Sunday Simulacara - Version 6.25

Today's simulacrum come from completely opposite sides of life....

flemming from Cambridge, MA. found, "These sweethearts quietly attended our Biodiversity Heritage Library meeting, appropriately."

Herbert Hoover of St. George Island, FL discovered this sponge skull on a sandy beach.

Those sneaky skulls that surround us can be found in any setting. From the clouds in space to the depths of the ocean, they will be where we see them. Thanks, flemming and Herbert!

[BONUS] Jaxin's Coin Skull

My very own 7 year old son, Jaxin, made this skull for me today.

This boy of mine always makes me proud, but it's cool to see him ACTUALLY following in my footsteps. He even helped me edit his picture and make this post. Now, if I could just get him to clean up his room.....

Great job, Jaxin!

Super Small Stitching Skull Saturday

"Mother Eagle"- (a.k.a. Katie) is making a gigantic splash here today with her miniature embroidered skulls. Here's more about Mother Eagle herself:

"I am an embroidery artist, and the skull is my perpetual muse! I have attached images of some of these pieces - both 'in progress' and finished. I am a fifth-generation needle worker and work in miniature scale, mostly in split stitch, which allows me to represent the contours of the skull and give three dimensional, and light reflecting qualities to the embroidery."

These diminutive craniums are amazingly done by hand.  A magnifying lamp and loads of patience are necessary for making such fine stitches, some as small as 1 millimeter long.  I can truly appreciate the finger cramping care you put into these, Katie.  Thanks for a super submission! 

Doll Skulls

Visual Artist Barry Morris [Badge] from the United Kindom shared: “Ever since I was a child I have been scared of dolls, terrified that they would come to life at night and attack me... I uncovered that if Barbie were real she would die instantly due to her disproportionate body, this eased my fear. Safe in the knowledge that dolls were physically incapable of coming to life I began building their imagined anatomy, unaware that by giving them a skeleton I was metaphorically bringing them to life.”**

 ** be sure to read [Badge]'s full statement about his work  HERE.


Toy Story C says:

From Talky Tina to Chucky to others, it's hard not to have a healthy fear that someday a doll may come to life and cause you harm.  You have done amazing things with your anatomy studies, and you have single handily transformed something that was fearful into something down right frightening.  Thank you for sharing your work with us and good luck in the Dollpocalypse.

Half Skull Fan

Gina Hampen of Dickinson Texas, created a "half skull fan which you hold in front of your face."

I love this great take on a painted hand fan. Gina experiments with painting fans often on her blog. This is one of many great design. The half skull reminds of the coy Geisha fan dances, but of course with a creepy element.

[CONTEST] Win a Nicholas Ivins Print and Three Candles

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Nicholas Ivins is a self-employed artist and illustrator. His artwork encompasses a wide variety of subject matter, but one of his favorite subjects is Day of the Dead. Nicholas wants to share his love of Dia de los Muertos love with our Skull-A-Day fans. He is giving away 3 candles and one print to one lucky fan!

PRIZE INFO: A prize pack including one matted and signed 8"x10" print, and three candles featuring Nicholas' Dia de los Muertos artwork.

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below answering, what is your favorite part of Dia de los Muertos?

CONTACT INFO: If you win, we need to contact you. With your comment, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL. 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 Standard Time Wednesday, November 21st, 2012.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: To US or International

IF YOU DON'T WIN: Nicholas Ivins' artwork can be purchased on his website, in his Etsy shop, and around various events in California.

Ice Scream Skull

NY based custom figure designer & maker Bob Conge of Plaseebo created this custom colorway and brain modification of Ryan Rutherford's Ice Scream Man for the Ice Scream Man Custom Show which opened recently at the Clutter Gallery in Beacon, NY. 

32nd Flavor C says:

When I saw these piece I immediately thought this is a brilliant personification of a tragic hot summer day.  It reminds me of many times when I go to different fairs and see the pools of multi color liquid knowing that somewhere out there there is a joyous day ruined.  Thank you for sharing your work with us and continuing to be a supporter of the site.

** Our readers can see more of Bob's featured work on the site HERE.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a Set of Tierra Dulce Vegan Sugar Skulls

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thank you for participating!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time TONIGHT, to be entered in our current contest giveaway for two sets of six edible vegan sugar skulls from Tierra Dulce Shop. There will be two winners! One set per winner. Follow the link to the original post HERE, or click on the ad in the sidebar.

You don't have to wait until the end of the contest to get some delicious sugar skulls. You can purchase Tierra Dulce's sugar skulls in their Etsy shop. If you are a fan of their Facebook page, you can find out where they will be selling their little sugar skull critters!

"Villian" Skull

This digital "villian" skull is courtesy of Julien Masson from the UK.

Northwest Pacific art styles are great for their bold characteristics. Animals are often the focal points, but this human skull set within makes me think of a werewolf.  Thanks for the great submission, Julien!  

"Skull Fist"

 Lebotomy is back with another skull creation. He made "Skull Fist" using photocopies of his hands!

Have you ever seen Labyrinth? If so, perhaps you recall the scene where Sarah is falling down towards the oubliette and there are hands that stop to "talk" to her. Seeing this "Skull Fist" image reminds me of those hands being turned into faces. Something like this is all about experimentation and play. Though this is a composition of the hand images, it still evokes that same eerie feeling that Jim Henson and his crew's collaborative hand faces do.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a Set of Tierra Dulce Vegan Sugar Skulls

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thank you for participating!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday, November 14, 2012, to be entered in our current contest giveaway for two sets of six edible vegan sugar skulls from Tierra Dulce Shop. There will be two winners! One set per winner. Follow the link to the original post HERE, or click on the ad in the sidebar.

You don't have to wait until the end of the contest to get some delicious sugar skulls. You can purchase Tierra Dulce's sugar skulls in their Etsy shop. If you are a fan of their Facebook page, you can find out where they will be selling their little sugar skull critters!

Sunday Simulacra - Version 6.24

Partaking in sustenance is a necessary requirement for our skull hunters, and this also happens to be a great time and place to find those sneaky little skulls around us.

Jennifer Dzielak enjoyed this cup of "pirate coffee"....

....and Cullen Paradise was grabbing pizza with a friend and noticed this little guy in the tile floor.

No matter where you are and what you're doing the skulls will find you. When and if you're lucky enough to catch an image of one then send it to us to be recorded in the Skull-A-Day archives. Thanks Jennifer and Cullen!

Super Pyrography & Painted Skull Saturday

Wood burning is a craft that Laura Bartholomew of Denver, CO has her artful hands around. From "skellebrities" to friends to ornaments Laura is back again bringing these skulls back to life on a dead piece of wood.

Laura has been around Skull-A-Day since 2.0 (here, here, and here) and her skills are only getting better. Be sure to check out her site for loads more burned and painted skulls. My favorites are the portraits. Thanks again for the great submission, Laura!

Tie-Dyed Skull

Amaris Angell of Henderson, NV told us: "This project took me 28 hours of work to complete from drawing, tracing to fabric, stitching, gathering fabric stitches, tying off, dyeing, washing and removing threads. I have made a public album showing all the steps I took to make it HERE."

Haight C says:

We don't often get to see the process of creating artwork, so it was such a treat to see and understand the enormous amount of work that went into creating this awesome work.  Thank you for sharing this with us and for showing off the incredible process you used as well.

[CONTEST] Win a Set of Tierra Dulce Vegan Sugar Skulls

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thank you for participating!

Tierra Dulce Shop was formed by two sisters, Ana and Martha, with an interest in candies and sweets. Through some experimentation, they created vegan edible sugar skulls. Though Dia de los Muertos has recently passed, these delectable treats are available year round in their Tierra Dulce Shop on Etsy, Candy Babel in Portland, Oregon, and at various arts and crafts shows in Los Angeles, California. Ana and Martha would like to share their sugar skulls sweets by giving away six sugar skulls each to two Skull-A-Day fans!

PRIZE INFO: Each skull is handcrafted and decorated with a special blend of icing that is vegan and very delicious made all out of sugar. Each winner will receive 6 sugar skulls!

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling us what your favorite sweet treat is.

CONTACT INFO: If you win, we need to contact you. With your comment, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL. 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, November 14th, 2012. 

NUMBER OF WINNERS: Two randomly chosen winners

PRIZE SHIPS: USA and International

IF YOU DON'T WIN: You can purchase Tierra Dulce's sugar skulls in their Etsy shop. If you are a fan of their Facebook page, you can find out where they will be selling their little sugar skull critters!

Faux Decayed Skull

Eben C. O'Connor from Seattle, WA created this skull. He explained, "Here is a photo (actually scanned face down on a flatbed scanner with black cloth over) of a sculpture I did a few years back. Cast in plaster with epoxy, liquid latex, egg-tempera paints, and a sterling filigree heart found within the walls of an old house renovation."

This skull reminds me of horror tales. It looks partially decayed and haunting. Since the filigree heart is from a home renovation, this skull makes me think of all those stories of ghosts and supernatural occurrences at homes when they are renovated or built on burial grounds. The spirits are disturbed and skeletons start coming out of the ground... ok, enough of the terrifying stories. I hope this creepy beauty doesn't give you any bad dreams.

Three Skulls

Nick Newton in Calgary, Canada sent us this skull trilogy.  He said: "I am loving your site. There are many amazing artists out there. I'm submitting three skulls - two small clay skulls that I made - one,
more abstract, out of red clay, and another out of white. I'm also including a notebook sketch of a skull I made."

Stampede C says:

Thank you for sharing your work with us, and also thank you for your kind words about the site.  Congratulations, you also now have bragging rights as one of our amazing artists that we featured here.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a Dia de los Muertos Story App

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thank you to everyone who participated!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time TONIGHT to be entered in our current contest giveaway for one of five "Rosita y Conchita" Dia de los Muertos interactive story apps from Mobad Media. 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 HERE 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 Rosita y Conchita children's interactive storybook app. This great story app is available for purchase through the iTunes Store. It's compatible with iPhone and iPad.

[BONUS] Pumpkin Anatomy II: Update 6

Greg Shiff in Los Angeles, California was inspired by my jack-o-lantern with a brain to make this great version, which he says "was HUGE hit in the neighborhood"!...

Thanks again to everyone who shared their pictures! Made you own? Send it along.

"San Yomismo" Skull

Enrique Camacho is responsible for this piece of wonderment that he made for Houston's Lawndale Art Center and their 25th annual Day of the Dead fundraiser.  His note does a way better job of giving insight into this unique painting, "The artwork's title "San Yomismo" translates to "Saint Myself". I wanted to show a relatable character as a skeleton in a retablo form. Having the mirror show through the eyes provides the users to see themselves in the artwork and, getting close enough, become part of it as well. The mirror in the back can be rotated in order to show different backgrounds that show through the eyes. I liked how in making the mirror accessible to the user, the protruding mirror has an effect similar to a halo. This halo being out-of-frame also bridges the gap from the painting and our own world"

I know we've all seen paintings in which the eyes seem to follow us, but I don't think I've ever seen a painting that literally stares back at you. This is a great idea since it gets you "into" the art. Thanks for the awesome submission, Enrique!

Bow Skulls and Heart Bones Nails

Kelli King wanted to make her nail art skulls fun and different, so she gave them bow. "Whoever said skulls had to be scary never put a pink bow on one."

I love skull nail art. Each artist has their own interpretation. Kelli used bows on her skulls and hearts with her crossed bones to create a cute nail art look. To learn how to make Kelli's skull nails, check out her YouTube video tutorial. Additional photos can be found on her blog, You Got Nailz.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a Dia de los Muertos Story App

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thank you to everyone who participated!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 to be entered in our current contest giveaway for one of five "Rosita y Conchita" Dia de los Muertos interactive story apps from Mobad Media. 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 HERE 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 Rosita y Conchita children's interactive storybook app. This great story app is available for purchase through the iTunes Store. It's compatible with iPhone and iPad.

Sunday Simulacra - Version 6.23

Today's skulls were found on the doorsteps of our skull hunters, so their trek for simulacra was a short but appreciated one:

Ronn Campbell of Kennewick, WA found this nut that the squirrels left on his deck. Perhaps it comes with a warning????

And Jackie Carr of Woodland, Alabama captured this fiendish spider living on her porch.

No matter how far or short your travels are to find skull simulacra we still enjoy seeing them all. Be sure to send them to us so we can share them with the rest of the clan. Thanks, Ronn and Jackie!

Really Real Skull Painting

Erwin Kerssens of the Netherlands has submitted this really realistic skull painting, which is totally awesome for his first painting.

If this is your first painting, Erwin, then you have a long road of great work ahead of you. The colors, shades, and lighting all convey a realness with texture that you could possibly touch. Thanks for the awesome submission, Erwin!

Day of the Dead Sheriff

Artist Lorelei Lombard at DEVOUT HOME in Rocky River, OH sent us this sculpture she made of Paper Mache & Plaster over Chicken Wire. It stands 30" tall.

 Depu-C says: 

In the age where artists are constantly pushing the bounds of technology to produce new work, I truly appreciate the traditional folk art in which ones hands actually get dirty in the process.  There is something primordial in the act of physically creating something tangible from nothing.  Thank you for submitting this work for us to share.

[BONUS] Pumpkin Anatomy II: Update 6

Jeff Calvert in Westerville, Ohio did an excellent job using my directions to make a jack-o-lantern with a brain!...

And here's the final state of the original....
It made it through Halloween, but only just barely!

Did you make one of your own or even a unique skull-y pumpkin of your own design? Please send a photo and we'll share it on the site!

[CONTEST] Win a Dia de los Muertos Story App

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thank you to everyone who participated!

Rosita y Conchita is an independent children's storybook that was published by Muertoons that Mobad Media fell in love with at Comic-Con and now they've taken this heartfelt story and given it the full-blown 3D interactive treatment they feel it deserves for the iPad and iPhone. Take a look at these screenshots from the app. It's really something you need to see on the device to get the full impact. Mobad Media is giving away FIVE of the app codes to FIVE lucky Skull-A-Day fans!

PRIZE INFO: Rosita y Conchita is "a touching tale of twin sisters a world apart, but to find each other they must rely on the closeness of their heart. Help Conchita celebrate the life of her dearly departed sister as she sets up a memorial altar for her on the Day of the Dead. Follow Rosita on her journey as she makes her way through the spirit world following the clues from the altar in hopes of seeing her sister again. This heartfelt storybook rhymes in English and Spanish!" It's only available as an interactive story through iPad or iPhone and you will win the application code to the story.

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling us what you would put on your Dia de los Muertos altar to remember a lost loved one.

CONTACT INFO: If you win, we need to contact you. With your comment, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL. Blogger now goes to Google+ if we click on your profile photo, and doesn't show us your emails. 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, November 7th, 2012.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: Five

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is open to all skull lovers around the world. You will be sent to app code if you win. Obviously you need an iPad or iPhone for it to work.

IF YOU DON'T WIN: This great story app is available for purchase through the iTunes Store. It's compatible with iPhone and iPad.

Dia de la Abby: #80 Dia de la Muertos Skull Makeup

Recently, I went to a Dia de los Muertos themed event. I've been wanting to do a new skull makeup, so this was the perfect excuse to do a quick one.

I chose to do a simple sugar skull using white cream makeup, black eyeshadow, and different eyeliners. To see how I created this skull, go to the tutorial. For the costume, I wore a black tank, a hand painted ribcage corset, a black eyelet ruffle skirt (which reminded me of Mexican skirts), skeleton gloves, skeleton stockings, and skull print boots. I wanted to wear a more skeletal looking costume, so thankfully my wardrobe had those pieces already. If you've been following my work for a while, then you might recall my skull, sugar skull, and anatomical skull makeups. Each one has it's own tutorial. I love playing with makeup, and skulls, so this probably won't be my last one that I share here and on my blog.


On Thursdays in the 6.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby creations. On Thursdays in the 4.0 and 5.0 years, I posted my Dia de la Abby creations and occasionally tutorials with instructions on how I made my pieces. Hopefully you feel inspired by my posts just as I was by Noah's Skull-A-Day 1.0 daily project. Want to find me elsewhere, follow me on Facebook, my Blog, Google+ and/or Twitter.

Halloween Skull Girl

Paula Ferrari is "a French painter living in the south of France. I work with mixed media on canvas and paper and fabric. I have made this girly skull card for Halloween with paint and paper cut."

I know Halloween was yesterday, but Dia de los Muertos starts today. I thought this cheerful celebratory skull girl bridged between both holidays. I hope you all had fun last night and this past weekend celebrating. I hope you all continue the celebration by incorporating Dia de los Muertos into your lives. Celebrate the lives of your loved ones who have passed on, with the loves ones who are alive. Head to your local Hispanic bakery for some pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and perhaps a sugar skull too.