Stone Skull Carvings

Sam Sutherland most recently submitted his amazing skull table, and today he's back with more excellent carvings. I liked all of these equally so I had to share them all. The first and third skulls are created from marble, and the second set(with two skulls) are macedonian limestone and conchuela limestone.







Stone carving is one of the most primitive and ancient art forms, yet it's still one of the most impressive. I really love the historic feeling you get even when a piece was just recently finished. The ability to create such smooth characters from the hard minerals is a talent that I could only hope to acheive...but for now I'll just continue being a blockhead. Thanks again for the impressive skull work, Sam!

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway
To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: What kind of rock you would carve into a skull. Umm, are diamonds considered rocks? That would definitely be my choice!

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Aged Skull Earrings

Jodie Vieira, of JoMarie Jewelry, submitted these earrings. She explains "I'm a jewelry designer from Nashville, TN and I saw a speech Noah Scalin did for Etsy about generating creativity.  It inspired me to embark on a project of my own where I create a new pair of earrings every day for 100 days, because Noah inspired me I wanted to pay homage to his Skull-a-Day by making some skull earrings.  I've attached a picture of the earrings I created, they were hand sawed out of sterling silver and aged with a heat treatment, and then adorned with swarovski crystals."

I love jewelry and of course skulls. I have multiple ear piercings. I have a seen a lot of skull earrings. I have a few pairs myself. This featured pair is one of my favorites that I have seen. I like the aged and discolored appearance of the metal, from being heated. The crystals pick up those color variations well. The style is a nice take on a traditional skull and crossed bones design. They are a good size to stand out, but not be heavy on the lobe. Too many great earrings are too heavy for my ears, which causes uncomfortable stretching. These don't look like they would, which is very nice.

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway

To be entered in today's drawing to win a button just leave a comment below stating: What kind of jewelry do your adorn your skull with? I adorn mine with 3 pairs of dangle and stud earrings.

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Sunday Simulacra - Version 4.47

Today's simulacra from my personal collection.

The first is from the foundation of one of the houses in my neighborhood.


The next is a muffin pan in a store that sells all types of kitchen accessories.


And last is a fried mushroom from dinner the other night.


Self Promoting C says:

Wishing everyone happy simulacra hunting during this season of spring holidays. I will be back next week with another collection from our wonderful contributors like you.

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... and add another week when I hijack the post.

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway

To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: What are some of your favorite simulacra that have gotten away without documentation?

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to include a way to contact you!
(Either your e-mail in the post OR make sure your profile has an e-mail link for you. If all else fails drop us an email to our submission address with your profile name. )

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Smokin' Skullistration

Today Alexandre Machado is giving me a lesson in remembering your roots with this great black and white illustration.



Like I said, this piece reminds me of why I first started loving skulls. The devil-biker-meaness of this angry fellow let's everyone know that he came to do what he wants and he'll be damned if anyone says otherwise. Sometimes you just have to have that take over the world attitude....sometimes. Thanks, Alexandre.


Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway
To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: what made you start loving skulls.

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

"In the End"

Thea Schultheiss in Northampton, UK wrote: “I adore your blog and have been reading it since I found it a couple of years ago. I have finally got my act together to submit something to you . This is a drawing I made, good old graphite on paper titled ‘In the End’ a bun on a skull.”


Arthur C says:

One! Two... FIVE! Sorry I couldn’t resist that. Perhaps this piece is an homage to one of Britannia’s greatest exports, but I find this piece made an interesting commentary on current cultural situations and two such issues came to mind here and here.

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway

To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: How high can a skull count?

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to include a way to contact you!
(Either your e-mail in the post OR make sure your profile has an e-mail link for you. If all else fails drop us an email to our submission address with your profile name. )

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

[Flashback Friday] #233 Dirt Skull (for Jackie)

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Citizen Agent, Azurafae, and myself, Tatman, 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. 233. Dirt Skull (for Jackie)



Simply put, this piece is a wonderful memoriam for a close friend of Noah's, and that's why it's one of my favorites. Honoring those who have passed onto life after life is one of the truest inspirations for art that exists. Noah took it to it's purest form by transforming the Earth that we are a part of.

**Flashback Friday was a weekly countdown of the fan selected top 52 skulls of Skull-A-Day 1.0. 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.

[BONUS] Elementary Skulls

A few weeks back I had the wonderful pleasure of giving two talks at Walker Upper Elementary in Charlottesville, VA as part of the Virginia Festival of The Book. Just recently my friend Becky, who is the librarian there, handed me a packet of thank you letters written by the students! They were too great not to share...

 

Skull Appreciation Day T-Shirts!

At long last we now have official Skull Appreciation Day T-shirts in the Skull-A-Day store! And since voting was split between black and grey we went ahead and made both!

Get your Ring-spun 100% Organic Cotton Silver Skull Appreciation Day T for just $20 HERE.

Get your Ring-spun 50% Organic Cotton/50% Post-consumer Recycled PET Bottle Polyester Black Skull Appreciation Day T $20 HERE.


And in honor of the upcoming Skull Appreciation Day festivities we've also put the remaining United Skull of America T-shirts & posters on sale for just $20 each! Get them before they're all gone.

There are also Skull Appreciation Day buttons & Ornamental Skull prints in the store and more products will be added in the near future.

Dia de la Abby #47: Flower Petal Skull

I'm working on a wedding order. I thought these flower petals looked like little bows and would make a neat skull.

These are hand painted poppy petals, so I could make a custom color for a client, as I couldn't find a flower in the correct color. This will be a completely custom flower, as poppy flowers normally have just 4 petals. I'm going to cut them apart and rearrange them into a wider flower shape. Then, sew them in layers to make a fantasy flower, complete with beaded center and peacock feathers. Finalized photos will show up on my Azurafae Facebook Page. Also, if any of you would like custom hair accessories and veils for weddings, any special occasion, or just because, send me a message on my Facebook.


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.

Stained Glass Pirate Skull

David Kennedy submitted this stained glass skull.

We love the fantasy of being a pirate. It seems glamorous and dangerous, but in reality, it's far from it. Probably one of the most interesting history things I've studied, is about pirates. I suggest you all read a history book on these fascinating people. Then, feel free to keep on fantasizing. I plan on doing so, at Magic Kingdom with my husband and daughter, in two weeks. Ahoy!

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway

To be entered in today's drawing to win a button just leave a comment below stating: What kind of pirate do you want to be? I would love to be Mary Reed, Anne Bonny, or any of the other famous lady pirates.

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Skull Drawings

MixLerner, from São Paulo, Brasil submitted these skull drawings.

I like the cartoon aspect of these overlapping skulls. It reminds me of Noah's cartoon skulls, but different due to the quirky round eyes and the one with red heart eyes. I could see this working as a fabric print.

Circuses wouldn't be as exciting without the "freaks". It's interesting how much renewed interesting there is in the circus arts. I'm dreaming about aerial arts.

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway

To be entered in today's drawing to win a button just leave a comment below stating: How do you draw your skull?

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

A Day with DudeCraft

My friend Paul who runs the fantastic DudeCraft and Every Day Is Awesome blogs, spent the day here in Richmond, VA with me yesterday. Of course I took him on a tour of my favorite places in town, but we also took a moment to recreate our "famous" snow sculpture photo...

And stopped by my United Skull of America II installation (which is being dismantled this Friday!)...

For more pix from Paul's visit be sure to read the post on his blog HERE.

[BONUS] 385. Creepy Crawly Skull

I made this piece as a proposal for a client, but as it was nearing completion I realized it was a bit too creepy for their needs. Ah well, it was fun to make regardless...

Now available as prints/t-shirts/pillows/iPhone & laptop skins!

Inner Light Skull

There are lots of people seeking inner light in the world today. A light that fills our minds with peaceful thoughts. I felt like Raffaele Piacente of Milan, Italy captured it well with his personal skull oil on canvas.



Maybe this comes off as a realistic jack-o-lantern to you, but I couldn't help but see it differently. If we peel away the outer layers of our physical existence then all we have left are our thoughts, ideas, and memories. It brings me comfort to think of all of this as the inner light that warms our souls with a knowledge that makes us more than mere animals. A knowledge that makes us human. Grazie for the great work, Raffaele!

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway
To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: what thoughts make your skull light up. Of course I usually think of my family, but a sunny afternoon with friends, a juicy bratwurst on the grill, and an Oberon will always brighten my day.

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Skulls in Make-up

Today, we have a few ladies in skull make-up.

Keegan Hitchcock, sent us a photo of herself in partial skull make-up.

And, one of a model, Sami, she painted as a skeleton bride.

Nina Gatto, from Ecuador, sent us a photo of herself in sugar skull make-up, after Halloween evening.

I love costume make-up. It's creative and fun to do, even though it's a long process to create the desired effect. Though in the past, I've done a lot of different costume make-up, the sugar skull and regular skull ones have been my favorites. I like seeing the variety of make-up submissions we get from ladies and men. Keep them coming.

Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway

To be entered in today's drawing to win a button just leave a comment below stating: How do you decorate your skull?

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Sunday Simulacra - Version 4.46

As always, our skull hunters are out and about in different locales, capturing these randomly hidden skulls for our readers to enjoy.

Toni Pedrozo, "found this nice piece of accident art. Guess some dudes burned plastic or something. You can find it in Switzerland/ Effretikon."



A former student of the Skull Master, Tim Harper, writes, "Saw this in the window of a closed shop off of Midlothian Turnpike--don't know if you can tell from the photos, but it's that black plastic they stick up in the windows of strip mall shops when they close down so you can't see inside. Looked like the profile of a skull to me."



And Ann Losee had some help from her kids with this find. "My daughter's plate after a dinner of tortilla burgers and oven sweet potato fries. My son Tommy showed the plate to me and said it looked like a skull."



Thanks to you all for yet another great round of skulls lurking around our everyday world. Keep your peepers peeled and you might find one to submit yourself.


Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway
To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: The strangest place that you might have seen a skull.

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest

Super Skull Cake Saturday

Melanie O'Flynn, a.k.a.- St. Mary MacKiller, rolls into this Super Saturday with some astounding skull cakes. Mary writes, "I'm a cabinetmaker, carver, derby girl, and writer who enjoys a bit of cake making!"



"Although not a 'found' skull, I made this cake for my sister-in-law-to-be, Angie, for her birthday. It's based on different styles of Mexican skulls, with a twist."



"All three are mudcakes: chocolate, caramel and white chocolate. They were done in a rush and had to be transported over miles of rough road and bush track to a mountain hideaway for a Mexican fiesta (in the Australian rainforest!)."



"And, although he's not a skull yet, the dragon at the end is on his way to becoming one! (My son, Alby, wanted a severed dragon's head for his birthday!)."



If you're ever in my corner of SW Michigan then I'll definitely celebrate my birthday with one of your cakes no matter what time of year it is. I couldn't keep from showing the dragon head either. That's some impressive gut work! If these tasted as good as they looked then you must have had many, many compliments. Let me give you one more and say "thanks" for cutting us a slice.


Skull Appreciation Day Daily Button Giveaway
To be entered in the drawing just leave a comment below stating: what kind of skull cake you would have for your birthday.

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).

NOTE: If you're reading this on Facebook, be sure to leave your comment on the original Skull-A-Day.com post if you want to be actually entered in the contest