Daniel Edlen Upcycles Records Into Detailed Portraits of Rock ‘N’ Roll’s Greatest

Artist <a href="http://vinylart.info/" target="_blank">Daniel Edlen</a> has taken inspiration from his vinyl records of days of yore, and transformed each into a painting immortalizing the artists on <a href="http://inhabitat.com/wrecordsbymonkey-transforms-old-vinyl-records-into-groovy-iphone-cases/" target="_blank">each record</a>! Each round disc bears a carefully detailed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/iri5-upcycles-cassette-tape-ribbons-into-gorgeous-portraits-of-iconic-musicians-and-film-stars/" target="_blank">portrait of a music legend</a>. Using thousand of tiny dots, the patient artist creates realistic tributes to his favorite music acts on the medium in which he first heard them.

Although <a href="http://inhabitat.com/recycled-guitar-picks-bring-old-vinyl-records-back-into-the-music-realm/" target="_blank">vinyl records</a> have made a comeback, many creative types have been upcycling them into everything from jewelry to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/diy-fathers-day-gift-make-your-dad-a-new-clock-out-of-an-old-record/" target="_blank">clocks</a>.

Rather than transforming the records into something new, Edlen builds upon them, using their audio contents as inspiration for his paintings.

His realistic portraits portray the likes of of Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Oasis, the Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

Because each <a href="http://inhabitat.com/old-vinyl-records-transformed-into-chic-lamps-after-the-music-stops/" target="_blank">vinyl record</a> bears grooves and paths that play your favorite songs when hit with a needle, Edlen can’t simply paint as if on a regular canvas.

To compensate for the uneven surface, the artist has employed a system of carefully placed dots. Building up thickness in darker areas, the artist uses the vinyl’s natural black color as part of the coloring, and paints with a subtractive process, using white paint to fill in the gaps.

The process is so meticulous and exact, that any false move could ruin the piece. Carefully planning the position of each dot, the painstaking process can take Edlen up to a month to complete just one of the hyper-realistic homages.