The characters fighting for Westeros in Game of Thrones are fighting mostly for CGI backdrops. Like many others TV series and movies, visual effects is a huge part of the production process as it handles details both great and small. A great credit to Game of Thrones is that the story is so good that we forget about the effects, and another great credit goes to the VFX team because their work is seamless. If you want to see the seams, you have to get a visual breakdown of how the shots are put together.

He has been a graphic designer, 3d artist, photo-retoucher as well as illustrator. One thing is for sure, Brian Despain makes one amazing fine artist. This piece started as a post-it note and then ended up this dynamic piece after much work, apparently he thought it looked too much like Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants. Brian is currently in a group show at Roq La Rue in Seattle. The print is signed and numbered in an edition of 30. There are two other prints available as well just in case you another one of them hits you better.

Most probably, every person who has read the Harry Potter books imagined themselves as a wizard. Wouldn’t it be cool to perform all sorts of magic or to whizz around on a broom? Well, actually, if you think about it, whizzing around on a broom might not be such a good idea after all… Just think of all the bugs you’re going to come across! Such an encounter might prove fatal for the bugs. However, you will most likely lose all your desire to ride the Nimbus 2000, once a few dozen bugs will smash into your face! (Photo by Halno)

Do you like jabots? Personally, they are not my cup of tea. If your outlook on jabots is similar to mine, then you would consider the idea of Sasha Goldberger rather strange. Just think about it. Who could have thought that putting a ruffled collar on Marvel and DC characters would completely transform their well-recognized appearance? And only a genius would think that taking photos of such an obscenity is a good idea. If some unfortunate child would look at those superheroes, he might think that calling them ‘super’ is an exaggeration. Let’s just hope that he won’t have nightmares after having such a horrific experience. (Photo by Sacha Goldberger)

The kinetic sculptures created by Anthony Howe are nothing short of a miracle. You simply cannot wrap your mind around the fact that these creations are real. The magic comes from the fact that all the creations of Anthony Howe were first digitally modeled and only then wrought from metal. The resulting pieces of art are mystifying, entrancing, and sometimes even terrifying. For example, one of the earlier creations of Howe is an installation called “About Face”. It is a human face, pieces of which move from side to side, even if there is just a gentle breeze. However, most of his creations are mesmerizing, capturing your mind, as you marvel at their intricacy.

When you look at the picture of a furry pig that resembles a sheep from a distance, you may think that this may be the result of the work of some crazy scientist that tinkered with the pig’s genome. However, in this case, this is not true. Mangalica is a natural breed of pigs, which were bred in Europe for their lard. This breed of pigs is very unique, since the only other breed of pigs which had a long coat was Loncolnshire Curly Coat, which is now extinct. In the past, these pigs were quite popular, since they were able to produce a lot of lard. However, when the demand for pig lard dwindled, the population of these pigs rapidly decreased, making it a “rare breed”.

Photographer and animal lover Chris Keeney shows how to use a PetCam with your own pet and offers expert technical know-how and inspiring creative suggestions to get you started. This is Coulee, a border collie/golden retriver mix from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Chris Keeney/Princeton Architectural Press)