Friday, December 31, 2010

“Pretzkull ”

Today’s “Pretzkull ” was done by Springville, UT’s very own Caleb (Age 8).


The artist with his signed work.


Sourdough C says:

Another excellent kid inspired piece to wind down the holiday week with. This is one time when it is prefectly ok to play with your food. I also find myself making skulls out of the snacks I enjoy sometimes. There is something satisfying about eating your creation knowing that it brought you joy for a moment it took to create. Thank you for taking the time to share your work with us.

[Flashback Friday] #175 Flower Skull 2

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Citizen Agent, Tatman, and myself, Azurafae, are taking turns counting down our personal favorite 17 skulls from the Original 365.25 Year. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

5. #175. Flower Skull 2


Flowers are beautiful things to work with. They are something I love to incorporate into my own skull pieces. For this piece, I like the idea of working with the random things you find. The contrast of the flower color against the slate rocks is nice. The arrangement of the flowers reminds me of a sea flower that might house creatures. Being this piece is in Hawaii, it's possible plants like that exist there. Hopefully one day, I can visit there and get to enjoy the tropical beauty.



**Flashback Friday was a weekly countdown of the fan selected top 52 skulls of Skull-A-Day 1.o. 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.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Dia de la Abby #31: Sugar Skull Mask

This year, my husband and I are attending a masquerade. I wanted to make him a skull mask to wear, but he opted for face paint instead. However, our daughter wanted one, so I made one for her instead.


This was an interesting piece to make, as it incorporated some skills and techniques that I had never tried. This is made of plaster cloth, paper clay and acrylic paint. All of this is air dry, which requires some patience while it dries, but is nice because you don't have to bake it...though you can to help speed up the drying time. I didn't. This design was inspired by the shape of the goblin ball masks in Labyrinth and sugar skulls. If this was for my husband, I would have left off the sugar skull details. I would have just painted it white and painted on teeth. If you notice, this piece is missing ties or a stick. This is going to be an art mask in our house. Though, I may do some fancy photos of Alex in this mask and her skull dress, it won't have prolonged usage, due to being breakable in the hands of a child. If you would like to learn how to make one, see this handy tutorial on making this one and this one on making other kinds of masks.



Every week in the 4.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby posts as well as a tutorial with instructions on how I made my piece. 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 Twitter and/or Facebook.

3 Peace Band Skull

Mark Miller drew this for his friend's band. Here is his explanation, "It is for a show they played on Halloween (and again on Nov. 1) in 2008 at The Village Rock Cafe, in Rochester, New York. I need to give my daughter Jessica credit for helping me adapt their logo (roman numeral 3 and a peace sign) into 3 bones and a peace sign carved into a pumpkin. The band's website that I made for them is 3 Peace."


This a great flyer. I like the shape of the letters and use of event info to create the skull. This would definitely make me want to attend the show. I like his daughter's creative incorporation of Halloween elements (bones and a pumpkin) to create the logo for the band.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Rainy Afternoon Skulls

Chi Empress said: “I have just spent a happy day looking at your awesome skulls with my family! Thanks for your blog, it kept us all amused on a rainy afternoon. Thought we would share the things you inspired us to make:”


A DS Skully on the nintendo ds

A Skullerball made of nail varnish painted onto a discoball

A polymer clay and toy skull and bones graveyard in a “rescued”
fishbowl that a neighbor was going to put in the trash.

Siesta C says:

Since many of our school aged children are on vacation this week, your rainy day inspiration I am going to pass on to fill up some of the free time this week. Thank you for the excellent submission, we always enjoy hearing about and seeing how our work here continues to inspire others. It's not too early to start thinking about next year’s decorations, that can be easily packed away with the current ones.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

"Rod Hotter" Skull

Raik Dalgas is a German artist who dabbles in many mediums, including some hand crafted metal work.



All of the skulls on Raik's site are pretty killer. The metal skulls are simply beautiful in the way they're crafted. His airbrush works are definitley worth checking out as well. Thanks for the crafted cranium submission, Raik.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Skull Print Tunic

Kteis sent us this photo of her skull print tunic.


I looked at her Etsy shop for more information on this piece and her other work. This is silk that she has hand painted. I'm very impressed with the level of detail in her work. This is something that I would definitely wear. I would probably wear a cincher with it to play with the volume.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Skull-A-Day Press: Mountain Retreat Skull

My recent 384: Mountain Retreat Skull got a couple nice mentions online...


Sunday Simulacra - Version 4.30

A feast of simulacra to finish out this busy weekend.

First up is Jonathan “Ace of Spades” from Italy who sent us this picture of a fresh vegetable.


Next up is from one of our regular contributors Tom Adams who said: “Cleaning up after lunch I noticed this spagettio and potato chip skull reflecting back at me.”


Last up in a picture of my own from dinner one night. I had finished my salad and was waiting for the waitstaff to come and clear the course when I looked down and noticed the evil olive looking at me.


Leftover C says:

Thank you both for your submissions to our collection. I am constantly surprised by how the skull shape is randomly found in nature fruits and vegetables are one area where many are found. Tom, the reflection truly makes that shot on that simulacra.

Keep sending those pictures 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.

[BONUS] 383. Let There Be Light (Snow) Skull



I was recently asked to participate in a one-night art exhibition in Charlottesville, Virginia called Let There Be Light. All of the pieces had to involve light and would only be set up for a few hours outdoors at night. I decided I would make a piece involving blacklight and set out to build a series of small wooden frames, painted a fluorescent color, that when aligned would form a rudimentary skull image.

The night came and I drove down to Charlottesville with my pieces and quickly discovered the ground I planned to work on was both uneven and frozen solid. After trying one location that was too steep I moved to another and then discovered that the ground was so hard that the bamboo stakes I had attached to my piece to allow it to stand upright quickly split and I resorted to having to duct tape it together and use rocks to help keep it standing!

Because it took longer to install than I expected I never got to take photos of it before the sun set. So this morning, when I discovered the lovely snow that had fallen all night I was reminded of my fun afternoon in the snow last year with my friend Paul and was inspired to go and document the piece in the back yard. Even though it's the inverse of seeing it at night, it still has a similar effect glowing in the overcast sunlight against the snow.

Here's a side view so you can see how it was set up...



And here are a couple images from the night of the original installation so you can get a sense of the black light effect with and without flash...


Saturday, December 25, 2010

Happy Skullidays!

No matter where you are, how you celebrate, or even if you don't, let Skull-A-Day and Funboy Artworks wish you a...

HAPPY SKULLIDAYS!!



A Skulliday message from Tatman:
I'm a big fan of the Skullidays this time of year. It's wonderful how so many people can find the right attitude to help out their fellow humans. Families everywhere prepare to spend time with one another even when they live very far apart. A wonderful sense of good spirit fills most everyone who wishes to accept it. Well, everyone, what's wrong with having that same feeling everyday? It doesn't need to stop just because the Skullidays are over. If we all make a concious choice to be the a part of the answer instead of the problem then maybe we can all enjoy these wonderful feelings year round. Try it. I'm willing to bet that you'll feel better...everyday! (Especially June 4th)

Friday, December 24, 2010

Skulliday Ornaments

Dan from See Dan Paint sent us one of his creations to get us in the spirit. He said: “...perfect for the holidays or anytime of the year.”


Melissa Beramendi, from Calico, CA sent us this Christmas Tree ornament made of dough.


Weihnachtsmann C says:

Christmas Eve is never too late to put out your decorations, just a couple of last minute decorating idea to inspire our last minute readers done in an East Coast/West Coast style. Dan and Melissa, thank you for your submissions and your willingness to share your work with our readers. Thank you for reminding us of the uniqueness of one-of-a-kind handmade ornaments and how much better they are than the mass produced factory ones. The North Pole is a little colder today because of your efforts.

I am sure I won't be the last to say it, but Happy Skullidays to each and everyone of you.

[BONUS] Kenneth Cole's Skulls

 Two of my skull designs appear on T-shirts from Kenneth Cole this season...




and an original piece featuring graphics from a vintage car magazine


Both are available now and on sale on the Kenneth Cole site HERE and HERE.

[Flashback Friday] #69. Art-O-Mat (Shrunken) Skulls

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Citizen Agent, Tatman, and myself, Azurafae, are taking turns counting down our personal favorite 17 skulls from the Original 365.25 Year. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

6. #69. Art-O-Mat (Shrunken) Skulls


I like the idea of being able to produce small pieces of art in a large quantity. If you look closely, no two skulls are alike. That means that he hand drew, cut and punched each one before shrinking. Shrink plastic is a relatively easy product to draw on. I've made many things with it. The shrinking part can be very tedious, because the plastic curls up as it heats and has a tendency to stick to it's self or another piece while shrinking. This is hard to fix. Making piece in this large amount takes a lot of time and patience. It's an inexpensive and useful way to promote yourself. It's neat to know that there are many people walking around NYC with a small piece of his art.



**Flashback Friday was a weekly countdown of the fan selected top 52 skulls of Skull-A-Day 1.o. 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.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Dia de la Abby: #30 - Leaf Skull


I was going to make a skull outside with holly and berries, but I felt that the birds needed those more than a skull piece did. I recalled the large amount of fabric leaves that I have left over from hair flower projects and it occurred to me that I could use those to make a skull instead. This is one of my favorite pieces that I've made. If you want to find out how I made this, follow the tutorial. It looks really complicated to make, but it's not.



Every week in the 4.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby posts as well as a tutorial with instructions on how I made my piece. 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 Twitter and/or Facebook.

Silver Skulls

Sam made these pendants using 925 silver.



These pieces are like small wearable sculptures. I love the anatomical precision of the fine details. They are very macabre, yet beautiful in the way they are crafted. For more of Sam's pieces, check out his shop, Lazybonez,

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Needle Felt Skull Doll

Eve Friday in the United Kingdom sent us this: “I learned to needle felt about 3 years ago and it's helped to keep me occupied and sane whilst being mostly house-bound with a long-term illness. I have attached a picture of the needle felted Santa Muerte doll I made recently. I love the site and get lots of inspiration from the wonderful skulls that are shown!”


Trinity C says:

There is always a place in my heart for needle felting add non-traditional themes and you had me at hello. I enjoyed seeing some of your other creations at the link you gave us as well as learning more about your Santa Muerte there. As you have been inspired in the past by others- it is now your turn to do some inspiring. Thank you for submitting this wonderful piece for us to share

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

[BONUS] The Gift of Skulls: Quilled

I was delighted to get some art in the mail the other day from Elena T Geezer, who sent me this beautiful quilled skull!



It's a great companion to my own 312. Quilled Skull. Be sure sure to check out her site to see the other beautiful quilling she's been doing.

"Mac Tonight" Skull

Chris Zeliff has been pondering a question of the ages and has a possible solution. "I always wondered what happened to 'Mac Tonight' from McDonald's so I envisioned he met an end fitting the 'Mac the Knife' theme."



"I've had the clay skull made for a while, just didn't know what to do with it so I made a quick casket out of construction paper and poster board, used some rags for filler and a piece of black fabric for his coat and a pipe cleaner to hold him there."



I gotta admit that this does make me wonder where old mascots go to die? Is there a mascot heaven or are their memories left to be preserved by fans with access to the internet? Either way, let us observe a moment of silence for this fallen star..err, planet, or uh, whatever he was.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Leaf Skulls

These were made by Joanne Dhody of Design Unlimited and Osteographica. She is the mother of Anna Dhody, the curator of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, PA.




These are both very beautiful. I love the variations in shades with each leaf. I attempted to make one using seed pods and I know it's a tedious process, so I commend Joanne for making these skulls. As there is snow on the ground and bare trees here, I thought a burst of color would be a nice change.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

[BONUS] Ornament(al) Skull Wallpaper in use

A few years back I licensed my Ornament(al) Skull pattern (that is used on the background for this blog) to a wallpaper company. I included a roll of it in my AfterLife exhibition, but aside from that hadn't actually ever seen it in use... until this week!


I just discovered that The Roxbury, a "boutique motel", in New York's Catskills, used it for their Noir Boudoir suite. It definitely looks like a place that Skull-A-Day fans would enjoy staying!

Sunday Simulacra - Version 4.29

I like seeing skulls that occur naturally in rocks. They are long term and eerie. Here are some great examples of rock skulls.

Samantha Griff from Kirtland, Ohio says "These skulls are in in the rocks that border our vegetable garden."




Dauvit Alexander says, these are "a pile of stones seen in a garden in Hove, East Sussex."

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Skull-A-Day Press: Wordy Birds 365

If you missed my recent radio interview on the local radio show Wordy Birds, about my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, you can now listen to it, in its entirety, online HERE!

Cluster of Soft Skulls

Danny Hennesy is a Swedish/British artist living in Vienna, Austria right now. He's also a hippie who love skulls. Here's his 50 x 50 cm acrylic painting of a "Cluster of Soft Skulls".



This painting reminds me of the soft clusters of white snowflakes falling on most of the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year. The quiet and serene white landscape would be eerily spooky(at least to most normal people) if they were all skullflakes. Thanks for the submission, Danny!

Friday, December 17, 2010

[Flashback Friday] #135. Leaf Skull #2: Cow

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Citizen Agent, Tatman, and myself, Azurafae, are taking turns counting down our personal favorite 17 skulls from the Original 365.25 Year. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

#7 - #135. Leaf Skull #2: Cow


As the seasonal leaves have curled up and died by now, I thought this was appropriate timing for this one. Also, steer skulls make me want Mexican food for some reason and I'm always in the mood for that. I like the idea of taking random things you find and making it into something else. That concept is sort of what this whole project has been for all of us. In this case, Noah used dry leaves to create a cow skull. I like how he used the natural curves, veins and delicateness of the leaves to create the features of a cow skull.


**Flashback Friday was a weekly countdown of the fan selected top 52 skulls of Skull-A-Day 1.o. 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.

Reminder: Book Release Events - Richmond, VA

Just another reminder that I have two more upcoming book signings in Richmond, Virginia to celebrate the release of my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal...

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18th    12 – 3pm
311 W. Broad St.
804.644.5450
Bring the family for some free craft-making fun with materials provided by the gallery.

AND

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21st   12:30 – 2:30pm
1312 E Cary St.
804.788.1594

If you're in the area I hope you'll come by at least one of them and say hi! Both stores will have plenty of copies and I'll be on hand to sign books and talk about my project.

Ukulele Skull

Kurt Schneider in Quincy,MA wrote:“Finished this funky little uke kit a few months ago. I thought it would be fun to use the sound hole as the skull's eye, and it just went ahead from there!! Several coats of lacquer later, I put it together. It actually sounds pretty good!”


Pineapple C says:

♫ Tiny skulls in the in-box make me happy ♫ This is an incredible piece, it is wonderful to know that there are instrument makers still out there. I like that you used two different types of skull motifs for the opposite sides. I also really enjoyed the picture of the neck you took, I don't know if the design was intentional, but it definitely looks like something that belongs in one of our Sunday posts around here. Thank you for sharing your work with us, hopefully we will see an action shot of you playing it someday.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Skull-A-Day Press: Scene 360

Skull-A-Day got a nice shout out at Scene 360.


Read the entire article HERE.

Dia de la Abby #29: Skull Vase with Poinsettias, Holly and Berries

With fresh snow on the ground and Christmas quickly approaching, I thought I would make something a bit festive.


I'm busy making presents, so I wanted to do use a medium that I was really familiar with. I used a regular #2 pencil and a handy skull model to draw the skull. The Poinsettias, Holly and Berries were drawn with colored pencils. I've been drawing for a large portion of my life...over 25 years, so I've had a lot of practice. However, I'm not expert. I used basic shading and shapes to create the plants. Those don't take as much practice as drawing a semi-realistic skull does. I decided not to write a tutorial on this one, because even though I've been drawing and coloring for many years, I always have to play with the colors and shapes till I get something that I like. I recommend you play with any new or old medium until you like the results. This is also a good way to stay busy should you be snowed in...like I might be when I check later.



Every week in the 4.0 year, I will be post my own Dia de la Abby posts as well as a tutorial with instructions on how I made my piece. 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 Twitter and/or Facebook.

Rusted Metal Skull

JO made "a skull cut with a blow torch from sheet metal..just for kicks."


I'm always impressed with anyone that makes art from metal and uses a blow torch. It's a dangerous art form, but the results are well worth the risk. I like the use of rusted metal. I could imagine digging this up in a back yard mud pie making spree of my childhood. We dug up other rusted objects, so why not a rusted skull. That would be a really impressive find.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

[BONUS] 384. Mountain Retreat Skull

I spent a long weekend at a beautiful modern mountain cabin, and at the owners' request created a temporary skull on their property...


It was a gray and rainy day, but not too cold or wet to spend a few hours arranging leaves on a hillside below the house (you can see the house in the middle to the right).  Good thing I did it when I did, since the next day was bitter cold and windy and I doubt I would've gotten much done that day!

detail: