Community service and innovative design are usually not spoken in the same sentence. Canstruction is an annual event in hopes to put a change to that. The design event is held in cities all around North America, Australia and across the world. Over an 8-12 week period, teams of engineers, architects and students band together to create fascinating and amazing sculptures out of thousands of cans of food. The event not only showcases creativity and innovation amongst other things, but after the exhibits all the food is donated to local food pantries and shelters. Created in 1992 by the Society of Design Administration, Canstruction has collected over ten million pounds of food. More than 130 local competitions are expected to be held in the 2009/2010 season. The structures built are true showcases of engineering and design. The competition let’s designers portray their creativity to thousands of viewers. The artists are able to create low-waste, ecologically friendly art, which is sponsored by contributions from local associations in every city as well as visitors making additional donations. So when you get done with painstaking hours putting together your Sour Patch Kid’s sculpture, you can crack open one of the cans of baked beans and chill out.

Ever since the graffiti art movement began there were meeting places for writers known as writer’s corners or writer’s benches, and the majority of these meeting places were in the subway system in New York City. The last active location was the 149th Street Grand Concourse subway station in The Bronx, on the 2 and 5 IRT lines. It was active from the 1970s until the decline of subway painting in the late 1980s.

Writers from all over the city congregated at a bench located at the back of the uptown platform and they came to meet, make plans, sign black books and settle disputes over whos art was the most prominent at the time. The main activity was watching art on the passing trains (known as benching) and the writers would admire and criticize the latest paintings that would roll by on the subway cars.

The 149th Street Grand Concourse subway station was an ideal location for a writer’s bench for several reasons. It was a station where the 2 and 5 lines converged. The 2 and 5 lines featured some of the most artistic works in the city because of the fact that many lay-ups and train yards for the 2s and 5s were located in both the Bronx and Brooklyn made creativity on these lines extremely competitive. This was prime real estate and artist made sure that they only bombed their best and latest works on these cars. Also an overpass connecting the uptown and downtown platforms was an ideal vantage point from which to view the passing trains. There is nothing like a front row seat to some of the best art in the city.

Since paintings rarely if ever run on trains today, this bench is no longer frequented by writers but old school New York writers occasionally visit the site for the sake of nostalgia. If you would like to read the full memorial plaque that was installed on the bench, check it out here.

Writers Bench from Miss Tint on Vimeo.

As if you alcoholics needed another reason to drink Tequila. Proximo Spirits, Inc. and 1800 Tequila have announced the release of the second collection of limited edition Essential Artists bottles designed by 11 up and coming artists from all over the US, and one “celebrity artist” (Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One). Out of the 15,000 designs submitted online, only 11 were chosen by 1800 Tequila. The 12th special-edition bottle is by Studio Number One who is a super group of up and coming designers led by Shepard Fairey (The guy who gained national attention for his Obama “Hope” design). Artist StevOramA’s design was the $10,000 Grand Prize Winner and his design has been given a starring role in the series. Other artists who had a winning design chosen include, Ian McGillivray, Nickelyn Reames, danyol, Leyland “Lee” DeVito, Danielle Salinas, Chad Shore, Mark Sweeney, Branden Tintiangco, Chuck Trunks, and Michelle Villasenor. Bottles of this sweet nectar from the Gods retails for a mere $24.99. To find a bottle near you, you can enter your zip code in the “Liqour Location” at 1800Tequila.com

A while back we had a story on dollar bill art by Mark Wagner. During writing about his amazing art we stumbled across some clever dollar bills that were defaced by hilarious renditions of certain characters such as Spider-Man and Leather Face. Well we have compiled a few more for your enjoyment, be on the look out for part 4.

Can I have change for a red Power Ranger dollar bill?

Mr. Peanut's top hat makes Lincoln's look like a beanie.

That's the face Lincoln makes when he inserts the shocker.

THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAAAA

If you ever played Counter Strike it's a lot funnier, freakin newbs

1996 Joker before getting soooooo serious

TRON

My favorite, Leonardo Lincoln, throw your double L's up

Its me Mario

Damn Hamilton is hot

Mazel Tov

Superman's hair doo is so Brooklyn

PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME

Remember how your mother always told you to not play with your food? Well I guess some people never really listened, and luckily for us they dreamt up some amazing sandwich art for our viewing pleasure. These sandwiches are so great because they cover a lot of different topics, from games, to our favorite cartoon characters, to some every day items that we might never look at the same again. The thing I like the most about these designs is that the artists took something so common and everyday, and turned it into amazing art. To have the vision to turn something so simple into something so interesting is what really makes specific artists stand out , and these guys are leading the way with fresh new ideas.  I’ve never been so hungry that I would want to eat a shoe, but after checking out one of these sandwiches, I might consider it the next time I’m on a long camping trip with limited food. Check out the sandwich art!

The importance of clever packaging sometimes gets over looked by companies looking to cut corners by saving a buck or two in the process. For some reason, they never got the memo that no matter what your product is, first impressions are everything, and in the consumer world that we live in, most people impulse buy off of pure looks alone. Luckily for us, The Pentawards keep track of all of the great design concepts that hit the market and give out awards at the end of each year. Check out LovelyPackage to see all of the winners! Its nice to see an award given to the artists that are responsible for helping their companies strive. Similar to the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster post from earlier in the week, first impressions count for so much, and if your product isn’t eye catching, I suggest you pack it in early and save yourself the trouble of filling out those bankrupt papers that you will inevitably be mailing in on the day your gem of an idea business goes belly up.

Tanner Goldbeck was born on the 4th of July 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland. He started his art career shooting halftones on stat cameras, cutting layers of rubylith and changing chemicals for diffusion transfer machines. Spending entire days hand drawing type so that it would have the three dimensional layout that press type couldn’t provide was how Tanner spent his Saturdays.

In 1992, he graduated from The Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA. After spending several years working in different shirt shops and picking up small freelance jobs around the east coast he moved to New Jersey (HELL YEAH!) to attend The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. Like many artists, that period of time allowed him to dig into New York City and open up to the idea of larger markets.

Shortly afterwards, in 1998 he relocated to the west coast and worked for Powell Skateboards in Santa Barbara, California. During this time of art and babe watching on the Venice pier, he began working freelance for Icon Motosports doing helmet and jacket work, which he is now widely known for. This lead to a gig at West Coast Choppers in Long Beach but after realizing that the morning rush was not for him, he went full time freelance. He currently works from his home office for Icon and is his own words, “does whatever it takes to make the landlord happy.” Check out his video as there is WAY more to Tanner Goldbeck than just some airbrushed helmets.

Born in 1982, Sylvia Ji has a style all her own. Her art encapsulates a timeless feeling, but is also cutting edge in its subject matter.  Ji’s interest in art was implanted at a very young age when she would look through her mother’s sketchbooks and watch her father paint. In her art, she explores themes of beauty, sexual provocation, and social notions of femininity juxtaposed against the dystopian reality of modern cities to create highly charged paintings of women. Some of her paintings are symbolic reflections of herself, portraits of people she knows or just nameless faces set in a landscape of fleeting beauty. She graduated with distinction in 2005 from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco with a Bachelors in illustration and already had her first ambitious and successful solo show while still in her last year of school. Since then she has been in high demand, keeping continuously engaged in an onslought of numerous shows on the West Coast. Currently, she has works on display in both San Francisco and Los Angeles galleries. Seeing this art really inspires me, especially since Silvia and I are the same age. I think people have a tendency to only look up to or admire people who are older and more established, but there is a lot that you can learn from your peers. Big ups to my homegirl Lanie for turning me on to some of this awesome art!

James Kuhn is an American artist who creates incredible face paintings using his own face as a canvas. The 46-year old artist is halfway through his project to create a design for his face every day for a year, which he began in March after he was snowed in by 12 inches of snow and had to miss work.

James got the inspiration from photo exhibitions of a picture a day. His 365 creations range from cartoon characters and animals to his favorite foods. “I really have become totally obsessed with face painting and I think about what I can do next all the time.” James says on his blog. The artist says the worst part is painting the inside of his nostrils, as he ends up spitting them for hours. He says he’s been an artist all his life, and even drew pictures in his oatmeal as a child. I’m still not sure if Kuhn’s is a genius, or just bat shit crazy. Either way, his art is pretty incredible, and original to say the least. Watch this video of more of his art work. (click here for his 365 day project.)

BONUS: I had to add this clip because honestly it freaks me out.