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For many, creating art feels nearly impossible without following a structured approach like paint-by-numbers. This is what makes the following artists truly remarkable. They employ unconventional materials or techniques to produce extraordinary works. One artist even creates masterpieces despite being blind.
10. Landskating by Haisu Tian
If painting with a brush seems challenging, consider the difficulty of crafting landscapes using rollerblades. Haisu Tian, a gifted artist from Fremont, California, does just that. She has coined her method “landskating.” Ink pots are secured to the toes of her custom skates. As she glides, the ink transfers onto xuan paper (commonly referred to as “rice paper”), creating expansive traditional Chinese ink paintings, often depicting black-and-white landscapes.
Originating in ancient China, xuan paper is the same soft, pure white, and textured material traditionally used for Chinese calligraphy. Despite its delicate appearance in decorative writing or painting, xuan paper is remarkably durable, resistant to creasing, aging, and other forms of damage. It also excels at retaining color vibrancy.
Haisu started painting at the age of three but only recently integrated skating into her artistic process. “My entire body is engaged, allowing me to create diverse ink landscapes,” Haisu explains. “This method embodies power, speed, and rhythm. While it diverges from traditional brush techniques, it preserves the essence of classic ink landscapes. I’m deeply passionate about this form because it conveys profound emotions through minimalist expressions.”
9. Jet Art by Princess Tarinan von Anhalt
Princess Tarinan von Anhalt crafts abstract art by hurling containers of paint into the air and utilizing the wind and heat from a jet engine to fuse the paint onto a canvas. She terms this innovative method “jet art.” Von Anhalt has created her pieces using various jets, including Challenger, Citation, Gulfstream, and Lear models.
Creating jet art isn’t a spontaneous endeavor. It requires months of preparation, such as obtaining airport approvals, setting up the area with plastic tarps and platforms, coordinating with pilots and jets, and inviting 50–300 guests to witness the spectacle. Von Anhalt has made dramatic entrances via motorcycle and helicopter. Spectators pay up to $50,000 each to attend, while the finished paintings range from $25,000 to over $1 million in value.
Von Anhalt refers to her jet as her '$11 million paintbrush.' This form of art is highly perilous due to the jet engine's wind force, which surpasses that of a hurricane. Positioned between the jet and the canvas, she must avoid being burned by the exhaust or sucked into the compressor. 'During one rehearsal, the pilot misunderstood,' von Anhalt recalls. 'I typically use one engine, not at full throttle, but this well-meaning pilot activated both engines at full throttle—nearly takeoff power. I ended up like The Flying Nun.'
However, she often disregards the risks when immersed in her creative process. At times, she can foresee the outcome of her painting, while other times, the wind's direction results in an unexpected masterpiece. 'That’s the thrill,' she explains. 'It’s addictive. How do you explain it? It surpasses all other experiences.'
8. Fabric PaintJohn Bramblitt
John Bramblitt turned to painting only after losing his functional vision due to epilepsy-related complications. His vision started deteriorating at age 11, with seizures progressively reducing his sight to mere light and dark perception by the time he was 30. The loss plunged him into deep depression. 'All my aspirations and plans post-graduation vanished,' Bramblitt shared. 'I wasn’t just depressed; I was in mourning.'
At his darkest moment, he resolved to reintroduce color into his life using fabric paint with raised edges. He identifies colors by the Braille on the tubes, often blending them based on their tactile feel. Starting with a mental image, Bramblitt outlines his vision on canvas with fabric paint, creating emotionally charged works with vivid colors. He also crafts strikingly accurate portraits, such as the one of skateboarder Tony Hawk, by feeling the subject's face.
7. Basketball ArtHong Yi
Hong Yi, also known as 'Red,' hails from Malaysia and is often called 'the artist who loves to paint without a paintbrush.' In 2012, she crafted a portrait of basketball legend Yao Ming using a basketball and red paint. She chooses tools tied to her subjects' fame for her portraits. For Yao Ming, it was a basketball. For Ai Weiwei, she used real sunflower seeds, referencing his Tate Modern exhibit, Sunflower Seeds. She even painted football icons Christiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Lionel Messi using a soccer ball controlled by her feet.
Hong adopted unconventional tools to avoid transporting her paintbrushes from Australia, her then-home, to Shanghai, where she worked for an architecture firm. She also aimed to save on costly new brushes. Preferring public spaces, she enjoys showcasing her process to onlookers and documenting her work for social media.
6. Auto DrawingIan Cook
Ian Cook, known as 'PopBangColor,' produces car-themed art by maneuvering remote-controlled vehicles through paint on canvas. At times, he relies solely on tire tracks to apply color. Raised in England's West Midlands, Cook admired local auto factories but was passionate about race cars. After earning his Fine Art degree from Winchester School of Fine Art, he merged his love for art and automobiles.
Everything clicked when his girlfriend gifted him a remote-controlled car for Christmas, warning him not to get paint on it. Ignoring her advice, he secretly cleaned the car before she noticed. Though the relationship ended, he held onto the car.
Experimenting with tire-based painting, he found that car tires created distinctive brushstrokes. This led to detailed artworks in his signature 'popbang' style. Cook prefers straightforward art without hidden meanings. 'I once made a sculpture from pieces of my old diecast cars, sorted by color,' he recalls. 'When I displayed it during the Iraq invasion, people speculated if it symbolized car bombs or suicide bombers. I had to clarify, 'No, it’s just about cutting up toy cars and arranging them by color.''
Major car brands appreciate his work, as he frequently collaborates with them. His clients include Dunlop, Ferrari, Ford Racing, Jaguar, and VW WRC.
5. Fireworks PaintingRosemarie Fiore
Rosemarie Fiore crafts abstract art using fireworks' colored smoke. 'I create my drawings by managing firework explosions,' she explains. 'I bombard heavyweight paper with various fireworks like smoke bombs, jumping jacks, and lasers. By controlling the chaos of the explosions in containers, I shape the imagery.' Using cans, she produces vivid color circles, while sparklers dragged across the paper create lines, blending burn marks with vibrant hues.
Fiore's artworks are often expansive, sometimes exceeding 2 meters (7 feet) in width. She builds her compositions in layers, creating collages that she then enhances with additional firework explosions, resulting in intricate designs with overlapping color disks. To craft her pieces, she employs unconventional tools like a lawnmower, a modified floor polisher, and a windshield wiper. Her most unusual device, however, is the Scrambler, an amusement park ride with multiple spinning arms.
Fiore dons protective gear while working due to the inherent risks. She conceived this technique after observing fireworks leave swirling marks on a cement floor during explosions.
4. Vinyl Record PortraitsMr. Brainwash
Thierry Guetta, known as 'Mr. Brainwash,' is a polarizing French filmmaker and Los Angeles street artist. While some speculate he might be the elusive graffiti artist Banksy, the documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop depicts him as a bumbling figure who gains fame through his association with street artists. Guetta adopted his alias, believing life revolves around brainwashing, including his art. He also thought the name had a cool ring to it.
Mr. Brainwash is an advocate for environmental sustainability, repurposing discarded items like tires and TVs into art. His signature style includes vinyl record portraits, where he shatters records into countless fragments to create depictions of music legends and other icons. He incorporates colorful record labels and broken CDs into his work. 'I aim to showcase ordinary individuals who achieved extraordinary feats by pursuing their dreams,' he explains. 'It’s a message to the audience that anything is possible.'
Mr. Brainwash is also known for his street art. He designed the cover for a Madonna album but faced a copyright lawsuit when a photographer claimed his artwork too closely resembled the original photograph.
3. Hitofude RyuuDragon Art Kousyuuya
Dragon Art Kousyuuya, located in Nikko, Japan, offers personalized one-stroke dragon art created live for customers. Known as 'Hitofude Ryuu,' meaning 'dragon with one stroke,' the dragon's head is painted with multiple small strokes using a fine brush, while the body is crafted in a single, flowing motion with a sumie brush.
A shop flyer explains, 'Dragons are akin to guardian angels, serving as talismans against evil and harbingers of good fortune. For centuries, they have graced Shinto shrines and temples.' Dragon imagery is believed to attract similar blessings.
Customers can select from various sizes, colors, designs, and kanji characters for their dragon art. Kanji, a Japanese script using Chinese characters, often symbolizes concepts like luck and protection. Certain colors, considered luckier, come at a premium.
2. Chicken Eggshell ArtworkBen Tre
Engraving and coloring ostrich eggshells were among the earliest artistic practices of ancient humans, serving both decorative and symbolic purposes in Stone Age cultures. Ostrich eggshells, being 2–3 millimeters thick, are sturdy enough to withstand an ostrich's weight, making them easier to engrave than chicken eggshells, which are a mere 0.3–0.4 millimeters thick and extremely fragile.
This makes it astonishing that Ben Tre from Vietnam can intricately carve inscriptions, landscapes, and celebrity portraits on chicken eggshells using a dentist's drill. His works include detailed depictions of Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, and Queen Elizabeth II.
Ben leaves the eggshells untreated, making them prone to cracking. Despite this, they retain their beauty even when damaged. Creating a landscape takes about three hours, while portraits can take up to two days. To protect his delicate creations, Ben encases them in glass and sometimes displays them on LED-lit wooden bases, turning them into vibrant miniature lamps.
1. Lip ArtNatalie Irish
Natalie Irish is an exceptionally skilled artist who uses her lips as a brush and lipstick as her medium to craft stunning portraits of celebrities by kissing a blank canvas, a method she dubs 'lip art.' She first experimented with this technique over a decade ago but fully committed to it after leaving her job at a Houston veterinary clinic in 2010.
Lip art evolved from thumbprint painting, a technique Irish picked up in high school. 'In 2001, while applying makeup before going out to see a band, I blotted my lips on tissue and had the idea to use lips like thumbprints, inspired by pointillism,' she explains. Each portrait takes weeks and up to three tubes of lipstick to complete. She has created images of Kate Middleton, Jimi Hendrix, and Marilyn Monroe. Despite the fun-sounding nature of her work, she often deals with chapped lips and eyestrain, relying on lip balm and petroleum jelly to keep her lips in shape.
Regarding her materials, Irish says, 'I use everything from high-end brands to budget store products and even theater makeup. I often create my own lipsticks to achieve the exact colors I need.'
Irish is also dedicated to supporting charitable causes. Diagnosed with Type I diabetes in high school, she volunteers her time and art for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and serves on the Youth Leadership Council in Houston.
