[BONUS] Laughing Skull Stencil in Use III

Doug Dobey of Richmond, Virginia created this great montage using my free Laughing Skull Stencil! What superhero would come running when this is projected into the sky?

Cubist Skull

We've seen our fair share of blockheads around here at Skull-A-Day, but this pair are featured in a true cubist style.  Raye Mayo of Virginia used acrylic paints on an "upcycled" canvas to create a piece that might very well be "searching" for an identity.  To use a reference that some of the younger readers might not get, I'll let my "fingers do the walking" when I type this thanks to you, Raye!

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!

[BONUS] Laughing Skull Stencil In-Use II

Denise used my new free Laughing Skull Stencil to create this amazing stitched piece, which took 5 hours to create! She was also the randomly selected winner of my recent book giveaway, so it was clearly time well spent!

Sunday Simulacra - Version 7.31

Today's simulacrum are similar with their silly bug eyed looks. The first was spotted at the top of a glass of Guinness by Matt Morales from the Bronx, NY. He was thoroughly amused/petrified at the goofy eyes staring into his soul. The second was discovered by Meadow Campbell of Carbondale, IL. Her note included this, "Soaking okra in milk before breading/frying makes it less slimy (and delicious!). I made a batch last month and was treated to a surprise in the sink when I moved the strainer." A couple of bright eyed skulls indeed(if that's actually possible). Don't forget to submit your own skull simulacra if you are lucky enough to find them. Thanks for sharing these with us, Matt and Meadow!

Dementia Demon Skull

Today's skull is most definitely older than some of our readers. I'm not trying to put an age on Hal Weaver from Virginia Beach, VA, but this demon skull that he created with ball point pen on bristol board was originally drawn for Dementia magazine back in 1986.  The bones themselves are scary enough, but this must have been a pretty gruesome beast when it had it's flesh.  Thanks for sharing your frightening work, Hal!

[BONUS] Laughing Skull Stencil In Use

Check out this great animated gif by Scott Krichau using my new free Laughing Skull Stencil!

What will you do with it? Submit something before the end of the day today (Friday, December 27) and you'll be entered to win a signed copy of my book SKULLS! Details are HERE.

Light Skull

Aleix Solé created this light skull. This reminds me of Noah's "66. Sparkler Skull". Though I've seen several submissions of light skulls, I know its quite a feat to create...timing, right light source, shutter speed, exposure length...a skull from light. Here in Richmond, VA, we currently have a massive amount of "tacky lights" (and a tour to see the best ones), so this light skull is festive to us.

White on Black Skulls

For the most part we see a lot of sketches that start out on white paper and then darker colors are added to create the skull. These pieces are great because Martha Vann of Richmond, VA went the opposite direction and started with black paper and used a white pencil to create these excellent sketches. It seems that this approach would cause one to rethink how the image is applied, less coloring for darker areas, more in the lighter areas. This method seems like a great way to reposition your thinking, a healthy exercise that we should all try once in a while.  Thanks for showing us a different perspective, Martha!

[CONTEST] Win a Signed Copy of SKULLS!

 THE CONTEST IS CLOSED, THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!

One lucky Skull-A-Day fan will win a signed and customized copy of my book SKULLS by using my new Laughing Skull stencil!

I recently created a new stencil in honor of our Facebook page crossing the 20,000 fan mark (and hey, if you're not already a fan over there get to it)! Like our other free downloads the stencil is available as to use as you please (under a Creative Commons license).

As always I'd love to see what our fans make with my creations, so to sweeten the deal I'm offering a signed & customized copy of my, now out of print, book SKULLS to a randomly selected person who sends in a picture of this stencil in use during this week only!

Feel free to use the stencil in the traditional way with paint or get creative and see what other materials you can use with a stencil. I'll post and share the submissions as they come in so you can get inspired!

PRIZE INFO: One (1) copy of the out of print book SKULLS signed and customized by Noah Scalin.


HOW TO ENTER: Download the new Laughing Skull Stencil and create something with it and then send us a picture of the results!


CONTACT INFO: The winner, chosen at random from all of the entries, will be contacted via email by one of the Skull-A-Day editors within 7 days of the end of the contest. If that winner doesn't respond, another winner will be chosen.

WHERE TO ENTER: All entries must be sent to our submission address, which you can find at the bottom of this page.

CONTEST CLOSES: 11:59:59 PM Eastern USA Time Friday, December, 27, 2013.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is open to all skull lovers around the world!

IF YOU DON'T WIN: Stay tuned for details about a brand new Skull-A-Day book in 2014!

Sunday Simulacra - Version 7.30

My first inclination of these two rocks is that they are great skull simulacrum, but then I started wondering if maybe Mother Nature was responsible and perhaps we should credit these to her. No matter which way you think it should be I still need to give credit to the ones who captured the images and shared them with us. The first is from Brad of Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia who found this awesome sight at the Mulu National Park. The second comes from Jen Craniac of Peru, IL who discovered this landmark at the Cave Of The Mounds near Blue Mounds, WI.  These both seem like great destinations to visit, even without their skulls.  Take a hint from Brad and Jan and get out there and explore your world.  If you happen to find a skull simulacra then share it with us so that we can spread the wealth.  Thanks for doing just that, Brad and Jan!

Sugar Skull Wedding Cake Toppers

Dany Hernandez gives new meaning to "Til death do us part" with these beautiful handmade sugar skull cake toppers.  A perfect match for each other as we hope that the bride and groom will be.  Best wishes to the recipients of these and thanks to Dany for sharing your work with us again.

Mask of a Skull

Raven Arbuckle is passionate about bones and skulls, and loves putting them her in artwork. We get a lot of human skulls submitted. Animal skulls are a rare treat. This is a beautiful combination of an animal skull with a human wearing it. This drawing is very mystical, and brings to mind stories of ancient ceremonies. With Solstice and Christmas happening soon, this ceremonial drawing seemed fitting.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win Penelope from Skelly Chic

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Don't forget you have until 11:59pm Eastern USA Time Friday, December 20, 2013 (TODAY), to enter the the current giveaway.  Skelly Chic is giving away Penelope Skelly to one lucky Skull-A-Day fan. You can find the original contest post by clicking the side bar ad, or this link.

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

[BONUS] 422. Cereal Killer Skull

I recently bought some retro boxes of the classic monster cereals to put on display in my office and while I'm planning to never open Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Count Chocula, and Frute Brute, I did break into Fruity Yummy Mummy and decided to make this with it...

Did you eat breakfast cereal as a kid? If so what were your favorites?

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win Penelope from Skelly Chic

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Don't forget you have until 11:59pm Eastern USA Time Friday, December 20, 2013, to enter the the current giveaway.  Skelly Chic is giving away Penelope Skelly to one lucky Skull-A-Day fan. You can find the original contest post by clicking the side bar ad, or this link.

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

Fast Draw Skull

Today's bit of skull art genius is courtesy of Jackie McGill of 321 Fast Draw, a company that produces customized whiteboard presentations (also known as Whiteboard videos, Explainer videos or Scribing videos). Today's skull is not just a fancy little bit of fastly drawn art. It's also a FREE screen saver. Jackie has included a video of the process as well as provided this link for our readers to find the skull and other fast drawn screen savers. Be sure to check out all of the free screen savers that they have in their goodies section. Thanks for sharing your skull with us, Jackie!

[CONTEST] Win Penelope from Skelly Chic

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Leigh Hannan is the artist behind Skelly Chic. All of her skellies are handmade from paperclay or paper mache over a handmade armature, painted with many layers of acrylics, detailed in pen, sealed with a medium and embellished with fabric trim. Each is one of a kind; there are no ordinary skellies! Her love for colorful skeletons started with a trip to visit her father in El Paso, Texas. There she noticed color, color, color everywhere, and also Day of the Dead skeletons. Since then Mexican Day of the Dead artwork has been a big influence on her own artwork. Leigh wants to share this love for skulls, by giving away this Penelope Skelly to one lucky Skull-A-Day fan.

PRIZE INFO:
Penelope is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) skull art doll, hand-sculpted from paper clay over a hand-made armature, painted with many layers of acrylics, sealed with a matte medium and embellished with fabric trim and a rose brooch. She is 13.25" H x 2.75" W x 2.5" D, and weighs 1.3 oz. Penelope has important hair. It ripples, and flows, and you can feel a soft ocean breeze beckoning to you whenever you look at her! A fresh teal ruffled collar and pretty peach rose brooch complete her look. Penelope is not a toy, and not waterproof; please protect her to ensure that you have her company for many years to come. Penelope is signed and dated.

HOW TO ENTER: Penelope looks like a girl with a great story. To enter this giveaway contest, you must comment with an answer to this question. Who is Penelope? For example, I think she lives by a beach in France, writes romance mystery novels, and goes antique shopping with her little dog.

CONTACT INFO: The winner, chosen at random, will be contacted via email by one of the Skull-A-Day editors within 7 days of the end of the contest. If that winner doesn't respond, another winner will be chosen. With your comment, please INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!!! 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 CANNOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

CONTEST CLOSES: 11:59:59 PM Eastern USA Time Friday, December 20, 2013.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is open to the USA only. Sorry international folks!

IF YOU DON'T WIN: Don't fret, while the contest is running, Skelly Chic is offering 20% off orders of $50.00 or more (excludes custom orders) in their Etsy shop. Use coupon code SKULLADAY at check out. You can find more of Skelly Chic's work on their Website, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Sunday Simulacra - Version 7.29

Colin Kilpatrick has a keen eye for spotting those sneaky skulls hidden around us everyday. So much in fact that he's submitted two skulls that he found at different times and in different states. The sidewalk skull is located in Santa Barbara, CA and the shadow was spotted back at his home in Alabama. It just further proves that these skulls are EVERYWHERE! Keep your eyes peeled and be sure to submit them to us. Thanks for sharing yours, Colin!

Skateboard Skulls

Chicago street artist, Saro, is here today to share these killer skateboard decks that he has awesomely adorned with skulls using hand cut stencils and Montana Gold paint. These decks are actually part of a larger show called "Deck The Halls" that started on Nov. 16 and runs through Dec. 21 at Vertical Gallery in Chicago. Featuring 50+ artists from all over the globe and displaying 80+ custom skateboards, all of which are for sale with 20% going to a charity called The Simple Good.  Awesome art for an awesome cause!  This is a great way to get our weekend rolling.  Thanks, Saro!

Dia de la Abby: #85 La Calavera Catrina Doll

A few years ago, I started making a La Calavera Catrina doll. I crocheted the doll, but never finished decorating it. Last week, I starting participating in a 30 day drawing challenge. Today's challenge was "Dolls or Puppets", so it was the perfect time to play with finishing up my doll concept. I drew everything with a pencil, inked it, and used colored pencils. To see what other projects I'm working on, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Crafty Lady Abby. To see the other 84 skulls I've created over the years, go here.