Just when I was beginning to think the 3D fractal scene was plateauing and running out of interesting themes to explore… along comes something sharp.

~Click on any image to view full-size on original site~

The Center of It All by lenord, 2011 (on Fractalforums.com)

You have to look closely at the little doorways and windows in the rings near the bottom left and right corners.  Sharp.  Very sharp.

Here’s another one from Fractalforums.com, the hub of the 3D fractal universe:

Futurism by kr0mat1k (on Fractalforums.com)

A jet turbine of knife like blades.  Note the smooth, clean details on each blade.  Seriously sharp.

DBL by RCPage (Fractalforums.com)

That one is Uber-Sharp!  And shiny too.  Everything is high-res carved and meticulously engraved.  I’m not sure why this very sharp, high-quality rendering impresses me so much.  Maybe it’s really how well it displays the underlying mandelbox structure of the imagery.  It looks like a new category of 3D imagery and that’s why I thought readers might not want to miss it.

Inception by kr0mat1k

This one by kr0mat1k perhaps explains what makes these ultra sharp images so interesting.  If you look at the fullsize version you’ll see that the edges resemble hand drawn outlines.  This rendering style is different than the usual mandelbox type and presents a traditional –hand made– appearance rather than the more common computer renderings I’m used to seeing.  Inception could easily trick non fractal viewers into thinking the image was a pen and ink or pencil and watercolor image.   Except, of course, for the fabulously intricate and wildly creative imagery that it contains.  What artist has ever made up something like this themself?  Not even Escher drew images this complex and organically composed.

My browser runneth over.  Here’s another one:

Limbo City 1 by MarkJayBee (Fractalforums.com)

MarkJayBee takes this sharp, detailed style and manages to give it a dusty, realistic look while maintaining the “sharpness.”  He’s got a whole series of these Limbo City images on his Deviant Art site.

I’ll bet printed versions of these images are even more impressive since the intense detail would be much more visible in the high-res world of prints.  On the other hand, I suspect the rendering times for images like this might be higher than the other, less detailed mandelbox images.

Hangar 57 by lenord

This one’s a nice combination of iron girders and the more traditional organic fractal shapes that us old folks are used to seeing.  Arranged like wall partitions sporting decorative artwork the series of slabs in the middle creates a nice futuristic (and yet also cave like) hotel lobby or ritzy parking garage (without floors).

Lenord comments that this image of his here is a tweak on RCPage’s GPS Required image:

GPS Required by RCPage

I’m sure you can “feel” the inspiration in this one too.   This one is so sharp I want to put on gloves.

Just like kr0mat1k’s Inception, the rendering in this one goes beyond what I’m used to seeing in mandelboxes and enters into a whole new graphical style and that’s what I suspect is inspiring the other mandelboxers on Fractalforums.com.

Keep an eye out on this page on Fractalforums.com if you want to see where this sharp new style goes in the future: Last Pictures Uploaded.  Wear some gloves, just in case.

From time to time I revisit places and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mr. Velocipede, a long time fractal artist, has reinvented herself and started an new blog with new enthusiasm entitled, “Oh no, not again.”

Nothing interests me more than seeing someone do something new and different with fractal art and Velocipede has put her letterpress printing skills to work and printed out some 21st century art with technology that Benjamin Franklin would have been comfortable with.  And with style too, as usual.

~Click to view images full-size on original site~

Untitled print by Mr. Velocipede

A simple and straightforward fractal-ish image but rendered (by hand) in a whole new way.  I’ve always liked the look of printed imagery like this.  It’s got a rendering style all it’s own.

Untitled print by Mr. Velocipede

I like this one even more than the first which has more color in it, but lacks the rich variations in shading and “texture” that this julia shape has.  Printing is special kind of paint brush and even though it was originally designed for mass production, or at least with smaller hand presses, for higher volume production, the imagery has a creative touch to it.  It’s no wonder that print making hasn’t lost its appeal: nothing can duplicate it, no pun intended.

Note the "fractal" printing assemblies in the background. Photo by Mr. Velocipede.

As you can see it’s a hands-on art form and not the sort of pushing buttons and turning dials things that computer artists are used to.  At the same time there’s a certain charm to these old-style methods and machines that computers have yet to catch up with.

The belly of the beast. Photo by Mr. Velocipede

Although its much heavier than a computer, I wonder if in fact it might be easier to operate than Ultra Fractal?  Of course, the artistry is in the assembly of the type and the skill in putting all the media –type, ink, paper– together.  And what exactly is she setting up to print?

Space Invaders letterpress print by Mr. Velocipede

Pretty cool eh?  I think Mr. Velocipede is quite enjoying her printing press art form.  A nice combination of computer “pixel art” and old-fashioned printing methods.  And the result is not simply an image file displayed on a monitor but something you can actually touch with your hands.  On the other hand you can’t send them by email.

I suppose with some careful tinkering one might be able to produce something similar with a bubble-jet or color laser printer and card stock, but I imagine you’d be “hard-pressed” to reproduce the embossed effect of the type, and the tone of the ink.

I think they’re quite tasteful and stylish especially considering that the age range of people who grew up with space invaders (mid-forties) are now entering that phase of life where they don’t think twice about paying for something unique and nostalgia-inducing.  Perhaps something like this, especially the fractal themes, could have some commercial appeal?

Anyhow, there’s more on Velocipede’s new shiny blog, nice fractals too.

Wikipedia-ism by Mr. Velocipede

She’s got a real sense of humor, too.

Eta Carinae, Phoenix Double Nova image by Mr. Velocipede

A Phoenix Double Nova fractal, after the manner of Dan Wills, whose densely complex images I admire very much.

-from Velocipede’s blog

Click to visit Mr. Velocipede's blog and find out what she's done with her custom made Spirographs

Take a look for yourself or even subscribe.  I’m sure there’s even better stuff to come in the days ahead.  And you won’t find things like this anywhere else.