
Amongst other things, the iPad has introduced musicians and artists alike to a whole new tool to use in creating. Few of these tools have the unbelievable sexiness of this concept app from interactive developer Jonas Eriksson, a native of Sweden and an award winning interactive designer and developer. Sadly, this is only a concept right now (he’s looking for a developer to help him make it a real product!); however, hopefully with a little exposure (hint hint), this lady can go from fantasy to reality. Feast your eyes on the retro synth glory below the cut. You can see more of his amazing work here and here.

Some work from Florian Nicolle, a young illustrator based in in France. According to his site, he starts with traditional media like butcher paper, ink, and bic pens and then adds his finishing touches in Photoshop. You can see a step-by-step process of how he works at his Behance profile right here.
The next installment in our holiday run-up are these great messenger bags, made in America (Minnesota, for the record) by the fine folks at Bemidji Woolen Mills, a wool textile manufacturing company that has been around since 1920 (the owners are 4th generation owners of the factory.) These messenger bags are constructed to last and measure in at 15″ by 4″ by 12″. Also, for easy wear and reduced stress on the seams of the bag, they’re designed with an integrated gusset and run around $50. Currently, this messenger bag is available in two native american influenced patterns. Order in the next few days, and they might be able to get you one by Christmas if you’re in the lower 48! (PS – They take orders by phone and online.)
I’ve been getting a few emails from readers wanting gift ideas that are cool and inexpensive and great for designers of all ages. So here’s one of my faves. The original Color Forms set was introduced as a toy in the 1950’s by University Games to teach children about using shapes to create art. The set comes with hundred of vinyl shapes and 2 boards to arrange them on. Everything is completely reusable so, best of all, you can make endless combination’s of shapes and colors. At just a hair over $26 on Amazon, the original ColorForms set makes a great (and relatively inexpensive) gift for kids and designers of all ages.

Check out these awesome photo’s from Alberto Seveso. It’s the result of pouring colored varnishes into fish bowl’s and using high speed photograph to capture the effects. Delicious.

Start your day with these slick photographs of dancers in motion by London-based photographer Jan Masny. I still haven’t seen Black Swan; however, if Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is half as good as these, I’m sure it’s equally stunning.

Some delicious illustrations from Amy Martino over at Yellow Bird Machine.