FC Badges Fine Art

Introducing F.C. Badges collection by C.7 Design Studio, celebrating the diverse and exciting world of football (or soccer, if you wish), and its heraldry in particular, which found its home on FineArt America. Each piece of the collections features a club badge created using my unique 2.5D method of digital painting, accompanied by vintage logo and flag backdrops. This is a work in progress, so, stay tuned for updates.

FC Barcelona

FC Bayern Munich

Chelsea FC

F.C. Inter Milan

Liverpool FC

Manchester United FC

AC Milan

Real Madrid CF

I have chosen FineArt America to offer my digitally-signed and dated open edition (OE) fine art giclée prints of highest archival quality. Many of these pieces are exclusive to FAA. The hand-signed special collector's AP editions are also available (please, contact me for details). Commissions are welcome (as time permits). Make sure to visit FineArt America for wide selection of sport art and soccer or, as they would say in Europe - football art. Please, feel free to drop me a line should you have any questions or comments.

Fine Art: Vintage Patents & Blueprints

Introducing Vintage Patents and Blueprints collection by C.7 Design Studio, showcasing meticulous digital reproductions of historical patent and blueprint documents, digitally enhanced and transformed into large format prints, stylized to preserve look and feel of various mediums, accompanied by stunning 2.5D elements. Nowadays, fine art market is flooded with patent reproductions. Most of them just simple blown up copies of patents found via Google search and slapped on colorful backgrounds. Entering this market niche, I was thinking what could be done differently. So, I took entirely new approach. I didn’t bother using Google to search for patents, but rather went straight to the source - the digitized archives of The United States Patent and Trademark Office. Although my process of sifting through thousands upon thousands of patent scans was tenfold more time-consuming, it yielded far better results, netting me some of those rear gems of huge importance, which would have been missed otherwise, should I just resorted to Google search for what comes to mind. I also use my proprietary enlargement and enhancements processes, which helped me to achieve unparalleled quality, unique vintage look and 2.5D feel of raised inks. And last, but not least - each patent was adorned by realistically-looking crest and wax seal of The United States Patent and Trademark Office. The results speak for themself. At this point I have three major collections going - the “Historical Patents”, which includes miscellaneous assembly of most significant or historically-important patents; the “Sports Patents”, which houses greatest inventions in the world of sports, and the “Weapons & Firearms” collection, following history of weapons and firearms development. There will be more collections to come, so, stay tuned. Below are a few samples from each of the collections.

Historical Patents

Sports Patents: Golf

                      Sports Patents: Baseball

Weapons & Firearms Patents

I have chosen FineArt America to offer my digitally-signed and dated open edition (OE) fine art giclée prints of highest archival quality. Many of these pieces are exclusive to FAA. The hand-signed special collector's AP editions are also available (please, contact me for details). Commissions are welcome (as time permits). Make sure to visit FineArt America for wide selection of historical patents art, sports patents art such as baseball or golf, and weaponry-related patents art. Please, feel free to drop me a line should you have any questions or comments.

Treasure Trove Fine Art Prints

Introducing Treasure Trove collection by C.7 Design Studio, showcasing original digital paintings as well as reproductions inspired by modern and historical masterpieces, artifacts and other priceless treasures of human history.

Celtic Tree of Life

Celtic Tree of Life. In Egypt the Acacia tree of Saosis was considered the "tree of life", referring to it as the "tree in which life and death are enclosed". References to The Tree of Life can be found in ancient Assyria, China, as well as in Germanic paganism and Norse mythology, Judaism, Kabbalah, Christianity, Vedic texts of India, sources from Urartu and Mesoamerica. 
In Norse mythology it is also known as Yggdrasil, an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed. Its name is generally considered to mean "Ygg's (Odin's) horse". Yggdrasil is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree that is central and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to hold their courts. The branches of Yggdrasil extend far into the heavens, and the tree is supported by three roots that extend far away into other locations; one to the well Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. Creatures live within Yggdrasil, including the wyrm (dragon) Níðhöggr, an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór.

Hokusai - Shoki Riding Shishi Lion

Tribute to Katsushika Hokusai - Shoki Riding Shishi Lion also known as Samurai Riding a Lion on Red. 
Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎), October 31, 1760 (exact date questionable) – May 10, 1849) was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. He was influenced by such painters as Sesshu, and other styles of Chinese painting. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽三十六景 Fugaku Sanjūroku-kei, c. 1831) which includes the internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s. 
Hokusai created the "Thirty-Six Views" both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically The Great Wave print and Fuji in Clear Weather, that secured Hokusai’s fame both in Japan and overseas. As historian Richard Lane concludes, "Indeed, if there is one work that made Hokusai's name, both in Japan and abroad, it must be this monumental print-series...". While Hokusai's work prior to this series is certainly important, it was not until this series that he gained broad recognition. 
Ukiyo-e, or ukiyo-ye (浮世絵; "pictures of the floating world"), is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that flourished in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. Aimed at the prosperous merchant class in the urbanizing Edo period (1603–1867), depictions of beautiful women; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna were amongst the popular themes. 

Golden Chinese Dragon Fucanglong

Golden Chinese Dragon Fucanglong (伏藏龙) with Magic Pearl on Rice Paper. 
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan (namely the Japanese dragon), Korea and other East Asian countries. The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each other to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries. The English word "dragon" derives from Greek δράκων (drákōn), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake". 
Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and Chinese folklore. The dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles, fish, and imaginary creatures, but they are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is yang and complements a yin fenghuang ("Chinese phoenix"). 

Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it. With this, the Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength. 

In Chinese daily language, excellent and outstanding people are compared to a dragon, while incapable people with no achievements are compared with other, disesteemed creatures, such as a worm. A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms feature references to a dragon, for example: "Hoping one's son will become a dragon" (望子成龍, i.e. be as a dragon). In Chinese mythology the Fucanglong (simplified Chinese: 伏藏龙; traditional Chinese: 伏藏龍; pinyin: Fúcánglóng) or Fu-ts'ang-Lung (Wade-Giles) is the Chinese underworld dragon which guard buried treasures, both natural and man-made. Volcanoes are said to be created when they burst out of the ground to report to heaven. Futs-lung possesses a magic pearl which is his most treasured possession.

Tibetan Double Dorje Mandala - Double Vajra

Tibetan Double Dorje Mandala - Double Vajra. Vajra (Devanagari: वज्र; Bengali: বজ্র bojro, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ། dorje; Dzongkha: dorji; Indonesian wajra; Chinese: 金剛 jīngāng; Korean: 금강저 geumgangjeo; Japanese: 金剛杵 kongōsho; Mongolian: Очир ochir or Базар Bazar) is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond. It is also a common male name in Tibet and Bhutan. Additionally, it is a weapon which is used as a ritual object to symbolize both the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is essentially a type of club or mace with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab. The ritual vajra is a much smaller hand-held object with two heads, one on each end of the handle. The vajra is used symbolically by the dharma traditions of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, often to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power. The use of the vajra as a symbolic and ritual tool spread from India along with Indian religion and culture to other parts of East and Southeast Asia...

Sacred Griffin

Sacred Silver Griffin. The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of all creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions. Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist, proposes that the griffin was an ancient misconception derived from the fossilized remains of the Protoceratops found in gold mines in the Altai mountains of Scythia, in present day southeastern Kazakhstan, or in Mongolia. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine. Some have suggested that the word griffin is cognate with Cherub.

Celtic Treasures - Three Dogs

 Celtic Treasures - Three Dogs. The Celts or Kelts were an ethnolinguistic group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Medieval Europe who spoke Celtic languages and had a similar culture, although the relationship between the ethnic, linguistic and cultural elements remains uncertain and controversial. 
The earliest archaeological culture that may justifiably be considered Proto-Celtic is the Late Bronze Age Urnfield culture of Central Europe, which flourished from around 1200 BC. Their fully Celtic descendants in central Europe were the people of the Iron Age Hallstatt culture (c. 800–450 BC) named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria. By the later La Tène period (c. 450 BC up to the Roman conquest), this Celtic culture had expanded by diffusion or migration to the British Isles (Insular Celts), France and The Low Countries (Gauls), Bohemia, Poland and much of Central Europe, the Iberian Peninsula (Celtiberians, Celtici and Gallaeci) and northern Italy (Golaseccans and Cisalpine Gauls) and, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC, as far east as central Anatolia (Galatians). By the mid 1st millennium AD, with the expansion of the Roman Empire and the Great Migrations (Migration Period) of Germanic peoples, Celtic culture and Insular Celtic had become restricted to Ireland, the western and northern parts of Great Britain (Wales, Scotland, and Cornwall), the Isle of Man, and Brittany. Between the 5th and 8th centuries, the Celtic-speaking communities in these Atlantic regions emerged as a reasonably cohesive cultural entity. They had a common linguistic, religious, and artistic heritage that distinguished them from the culture of the surrounding polities. By the 6th century, however, the Continental Celtic languages were no longer in wide use. 
Insular Celtic culture diversified into that of the Gaels (Irish, Scottish and Manx) and the Brythonic Celts (Welsh, Cornish, and Bretons) of the medieval and modern periods. A modern "Celtic identity" was constructed as part of the Romanticist Celtic Revival in Great Britain, Ireland, and other European territories, such as Portugal and Spanish Galicia. Today, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton are still spoken in parts of their historical territories, and Cornish and Manx are undergoing a revival. 

Icelandic Dragon

Icelandic Dragon – one of the four great guardians who are known as the four landvættir. 
The Old Norse kings' sagas, more specifically Heimskringla, tell the story of a seafarer who sailed to Iceland in ancient times. When he reached Vopnafjörður, he saw an enormous dragon who guarded the bay, and drove everybody away with fire. The dragon was followed by a great number of lizards and insects. 
This dragon was one of the four mythical landvættir, guardians of Iceland. The dragon has become the icon of Vopnafjörður, and is pictured on the Coat of arms of Iceland.



I have chosen FineArt America to offer my digitally-signed and dated open edition (OE) fine art giclée prints of highest archival quality. Many of these pieces are exclusive to FAA. The hand-signed special collector's AP editions are also available (please, contact me for details). Commissions are welcome (as time permits). FineArt America has extensive selection of Celtic Art, Chinese art, Japanese art, Tibetan art, Icelandic art, and multitude of other sacred symbols art for you to choose from. Please, feel free to drop me a line should you have any questions or comments. 

999.9: Creatures & Bones Collection

 Introducing fine art framed and wrapped canvas prints from the "999.9: Creatures & Bones" collection by C.7 Design Studio. This collection features various beasts of this planet either in their live form, or in their skeletal and fossilized remains forms, performed in gold on dark vintage background. This series celebrates diversity of life and death, underlining how luxurious and precious the both forms of existence are and will always be.   
This unique piece of original art will work well as stunning centerpiece complementing your new décor ideas, or as perfect accent for your already established interior. Being a perfect marriage of color harmony and flow of shape, this artwork will match and surpass the latest trends in interior design.   
All prints are available in various sizes, including “colossal” prints up to 50”x50”, on a variety of premium canvasses. Below are some of the pieces form this collection... 

999.9: Lion-fish

999.9: Nautilus

999.9: Zebra's Derrière

999.9: Frog Skeleton

999.9: Iguana Skeleton

999.9: Surgeon-fish Skeleton

999.9: Fossil

Abstract Chic

Introducing framed (wrapped canvas) prints from the "Abstract Chic" collection by C.7 Design Studio. These unique pieces of original art will work well as stunning centerpiece complementing your new décor ideas, or as perfect accent for your already established interior. Being a perfect marriage of color harmony and flow of shape, this artwork will match and surpass the latest trends in interior design. The artwork also incorporates my M-LETT 2.5D technique.  

All the prints are available in various sizes, including “colossal” prints up to 50”x50”, on a variety of premium canvasses. Custom frames and variety of high quality archival paper are also available. Zazzle's gloss canvas is made from a tight weave, acid-free cotton-poly blend canvas ideal for photography or art. Printed with a special ink-receptive coating, your wrapped canvas print will be fade-resistant for 75 years. All the prints presented here are available for purchase from my "Prints" gallery on Zazzle.

Blue Moon

Comfort Zone

Ocean Breeze

Coffee Dream

Anubis & Nut

One of the ongoing projects, which is heavily influenced by my MLETT-3D method is “Sacred Symbols 3D” Collection. Today I am introducing  a series of unique framed prints, featuring Egyptian goddess Nut, alternatively spelled Nuit, Newet, and Neuth – The Sky Goddess, and Egyptian  jackal-headed god  Anubis, also known as Inpu, Anup, Anpu, and Ienpw. 

Nut was the goddess of the sky and all heavenly bodies, a symbol of protecting the dead when they enter the afterlife. According to the Egyptians, during the day, the heavenly bodies—such as the sun and moon—would make their way across her body. Then, at dusk, they would be swallowed, pass through her belly during the night, and be reborn at dawn.Nut is also the barrier separating the forces of chaos from the ordered cosmos in the world. Because of her role in saving Osiris, Nut was seen as a friend and protector of the dead.

Anubis was associated with the mummification and protection of the dead for their journey into the afterlife. One of the roles of Anubis was "Guardian of the Scales". Deciding the weight of "truth" by weighing the Heart against Ma'at, who was often depicted as an ostrich feather, Anubis dictated the fate of souls. In this manner, he was a Lord of the Underworld, only usurped by Osiris. All the prints presented here, as well as a variety of custom products with this design are available for purchase from my "Sacred Symbols" galleries on Zazzle.

Anubis & Nut 

[Print on Red+Brown Leather Background]

Anubis & Nut 

[Print on Leather+Papyrus Background]

Anubis & Nut 

[Print on Red Background]

3D, or not 2D?

How about 2.5D? As an artist, I always was somewhat dissatisfied with the two major graphic realms available in this particular universe. I am talking about the time-tested and heavily overused 2D and a bit more modern and innovative, still growing and maturing 3D. The 2D always looked a bit plain and as if something was missing (apologies to the great artists of the past and present). The 3D, on the other hand, no matter how sophisticated and realistic it was, always seemed a bit lifeless and fake (sorry, Pixar). Of course, there were Photorealism and Hyper Realism, but still not quite what I had in mind.   

And then it suddenly dawned on me: what if, somehow, I was able to create a new graphic realm, sort of a love child born out of an unorthodox union of 2D-father and 3D-mother (WOW!), utilizing the best of both worlds? In technical terms, it would possess simplicity, portability and light-weightiness of 2D, at the same time, having stunning look, feel and texture of 3D… Is it even possible, one would ask? Well, I wasn't really sure at the time, but I thought I'd give it a try.

After some research, I have discovered that a few terms somewhat describing this type of imaging technology have already been coined. 2.5D ("two-and-a-half-dimensional"), 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms, used mainly in the video game industry to describe among other things, a 2D graphical projections and similar techniques, which are used to cause a series of images (or scenes) to simulate the appearance of being three-dimensional (3D) when in fact they are not, or gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is restricted to a two-dimensional plane.

 What also helped me a lot on this path of discovery is the fact that I did not have any formal education in the area of graphic design. Zero. Then, quite a while ago, I discovered Adobe Photoshop, and fell in love at first sight. My teachers were renowned Photoshop gurus such as Bert Monroy, always encouraging playing, experiment and working "out of the box". Versatility and virtually unlimited possibilities of Photoshop, combined with my curiosity and strong knack for experimentation, resulted in what I later called M-LETT 3D (or M-LETT 2.5D, in its latest incarnation) method (short for "Multi-Layer Enhancement & Texturing Technique").

The idea was fairly simple. I asked myself: what makes things look 3-dimensional and realistic?  Technically speaking, just a few components: perspective, light/shadow and texture.  So, how would you make things pop without employing actual 3D-rendering technology (a process of automatically converting 3D wire frame models into 2D images with 3D photorealistic effects or non-photorealistic rendering on a computer)?  Basically, how would you fake 3D? Photoshop already had almost everything I needed in its arsenal, and the best possible solution was to utilize the amazing and powerful set of features called ”layer styles".  Now all I needed was to assemble a toolkit appropriate for the task, as well as some innovative ways of using it.  Another important part of the equation was to incorporate various textures, such as various metals, enamels, precious stones, leathers and fabrics into my toolbox.

So, how is it actually done?  In a nutshell, here is how… You start with a regular flat two-dimensional image. I normally create it in a form of a vector image in Adobe Illustrator, or use a pre-existing vector or raster image, which I then vectorize. Next step is sort of a reverse-engineering process of the said 2D image, performed in Photoshop. I literally disassemble the base 2D image into multiple layers, positioning them as they would appear if it was a three-dimensional object. Every little detail counts. You may not even acknowledge it, but your brain will. As soon as all the layers are stacked up and ready, each layer and each detail would get its individual style-texture-shadow/light treatment. All elements come together in a final draft, which pops and comes to life in a very visually-impressive and an unusual way. All my images are results of a very detailed and time-consuming process.  And the process turned out to be a never ending work-in-progress to this day.  I have to admit though -- it's a lot of fun...

At this point, my lifelong interest in heraldry and insignia came into play. I realized that my task would be more feasible when dealing with generally flat objects with moderately-raised reliefs, such as coins, pins or various insignia. While researching the topic, I noticed how flat and plain the majority of such imagery used by webmasters,  in print production and manufacturing were .  A new idea started boiling alongside my Photoshop quest. What if I combine my newly-born "fake 3D" method with the idea of enhancing various heraldry and insignia objects, bringing them to life, so to speak, making them stand out and look realistic? This is how some of my major-scale projects , such as "Military Insignia 3D", "World heraldry 3D" and "Sacred Symbols 3D" were  born. I am following those in detail on my other blogs, as well as on my "Heraldry Workshop" blog.  This particular blog will simply be a showcase of my artwork and ever-evolving M-LETT 3D method, not covered on my other blogs.  Welcome to the new realm of 3D that is not really a 3D, or, if you wish, a 2D, which doesn't look like it normally would...  Hopefully, together we can answer the question: 3D or not 2D?