A real estate agent from Chicago, Illinois picked up his pencils and began to draw masterpieces with them, something he hadn’t done since he was a teenager 30 years ago. The results are so incredible that it’s hard to believe that he has had no formal art education.

Rick Forston started drawing again in 2008, and has so far made dozens of portraits of celebrities that continue to amaze people with their photograph-like details. He’s so good that when you place Rick’s drawing of the singer Tyrone Wells and his wife Elina next to the actual black and white photo of the couple, it’s almost impossible to determine which one is which.

Some of Rick’s favorite subjects include characters from popular TV shows and movies such as Breaking Bad, Iron Man and Hancock. This pure talent shows it’s never too late to work on things you love and achieve great results (unless you were dreaming on becoming the youngest person to climb Mount Everest). His prints are available for sale on his deviantart page.

This amazing series of drawings called “Illinois 4″ is probably one of the most detailed and punctilious works of art, as far as light painting goes. It was made by photographer Brian
Matthew Hart with the help of Dena Pickering. They made the art in one night in a dark attic.

By using different colored light sources, Brian managed to add depth and distinguish different objects in his magnificent work. What’s most astounding is the level of detail he was able to add to the drawings using this complicated technique. He did not know the full outcome until the very end of the shooting.

The light painting technique involves either moving the light source while the camera is set to a low shutter speed, or moving the camera itself, using it as paintbrush, so to speak, and capturing the motion on the photograph.

It takes several minutes to make a drawing, with no room for errors or corrections. Amazingly, Brian makes these drawings look like were done on paper.

These series of drawings are a sequel to his previous project, “Working in the dark”, where he was also using light painting to play with objects and human figures.

If you’re interested in more art that combines photography with another technique, take a look at these chalk art pictures. The fact that these drawing were made in an attic freaks me out a bit. A lot of scary things happen in an attic. I wouldn’t want to spend more than a few minutes in one.

From time to time we here at This Blog Rules like to get a little surrealistic. Don’t you? You may remember our post about Josh Sommers’ insane photo montages, the contents of which I think we can all agree were very insane indeed. Now Italian artist Giuseppe Mastromatteo has taken surrealism to a whole new level in his project called “Indepensense”.

In the photos above and below, Mastromatteo makes it look like the body parts of his nude subjects have been melted together. It’s almost like the human body is transparent, causing noses, ears and mouths to peek through hands, arms and hair.

Mastromatteo writes about the arts, teaches advertising at several academic institutions, and works as an art director at the Triennale Museum of Milan. If you ever bump into him on the street, be sure to mention that you saw his art featured on TBR.

Have you ever seen an opera stage shaped like a torso. Well, if not, then, you’ll probably be unnerved by the sight of this giant creature popping out of Lake Constance in Austria. This crazy thing is the most impressive opera set ever created. It was constructed specifically for an opera named after celebrated French poet André Chénier. And yes, it literally is an opera stage sitting in the middle of the famed Austrian lake.

As you can see, the waterproof stage, which was designed by David Fielding, mimics the shape of a giant man’s fat torso. It was made for The Bregenz Festival, which is renowned for the major outdoor stages it has showcased since 1946. The “torso stage” has a capacity of 6,800 seats. The striking structure is not floating: it is simply attached to a “concrete core” that is anchored in the lake and supported by glossy wooden poles. Speaking of stunning stages, check out the world’s coolest theatre in Melbourne. But is it as cool as this?

What this Opera stage looked like in previous years:

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go book a one-way ticket to Austria, for I must attend an opera at the top of the hour. Won’t you (gulp) join me?

So, you’ve seen lots and lots of incredible miniature art over the years, but I highly doubt you’ve ever seen miniature art going to this extreme! The contents of the little containers depicted above and below are so petite you need a magnifying glass to actually see what objects they are supposed to be. And prepare to be amazed once you take a magnified peek because every little jar has a tiny world of brilliance sitting inside. One world shows a couple kissing under a tree, another shows a turtle on an island, and a third shows a golf course with one itsy-bitsy golfer playing a round; maybe he’s a Lilliputian.

These jars are the incredible work of Japanese architect Akinobu. His wonderful designs are so tiny it’s unbelievable. One would imagine he uses tweezers to fit the materials inside, but how does he shape and so intricately design the palm trees and the people? That’s definitely a mystery.

I'd like to be in an octopuses' garden in a jar.

I think I see Ben Stiller in that bottle over there. Sigh, do we REALLY need yet another Night at the Museum film?

These little bottles would work perfectly as a cute and thoughtful gift to friends or loved ones, but unfortunately they are not for sale. Not yet anyway. Five to ten years from now, perhaps the artist will put them on sale, but there’s no word yet on whether or not he would do that. Speaking of small things, check out these finger monkeys.