# Power Tool Ink Paintings Howard Chen Recreates Traditional Chinese Art Using a Nail Gun By Michael Hines | Published 2011-09-15 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/howard-chen References: [odditycentral](http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/taiwanese-artists-uses-nail-gun-as-his-brush.html) & [taipeitimes](http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2011/08/17/2003510928/1) Howard Chen is a Taiwanese artist who creates amazing works of art using a [nail gun](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tipzy) and an air compressor. Chen's art is a series of re-creations of [traditional Chinese ink paintings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/painting-exhibition). Nail art is nothing new, but most artists using nails tend to hammer them in without the use of a power tool. Using large nails tends to create less detailed, although still stunning works. Chen's works are highly detailed thanks to the hundreds of thousands of nails that go into them. Chen uses mosquito nails, headless nails one-third the size of a toothpick, in his art. His latest piece took three and a half months to complete and consisted of 750,000 nails. Now that takes a lot of patience. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.2/10 - Popularity: 44% | Activity: 15% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Modern](https://www.trendhunter.com/modern) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Nail Gun Art:** Using nail guns to create intricate and large-scale art pieces - **Reviving Traditional Art:** Bringing traditional Chinese ink paintings back to life through modern techniques - **Extreme Attention to Detail:** Using extremely small nails to achieve high levels of detail in artwork ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Art:** Exploring the use of power tools and modern techniques in traditional forms of artistic expression - **DIY and Home Improvement:** Developing innovative tools and techniques to help DIYers and contractors achieve more intricate and precise results - **Construction:** Applying the use of nail guns and other power tools to create highly detailed and visually appealing designs in construction and architecture ## Related on Trend Hunter - [AI Nail Designers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/artinails.md) - [AI Nail Art Generators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nail-designs-co.md) - [30-Second Nail Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/30-sec-nails.md) - [AI Nail Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nail-designs-ai.md) - [AI Nail Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nail-designer-ai.md) - [Raw Sports Emotion Artwork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/game-exhibition.md) - [Modern Design-Conscious Power Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hoto-36v-screwdriver.md) - [AI-Powered Painting Machines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/loklik-ipaint.md) - [Leftover Househouse Paint Artwork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paint-drop.md)