Steampunk Craniometer

Every so often we get the pleasure of seeing some work that is only best explained by it's creator. Today's awesome work is from Art Donovan so I'll let him take over from here...

Craniometer

The following is from Art's website
"Shiva Mandala. My most complex work to date.

The Center is hand painted and duplicated from an ancient astrolabe created in 1291 by Muhammad Ali Bakr, the great Persian scientist. Ancient Persian text is inscribed in gold and the Rete is hand cut polycarbonate (translucent).

The Shiva slowly rotates @ 1RPM. A 24 hour clock with masonic, past master compasses and mariners' quadrant has a swinging pendulum with a holographic, All Seeing Eye. The skull is full-sized and supported in a handmade mahogany gimbal with brass rods.

Masonic symbology throughout the design.

Designed and entirely hand made by Art Donovan. Featured at the historic Oxford Museum Steampunk exhibition."

Shiva Mandala

Where do I begin with all that I love about this piece?  The skull of course!  I adore all of the symbolism that covers many, many walks of life.  A rich tapestry displayed to teach us lessons of time, value, morality, and balance.  I personally want to meet Art upon the level, act upon the plumb with my sincerest thanks, and part upon the square in wishing him the best of luck with all of his glorious endeavors.  Thanks, Art!   

Skeleton Earrings

J L Tunnell made this "pair of earrings I made a few years ago. The head/skull of each was a natural gold nugget and the skeletons were made with 14K gold wire. Each earring is about 1-1/2 inches tall."

I rarely get to see great skeleton jewelry. I'm particularly fond of skeletons that have movable joints. The skeletons dance around when someone wears them. These have a creative use of materials and great proportion. Perhaps I'll have to make my own dancing skeleton jewelry.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a Metal Skull with Brain Pendant from Anatomical Element

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Don't forget you have until 11:59pm Eastern USA Time Friday, May 17, 2013, to enter the giveaway from Anatomical Elements for a Skull Pendant. You can find the original contest post by clicking the side bar ad, or this link.

[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+]

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a Metal Skull with Brain Pendant from Anatomical Element

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Don't forget you have until 11:59pm Eastern USA Time Friday, May 17, 2013, to enter the giveaway from Anatomical Elements for a Skull Pendant. You can find the original contest post by clicking the side bar ad, or this link.

[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+]

[CONTEST] Win a Metal Skull with Brain Pendant from Anatomical Element

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! Thanks for participating!

Rachel Stork Stoltz, of Anatomical Element, is a medical illustrator and obsessed with anatomy. She started metalworking as a way to rip herself away from the computer and get her hands dirty. Her very first piece was an anatomical heart and the anatomical skull with brain soon followed (and is one of her favorites!). Rachel made a skull pendant from old roofing copper that she found in her grandfather's barn. She is giving away this skull pendant to one lucky Skull-A-Day fan!

 Close up, so you can see the details.

A perspective view to show the layers of metal

Hanging on a neck, to give you a better idea of size

PRIZE INFO: One anatomical skull with brain pendant from Anatomical Element. The pendant is about 1 3/4 inches wide and 2 1/4 inches tall. It's hand cut and hammered, layered with steel rivets. Bottom layer is copper, skull layer is aluminum, and the brain is copper with a fire scale patina.

HOW TO ENTER: A fancy skull like this deserves to be worn somewhere special. To enter this contest, comment below telling me what special place you would wear this pendant to, if you won it. For example, I'd likely wear it to the International Museum of Surgical Sciences in Chicago, IL, on May 31st, for our Skull Appreciation Day show opening.

CONTACT INFO: The winner, chosen at random, will be contacted via email by one of the Skull-A-Day editors within 7 days of the end of the contest. If that winner doesn't respond, another winner will be chosen. With your comment, please INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!!! 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 CANNOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

CONTEST CLOSES: 11:59:59 PM Eastern USA Time Friday, May 17, 2013.

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is open to all skull lovers around the world.

IF YOU DON'T WIN: Don't fret, her jewelry is available in her Etsy shop, Anatomical Element. Rachel is offering a 10% discount on your entire purchase, if you enter the promo code skulladay13 at checkout. The discount is good from Monday, May 13, 2013 until Saturday, May 25, 2013. You can find out what Rachel is making on her Facebook page.

Metal Buffalo Skull

Braden Kiefiuk from Enderby, British Columbia is a metal bending man!  He's shared this buffalo skull to prominently display upon our page.

Like a good artist should, Brandon crafts these by hand.  If you think this is impressive then check out this piece of work.  Brandon, you should definitely make friend's with Skull-A-Day friend Larry Pearson.  Thanks for bringing the METAL!!!

The Gift of Skulls

Just wanted to share a few lovely skull gifts I was given recently.

This beautiful cup was made by Bruce Gholson of Bulldog Pottery...

I got a set of fun duct tape bookmarks from Lauralyn Sciretta as part of her Bookmark-A-Day project (which I featured recently on my other blog MakeSomething365.com) which she sent along with a fun collapsible skeleton...

Thanks guys!

Steampunk(?) Skullpture

Today, Teresa Reaver  presents us with, "A sculpture piece I completed in Mexico for De La Los Muertos this year."  It appears to me to be a combination of steampunk and stone.

Teresa's work is wonderful in many ways. She uses a lot of different elements in her work (stone, metal, glass, wood) and the details are astounding. Check out this thoughtful skeleton if you want to see more. Thanks for sharing your work, Teresa!

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.

Kitchenware Skulls

Gille Monte Ruici has flashed his handy work in the kitchen wares department before, and he's back with some new tin heads to share.

I'm totally seeing these upcycled skulls carrying their own personalities. The monocled gentleman may have a contract with the goggled pilot for a delivery of goods that will remain secret for the time being.  Or it could just be my imagination.......?  And don't think that I didn't catch the "skoon" on the second skull either.  Merci, Gille!

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

CONTEST REMINDER: Win a Skull Tank-O-Lantern

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Thanks to everyone that participated!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM EDT TONIGHT to be entered to win this amazing Tank-O-Lantern from Wenchkin and Scott Krichau. Follow the link to the original post HERE or click on the ad at the top of the sidebar, to enter.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST to enter this contest! You can NOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+]

Of course you don't need to wait until the end of the contest to get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern! You can get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern by buying one from Scott's shop. There are a wide range of styles at affordable prices!

CONTEST REMINDER: Win a Skull Tank-O-Lantern

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Thanks to everyone that participated!

Don't forget that you have until 11:59:59 PM EDT Wednesday, October 10th to be entered to win this amazing Tank-O-Lantern from Wenchkin and Scott Krichau. Follow the link to the original post HERE or click on the ad at the top of the sidebar, to enter.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST to enter this contest! You can NOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+]

Of course you don't need to wait until the end of the contest to get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern! You can get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern by buying one from Scott's shop. There are a wide range of styles at affordable prices!

CONTEST: Win a Skull Tank-O-Lantern

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Thanks to everyone that participated!

Halloween is quickly approaching, and many people will be decorating their porches with Jack-o-lanterns. What if you want something a little different this year. For this Halloween, the collaborative team of Wenchkin and Scott Krichau would like to give away one of their amazing Tank-O-Lanterns, to one lucky Skull-A-Day.com reader!

PRIZE INFO: Their Tank-O-Lanterns are created with recycled non-refillable refrigeration tanks from Scott's job. Since Scott works with coolers, he is trained to handle the tanks. Wenchkin told me that making these can be very dangerous, as the refrigerant turns into mustard gas if the tanks aren't properly drained completely by Scott. Scott uses special equipment to make these. Wenchkin creates the designs that Scott cuts out. After Scott has finished cutting out the designs, and cleaning up the tank, Wenchkin installs the electric lights. Since the tanks are metal, the cuts are sharp, and can cause injury if the tanks are handled by the cuts. These are all one of a kind creations, and a great alternative to Jack-O-Lanterns that will rot. They are intended for outdoor use.

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling me what design you are carving into your pumpkin or other gourd this year.

CONTACT INFO: If you win, we need to contact you. With your comment, please include your email, or make sure your Blogger profile has a working email link for you on it. 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, October 10th

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: This contest is only open to USA residents, because of the weight and size of the tank. Sorry international folks. There will be other giveaways in the future. Wenchkin and Scott will pay to ship to the USA winner.

IF YOU DON'T WIN: You can get your own one of a kind Tank-O-Lantern by buying one from Scott's shop. There are a wide range of styles at affordable prices!