[BONUS] Pumpkin Anatomy II: Update

Just had to share this fantastic interpretation by Katrina Frye of my recent Pumpkin Anatomy II Jack-O-Lantern, she calls it her "Brainy Jack-O-Troll"!...

Don't forget there are directions on how to make your own HERE and if you do make one please send a picture for us to share!

Also here's the current state of the original, I think it's aging well...

Surf Skull

Mascaro Bruce from Poitiers in France designed this "Surf Skull" for a friend's surf rock band.  

I've seen skating skulls, but I can't recall seeing a surfing skull before.  The subtle surfboard is hanging more than ten teeth against a golden sun background.  It's easy to see why he's smiling.  Merci, Mascaro!



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11 more days and counting...

[BONUS] 404. Pumpkin Anatomy II: If I Only Had A Brain

A few years ago I discovered that with careful dissection you could discover the secret anatomy of a Jack-O-Lantern. This year I decided to try another experiment and low-and-behold it turns out that if you cut it just right you can reveal the hidden brain of a pumpkin!...

I thought it would be fun to give you a step-by-step guide if you wanted to give this a try yourself...

1. Get two pumpkins, one orange that's larger and one white that's smaller. You'll have to guess how much smaller the 2nd one needs to be, but figure the walls of the larger will probably be 1-2 inches thick. The bonus is you can always carve away more if you need to adjust the fit.

2. Mark off a line about 1/3 of the way down on the larger pumpkin to allow for a large enough opening to insert the 2nd pumpkin. Then draw your design on each pumpkin. The orange one can be a fairly traditional Jack-O-Lantern, I just made mine a skull since it's my thing. For the brain I printed off reference images from the internet so that I could it make it look more realistic. It only needs to cover the 1st 1/3 of pumpkin, since the rest will be hidden. NOTE: use a marking tool that can easily wiped off (china marker works well). I made the mistake of using a metallic sharpie that only came off with the use of nail polish remover!

3. Carve & gut the 1st pumpkin like you normally would. Be sure to keep the top since it makes a nice display element later.

4. For the brain pumpkin carve the lines first, by incising them with V-shaped cuts that only go about 1/4 of an inch deep.

5. Cut off the bottom of the brain pumpkin and gut it from below. Then cut out a shape that will allow the design of your larger pumpkin to be uncovered and allow candle light to come through! You will end up with a sort of helmet shape. Sadly it didn't fit on anyone's head when I made it, but it would be an amazing kid's costume if you've got a willing volunteer! The trickiest part is adjusting this to fit inside the 2nd, so you may have to carve away at both the inside of the orange pumpkin and the outside of the white to get it to sit properly.

Good luck! And of course if you make your own please send us pictures to share!

Hanasaurusrex Mini Skull

Hannah, AKA Hanasaurusrex, from Honolulu, HI sent us a picture of this mini knitted skull she completed.

Cozy C says:

The shape of this skull reminds me of what the skull from one of the Pacman ghosts may look like if they were allowed to die naturally.  Thank you for submitting your little skull to us for sharing.

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12 more days and counting...

[CONTEST] Win an "undeadWe" item from Chop Shop

This contest has ended. Thanks again to everyone for all of the comments and good luck in our future giveaways.

To help you get ready for the next great seasonal movie marathon, this week's sponsored giveaway prize and discount for everyone to enjoy is courtesy of Chop Shop and The Chopping Block, a New York City design studio in business since 1997. The shop specializes in T-shirts and posters and the block, the studio, has 13 years experience in designing and building websites, one of which you just may be ready to click on.

PRIZE INFO: undeadWe features 51 icons of the living dead, including zombies, mummies, spirits, ghosts and various other forms of re-animated dead stuff!  There will be (2) winners* for this contest- (1) T-shirt winner and (1) Digital Print winner.

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling us if you had a choice- What shape would you create with 51 themed icons of your choice?

CONTACT INFO: If you win, we need to contact you. With your comment, please include your email, or make sure your profile has a working email link for you on it. Entries are only valid with this information.

WHERE TO ENTER: All entries must be made on this blog post at Skull-A-Day.com. You can NOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

CONTEST CLOSES: 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday, October 24th

NUMBER OF WINNERS: Two*

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is open to all! Residents of the USA, Canada, and International folks are welcome to enter.

IF YOU DON'T WIN: You can always make yourself feel like a winner by purchasing your own undeadWe item or other products from the Chop Shop store. Right now you will also receive 15% off any purchases by using the promo code “agentskully”.

*First random drawn winner will have their choice of the T-shirt or print, second random drawn winner will get the other item.

Skull Portrait

Jennie Klingenberg, from Oslo Norway drew this skull in May, 2012.

Using anatomical skulls for artwork references is always neat to see. Each interpretation is different, as both the skull and how a person views an object varies from person to person. With the attention to details and shading of a natural human skull, this reminds me of a portrait. With portraits, you want to include those subtle details, so you can properly capture the look of the subject. I think this pencil drawing does a great job of doing just that.


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13 more days and counting...

Cake with a Skull on Top

Cake Designer .Judy Reyna-O'Neil YudyCakes wrote: "I just came across you blog and I ADORE IT! I love skulls. Here is one of my favorite cakes that I've recently completed."

Wayne C says:

No celebration is complete without the perfect dessert.  Thank you for sharing a piece of this wonderful cake with us.


“Countdown To Halloween”
14 more days and counting...

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win an Urban Hardwear Skull Bottle Stopper

This contest has ended. Thanks again to everyone for all of the comments and good luck in our future giveaways.

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time TONIGHT to be entered in our current contest giveaway for this beautiful bottle stopper from Urban Hardwear. Follow the link to the original post here, or click on the ad in the sidebar.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST to enter this contest! You CANNOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+]

Of course you don't have to wait until the contest is over to get your own bottle stopper. Ensure that you feel like a winner when you purchase any item from the Urban Hardwear store.

Kitchenware Skulls

Gille Monte Ruici has flashed his handy work in the kitchen wares department before, and he's back with some new tin heads to share.

I'm totally seeing these upcycled skulls carrying their own personalities. The monocled gentleman may have a contract with the goggled pilot for a delivery of goods that will remain secret for the time being.  Or it could just be my imagination.......?  And don't think that I didn't catch the "skoon" on the second skull either.  Merci, Gille!

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15 more days and counting...

Cut Potato Skull

Henry Ryder was cutting a potato, saw this skull form and thought of us. He said "I could do a more intentional one- but I liked the serendipity."

There should always be enjoyment with food. When I see artwork made with food, I'm curious if the maker enjoyed this food, and the creation, or if it was made because the meal was bad and out of boredom from not wanting to consume it. This potato skull seems to be in preparation for a larger meal. Perhaps the slices will join their ever skull like brethren, mushrooms.



“Countdown To Halloween”
16 more days and counting...

Sunday Simulacra - Version 6.20

Today's skulls were found from drinks.

Julie Gallant spilled some milk, and a skull appeared.

John Oyler from Portland, Oregon, found this skull like image when he picked up his glass from a table. He added the crossed knife and fork.

Keep sending those pictures in, we always love seeing what our skull hunters find. Anyone is welcomed to participate, it's fun and it's easy- if you see a simulacra skull, photograph it and send those pictures in to our submissions address with a little something about what it is really and maybe a little about you.


“Countdown To Halloween”
17 more days and counting...

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win an Urban Hardwear Skull Bottle Stopper

This contest has ended. Thanks again for all of the entries and good luck in our future giveaways.


Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday, October 17th to be entered in our current contest giveaway for this beautiful bottle stopper from Urban Hardwear. Follow the link to the original post here, or click on the ad in the sidebar.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST to enter this contest! You CANNOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+]

Of course you don't have to wait until the contest is over to get your own bottle stopper. Ensure that you feel like a winner when you purchase any item from the Urban Hardwear store.

Airbrushed Skulls

Acrylic paints are brought to life in these super impressive airbrushed skulls from Christian Chapman.  From cold hard chrome to warm soft skin; he's brought life to both of these pieces.

 

I was first impressed with the metallic reflective qualities produced on a canvas background, but when I laid eyes on the surfboard and it's life like details I was blown away.  These are both wall hanging worthy pieces of art.  Thanks, Christian!


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18 more days and counting...

Starry Skull

Artist & Designer Janreji from France showed us a prototype of this latest work earlier this year HERE.  They return with a finished example that served as a sculpture target, for the last hole of a Parisian street golf course. You can read more about the process of making this piece HERE.

In use

Van C says:

Thank you for continuing to keep us updated on the skull-a-rific work you continue to do.  It may seem like  I say this often, but it is truly wonderful to be able to revisit with some of our past contributors and watch how their work progresses. I certainly could never have imagined earlier this year that your piece would be reworked into mini golf hole.

“Countdown To Halloween”
19 more days and counting...

Record skull

Ryan Kinney from Ashtabula, OH made this skull with old records formed over a mask.

Records are considered one form of "dead media", but to me and many other vinyl enthusiasts  they are still alive and well in our massive collections. There is something about the crackles and pops of a record that you can't get with a CD, or MP3. I love the tactile quality of being able to hold the music in my hand, vs only digitally view. That being said, I do enjoy seeing bad or damaged records recycled into artwork, like this skull.


“Countdown To Halloween”
20 more days and counting...

[CONTEST] Win an Urban Hardwear Skull Bottle Stopper

This contest has ended. Thanks again for all of the entries and good luck in our future giveaways.

It's October now, and the fall season is settling in around you. Imagine yourself opening that special bottle of your favorite beverage to share with a friend. Now picture yourself with a totally bad ass skull bottle topper to top off the good times you're having. Now WAKE UP! Your daydream has become a reality courtesy of Tye Lombardi and her Urban Hardwear store.  Feast your eyes on this week's sponsored giveaway prize as well as a discount for everyone to enjoy (read below).

PRIZE INFO: A party perfect skull cast in high density resin and secured to a sleek chrome and steel rubber stopper.  Each piece is cast when ordered so you can choose your skull color (black, silver, gold, or a variety of glittery colors).  There will be 2 winners for this contest so be sure to tell your friends!

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling us the spookiest drink name you can think of.  Alcoholic or non, it doesn't matter, just try to top me and my "Screaming Banshee" if you dare.

CONTACT INFO: If you win, we need to contact you. With your comment, please include your email, or make sure your Blogger profile has a working email link for you on it. Entries are only valid with this information.

WHERE TO ENTER: All entries must be made on this blog post, on Skull-A-Day.com. You can NOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

CONTEST CLOSES: 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday, October 17th

NUMBER OF WINNERS: Two

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is only open to residents of the U.S.A. and Canada. Sorry, international folks, there will be other giveaways to include you soon.

IF YOU DON'T WIN: You can always make yourself feel like a winner by purchasing your own bottle topper or other product from the Urban Hardwear store. Right now you can also receive 10% off any purchases by using the promo code "BONEHEAD".  Thanks for the awesome giveaway, Tye!

p.s.- Happy 10/11/12 to all of you who write the date this way.  -Tatman

Greek Skulls

Graphic Designer and Illustrator Thanos Tsiousis from Athens, Greece sent us this pair of skulls.

Hellenistic C says:

With thousands of years of human occupation on the land, it begins one to wonder about their place in this great cosmic ballet. The thousands who have walked that same land and viewed those same sights must be quite humbling. Thank you for submitting this work with us to share.


“Countdown To Halloween”
21 more days and counting...

[BONUS] Bicycle Bell Skulls

I recently agreed to do an art barter with Skull-A-Day friend Dan Springer AKA Skulluxe! He sent me one of his custom painted bicycle bells and a blank one to paint and send back to him.

Here's the one he sent me...

And here's mine (which I'll be mailing off soon)...

Have you ever done an art barter? I highly recommend giving it a try!

CONTEST REMINDER: Win a Skull Tank-O-Lantern

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Thanks to everyone that participated!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM EDT TONIGHT to be entered to win this amazing Tank-O-Lantern from Wenchkin and Scott Krichau. Follow the link to the original post HERE or click on the ad at the top of the sidebar, to enter.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST to enter this contest! You can NOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+]

Of course you don't need to wait until the end of the contest to get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern! You can get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern by buying one from Scott's shop. There are a wide range of styles at affordable prices!

"Skull Love"

I'm here today to give everyone a Lebotomy. No, not a lobotomy, but a sharp looking piece from Lebotomy in Atlanta, GA.

I'm fairly confident that everyone of us reading this has felt a little skull love at one point in time. That explains why you're here now...reading this....and loving every minute of it! Thanks for the love, Lebotomy!

“Countdown To Halloween”
22 more days and counting...