Ernst Haeckel Draws a Psychedelic World

Ernst Haeckel was a 19th century artist, philosopher and professor who had a deep interest in the natural world. His beautifully detailed illustrations of sea creatures, insects, plants and animals have survived over a century of change and are still hailed as among the best nature illustrations that exist to this day.

Photography vs Psychedelic Illustrations
The art of photography has existed for centuries, though not as we know it today. As early as the 4th and 5th centuries BC, Chinese and Greek philosophers and mathematicians described pinhole cameras. By the late 19th century, more sophisticated cameras were in use. These cameras often produced blurry images that were either over- or under-exposed, so up until the early 20th century, illustrations were the best way for scientists to share images of their findings with other biologists. These illustrations were used to identify and differentiate species of animals. Ernst Haeckel earned a name for himself for his highly detailed, intricately constructed illustrations of the natural world.

Above: Ernst Haeckel often colored his illustrations, a technique that allowed other naturalists to imagine not just the shape and texture of the creature, but its color patterns too. During the 19th century, photographs were produced in black and white, which meant that color illustrations were valued over monotone photographs. [source]

Above: Orchidae, depicting several orchid flower species. Haeckel often drew collections of animals or plants of the same species, showcasing both the similarities and differences between the different breeds. [source]

Above: Ernst Haeckel's illustrations were highly prized for their level of detail. Many nature artists of the time would simply have drawn a rough sketch of this sea creature, unlike Haeckel who has drawn every tiny detail. [source]

Natural Psychedelic Design
It's unlikely that Haeckel's intention was to create psychedelic art works. As a biologist and naturalist, Haeckel simply wanted to record the world as he saw it, as a collection of intricate patterns and subtle shades. But repetitive patterns create the basis of psychedelic art, so Haeckel's illustrations have unintentionally become mind-boggling art works.

Above: Many of Haeckel's drawings are of sea creatures such as anemones. With their repetitive patterns and intricate details, these creatures are the perfect subjects for psychedelic, alienish art works. [source]

Above: Ernst Haeckel's illustrations often have an otherworldly feel. The creature in the picture above could easily feel at home on an alien planet, yet unusually enough, it calls Earth its home. [source]

Above: Another of Haeckel's illustrations that shows several different breeds of the same specie. In all of his art works, Haeckel included as much detail as he possibly could, making his drawings the first truly accurate recordings of many creatures.

Ernst Haeckel died on August 9, 1919, leaving behind hundreds of nature illustrations. Nearly a century after his death, his drawings are still celebrated as being some of the most detailed and attractive biological illustrations in the world.

Read More on Art-Sci:

10 Where's Waldo Puzzles
Animal Owners Tattoo Their Pets
Funny Photoshop Head Swaps
Incredible Tattoo Designs
Photoshop Machine Animals: a Love Story of Nature & Technology
Sam Spratt has PAINTED ALL THE MEMES!

Wear Art on your Eyelids with Eye Shadow Paintings

Eye shadow is a cosmetic that is applied to the lids of the eyes to create shadows or highlights to define the shape of the eye. Generally, eye shadow is applied in smooth gradients, with two or more colors subtly blended into one another to create a natural effect. But what if a girl wants her eyes to tell a tale? Enter the art of eyelid painting...

I See the City and the City Sees Me
The colorful gradient of a city-lit sky makes a stunning background for the subject of this body art; a city skyline. The tiny lit windows in the buildings give the cosmetic artist an opportunity to bring out her metallic body paints.

Above: The full art work is only visible when the wearer has her eyes closed. [source]

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
Based on a prism design, this body painting piece uses the eye as the focus of the art work. The make-up artist has applied paint to not just the upper eyelid, but the areas surrounding the eye.

Above: False eyelashes and tiny diamante accents add to the beauty of this cosmetic art work. [source]

Playing Super Mario with Your Eyes Closed
Super Mario is a Nintendo game that was first released in the 1980s. The game became so popular that the characters are often used in video game fan art works. In the picture below, make-up artist Katie Alves has used body paint in place of eye shadow powder. This allows her to create tiny details of the game, such as bricks and coins.

Above: This Super Mario body art uses just the eyelid as the canvas for the fan art work. The eyelashes and eyebrows frame the painting. The cosmetic artist has used tiny brushes to add details such as outlines and spots on the characters. [source]

Eyes on Fire

Using metallic and glitter body paints and eye shadows powders, this cosmetic artist has created fiery eyes, including a decorative flower design at the edge of the eyes.

Above: The contrast between the vivid golds and the darker charcoal areas give interest to the body painting. [source]

Be a Jungle Queen with the Lion King
The Lion King is one of Disney's most popular animated films, with many memorable scenes. In the body art work below, one of these famous scenes is painted onto the girl's eyelids. The tiny silhouettes of the animals are painted onto the background with the tip of a fine paint brush.

Above: It's fairly common for make up artists to use two different colors; one on the edge of the eyelid, and the other for the area below the eyebrow. In this case, green and blue have been used to create an effect of grass and sky. [source]

Eat With Your Eyes
The shape of the eye is similar to the shape of the mouth. This cosmetic artist has used the similarity in shape to create lips around the eyelids, so the wearer can "eat" with her eyes.

Above: The finished effect is a bit strange, but these lippy eyes are still pretty funny. [source]

The View from the Little Mermaid's Bedroom
The make-up artist has used a base of blue body paint for this under-the-sea scene. Gold paint has been used to highlight the fronds of seaweed. To complete the painting, the artist has extended the gold paint onto the eyelashes of the model, giving her lashes black and gold stripes.

Above: Another eyelid painting by Katie Alves. These fun designs are great ideas for dress up parties and music festivals.

Read More on Art-Sci:

Beautiful Tattoo Designs for Girls
Blooming Bling! Jewelry made with Real Flowers
Funny Photoshop Animals are Almost Human
Nyan Cat Meme Fan Art
Painting with Wine, a Tipsy Art Style
Smurfs Graffiti: BLUEhahaha!