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  • As everyone is sharing their favourite miniature artists I’m going to share Bobby Fingers, who makes the best videos on YouTube IMHO.

    The Jeff Bezos boat would probably appeal to this crowd, although it is by not remotely miniature.

  • Fabio is still the best as a video imho.
  • > My to-go order is always just an Americano.

    Friend: visit us here in Australia. Walk into any good local coffee shop and order a long black (or a flat white if you're feeling adventurous). Your mind will be blown.

  • I'm sure you know Thomas Demand, the German artist who works with miniature models of crime scenes. if not check him out. Also the Austrian artist Bernd Oppl works with miniature architecture, but he uses the models for his videos and installations
    by rSi
  • This is very cool and inspiring! A hobby I could totally lose myself in. However lately my near sight is going and bending over a bench to do intricate work kills my back. I recently spent 2 hours replacing the charge port on an iPad and afterwards I couldn’t stand straight for two days.
  • Hey! If there is something to lose yourself in and it's good for you, then when else are we going to get this inspiration back?

    I build all sorts of stuff at my desk, random minutes I get, or those melancholic Tuesday evenings.

    There is this Japanese company I like, BGMLife[1]—local artsy craft stores carry these—where you can put tiny stickers on a canvas, creating whole scenes of a packed restaurant or a quiet library!

    [1] https://www.bgmlife.jp/products/diorama-2-5d-seal-vol-3/

  • Excellent work with the tiny cafe! I'm enamored of miniatures like these. Very different vibe but Alan Wolfson [0] makes gritty, grimy urban environments that I have a soft spot for, being from NYC.

    [0] https://www.alanwolfsonart.com/

  • I like this London miniature artist: https://slinkachu.com/work Kind of the Banksy of very tiny guerilla urban art.
    by rwmj
  • Thank you! I have the order page open as I'm typing :D
  • I have one kit from Rolife half-assembled for over an year, and I don't see myself finishing it anytime soon. But, man, they look so beautiful. Even more when built carefully, like this one.

    Unrelated:

    > My to-go order is always just an Americano.

    Yep, same for me. But not because I like it, it's because most places around the world call themselves "coffee shops" and don't know how to brew any kind of drip coffee. I've been to a few coffee shops that had drip coffee makers on display and they told me "we don't know how to use it" or "it takes too long to brew, so we don't use it".

  • At some point I was good at making coffee using a moka pot. Strong coffee.

    I learned to stop worrying and bought a full-auto machine: I put whole grains in it and coffee comes out. And as a bonus it's cheaper than, say, Nespresso-style capsules (ultra expensive) or drip coffee (if you buy grounded coffee, it's pricier than whole grains).

    Neighbor has got the whole professional machine at its place and making coffee is a long ritual for him: it's good if you like to obsess over that kind of thing.

    But full-auto coffee machine is easy peasy and I'd say it's 99% of the result (especially with quality grains).

  • I like but don’t drink coffee mostly. I live in a hot climate and I want something refreshing, never a hot drink. That’s where people usually say “there’s cold brew” , to which I say “I’m not seeking out ways to consume coffee”. I’d rather just drink something else at that point. However, when I travel to places where the weather is different/colder, I turn into a daily coffee drinker for the little time that I’m there. I’m so out of the loop, I just order an americano most the time too. But, I’ve noticed they are not all equal and you can definitely tell the difference in skill/beans/something in this simple drink.

    Recently in Seattle, monorail coffee stood out as exceptional

  • There is an essence to humanity in this type of work: "I'm doing this because I enjoy the way it makes me feel and nothing else". It's inspirational and I love looking at it. Keeping doing what you love, it also brings joy to others.
  • Ah neat, my daughter likes to do this too, with Rolife. I let her borrow our camera with our 105mm macro lens to take artsy shots of her builds, and it was a fun learning and creative experience together. Highly recommend.

    Also, dust and hair at that scale looks hilariously huge, so you might want a cleanroom. :-/

  • I did not know about Rolife. Just found the perfect birthday gift for my daughter!
    by nkg
  • Woah ... went to check Rolife and then wandered into the whole genre of "book nook" kits.

    Basically dioramas of the size of very thick book. You insert them between other books in the library and it gives you a peek into some alley, a house or some other scene. Incredible idea, and some are absolutely crazy beautiful. Anavrin even has a cyberpunk one !

    Thanks a lot, discovery of the month :)

  • Not directly related, but one of the more impressive artists I've seen along these lines. Each photo has a bit of a story to it:

    https://bsky.app/profile/maggiemice.bsky.social/post/3mqty4y...

    https://bsky.app/profile/maggiemice.bsky.social/post/3mpqrsc...

    https://www.maggierudy.com/making-mouseland

  • Pretty cool. Would love for her to somehow work with the people who make the Mausritter RPG :D
  • Wow, these are excellent. I clicked for the miniature craft and ended up staying for the tiny mouse drama
  • Lovely. Reminds me of these shorts YouTube started offering up a while back. I believe this is the original creator - https://www.youtube.com/@indiacrawford/shorts
  • Sublime work OP. Love the sheen control, the glossy coffee.

    Since they're clearly a warhammer 40k fan, a recent discovery of mine for mini painting: artist gouache or artist watercolor are awesome for pin-lining and recess shading the way oil paint or enamels are often used for those tasks, but only water is needed instead of white spirit. And they're indefinitely "editable" with a damp brush / qtip. The only downside is that you need to varnish to seal the watercolor before painting over it. A black and a burnt umber alone will get you really far. Make sure the gouache or watercolor use a gum arabic binder.

    Demo of the technique from 3:30 - 5:20 (strong Italian accent warning, closed captions help me): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vHDq3NJj4E

  • Can you expand on needing to varnish? Why is that?

    I guess acrylic won’t set on top of it?

  • Been painting for years and not come across that one. Thank you kindly.