Quilling is an art form whereby strips of paper are curled, formed and glued. The process lends a three-dimensionality to linework that, when combined with a selection of colors, creates a pleasing graphic effect.

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With a relatively low barrier to entry, quilling work appears for sale on sites like Etsy and tutorials are readily available on YouTube. But in the fine arts world, the undisputed master of the art has to be Yulia Brodskaya, whose work is below.

The Russian-born, UK-based artist started out doing graphic design and illustration in the mid-2000s, using the same tool most of us do: A computer. But according to her bio, she "quickly abandoned the computer programs in favour of paper art." And interestingly enough, when Brodskaya began working with paper to create images in this way, she didn't even realize it was called quilling, or that it was a "thing."

I believe that one of the main reasons I enjoy the paper craft, is due to my love of the material: paper. Although I've always had a special fascination for paper, it has taken me a while to find my own way of working with it; and then it took a little longer to find out that the technique I have been using so intensively is called quilling - it involves the use of strips of paper that can be rolled, shaped, and glued to the background.

While she's found steady work in the advertising world…

…I find her personal work to be the most stunning.

See more of her stuff here.

Hand-Eye Supply is now upgrading our standard shipping to Priority for no extra $! Domestic orders placed by noon Pacific Time on 12.21.15 are guaranteed to arrive by Christmas. Shop away, you slackers!

Some product exceptions apply. Domestic orders only. Shop responsibly. 

An ideal candidate has a Bachelor's in architecture, 3 years of experience and the know-how to prepare and modify architectural documents, elevations, sections, details, etc. As such, s/he should have extensive knowledge of Archi-CAD and BIM standards and a proficiency in AutoCAD/Architectural Desktop, REVIT, V-ray, Sketch-up and Adobe Creative Suite.

From ex-frog-designer Michael McDaniel, here's a design for a disaster relief shelter that takes a very different approach from Ikea's Better Shelter. One of the first questions for those seeking to deploy such shelters is how to efficiently transport them. Ikea answered this by developing a flatpack design. McDaniel, on the other hand, has exploited draft angle to create a design that can be nested like coffee cups.

Like Ikea's Better Shelter, McDaniel's solution, called the Exo, requires four people to assemble. Beyond that, the differences are sharp: The former generates electricity; the latter requires it. The Better Shelter needs to be assembled from components and anchored to the ground, whereas the Exo is dropped into place on top of a base that has been filled with sand for stability. The Better Shelter sleeps four at floor level, whereas the Exo sleeps four via a pair of built-in bunk beds.

Let's take a closer look at the Exo, which is produced by McDaniel's company, Reaction:

Another key difference between the two designs is the ease-of-assembly factor, which can impact the ultimate application. The speedy set-up time of the Exo makes them ideal for renting out to festivalgoers, campsites or folks looking to set up an AirBNB unit on their property.

Perhaps the largest difference, however, is cost. Turning back to disaster relief, what type of unit an organization will deploy boils down to two things, assuming availability: How much does it cost to buy, and how much does it cost to ship? The answer makes it apparent that the Better Shelter and the Exo will never be competing for the same "market:" The Better Shelter rings in at about US $1,150, whereas the Exo runs a whopping $6,000 to $12,000 per unit. (Fortune says $6,000; Wired says $12,000. At press time we hadn't received clarification from Reaction's press rep.)

The exponentially higher cost means the Exo is probably destined for American use only. Indeed, Reaction's manufacturing base in Texas is an ideal location to serve America's disaster-prone Gulf Coast and Tornado Alley.

You may be wondering: Geography aside, wouldn't it still be cheaper for FEMA to order Better Shelters, presumably produced in Europe or Scandinavia, and have them shipped over? Maybe, but it's unlikely that will happen. According to an AP article from 2007, the famously bungling FEMA paid $19,000 per single family trailer following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And CNS News reports that the math got even worse by 2013, when FEMA was paying first $24,000, then $48,000 per trailer:

…The smaller park models (33 feet wide and 12 feet long) cost taxpayers about $24,000 each, half the amount FEMA is spending on 64-foot long, 14-feet wide manufactured housing units the agency is now using exclusively to house disaster victims.

And of course, one of those FEMA trailers takes up an entire truck for shipping. So economically speaking, the Exo is not competing with tents nor Ikea's Better Shelter; it's competing with those FEMA trailers. Assuming there's pressure to buy American, the Exo seems a far better deal than the trailers and is far more efficient to ship.

If you're wondering where the higher cost of the Exo comes from, we assume the bulk of the cost comes from the proprietary materials developed to build it. You'll learn about those and hear McDaniel's development story in the next entry.

It's the time of year to make merry, listen to great jams, get 15% off the whole Hand-Eye store, and hang out with a bunch of cool creative folks! This year we're DOUBLING the party with the Draplin Design Co. pop-up pizza party right across the street! The Hand-Eye Supply Holiday party will feature savory treats, questionably seasonal beverages, tunes by DJ Silver Fox, and a certain special someone with a jolly laugh and a bag of gifts thay may have the DDC stamp of approval on them... 

It's free, it's festive, it's a fun chance to ignore the real holiday chaos. Come fill yourself with pizza, pies, and serious cheer at our last party of the year! 

TONIGHT @ Hand-Eye Supply
6-9PM
427 NW Broadway, Portland, Oregon

Check it out on Facebook and tell your charming friends!

As someone with three boring-but-functional wall-mounted spice racks—and with clients who often struggle with spice storage—I'm always intrigued by spice storage options which are a bit out of the ordinary. Some of those involve clever ways of using the cabinets as we cover in Part 1, but others make use of walls, counter space and drawers.

Umbra's Cylindra spice rack, designed by Helen T. Miller and Matt Carr, can be used on the counter or mounted on the wall. The end user turns the black dial to get either small openings for sprinkling or a larger one for pouring more at once.

The Cylindra comes with labels, including side labels, so the cook can easily tell what's where. However, a couple purchasers said the labels didn't stick well. 

This rack would work well for end users who buy spices in bulk rather than those who buy in bottles and tins and might be annoyed by needing to transfer the spices to another container. Since each rack only holds six spices, cooks might want to reserve this for their most commonly used spices, while others are stored elsewhere.

The Spice Tower Carousel from Prodyne is an eye-catching storage design. The bottles have an interlocking design that keeps them in place, which is great. However, purchasers note the bottles are not air tight and that any measuring spoon larger than 1/2 teaspoon will not fit into the opening. And, once again, there are complaints about the quality of the labels.

The SpiceStore Carousel from Joseph Joseph is made from glass rather than the plastic used in the Prodyne tower. The bottles have a nice large opening, but don't stack as securely as those in the Prodyne product. 

Both carousels exposure the stored herbs and spices to light, so these will work best for cooks who use their spices quickly or who plan to keep the carousels in a cabinet or pantry. They will appeal to end users who are visually oriented and like to see the spices themselves, not just labels on bottles or tins.

But for other end users, a simple carousel-style spice rack such as this one from J.K. Adams might work better. These have the advantage of not requiring any unstacking to get to the spices the cook needs.

What about storing spices in a drawer? If the drawer is tall enough, the bottles might be placed in the drawer, standing up, perhaps in some sort of basket. In this case, the end user will appreciate those few spice companies, such as Morton & Bassett, which label the top of the bottles as well as the side.

But for shallow drawers, the bottles will need to be stored on their sides. The common way to do this is with a spice tray insert, such as the one from Rev-A-Shelf. These can be trimmed to size with a table saw.

ShelfGenie of Seattle made this custom insert, which is a less flexible design; it fits many jars, but won't fit things like my paprika spice tin. But it certainly does keep the bottles well organized.

Another alternative to the tiered insert is YouCopia's SpiceLiner, where the foam keeps the bottles from moving around when the drawer is opened and closed. It's a simple design, but it works well. Trimming to size only requires scissors, not a saw; end users who aren't that handy with tools (including people like me, who don't own a saw) will appreciate this. Again, this is a product for bottles only, not tins.

The ORGA-LINE Spice Tray Set from Blum lets the end user take a tray out of the drawer and carry it off. As Blum says, "When it's time to cook, the entire tray can easily be removed from the drawer to sit on the countertop, keeping spices where you need them most." This could be useful if the end user often uses a lot of spices when cooking or baking, and those spices need to be stored in a drawer that's not close to where they will be used. But it seems like an unnecessary feature in other situations—and one that will take up counter space, which may be at a premium while the end user is cooking.

The Spicy Shelf organizes spices around the perimeter of a cupboard. It installs using existing shelf pins or the included freestanding legs. The width is adjustable. 

One purchaser noted there's no lip to keep the jars from falling off the front or sides, which may be an issue for some end users. Others noted some sagging when using a heavier glass jar on the shelves and some bowing in the center when using a wide setting; a design that was somewhat sturdier would have been appreciated. My one other concern: If the end user places the Spicy Shelf around the edges of a cabinet and then fills up the center part with a lot of items, it could be hard to see and reach the spices.

John Bielenberg is a designer, entrepreneur, and imaginative advocate for creating a better world through the application of “Thinking Wrong”. In 2003, he created Project M, an immersive program designed to inspire and educate young designers to shape a positive future through their work. In 2012, he co-founded Future Partners to advance his Thinking Wrong methodology within organizations and companies. Most recently, Bielenberg launched CCA Secret Project, a new program at the California Colleg

There were a ton of great talks at this year's AIGA National Conference in New Orleans in October, but for me the stand-out was a tiny, 7-minute "tasting menu" talk given by the incredible Sam Potts. (You may know him for his infamous Refutation of The Elements of Typographic Style or the mind-boggling, diagrammed "all the characters in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest" poster.) Here's the video embedded below. Share it with all the brave creative souls you know, or the ones who could use an inspiring shot of bravery...right about now.

While Spencer Nugent's ID-Sketching-style Millennium Falcon video was presented in time-lapse, absent any explanation, those of you still learning to sketch might benefit from more detailed instruction. Well, fear not: In the following video, Nugent shoots—and narrates—in real time, providing you with a step-by-step breakdown of his process.

Among other things, here Nugent covers the use of overlays, thinking in cross-section, different ways to hold the pencil, mapping out the imaginary light source, and the sometimes-tricky business of shading an all-white or all-black surface. Watch, learn, and/or sketch along with him if you can:

Some of you might be wondering: Why is Stormtrooper armor white? What designer or client would possibly green-light a combat uniform in the color that most easily shows dirt and scuff-marks? Core77 has gone to great lengths to determine the answer, and we're going to provide it in the next entry.

There's no army on Earth that suits their soldiers in white. But the Imperial Army's Stormtroopers, with their gleaming white suits, are not on Earth. Does that mean they can get away with it? What decisions could have possibly led to such a poor color choice for a military uniform meant to be exposed to the grit and grime of combat?

Image via TK409

Due to a leak at the Lucasfilm Archives, Core77 was able to obtain the script pages from a deleted scene in the original trilogy. In the following excerpt, we see that galactic industrial design consultant Cuke Skysketcher had some reservations about what would eventually make it into production.

Many of our agents died to bring you this information.

As Star Wars anticipation builds to a fever pitch, the impact on the culture simply cannot be understated. Some of it is fun, like the social media memes. While this one here isn't particularly brilliant, the comment beneath it cracked me up:

By the way, so clogged are media networks (er, including ours) with news of the upcoming film and all its tie-ins that you may wish to install this Force Block plug-in for your Chrome browser. It detects when you are about to read a webpage containing a Star Wars spoiler, and blocks it.

It doesn't seem to matter what walk of life you come from in order to find a Star Wars connection. Some examples:

Vehicle Design Critic

Popular Mechanics runs down the numerous design flaws—TIE fighter pilot visibility, anyone?—with their "5 Reasons 'Star Wars' Spaceships Make Absolutely No Sense" analysis.

Defense Contractor

Even Raytheon—you know, the folks that make cruise missiles, anti-missile batteries and radar systems—has gotten in on the action. In "A study of 'Star Wars': Raytheon.com examines the technology in the legendary trilogy," the company's tech-heads explain why the Rebel base on Hoth needed backup power, how to beat a tractor beam without risking Obi-Wan's neck (hint: the solution is an existing Raytheon product), and why Princess Leia's unencrypted distress signal was worse in terms of potential damage than Hillary Clinton's e-mailing habits.

Graphic Designer

Fontshop.com analyzes the saga's fonts, from the News Gothic of the famous opening crawl to the ITC Serif Gothic of the tagline and credits.

Film Manufacturer

In this era of digital video, Kodak is the last company still producing motion picture film. Last year they came close to shutting their doors. But now that the revitalized Star Wars franchise and others plan to continue shooting on film for the foreseeable future, Kodak has gone from losing money to making money. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

…As The Force Awakenspremiered, [Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke] called [director J.J.] Abrams "an extraordinary supporter of film. His advocacy was a key part of Kodak's decision to keep making film when we were down 96 percent."

Charity Worker

Shawn Crosby, a/k/a "Obi-Shawn Kenobi," visits children's hospitals for charity dressed as the Jedi Master. But since he can't exactly pull up in a Toyota Tercel, he converted a Nissan 350Z into a Star-Wars-esque starfighter complete with an R2D2 astromech droid. (Amazingly, some heartless bastard once stole it, but Crosby managed to recover it.)

Motorheads

Automotive designer Bryan Benedict has worked for both Honda--and Hot Wheels. For the latter, together with car builder Billy Hammon, he's created a life-sized, fully-functioning car based on…Darth Vader's helmet. Here Jay Leno takes it for a spin:

Merchandisers

As anyone who's left their house in the past few weeks has noticed, Star Wars merchandising has now reached insane levels. Never mind toys and fast-food tie-ins; there is now official Star-Wars-themed chicken hot dogs, foie gras, flavored water, cosmetics, footwear, birdhouses, fruit, you name it. Furthermore Disney's licensing branch has locked down the rights to pancake batter, office supplies, oven mitts, tissue box covers, glitter, mayonnaise and on and on. At this point it's quicker to say what isn't being Star-Wars-branded than what is or will be.

And that's just the licensed stuff. Disney lawyers are likely to have a field day going after the unlicensed hawkers, like the manufacturer of these "Saberforge" windshield wiper covers:

It won't be long before we see settlement attorneys with signs in front of their offices saying "May Divorce Be With You."

Also See:

This Star Wars Product Branding is Going Too Far

This individual has experienced the entire design and development process and works to develop research, concept sketches, rough prototyping, 2D control drawings and 3D CAD (refinement and specifications) to deliver products that align with KOBALT's brand strategy, design strategy, meet merchandising and business requirements and are differentiated from competitive brands.

The proposed location for the Lowline Park is a one-acre site where the former Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal used to be. It was first opened in 1908 but has been unused since 1948 when trolley service was discontinued. [Image courtesy of James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch]

Under the streets of New York City's Lower East Side, there is an abandoned space roughly the size of a football field where the old Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal used to be. It's hard to imagine unused real estate like this in Manhattan, but even harder to imagine that this subterranean pathway could become one of the greenest spaces in the city. Through simple yet brilliant solar technology, this site might soon be home to the Lowline—the first underground public park.

View of the site in its current condition. [Image courtesy of James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch]

The Lowline would create a new kind of public space, simultaneously embracing the historic elements of its site while introducing cutting-edge technologies that allow plant life to grow underground. [Rendering courtesy of James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch]

As seen in the diagram above, the proposed solar technology centers around the creation of a "remote skylight." This technology would transmit the necessary wavelengths of light to support photosynthesis, enabling plants and trees to grow. During periods of sunlight, electricity would not be necessary to light the space. [Image courtesy of James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch]

While the city tends to grow upward with skyscrapers and elevated parkways like the High Line striving for the sun, architect James Ramsey from RAAD studio and co-founder Daniel Barasch have been reaching in a different direction. To devise a solution for inhabiting the depths of the city, Ramsey and Barasch propose using a series of parabolic light collectors to encapsulate sunlight and inject it where no one knew it was needed. This "remote skylight," as they refer to it, opens up a world of possibilities for the historic site; the old terminal was abandoned in the 1940s, but the Lowline will leverage its charming array of "remnant cobblestones, crisscrossing rail tracks and vaulted ceilings" with the new life-giving technology.

The Lowline is currently limited to a small exhibition space and working prototype that proves the project is possible if it can get enough support to expand. Housed in an old warehouse on Essex Street, the Lowline Lab displays ongoing experiments in horticulture and lighting, as well as information on the technology that could make this urban jungle a reality. The Lab has the dual purpose to educate visitors on what could be and raise awareness to make it happen. Since its opening in October, it has been visited by over 15,000 people during the community's free weekend schedule. Weekdays, the Lab hosts a Youth Designers Program, where kids in grades K-12 interact with the site's unique conditions as they experience applied science, technology, engineering, arts, and math firsthand.

Built inside an abandoned market  just two blocks from the site of the proposed future Lowline, the Lowline Lab is a working prototype composed of controlled experiments in an environment mimicking the actual Lowline.

Designed by Signe Nielsen of Mathews Nielsen and built by John Mini Distinctive Landscapes, the Lowline Lab contains over 3,000 plants in several dozen unique varieties. 

Walking through the Lab, the feeling is equal parts inspiring and uncanny—it's suddenly possible to imagine lively underground pathways webbed into the currently damp and dreary subway. Not to mention what this could mean to other sun-deprived spaces. In a city where parks are scarce, it's hard not to be optimistic when you see the possibilities for green spaces increase. "To date, we've received interest in the solar technology from the US Department of Agriculture, who is interested in this approach as a potential way to grow food in urban areas; from the Mayor of Paris, who is interested in using this technology to illuminate abandoned transportation infrastructure in the French capital; from city officials in Singapore, Korea, and elsewhere around the world; and from a range of private developers," explains Barasch. "It is clear that the Lowline and Lowline technology could have a greater impact than just our proposed location—and this is incredibly inspiring to our team."

The Lowline Lab will be open on weekends through March 2016, as the final negotiations with the MTA and the City conclude. If all goes well, the Lowline would open to the public in 2020.

Is it getting down to the wire? Yeah, maybe a little. Here are some of our fun gift picks under $50 to help ease that holiday to-do list. Plus, domestic orders placed before noon Pacific on the 21st will ship by Christmas!

First up: the Tosa Nakiri vegetable knife. Blunted to keep you safe yet sharp enough to dice anything you can imagine. Cuts like lightning. $48. 

Super red stacking tray from Trusco: $40, super versatile, faster looking than any desk organizer or small stuff box you've got.

If you aren't familiar with the Otter-Messer Kat Knife you really ought to be by now. For $32 you can pick up a piece of high carbon steel history, plus a lanyard, plus some practical street cred. 

The Sonnenleder Simmel case will treat precious pens and pencils sweetly. $45 and comes complete with that special fresh leather smell. 

Tons more ideas in the Gifts Under $50 collection!

This is the latest installment of our Core77 Questionnaire. Previously, we talked to Michael Bierut.

Name:Nicholas Felton

Occupation: Information designer

Location: Brooklyn

Current projects: I’m wrapping up my tenth and final Annual Report, doing a couple client projects, and finishing up a book that should be released in the spring.

Mission: My primary mission is to help people understand the data that they generate, and to express themselves or tell stories using that data.

Nicholas Felton

When did you decide that you wanted to be a designer? I realized pretty early on that I wanted to work in design. Probably late middle school. I started getting internships in high school, working at a video production house and starting to do graphic and motion design. That led me to studying graphic design and starting my career in New York. But it wasn’t until around 2005 that I discovered the narrative potential of working with data, and how fulfilling I found it to work with.

Education: I went to the Rhode Island School of Design, where I got my undergraduate degree in graphic design. I’ve been working ever since.

The cover of Felton's tenth and final annual report. (Click images to enlarge.)

First design job: My first design job out of school was at an advertising agency in New York. I was brought on at first to be an art director, and I was able to parlay that into a small, dedicated design group within the agency.

What was your big break? Working on the Annual Reports was certainly my big break, after several attempts of doing personal and professional projects that I thought would make a name for myself. It’s rooted in the same desire that drives journaling or a travel log, but is based on a single year. That was the one that truly started to carve out a substantial niche.

Inside the 2014 report. Felton began the project in 2005, weaving together information about his personal activities—where he’s traveled, the books he’s read, how much sleep he’s gotten, and much more—into dense, beautiful infographics.

From the 2013 report, which focused on Felton’s communications data

The contents of the 2012 report were gathered with a custom-built iPhone app called Reporter.

Describe your workspace: I have a shared office space in Brooklyn near the Navy Yard. We have a big white box with nice light and then a bunch of huge white tables with the requisite monitors and laptops everywhere. Eames chairs, nice shelves. Lots of books.

What is your most important tool? Certainly the laptop. Working with computers has made up for my inability to draw very well. A notebook is also very important for working out ideas.

What is the best part of your job? The most rewarding things I’ve done have been making products that have impacted other people’s lives. Taking some of the stuff I’ve learned in my own projects and translating that into experiences or applications that other people can use for their own goals. Working on the design of the Facebook timeline was probably the most impactful thing that I’ve done and maybe will do. On a smaller scale, there’s Reporter, which is an iOS app I released last year. It hasn’t had the kind of impact that timeline has, but on a personal level, meeting people who have said it’s improved their lives significantly—that’s always a great experience.

What is the worst part of your job? Working for myself. Not having help and trying to balance all the things that I want to do with generating an income and trying not to say no to great projects. The work-life balance gets kind of difficult sometimes.

Felton's desk in his Brooklyn studio

By delivering a few randomly timed surveys each day, Reporter attempts to measure and visualize subtle aspects of users' lives.

What time do you get up and go to bed? Usually I get up at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. and go to bed around midnight.

How do you procrastinate? The Internet probably, but also just the ways that you trick yourself into thinking you’re getting stuff done. Like cleaning up your desk and reorganizing; those tasks that feel productive but are basically just designed to delay the inevitable things you don’t want to do.

What is your favorite productivity tip or trick? Right now I’m trying to sprint on a thing that has to be done today, so I quit my e-mail. Just turned it off. If I need to check it, I’ll check it on the phone, but I’m leaving it off on my computer to make sure that that little red dot is not going to distract me. I can’t ignore the notification in Mail if it’s there.

Felton’s labels for the winemaker Between Five Bells include seasonal temperature and rainfall data.

What is the best-designed object in your home? One that I sometimes marvel at is the Global knife set. They’re these Japanese knives that have a monolithic construction where the handle turns into the blade. Some of them were gifts but I started the collection myself, and I really take the time to appreciate them every once in a while.

Who is your design hero? I don’t know if he’s a hero but I have a lot of respect for Brian Eno. He’s a person who I think has done a good job with the work-life balance. I casually knew his music, but then I saw him speak once and was kind of transfixed. He also published a diary that was a year in his life. It was a very intimate way of learning some of the details about all the people he was collaborating with, and how he was putting on art exhibits at the same time he was working on music, traveling the globe, seeing his family and interacting with them. I’ve thought about that quite a bit since I read it. He seems to always be pushing himself, and he’s someone I certainly look up to.

For Wired, Felton visualized ten years of Wikipedia data.

What is the most important quality in a designer? Stubbornness. Pursuing one idea relentlessly. It has served me well.

What is the most widespread misunderstanding about design or designers? I think one of the things that’s not widely known is how much design factors into the systems we use continuously (or take for granted). Like all the design that goes into the typography and the systems that make the highway system work. I don’t know if people really contemplate the depth to which design is a functional part of our lives, and not just decorative.

What is exciting you in design right now? I’ve moved more and more into using code to create my design. So I tend to be pretty inspired by the people who are at the forefront of the field. I’m always trying to expand my abilities. Practice, practice, practice—to be able to make the kind of things that I want to create.

This week's Projects section will feature works coming from Art Center's brand new Interaction Design Department. The students featured are part of the department's very first graduating class. Each project explores through interactive tech solutions how people think, feel and behave when they encounter a product, place or ecosystem.

Peal system aims to create a healthy lifestyle transition for a patient who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes.

We’ve saved Spencer Nugent’s most ID-licious Star Wars illustration for last. Here Nugent shows you not only how to sketch up an X-Wing Fighter, but also how to render it in color—all done on the iPad Pro, using an Apple Pencil and the sexy Procreate program.

In Part 1 we see some of Procreate's tricks, from perspective assist to quickly fade-able layer opacity and how it handles palm rejection. On the drawing front, Nugent demonstrates using line weight to emphasize directionality/motion in a vehicle and offers some of his signature tips, all while using the custom digital brush he's created (The "Spencil!").

In Part 2 we get a look at some of Procreate’s brushes and the magic of digital: A variety of layer tricks, the back-and-forth dance between them and a fast, cheater-y way to pull in backgrounds. On the rendering front Nugent goes from roughing out the values to adding the all-important color and highlights, then pulls the original linework back in to add some definition.

When you start to hear the facts about the Star Wars franchise and their marketing efforts, it suspiciously begins to sound like the new movie is an elaborate accessory to support its array of branded products: a recent study estimates that the conglomerate will earn over $5 billion within the next year for The Force Awakens from merchandise alone (while the movie should rake in a little over $2 billion in revenue). With this strange push to promote the movie and brand wherever possible, there are inevitably a number of strange and preposterous (albeit at times kind of awesome) products coming out along with the movie release.

If you haven't already pinpointed your favorite ridiculous merch in Rain's earlier post, here are 5 more unbelievable products we've seen thus far—

The Superfan Watch

Purporting an innovative "time-belt" technology that not only looks pretty cool but also claims itself to be the most time-accurate mechanical watch ever, Devon Works has teamed up with the US Aerospace Industry to create this complexly engineered, one-of-a-kind timepiece. The cost of their labor is clear, as the watch and cufflink pair carry a hefty price tag of $28,500. And they've already hooked some people in—there are already at least 50 customers who have pre-ordered the watch. Obviously this is a shiny marketing ploy for Disney, and as awesome as it actually is, it's still so crazy to me people will cough up this much money for a collectible.

Chop Sabers

These chopsticks, although not brand new to the Star Wars market, are living proof that if you wanted to decorate your entire life with Star Wars relevant products, you probably could. That being said, I still wouldn't mind having a pair.

Shower in Darth Vader's Tears

Even Bed Bath & Beyond even wants in on this money making action. The company's solution? A shower head that bathes you in an explosion of Darth Vader's tears. The funniest thing about this product to me is that the context of it is so random and the functionality of it so hilarious that it has now reached meme status. 

The R2-D2 Remote Control Mini-Fridge

This new tech-y fridge from Haier will set you back about $8,000, but in return it will hand deliver you ice cold beers via its remote control system— so you know, worth it.

Fruit

Alright, Star Wars branded navel oranges...I'm done. 

What are the craziest Star Wars products you've seen as of late? Join the conversation in our discussion board.

Everyone from Family Guy to Robot Chicken, from Saturday Night Live to independent filmmakers have all skewered Star Wars to great comedic effect. Out of the literally hundreds of parodies out there, these are our faves:

Shorter Bits:

Lando Learns Never to Make a Deal with Darth Vader

Princess Leia Attempts to Record Video Plea for Help

Star Wars Toy Commercial

Death Star Napkin Design Sketch

Kevin Spacey Playing Christopher Walken Blowing the Han Solo Audition

Death Star Architectural Standards Not Up to Code

Emperor Gets the Phone Call After Death Star Destruction

Kevin Spacey Playing Jack Lemmon Auditioning for Chewbacca

"The Force Awakens" Auditions

Longer Bits:

George Lucas in Love (i.e. The True Inspirations for Star Wars)

"Troops" ("Cops" Parody)

Auralnauts: Kenobi Visits Kamino, Part 1 - "Larry"

Auralnauts: Kenobi Visits Kamino, Part 2 - Bass Wars

Excerpt from Clerks: "Death Star Contractors"

Got any favorites that we missed? (I'm sure we've overlooked a bunch in the Robot Chicken library alone.) If you've got a good one, please link to it in the comments!

Understanding Wood Movement

Working with wood isn't just about learning how to use the tools; it's as much about understanding how wood behaves, so that you can minimize the chances it will crack after you've completed your project. In this episode of The Wood Whisperer, Marc Spagnuolo drops some much-needed wood movement science and helps a viewer figure out why their project developed cracks.

Sexy Gift Box

Steve Ramsey makes an awesome sliding dovetail gift box. While his is dimensioned to hold a pair of Korean-style chopsticks and a stone rest, you can size yours to hold any kind of small object.

Steel Endtable with Built-In LEDs

Bob Clagett's been expanding his metalworking skills, and in this episode of I Like to Make Stuff he welds up a steel endtable with barnwood horizontals. He also adds some LED nightlights--and warns you what to look for when buying a metal-cutting saw.

Low-Tech Tricks for a Flat Glue-Up

Need to glue up a slab, but don't have a Domino? This week Jesse de Geest shows you his low-tech Samurai Carpenter method for getting a nice, flat glue-up with minimal fuss.

Motorized Pantorouter Display

Matthias Wandel's got quite the challenge this week: To build a motorized tradeshow display highlighting the template-tracing action of a pantorouter. For someone wading outside of his comfort zone--Wandel rarely takes commission jobs--the veteran inventor seems, as always, completely comfortable tackling the project.

2x4 Workbench for Wilkerson Senior

This week April Wilkerson loaded her truck up with tools, then headed out to visit her recently-retired folks. Pops Wilkerson needed a workbench, so April banged out a simple, sturdy design from 2x4s and plywood.

One From the Archives:

Izzy Swan's Dynamic Take on a Self-Clamping Pocket Hole Jig

I've seen homemade pocket hole jigs before, but none as clever as Izzy Swan's! With his design, moving parts and leverage do most of the work for you, while removing the fuss of having to reset the clamp for each hole.