Whether painstakingly sewn, robotically drawn, or shaved away, 2014 saw a number of international artists using their limbs, hair and skin as a living canvas in their creative projects.

Take a look below at the top 10 most popular body art articles of 2014.

10. fantich & young implants teeth into the soles of mary janes

Dominic young and mariana fantich of british studio fantich & young have added to their line of shoe sculptures with ‘apex predator’ for young girls.

The pair of youth footwear are mary jane style, with hot red patent red surfaces and a buckled strap.

At their sole, instead of the traditional rubber bottom, the creative duo have implanted hundreds of individual back and front teeth dentures into the base.

The result transforms the otherwise adorable wearable into something a bit more sinister, resulting in a distributing twist on a classic childhood item.

9. robotic blood printer draws ted lawson’s nude self-portrait

‘drawing blood’ takes on a different description for brooklyn-based artist ted lawson’s ‘ghost in the machine': a life-sized, nude self-portrait rendered from his own bodily fluid.

Fed intravenously to a CNC machine, lawson’s blood traverses through the mechanical parts, while a robotic arm attached to the device — programmed to trace the designated illustration — carefully maps out the human form.

‘I have always used many different technologies to create my work and the goal is usually to find a way to turn those towards something organic and human.‘

lawson tells designboom ‘I’m generally not into doing selfies, particularly nude ones, but when I came up with the idea to connect my blood directly to the robot CNC machine, it just made too much sense to not try one as a full nude self-portrait.’

8. 25 countries photoshop esther honig to make her beautiful

The standard of what is considered to be beautiful is geographically relative, varying across cultures on a global level.

In a project which manifests these tendencies on a visual scale, journalist esther honig has created a photographic series ‘before & after’, in which she contacted 40 individuals, from more than 25 countries and made a simple request: ‘make me beautiful’.

She sent an unedited photo of herself to graphic designers (some experts in their field, others amateur) to countries like sri lanka, ukraine, the philippines, and kenya, hoping that each creative would source their personal perception and cultural conclusions of beauty to enhance her original image. ‘

Photoshop allows us to achieve our unobtainable standards of beauty‘ honig describes ‘but when we compare those standards on a global scale, achieving the ideal remains all the more illusive.’

7. Y&R grow animal beards for schick’s free your skin campaign

The beard trend has quickly become an international craze and grooming brands, like razor company schick, aim to encourage the regular trimming and upkeep of burly facial hair.

For an advertising campaign, they’ve teamed up with Y&R new zealand to create a humorous and bizarre series featuring three men with ‘beastly’ beards.

The overgrowing hair has become so burly and unkempt that it has turned into an animal, carrying the message that men should shave before their beards get out of hand.

The ‘free your skin’ series sees the otherwise manly beards as fuzzy criters desperately clinging on to and hugging the mens’ chins, warning scruff-lovers to manicure their mustaches before they turn feral.

6. michael allen shaves a font from his face for alphabeard

New york city-based designer michael allen has sacrificed many beards in the creation of a typeface shaved away from his own facial hair.

For ‘alphabeard’, allen has carefully sculpted every letter of the alphabet from his beard, including punctuation — a period and a comma.

Bold and medium variations are formed from the thickness and thinness of the stubble, and hair growth in varying contours and linear arrangements creates each letterform.

5. the cut condenses 100 years of beauty in 1 minute

Throughout the last 100 years, the idea of beauty has drastically and quickly shifted in style and trait. hair trends, makeup design and aesthetic attitude have changed from decade to decade, with a female’s overall appearance visually describing to which period of time she may belong.

Seattle-based creative agency the cut have created a 1-minute video which compresses the looks of every decade from 1910 to 2010.

Perfectly permed, pin-up-style locks and peachy lipstick define the 1940s, while minimal makeup and unfussy hair can categorize the early 1900s.

4. david cata sews portraits of his family into the palm of his hand

Spanish artist david catá uses his body as a canvas for writing an autobiographical diary.

The performance-cum-sculptural, self-inflicted pieces that make up the series ‘a flor de piel’ are portraits of the faces of people who have left their mark on the artist’s life — family, friends, partners and teachers — sewn into the palm of his hand.‘

Their lives have been interwoven with mine to build my history’ catá says, ‘every moment lived stays in the memory to finally be forgotten.

Somehow, this fact is painful, since there are only material things and traces that people leave behind.’

The woven flesh work establishes a symbiosis between union, separation, pain and love — a performatic and symbolic action of loss, and preserves the memories through memorial, corporal and videographic footprints.

3. physical skin manipulations by juuke schoorl reconsider the human body

The mind bending skin manipulations photographed by dutch artist juuke schoorl warrant a double take: are these unnatural textures inherent characteristics of the individual’s body, digital interventions within a computerized space, or are they physical molds applied to the surface of the subject?

With her graduation project ‘REK’ (meaning ‘stretch’ in dutch) schoorl translated her fascination with the human body and its malleability into a series of images, exploring the aesthetic possibilities of our outer layer.

2. konstantin kofta mimics human anatomy with wearable accessories

Kofta — the kiev-based label of designer konstantin kofta — combines seemingly contradictory elements outside the traditional canons of the fashion industry, with garments and wearable accessories that evoke sensuality and surrealism while maintaining practicality.

Skin, bones, hands and feet are a few of the human-sourced elements which define a series of backpacks, shoes and handbags, each unexpected in its anatomical accuracy and realism.

The designer’s ‘hug’, ‘born’ and ‘roots’ collections thread a common theme around these corporeal motifs, linking visuals of praying and perched hands, skeletal segments and toes together in a series of couture items.

1. inside the archives of arkady bronnikov’s russian criminal tattoo police files

As senior expert in criminalistics at the USSR ministry of internal affairs for more than thirty years, arkady bronnikov can be regarded as russia’s leading expert on tattoo iconography.

From the mid-1960s­ to mid-1980s, he visited correctional institutions of the ural and siberia regions where he interviewed and documented images of convicts and their body art, going on to build one of the most comprehensive archives of this category.

He regularly helped solve criminal cases across russia, exclusively granting the collection for police use, to aid in the identification of culprits and corpses.

His photographs of nameless figures present a visceral representation of criminal society; their bodies illustrate an unofficial personal account of their history, imbued in symbolism and metaphor.

London-based design & publishing house FUEL acquired this collection of 918 photographs.

A selection of these photographs has been published by FUEL in a book titled ‘russian criminal tattoo police files‘, comprising over 180 photographs and accompanying texts from the arkady bronnikov collection and also featuring a 48-page section printed on pink paper with texts, mug shots and criminal profiling.

(source:designboom.com)

From "Lord of the Rings" to " Star Wars ," the idea of magic has captivated our imagination. As Harry Potter fans get ready to the Hogwarts-Like wizardry school , we examines the most beloved wizards in pop culture.

10. Nicolas Flamel

For Harry Potter fans, the name Nicolas Flamel may sound familiar. J.K. Rowling wove the medieval alchemist into the first book in her series. In 1382, Flamel wrote in his diary that he had found the secret to transform lead into gold. That feat may seem unlikely, but historical records show that Flamel became very wealthy after this date and donated almost all of his money to charity.

9. Mr. Wizard

Kids today might not know who Mr. Wizard is, but children of the '50s, '60s and even the '80s probably do. As host of NBC 's live science show Watch Mr. Wizard, Don Herbert captivated millions of baby boomers by using household items to explain concepts of science.

8. The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz - based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - is reportedly the most-watched film in history. So this Wizard gets points, at the very least, for market penetration.

7. Tim the Enchanter

The ram-horned, bearded wizard is capable of creating fire without flint or tinder.

6. Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison didn't technically have supernatural powers, but he didn't earn the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park" for nothing. Some historians would later say Menlo Park, the world's first industrial-research facility, itself was Edison's greatest invention.

5. Mickey Mouse

In the original 1797 poem, the sorcerer’s apprentice gets himself in trouble by using magic he can’t control to do his chores. Walt Disney entered it into the pop canon with one of the shorts in Fantasia.

4. Merlin

No discussion of wizards is complete without Merlin, first put to paper around 1136. His prophetic knowledge and ability to shapeshift made him a valuable asset to Arthur, and he’s been reinterpreted more times than can possibly be listed here.

3. Yoda

Magic doesn’t always mean parlor tricks. He levitated objects with his mind, sensed the presence of other Jedi and was able to shield himself from the lightening of Darth Sidious with his fingertips.

2. Albus Dumbledore

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB7o8wUkSXA#t=257]

Picking our favorite Harry Potter wizard was a tough one, but you'll know the reason why we choose this old man after checking out the video above. We will always remenber that magical beard.

1. Gandalf

One of the most powerful wizards in all of Middle Earth, Gandalf The Gray still made time to entertain a few humble hobbits with magical fireworks. Everyone who had watched "Lord of the Rings" was impressed by his lines in the movie, "You Shall Not Pass!"

We're here to let you in on a pretty widely known secret about art history: It's dirtier than you remember.

In celebration of the brand new Erotic Garden and Teahouse in Thailand, we've put together a list of the Top 10 most jaw-dropping-ly sensual artworks you might have forgotten about.

Behold, 10 classic works that are way naughtier than you remember.

10.Miyagawa Isshō's "Spring Pastimes"

Created in 1750, this shunga scroll depicts a tryst between two men, one likely a samurai and the other a kabuki actor taking on a sexualized female role.

9. Pablo Picasso 's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon)"

Picasso's famous Primitivist painting portrays five nude prostitutes allegedly from a brothel in Barcelona. With their unconventional female forms and relentless gazes, the image is a proto-Cubist version of erotica.

8.Édouard Manet's "Olympia"

Look familiar? Manet's 1863 painting is based roughly on Titian's "Venus" and Goya's "Nude Maja."

According to accounts from writer Antonin Proust, the painting of a prostitute was so scandalous that "only the precautions taken by the administration prevented the painting being punctured and torn" at its debut exhibition.

7.Peter Paul Rubens's copy of Michelangelo's "Leda and the Swan"

For early 17th century audiences, it was likely more acceptable for a woman to be shown engaging in explicit acts with a bird than with an actual human being.

Hence, "Leda and the Swan," based on the Greek myth in which Zeus takes the form of a swan and "seduces" a woman named Leda. Artists like Cesare da Sesto and Paul Cezanna also chose the crude story as inspiration for paintings.

6.Egon Schiele's "Friendship"

Despite the title, there's a underlying sense of sexuality in Schiele's depiction of two naked individuals, embracing in a twist of line and form reminiscent of the great Austrian painter's intense figurative works.

5.Titian's "Venus of Urbino"

Mark Twain once called Titian's Venus "the foulest, the vilest, the obscenest picture the world possesses." With her unabashed nudity and strong gaze into the viewers' eyes, the nude female in this 1538 work of art is undeniably erotic.

4.Paul Cezanne's "Seven Bathers"

Cezanne is well known for his various images of nude bathers, many of whom were women.

"Seven bathers," however, portrays the figures of nude men -- though some are rather androgynously rendered. This scene of beautifully crafted male bodies is surely not the most erotic of subject matter, but the ways in which the artist toyed with classical representations of the body and the relationship between the viewer's gaze and nakedness makes for a borderline erotic aesthetic.

It is assumed that Cezanne, due to a lack of available models, painted this from memory or imagination.

3.Francisco de Goya's "The Nude Maja"

This circa 1800 painting will go down in history as "the first totally profane life-size female nude in Western art -- thought to be at least one of the first explicit depictions of female pubic hair.

At the time of its creation, the Catholic Church banned the display of artistic nudes, so Goya's nude woman and its more modest counterpart, "The Clothed Maja," were never exhibited publicly during the artist's lifetime.

2.Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights"

Ok, so you may associate "The Garden of Earthly Delights" with its array of terrifying, otherworldly creatures, but the painting has its fair share of sensual details.

Dating from between 1490 and 1510, the work plays host to a whole carnival of sins, including the acts in the image above, in which nude men and women are seen frolicking with each other, horses, birds, mermaids, plants... you name it.

Writer Laurinda S. Dixon described it as teeming with "a certain adolescent sexual curiosity."

1.Katsushika Hokusai's "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife"

There's almost no ambiguity regarding the erotic nature of this painting. The print -- a perfect example of Japanese shunga art -- depicts a fisherman's wife deriving pleasure from a rather unique encounter with an octopus.

But do you recognize the artist's name? Yes, the man behind "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" had more than landscape likenesses up his sleeve.

(source:huffingtonpost.com)

Internet Buzzwords differ from culture. Besides Japan , Chinese netizens also have summed up many interesting network buzzwords in 2014.

And here are the top 10.

10. 萌萌哒(méng méng da)

“萌” (méng) literally means “cute” and “哒” (da) is a modal particle.

The phrase originated on a Chinese website called “douban”, and was used to refer to someone who was a bit strange and needed to take medicine as a result.

However, it has gained in popularity because of a series of gifs released by the Palace Museum, where the ancient emperor Yongzheng looks very cute. In daily conversation, the phrase is now used to describe someone who is incredibly cute.

E.g. jīn tiān huà le gè zhuāng, gǎn jué zì jǐ méng méng da.

今天化了个妆，感觉自己萌萌哒。

I did a make-up today and felt myself terribly cute.

9. 且行且珍惜 It is to be cherished.

On March 31, 2014, Chinese actress Ma Yili responded to her husband Wen Zhang's cheating on China's twitter-like Sina Weibo.

It reads as follows: "恋爱虽易，婚姻不易，且行且珍惜"(liàn ài suī yì hūn yīn bú yì qiě háng qiě zhēn xī), meaning "Being in love is easy, being married is not. It is to be cherished."

Soon many Internet users began to make sentences with this pattern.

E.g. chī fàn suī yì jiǎn féi bú yì qiě chī qiě zhēn xī

吃饭虽易，减肥不易，且吃且珍惜。

Eating is easy, losing weight is not. It is to be cherished.

8. 脸基尼（liǎn jī ní）

When it comes to Chinese dama 大妈(dà mā ), or old grannies, you can’t ignore their fixation for purchasing gold and their love of square dancing.

This year, a new initiative was created by this group known as dama, which had an enormous influence on the French fashion circle.

This initiative is the so-called “脸基尼”（liǎn jī ní）, a bizarre mask used to cover a swimmer's entire head and neck down to their collar bones, equipped with holes for eyes, nostrils and mouth, so as to prevent people from getting a tan on their face.

“脸基尼（liǎn jī ní）” is a phrase comprising the words face (“脸”liǎn) and bikini（“基尼”jī ní）creating an entirely new meaning in the world of fashion. Now the phrase has gone viral among French fashion circles and is the talk of the town in Paris.

E.g. liǎn jī ní xiàn zài chéng le hǎi tān yóu bì bèi pǐn

脸基尼现在成了海滩游必备品。

The Facekini has become an essential fashion item for trips to the seaside.

7. 逗比（dòu bǐ）

In daily life, there is always a group of people who are ridiculous or a little strange in terms of their normal behavior.

We can refer to these people as “逗比（dòu bǐ）” in Chinese.

Initially, the word carried a derogatory meaning but it has slowly evolved into a positive term. It is often used to make fun of friends in a neutral way.

E. g.  yě jiù zhǐ yǒu tā zhè gè dòu bǐ néng gàn chū zhè zhǒng shǎ shì.

也就只有他这个逗比才能干出这种傻事。

Only a twit like him would do such stupid things.

6. 拉仇恨（lā chóu hèn）

“拉” (lā) means “pull” and “仇恨” (chóu hèn) means “hatred”. The three Chinese characters together mean “courting envy”.

The word is often used when someone boasts about to his or her friends in order to make them jealous.

For example, when you are very hungry at night and you see one of your friends posting pictures of delicious food that he has tasted abroad on social media, then you can say in jest, “你是在拉仇恨吗（Are you trying to make me envious?）”.

E. g. jiǎn zài tā de péng yǒu quān shài tā xīn mǎi de LV bāo bāo, zhè jiǎn zhí shì lā chóu hèn ma.

简在她的朋友圈里晒她新买的LV包包，这简直是在拉仇恨嘛。

Jane is showing off her newly bought LV handbag on her WeChat, that’s just courting envy.(Chinese netizens who love to share their stuff online actually have an official net language term to describe their behavior – “shài” (晒/show). )

5. 作死（zuō sǐ）

“作死”（zuō sǐ）is a typical Chinese pet phrase, which literally means “to seek death”.

The popular phrase commonly used on the internet in China “不作死就不会死” (bù zuō sǐ jiù bú huì sǐ) is its variant.

It is reported that this phrase received over 1,600 likes among western social media within just 3 months.

It is so widespread that the Urban Dictionary, an online slang dictionary in America, has included it and defined it as “no zuo no die”. Let’s check out Urban Dictionary’s definition:

4. 吐槽（tǔ cáo）

“吐” means to “spit,” and “槽” is a “trough” or “tank.”

The phrase “吐槽” came from Fujian dialect, literally meaning to “spit into other people’s bowls”.

Nowadays, more and more people use it in daily life, and it simply means to “complain, defile or abuse” others.

E. g.  wǒ zài guó wài de shēng huó tài kǔ le, wǒ yào tǔ cáo yī xià.

我在国外的生活太苦了，我要吐槽一下。

My life abroad is too tough and I need get my problems off my chest.

3. 有钱就是任性 yǒu qián jiù shì rèn xìng

"有钱" means "having lots of money" and "任性" means "unrestrained and willful". It jokingly says people who are rich have the right to be willful..

Many people claimed themselves "rich and unrestrained" in friends circle on WeChat and Sina weibo. What a "malicious" world!

The buzzword originates from a real event:

In April, Mr. Liu spent 1760 yuan online buying a health care product.

Soon after, he got calls from a stranger who persuade him to buy other matched medicines.

In the following four months, Mr. Liu remitted a total of 540,000 yuan to the swindler.

He said that he had already found himself cheated when he was fooled out of 70,000 yuan. "I just wanted to see how much could they take from me!"

2. 这画面太美我不敢看zhè huà miàn tài měi wǒ bú gǎn kàn

This is another joke in which unsightly things are intended to be good-looking.

The buzzword comes from a sentence of Jolin's song "Prague Square", which was extended to describe weird things.

For example, when you see a very shocking picture, you can use this sentence to express the visual or psychological impact: "这画面太美我不敢看。", meaning "It's so beautiful that I'm too scared to open my eyes."

1.也是醉了！yě shì zuì le

"醉" means "being drunk". The buzzword originates from Jin Yong's "Swordsman".

The hero in the novel Linghu Chong satirizes others' flattering by saying "The moment I see those who flatter me would I feel so uncomfortable as if I were drunk."

Then a group of DOTA players often use this phrase. No matter one's skill is good or bad, they will say "我也是醉了", meaning "Are you kidding me?

(source:cari.com.my)

The Beatles once said ‘Money can’t buy me love’, but it must help.

Because 53% of women have said that they would end a relationship if they didn’t get something for Valentine’s Day (no pressure guys).

There’s a huge variety of ways to spend your hard-earned cash this Valentine’s Day, from romantic meals to cheesy cards the market is flooded with adverts of the best way to show your other half what is in your heart.

And here are the top 10 things that cost us much on Valentine's day.

10. Dating sites

It’s never too late to look for love (although looking for a date the day before Valentine’s Day might be cutting it fine).

Internet dating sites often experience a surge in membership as V-day approaches, with over 40 million Americans having tried online dating.

The annual revenue of the online dating industry is currently over $1.2 billion, so looking for love is also an attractive business for budding web-entrepreneurs.

Plus-sized or inked up, from vegetarians to bookworms (and even the controversial ‘sugardaddy.com’) the wide range of sites allow those seeking love to find their ideal match.

9. Presents for pets

It doesn’t matter if you’ve just been dumped or are perpetually single; your pet will always love you unconditionally.

It’s perhaps for this reason that many Americans include them in the Valentine’s Day gift-giving – on average $5 will be spent per person on their furry companions this Friday.

Occupying a surprising market-share, last year $850 million was spent on pets presents for Valentine’s Day and, given this is a $300 million increase on 2012, we can expect another hefty spend on heart-shaped chew toys and romantic novelty treats.

8. Electronics

In our increasingly tech-savvy society the quickest way to a loved-one’s heart may be through their gadgets.

Traditionally marketed as male gifts, electronics are also great gifts for women.

Splashing out on a new camera or upgrading your partner’s phone could be the perfect gift, but this is rarely cheap .

For those on a tighter budget, accessories such as personalised cases can be popular, and possibly more romantic.

7. Gift cards

Unimaginative and impersonal, or the best way to make sure your partner gets exactly what they want?

Gift certificates often get a bad reputation as too obviously putting a price-tag on love, however over 1 in 8 women would like to receive a gift card this Valentine’s Day.

Experience packages and spa treatments can show ingenuity and caring beyond a generic box of chocolates or bunch of flowers.

6. Lingerie

For the adventurous gift-giver lingerie is guaranteed to get a reaction on Valentine’s Day (hopefully positive, sometimes frosty if the size has been grossly miscalculated and, depending on the stage of the relationship, possibly a little awkward).

Last year $1.6 billion was spent on lingerie for Valentine’s Day, making it one of the biggest V-Day expenses.

5. Jewellery

Jewellery is not as popular as other more cost-effective gifts, however last year $4.4 billion was spent on diamonds, gold and silver for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days of the year for proposals and it is estimated that 1 in 10 proposals are made on V-Day.

With no discernable upper limit on the price of engagement rings, it is no wonder takings for Valentine’s Day are so high for Jewelry stores.

4. Flowers

Roses are red, Violets are blue, buy me a bunch and I’ll always love you.

Every Valentine’s Day florists fill as last-minute bouquets are picked up at premium prices.

Roses may be a holiday favourite but they come at a price on the day where supply and demand are in a florists favour. A single stem could cost $5-$8 in New York on V-day, whilst dozen of the red blooms could see you parting with up to $100 from high-end florists.

The USA flower trade is big business, taking in $1.9 billion last Valentine’s Day, 73% of which was spent by men (whilst 14% of women admitted to sending a bunch to themselves).

3. Dining

Dinner is the classic Valentine’s Day date, with 65% of men planning to give dinner to their partner this Friday.

Some may spice up their dining experience with aphrodisiacs such as oysters, pomegranates and chocolate.

Others may choose a romantic setting;the spirit of New York Valentine’s dinner cruise (at $120 per person) is often a popular choice for locals and tourists alike.

2. Candy

Who could resist a box of yummy heart-shaped goodies? Perhaps because of its universal appeal, Candy is the second most-given gift on Valentine’s Day.

Last year $1.6 billion was spent on candy on V-Day, however this year only 41% of men are planning on giving their loved-one chocolates.

Following unrealistic January diets it is no wonder that candy is so popular with men and women alike.

Although its sugar content may not be very good for you, chocolate has been shown to act as an aphrodisiac and stimulates the release of endorphins, so you could say it is one of the best gifts for making your partner happy this holiday.

1. Cards

Shakespeare was once employed to write sonnets for lovers to give to one another, and putting your feelings down on paper is still one of the most popular way to show affection with 180 million Valentines cards exchanged annually.

There are soppy romantic verses of undying love, simple designs giving you the room to write a long personal message, and even tongue-in-cheek joke cards to make your partner giggle.

Although they are popular across America there is a clear gender-bias as it is estimated that around 85% of the cards are bought by women.

Valentine’s Day is ranked as the second highest-selling holiday after Christmas, proving that declarations of love are big business.

(source:therichest.com)