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A couple of weeks ago I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole about the jaw-dropping visual effects in the 1911 silent film L’Inferno, and discovered it was all inspired by Gustave Doré’s 1861 engravings of Dante’s Inferno. I was instantly obsessed, because those engravings are stunning, haunting and utterly unforgettable, building pure dread from nothing but fine hatching and light!
The moment I heard about this challenge I knew exactly what I wanted to make, so I found the complete set of plates on Wikimedia Commons and turned them into a custom Recraft Style. I’m still curious, and surprised, by how naturally Doré’s descent fits the modern city.
That became the idea tying the whole series together: The Modern Hell, a book-style journey in which two travelers descend through a city, and every scene turns a stage of Dante’s descent into an allegory of an everyday habit, like scrolling, overconsumption and debt.
Original Refference:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gustave_Dor%C3%A9_-_Inferno
Recraft Project:
https://www.recraft.ai/project/b97b07c4-4aef-49c3-ae3d-fe96abdee9f1
Recraft Syle:
https://www.recraft.ai/styles/4c6bfc01-ac45-4eee-b8bd-b76d1843dc30
Social Post:
https://x.com/bashasibuan/status/2116416745959555327
More Illustrations
Here's a walkthrough of how I made this project
https://www.loom.com/share/9d6a0f22b8d74ae78640064124b57eda
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Kalighat 2026: The Machines Are the New Babus
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I trained a Recraft V4 Style on five anonymous Kalighat sheets from the Cleveland Museum of Art and Wellcome Collection, keeping the bold single outline, flat colour and empty paper ground.
Then I turned the satire on 2026: the machines are the new babus. Phones smoke hookahs on velvet chairs, robot vacuums ride in palanquins, and humans fan, carry and groom their devices. Same masters, new hardware.
Social post: https://lnkd.in/p/gXJn_FQQ
[ 🕰️ Relics Of Time ] - bringing the past into the present
before wristwatches became a part of everyday life, pocket watches were one of the most popular ways people carried time with them. but what always fascinated me was that they were more than just timekeeping objects. their beautifully crafted cases, intricate engravings, ornamental patterns and little details made each piece feel like a work of art.
i've always been drawn to objects that carry a sense of history and craftsmanship, so i wanted to explore what would happen if those details found their way into the watches we wear today.
for this project, i explored historical references from the met museum collection, including antique jewellery, pocket watches and decorative objects. i was particularly inspired by their rich textures, colourful patterns, gold detailing and handcrafted elements. instead of simply recreating historical pocket watches, i wanted to take the essence of their design and reinterpret it through contemporary wristwatches.
using these references, i created a custom style in recraft and experimented with bringing antique textures, engraved surfaces, ornamental patterns and vintage colour palettes into modern watch cases, dials and straps.
the collection explores different interpretations of this idea, from rectangular dials with colourful beaded straps to ornate gold cases, detailed engravings, roman numerals and decorative metalwork. each design has its own character, but they all share the same inspiration: the beauty of old-world craftsmanship.
the thought behind this project was simple: what if the artistry of antique pocket watches had evolved alongside modern watchmaking? i wanted to create something that feels nostalgic yet contemporary, as if a little piece of history had found its way into the present.
references: the metropolitan museum of art
#recraftstyleschallenge #recraftai #productdesign #vintageinspired #designexploration #horology #18thcenturydesign
💔 The Lonely Modern World — Connected by Screens, Separated by Hearts 📱🌆
In a world where everyone is connected digitally, why do so many hearts still feel alone? 💔 This four-image visual story explores the silent loneliness hidden behind our screens, crowded streets, and everyday lives—and reminds us that sometimes, the greatest thing we can give another person is our time, attention, and kindness. ❤️🩹🌿
Inspired by Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877), I created a custom Recraft Style, “Urban Isolation — The Lonely Modern World,” to tell a journey from isolation and emotional distance to empathy, hope, and genuine human connection. 🎨✨
🙏 Heartfelt thanks to Recraft and Contra for creating opportunities where artists can turn imagination into meaningful stories. May we never become so connected to our screens that we forget the people standing right beside us. 🤝❤️
🌍 Because progress means little if we lose our humanity along the way. 💚
