Milk Trouble (8 Photos)

By Vidar
Slinkachuโ€™s miniature kayakers in spilled milk beside David Zinnโ€™s bulldog in a pavement hole and JPSโ€™s tiny horse jumping a weed.

Little mishaps. Big adventures.

A spilled cup becomes a kayaking trip. A weed becomes a showjumping fence. These eight street art scenes turn ordinary objects into little adventures, awkward moments and plans that might just work.


Andy Dice Daviesโ€™s giant painted tabby cat peers out of a brick arch in Cheltenham, one clawed paw reaching forward, while a person in a blue top stands watching.

๐Ÿฑ โ€œPeeking Catโ€ โ€” By Andy Dice Davies in Cheltenham, UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

The dark brick arch becomes a hiding place for a cat much bigger than the visitor beside it, one enormous paw reaching out. Andy Dice Davies (Dice67), founder of the Cheltenham Paint Festival, painted it in a passage under the road by the Little Herberts nature reserve in Charlton Kings.

More: Falling for It

๐Ÿ”— Follow Andy Dice Davies on Facebook


A chalk mouse balances on a drawn ruler that crosses the edge of a real concrete step and rests on a chalk turtle below.

๐Ÿข โ€œNadine and the Measured Approachโ€ โ€” By David Zinn

A chalk ruler bridges a real step, with Nadine at one end and a turtle supporting the other. The mouse has her arms out for balance. Hopefully her bridge stays put. See Zinnโ€™s original post.

More: More street art by David Zinn

๐Ÿ”— Follow David Zinn on Instagram


Two miniature kayakers paddle in milk spilled from a tipped paper cup.

๐Ÿฅ› โ€œSpilt Milkโ€ โ€” By Slinkachu in Grottaglie, Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น

The paper cup has tipped over, and Slinkachuโ€™s two miniature kayakers seem to be making the most of the spill. He posted the piece on his Little People blog in January 2010.

๐Ÿ’ก Festival Fact: Grottaglie, a small town known for its ceramics, hosted the FAME street art festival, where Slinkachu made six installations, some fitted with miniature speakers and MP3 players. The festival name plays on the English word and the Italian fame, meaning hunger.

More: More street art by Slinkachu

๐Ÿ”— Follow Slinkachu on Instagram


A small stenciled horse and rider jump over a real weed growing at the base of a wall.

๐ŸŽ A Weed Becomes a Hurdle โ€” By JPS

JPS places a horse and rider just above a weed growing between the wall and the sidewalk. The jump is painted; the obstacle keeps growing.

๐Ÿ’ก Artist Fact: JPS is Jamie Paul Scanlon, who took up stencils after seeing Banksyโ€™s 2009 show at Bristol Museum. He calls himself a pure street artist and says his stencils lose their charm on canvas.

More: More street art by JPS

๐Ÿ”— Follow JPS on Instagram


David Zinnโ€™s chalk bulldog looks up from an illusion of a deep hole among cracks in a concrete sidewalk.

๐Ÿถ Lucius Dug a Little Too Far โ€” By David Zinn

Lucius looks up from a hole in the sidewalk with a very familiar expression: this seemed like a good idea a minute ago. David Zinn extends the real cracks with chalk to make the pavement appear to give way. Zinn introduced the character himself as Lucius, the hole-digging overachiever.

More: More street art by David Zinn

๐Ÿ”— Follow David Zinn on Instagram


Levaletโ€™s black and white paste-up of a man in a hat sits on top of a pillar, pouring from a watering can toward a real climbing plant in a planter below.

๐ŸŒฑ Watering from Above โ€” By Levalet

Levaletโ€™s drawn gardener perches on a narrow ledge, tipping his watering can toward a real potted plant below. The water has a long way to fall.

๐Ÿ’ก Artist Fact: Levalet was born in ร‰pinal in 1988, grew up in Guadeloupe and studied art in Strasbourg. He draws his characters in ink on paper and pastes them up in spots he has researched in advance. His gallery places him in the old school of Blek le Rat and Jef Aรฉrosol.

More: More street art by Levalet

๐Ÿ”— Visit Levaletโ€™s website


A small blue figure appears to fall through the gap between two real drainpipe sections on a white wall.

๐Ÿ˜ฌ Mind the Gap โ€” By Oakoak

A small blue figure tumbles between two separated sections of a drainpipe. Oakoak needs only the figure and a few motion lines.

More: More street art by Oakoak

๐Ÿ”— Follow Oakoak on Instagram


Two stenciled riders on a red and white jet ski, painted on a rock and reflected in a real street puddle.

๐Ÿ’ฆ A Puddle-Sized Getaway โ€” By JPS

JPS paints the riders on a rock at the edge of a puddle. Their reflection makes the jet ski look as though it is already on the water.

More: More street art by JPS

๐Ÿ”— Follow JPS on Instagram

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