She’s sexy, in a Lara Croft kickin’ your butt kind of way..

Elegant Jewelry Made From Bullet Cartridges

There is true artistry in a designer who is able to transform an ordinarily harsh medium into an elegant design. Jeni Benos has merged surprisingly flirty designs with an unexpected material that shall intrigue many. Enjoy her beautiful work made from bullet cartridges.

The Artist: Jeni Benos

Image Courtesy via (source)

Jenis Benos is an avid supporter of the NRA. No surprise here, for her passion for shooting led to her lovely ammunition designs. With a growing collection of brass in her repertoire, Jeni was inspired to create these lovely flower designs amongst other ammunition inspired jewelry.

The Technique

One can only imagine how Jeni was able to create such elegant flower jewelry from cartridges. With a patent pending, Jeni crafts her “Pistol Petals” by hand hammering sterling silver wire and accompanying it with her brass ammunition designs. These cartridges, some of which were fired by herself, incorporate an elegant method of peeling back the cartridge to reveal a flower-like design.

Jeni has certainly taken a normally masculine medium, and made it incredibly sexy. I can certainly envision her matching a pair of sexy pumps with her gun holster any day!

More Flower Inspired Ammunition Cartridge Designs

Images courtesy of Jenuinely Jeni, Inc.

Resources

• Biography of Jeni Benos – Official Website
• Pistol Petals Jewelry – Official Website

Color in your love together…

Create A Romantic Coloring Book

Valentine’s Day is far behind us, but that shouldn’t stop you from considering the romantic possibilities for next year’s gift. Whether you’d like to present a sweet gesture to someone,  recount the beginnings of a lovely relationship, or test it out for a fun activity, create this fun coloring book in 10 easy steps.

What You Need

• Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator (Illustrator highly recommended)
• Adobe Indesign
• Pen tablet (design facilitator)
• Printing Services (In this case, Staples)

Step 1. Plan It Out (duh!)

Like with any design, plan the project out to better understand how to go about it. Create some rough storyboard sketches of each scene; in this case I’ll be making 13, 12 coloring pages + the book cover. The sketches should quickly illustrate the general composition of each scene.

Step 2. Research Coloring Book References

Research the different styles of coloring books using your favorite search engine. Note differences in cover designs, text placements, character design, and line drawing composition. The more fun you are with the design, the better the design will come across.

Step 3. Write Out The Storyline

Also use this time to think of some nifty sentences for each scene, they should tell the storyline effectively in concise words. Writing out the storyline will assist you during the design process by helping you to embody your words in the design. Whether or not you decide to make it rhyme like a poem is your choice, either way, sometimes the words can be the best part of the gift.

Step 4. Gather Photo References

Making the subjects of your design as close to what they really look like is another nice touch. Gather photo references that you can use to trace over in Photoshop. Some great ideas for photo references include pictures of you and your loved one, or anything pertaining to your storyline (an important event, memory, etc).

Step 5. Compose Line Drawings In Photoshop or Illustrator

Since I was on a time crunch, I initially composed my coloring book project in Photoshop, however, I would highly suggest that you compose it in Illustrator to retain better line quality. Open a new document the size of a piece of paper (8.5 x 11 inches) and begin to trace your photo references using the pen tool. It’s best to try to avoid filling in too many of the lines, but sometimes it’s necessary to illustrate certain details like facial hair and eyes for aesthetic appeal.

Step 6. Coloring The Cover

One of your line drawings will be the cover of the coloring book, so be sure to color it in for added style and flair. I colored the cover in by using the Photoshop brushes at full opacity, however, I think another great style would’ve been to give it a more sketchy look, by using a more painted approach. Color the cover like a vector graphic using the pen tool in PS or Illustrator, or you could even wait til it’s printed to color it yourself with crayons.

Step 7. Finalize in Adobe InDesign

Import or copy your project into Adobe InDesign to finalize it. Design all the pages of the coloring book in one project file in order to make each page look the same.  This is also when you will add the text to retain design and printing clarity. Be sure to keep some space open on the left side of each page so that the design doesn’t interfere with binding in future steps. Export your coloring book project as an Adobe PDF file to share easily with your printer.

Step 8. Printing and Binding

Once your design is done, bring the copy of your project in Adobe PDF format to your local printer. I used the local Staples Copy and Print Center for fast and inexpensive printing. You can also opt for a clear cover, hard back, and coil binding–these extra options are cheap and well worth the finishing detail. Printing + binding = less than 5 bucks at Staples and took less than 20 minutes to complete the order.

Step 9. Adding To The Gift: Colored Pencils and Crayons

Make sure this gift is something that is used by including a pack of colored pencils and/or crayons. They may not want to ruin the book by coloring in the pages, but I suggest that you use it as a fun bonding experience.

Step 10. Gift Wrap The Coloring Book

Like with any special gift you give, you can gift wrap it to finish the surprise. You can find inexpensive gift wrapping supplies at specialty stores or even local dollar stores. Place your coloring book in a gift box that can fit the book as well as the pack of colored pencils and any additional gifts you plan to give. In the picture above, you’ll notice that I also included a chocolate bar with a fun million dollar package design.

Enjoy Your Inexpensive Gift Giving!

Perhaps it’s just the artist in me, but I always feel like there is so much more meaning in a gift I can create. This gift took me a week to plan, two and a half days to execute, and less than 20 dollars to finish. This really is a gift I recently gave to a loved one who often colors to de-stress.

Download My Coloring Book Gift: “Melody and George Fall In Love”

Click To Download: George and Melody Fall In Love, Coloring Book. Feel free to look at my coloring book for additional ideas, and as always…

Keep It Sexy Sugas…

Link Love for the week of March 1-5th, 2010

This week was the release of the brand new twitter pinup of the month (twinup), which featured a lovely valentine’s day themed design for February. SexiDesign also put on a thinking cap in investigating a new insurance commercial icon. Check out more from this week!

Popular Posts This Week from SexiDesign

America’s Love For The Progressive Insurance Girl – Learn more about actress and comedienne Stephanie Courtney. The bubbly personality behind Progressive Insurance’s favorite customer service representative has made a name for herself making tricked out name tags sexy. Discover the tell tale signs of her allure..

Related Links From Around The Web

• (article) – That Girl From The Progressive Insurance Commercials - Huffington Post
• (article) – The Strange Allure of the Progressive Insurance Girl – Austin360.com

Resources From Posts

A roundup of this week’s resources from posts you may have missed!

• Flo (Progressive Insurance – Wikipedia
• Official Facebook Fan Page of Stephanie Courtney
• Beautiful Mokume Gane Wedding Bands – SexiDesign
• Mokume Gane – Wikipedia
• Damascus Steel - Wikipedia

Sexy Tweeples

This week’s awesome Tweeples from around the web. Tweet them a hello courtesy of @SexiDesign!

• @MelodyNieves (me!)
• @FredRockz
• @designblend
• @bkmacdaddy
• @LaGraphixGirl
• @Creative_Guru
• @Eckstatic

Flo, making tricked out name tags sexy…

The Progressive Insurance Girl

Sitting on the couch next to a friendly male companion the television shows the latest Progressive Insurance commercial. And as quickly as it came on so was the immediate glee present in my buddy’s face. Smiling from ear to ear he recited the all too familiar lines of the commercial, laughing with such eerie jubilance I could only imagine the reasoning behind its appeal.

It’s not the first time I’ve been in the company of one of her fans, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. For America, is officially in love with Flo, the Progressive Insurance girl.

Who Is The Real Flo?

“Flo,” is actress and stand up comedienne Stephanie Courtney. Stephanie, who has made it publicly apparent of her oblivion to Flo’s appeal, has become an insurance brand icon with her bubbly  personality and retro rock star looks.

But what really makes Flo so awesomely appealing–especially to men? Well, let’s found out…

Flo’s Quirky Allure

Approachable

Flo’s fun and quirky personality radiates from the television screen–sending viewers head over heels for her charm. She’s cute, but her looks make her even more attainable, as opposed to a sexed up Paris Hilton selling a cheeseburger. And though it may all just be an act, Flo has the ability to portray such genuine happiness for her job and the service of her customers, that it’s no wonder the commercial leaves a long-lasting “giddy” feeling amongst her audience.

Style

Flo’s retro inspired style, from her bold red lips to her winged eyeliner, represent a touch of alluring naughtiness to the picture. Her style makes her normal, which adds to her approachability, making it easy for people–male or female to claim her as a new best friend.

Body Language

Stephanie Courtney may be oblivious to her natural sex appeal, but it is very apparent in her body language. First off, you are greeted with a representative with a genuine smile–that is, a smile that creates crows feet around the eyes. A smile, that is so contagious that you have to smile back. Her body movements are that of an innocent yet flirtatious school girl, exhibiting an enthusiasm which only intrigues it’s audience.

Flo vs. The Competition

Geico’s Gecko

There is an apparent charm in Geico’s official mascot. He’s as adorable as can be and has an accent to boot! However, he’s only an animation–an inanimate, nonexistent character only appearing for it’s beloved commercials. Flo is a strong competitor against the gecko because people can actually see themselves meeting her, sharing a couple of laughs together, or retrieving a treasured autograph. Either way you see it, the best way to build rapport with your audience is to give them an actual human being.

Erin: Esurance Cartoon

Esurance also has a nifty little mascot too. And though she falls on the same line of being an animated character, her appeal is lost in her lack of sex appeal. Granted, the cartoon is pretty and a feisty little action superhero. But, she turns people into cartoons which seems more like a children’s fantasy than an adult’s reality.  Besides, she speaks to her viewers like any regular business representative would: bland, robotic, and predictable. She’s got nothing on Flo!

The Future Of The Progressive Insurance Girl

Flo, or Stephanie Courtney, is already signed to do several more Progressive Insurance commercials, has a growing fan base of over 300,000, and a Facebook Fan Page. Not to mention the character is one of the the hottest new Halloween costumes of choice amongst women. For now, at least, Flo is here to stay…

Keep It Sexy Sugas…

Resources

• Flo (Progressive Insurance) – Wikipedia
• Stephanie Courtney – Wikipedia
• That Girl In The Progressive Insurance Commercials – Huffington Post
• The Strange Allure of the Progressive Insurance Girl – Austin360.com

Nothing is sexier than the union between to individuals genuinely in love…

Designers Saying “I Do” to Creativity

Designers are no strangers to uniqueness and maintaining originality in their lives. From home environments to their office surroundings, design becomes a prominent interest in their daily lives. Well, what better way to continue that love of design than to celebrate it for your marital union.

What is Mokume Gane?

Mokume Gane (Moh-ku-meh Gah-neh) is a form of metalwork which creates a laminated mix of different metals to create a “wood-grain” effect. Originating in 17th century Japan, Mokume Gane was first seen as a technique in swordmaking. Sheets of relatively soft metals are stacked together, and through an intricate process are forged to create uniquely complex patterns.

What is Damascus?

“Damascus” (Dah-mass-cuss) refers to the term given to an ancient middle eastern swordmaking technique of hot-forging steel, which results in a grain-like pattern. The original historical process of harboring this technique was lost apparently because of a depletion of materials, but that hasn’t kept many craftsman from recreating the technique in their beautiful designs.

Creative Mokume Gane and Damascus Steel Wedding Bands

Both ancient swordmaking techniques are now used in a plethora of design, including jewelry. No matter which general design you choose, each item will be crafted with it’s own unique pattern. What better item to add to your checklist for awesome designer must haves than one of these beautiful wedding bands?

Mokume Gane Wedding Bands

Image(s) Source

Damascus Steel Wedding Bands

Image(s) Source

I want one!

These rings have definitely become a must have for myself whenever I get married. From the designs above can you guess which one is my favorite?

Keep It Sexy Sugas…

Resources

History

• Mokume Gane – Wikipedia
• Damascus (Steel) - Wikipedia

Shop

• James Binnion Metal Arts
• Andrew Nyce Designs

#Twittercrush, February 10′

(Click for a larger view)

Fail Whale’s Secret #Twittercrush – @SexiDesign

Link Love for the week of Feb. 22-26th, 2010

This week SexiDesign explored foreign erotica design,and the understanding of color meaning in sexy design. Check out more from this week!

SexiDesign.com News

Submit Your Work for SexiDesign’s Artist Showcase – Are you an artist trying to get your work appreciated in the design world? Check out this post to learn what you can do to open opportunities by becoming a SexiDesign showcased artist.

Popular Posts This Week from SexiDesign

Insane Optical Illusion Body Art – Body painting artist Craig Tracy will leave you amazed with this collection of his gorgeous work, synchronizing the genius of optical illusion with painting artistry.

Resources From Posts

A roundup of this week’s resources from posts you may have missed!

• Craig Tracy – Official Website
• Craig Tracy – Body Art Gallery
• Color: Meaning, psychology, and symbolism

Sexy Tweeples

This Week: Awesome Designers from around the web. Tweet them a hello courtesy of @SexiDesign!

• @MelodyNieves (me!)
• @andrewmsmyth
• @TweetMyDesign
• @maddisondesigns
• @alvinthethird
• @DesignJuices
• @designblend

One definite way to turn on any man: wear a black matching bra and panties set…:)

Understanding Color Meanings In Sexy Design

Color is important to every design, but especially sexy design. A vixenish dominatrix can’t be taken seriously in neon orange latex, so understanding the meanings of different colors is ideal to adding spice appropriately to bland design.

Predictably Sexy Colors

Red

Image Source (via Flickr)

Not every woman can pull off red lipstick, yet red is the most popular color of choice. Red, the color of blood, emits  passionate energy in any design. Lighter reds evoke sensuality and the love of a Valentine or spouse.

Sexy Fact: Red lipstick that utilizes “more bluer hues” during the color mixing makes teeth appear whiter!

Keepin’ It Sexy Suga

Keep red sexy in design by utilizing lighter shades and even incorporating pinker tones to the mix. However, depending on the shades and color combination, pink tones scream both femininity and youth. Essentially, this could be a big difference between a seductively romantic movie print and a barf-inducing Hannah Montana poster.

Black

Images Source (via Flickr)
Black is so naughty baby (devilish grin). Though black has its obvious dark and depressingly emo undertones it’s essential for communicating that sinfully sexy side behind doors. And if you notice, SexiDesign.com has plenty of naughtiness to go around.

The powerful elegance of black speaks volumes in its use. Often working to establish sense of depth, volume, and hierarchy, black is a fundamental part of sexy design from your ordinary LBD to our earlier dominatrix’s house of pleasure.

Bring On The Mystery

Mystery is also very sexy, therefore black reflects the mystery behind sexy designs which intrigue viewers to find out more in quenching their curiosity’s thirst.

Nontraditional Sexy Colors

White

Sometimes the sexiest part of your wardrobe can be as simple as a pair of whitey tighties (sans the stains of course!). White translates to innocence, purity, virginity, and cleanliness. Minimalistic design often has white as the forefront in color choice and examinations of space in design utilize this sexy “white space.”

Keepin’ It Sexy Suga

White is a prime example of a nontraditional color still evoking sex appeal. However, in order to pull this off smoothly, it’s important to incorporate other design principals such as composition, space, and perspective to effectively utilize this sexy color.

Nude

Image Source (via Flickr)
Nude, or brown, is rooted with the earth as a reflection of the harvest and seasons. It’s also often used in the fashion industry to imitate skin tones for costume and wardrobe design for seamless connection between fabric and skin.

Nude is sexy simply because of its relation to skin tone. Both fashion designers and artists often use it to play on nudity in their work. Nude invites the eye to explore what’s in the composition, as well as sneak a peek of  those “oh so naughty” areas.

Blue

Yes, blue is sexy. Blue is sexy because it has universal appeal. Sexy design is not gender specific and blue fits perfectly in this scenario because it holds favoritism with males but has no prejudice amongst women.

Keepin’ It Sexy Suga

The key to keeping blue sexy is to utilize lighter shades. Light blue is still blue, so men will feel safe with it but its much softer so its appreciated by women. A favorite in wedding designs, interior design, and cosmetics, blue will always be sexy.

Under-Appreciated Sexy Colors

Green, Orange, and Purple

Image Source (via Flickr)
When I think about sexy design, green is definitely not the color that comes to mind. However, as long as you stay away from shades promoting sickness, green remains as  a potent color for health and vitality. Green also alleviates nervousness and anxiety–it’s really just sex as a color!

Sexy Fact: Green is the color of fertility!

Orange stimulates activity–that’s what I’m talking about baby (wink, wink)! A recent personal favorite, orange has a love it or hate it attitude because of it available level of intensities. Any color too bright will eventually create tension because of harshness upon eyesight, but when used in softer, paler tones, orange radiates a sexy flamboyant energy many have grown to love.

The royal color of purple has mystic qualities which encourage creativity. Like it’s fellow under-appreciated color green, it emits a calming effect. The sexiness of purple is actually not surprising because of it’s relation to the blue and red color families. Turn the color dial towards red for more sensuality while adding blue to the mix awakens the common gloominess attached to blue.

Are Certain Colors Un-sexy?

I love all colors, and am a total believer that the entire composition effects sexiness in design. So are there any colors that are incapable of being sexy or is it just a matter of color shade and design? Discuss and comment below…

Keep It Sexy Sugas…

Resources

• Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning
• Color: Meaning, Symbolism, and Psychology
• The Meanings of Colors

..She swayed from east to west on classically embroidered shoes the size of a fisherman’s fist.  Her face, contorted to restrain her visibly immense pain, remains concentrated on equilibrium. However,this, was her erotica…

Foreign Forms Of Erotic Design

These tiny shoes belong to a woman who practiced foot binding. In traditional china, bound feet reflected the favored shape amongst loony wealthy  families. These women upheld the belief that their sole purpose was to serve their spouse, and normally shaped feet represented peasants who had to work.

Elite men considered the result of this practice incredibly erotic. Women’s feet would resemble the naturally petite feet of renowned dancers, and in an effort to keep up with the elite, the practice spread amongst the classes.

Lotus Shoes

Dainty lotus shoes were crafted to accompany bound feet. The erotica grew when men watched women walk with a sway as they kept pressure on their heels. These lovely embroidered shoes measured preferably 3 inches in length and the act of concealing  feet peaked men’s sexual intrigue.

Oh, the irony!

Despite an ancient sex manual with 48 different ways to please oompa loompa feet, men actually found these feet aesthetically revolting (sarcastic gasp). I guess they’ll be creating a new group on facebook called, “having sex with lotus shoes on.”

Well, perhaps that rank odor emitting from Suzy’s elf feet got you to vote against sucking toes after all, huh?

On A Personal Note…

I’d rather not go into the wonderfully intricate icky, disgusting details of this practice since I’ve vomited in my mouth several times while researching it. But until next time my little lovelies…

Keep It Sexy Sugas!

Resources

• Foot Binding – (Wikipedia)
• Chinese Foot Binding Diagram
  

Images Courtesy of

• Foot Binding – (Wikipedia)
• Lotus Shoes
  

Artists are sexy…always.

SexiDesign Artists Showcases

Every so often I stumble upon work from artists that absolutely intrigue and amaze me. Their work, apart from being crafted beautifully in their medium of choice, is provocative, artistic, and creatively unique.

But lately I’ve considered the incessant amount of showcased work already seen. I know exactly how it is to be an artist looking for a moment of spotlight and recognition, and want to spread the love of art in any way that I can.

Submit Your Work To Be Showcased Here

As a result, I’ve decided to also shine some sunlight to aspiring artists looking to get their work appreciated. Popular artists are widely known because of their own efforts for recognition, but with popularity comes busy schedules, making it harder for giving readers more personal showcases of the artist’s work.

Artists submissions will help me delve into more concrete influences from artists you’ll soon grow to love. So if you’re an artist interested in a showcase to other passionate artists like yourself, then submit your work to me.

Why Submit Your Work?

1. Adds exposure to your divine artistry.
2. Communicate the origins of your style in a creative and art appreciative environment.
3. Set yourself up for follow up exposure–for every artist can only get better.
4. Discover hidden and underlying meanings portrayed through your work via open community discussion.
5. Cause your extra sexy if you do

How to Submit Your Work: Artist Guidelines

I’m an artist myself, and this is still a sexy design site, so here are a few guidelines to follow if you’d like to get your work showcased here:

• Be a real artist – if design or art is something that you started on a whim, then don’t submit.
• Technique and Style – Show or communicate how your work has definitive technique and style.
• K. I. S. S. (Keep It Sexy Suga) – “Sexy design” is not always blatant in its portrayal. Sexy design is comprised of a composition, elements, and color schemes exuding many forms of sexiness. If you’re not sure that your work is sexy, ask me…I don’t bite (sometimes).
• Be Open – We all know not all commenters online are the nicest. Be open to critiques, discussion, and your occasional turd lol.
• Debbie Downers – I think there is enough depressing artwork online lol.. We all have our preferences, but nothing too exceedingly dark please! I’m a hippie at heart, I want to move people–not make them squirm haha..

If you fit these simple guidelines then shoot me an e-mail with ya sexy self! Send links to portfolios, (and/or) attach images, and include a brief description of your artistry to melody@sexidesign.com. I respond to all submissions even if they’re not quite ready for SexiDesign just yet.

Previous Showcases

Finalize your decision after looking at some of these previous artist showcases!

• Artist Showcase: Dominique Regnier
• Artist Showcase: Olivia De Berardinis

Stay Sexy…

I think I’ve found my signature of way of closing these now.

K.I.S.S. -Mel