Sunday Simulacra - Round 38

Jared Karnes, owner of the tribal organic jewelry company Onetribe, gave me this lovely piece of marble jade he found in Bali Guatemala...


Sean and Nick Bentley spotted this forklift near USC in Los Angeles...



And Kendra says, "This is a photo of a dying star that is wobbling as it is expelling jets of gases in different directions. The variations in colors, and swirling of the gases seem to make many different skulls appear, which I found after looking at it closely. How many do you see?"

Holiday Skulls

Denise A. Wells, a Native American from the Yankton Sioux Tribe who lives in Yankton, South Dakota made these fun paintings: "Skull Santa" & "Skull Bunny". She says, "my first skull I made when I was a youngster I made from mud outside our house. Showed it to my Ma and she did not approve of the subject but did like the craftmanship! Anyways, that has been many moons ago now and I am still at it...."

Alien Skull

Jamie Perkins of Denver, Colorado made this glazed ceramic alien skull when he was in high school...

[UPDATE] The Skull Lamp finds a new home.

Shawn, the winner of the lamp from the Skullvenger Hunt sent us a nice follow up note and some pictures...

"I got the lamp!!...But now I know why you wanted to get rid of it, its haunted isn't it? Now I hear screams at night!! Or maybe it just my lady friend bashing her head into it as she stands up from the desk.Who knows?I love it. It fits in great here in Arkansas. It just scary as all heck!! Thanks again..."

Skullection Time!

It's time to vote for your favorite skull in the new sidebar poll! The 52 nominees were culled from suggestions by you the fans as well as our two new editors Tatman and Citizen agent! Each one will be featured on a Friday during Skull-A-Day 3.0 in order of popularity, with the top skull presented in the last week. I'll be including additional stories about the creation/destruction of many of them, so hopefully both new and returning fans will enjoy. You've got one week to make your voice heard so don't delay. Pick up to five favorites and submit your vote in the sidebar. [UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who voted! Keep an eye out for the results every Friday this year!]

p.s. If you need a refresher you can review the original skulls HERE.

p.p.s. Once you've voted you will have to scroll the voting section to the right to see the results!

Tunnel of Skull

Yann Roirand, who is studying Art & Design in Sunderland, England shared this painting of a nightmarish vision...

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Larry Pearson, who was the randomly selected winner of the Nominate Your Favorite Skulls contest!

Voting for the top skull will start soon!

[BONUS] 8x8 Skull in Use

greenfourth was inspired to some creativity by my #16 8x8 Skull and says, "I was at work the other day (I work at an AMC theater) and realized that the tickets I was selling people would make a great 8-bit skull :D So, when it was slow and I was bored I created the attached. That's a sheet of paper next to it for scale."

Mosaic Skull

Rellenny Munguia made this as part of a project for sculpture class, it took a month to complete and even won best in 3-D at a showing at her university! (24x 17x10 in.)

[CONTEST] Win a set of skull skins!

Wrapstar is giving away one of their skins for music players, game machines, and iPhones, to three lucky Skull-A-Day readers!

To be entered in a random drawing for your choice of skin, just leave a comment below of what you think a text message from a skeleton would say.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to include a way to contact you (either an e-mail in the post OR make sure your Blogger profile has an e-mail link for you on it).

You have until just Midnight Eastern Time June 1st to enter so don't delay!
[UPDATE: The contest is over and the winner will be notified directly. Thanks to everyone who entered! ]

And of course you don't have to wait til the end of the contest to get some spiffy Wrapstar skins!

Good luck!

The Nightmare After Christmas Skull

Chad Hagen created this fun pine needle skull as part of his participation in the “Make Something Cool Every Day” group on Flickr...

Skull Pottery

Chris, a potter in Chicago, shared some lovely work...

Sunday Simulacra - Round 37

Diane Q, in Montreal, Quebec says, "I took this photo at an orchid exposition several weeks ago, the centres of the flowers look like tiny little skulls. It was even more evident in person, but I think the image captured it decently."...



Bryan A. spotted this skully waterfall in Banff National Park in Canada...


he provided an outlined version in case they're not obvious...



and Shannon Formica of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania says, "I found this old chewed up, stepped on piece of gum on the ground as I was waiting for the bus one morning. I looked down and thought it was a
toy...upon closer inspection I realized it was an accidental skull"...

[SKULL NEWS] You're risky!

According to a recent New York Times Magazine article people who buy "chrome skull accessories" are more likely to default on credit card payments! Here's the accompanying illustration...

(photo by Thomas Hannich for The New York Times)

What do you think?

Sneaky Skull Cookie

I love this conglomeration of happy spring cookies with the one skull cookie that's hiding at the bottom! Maurice Chasse' of Milford, Connecticut says, "My 9 year old Daughter [Nikki] made me this Skull when my Wife [Yettika], Daughter and I were making cookies. I have a small Skull collection and we love looking at your web site."...

Frankenstein's Skull

Paul shared this excellent Frankenstein Skull and invites the readers of Skull-A-Day to join in his fun project (see details below)...

He says...

"I am attempting to amass a large collection of portraits of Frankenstein's Monster in as many different styles and in as many different media as possible as an ongoing art project. The only stipulation is that the size is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (standard artist trading card size) and that each card has name, date, title and anything else you care to add on the back. I welcome cards from both amateur and professional artists. I will be leaving blank cards with instructions and mailing address in galleries, colleges, art shops, on buses, handing them out in the street and wherever else I can think of. If you think you can spare the time to produce a little something, please send a portrait to:

A Patchwork Of Flesh
45 Silversea Drive
Westcliff on Sea
Essex
SS0 9XD
United Kingdom

Each card I receive will be uploaded at http://apatchworkofflesh.blogspot.com/ to produce an on-line gallery, I then hope to put on an exhibition of these cards in a gallery."

There's already a ton of great stuff there, so be sure to check it out!

Skull Dancer

Artist Allison Bamcat made this lovely little articulated clay skeleton...

[BONUS] Library Skulls

Yesterday I gave a talk to New York Public Library librarians about Skull-A-Day as part of the their Stuff for The Teen Age 2009 program, which includes a recommendation of my book SKULLS. As part of the event the librarians were encouraged to make their own skulls using an assortment of materials that were culled from the grocery store by one of the coordinators. They had just 10 minutes to make their temporary art and I think they came up with some pretty fantastic results!...



I've actually been invited back this fall to do a program with teens at the library as well, so expect to expect a follow up about too. And hey, if your school or library would be interested in having me come talk/sign books/run a workshop and they have the budget to bring me there from Richmond, Virginia please have them get in touch.

[CONTEST] Nominate Your Favorite Skulls...

Hey folks you've got just one more week to nominate your favorite Original 365.25 Skulls for inclusion in the upcoming Skull-A-Day 3.0!

[UPDATE: The contest is over, congratulations to Larry Pearson who was the randomly selected winner of the prize!]

Take a quick refresher through the original posts (1-122, 123-244, 245-365.25) and then name your three favorites in a comment below. The top 52 will then be featured once a week over the course of the third year of the project.

To sweeten the pot I'll even give away one of my limited edition prints to a randomly selected commenter!


You've got until Midnight, May 26th so don't delay!

p.s. And don't worry, if you already listed your favorites on the previous post about this you'll still be entered into the drawing!

Skull Toast = Skoast!

My friend Phil made this sweet couple out of toast carved bread (with a bit of butter) in response to my own #19 Skull Toast...

[BONUS] Skull Stencil in Use

Kaye Reed of DuPont, Washington shared a picture of her son Chris enjoying his shirt made with my original #9 Skull Stencil!...

The Mariachi, The Girlfriend, and Her Cat Skulls

Laura Bartholomew of Raritan, NJ made this cute couple of wood burned Mexican style skeletons "El Esqueleto del Mariachi" and "Katrina con su gato"! ...

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Shawn S. who is the official winner of the Skullvenger Hunt and will be getting a skull lamp in the mail soon! Four additional randomly chosen folks will be getting signed bookplates as well. Winners will be notified by e-mail so keep an eye on your inbox.

And in case you're wondering here are the correct answers:

1. "Oh, my god, Becky, look at her skull." = #3 Sir-Skull-A-Day
2. Your psychiatrist may help you find this one. = 24. (A Sense of) Closure Skull
3. Your spork is afraid of this guy. = 25. Introducing The Skoon (skull + spoon)
4. This was cut, not burned, like it usually is. = 36. CD-R Skull
5. This must represent an evil idea. = 45. Skull Bulb
6. A doctor's recommendation for your daily skull fix. = 64. Take Two Skulls...
7. "Hello, front desk? I think my room here in Winston-Salem is haunted!" = 77. Skull Sheet
8. This is the center window piece in the Skull-A-Day cathedral. = 126. Stained Glass Skull
9. This one had plenty of cushion for his brain during shipping. = 133. Bubble Wrap Skull
10. We expected a new skull everyday from Noah, but this was the only one that was expecting. = 146. Baby Belly Skull(y)
11. Holy Guacomole! This skull is ripe! = 179. Avocado Skull
12. Take "note", Noah didn't draw this one, he erased it. = 188. (Back To) Skull Notebook
13. Your dentist's worst nightmare. = 197. Tooth Skull A.K.A. Cavity Creep
14. This skull makes the most cents. = 200. Two Dollar Skull
15. Don't ask this skull any questions. It won't be able to tell you. = 207. Stump(ed) Skull
16. From Florida to Idaho, the "views" of this skull are masterful. = 219. Skull-Master
17. "I don't know, Doc, personally all I see are skulls." = 222. Rorshach Skull
18. The ingredients caused this skull to rise to life. = 241. Skull Bread A.K.A. Night of The Living Bread
19. This skull could pass through the eye of a needle easier than a camel anytime. = 260. Thread(ed) Skull
20. All the links forged in life are used to make this skull. = 267. Skull Chain (Gang)
21. Noah took his time to put some loyal readers on the map. = 268. Skull Island
22. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? = 302. (Who Watches The) Watch Skull (?)
23. See inside the mind of the Skull-A-Day creator. = 329. Skull-Ray
24. Circles of light, shaded right, captured out of focus. = 346. Bokeh Skull
25. You get a "raw" deal if you order this skull to GoGo. = 352. Skull Roll

Thanks again to everyone who sent in answers and to Justin AKA Tatman for writing all of the clues and donating the lamp as the prize! Stay tuned for more contests and giveaways soon!

Big Blue Skull Truck

John Kinnee says about this ultimate skull-lover vehicle, "I’m an artist living and working in the armpit of the universe, Toledo, Ohio. One of the few things that keeps me sane is working on my 'art truck'. I started 2 years ago with just some stencil work and then things got out of hand...By the way, Her name is Big Blue Skulltruck."...

Sunday Simulacra - Round 36

Aimee in Asheville, North Carolina found this scary looking cookie...


Dominik N. in Germany discovered this skull-y tree...


And Enrico in São Paulo, Brazil says he, "found this in the sky of where I work... I was taking a snack break, by the end of the afternoon, when I saw that through the window's glass, and just took the picture using my cellphone."...

Scratchboard Skull

Denise Dion-Scoyni in Kaua'i, Hawaii made this fine clayboard scratch art skull...

Laughing Skulls

Sandra Hong in San Francisco, California shared this intense illustration...

Monoprint Skulls

Lyndsay Ross at Syracuse University made these two lovely mono-prints while studying abroad in Florence, Italy! She says they were inspired by my Cocoa Skull stencil!

[BONUS] Two-Part Skull Stencil in Use

Trouble Farren did a fine job using my Two-Part Skull Stencil to decorate a couple of iPods and even provided images of the process...