Saturday, December 31, 2011

Assorted Skulls

Trevor Goodwin uses lots of skulls in his work and here are a few examples of that.


Pencill crayon on tracing paper


Painted on wood, with acrylic inks pen and pencil crayon


Acrylics on canvas


There are a lot more skulls on his site, which also features loads of colorful works including some excellent graffiti wall art. Thanks for starting our weekend in a bold way, Trevor!

Friday, December 30, 2011

[Flashback Friday] 5.30- Mirror Ball Skull

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Tatman, Azurafae, and myself, Citizen Agent, are taking turns reflecting on 17 of our personal favorite skulls from the previous four years of postings. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

Mirror Ball Skull

Ronn Campbell of Kennewick, WA gave us an idea of a possible new New Year’s tradition- Dropping a skull at midnight. Just add this to some of the other items that may be dropping at midnight this year in a town near you.


Falling C says:

This last Flashback Friday of 2011 is a great time to remember all the wonderful artwork that has been featured during 2011. Certainly one of the highlights in 2011 was the inaugural Skull Appreciation Day in Richmond, VA. Thank you goes to all the artists for filling our submission box with your artwork. We enjoy seeing and sharing those creations each day. Thank you all again for making 2011 Skullrific!

**Flashback Friday was a weekly countdown of the fan selected top 52 skulls of Skull-A-Day 1.0. Each week during year 3.0 The Skullmaster posted the original skull along with some additional commentary in order from lowest to highest rated, with the #1 skull appearing in the last week of year 3.0, all 52 can be found here. During year 4.0 the editors had their chance to countdown their favorites Azurafae HERE, Citizen Agent HERE, and Tatman HERE.

100 Painted Skulls: #37, #38, #39

To celebrate year 5 of Skull-A-Day (June 2011-June 2012) I've decided to paint 100 skulls on 4 x 4in (10.16 x 10.16 cm) wooden panels over the course of the year... 





I decided to do something a bit different with these. The other day when I was working on one of the paintings I made the eyes and nose first and liked how minimal it was, but I ended up covering it up. So this time I decided to do it on purpose and leave it with just the basics. This technique actually reminded me of working with sumi-e ink, where each choice has to be very consciously made since there's no undoing it. Since it was so minimal I decided to do this as a triptych with the three primary colors. It was fun to experiment a bit (which really is the point of this whole project!).

If you'd like to own one of these you can get them in the Skull-A-Day store! Yellow is HERE, red is HERE, and blue is HERE.

Skull Appreciation Day Pieces for Sale

50 incredible pieces from our 2011 Skull Appreciation Day exhibition are still available for purchase!




There are pieces by several well-know artists including James Victore, Terry Border, Stefan Bucher, and Jud Turner; as well as the editors of the Skull-A-Day Tatman, Abby, and Citizen Agent.



All of them are reasonably priced and a percentage of all of the sales goes to support the local nonprofit the Richmond Peace Education Center.



See all of the pieces and get information on how to purchase them on the exhibition site HERE.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Mim Golub- “United Skull of the World”


On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".





International Union of Mail-Artists member Mim Golub curated the Skull Mail Art during the 2011 Skull Appreciation Day exhibition.



Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information on if this work is available for purchase.


The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

100 Painted Skulls: #36

To celebrate year 5 of Skull-A-Day (June 2011-June 2012) I've decided to paint 100 skulls on 4 x 4in (10.16 x 10.16 cm) wooden panels over the course of the year... 



Fun to work with bright colors and thickly applied paint again, both of which offer a different set of challenges than the way I've been working lately.


If you'd like to own this piece you can get it in the Skull-A-Day store HERE.

Dia de la Abby: #68 Confetti Skull

Since New Years Eve is Saturday, I felt the need to make a sparkly skull with confetti.



This is one of the most sparkly and messy pieces that I've made. I was fun to do. My daughter even made her own designs using tissue paper and white glue. Since this was fairly easy to do, I wrote a tutorial to show you all how to make your own. Of course, you can make any design you want using this technique.


Every other Thursday in the 5.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby creations   Every Thursday in the 4.0 year, I posted my Dia de la Abby creations and occasionally tutorials with instructions on how I made my pieces. Hopefully you feel inspired by my posts just as I was by Noah's Skull-A-Day 1.0 daily project. Need more of me than just a weekly dose, follow me on  FacebookGoogle+ and/or Twitter.

[BONUS] 2012 Desktop & iPhone Wallpaper from Dan Springer

Skull-A-Day friend Dan Springer helps you start the new year off right with these lovely free dowloadable desktop images for your computer and/or iPhone.

Be sure to click on the images to get the full-size versions before downloading.




Thanks Dan!

Big Al's Skulls

Tattoo Artist, Big Al of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK painted these skull pieces.







I like being able to see the artwork of tattoo artists, beyond skin. The depth of detail and shading is amazing. That makes them pop from the canvas. These remind me of skull studies. A skull is one of those detailed objects that casts different shadows as the angle of the skull changes. This makes it more interesting to work with and make art from. Tattooing of course, is an art form of it's own. At least three of us don skull tattoos...for the love of skulls and art.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Heide Trepanier- “Stretch”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Heide Trepanier- “Stretch”

Heide Trepanier- “Stretch” $300.00


Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information if this work is available for purchase.

The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.

Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

100 Painted Skulls: #35

To celebrate year 5 of Skull-A-Day I've decided to paint 100 skulls on 4 x 4in (10.16 x 10.16 cm) wooden panels over the course of the year...






I wanted to create a softer look so I started with a colorful base layer and then over painted it with various shades of grey thinned with glazing liquid.

If you'd like to own this piece you can buy it in the Skull-A-Day store HERE.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Amy Overley- “Transitions in Reincarnation”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Amy Overley- “Transitions in Reincarnation” $200.00

Amy Overley is a mother (aka bear wrangler) during the day and an author of paranormal fantasy at night, with her first novel, Book Burning, slated for release in Fall 2011. She paints, knits, bakes the best chocolate cake in the world and is teaching herself to sew while blogging about it all at CreativeSpace: http://www.creativespace.typepad.com/

She's always looking for fellow creatives around the web, and you can find her under the moniker @AmyLOverley on Twitter or at amyorizzo.com.


For information on purchasing this work please contact the exhibit curator at:



The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.

Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

100 Painted Skulls: #34

To celebrate year 5 of Skull-A-Day I've decided to paint 100 skulls on 4 x 4in (10.16 x 10.16 cm) wooden panels over the course of the year... 




Enjoying trying out different brushes and once again using a minimalist color palette. The littlest dots were made using a house painting brush that had become completely rigid after not being cleaned off once.

If you'd like to own this piece you can buy it on the Skull-A-Day store HERE.

Shattered Skull

Sergio Calderon is the responsible soul for this skull shattering submission.



Frailty of the bone
Into pieces being blown
Shards of life now gone

An intense design that shows how one might look if having their mind blown(and they had no skin, or muscles, or blood , or brain. Anyway, you get what I'm saying, right?). Like an egg shell stuffed with dynamite; you have blown my mind as well, Sergio. Thanks!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Skull-O-Lantern

Melissa C. of Trenton, Ontario, Canada, carved this pumpkin. It is inspired by one of the Tank Skulls created by our friends Scott Krichau and Wenchkin.



This is a good recreation of Scott and Wenchkin's Tank Skull, in pumpkin form. The toothpicks holding the top of the skull to the top of the pumpkin, make this look bug like. The flame showing through the nose almost reminds me of the tail of a firefly.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Sunday Simulacra - Version 5.30

All of today’s simulacra come from prolific simulacra hunter and skull creator Tom Adams of Canton, Michigan. You can see some more of Tom's past contributions and creations HERE.

Tom wrote: “I got this unique bruise after some martial arts sparring matches. Guess this guy wanted to rip my bicep off. Too bad for him as he lost both matches.”


He continued: “Here’s another skull found by my son Nolan on his favorite candy. Had to be quick on this one before it was eaten.”


and finally: “Here is a skull I found lurking around in the form of a hing on a desk.”


Merry C says:

Thank you for showing off your ever growing collection of simulacra. We truly appriciate seeing the presents you leave for us in our submission box.

As always keep sending those pictures of simulacra in to our submissions address. Just keep in mind that since we only post simulacra once a week it might take a little longer than normal for it to be posted.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Super "Good Art Hlywd" Skull Saturday

If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing the wonderful skull works of Josh Warner and his Good Art Hlywd skulls that we featured here in the past then let me give you a drop kick into a refresher course. Josh and his crew forge each one of these badass pieces by hand to create magnificent skull jewelry(and other products).

First up, what do you get for the person who has everything? This giant sterling silver desk skull will provide you with a heavy duty answer.



For those of us who never wanna grow up we can be Good Art kids with this set of skullriffic Army Men modeled after the original troop.



These Jack Moto rings would leave a nice forehead impression on anyone who doesn't see how killer these mofos are.



And the perfect compliment to the Jack Moto ring would, of course, be a Jack Skull bracelet.



This skully silver & leather key tab will make you stop saying, "Where are my keys?", and make you start saying, "Where is my Good Art skull key tab?".



You may have seen the original Jack Skull pendant post, but I'm betting you didn't know that that come in so many sizes. No matter your stature, there's a Jack Skull pendant made just for you.



And for all of the avid bikers out there, like Josh and myself, you'll never have better luck than with this Triple Skull Road Bell watching all around you.



These are all of the finest American hand made quality, and Josh loves to make sure his clasps and designs are built for those who know how to wear them. Now don't be fooled by the amazing array of skull works from Josh and his crew. They make tons of other glorious works including Spanish crosses, lighter cases, wallet chains, leather goods, and much more. They do have a new store that recently opened up here so go check it out. You won't get anything in time for this holiday season, but luckily these pieces impress the masses all year round. Thanks for this super skull Saturday, Josh!

Friday, December 23, 2011

[Flashback Friday] 5.29- Santa Skulls

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Tatman, Azurafae, and myself, Citizen Agent, are taking turns reflecting on 17 of our personal favorite skulls from the previous four years of postings. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

Joanne Dhody of Design Unlimited made these patches for everyone on staff at the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia back in 2009

Longtime fan of Skull -A-Day, Larry Pearson sent us his Holiday wishes also in 2009.


Tatman’s, wife was in the Skullmas spirit as she made a Santa Skull sugar cookie on a snowy day back in 2009 to wish all a Happy Skullidays .


And to wrap up the skulliday season 2010, John Angelo spotted this sneaky simulacra. "This is a decorative coaster/holder my mother-in-law had at her house. It depicts Santa's jolly head, but when I saw it reversed, all I could see was a skull."


Slay Bells C says:

In doing today’s flashback I was surprised to find that we have a very limited offering of Santa Skulls in our growing archives. However, what we lack in Quanity we make up for in Quality. Thank you all for allowing us to share these wonderful creations/find once again to enjoy as we rest up for the next holiday ahead. As always, if anyone finds themselves inspired to make a santa skull or anyother holiday related skull please remember to send it in we love to share them.

**Flashback Friday was a weekly countdown of the fan selected top 52 skulls of Skull-A-Day 1.0. Each week during year 3.0 The Skullmaster posted the original skull along with some additional commentary in order from lowest to highest rated, with the #1 skull appearing in the last week of year 3.0, all 52 can be found here. During year 4.0 the editors had their chance to countdown their favorites Azurafae HERE, Citizen Agent HERE, and Tatman HERE.

Dia de la Abby #67: Embroidered Skull Ornament

Since it's the season for holiday celebrations, this is the perfect time to make a skull ornament.



I've wanted to do a hand embroidered skull for a while, but since I've been doing embroidery since I was a young child, I wanted a challenge. I choose to make this embroidered skull through layers of bridal tulle and stiffen it with a simple glue mixture. This was so the skull would be delicate looking, but sturdy. This is meant to be a holiday ornament, but could be framed or used as an applique. This thankfully wasn't too challenging, so I am able to provide you all with a tutorial.


Every other Thursday in the 5.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby creations   Every Thursday in the 4.0 year, I posted my Dia de la Abby creations and occasionally tutorials with instructions on how I made my pieces. Hopefully you feel inspired by my posts just as I was by Noah's Skull-A-Day 1.0 daily project. Need more of me than just a weekly dose, follow me on  FacebookGoogle+ and/or Twitter.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Bridget Gethins- “Beaded Brain”


On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".




Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information on if this work is available for purchase.


The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

100 Painted Skulls: #33

To celebrate year 5 of Skull-A-Day I've decided to paint 100 skulls on 4 x 4in (10.16 x 10.16 cm) wooden panels over the course of the year... 





The subtle color palettes are definitely much more difficult than the more dynamic ones. It took a lot of layering to get it to come together.


You can buy this piece in the Skull-A-Day store HERE.

Molten Plastic Skull

Vincent Vinsz from East of France made these skulls with molten plastic. He explains about his work, "I started experimenting with plastic around 1993, mainly by melting used pencils and pens with lighters or candles and forming them into palm sized skeleton sculptures. A year later, I made a glorious discovery in my family garage while I was working - I was able to melt bigger sized and larger quantities of plastics by using a blowtorch! I was estatic as suddenly I was able to transform solid plastic into a molten state, thus opening the doors for infinite creativity and innovation. Finally, this material is able to express itself more widely."




Art is born out of experimentation. Playing with an old material in a new way is how some of the best ideas are formed. I like the relief style of this piece. It's a modern take on ancient stone and clay reliefs. The variation in color is interesting. It could have been caused by the burning of the blow torch or inks separating if the plastic was printed prior to melting. I like how the color variation sinks into the crevices giving it an eerie feeling as if the skull had been buried in red clay dirt.

For more of Vincent's work, check out his archives and Facebook page.


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Misha Bean- “Crow Magnet Men”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Misha Bean- “Crow Magnet Men”

Misha Bean- “Crow Magnet Men” $88.00

Artist Misha Bean is currently involved with her 365 ~ Trees Please project. The “Crow Magnet Men” Skull was featured there for Day 113.

Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information if this work is available for purchase.

The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.

Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.