Cardboard Skull

Seeing as how I hail from the 'zoo in Michigan it brings me great pride to post a skull from a neighbor in the "Great Lake State". Ron Zawistowski spends his time in Grand Rapids making skulls(amongst other things I presume). He tells us, "Let me first say that I really love your site. There are so many cool images there. It's always a pleasure to stop in and see what's new. There isn't much to say about this submission. I was bored, so I grabbed a piece of cardboard, some paint and a utility knife, peeled away the "skin" of the cardboard and revealed the skull that was lying beneath it."



Something as simple as an ordinary piece of cardboard can make a great metaphor. The "skin" is gone revealing the deep texture that resides in all of our skulls. Whether it's the bumpy brain, the patterned ego, or the random thoughts we all have, there's more to us than what we see on the outside and this corrugated sheet of paper shows us that...simply. Thanks for the deep thoughts, Ron!


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

[Flashback Friday] 5.20- Today in Skull History

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Tatman, Azurafae, and myself, Citizen Agent, are taking turns reflecting on 17 of our personal favorite skulls from the previous four years of postings. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

Today’s Flashback I wanted to look back on what was posted on this date of each year since Skull-A-Day started and discovered that the Skullmaster’s art by coincidence is connected by this day.

First up from 2007 is an Original 365.25,of course, 140. Body Skull

2008 he showed off 367. Letterpress Skull one of the Skullmaster’s Bonus pieces in which he still continues to post past the 365.25.


In 2009 we were shown how Diane in California adapted his free 232. Stylized Stencil Skull to make a point. (Read the story HERE.)


And last in 2010 was the announcement that 347. Skulledelic A.K.A. May Cause Seizures Skull made its way onto the cover of the League of Space Pirates’ first digital release: The Hypertrophy EP and 10" Vinyl single.

5.C says:

Thank you for the memorable years, and through your inspiring leadership you have encouraged so many others into beginning their own 365 projects.

**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. During year 4.0 the editors had their chance to countdown their favorites Azurafae HERE, Citizen Agent HERE, and Tatman HERE.

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10 more days and counting...

Dia de la Abby: #64 Pumpkin Skull Cookies

I love baking and at this time of year, I want pumpkin foods. To help fill both of those loves, I made some special cookies.

Non-baked

Baked

I followed this recipe to make the cookies. I added pumpkin spice to the dough, so the cookies had a little kick to them. I might add a bit of nutmeg to the next batch. They could use a bit more spice. I used mini chocolate chips and regular butterscotch chips to decorate this one. I placed them close together, because I knew they would spread out when baking. I chose to use mini chocolate chips, so I could have better control over the design. After decorating this one, I mixed in a lot of the chocolate and butterscotch chips into the batter, to make more cookies. 

I baked them for a couple minutes longer than the recipe said. I have a gas oven. I recommend checking the thickest ones with a toothpick, at about the 8 minute mark, to see if they need more time. Mine took about 12 minutes. Then, I finished cooking the tops in the broiler for about 20 seconds. That is how I have to bake cookies with my oven. Yours might be different. This is a great cookie to make with kids, as the cookie dough is a bit firm, so decoration with the chips is easy.


Every other Thursday in the 5.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby creations   Every Thursday in the 4.0 year, 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. Need more of me than just a weekly dose, follow me on  Facebook, Google+ and/or Twitter.

[BONUS] Dia de los Portrait

Artist Rachael Rossman, one of our current site sponsors, made this spooky Dia de los Muertos portrait of me!

If you're interested in getting one of your own, check out her KickStarter campaign where she is offering different options depending on your donation level.

Suzanne Sheridan- “S.W.A.K.”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Suzanne Sheridan - "S.W.A.K" - $50

Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information on if this work is available for purchase.


The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

Skull Tower

Kristoffer Tejlgaard from Denmark, created this skull tower. For additional photos see his Facebook Page.

Seeing the ladder and lights brings out the inner kid in me. I'm tempted to climb up in it and use it as a tree house. It's a bit sinister and architecturally beautiful.

Melissa Rosen- “Love Your Brain”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Melissa Rosen- “Love Your Brain”

Melissa Rosen- “Love Your Brain” $125.00

Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information if this work is available for purchase.

The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.

Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

Skulls on Paper

Chris Tures from St. Paul, MN learned about Skull-A-Day through a friend who encouraged him to share some of his recent work.

"Charcoal Skull" (Charcoal on Paper)

"Yellow Skull" (Oil Pastel on Paper)

Easy Listening C says:

What a wonderful friend you have make sure you thank them for us. I really enjoy the two pieces you have shared with us. You have transformed a traditionally dark subject matter and you have filled it so full of joy. Thank you for your submission and now that you have found us please visit often.

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

Skull-A-Day Press: Artizen

Artizen Magazine did a nice spread about this year's Skull Appreciation Day exhibition!

See the full article HERE and be sure to read the entire issue of this interactive digital magazine HERE.

Foust- “Cuddly Skull”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Foust- “Cuddly Skull” $160.00

For information on purchasing this work please contact the exhibit curator at:

Foust is a printmaker and writer who lives in Richmond, VA with her lovely husband and 3 spoiled dogs. Her work has been awarded a grant from the British Arts Council and can be found in the collections of author Clay McLeod Chapman, historian John Coski, artisinal chocolatier Michael Recchiuti, and the family of Quentin Tarantino, among others. She has used the same printing spoon for nearly 30 years.

The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.

Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

Skull-A-Day Press: The Daily Meal

My 224. Butternut Skull was included in The Daily Meals article 12 Unique Alternatives to Carved Pumpkins...

Read the entire article HERE.

Are you planning to make a skull-y pumpkin (or alternative item) this Halloween? If so, definitely send a picture for us to share!

"Garden of..." Skull?

Marveline is a self taught artist from Vienna, Austria who would like to present one of her paintings, "Garden of..."


This painting has an eerie resemblance to a crafty lady I know who also wears a lot of skullcessories in her hair. A beautiful adornment for a lovely lady who knows what she wants in life...and it's more skulls. Perhaps that what she's growing in her "Garden of..." , but I guess that will remain a mystery to us. Thanks for the great submission, Marveline.

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13 more days and counting...

Avocado Seed Sugar Skulls

Camille Stevens, in Houston, TX submitted these skulls. She said, "I hand carve and sell necklace pendants out of avocado seeds, including these sugar skulls."

I like seeing tiny carved objects. Remind me of miniature trinkets from world travels. These look like little shrunken heads. Real shrunken heads are made by drying the skin on a coconut and decreasing the size of the nut until the final desired size is achieved. These carved avocado seeds remind me of Noah's Acorn Skulls. I read on Camille's Facebook Page, that she's collecting avocado seeds and giving discounts in exchange for usable ones. Definitely a good reason to make some guacamole and send her your seeds.


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

Sunday Simulacra - Version 5.20

Today's skulls were found outside.

Frances Martin, Richmond, VA found a "Skull Rock on the James River.  It is along the coast of Brown's Island and I found it this summer when I was exploring with my sister.  It is about 6 feet by 4 feet I think.  I'll have to go and find it again some time to see how it's doing!"

Doniel from NC, said "My 7 yr old, Stella, found this near the I-40 exit as we were leaving a restaurant.  Knowing my love of skulls she exclaimed about the tree that looks like a skull."

Åke said "I was visiting an old fortress in Kungälv, Sweden called Bohus Fortress. Inside the big tower thats called Father´s Hat, I found this skull shape."

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.



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

Grenade Skull

Jeff & Celeste Barton(sorry, I'm not sure which one submitted this) are starting our weekend off with a bang with today's skull. "Here is one of my stencils airbrushed on a grenade(deactivated of course..)"



Thanks for blowing up today's post with this explosive skull Jeff & Celeste. It's a great photo as well as a cool stencil. Of course a skull grenade would normally be seen as a sign of destruction, but I think it would be cooler if it splattered brains when it exploded. What would your skull grenade eject from it's cranial casing?


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

Personal Project Skulls

Today we have a pair of skull that were created as part of personal projects.

First up is a new sticker from The Netherlands based Dstruct Collective. The sticker project called “Forever Young” is a collaborative effort between Michiel who did the lettering and “Ruwedata” who did the image as of way to recapture their youthful rebellion. {ed note: “Ruwedata” is now 30}


Next up is Rodni from Richmond,CA who made this stencil for a project he called “white on dark photoed with clouds”.



C me says:

Thank you both for sharing your personal projects with us. I am always welcome to see how our community has its footings throughout the world. I was also amused to find that there is a Richmond, CA since Richmond, VA is where the Skull-A-Day headquarters is. Dstruct Collective is giving out their free stickers across The Netherlands whether you want them or not, however check out Rhodni's link for info about getting some of his free stickers.

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

[Flashback Friday] 5.19- Needle Felted Skull

Welcome to another addition of Flashback Friday.** This year the guest editors, Tatman, Azurafae, and myself, Citizen Agent, are taking turns reflecting on some of our personal favorite skulls from the previous four years of postings. So please join us as we visit the archives and add our additional commentary on some of the original pieces.

Needle Felted Skull

Caroline Jones from Bent Whims Studio in Virginia created this wonderful needle felted skull as a prize for of her “100th post blog giveaway”. The winner had a choice of the skull or a needle felted pumpkin, and of course the winner choose this skull.


Grateful C says:

As it is that time of the year again, I am waxing poetic for all my favorite skull items that I can decorate with and this by chance happens to be one of them. Personally I have the pleasure of owning one of Caroline's creations and can speak to her talents. If you have followed any of my commentary over the years, needle felting and other fiber arts are some of my favorite pieces to post. I love their diversity of materials and the amazing construction and of what the end results are when finished. Thanks to all our fiber artists out there and thank you all for supporting Skull-A-Day with your submissions and also to the many artists who also contributed to the recent Becky's Fund quilt project that we did as part of the Skull Appreciation Day Celebration.

**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. During year 4.0 the editors had their chance to countdown their favorites Azurafae HERE, Citizen Agent HERE, and Tatman HERE.

Dia de la Abby #63: Skull Papel Picado

To celebrate Dia de los Muertos, you need papel picado decorations. I made some inspired by this wonderful celebration.

I've been wanting to try this for years, but I'm faster at using an xacto knife than I would be with a chisel through layers of tissue paper. I decided to alter my Skullflake pattern to suit making papel picado banners. To see how I made these, head over to the tutorial.


Every other Thursday in the 5.0 year, I will post my own Dia de la Abby creations   Every Thursday in the 4.0 year, 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. Need more of me than just a weekly dose, follow me on  Facebook, Google+ and/or Twitter.

Scott Saw - “Glow Skull”

On June 4, 2011 Skull-A-Day celebrated Skull Appreciation Day with an exhibit of over 100 skulls at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA. If you didn't have a chance to make it to the gallery while the show was up, we now proudly present: "Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition".

Scott Saw- “Glow Skull” $250.00

Please visit the artist’s exhibit page for information on if this work is available for purchase.


The 2011 Skull Appreciation Day - The Exhibition was a collective art show celebrating the 5th anniversary of Skull-A-Day.com and its tremendous audience of artists and readers.Throughout year 5.0 we will be featuring artwork from the show a few times a week. This is a chance to see all of the excellent skulls that were on display, and FOR SALE. Some of these pieces may still be available and this is a wonderful opportunity to own an original piece of skullriffic artwork. There are many well known artists who have contributed very reasonably priced works and many of them have donated their portion of the sale to benefit a great charity, the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Please take a moment to view all of the remarkable work that was created for the onset of this annual festivity. Your skull will appreciate you for showing it some love.

Skull Key Holder

Louis Cordova "made this key holder with a scroll saw and a Dremmel."

This past weekend, I went to New Hope, PA. There was a shop there that specializes in morbid and funeral antiques. One wall has many skeleton keys mixed in with old photos and funeral wreaths. Since seeing them, they've been on my mind, so it was nice to come across this piece in the submission box. I could see several skeleton keys hanging off of this skull key holder.


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