Bone Soap Monster Wash

ARTmuffin is back with a collection of horror themed soap dispensers. There is Cthulhu, Zombie, Werewolf, and Vampire soaps, but of course we're partial to the Bone Soap. ARTmuffin explains his project, "I've been a fan of monsters, skulls, and horror stories since I was a little monster myself.  So I decided I'd start doing some drawing and come up with some cool and fun soap dispenser art for those of us that like a little bloody horror going on while we're washing our dirty parts... I thought this would be a fun way for horror fans to add a little something unique to their homes or to give as gifts for creepy friends." If you would like any of the Monster Washes, consider participating in the Kickstarter campaign. You can find more of ARTmuffin's work on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, and YouTube.

Sunday Simulacra - Version 7.27

I know that most people will tell you to keep your head up, but it's a good thing that our two simulacrum contributors for today were gazing "floorward" when they noticed these sneaky skulls trying to hide underfoot. From opposite ends of America- the carpet skull is from Jeremy Morgan in Raleigh, NC and the sidewalk skull was captured by Bart Forge of San Francisco, CA. Thanks for keeping your eyes open and for sharing your finds with us, guys!

Skull Biker Jacket

Super contributor Kathleen Conahan from Portland, OR is back again with a revamp of her original pirate flag design, this time painted onto her jacket.  I'd say it's pretty bad ass with a touch of elegance.  Yes, you can have both!  Kathleen says that now she just needs to start a "Georgia O'Keefe themed motorcycle gang". If you are in the Portland area and interested then I suggest you look her up. Thanks for sharing again, Kathleen!

Felted Sugar Skull

Jessica Johnston of Manchester, England, created this felted skull. This type of felting uses wool roving, a barbed needle, and lots of patience. The addition of embroidery is something I haven't seen. It adds a great dimensional and textural element, blending two types of fiber arts. You can see more of Jessica's artwork in her Etsy shop and Facebook page.

Skeleton Body Art

Elvis Schmoulianoff does incredible body paint artwork. You might have seen her work featured in the past. She shared with us this Dia de los Muertos face art and a video of a skeleton ringmaster. I'm fond of body painting. It takes incredible skill to paint bodies and make the artwork last for hours. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing artwork on bodies...well alive ones at least. You can find more of Elvis' body artwork on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. She's part of the artists collective Happy Slap Boutique.

The Skeleton Ringmaster video on Happy Slap Boutique.

Karith's Skulls

Karith is a Polish born artist currently working in Worthing, England.  She's a mixed media artist with a photographic background.  These two gems show her versatility from sculpting to drawing, as well as photographing each.  Variety is the spice of life, and we thank you for spicing up our day, Karith!

Burning, Rotting Corpse

This mixed media piece from Ed Preater came to us untitled, but I figured that the title of today's post pretty much summed it up.  Ed tells us that it's made from "matches to build the bones, epoxy clay, shiny beads, seashells, bits of colored glass. It’s about 2ft high."  It's also one of the most awesomely grotesque pieces of art that I've ever seen.  A vicious way for any person to meet their demise.  The Gods did not smile favorably upon this soul.  Thanks for making the rest of MY day look a lot better, and seriously, thanks for sharing your excellent work, Ed!

Jumping Skeleton Horses

Vena Cava, of Memphis, TN, created these skeleton horses. They explained their process, "I deglossed old jumpy horses by leaving them out in the backyard to weather until the gloss was gone off the plastic, then sprayed them with plastic primer, sketched a few lines, and painted." These are great examples of upcycling old things into new art. Maybe one day I can have a heard of skeleton horses jumping through my yard!

Sunday Simulacra - Version 7.26

Today's skull was found by Kim Barrows, on a tree outside of Moore Cove Falls in Transylvania County, NC.

Keep sending those pictures in, we always love seeing what our skull hunters find. Anyone is welcomed to participate, it's fun and it's easy. If you see a simulacra skull, photograph it and send those pictures in to our submissions address with a little something about what it is really and maybe a little about you.

[BONUS] 420. Rosalind Franklin's Skull

One of the diptychs from my new Natural Selection portrait series which is on display at Krause Gallery in NYC. The exhibition closes tomorrow, so don't miss out if you're in the area!

Rosalind Franklin & Skull made from chandelier crystals by Noah Scalin.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958): primarily known for her work as an x-ray crystallographer, made a key discovery that led to the modern understanding of the structure of DNA. However her work was used without permission or credit and she died without Nobel Prize recognition. 

Sugar Skull Face

Richmonder, Meena Khalili, is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at VSU Art and Design. She creates a variety of artwork including this Seven Hills Scooter Skull and Match Head Skull. Recently, she created this sugar skull face makeup on her own face. You can see more of Meena's work on her Website, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Dia de la Abby: #84 Sugar Skulls and Marigolds Sneakers

I had a plain pair of canvas sneakers laying around unworn, for several years. I decided to paint sugar skulls, marigolds, vines, and leaves on them. I love Dia de los Muertos motifs and often incorporate elements from the celebration, into my artwork. These sneakers are just another canvas for me, and a great way to use my artwork for practical things. Head over to my blog to see additional photos and follow the tutorial, for these sneakers! To find out what else I'm creating, follow me on Facebook, and Twitter.

[BONUS] 419. Natural Selection: Alan Turing's Skull

One of the diptychs from my new Natural Selection portrait series which is on display at Krause Gallery in NYC through November 24.

Alan Turing and Skull made from computer keys by Noah Scalin

Alan Turing (1912-1954): developed the concepts that led to modern computing, and was fundamental in cracking Nazi codes in WWII, but was persecuted by the UK government for his homosexuality and ultimately committed suicide.


Here's a video of the piece being created (actually being taken apart in reverse time-lapse!)...

Pop Skull

Christopher Brown is popping onto our scene with his homage to a late and great entertainer. This colorful painting resembles the lifestyle of the man known as the "King Of Pop". This representation of death certainly pops, just like his music, into the afterlife. Thanks for sharing this, Christopher!

Saturns' "Diamonde" Skull Masks

Saturns is a Toronto, Canada based duo who create electro-pop music. They recently created a music video for their song Diamonde. The video has several pink and turquoise skull masks that stand out from the black and white footage. The band thought you all would love the skull masks, so they are sharing the video with you all. You can hear Saturns' other songs on their website, and find out what they are doing, on their Facebook.

Two masks from the video

Saturns' "Diamonde" music video

Sunday Simulacra - Version 7.25

Today's skulls are made of shells.

Dolores of Loudoun County, VA, found this skull on a beach in Outer Banks, NC. She explained, "Shelling on Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge we found ole Shelly Skull nestled among the sand and stones and bits of shell. He now resides on our bookshelf!

Tressy Baronem of Boynton Beach, FL, "found this skull on the beach in FL. This is exactly the way I found it, unaltered in any way. It is one of my favorite pieces as I am an avid skull collector."

Keep sending those pictures in, we always love seeing what our skull hunters find. Anyone is welcomed to participate, it's fun and it's easy. If you see a simulacra skull, photograph it and send those pictures in to our submissions address with a little something about what it is really and maybe a little about you.

Headlight Skullpture

What do you do with an old motorcycle headlight, a couple of gears, and a desire to recycle in the name of skull art?  You do what Bon Barde does and create this happy looking headlight skullpture.  He looks happy because he's been saved from the scrap yard and given new life.  Thanks for sharing the smile with us today, Bon!

Anatomical Skull Embroidery

Enid Twiglet is "a fellow anatomy lover and skull enthusiast". She created this hand embroidered skull. She explained, "I am an embroidery artist based in Perth Western Australia and all of my work is hand embroidered. I only use my own drawings as patterns for my embroidery or just free hand stitch, I never use commercial patterns!" I've been doing embroidery since I was a little girl, so any embroidery submissions we get, I'm drawn to them instantly. I love that this one of kind piece is through normal cotton, vs Adida cloth, because it allows the stitches to be more free-style and follow the anatomical curves of a skull. You can see more of Enid's work on her website, Etsy shop, Facebook, and blog.

Dia de la Abby: #83 La Calavera Catrina Makeup

A couple weeks ago, I attended a party on Dia de los Muertos. Over the past few years, I've been doing skull makeup at least once a year, for various things. I decided this was the perfect time to do a La Calavera Catrina, in honor of Dia de los Muertos. I wanted to play with a softer design and do colored eyes instead of my normal black. For this one, I also painted bones on my neck and decolletage. For more photos and a makeup tutorial, head on over to my blog. To find out what else I'm creating, follow me on Facebook, and Twitter.

[BONUS] 418. Natural Selection: Albert Einstein's Skull

One of the diptychs from my new Natural Selection portrait series which is on display at Krause Gallery in NYC through November 24.

Albert Einstein and Skull made from dice by Noah Scalin

 Albert Einstein (1879-1955): developed general theory of relativity and the most famous of all equations, but died refusing to accept the concepts behind quantum mechanics, saying many times “God doesn't play dice with the world”