the surface of the water, and then transferred to paper, fabric or any surface. It turns out very unusual and beautiful, and the process is truly mesmerizing.
There are two main marbling techniques: Persian ebru and Japanese suminagashi. The first is dominated by abstract patterns, while the second is dominated by circular patterns.
Improve yourself in the art of marbling:
- Marbling.org is an international marbling community with a library, gallery and forum.
- Suminagashi.com - a site dedicated to suminagashi and other types of marbling.
4. Freezelight - frozen light
popmech.ru You may have already met strange young people who perform magic with flashlights in front of cameras. These are freezelighters. From the English freeze - “freeze” and light - “light”. The light really seems to freeze in the frosty air when it is shot at a long shutter speed. Using this technique, both beautiful abstractions and integral figurative compositions are created. The main thing is no computer processing.
Level up in freezelight:
- Lpwa.pro is a worldwide alliance of light painters.
- Freezelight.ru is an original Russian-language art project dedicated to painting with light. On the site you will find video tutorials and a gallery with cool works.
5. Mehendi - henna painting on the body
salonbeauty24.info An ancient oriental tradition, which is again on the wave of popularity in the 21st century. There are more and more artists developing in mehendi, and if you are also looking for new forms, then be sure to try drawing henna on the body. Another form of mehendi hobby is photographing in images created on its basis, including in nude style.
Upgrade to mehendi:
- Mehendischool.ru - online training in henna painting.
- Nidhi's MehndiART- the author's YouTube channel with video tutorials on mehendi for beginners.
6. Kanzashi - ribbon decorations
qulady.ru Kanzashi is a traditional Japanese hair ornament that women wear with their kimono. For us, this term has acquired a new sound - kanzashi - and a new meaning. Kanzashi is a needlework technique that is used to create beautiful hairpins, brooches and other jewelry. To try yourself in this direction, you will need several satin ribbons, a candle or lighter and a needle and thread.
Upgrade to Kanzashi:
- Kanzashi.club is a site where master classes and literature on kanzashi are collected.
- “Masters Fair” - in the section dedicated to kanzashi, there are many photo and video tutorials.
7. Felting - wool felting
livemaster.ru Felting (filting) is a handicraft technique when three-dimensional drawings, toys, panels and other decorative elements are created from wool. There are several directions: dry, wet felting, nuno-felting. To work, you will need sheep wool, a special needle or soap solution. The hobby is ideal for women and children.
Improve your skills in felting:
- Woolwares.ru - a site about felting for beginners with videos and master classes.
- Club.osinka.ru - a forum section about felting on the most popular site about needlework.
8. Isographics - embroidery on cardboard
In our country this activity is also called thread graphics or simply isothread, and in English-speaking countries - embroidery on paper (“embroidery on paper”). All you need to create in this direction is thick paper and thread. Great for sharing creativity with children.
Upgrade in isographics:
- “Country of Masters” - this site contains many master classes and examples of finished works, including those using the thread graphics technique.
- « Favorite lesson» - a series of master classes on isothread.
9. Patchwork - patchwork sewing
tutknow.ru A type of applied art with centuries-old traditions, when scattered scraps of fabric are transformed into a solid mosaic canvas. Using the patchwork technique (quilting, quilting), you can sew not only a blanket, but a bag or, for example, a toy.
Level up in patchwork:
- Jacquelynnesteves.com is the blog of Jacqueline Steeves, who simply loves quilting.
- Loskut.handmadecrafts.ru - patchwork workshop with materials from the paper magazine of the same name.
livemaster.ru Hobbies for those who love to cook and draw. This can be done at the same time if you paint gingerbread cookies with icing (special sugar glaze). If you really get carried away and get good at it, you can even make money from it.
Get into gingerbread painting:
- “Masters' Fair” is the most famous trading platform in RuNet for handmade goods, where, among other things, master classes on baking and decorating gingerbread are collected.
- Julia Mylle- author's YouTube channel on gingerbread painting.
11. Brewing - preparing a foamy drink at home
joyreactor.cc This is a whole science. And many successfully master it right in their kitchens. At first, the result is encouraging: you won’t find tasty beer during the day. But then the process itself drags on.
Improve your brewing skills:
- “Guide to Brewing Home Beer” - a detailed guide for beginners.
- “Russian Wikipedia about home brewing” - all about how to brew a drink from malt and hops on your own.
housesdesign.ru Recycle translated from English means “reusing things.” This is the name of the environmental direction, which implies waste separation, responsible consumption and energy saving, as well as the direction of applied creativity. Why throw away grandma's old chest of drawers, plastic bottles or, if they can be given a second life? Just use your imagination.
Upgrade to recycle:
- Recyclemag.ru is an online publication about an eco-friendly lifestyle. The site contains news, articles and tips on how to take care of the planet and live in accordance with the philosophy of minimalism.
- Pinterest.com - on the most creative of all social networks you will find many master classes on repurposing and decorating old things. Request - DIY recycle.
13. Customizing - from jeans to bikes
bikeexif.com Customizing is the alteration of clothing. Customizers turn skirts, shirts into dresses, and ordinary T-shirts are turned into designer ones. A hobby for those who always want to be in style, but are not ready to spend a lot of money on clothes.
For men, customization is often expressed in the transformation of motorcycles and cars. Custom bikes are real works of art, and their creators are usually literally passionate about their passion.
Get better at customizing:
- “Second Street” is a website and community of the same name, where thousands of craftsmen post their work on remaking things and are inspired by each other’s ideas.
- Customoto.com is a site where there is everything about creating exclusive motorcycles.
14. Modding - transforming equipment outside and inside
twitter.com/@Razer The term “modding”, that is, modification, change, is traditionally used in relation to the alteration of computers. The peak of fashion for this hobby came in the mid-2000s. Now smartphones and tablets rule, so they, as well as other gadgets, are being modified. For modern modders, not only the appearance, but also the performance of the devices is important.
Level up in modding:
- Modding.ru is a large portal about modding with a forum.
- Topmods.net is one of the oldest Russian-language sites about this hobby.
youtube.com A beautiful and unusual hobby for biologists and romantics. In addition to special knowledge, you will need an insectarium, a humidifier, a thermometer and other devices to make the fluttering beauties feel good. But if everything works out, breeding tropical butterflies can become a profitable side hustle.
Get better at raising butterflies:
- Wikihow.com - a detailed tutorial on creating beauty from a cocoon.
- Raisingbutterflies.org is an English-language blog from a man who has been raising butterflies for over 30 years.
16. Contemporary - self-expression through dance
balletka.by This is a dance style that combines classical, jazz-modern and oriental art of movement (qigong, yoga and tai chi). There are no clear boundaries in it, the main thing is self-expression. Contemporary art teaches you to understand your body, control it and express your inner world through movements.
Level up at the same pace:
- "" - a site about the history, theory and practice of contempo. Lots of useful information about movements, methods and techniques.
- Contemporary-dance.org is a large English-language website about contemporary dance.
17. Dancehall - music and dance from the heart of Jamaica
gymbox.com This is a music and dance style that grew out of reggae. Dancehall dance is especially popular now. Its dynamics and emancipation captivate you from the first seconds. If you're tired of your routine, need a burst of energy and want to compete in dance battles, this is the hobby for you.
Get pumped up in dancehall:
- Dancehallreggae.com.au is an Australian website dedicated to Jamaican culture. There is a lot of music, videos and news from the world of reggae and dancehall.
- Dancedb.ru is a site where video lessons and information on various dance styles, including dancehall, are collected.
18. Zumba - dance fitness
premiumsport.rf Born at the intersection of hip-hop, salsa, samba, merengue, mambo, flamenco and belly dance. This trend was invented by Colombian Alberto Perez in the late 1990s. Zumba uses the maximum number of muscles - it is not only a great pastime, but also an effective way to lose weight.
Pump up in Zumba:
- Zumba.com is the official website of the Zumba fitness brand.
- Zumba.pro - online poster of Zumba events. Here you will find like-minded people, information about parties and master classes.
19. Bookcarving - book carving
factinteres.ru Bookcarving is the creation of three-dimensional compositions from multi-page paper manuscripts. Carving translated from English means “carving”, book means “book”. Book carving is popular all over the world, but it requires patience, hard work and accuracy. This is a hobby for diligent people with artistic thinking. The greatest heights in this art were achieved by Brian Dettmer, Nicholas Galanin, Guy Laramie, Kylie Stillman and Robert Te.
Level up in bookcarving:
- Briandettmer.com - Brian Dettmer's official website with photographs of the magnificent master's works and videos of his performances.
- Artifex.ru - a selection of articles about book carving in this creative almanac.
20. Bookcrossing - book exchange
skr.su Bookcrossing can be called one of the ways of beautiful. The essence is this: a person who has read a book leaves it in some public place (library, cafe, bookstore, subway, and so on). A random passerby picks it up, takes it for himself to read, and in return he “loses” another book somewhere. You can track the movement of books on the project website. Its mission is to popularize reading and respect for nature.
Level up in bookcrossing:
- Bookcrossing.com is an international bookcrossing website.
- Ballycumber.ru is a Russian-language website in support of the international book exchange movement.
21. Postcrossing - a postcard from a stranger
primamedia.today Postcrossing is a global project, the essence of which is the exchange of paper postcards. The system gives you a random address, you send a postcard to the person, and then receive it from someone else (one of the schemes). As of 2017, over 676 thousand people from all over the world are registered on the official postcrossing website. People exchanged more than 40 million cards. Postcrossing is very popular in Russia and Belarus, because it is romantic and helps to find new friends.
Level up in postcrossing:
- Postcrossing.com is the official website of the project.
- Postcross.ru is a Russian-language portal for postcrossing enthusiasts.
22. Geocaching - treasure hunt
find-way.com.ua This is an international tourism game, the essence of which is to find “treasure”. Some players make caches, while others use GPS to search for them. Over its almost twenty-year history, the game has gained millions of fans. The advantage is that you can do this hobby not alone, but with the whole family or a group of friends.
Zlikovec/Depositphotos.com massonforstock/Depositphotos.com
Do you want to feel like a brave Roman legionnaire or a Russian warrior fighting for a prince? Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of historical reconstruction. This is both science and artistic creativity. Some restore ancient equipment and armor, others organize performances. To recreate everything reliably requires deep knowledge and patience. Historical reconstruction has many fans, clubs are created, and various festivals are held.
Level up in historical reconstructions:
- Rushistory.org is the official website of the Russian Historical Society, a portal for professionals and history buffs.
- Reconlog.ru - a catalog of historical reconstruction clubs, as well as events related to them.
25. Volunteering - free assistance
miloserdie.ru Volunteer activities are multifaceted. This is not only work in national parks and at sports and cultural events, but also, for example, helping orphans or homeless animals. You can choose the area of volunteering you like and every day through good deeds you can receive a portion of new knowledge, experience and love.
Level up your volunteering:
- "European Voluntary Service" is an international volunteer program.
- “Volunteersrossii.rf” is the main volunteer resource in Russia.
What are you interested in? Tell us about your unusual hobbies in the comments.
10. Let's ride a roller coaster!
It turns out that riding roller coasters can be not just a hobby, but a real passion.
The 78-year-old American rode the Pittsburgh-area roller roller coaster 90 times in one day, completing 4 thousand laps.
Another obsessed person, Vic Clement, spent about five hours on the Jack Rabbit roller.
He has been visiting the attraction since 1959, where he typically makes up to 20 rides in a single day. By the way, he is a member of the Society of Roller Coaster Enthusiasts.
9. Appearing in the background on TV news
Paul Yarrow from London certainly has a hobby: he loves to appear on the TV screen.
Therefore, as soon as they start filming the news somewhere, he is right there - in the background.
He has already been featured in news coverage for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News.
It remains a mystery how Paul finds out where the next story should be filmed.
8. $10 for a stranger
When Reed Sandridge lost his job last year, he took up a new hobby.
Every day he gives $10 to a stranger who, in his opinion, really needs it.
He doesn’t expect anything in return, his soul just becomes lighter.
His mother, a miner's daughter whom he always remembers for her kindness, taught his son that in difficult times a person must help his neighbor who is in even greater need.
Sandridge uses his savings and unemployment benefits for the “gifts.” He keeps strict records of expenses in a black notebook and talks about the people he helps on his blog.
7. Moo
When it comes to mooing, a true expert appears on the scene: 10-year-old Austin Siok.
This American fifth-grader won the annual mooing competition in Wisconsin.
And all because his moo was the best: he beat not only 80 competitors, but also all the cows.
As a reward, Austin received $1,000, a jacket with a picture of a cow, a gold cow bell, and an award from a sponsor.
6. Collecting ecstasy tablets
The Dane collected ecstasy tablets for 20 years. His collection already numbered 2,400 tablets of all colors and sizes when it was stolen in 2009.
The thief was not found. Despite the illegal nature of the collection, its owner still reported the theft.
He fears that someone who swallows these tablets could become poisoned, since the collection contains 40 poisonous specimens.
5. Coloring dogs
The photo above is not a tiger at all, but a painted dog.
It's a new hobby that has amazed many Chinese: they cut and dye their own dogs' fur to give them the appearance of another animal.
The Chinese accepted the new fashion with great enthusiasm, especially since cutting and slightly tinting the wool has long been practiced in this country.
As statistics show, the cost of maintaining and caring for pets increased in the Middle Kingdom by 500% in the period from 1999-2000.
4. Corpse Guy
47-year-old American Chuck Lamb, also known as The Dead Body Guy, probably has the strangest hobby in the world: he likes to pretend to be dead.
Moreover, he takes photographs of himself and posts them on his website.
Chuck started this hobby in 2005, and to this day his interest in it has not waned. A year later, his website was visited by more than 32 million people, newspapers, radio and television started talking about him.
Chuck explains his strange hobby by the fact that he always wanted to act in films and on television.
Actually, this is a rather strange hobby for a married man with six children.
Chuck admits that he has no acting skills and is not particularly attractive, so his acting career is closed to him. But with popularity - everything is fine!
3. The eternal plaintiff
Despite the fact that one Jonathan Lee is a federal prison inmate in Kentucky, he was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the person who filed the most lawsuits.
What was his next step? Right! He sued the Guinness World Records staff, who, he said, "did not have the right to publish my work, my rightful masterpieces."
Jonathan does not hide the fact that he was treated in a psychiatric hospital.
Among his many "masterpieces" are lawsuits against Plato, Nostradamus, former President George W. Bush, Somali pirates, Britney Spears, Buddhist monks, the President of Iran and manufacturers of artificial oil.
The list goes on and on...
2. Car tattoo
Taiwanese pensioner Li Zongxiong has a very strange hobby: applying it to his vehicles.
A 71-year-old workshop owner writes chaste words from Buddhist texts on his car.
Since 1991, he has already painted a car, a motorcycle and two trucks. There is practically no “living space” left on them: mirrors, windshields, bodies, doors, wheels - and even license plates are painted.
True, this hobby brought nothing but trouble to its owner: the police think that he is painting other people’s cars. And it’s true - who would dare to damage their own vehicles?
Li, who has only a primary education, said most of the words were taken from Buddhist texts. Lee's son says the family currently prohibits his father from buying a new car, no matter how much it costs. It'll ruin it anyway.
But the grandson promises, when he grows up and saves money, to give his grandfather a bus so that he can continue his hobby.
1. Wool bust
At first glance, this hobby may seem akin to madness. But only for the first...
An 84-year-old grandmother from Sussex (UK) knits from wool... women's breasts!
They turn out to be in demand: with their help, expectant mothers master the basics of feeding babies.
Over the course of 3 years, more than 100 “breasts” were knitted, which did not bring any income to the craftswoman (they only pay for the cost of the material). So for an old lady, this is really a hobby.
Julia Pyatnitsa
The most unusual hobbies. Choosing a new hobby
Unfortunately, not every person can call their job their favorite. In this case, a hobby comes to the rescue - an activity during which you can unwind and relax after a hard day at work.
Most people prefer standard hobbies like reading books, knitting or cycling. What do you know about unusual hobbies?
Leisure
The need for new activities appeared when people began to realize that they could not choose a hobby from those they already knew. Some active and unusual hobbies appeared due to a mixture of different activities, some - out of pure curiosity.
One thing is clear: rappelers are addicted to conquering high-rise buildings with the help of their arms and legs without any kind of insurance. The hobby may also appeal to fans of parkour - extreme overcoming of urban obstacles (fences, high steps and fences, distances between buildings, sheer walls).
Kiting
If you are a fan of surfing or windsurfing, be sure to try a new type of water sport - kiting. This hobby rightfully fits into unusual hobbies as a mixed style of activity.
Kiting is the ability to control a light board on the water with the help of a huge kite. The challenge is to lift the kite into the air and stay on your feet in the strong winds while balancing on the waves. Kiting is difficult to learn. But those who master it forever forget about other unusual hobbies.
Types of creativity
Unusual hobbies include quiet hobbies such as creating sculptures and paintings. But what materials are used?
Microminiatures
Microminiature is a type of three-dimensional fine art that is based on the creation of sculptures and compositions of tiny sizes. The direction was formed at the end of the twentieth century, as denoting miniature works in any branch of art. The process uses magnifying glasses, microscopes and magnifying glasses.
For example, craftsmen carve unusual pictures on rice and poppy grains, prepare horseshoes for fleas and dress flies.
Despite the difficulty of execution, anyone can learn how to make small figures. Start with larger pieces - for example, try creating clothes and household items for dried grasshoppers and chafers. Be patient - the work will be long and painstaking, but the result is worth it.
An interesting type of miniature work is pencil lead carving. Craftsmen cut intertwining patterns and unusual chains in mini format from the body and core of a pencil, striking in their precision and accuracy.
Alternatively, miniature figures are cut out on the top of the pencil.
To learn this skill, start by simply carving the body of the pencil, gradually going deeper and moving to the shaft.
Paintings made from nails
From the name it is clear that nails are the main material for working in this hobby. The base can be boards of different sizes and shapes, furniture walls and even apartments.
Just draw a sketch with a washable pencil and start hammering nails around the perimeter. Where the thickness of the lines is wider, drive several nails side by side, creating light and shadow effects.
One of the varieties of this hobby is threading nails.
Just drive them in around the perimeter of the image at a short distance from each other, thus preparing the base. Now cover their legs with threads, moving from one nail to another or in a chaotic manner, depending on your creative idea.
Paper creativity
An easy way to keep yourself busy in your free time. First, a sketch of the work is created on a sheet of paper. Using scissors, cutters, needles, knives and tweezers, details of a complex image are cut out and attached to each other on a hanging base sheet, creating a three-dimensional figure.
The height of art is considered to be unusual figures that have been cut out and designed, but not separated from the base sheet.
A three-dimensional painting acquires a unique charm if you place lighting next to it at the right angle. Try creating sculptures using only white paper - they will seem light and airy.
Scotch tape paintings
This unusual hobby is complemented by such an art form as creating paintings from adhesive tape. This hobby is very economical - all you need is white translucent rectangular glass and colored adhesive tape.
Work on the drawing proceeds according to the following algorithm:
- measure the adhesive tape to the required length;
- glue it onto the picture at the right angle and in the right place;
- Trim or tear off any excess tape.
This technique makes it easier to create paintings that depict close-up objects or portraits of people. Despite the fact that many works are made with tape of the same color, each time the result is an original, unique mood of the characters.
Tire sculptures
This hobby can rightfully be included in unusual hobbies. Using tires as a working material, experienced craftsmen create realistic figures of animals, plants and fairy-tale characters.
The Korean sculptor Yong Ho Ji was very successful in this art. He prepares the wire frame of the future figure, after which he covers it with solid or cut tires. The complexity of his work lies in the fact that the master must create the most realistic sculpture: lay out the facial features, indicate the hairs of the fur, the bends of the paws.
This activity is a bit like working with the carving technique: a tire can be cut in such a way as to make a flower, a star, or a snowflake out of it. Or you can cut several strips, triangles or squares from it, and then connect them in the desired order.
First, try creating simple figures from old tires. They can decorate a flower bed in the yard or a summer cottage. Gradually, you will hone your skills to the point where you can form complex, realistic sculptures.
Freezelight
An interesting art that appeared relatively recently - with the introduction of professional cameras. The literal translation of the word is painting with light.
Take a camera with a shutter speed function and a light marker - it can be any luminous object. Place your camera on a tripod and set it up to shoot in the dark for a while. Stand a short distance in front of the lens and start drawing an image in the air with a marker. The camera will capture it as a finished bright drawing on a dark, slightly blurred background.
This type of creativity is very useful - preparation for the work process helps a person learn how to photograph, since to shoot in the dark you need to be able to choose the right mode.
A list of unusual hobbies will help you decide on your favorite activity. It is quite possible that in the future such a hobby may develop into your main occupation.
Take it for yourself and tell your friends!
Read also on our website:
show more
Man is a creative person, always looking for something new and unusual. Each of us has our own hobby. As a rule, this is reading books, writing poems, drawing, composing music, dancing or something like that. But there are extraordinary people who are interested in unusual hobbies.
They go beyond their usual interests, trying to create and show society something unusual that most people could not even think about before. Such people are not divided by gender; the most important difference between them and others is their extraordinary thinking, unusual fantasy and imagination.
Card castles
Who likes to play cards? There will certainly be a large number of these. But there are not so many daredevils who dare to build entire castles out of cards. At first, there were several dreamers who decided to build small houses out of boredom, but Brian Berg went further and built entire card castles that were taller than himself. His works were included in the book of records.
Dog tuning
While many people are more or less accustomed to houses of cards, the next unusual hobby is still incomprehensible to many. We are talking about dog grooming, or rather about their tuning, which is done abroad. There are salons for grooming four-legged animals in many cities, but here we are not talking about a simple haircut, but about expressing your imagination. The most important thing is the consent of the dog owner, and professionals bring their ideas to life, doing something unimaginable with their four-legged clients. This is the most striking example of combining work with a hobby, which, apparently, brings a lot of pleasure. 
Pumpkin carving
People who are interested in carving pumpkins do it not only on Halloween, but on regular days too. Ray Willefen began to engage in this unusual hobby from early childhood. After wood carving, working with the pumpkin went like clockwork. He manages to make truly unusual things from this ordinary vegetable. 
Drawings on dirty cars
It turns out that you can paint not only on canvases and walls, but also on dirty cars. The main tools are dirty car glass and brushes, and voila - the drawing is ready. You can depict anything on such a “canvas”: from majestic castles to portraits. 
Sand drawings
Of all the images, sand paintings are perhaps the most short-lived. They look amazing though. This art is practiced by real professionals, because drawing on sand is not so easy. The first person who decided to engage in such drawings was Jim Denevan, a self-taught artist, but his masterpieces still delight many to this day. 
Images of nails
It would seem that artists paint with everything else, but only Marcus Levin thought of depicting a picture with nails. Today this Briton has many followers who create unusual paintings with just the help of nails. This work is hard and painstaking, because one small but incorrectly hammered nail can ruin the whole picture. 
Pencil sculptures
There are many miniature masters in the world who create their masterpieces on the points of pencils. The founder of this art is Dalton Getty, who has been carving unusual things from pencils for a long time. 
Here are the most unusual hobbies that cause a storm of emotions and delight among those around you. Or maybe you have also heard about some non-standard hobbies?
The strangest and most unusual hobbies in the world: video review
How do we find our life's work? Not the demanding job that our parents prepared us for or that we took out of necessity. And that very thing – ours and no one else’s – that makes us happy? What fills our lives with color and joy so much that we begin – through the creations of our own hands – to bring these feelings into the lives of others?
For some, this is a national tradition that obliges men to wield a brush as skillfully as a sword. Someone, with a hammer and nails in their hands, suddenly discovers a creative streak in themselves. And someone, having tried a thousand things in his life, suddenly by chance, perhaps in a dream, sees his future products and the craft that he has to master. We can remember many stories about how people discovered amazing talents in themselves. But we will tell you only about a few and, perhaps, they will help you come to your big and real passion.
Wire sculptures
Sculptor and artist Derek Kinzett became famous thanks to his unusual hobby. He creates sculptures from steel wire that from a distance resemble stone statues. It takes him about 60 hours of work to weave one product. And if the sculpture contains many details, then this time doubles.
Derek says that his childhood memories prompted him to this type of activity: as a child he loved to visit Dodington Park, filled with statues.
The art of real men
It’s hard to believe, looking at the delicate and unusual paintings of plants, that oshibana is the oldest Japanese art of the samurai. Mastering it was considered as important as wielding a sword or the art of calligraphy.
Today, you probably won’t find a man “painting” with dried flowers. And among women there are not many craftswomen who skillfully use these colors of nature. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is not so easy to convey, for example, the quiet ripple of a lake or the cold freshness of mountains using dried plants. And knowledge about the plant world will be very useful here. For example, florist artist Tatyana Berdnik from Kyiv uses more than a thousand species of plants in her works.
What is attractive about this art is that everything necessary for creativity - flowers, leaves and seeds - can be found in the field and forest. And if you decide to take up this type of painting, then remember that natural colors are more stable in young plants. Drying flowers quickly will help preserve color.
Polymer clay
Do you know what makes this material attractive, unlike real clay? And the fact that to work with it you don’t need either a potter’s wheel or a “cool” kiln for firing - a regular oven is enough. But what you can’t do without here is skill. This is, of course, if you don’t want to sculpt things for your own pleasure, but create real masterpieces.
It’s hard to believe that this very real lizard with eyes that look straight at you, a snake frozen on a branch with berries, as if autumn leaves had just been lifted from the ground or the berries themselves, sprinkled with snow, were only recently a colorful plastic mass . And also the fact that the master who created them - Irina Rereshechka from Dnepropetrovsk - learned everything herself, without “material parts” and master classes. She notes that all her future creations themselves, in an instant and in the smallest detail, appear in her head, all that remains is to realize them.
By the way, the formula for the unusual “plasticine” was developed by Fifi Rebinder from Germany in the early 1930s. Working with this material is convenient and simple; it allows you to convey the finest sculptural details and imitate various textures and materials. And thanks to the availability of polymer clay, products made from it - jewelry, dolls, interior items and souvenirs - have become a source of income for many people.
It will also be useful to know that there are several types of this plastic material: harder and softer, with a glossy or matte surface after polymerization, self-hardening or requiring baking. Each master chooses “for himself” - what he likes best and what is more convenient to work with.
Paintings made from nails
Briton Marcus Levin creates his amazing paintings from nails. In the strong and dexterous hands of a master, nails turn into real works of art. Many of them are displayed in galleries and private collections. The art direction invented by Marcus in 2005 even got its own name – Nail sculpture.
Depending on the plot, the number of nails varies from 15 to 52 thousand, and the picture can be “painted” from three days to two months. It is noteworthy that Marcus creates without preliminary sketches or sketches.
Unusual photos
If you love photography, you should try yourself in another unusual form of creativity. Freezelight is the name given to photographing objects and abstractions drawn with the help of light: lighters, night lights, laser pointers, candles, flashlights, etc. The essence of the process is simple: a tripod with a camera is installed in a dark room, which records the movements of a person “drawing” with light. What else you will need is equipment with the ability to shoot at night, the ability to control the aperture and, of course, a remarkable imagination.
And if working in the dark is not your thing, borrow the idea of Mehmet Ozgur, an engineer by training and an artist by vocation. This American takes pictures of smoke and then edits them in Photoshop. It is unlikely that anyone will remain indifferent when looking at these mysterious, tender and filled with deep meaning works.
Paper art
In skillful hands, even ordinary paper can become a masterpiece. This was proven by the Danish artist and designer Peter Callesen. Each of his paintings tells its own story – touching, tragic or philosophical.
The master creates using the paper art technique: he cuts out and sculpts three-dimensional figures and characters from paper.
The process of materializing a three-dimensional object from a flat sheet seems magical. What makes the process especially mysterious is the fact that the figures remain attached to their source.
On the point of a pencil
The skills of working with wood came in handy for the American carpenter Dalton Getty, who once decided to carve miniature sculptures from the leads of simple pencils. He has been engaged in his unusual hobby for more than 25 years. And for work he uses only three tools - a blade, a knife and a sewing needle. And no magnifying glass!
The longest of his works, a chain with a pencil, took two and a half years to create. And it happens that sculptures, on which many days and months have been spent, break. The most annoying thing, Dalton notes, is if this happens at the end of work. Indeed, this activity is not for the impatient!
Dog grooming
Hairdressing is a seemingly ordinary profession. With one exception - if it is not a pet groomer. And not just a hairdresser, but a hairdresser-artist! Many will consider this activity a mockery of our smaller brothers. But in China, such “tuning” of animals is quite common and, therefore, a profitable business.
Feathers and birds
But Chris Maynard does not deprive animals of hair, but does quite the opposite - he turns feathers lost by birds back into birds.
The artist works with instruments that are used in eye microsurgery: scalpels, scissors, clamps, tweezers. With their help, he painstakingly carves figures and entire flocks of birds.
Houses in miniature
Do you remember how in childhood or youth we glued houses and figures from matches? Former surgeon Rob Hurd uses more substantial material - cut down or dried trees. From them he carves houses, dachas, cottages, or rather, models of them. The American took up this original hobby because of tragic events: after the accident, he was no longer able to operate.
Culinary masterpieces
Surely, every housewife has tried her hand at working with dough. Fragrant bread, delicious pies and dumplings, of course, also require certain skills. But only true craftswomen can make baking and confectionery business profitable.
Another popular newfangled hobby that has captured the souls and time of many representatives not only of the fair sex is the creation of delicious and unusual, sometimes completely different from baked goods, cakes and pastries. Many of these masterpieces of culinary art belong in museums, it’s such a shame to eat them.
By the way, some of the craftswomen did not even graduate from culinary colleges. So go ahead, get inspired and search! And it will help you start working with the test. Do you want to try yourself with textiles? You will need this master class. And in you will find an ocean of ideas for creativity.
