Sunday Simulacra - Version 6.50

Today's simulacrum come from our very own Skull Master, Noah Scalin.

He noticed this somewhat surprised skull in a paper creation from Charles T. Mayer...

... as well as this skullrific gift box!

Almost 7 years after starting Skull-A-Day Noah still sees those sneaky skulls hiding around us everyday. With your help and watchful eyes maybe we can continue presenting these for another 7 years. Jut make sure you submit them to us and we'll continue to post them. Thanks for showing us your finds(again), Noah!

Sunday Simulacra - Version 6.43

Past contributor, Potter Rob Lorenz of Simple Circle Studios in Carbondale, IL said: "One afternoon I was carving some pots out by my fire pit.  As I worked, warmed by the mellow glow of the fire, a rogue ember alighted on a stack of papers I was using for reference.  It began burning a couple small holes through the papers before I saw it and put it out. These pictures are what resulted."

Sweet C says:

Oh lord simulacra it's a fire! Thank you for sharing these accidental simulacra with us, we are happy that the damage was contained in an interesting way, and nothing too serious happened.

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] 408. Recycle or Die

I was recently asked to visit the University of Wyoming in Laramie, to give a talk about my work and as part of my visit I agreed to create a new skull installation with the students of the graphic design department...

I was given access to the large lobby of the new Department of Art building and it was decided that I would work with a material that was plentiful in the building: paper. Specifically paper that had been collected for recycling purposes (including the posters announcing my talk previous in the week).

The piece was created anamorphically (in the spirit of Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors) so that it only looks correct from one spot in the room (in this case on the landing of the staircase between the lobby and 2nd floor). It measures 19'-3" x 7'-4" (5.8 x 2.2 meters).

The piece is a temporary installation that will of course be recycled after it is dismantled. Thanks to all of the students who skipped class to help me out and especially to my host Jenny Venn for suggesting it!

[BONUS] The Gift of Skulls: 365 Skeletons?

I was the keynote speaker at the recent Virginia Arts Education Association annual conference, and a craft party following my talk I was gifted this lovely creation by one of the attendees Ruby...

On the back she wrote "I'm challenging you to make 365 Skeletons!" While I appreciate her enthusiasm, I definitely won't be taking on that challenge anytime soon, but hey is anyone else out there is up for it? I'd love to see what you make!

Brown Paper Skull

Donnie Day from Pittsburgh, PA told us: "I have always been attracted to skulls, Day of the Dead, so I was delighted to find Skull-A-Day which demonstrates such creativity. Therefore, I decided to contribute a skull. This is brown paper torn into squares and assembled with dried rose petals."

Grocery C says:

Thank you for your kind words about the site.  We are always ecstatic to find out that our viewers are inspired by the work here that they are encouraged to jump in feet first and submit their own work. 

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

Skull Card

Jennifer Ferrell, created a skull card for Halloween.

Receiving a card is always a nice way to know someone is thinking about it. Receiving a hand made personalized card oozes love. Jennifer created the skull by tearing and aging white cardstock. She used a stamp set for the spider and web designs. She placed a red rhinestone in the misshapen eye, to resemble a pirate's eye patch. For more of Jennifer's work, visit her blog, Ferrellgraph.

Napkin Skull

Craig Perra from Rocklin, CA, made a skull with little pieces of napkins.

Sometimes playing with ordinary objects (in this case a napkin) can lead to extraordinary results. I love the lightness of this piece, cause by the ply of the napkin being separated. The starkness of the white paper against the black background helps accent the soft details. Pieces like this make me want to play with my normal materials, in a different way.