The famous humanoid robot Sophia painted a self-portrait that was later sold at an auction for over $688,000. The artwork is Sophia’s interpretation of her own face and it was created as an NFT (non-fungible token), a digital data unit that’s been popular lately.

The image is titled Sophia Instantiation. It was made in collaboration with artist Andrea Bonaceto, who’s also a partner at blockchain investment company Eterna Capital. She created a colorful portrait of Sophia first, and the robot then painted her own interpretation.

Sophia was developed by Hanson Robotics and has been active since 2016. She’s the first robot with a nationality (Saudi Arabian) and has appeared at many conferences and talk shows in the past.

As NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway says, the fact that she paints was “based completely on decisions she made without any human assistance.” The self-portrait wasn’t the only thing Sophia painted. Her other creations were also sold in batches of 30 for $2,500 to $3,000. She sold the artwork worth over $1 million in total.

The buyer of the most expensive piece, a digital artist known as 888, tweeted “I have goosebumps.” “Me too, we really had a connection,” replied Sophia’s official Twitter account.

The post This Robot’s “Self-Portrait” Was Sold for Almost $700,000 appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

You may not think that fine art restoration sounds like the kind of thing that would have a wide audience of incredibly dedicated followers. And yet Julian Baumgartner’s YouTube channel Baumgartner Restoration has 1.45 million subscribers of as today’s writing, and each of his videos gets millions of views despite regularly being over 30 and even 40 minutes in length. So what’s the deal? Why are so many people head over heels for fine art restoration?

Well, there are several possible reasons. First, Julian’s videos are incredibly high in quality, with stunning cinematography and crisp, clear audio. It makes them very easy to watch.

Second, Julian’s talent, knowledge, and experience in this very specific field come across so clearly in his videos, creating an incredibly impressive impression of an ability that not many people have.

Julian’s viewers also love his sassy approach to his work, often criticizing (in a classy way) certain techniques that other restoration artists use. This creates a bit of a community in which viewers feel like they’re learning something about the right way to restore art from a true artisan and expert.

Of course, there’s only one way to be completely sure why so many people love Baumgartner Restoration: to check out the videos for yourself. So what are you waiting for?

The post Here’s Why Everyone’s Obsessed with this Art Restoration Channel on YouTube appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Annie Thomas, who posts under the username @creative.cliche, currently has 1.3 million followers on TikTok and nearly 300,000 on Instagram. Why? She’s insanely talented in transforming herself into a cartoon and other characters using nothing but makeup.

Thomas shares videos of her using makeup to turn herself into various cartoon characters. Each transformation is more amazing than the one before it and seeing them on video doesn’t help us understand how something like this is even possible. So far, she’s covered many of our favorite characters, including Hector from Coco, Dobby from Harry Potter, Sponge Bob, and many others.

Her online fame started after one of her cosplay videos went viral. “I originally started my Instagram to practice special effects makeup [after] being inspired by FaceOff on SYFY, but I randomly decided to do a cosplay of the character Cynthia from Rugrats,” she tells Allure. “That post tripled my following at the time, so I switched my focus to mainly cartoons and cosplays.”

Scroll down to see some of Thomas’ works and make sure to follow her on social media if you want to see more of her work in the future!

The post Why Everyone’s Talking about Annie Thomas’ Body Art appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The Paris Musées just released 100,000+ digital copies of incredible artworks to the public domain, which means they’re now available for free, unrestricted use. This means that you can use Claude Monet’s Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt or art from famous artists like Rembrandt and Gustave Courbet, for various projects without having to pay anything or ask for permission.

Each of the files is available at the museum’s portal and they contain an image in high resolution, a description, and the location where you can see the original work. The portal also includes low-res images of pieces that are not in the public domain, so you can check them out and decide if you want to go and see them in person. Another thing you can find on the site is virtual exhibitions, which are a perfect way to see art from the comfort of your home.

We can only hope other institutions follow with their own contributions in the near future.

The post Paris Musées Release Over 100,000 Works for Public Use appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The art of hand lettering is the opposite of new, but it’s still a trend that’s been pretty popular in the last few years. The tools it requires are simple – a pen and paper – but knowing which pens produce the best pieces is a matter of practice and experience.

Hand lettering is attractive and can be applied in many situations. Unlike all the things digital, it has a relaxing power and is a great tool for unwinding after a long day. Lettering is readable art, where the artist creates her favorite words, sentences or quotes in a variety of styles that look gorgeous.

Though lettering is a great anti-stress practice, the very beginning can be overwhelming. If you want to give it a try, start small. Find your favorite artists to follow on social media and learn from them. The most important thing – do the work. As you practice, you will naturally get better. It can be a pretty awesome skill to have!

The post Trend Report: The Art of Hand Lettering appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Those who visit Ibiza this year have the chance to stay in the candy-colored Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel, which was designed by Ilmio Design.

The Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel just opened nearby the San Antonio resort, infamous for its nightlife. The rooms are artsy and colorful and the hotel is hosting a comprehensive arts program that tourists can enjoy while staying.

“Devoted to art and contemporary creation, and borrowing inspiration from the aesthetics of MiMo – Miami Modern – the new hotel introduces a whole new way of visiting the island, surrounded by high-quality art,” said a statement from Concept Hotel Group, which operates the property.

“Guests will be completely surrounded by art in a unique setting, with works by contemporary artists installed in all the hotel’s Art Rooms,” the statement continued.

There’s one room that’s different from the others, and it’s located in the lobby. It’s called Zero Suite, and its walls are made of glass, so it’s completely see-through. It’s reserved for artists who will complete “micro residencies” at the hotel.

See some images of the hotel below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlAUg8uBwbp/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk4iTUrhwi4/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkr-EvTBlxf/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbP5oTEBzb9/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhSKpPh2q5/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhufNtBy0f/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

The post Check Out Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel by Ilmio Design appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The famous humanoid robot Sophia painted a self-portrait that was later sold at an auction for over $688,000. The artwork is Sophia’s interpretation of her own face and it was created as an NFT (non-fungible token), a digital data unit that’s been popular lately.

The image is titled Sophia Instantiation. It was made in collaboration with artist Andrea Bonaceto, who’s also a partner at blockchain investment company Eterna Capital. She created a colorful portrait of Sophia first, and the robot then painted her own interpretation.

Sophia was developed by Hanson Robotics and has been active since 2016. She’s the first robot with a nationality (Saudi Arabian) and has appeared at many conferences and talk shows in the past.

As NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway says, the fact that she paints was “based completely on decisions she made without any human assistance.” The self-portrait wasn’t the only thing Sophia painted. Her other creations were also sold in batches of 30 for $2,500 to $3,000. She sold the artwork worth over $1 million in total.

The buyer of the most expensive piece, a digital artist known as 888, tweeted “I have goosebumps.” “Me too, we really had a connection,” replied Sophia’s official Twitter account.

The post This Robot’s “Self-Portrait” Was Sold for Almost $700,000 appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

You may not think that fine art restoration sounds like the kind of thing that would have a wide audience of incredibly dedicated followers. And yet Julian Baumgartner’s YouTube channel Baumgartner Restoration has 1.45 million subscribers of as today’s writing, and each of his videos gets millions of views despite regularly being over 30 and even 40 minutes in length. So what’s the deal? Why are so many people head over heels for fine art restoration?

Well, there are several possible reasons. First, Julian’s videos are incredibly high in quality, with stunning cinematography and crisp, clear audio. It makes them very easy to watch.

Second, Julian’s talent, knowledge, and experience in this very specific field come across so clearly in his videos, creating an incredibly impressive impression of an ability that not many people have.

Julian’s viewers also love his sassy approach to his work, often criticizing (in a classy way) certain techniques that other restoration artists use. This creates a bit of a community in which viewers feel like they’re learning something about the right way to restore art from a true artisan and expert.

Of course, there’s only one way to be completely sure why so many people love Baumgartner Restoration: to check out the videos for yourself. So what are you waiting for?

The post Here’s Why Everyone’s Obsessed with this Art Restoration Channel on YouTube appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Annie Thomas, who posts under the username @creative.cliche, currently has 1.3 million followers on TikTok and nearly 300,000 on Instagram. Why? She’s insanely talented in transforming herself into a cartoon and other characters using nothing but makeup.

Thomas shares videos of her using makeup to turn herself into various cartoon characters. Each transformation is more amazing than the one before it and seeing them on video doesn’t help us understand how something like this is even possible. So far, she’s covered many of our favorite characters, including Hector from Coco, Dobby from Harry Potter, Sponge Bob, and many others.

Her online fame started after one of her cosplay videos went viral. “I originally started my Instagram to practice special effects makeup [after] being inspired by FaceOff on SYFY, but I randomly decided to do a cosplay of the character Cynthia from Rugrats,” she tells Allure. “That post tripled my following at the time, so I switched my focus to mainly cartoons and cosplays.”

Scroll down to see some of Thomas’ works and make sure to follow her on social media if you want to see more of her work in the future!

The post Why Everyone’s Talking about Annie Thomas’ Body Art appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The Paris Musées just released 100,000+ digital copies of incredible artworks to the public domain, which means they’re now available for free, unrestricted use. This means that you can use Claude Monet’s Setting Sun on the Seine at Lavacourt or art from famous artists like Rembrandt and Gustave Courbet, for various projects without having to pay anything or ask for permission.

Each of the files is available at the museum’s portal and they contain an image in high resolution, a description, and the location where you can see the original work. The portal also includes low-res images of pieces that are not in the public domain, so you can check them out and decide if you want to go and see them in person. Another thing you can find on the site is virtual exhibitions, which are a perfect way to see art from the comfort of your home.

We can only hope other institutions follow with their own contributions in the near future.

The post Paris Musées Release Over 100,000 Works for Public Use appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The art of hand lettering is the opposite of new, but it’s still a trend that’s been pretty popular in the last few years. The tools it requires are simple – a pen and paper – but knowing which pens produce the best pieces is a matter of practice and experience.

Hand lettering is attractive and can be applied in many situations. Unlike all the things digital, it has a relaxing power and is a great tool for unwinding after a long day. Lettering is readable art, where the artist creates her favorite words, sentences or quotes in a variety of styles that look gorgeous.

Though lettering is a great anti-stress practice, the very beginning can be overwhelming. If you want to give it a try, start small. Find your favorite artists to follow on social media and learn from them. The most important thing – do the work. As you practice, you will naturally get better. It can be a pretty awesome skill to have!

The post Trend Report: The Art of Hand Lettering appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Those who visit Ibiza this year have the chance to stay in the candy-colored Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel, which was designed by Ilmio Design.

The Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel just opened nearby the San Antonio resort, infamous for its nightlife. The rooms are artsy and colorful and the hotel is hosting a comprehensive arts program that tourists can enjoy while staying.

“Devoted to art and contemporary creation, and borrowing inspiration from the aesthetics of MiMo – Miami Modern – the new hotel introduces a whole new way of visiting the island, surrounded by high-quality art,” said a statement from Concept Hotel Group, which operates the property.

“Guests will be completely surrounded by art in a unique setting, with works by contemporary artists installed in all the hotel’s Art Rooms,” the statement continued.

There’s one room that’s different from the others, and it’s located in the lobby. It’s called Zero Suite, and its walls are made of glass, so it’s completely see-through. It’s reserved for artists who will complete “micro residencies” at the hotel.

See some images of the hotel below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlAUg8uBwbp/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk4iTUrhwi4/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkr-EvTBlxf/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbP5oTEBzb9/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhSKpPh2q5/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhufNtBy0f/?taken-by=paradiso_ibiza

The post Check Out Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel by Ilmio Design appeared first on toppoptoday.com.