Take A Close Look At These Alien Creatures…They’re Hiding Something Shocking

Colored pencils are often used in art, but usually in the way that generates colored lines and shapes when they’re rubbed on paper. This artist decided to use colored pencils to make her art, but in a different way. The sculptures of Jennifer Maestre are at once alien and familiar, from their organic yet unrecognizable shapes to their unusual but everyday material.

To create these pieces, Maestre takes hundreds of pencils, both colored and plain leads, and saws them into one-inch sections. She then drills a hole through each piece, creating a bead, and sews the pencil-beads together into the spiny creatures you see here.

Maestre initially got the idea for her sculptures from by sea urchins, who are beautiful and fascinating, but also covered in sharp, dangerous spines. The forms she creates, which are reminiscent of animals and flowers, are similarly beautiful and inviting with their curving shapes and bright colors. At the same time, they’re also covered in aggressive points. The combination of color and texture gives them a personality all their own. If you like the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil, they might have an olfactory dimension, too.

Maestre’s sculptures have varying surfaces. Some areas having the points on the outside and a smooth inside, and some have smooth exterior parts with the points inside. This alternating of textures reminds us of exterior protections like spines, scales, and thorns that protect a vulnerable interior, as well as a smooth, inviting surface that hides sharp teeth.

(via Where the Cool Things Happen)

You can see more of Maestre’s work on her website. If you like the colors of the pencils here, you can also check out her Zibbet page, where she has colored pencil jewelry for sale. Don’t worry, the jewelry isn’t spiny!