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.

[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."

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!

[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

Quirk Gallery

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

Fountain Bookstore

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.

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.

[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:

Good For Bones Skull

J.S. Reinitz is proud to show off his son Kaden's work, a skull that is good for your bones. "Kaden made a skeleton out of old milk jugs for Halloween. I tried a few different lights and backgrounds for the photo."





There's nothing quite as nice as seeing family come together in the name of arts and crafts. You're not only supporting Kaden with his artful endeavors, you're inspiring him to always stay creative. Thanks to both father and son for the great submission. If you are interested in making one for yourself then check out this tutorial link that J.S. provided.

Muertos Skulls

Nicholas Ivins had this to say about his two submissions, "I've enjoyed your blog for some time now and wanted to submit a Day of the Dead themed piece I did earlier this year. The medium is ink, marker, and Photoshop. Size is 20.75 x 26.5"."

"Also, here is a photo of me and my mate at the Day of the Dead festival in Hollywood this past weekend. An amazing event! I'm on the right. We usually smile a lot more. Or at least we did when we were alive."

For the 1st piece, I like the use of repeated and brightly colored Dia de los Muertos milagros. I also like the adornment of the calavera. The placement of the items around the calavera remind me of Egyptian Pharaoh burials. They would be surrounded with thing from their life that they would need in the after life...jewelry, pottery, food, etc.

For the costumes, of course, I'm a huge fan of dressing undead. The colors match with each person, but they are used differently and equally beautifully done. I like the choice of elegant outfits. They really tie in well with the face painting. You can find more of Nicholas' work at his DeviantArt Page

Sunday Simulacra - Version 4.28

As the saying goes, "When life gives you skulls, make sure you send them in to Skull-A-Day".

Clayton Bishop of Dalton, Ga spotted this toothy skull smiling at the passing motorists.



MIRAMBO from London, Ont. had this skull friend visit her at the pub. "I spilled my beer and the splash made quite a distinct skull. After I took a picture of it people came over to see what we were looking at and were just as thrown back as my friends and I were. The owner of the bar actually covered it with a bar stool so as to protect it for the remainder of the night to show other patrons."



And finally, we have this piece of skullverware discovered by Skull Master Noah. A bit of a stylized skull to accompany him at a dinner party.



Thanks to you all for the great submissions. Don't forget the saying and be sure to keep submitting all of your skull discoveries.

Skulls Full Of Flowers

When Henry Ryder sent in his "Skulls Full Of Flowers" I knew it would make a great addition to our collection of kick ass desktop wallpaper patterns.



I hope Henry doesn't mind, but I took the liberty of cropping his original pic so it can be used for a desktop background. Just click on the smaller pic here and tile it across your screen.



A skull full of flowers is a great way to brighten anyone's day, and you don't even have to call FTD. Just send your friends the link so they can spread the seeds of perennial skullness. Thanks for being the bearer of another great skull pattern , Henry.

[Flashback Friday] #351. Entomology Skull

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.

#8 - #351. Entomology Skull

For me, the study of insects and arachnids is something that started the 1st time I saw a pristine butterfly pinned and classified in a shadow box. I've loved butterflies since the 1st time I ever saw them. I love them so much I have a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail tattooed on me. Noah's careful arrangement of delicate insects includes butterflies, moths and beetles. I can spot 4 male Yellow Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (the yellow ones with black tiger stripes...hence the name). They are the state butterfly of Virginia, where Noah and I live. They are also the state butterfly for Delaware, Georgia and South Carolina. I can definitely attest that there are many of them in the South. The Brookgreen Gardens in Myrtle Beach, SC has many beautiful Swallowtails. The Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, LA has even more fly around the zoo. The experience of being surrounded by these delicate creatures is magical.



**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.

Day of the Dead Skull Mask

Jose Brand "made this day of the dead skull for my halloween costume."

This is a very impressive mask and costume. There are many details in the construction of the skull and the decoration of it. The decoration of the skull reminds me of the delectable sugar skulls of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I like the enlarged dimensions in comparison with a human skull. That enlargement gives it a cartoonish quality which is perfect for the fun and mischief of Halloween. The use of a hoodie to include other skeletal bones. The rib cage uses similar colors to the skull, which helps tie the two pieces together. The attached bones give an additional three dimensional quality to the costume. This is definitely a calavera that I would like to see in person.

Dia de la Abby #28: Punched Metal Skull

When I was a child, I remember my mom and dad making copper ornaments by punching designs in them. I think they were for a school Christmas thing. They still have them at their house. I was fascinated that with a hammer, a nail and a piece of metal, that you could make an intricate design. Since Christmas is in a few weeks, I was inspired by that memory to make my own punched metal piece. The act of hammering a nail into the metal to create a hole isn't hard, but holding the nail still tightly and hammering countless times, is painful. This is a project I won't be doing again any time soon. Of course, this would be easier had I used soft copper and made a small ornament. Also, this piece was going to have 4 flowers around the skull. I gave up when I could barely hold the nail still without being in pain...yay!!!! Should you want to make your own, follow the tutorial. I highly recommend keeping your design simple and making something small.

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.

Digital Skull

Graphic Designer, Marcelo Espinoza, sent us this lovely skull.

This is so whimsical and beautiful that I was immediately drawn to it. It reminds me of fire and ice or a fiery red head drowning in blue waters. The pink cast to areas of the blue mixed into the red of the hair looks like diluted blood. Perhaps this is a scene of a watery death. A body left to wash up on distant shores. The swirls of color add a tranquility to the piece. I love art that is like a good story, that you want to know what happens next, why certain things exist in the art. Art is up to individual interpretation, this is just mine.

Reminder: Book Events in Richmond

Just a reminder that I have two events scheduled for next week in Richmond, Virginia to celebrate the release of my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal...

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15

Book Release Party

Chop Suey Books

2913 W. Cary St.

6 – 8pm

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18

Book Signing & Free Craft Event

Quirk Gallery

311 W. Broad St.

Noon – 3pm

Bring the family for some free craft-making fun with materials provided by the gallery.

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 on hand and I'll be on hand to sign books and talk about my project.

365 Skulls in 1 Minute

I just made this little video to get people excited about starting their own daily project with my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal which comes out this month! I hope you like getting too see all 365.25 of my original skulls in one place for the first time (and consider starting your own project)...

Yard Skulls

A frequent contributor to the site Tom Adams from everyone’s favorite mitten state Michigan sent us a couple of more contributions to wind down the year with.

First up is a pair of pumpkin skulls he did over the last two years.


...and finally Tom told us: “Took one last parting shot of this guy before I disassembled him. Unfortunately one of my sons friends decided to climb on him and it broke his back from his pelvis. He's been outside for the last 15 years doing duty as my yard guard so his head is proudly displayed in my collection for now. Maybe I'll build a better one in the future.”


Skynet C says:

“Maybe I'll build a better one in the future.” Cue foreboding music here, “Tom Adams come with me if you want to live.” There has been a lot of talk recently about 365 projects because of the Skullmaster’s new book, perhaps you should look into doing one yourself. You have shared your multi-discipline talents with us in your work so you would be a natural. Thanks again for another great round of contributions.

Chip Skull

Here's another skull that's a "chip" off the old block. "Hi! My name is Jayme and I received your book, Skulls, as a gift yesterday. I immediately logged onto my computer to view the website. I'm hooked and seeing skulls everywhere! I made this little guy that I'm submitting out of the leftover crumbs from the baked chips I had with my lunch."



It's awesome that we are not only getting submissions from people who find our site online, but also from people who are finding the book and having it lead them here. It's just goes to show that a gift of Skulls is timeless. Thanks to your friend for introducing you to the site, and thanks to you for your tasty looking skull, Jayme.

Day of the Dead Catrina

"Ashley painted her face and made her own headband and veil for a costume to the Texas Renaissance Festival."

Catrinas are one of my favorite images of Day of the Dead. I can see the Sylvia Ji inspiration in eye and nose style. I like that Ashley added jewels to decorate her forehead and cheeks. The use of the Mums and lace veil adds more beauty and a bit of mystery to her.

Sunday Simulacra - Version 4.27

A collection of simulacra that occurred in nature.

Terry from Massachusetts dug this and wrote: “This afternoon I drove by this incredible headstone. It appears to be just a random pattern of lichen. It had rained earlier in the day, which I think darkened the lichen, thereby enhancing the effect. What I find most amusing about it is that the eye of the skull is created by the original carving on the stone, which appears to be a small terrier.”


Believe it... or Not! Cowpiezzzz in Northwest Wisconsin told us: “I saw this guy staring up at me from the ice in my driveway. The only thing is, I’m not sure if it is a skull or if it is a portrait of Jack Palance”


Tina R in White City, Oregon sounded the horn for us: “I walked out on my porch early morning, and this is the water mark stain left from the fog.”


C-munged Freud says:

Sometimes a skull is just a skull. I always love this part of the week seeing all the skulls that we find in our everyday living. I think one could believe that the spirits are at work in Massachusetts. A skull or Jack Palance... Curly’s Gold couldn't help him now. Good thing you went out after the Fog- it looks like it was that kind that kind of fog that movies are made about. Thank you all for taking the time to submit your finds.

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.

Baby Skull Cap

Let's warm up our skulls today with some help from Anna Grace in Knoxville, TN. Anna tells us more, "This is my first ever skull creation! It is a crocheted baby hat that I made for a friend of mine that is having twins. She is having a boy and a girl and I had already made a hat with flowers on it for the girl so I decided to have a little fun and reminisce about my friend's high school punk rock phase and create a little skull for baby boy."

I know we've had crocheted skull caps on here before, but I can't recall if any of them have had the crossbones as well. Great work for your first ever skull, Anna. I'm sure your friend will really appreciate you thinking of her and the new babies. We appreciate you sharing your skull cap with us.

Felt Garland Skull

Coco(Flower)** a multidisciplinary artist from France sent us this great collection of felt skull garlands they made. Coco(Flower) does have a small selection of items for sale here including a garland similar to the ones shown.

**A hint to non-French speakers, there is a translate button at the bottom of the page. English is at the very top of the list.

Non-Woven C says:

Felt and skulls two of my favorite things. I really like the uniqueness of these pieces and how you can take something that looks very uniform and make it into a one of a kind piece. Thank you for submitting your work for us to share and showing off your many artistic talents.

[Flashback Friday] #247. Valentine's Skull

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.

#9 - #247. Valentine's Skull

This gives a creepy stalker or really committed vibe to Valentine's Day...to death do us part. It might also be a warning of poisonous chocolate...death by chocolate. I like the use of the heart shape to create the face shape and the use of ink to create the skull details.

**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.

Dia de la Abby: #27 - Skullflake (Skull Snowflake)

Every Winter, my daughter and I make paper snowflakes to decorate the windows of our house. This year I thought I would challenge myself and make a more intricate one using a skull and flower motif that is reminiscent of Dia de los Muertos. I haven't decided where I'm going to hang this one. If you would like to learn how I made this one, so you can make your own, see the tutorial. I would love to see your finished ones. Send them to our Submission Box.

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.

Skullship

Bryan Allen Collins made this drawing called "Boy and Dog in Skullship".


I like the whimsical idea of a boy and a dog flying off on a adventure in skullship. There is foliage that seems to have collect along the journey. This sort of reminds me of that old movie "The Navigator", where a boy flies off in a spaceship that talks to him. There are various alien creatures on the ship, including a cute one that the boy keeps as a pet. Prehaps this boy and dog are venturing off into space or along some unexplored marsh. There is a shooting star in the distance. I wonder what they would wish for.

Skull Cakes

A little after dinner treat for you today another collection of skull cakes.

Our first one comes from Jody in Canada she wrote: “Anna Dhody recommended that I submit this to you, this cake featured a novio/novia set that I made out of sugar paste.”


Next up is a Dia de los muertos cake from Justine Von X in Hicksville , NY.


Our last set is from Patrick Lochelt who said: “Here's a duo of skull cakes made for a Hitchcock-themed party we held. In obvious fashion, one is chocolate, and one is vanilla, each with pseudo-Dia de los muertos decoration.”


Second in the tub C says:

I really enjoy seeing cakes made into skulls. Over the years there have been many of them on the site, but I never get tired of seeing the diversity of what the medium can produce. I also love the idea of edible art, but make sure you Don't Eat the Pictures. Thank you all for submitting your work.

December 1, 2010