Art
Here’s everything you need to know about Rubik’s Cube art
Speed cuber and artist Rehaan Rasheed from Bengaluru describes how he was introduced to Rubik’s Cube art and explains the nuances of the art form.
Red Bull Red Edition is a watermelon-based limited edition energy drink. The artist featured in this article created a special artwork to celebrate the launch of the energy drink in India in summer 2022. Click here to read more about Red Bull Red Edition.
Rubik’s Cube solving is a hobby or challenge that everyone has taken up at some point or the other. But Rubik’s Cube art is fairly niche.
Rubik’s Cube art involves arranging and strategically placing hundreds of cubes to create an impressive artwork. The art form has a few practitioners internationally as well as in India.
Among those that practice in India is Rehaan Rasheed, a speed cuber from Bengaluru who won the India finals of the Red Bull Rubik's Cube World Cup 2021 and placed fifth in the world finals. Here he explains how he got into Rubik's Cube art and how you can too.
Rehaan Rasheed
© Nikhil Shetty
01
What is Rubik’s Cube art?
Rubik’s Cube art is mostly about creating images of portraits and landscapes by aligning several cubes together in a 2D layout. You have to arrange each individual cube to align the particular coloured squares so hundreds of cubes come together to form the artwork.
“If someone draws a portrait, it might look better and be more accurate than a Rubik’s Cube mosaic, but because it’s hard to solve even a single cube, let alone hundreds to make an artwork, it stands out and looks cooler,” says Rehaan.
02
When did Rubik’s Cube art start?
The Rubik’s Cube was invented by Ernő Rubik in 1974. People began practicing Rubik’s Cube art as early as the 1980s. “It started off by experimenting. People went from forming alphabets of a person’s name to making their face altogether,” Rehaan says.
03
How did Rehaan get started in Rubik’s Cube art?
Rehaan had been solving cubes since 2009. It was a life-long interest in art and discovery of this art form in 2020 that got him started.
“I was supposed to do an art or design course in college, but I’d dropped the idea to pursue computer science. I continued to harbour an interest in art, so when I came across articles about people creating mosaics using Rubik’s Cubes, I decided to give it a shot myself,” he says.
04
What have been some of Rehaan’s big Rubik’s Cube art projects?
While 90% of his mosaics are portraits, Rehaan also dabbles in logos and landscapes made out of Rubik’s Cubes.
“The biggest mosaic I’ve attempted was of all the IPL captains from 2021,” he says. He made the entire mosaic using 11,340 mini cubes; it set a new world record in Rubik’s Cube art.
Rehaan works on a Rubik's Cube art piece
© Nikhil Shetty
05
What kind of art can you create with Rubik’s Cubes?
Rehaan says the early days of Rubik’s Cube art started with people recreating Pokémon characters, because their pixelated form was easy to envision in cubes.
In recent years, Rubik’s Cube artists have become popular on social media with mainstream artworks. “I make portraits of celebrities and post them on Instagram, because that’s the easiest way for me to get coverage,” Rehaan says. He recalls how Vicky Kaushal once shared his mosaic, inviting a lot of attention from the actor’s fans.
06
What are the materials used in Rubik’s Cube art?
Of course Rubik’s Cube art is practiced with the famous Rubik’s Cube. There aren’t any Rubik’s Cube manufacturers in India so Rehaan gets his cubes imported from China. He says you could either use full size cubes or mini cubes. For his very first artwork, Rehaan had ordered 550 mini cubes.
07
What are the skills needed to practice Rubik’s Cube art?
To begin with, Rehaan recommends learning how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. You don’t have to be a pro, but knowing how to move parts of a Rubik’s Cube to a desired location will save you a lot of time and effort.
1 min
How to solve a Rubik's Cube: Introduction
Ever wanted to be able to solve a Rubik's Cube, but were afraid to ask?
08
What is the process to making Rubik’s Cube art?
Here is Rehaan’s step-by-step process to creating his artwork.
- Step 1: “The first thing I do is decide who I want to make,” says Rehaan
- Step 2: “Then, I try and find an image where the personality is expressing some kind of emotion,” he says about the second step.
- Step 3: For the third step, he pixelates the chosen image into the exact number of pixels on his Rubik’s Cubes.
- Step 4: After this, he decides which of the six colours on the cube comes closest to the individual pixels in the image.
- Step 5: “Once I have a rough draft ready, I analyze my artwork and refine it by redoing it on another frame,” he says.
- Step 6: Rehaan creates the final artwork
He says the time taken to make a mosaic depends on its size. “For most of my artwork, I stick to the standard size of 2.5 x 2.5 feet for which I use 529 or 625 cubes. It takes me about 5-6 hours to complete,” he explains.
09
Some tips or pointers you should keep in mind
- Tip 1: Rehaan advises against making artworks on a flat table. “It won’t be aligned properly, and you’ll need to go as high as the ceiling to take a proper video of the mosaic. Using a frame makes the process 20 times easier,” he explains. Any frame would do, as long as it offers support from the bottom and sides.
- Tip 2: “Full size cubes are easier to solve, but they occupy more space and need to be looked at from a larger distance to be understood. That’s why I choose mini cubes for my mosaics,” Rehaan says.
- Tip 3: You will need to be patient and concentrate when working on your artwork; these qualities will also develop further by practicing the art. “I feel extremely energized after working on a mosaic. It keeps my mind active,” Rehaan says.
10
Which Rubik’s Cube artists to follow for inspiration?
Having dived into this art form after discovering Giovanni Contardi’s work on Instagram, Rehaan suggests every beginner should follow his work for inspiration. Apart from him, he also looks up to French artist Delphine Tran.
Giovanni Contardi works on a project
© Francesco Agostini Produzioni/Red Bull Content Pool
11
What are Rehaan’s ongoing projects?
Rehaan's Rubik's Cube art celebrating the Red Bull Red Edition
© Nikhil Shetty
Rehaan is currently working on an artwork to celebrate the watermelon-flavoured Red Bull Red Edition for the summer of 2022. He’s created a special mosaic to celebrate the energy drink, as well as the spirit of the summer season itself.
“Red Bull pushed me to experiment with something new, so instead of a portrait, I’ve chosen to create a landscape of a watermelon-themed beach,” he says.