I always like to see what’s going on behind the scene, how things are made, how artists work, how certain effects are achieved. I guess that’s how I got into a web design - I wanted to know how can I build a site from scratch.

When I was a little girl, I loved going to a park where every weekend a couple of artists were bringing their easels, palette with paint and drawing people. I remember that I didn’t want to join other kids and run to merry-go-rounds or the ferris wheel, I preferred to stand near one of the artists and watch the magic in action, gaze at how a person’s face appears on a blank canvas. Those artists inspired me to draw. Unfortunately, it’s been a long time since I drew last.

I think it’ll change soon, I feel I’m getting that drawing itch once again. I also want to try combining traditional drawing techniques with the digital ones. I’m afraid I won’t be able to match the talent of Nico Di Mattia (a.k.a Nexx). Just watch his wizardry in action - speed painting of Thom Yorke’s portrait - the lead singer from Radiohead. Watch this 7 minute video and get inspired by an incredible work of art presented by Nexx, and enjoy two of the most popular Radiohead songs in the background - Street Spirit and Karma Police.

Pure genious. The work with Photoshop brushes is astonishing, the details are superb. You can see more of his amazing work on Nico’s YouTube profile page.

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9 Insightful Bits in response to “7 Astonishing Minutes to Get Inspired”

  1. Shankar Ganesh

    BTW, You’re paintings are great too! When did you paint them exactly? I loved the “Naturmorte” - still life work

    March 5th, 2007 at 4:53 am

    1

  2. ibit

    Thank you, Shankar. Most of my work there is from 1989 to 1999, during my school and university years. “Naturmorte” I painted about 10 years ago. The digital work that I showcase there is more recent.
    I hope that one day I’ll have my own studio where I can draw in peace :-)

    March 5th, 2007 at 9:23 am

    2

  3. LGR

    That was simply incredible! I wish I had that kind of skill.

    March 5th, 2007 at 12:07 pm

    3

  4. Garry

    That speed painting just blew me away. Such amazing talent!! Thanks for the link.

    March 6th, 2007 at 2:48 am

    4

  5. Shankar Ganesh

    Best of luck to you, Vivien

    March 6th, 2007 at 3:37 am

    5

  6. ibit

    Thanks, Shankar.

    You’re welcome, Garry.

    I wished that too, LGR.

    March 6th, 2007 at 9:02 am

    6

Pingbacks and Trackbacks

  1. 8 Bits of Unforeseen Traffic From Search Engines » Inspiration Bit

    [...] nico di mattia nexx - I would never guessed that so many people (over 200) will be searching for him when I posted his speed painting video. [...]

  2. Best of July 2007 | Best of the Month

    [...] 7 Astonishing Minutes to Get Inspired Artists are getting creative: this video shows how Adobe Illustrator-Profi Nico Di Mattia creates a photo-realistic image of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke “from scratch”. [...]

  3. Speed painting · gazraa.com

    [...] since Vivien at Inspiration Bit made me aware of speed painting from her post ‘7 Astonishing Minutes to Get Inspired‘ I have been amazed by the amount of talent out there and the work they are showing on [...]

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PersonalBits

Hi, I'm Vivien. Thanks for visiting my Inspiration Bit. I often find myself scouring the internet looking for either answers to many questions I have or websites that inspire me, sites that I can learn from. On what topics you might ask — any topics that interest me, anything from web design to typography and art, from blogging to entrepreneurship, from programming to open source.
read more…
When I'm not blogging, I design web sites, teach, play with my daughter and try to balance family, work, friends and a somewhat active social life on