“My own personal style involves continuously creating tension in the artwork,” she explained in a piece she wrote for Artsy Shark. “I achieve this through the combined use of premeditated realism and abstract improvisation. Realism is used as a measure of my ability and the abstract work displays my artistic expression.”

In her most recent series, Velozo focused on the rich birdlife inhabiting grasslands. Through it she hopes to encourage a connection between humans and nature, whilst focusing on the birds that live within this unique environment. “I want to create a subconscious connection to the environment,” she says. “I believe viewing a painting of nature evokes an intuitive reminder of the fragility and sacredness of the natural world.”

Crows, ravens, and eagles are seen throughout her work, captured in stunning detail. Those are placed against an abstract version of an environmental landscape, bringing energy and antics to the painting and creating interest and narrative to the small birds’ struggles.

According to Velozo, grasslands are among our most vulnerable and endangered habitats due to urbanization. But as the conversation revolving around our natural environments is now at the forefront, she hopes her work can stimulate care and concern for this place we call home.

The post Australian Painter Captures the Many Grassland Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Through her oil paintings, she shares her passion for birds and for nature with others. An award-winning artist, Tanner uses traditional oil painting techniques, but she believes it’s her attention to their inner being that gives them their lifelike quality. With a love of the outdoors, she travels widely for her subjects, whom she studies carefully, and is active in supporting endangered birds and their habitat.

“Birds sing, dance, fight, court, breed and fly,” she writes. “They claim territory, pair for life, play the field and fool around. They hold funerals, have socials, eat fermented berries and perform mating rituals that leave us baffled. The subject matter is endless!”

With her work, she hopes to inspire other people to spend more time outdoors and find a reason to be in nature. “My goal is for the viewer to connect with the playful, human side of birds,” she further explained in a piece she wrote for Artsy Shark, “to see into their eyes and realize there is so much more than expected.”

Take a look at some of her life-like paintings:

The post Rose Tanner Lovingly Captures the Many Birds of Our World appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Ukrainian artist Tanya Zhylyayeva uses amigurumi to create adorable birds that look exactly like real animals. Her intricate colorful creatures are around seven inches tall and they can perch on your finger just like a real bird.

“All the children and their parents love crocheted toys and I love them too. But what I love the most is to create toys. I love bright and funny parrots, scary raven, cardinal birds, and doves,” Zhylyayeva wrote on her Etsy shop.

Zhylyayeva’s flock includes birds like cockatiels, budgies, conures, palm and white cockatoos and you order any of these models on her Etsy shop. The artist is also open to custom orders, which means you can get a crochet model of your adorable pet.

Check out her creations in the photos below.

The post Intricate Crochet Birds by Tanya Zhylyayeva appeared first on PlayJunkie.

A common motif throughout her artwork is birds. “I am continually inspired by the natural world but in particular birds and their movement within the landscape and coastal regions,” Henley writes on her website. “I love studying how they move across the sky and interact with air currents and wave motion, or their distinctive characteristic movement as they feed along shorelines or flock to feeding grounds.”

Using machine and hand stitch, Henley applies fragments of Japanese paper, found paper (which she handprints), dyed muslin, and bits of silk. Large, spacious areas of printed and painted surface contrast with small stitched details, representative of delicate birds in their wild natural environment and the contrast between intricate detail and the vast expanse of surrounding space.

“I hope my work helps to draw attention to the delicate balance of nature and the inter-dependence and connectivity between ourselves and our natural environment,” she says. “I hope that the sense of freedom I try to capture will resonate with everyone that sees it.”

With a BA degree in Fine Art/Textiles at Goldsmith’s College, London, Henley has exhibited her art around the world, in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, the US, and Spain. But you can also enjoy her art from afar, by following her on Instagram.

The post Nicola Henley’s Textile Art Is Inspired By Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Rajput makes paper birds because she wants to spread awareness of endangered species that may not exist soon. Her process is incredibly detailed. She starts by studying the anatomy of a bird she wants to make and makes sure to get it right down to the littlest details. 

She finds it almost impossible to completely replicate the sophisticated designs nature creates, but she does her best. “I have taken this project on, to reach that level of perfection which can be applauded with a great sense of wonder by my audience and also acts as a reminder of what’s out there and needs to be protected,” she told This is Colossal.

Scroll down for more.

The post Niharika Rajput Makes Incredible Miniature Paper Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Naturally, the internet has fallen head over heels with this dynamic duo. With more than 160k followers on Instagram, they have been featured on numerous websites and social media pages such as 9gag, The Dodo, and Unilad.

“Our page displays the daily life of Tydus and our African Grey Congo, Trez, Creating a blog type feel to it through the lens of our animals,” write their owners on the pets’ dedicated web page (you didn’t think these two wouldn’t have their own webpage right?). “This method has proven to be successful as many people have come to know the attitude and personality of both Trez and Tydus,” they write. “We believe this aspect is what makes our page so special and engaging. We also promote good and healthy animal care in a very informative manner. Today, our influence and followers continue to expand to new horizons.”

They add that Tydus’ coat requires a lot of care as it matts if left unattended for too long. “He has a large stature complimented with a big chest which is often overwhelming for people, not to mention all that fur makes him look bigger,” they say. His parrot buddy, on the other hand, is said to be highly intelligent, often telling Tydus to “stop it” and occasionally complimenting him with a “Good Boy Tydus.”

Can these two please get their own TV show?!

The post A Parrot and an Alaskan Malamute Make For the Best of Friends appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Talking about her background with the Paperfolk blog, she said that coming from an artistic family meant that creativity has always been a part of her life. “As a child I used to like to paint, draw and deal with all kinds of handicrafts,” she recalled. “I finished art school but I learned a lot of things by myself, including embroidery. I discovered embroidery as a teenager when I found a book about folk embroidery. I really liked it so I decided to try it myself. It came naturally to me because I had a background in various other fields of art.”

“Embroidery is very time consuming so I had to postpone it for a while and got back to it after a few years,” she admits. “I started to play around with felt and I discovered how good it looks when it’s combined with embroidery. Soft painterly effects can be achieved by using the felting technique and look perfect in combination with an acute line of threads.”

The finished product is more of a needle painting than a work of embroidery. “Mostly my work is based on images which fall into my hands and usually I don’t make any sketches,” says Bartnik. “I have plenty ideas in my head (sometimes too much) which isn’t always good because I forget to realize lots of them.”

Based in Poland, Bartnik loves nature, travel, and art, and says that nature itself provides the greatest source of inspiration for her as it contains all sorts of colors, shapes, and textures.

Take a look at some of her work below.

The post Paulina Bartnik’s “Embirderies” Have Taken the Internet by Storm appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I am obsessed with animals, but especially birds and have been since I was a young lad,” he told Ohh Deer. “I’m always making stuff or trying to think of new mediums for art projects and I had played around with balloons in the past after seeing guys make some incredible stuff at the magic society I used to be a member of. I wanted to make a new project about birds, and for whatever reason, balloons just came to mind.”

Each sculpture takes a couple of hours to make. “I am passionately against careless discard of balloons (or any rubbish for that matter) and never ever leave these in the wild,” Cook assures his followers. “I use are Qualatex balloons made from natural latex, they are biodegradable and according to the manufacturers website, they break down as quickly as an Oak Leaf,” he adds on his website. “I still have all the deflated balloons used from the different projects, and intend on keeping them until I can think of something cool to do with them.”

Though Cook works predominantly with watercolor, he also enjoys working with acrylics, inks, robotics, and anything else I can get my hands on, including balloons.

Check out some of his balloon sculptures in the gallery below.

The post The Balloon Birds of Terry Cook appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“Birds are so fascinating,” she exclaimed in an interview with Flow Magazine. “There are so many different species, and the spectrum of colors, shapes, patterns, and sounds seems endless. I also find age-old mythologies behind birds interesting. In so many cultures they have been used as an explanation for countless questions.”

“One of the best things about the illustration process is doing research for projects,” she adds. “It’s so much fun to read up on a potentially completely unknown subject and figure out how to make it work as an illustration.”

Living in the countryside, where she shares a space with her husband and two dogs, she spends her free time embroidering or running around with her binoculars and watching birds. “I love birdwatching, especially in spring when the migrating species arrive back to Finland,” she admits. “My favorite place to watch them is by the water, so I guess that’s why aquatic birds are the most dear to me, but actually I love all birds. I’m definitely a bird lady.”

Follow her work on Instagram.

The post This Illustrator is Fascinated by Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Made with cut paper and watercolors, their miniature art is made with astonishing precision. Hand-cut and hand-painted entirely by hand, each artwork takes from 4-8 hours to complete depending on the details of the feathers and colors.

“The concept of this miniatures is to express the intricacy and vibrancy of the birds around us,” shared the paper artists with Bored Panda. “We used the technique of layered paper cutting to give volume to the artworks and get a three-dimensional feel to them.”

You can also purchase their paper art in their Etsy shop. Here are some of our favorites:

The post These Artists Prove That Birds of a Feather Indeed Flock Together appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My own personal style involves continuously creating tension in the artwork,” she explained in a piece she wrote for Artsy Shark. “I achieve this through the combined use of premeditated realism and abstract improvisation. Realism is used as a measure of my ability and the abstract work displays my artistic expression.”

In her most recent series, Velozo focused on the rich birdlife inhabiting grasslands. Through it she hopes to encourage a connection between humans and nature, whilst focusing on the birds that live within this unique environment. “I want to create a subconscious connection to the environment,” she says. “I believe viewing a painting of nature evokes an intuitive reminder of the fragility and sacredness of the natural world.”

Crows, ravens, and eagles are seen throughout her work, captured in stunning detail. Those are placed against an abstract version of an environmental landscape, bringing energy and antics to the painting and creating interest and narrative to the small birds’ struggles.

According to Velozo, grasslands are among our most vulnerable and endangered habitats due to urbanization. But as the conversation revolving around our natural environments is now at the forefront, she hopes her work can stimulate care and concern for this place we call home.

The post Australian Painter Captures the Many Grassland Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Through her oil paintings, she shares her passion for birds and for nature with others. An award-winning artist, Tanner uses traditional oil painting techniques, but she believes it’s her attention to their inner being that gives them their lifelike quality. With a love of the outdoors, she travels widely for her subjects, whom she studies carefully, and is active in supporting endangered birds and their habitat.

“Birds sing, dance, fight, court, breed and fly,” she writes. “They claim territory, pair for life, play the field and fool around. They hold funerals, have socials, eat fermented berries and perform mating rituals that leave us baffled. The subject matter is endless!”

With her work, she hopes to inspire other people to spend more time outdoors and find a reason to be in nature. “My goal is for the viewer to connect with the playful, human side of birds,” she further explained in a piece she wrote for Artsy Shark, “to see into their eyes and realize there is so much more than expected.”

Take a look at some of her life-like paintings:

The post Rose Tanner Lovingly Captures the Many Birds of Our World appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Ukrainian artist Tanya Zhylyayeva uses amigurumi to create adorable birds that look exactly like real animals. Her intricate colorful creatures are around seven inches tall and they can perch on your finger just like a real bird.

“All the children and their parents love crocheted toys and I love them too. But what I love the most is to create toys. I love bright and funny parrots, scary raven, cardinal birds, and doves,” Zhylyayeva wrote on her Etsy shop.

Zhylyayeva’s flock includes birds like cockatiels, budgies, conures, palm and white cockatoos and you order any of these models on her Etsy shop. The artist is also open to custom orders, which means you can get a crochet model of your adorable pet.

Check out her creations in the photos below.

The post Intricate Crochet Birds by Tanya Zhylyayeva appeared first on PlayJunkie.

A common motif throughout her artwork is birds. “I am continually inspired by the natural world but in particular birds and their movement within the landscape and coastal regions,” Henley writes on her website. “I love studying how they move across the sky and interact with air currents and wave motion, or their distinctive characteristic movement as they feed along shorelines or flock to feeding grounds.”

Using machine and hand stitch, Henley applies fragments of Japanese paper, found paper (which she handprints), dyed muslin, and bits of silk. Large, spacious areas of printed and painted surface contrast with small stitched details, representative of delicate birds in their wild natural environment and the contrast between intricate detail and the vast expanse of surrounding space.

“I hope my work helps to draw attention to the delicate balance of nature and the inter-dependence and connectivity between ourselves and our natural environment,” she says. “I hope that the sense of freedom I try to capture will resonate with everyone that sees it.”

With a BA degree in Fine Art/Textiles at Goldsmith’s College, London, Henley has exhibited her art around the world, in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, the US, and Spain. But you can also enjoy her art from afar, by following her on Instagram.

The post Nicola Henley’s Textile Art Is Inspired By Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Rajput makes paper birds because she wants to spread awareness of endangered species that may not exist soon. Her process is incredibly detailed. She starts by studying the anatomy of a bird she wants to make and makes sure to get it right down to the littlest details. 

She finds it almost impossible to completely replicate the sophisticated designs nature creates, but she does her best. “I have taken this project on, to reach that level of perfection which can be applauded with a great sense of wonder by my audience and also acts as a reminder of what’s out there and needs to be protected,” she told This is Colossal.

Scroll down for more.

The post Niharika Rajput Makes Incredible Miniature Paper Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Naturally, the internet has fallen head over heels with this dynamic duo. With more than 160k followers on Instagram, they have been featured on numerous websites and social media pages such as 9gag, The Dodo, and Unilad.

“Our page displays the daily life of Tydus and our African Grey Congo, Trez, Creating a blog type feel to it through the lens of our animals,” write their owners on the pets’ dedicated web page (you didn’t think these two wouldn’t have their own webpage right?). “This method has proven to be successful as many people have come to know the attitude and personality of both Trez and Tydus,” they write. “We believe this aspect is what makes our page so special and engaging. We also promote good and healthy animal care in a very informative manner. Today, our influence and followers continue to expand to new horizons.”

They add that Tydus’ coat requires a lot of care as it matts if left unattended for too long. “He has a large stature complimented with a big chest which is often overwhelming for people, not to mention all that fur makes him look bigger,” they say. His parrot buddy, on the other hand, is said to be highly intelligent, often telling Tydus to “stop it” and occasionally complimenting him with a “Good Boy Tydus.”

Can these two please get their own TV show?!

The post A Parrot and an Alaskan Malamute Make For the Best of Friends appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Talking about her background with the Paperfolk blog, she said that coming from an artistic family meant that creativity has always been a part of her life. “As a child I used to like to paint, draw and deal with all kinds of handicrafts,” she recalled. “I finished art school but I learned a lot of things by myself, including embroidery. I discovered embroidery as a teenager when I found a book about folk embroidery. I really liked it so I decided to try it myself. It came naturally to me because I had a background in various other fields of art.”

“Embroidery is very time consuming so I had to postpone it for a while and got back to it after a few years,” she admits. “I started to play around with felt and I discovered how good it looks when it’s combined with embroidery. Soft painterly effects can be achieved by using the felting technique and look perfect in combination with an acute line of threads.”

The finished product is more of a needle painting than a work of embroidery. “Mostly my work is based on images which fall into my hands and usually I don’t make any sketches,” says Bartnik. “I have plenty ideas in my head (sometimes too much) which isn’t always good because I forget to realize lots of them.”

Based in Poland, Bartnik loves nature, travel, and art, and says that nature itself provides the greatest source of inspiration for her as it contains all sorts of colors, shapes, and textures.

Take a look at some of her work below.

The post Paulina Bartnik’s “Embirderies” Have Taken the Internet by Storm appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I am obsessed with animals, but especially birds and have been since I was a young lad,” he told Ohh Deer. “I’m always making stuff or trying to think of new mediums for art projects and I had played around with balloons in the past after seeing guys make some incredible stuff at the magic society I used to be a member of. I wanted to make a new project about birds, and for whatever reason, balloons just came to mind.”

Each sculpture takes a couple of hours to make. “I am passionately against careless discard of balloons (or any rubbish for that matter) and never ever leave these in the wild,” Cook assures his followers. “I use are Qualatex balloons made from natural latex, they are biodegradable and according to the manufacturers website, they break down as quickly as an Oak Leaf,” he adds on his website. “I still have all the deflated balloons used from the different projects, and intend on keeping them until I can think of something cool to do with them.”

Though Cook works predominantly with watercolor, he also enjoys working with acrylics, inks, robotics, and anything else I can get my hands on, including balloons.

Check out some of his balloon sculptures in the gallery below.

The post The Balloon Birds of Terry Cook appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“Birds are so fascinating,” she exclaimed in an interview with Flow Magazine. “There are so many different species, and the spectrum of colors, shapes, patterns, and sounds seems endless. I also find age-old mythologies behind birds interesting. In so many cultures they have been used as an explanation for countless questions.”

“One of the best things about the illustration process is doing research for projects,” she adds. “It’s so much fun to read up on a potentially completely unknown subject and figure out how to make it work as an illustration.”

Living in the countryside, where she shares a space with her husband and two dogs, she spends her free time embroidering or running around with her binoculars and watching birds. “I love birdwatching, especially in spring when the migrating species arrive back to Finland,” she admits. “My favorite place to watch them is by the water, so I guess that’s why aquatic birds are the most dear to me, but actually I love all birds. I’m definitely a bird lady.”

Follow her work on Instagram.

The post This Illustrator is Fascinated by Birds appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Made with cut paper and watercolors, their miniature art is made with astonishing precision. Hand-cut and hand-painted entirely by hand, each artwork takes from 4-8 hours to complete depending on the details of the feathers and colors.

“The concept of this miniatures is to express the intricacy and vibrancy of the birds around us,” shared the paper artists with Bored Panda. “We used the technique of layered paper cutting to give volume to the artworks and get a three-dimensional feel to them.”

You can also purchase their paper art in their Etsy shop. Here are some of our favorites:

The post These Artists Prove That Birds of a Feather Indeed Flock Together appeared first on PlayJunkie.