Propnomicon

The Sea Bishop

2012-01-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

Giulio Artioli brings us this curious specimen of a "sea bishop", one of the classic cryptids. Browse through the rest of his gallery and you'll find some other interesting items suitable for a cabinet of curiosities or sideshow attraction.

Vintage-Style Laboratory Equipment

2012-01-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

"i-Zombie" brings us this wonderful accessory for a vintage mad scientists laboratory. It's based on a similar piece from the craftsmen at Stelter Creative, which was itself inspired by the pioneering prop design work of Kenneth Strickfaden.

The Book of the D'ni

2012-01-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

"Ravingspawn" brings us this exellent reproduction of the master linking book from the "Myst" series of interactive adventures. Browse through their gallery for an incredible selection of props from the games.

The Mountains of Madness Project

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

"In spite of all the prevailing horrors, we were left with enough sheer scientific zeal and adventurousness to wonder about the unknown realm beyond those mysterious mountains. As our guarded messages stated, we rested at midnight after our day of terror and bafflement - but not without a tentative plan for one or more range-crossing altitude flights in a lightened plane with aerial camera and geologist’s outfit, beginning the following morning. It was decided that Danforth and I try it first, and we awaked at 7 A.M. intending an early flight; however, heavy winds - mentioned in our brief, bulletin to the outside world - delayed our start till nearly nine o’clock."

- H.P. Lovecraft, "At the Mountains of Madness"

On January 26, 1931 Prof. William Dyer and graduate student Paul Danforth set out on the aerial journey that would culminate with the discovery of an ancient city high atop the Antarctic plateau.

What was found in that city is at the heart of Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness", and one of the primary motivations for the creation of Propnomicon. For years I've been working on the my personal collection of items based on the story, a process documented in the "From the Mountains of Madness" posts. Now I'd like to build on that process.

In a few weeks I'm going to start another Kickstarter drive to fund the "At the Mountains of Madness" prop set. In many respects it will be similar to the earlier Arkham Sanitarium and Miskatonic University efforts, but kicked up a notch. As before, the emphasis will be on items that can't be easily reproduced at home. It doesn't make sense to do a run of prop documents that can be just as easily released as PDFs and printed at your convenience.

At this point I'm aiming to have a basic package that includes the period map of Antarctica I first posted back in 2009, a schematic of the modified Dornier Do-J Wals used by the expedition, an art deco travel-style poster for the departure ceremony in Boston, an expedition equipment sticker, and a postcard for the stop in Hobart, Tasmania. The target for that is around $12-$15 plus shipping.

The next tier will include new versions of the expedition patch, the small fieldbooks, and a cloisonne lapel pin. Since so many of you already have the old versions I wanted to avoid forcing you to buy the new ones just to get the other stuff. The target for that is roughly $20-$25 plus shipping.

I have a few ideas for items to include in a deluxe tier beyond that, but I want to firm up the details of the basic packages first.

One question that may have occurred to you is why I'm announcing the project before I actually launch it. You can credit that to my well documented paranoia. It's inevitable in any human endeavor that there will be delays and things will go wrong. To the greatest extent possible I try to avoid those issues by having all the design work done before I ask anyone for money. If everything is ready to go into production the instant the project gets funded there are far fewer chances for something to go wrong.

As always, your thoughts are appreciated. Particularly if you have any suggestions for cool stuff I haven't thought of. The only restriction on additional items is that they should be able to fit inside a 25" long, 3" diameter mailing tube.

Cheap and Easy Mold Making

2012-01-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

"Matrix" brings us this tutorial on low budget mold making using silicone caulk. This is ideal for projects when you just want to quickly run off a few copies. Is the mold as detailed as one made with low viscosity casting silicone? Of course not. But most hobby propmaking doesn't really need that level of quality, particularly for the intentionally primitive artifacts we've been discussing recently.

The Sigil of Akatosh

2012-01-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

With well over five million copies sold it's safe to say that "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" is a huge success. The game has a great blend of action and storytelling depth, not to mention some wonderful design work. Allan Harwood brings us an example translated from digital to physical form: the Sigil of Akatosh.

"My first step was figuring out a size I wanted to work with. After scaling the above image, and doing some quick sketches and measurements, I settled on 2.75″ for each side of the diamond shape. I then cut out a rough rectangle in thick white styrene board (I don’t remember the thickness, as the sheet was bought months ago), then penciled down the layout after figuring out the angles of each side. After that, I did some experimentation on the thickness of a boarder, as I wanted this to look like an amulet, or some form of badge of office or worship. I then cut those sides out in styrene, then super glued them to the diamond."

The finished Sigil is over here.

The Curwen Chest

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

Joseph Curwen from "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is arguably Lovecraft's best character, not to mention one of the few genuine villains in the Mythos. That's one of the reasons I was so happy to see this collection of items from his estate, created by the talented Jason McKittrick. He provided a preview of the included oil painting back in December, but now the entire project is finished.

The complete set including the portrait mentioned earlier and Curwen's collection of occult items.

The chest filled with the necromancer's accursed talismans and samples of his handiwork.

The Key of Yog-Sothoth. The engraving on the obelisk is very well done.

The Eye of Yog-Sothoth. It's a nice touch that the stone and obelisk are made from the same kind of stone and have matching engraving.

I'm not sure if Yog-Sothoth would have been happy about Curwen two-timing him with Cthulhu. None the less, it's a great idol, particularly in light of our recent conversations about the allure of truly primitive sculpts.

One of the unfortunate products of Curwen's experimentation. The gnarly wax seals remind me of a recent email conversation with a hobby candlemaker. Modern waxes made with stearin produce a very smooth, flowing seal because they're at a higher temperature when dipped or brushed on. Vintage wax mixed with tallow produces a far rougher effect, having more drips and voids because the wax melts, and hardens, at a much lower temperature.

The Curwen collection is currently for sale on Ebay. Considering the amount of work involved in creating it I expect bidding will be brisk.

Along Came A Spider

2012-01-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

This gigantic animated spider is simply amazing. I'm guesstimating it's around 10 feet high and the legs are 30 feet in diameter at full extension. After viewing the video a few times I think I have a good idea of how the mechanism works, but I hope the creator eventually posts some details.

One of the perennial problems of live action games is the difficulty of creating large-scale creatures. This approach looks like a potential answer to the problem. Fighting orcs and robed cultists is fun, but there's something about a massive beast bearing down on you that really triggers the adrenaline.

Update: Kieran Manners was kind enough to provide a link to the website of the artist who created the spider, Tim Davies.

[gibbering] Insane Handwriting [/gibbering]

2012-01-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

How do you recreate the look of a madman's handwriting? It's a not unfamiliar subject here at Propnomicon, and this discussion thread covers how to do it using the open source LaTeX typesetting program. It's a bit involved, but being able to script the randomization function goes a lot faster than doing it by hand.

Via Boing Boing.

The Museum of Fantastic Specimens

2012-01-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is a bit of a strange post, because I'm going to rely on a referring site before the primary site. I stumbled across the Museum of Fantastic Specimens via a Google search, but my total inability to read Japanese made navigating it a nightmare. Thankfully, I was able to backtrack to a post on the Pink Tentacle site that includes an extremely helpful guide to the Museum's collection.

"Each specimen has a clickable thumbnail that links to additional photos and historical and background information (in Japanese). The basement contains a bookshop and a cafeteria serving dishes prepared with some of the beasts featured in the museum (such as umiushi sashimi, served fresh from the tank and wriggling on your plate, with a balsamic vinegar sauce).

All of the creatures showcased in the museum are sculpted from paper, modeling paste and bamboo and are completely imaginary, claims Emoto -- perhaps a disappointment for hunters of the legendary tsuchinoko in search of an actual specimen, but an amazing collection of critters nonetheless."

These are some of the best sideshow-style gaffs I've ever seen, so the revelation that they're essentially paper mache came as a real surprise. The level of detail is simply amazing.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Hummel Edition.

2012-01-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Felix M. Hummel brings us this blasted clay Cthulhu idol. I love the worn, flame scarred finish and its implied backstory. This kind of approach isn't to everyone's taste, but in some ways I prefer it to the more ornate and self-consciously artistic depictions. The figure has a very earthy, authentic feel.

I don't mean to imply any disrespect for Mr. Hummel's work, but a rough, textured treatment like the one used here is a great way to save a sculpt that otherwise wouldn't shine on it's own. Sculpting a figure isn't easy, and anyone who has tried doing it probably has an ample supply of less-than-stellar efforts produced during the learning process. Instead of rejecting them or hiding them away, why not embrace the fact that they're primitive attempts at capturing a more idealized version?

The Innsmouth Submarine

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

The climax of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" features a massive raid on the seaside town by FBI agents and Federal troops. The attack includes a naval component, including a submarine that fires multiple torpedoes at the Deep One city off the coast. As I've mentioned before, the dates given in the story almost certainly identify that submarine as the S-8 (SS-113).

Jason Seaman was kind enough to send over a link to a fantastic repository of pictures of the S-8 at the NavSource naval historical site. I've browsed the page in the past, but it appears they've added a lot of new material including photographs and a schematic diagram.

Preserved Creature

2012-01-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

"Copper Centipede" brings us this dessicated specimen under glass . For something made from pipe cleaners and paper mache it's pretty damn impressive.

The Fury Gun

2012-01-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

Theatrical prop artist "Brian" brings us this intimidating pulp-style Fury Gun. The twin barrel grenade launcher is mostly metal, and features functioning mechanisms for the chamber break, trigger, and loading slide.

Lord of the Wind

2012-01-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

"ARNeumann" brings us this custom sculpt of the Assyrian demon Pazuzu, made famous by William Peter Blatty's "The Exorcist". At 14" in height it's an impressive beast.

Fresh Meat

2012-01-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Paging Anthony Bourdain! Trevor Yopp brings us the catch of the day.

Mummified Fairy

2012-01-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

Tóbal brings us the remains of one of the infamous Cottingly fairies. Knowing how nasty the little monsters are I can't bring myself to shed a tear over a display like this. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if fairies have entire galleries of mummified humans on display.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! UndertakingFX Edition.

2012-01-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

UndertakingFX has this nifty little Cthulhu idol available on Etsy. I'm normally loathe to link to Etsy, it being the master hive from whence the Cute-thulhu infestation emanates, but I really like the quality of the sculpt. It captures the look of a primitive soapstone carving, with a definite "Venus of Willendorf" vibe.

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

2012-01-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here's the last version of the "Wings Over Antarctica" logo for the Miskatonic Antarctic expedition I did.

And here is the masterful design work of "The Horned One" currently featured on 54 products from CafePress.

What annoys me about this isn't so much the transparent hijacking of my design, but just how shoddy it is. It's vapid imitation without even a hint of appreciation for the source material, either mine or Lovecraft's.

There are very good reasons why the elements of the original are the way they are. The outline of Antarctica, for instance, is relatively devoid of details because it only shows what what was known in 1930. The extent of the continent under the ice wasn't mapped in detail until well into the 1950s. "The Horned One" just dropped in the modern outline, presumably because it was easy. The aircraft in the knockoff is a Dornier Do-24, a seaplane that didn't exist until 1937. Six years after the remains of the Dyer expedition left Antarctica.

To be honest, I didn't think something like this was possible. After all, I give everything away. For free. Want a hat with the expedition logo on it? Help yourself to the graphic and make one.

That's the whole point of the Creative Commons license I use. The only limitation I put on everything, and I think it's a reasonable one, is that you don't sell copies. I'm pretty loose on even that small restriction. I've never turned down a commercial use request as long as it's incidental to the overall craftsmanship of the project. Outside of that Propnomicon is a free, all-you-can-eat buffet where the food never runs out.

I know I'm probably over-reacting. It's not like I'm somehow being deprived of piles of money. But why would you rip off something the original creator gives away for free?

Wings Over Antarctica Print Logo

2012-01-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

The black and white print version of the Miskatonic Antarctic expedition logo. Just click to view the full sized graphic. This one is pristine, but you may want to fade it out a bit and add some noise if you're using it for any kind of documents.

The Wal In Action

2012-01-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

"The Flugzeuge" brings us this classic newsreel footage of Dornier Do-J Wals contracted for postal service taking part in landing and recovery operations in the Atlantic. There are a few glimpses of the plane's suprisingly roomy interior, including the radio station. The enclosed cockpit on this model would be ideal for the Wals used by the Miskatonic expedition in Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness".

Cthulhu Amulet

2012-01-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Russian artist Shivha brings us this exotic Cthulhu amulet carved from goat horn and mammoth tusk. It has a wonderfully primitive look, and I love the clean lines of the design.

Wings Over Antarctica: The Backtracking

2012-01-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

After weighing all the feedback I've decided to stick with using the Dornier Do-J "Wal" as the Dyer expedition aircraft.

There's certainly a case to be made for the Merkur, but in the end I found myself agreeing with those that sided with the Wal. Frankly, it just looks better. The Merkur is a fine little aircraft, but it suffers from looking like all the other single-engined planes of the classic era. The Wal is nothing if not distinctive.

Here's the basic color logo I'll be using for the next run of swag. There are some relatively trivial composition and scale changes, but the biggest difference will be in the background colors. The dark blue of the original design will be lightened a few shades to provide more contrast with the plane in the embroidered versions. The dark grey of the outer text ring is now the same red as the Miskatonic University logo, giving the overall design a bit more pop.

I'll finish up the black and white version, and a stencil template for marking gear and equipment crates, over the next few days.

The Innsmouth Look

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

The gifted Casey Love brings us this amazing bust of the bus driver from Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". He really captures the look of the Innsmouth taint.

The Grimoire

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Sibyll Kingsley brings us this leather bound grimoire. The binding looks fantastic, but I'm not too crazy about the jute twine. On the other hand, she gets credit for being a fan of the greatest rock band of all time.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Hay Edition.

2012-01-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Gideon Hay of Vancouver Makeup Effects brings us this very unusual Cthulhu statue.

Steampunk Diving Helmet

2012-01-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Rev. Marx brings us the fourth installment of his build log for a steampunk diving helmet. The results look quite nice.

Telegraph and Telegram Codes

2012-01-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

The invaluable Raven provided links to a treasure trove of telegraph code books in the comments to last week's scans of a vintage telegram.

The Telegraphic and Signal Codes Directory by John McVey links to scans and transcripts of over a hundred different code books dating back to 1845. The majority were intended to save the user money by keeping their messages as short as possible, back when every word was an extra charge for the sender. A few were genuine ciphers designed to keep information private. That's no small matter in an era when the very nature of the transmission meant multiple people read the text of a message.

Some of the more interesting codes were designed to serve niche interests with a specialized vocabulary. Like the "Police Telegraph Code of England for 1893", with its shorthand for listing the offenses and description of a criminal suspect.

This might all seem rather dry and academic, but it's an incredible resource for adding verisimilitude to a narrative with period props. A coded telegram just screams "clue", especially if it's found on a dead body or at the scene of a crime. When the players discover a copy of the book it was encoded with (helpfully printed out ahead of time) you'll not only move the plot along, but give them a genuine sense of accomplishment for doing some real detective work. How cool is that?

As an example, the police codes mentioned above would be ideal for official messages regarding the bloodthirsty serial killer that was stalking England in 1893.

The Curwen Legacy

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

The talented Jason McKittrick brings us this portrait of Joseph Curwen from Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward". There's so much to like about this. The work is an actual oil painting, not a textured print, and the custom plaque is a wonderful touch.

Aetheric Compass

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Traveling through non-Euclidean space can be dangerously disorienting. Thankfully, Eric Elliot has provided us with this handy aetheric compass to assist in mapping traversals.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Clarke Edition.

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

Andy Clarke brings us this this unusual Cthulhu idol. It's a very different take from most depictions, most notably the lack of tentacles. What makes it even more impressive, at least in my eyes, is the fact it was crafted from paper mache, toothpicks, and hot glue. Browse through the rest of his gallery and you'll see some really inventive props created just for the hell of it, including a neat little "haunted boardgame".

1930 Telegram

2011-12-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

From "combomphotos" on Flickr, some high resolution scans of a blank telegram from 1930. The set includes both the front and back.

Stop Motion Nightgaunt

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

In an alternate universe not too far from our own, George Pal's 1978 production of "The Call of Cthulhu" is still hailed as a classic. After his attempted production of "Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze" fell apart because of rights problems with the estate of Lester Dent, Pal was searching for a possible franchise. Following up on a suggestion from writer Phillip Jose Farmer, who had drafted one of the Doc Savage screenplays, he discovered the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

It was a classic example of the right story at the right time. Pal was still bitter about the studio's effort to "camp up" his Doc Savage film and decided "The Call of Cthulhu" would be a serious drama. Suprisingly, the studio agreed, thanks in no small part to the box office success of period efforts like "Chinatown" and "The Sting". Michael Rennie, David Suchet, and Michael York were signed to star, but it was veteran character actor George Coulouris who would garner an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting actor in the role of "Old Castro".

Despite it's relatively modest budget the film boasted incredible animated sequences produced by Ray Harryhausen and Gregory Jein. For over a year after principal photography ended the pair slaved away in a small studio bringing "Cthulhu" to life using a new filming technique. In traditional stop motion animation the puppets are moved a fraction of an inch each time a frame of film is clicked off. When projected at normal speed those individual frames blend together to produce the illusion of a living creature, but the results can be jerky and look artificial. Harryhausen and Jein used small rods to actually move the puppet while the film was being exposed, producing a far smoother and more realistic blurring effect. The puppet footage was then combined with additional rotoscoped effects and the live action plates in one of the new, high registration optical printers developed for Star Wars. The result was an epic sequence that helped redefine the capabilities of stop motion animation.

That exercise in alt history is my hopefully entertaining way of introducing this old school animation puppet of a nightgaunt from Richard Svensson. It has a very Harryhausen-esque feel, and I mean that as a high compliment. You can see it in action over here.

The Dragon Age

2011-12-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

Among other things, Greg Aronowitz of BarnYard FX was the production designer for the "Dragon Age: Redemption" web videos starring Felicia Day. He's blogged a detailed look at the creation of the props and set pieces for the series. Even with a relatively small budget he was able to create some impressive props.

If you have time I'd suggest browsing through the entire blog. There's an incredible level of talent on display. One of the things I really like is his dedication to avoiding the "generic fantasy" look of most low-budget productions. The lore of the game helps with some of that, but he designed a goodly number of custom-made props that really shine.

Dragon Embryo

2011-12-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

"Magna est veritas" brings us this well preserved dragon embryo. Made from polymer clay over an aluminum foil armature. The flaking skin effect is produced by a layer of liquid latex.

The Demon Pig

2011-12-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

Jonas Laberg wanted to surprise some young girls with a special holiday treat made from sweet, delicious marzipan. The result is an evil demon pig so disturbing he decided it was best to surprise them with something else. Click through on the link for a full gallery of the pig's creation.

I bring this to you in the spirit of the Christmas, and because I can't be the only one thinking it would make an awesome gift. It's amazing how lifelike the marzipan looks. Sweet Jebus, can you imagine how cool it would be to sculpt up some Lovecraftian-style specimens from this stuff for Halloween?

Via Boing Boing.

Update: I'm warning you now that this link is totally over the top, but it ably demonstrates the horrific possibilities of marzipan. Go forward at your own peril.

Necromancer's Amulet

2011-12-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

Mark and David Green bring us this nicely done necromancer's amulet.

Bottled Beasts

2011-12-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

From "das Zny", his first bottled specimens.

I think the contamination problem is coming from the cloth identification tag. As he points out, bacterial growth inside a specimen intended for show isn't necessarily a bad thing. Creatures made from polymer clay will shrug it off, but any acrylic paints applied to the creature will eventually be destroyed.

The best way to prevent contamination is to give the jar and anything going inside a good washing with hot soapy water. Follow that up by adding a few grains of sodium metabisulfite to the preservative fluid and you'll have a sterile environment that won't support any unwanted growth. It's safe, easy to use, and you can pick it up on Amazon for pocket change. A one pound supply will be enough for a lifetime's worth of bottled specimen props.

The Curious Case of the Manufactured Manuscripts

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

An interesting look at the history of created books. The author has an intriguing theory that the Voynich Manuscript may be a historical example of the kind of prop tomes frequently discussed here.

Via Eric Hart's Prop Agenda.

The Realm of Salama

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Castro brings us this beautifully handcrafted tome.

Hospital and Asylum Restraints of the 1920s

2011-12-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I was lucky enough to score a near mint condition copy of a hospital and doctor's supply catalog from 1922. Reading through it over the weekend I was struck by how sophisticated the technology actually was. With the exception of modern electronics and automation I expect a doctor from nearly a century ago would recognize everything in a modern hospital or clinic. Dressings, surgical tools, examination equipment...it's all the same, at least to the untrained eye of a layman.

Here's a page of patient restraints, including prices. There's no doubt gear like this could be cruelly misused, but the devices seem genuinely humane. The restraint sheet is a far cry from the infamous "Utica Crib" that was used at the New York State Lunatic Asylum just down the road from my home. Click through for the high resolution version.

The Slime

2011-12-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

Allen Hopps of Stiltbeast Studios is an incredibly creative guy. One of the things I like about him the most is that he's able to see the prop possibilities behind the simplest of materials. In this video he demonstrates how simple school glue and borax produces a polymerized goo that can be used to create everything from slime and ectoplasm to zombie makeup and icicles. It's so cheap to make that you can whip up a gallon for less than the price of lunch at a fast food joint.

I made some small batches of this stuff years ago as a kitchen science project with the kids, but it never clicked just how useful it could be.

The Angell Box

2011-12-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

"Much of the material which I correlated will be later published by the American Archaeological Society, but there was one box which I found exceedingly puzzling, and which I felt much averse from shewing to other eyes. It had been locked, and I did not find the key till it occurred to me to examine the personal ring which the professor carried always in his pocket. Then indeed I succeeded in opening it, but when I did so seemed only to be confronted by a greater and more closely locked barrier. For what could be the meaning of the queer clay bas-relief and the disjointed jottings, ramblings, and cuttings which I found? Had my uncle, in his latter years, become credulous of the most superficial impostures?"

Jason McKittrick brings us this recreation of the late Prof. Angell's mysterious box from "The Call of Cthulhu". This is one of those projects that successfully uses a collection of props to tell a story. Each little bit, from a journal entry to a notation on a photograph, helps build up the narrative. That kind of narrative by accretion requires both quality and quantity to have an impact. I can just imagine the hours of work that went into pulling this off.

This shot illustrates one of the difficulties in putting together a set like this. You not only have to create items like the bas-relief and idol that are included with it, but all of the supplementary props pictured in the photographs. It's a huge effort, whether you do it physically or via Photoshop.

You can see more pictures of the complete set in it's listing on Ebay. Given the time it took to put it together I expect it will go for a goodly sum.

Travelling Spellbook

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Russian leathercrafter "Shattan" brings us this beautiful spellbook. It's a personal bias, but I bet it would be spectacular after an aging treatment. Wear and tear along the edges, accumulated grime in the crevices, flakes of the gilding worn off...

The Oracle

2011-12-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

K.M. Kotulak brings us this intriguing amulet. I believe it's polymer clay with a glass taxidermy eye.

Teeth

2011-12-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

David Gagne over at Dark Artifacts brings us this tutorial on upgrading a prop skull with new acrylic teeth. I believe the base skull is one of the Bucky-style 3rd class medical models from the Anatomical Chart Company.

"Acrylic teeth, the kind used to make dentures, come in little plastic trays, separating the top, bottom, front and back teeth. Very pratical; you don't have to guess which tooth goes where (although mouth anatomy is fairly simple).

I bought mine on ebay; it cost about 20$ including shipping from china, and I have 6 complete sets of teeth."

I never would have thought to source choppers like this. In hindsight it's obvious the ones used for dentures had to come from somewhere. It just never occured to me that full sets of human teeth were so cheap and easy to get.

These would be ideal for all kinds of gaffs and faux specimens. In the past commenters have mentioned how creepy it is to see a non-humanoid creature with human teeth. You could create some very disturbing dentition with a full set or mix and match incisors, molars, and canines for a more inhuman look.

Not of This Earth

2011-12-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Professional gaff artist Takeshi Yamada brings us this alien skull.

Down to the Depths

2011-12-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

The talented Rev. Marx brings us the third installment of his prop diving helmet build. It's particularly impressive because he's using such humble materials to craft it.

"I knew I would need some ventilation, so I searched around the shop for a suitable vent cover. I looked all through my plastic parts bin and found nothing useful. I tried out a couple of plastic bottle caps, but couldn't find anything that looked right. Then, I noticed something that had been sitting on my worktable the whole time. I had always intended on adding some of those cheap l.e.d. touch lights to the front breast plate to serve as headlights. I had one torn apart to get ready to paint the casing when I noticed that the casing itself would make a good vent cover. I cut out a small piece of chromed wire mesh from a drawer divider (used for separating silverware in a kitchen drawer) and fixed it with hot glue to the inside of the plastic casing."

The Necronomicon, Petrie Edition

2011-12-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

Brandon Petrie brings us this nicely done Necronomicon. The stylized geometric motifs are a nice callback to traditional Islamic bookmaking.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Necropolis Edition.

2011-12-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

Angela Rose from Necropolis Studios brings us this clay Cthulhu idol. ~~Sadly, it appears to no longer be in production.~~ Copies should be available before the end of the month.

Trust No One

2011-12-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful Lovecraftian tableau from Florian Mellies. This one is set in the 1950s, a woefully underused time frame in the Mythos.

A Real Adventure Journal

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

Jason Rippetoe sent over this real-life example of an adventurer's journal. From 1868, the notes and ephemera of Charles Shepherd's journey through Tsarist Russia.

Miskatonic Merkur

2011-12-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Marcos Saintout sent over this cool little mockup of a Merkur II with Miskatonic expedition markings.

Wings Over Antarctica: The Waffling

2011-12-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Based on feedback from the comments and some emails I'm having second thoughts about revising the Miskatonic Antarctic patch.

As I said before, I'm pretty sure Lovecraft meant the aircraft used by the Dyer expedition to be the Dornier Do-J "Wal". On the other hand, the specific mention of securing the landing skis almost certainly identifies the plane as the Dornier Do-B "Merkur II".

From a realism standpoint I think the scale tips in the Merkur's favor. The story specifies that the plane has a range of at least 800 miles and a ceiling of 24,000 feet. The Do-B can hit those targets with relatively minor modifications, like swapping out the BMW VI engine for a BMW VII with a supercharger.

Ironically, the BMW VII is the same engine Wolfgang von Gronau used on the modified Dornier Wal he flew around the world shortly after Lovecraft wrote the story. With a pair of them the plane easily had a range of 1000 miles, but it's service ceiling was only 11,500 feet. The problem with climbing higher was the Wal's tremendous weight. Even with superchargers the engines didn't have the performance to hit the 24,000 ceiling "At the Mountains of Madness" demands.

Frankly, I don't think Lovecraft cared a whit about the flight ceiling issue, but getting the Wal to meet the criteria he sets out would take some major work. The story contains several mentions that the plane was lightened for Dyer and Danforth's final flight, but I can't see the aircraft's performance more than doubling just by stripping the interior. Beyond that we could speculate the expedition aircraft were already considerably lighter than the stock Wal. The easiest approach would be to cut the plane's weight by replacing some of the steel frame with aluminum. That's still a pretty radical move, but given Pabodie's canon expertise in lightweight aluminum frame construction it's not beyond the bounds of belief.

Ultimately, what plane was used seems to come down to taste. Rely on logic and historical accuracy and it's the Merkur II. Trust in Lovecraft's original intent and it's probably the Wal. I can see equally valid reasons for embracing either.

So what do you think? I've already invested a considerable amount of time developing prop photographs and imagery using the Wal. I'm willing to put the same effort into redoing all of it with the Merkur II.

Update: I want to thank everyone who has weighed in, both in the comments and via email. Even the ones pointing out that I'm being a bit obsessive. Heh. I'm in no rush to make a final decision and ultimately it only really matters for the next run of swag. That won't be happening until after the first of the year, so there's plenty of time to fiddle with things.

It Bites

2011-12-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

Eric Brown brings us this fleshy preserved worm.

The Spawn of Cthulhu

2011-12-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

The incredibly talented Simon Lee brings us the spawn of Cthulhu. He has a real gift for capturing the look of tortured flesh, and I mean that as a high compliment. His technique is very reminiscent of Berni Wrightson's best work.

Cameo

2011-12-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Miskatonic University pennant makes a cameo appearance in this article on custom headlamps by Amanda Kooser.

Stop! A Head.

2011-12-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

The invaluable CoastConFan posted a link to these goatskin shrunken heads in the comments for yesterday's post. As he pointed out, for less than $20 bucks these would make an ideal base for crafting your own tsantsa. They're a bit goofy as is, but could be turned into real showpieces with a little bit of remolding and some patination.

(My apologies for the horrible joke in the title, but it's one near and dear to my heart. One of the reasons I went into broadcasting is because of the "Stop! A Head." bit by Steve Dahl and Garry Meier. It originally happened in the summer of 1981 when I happened to be visiting relatives in the Chicago area, and to this day it's one of the funniest and most horrific things I've ever heard on radio.

A nasty car accident in the city resulted in a gruesome decapitation death during rush hour. Making the whole thing even more terrible was the fact that rescue workers couldn't find the victim's head. As soon as the news broke Dahl and Meier speculated about where the missing head might be, and eventually launched a scavenger hunt with prizes to locate it.

Years later I learned the bit was a set-up, but to this day I'm in awe at the sheer hilarious perversity of it.)

The Trophy

2011-12-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

From Kumo-No-Kuchi, a classic-style shrunken head. I'm a sucker for tableau displays filled with adventuring gear.

Dem Bones

2011-11-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Bryony Tidball brings us this fossilized dragon. Yet another example of how the real history of our planet is being hidden from view.

Wings Over Antarctica, Part Trois

2011-11-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

I had originally planned to show the new Miskatonic Antarctic expedition logo tomorrow, but things went better than expected and I was able to finish the roughs early. These are still subject to change, but they're pretty close to being ready. Other than replacing the Dornier Wal with the Dornier Merkur II the changes are relatively minor.

First off, the black and white line art. This would be used for documents, letterheads, envelopes, and such. If it goes over well I'll do a version with slightly heavier line widths and a little grain for a print reproduction.

Next, the color version of the logo. This will be used for small items like the patches and pins. The outer ring has been changed from light grey to Miskatonic red. It's a good tie-in to the University logo and makes the whole design a lot snappier.

Here's a variant of the color logo with more of an Art Deco feel. It takes advantage of countershading to provide dimensionality and uses more muted colors. This is what I'd like to use for larger reproductions like T-shirts.

I still need to work out a stencil version, but these should cover most uses. As always, your thoughts are appreciated.

Bottled Wyvern

2011-11-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

"JaciJ" brings us this example of a preserved wyvern fetus. It's a good example of how viewing angle can have a huge effect on how a preserved specimen looks.

Wings Over Antarctica, Part Deux

2011-11-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wrote about the history of the Miskatonic University Antarctic expedition logo. Today I want to discuss why the second version of that design used the Dornier Do-J "Wal" as the expedition aircraft, and what ultimately made me change my mind about that identification. If you're not into historical research, or are easily bored, I'd suggest skipping to the end.

The text of Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" provides few hard details about what model of aircraft was flown by Dyer's party. That's understandable given that he was more concerned with crafting a thrilling weird tale than a treatise on aviation. Complicating things is the fact that the information he does share is somewhat confusing. Again, that's not unexpected. Lovecraft was a master at incorporating historic and scientific details that would give his stories a sense of believability, but he never let the real world get in the way of the story. Surprisingly, the vague details in the story point to a single specific aircraft. Here is what he tells us:

"Four large Dornier aëroplanes, designed especially for the tremendous altitude flying necessary on the antarctic plateau and with added fuel-warming and quick-starting devices worked out by Pabodie, could transport our entire expedition from a base at the edge of the great ice barrier to various suitable inland points, and from these points a sufficient quota of dogs would serve us."

"Later, when not using all the other planes for moving apparatus, we would employ one or two in a shuttle transportation service between this cache and another permanent base on the great plateau from 600 to 700 miles southward, beyond Beardmore Glacier."

"Danforth and I, studying the notes made by Pabodie in his afternoon flight and checking up with a sextant, had calculated that the lowest available pass in the range lay somewhat to the right of us, within sight of camp, and about 23,000 or 24,000 feet above sea-level."

"We were now, after a slow ascent, at a height of 23,570 feet according to the aneroid; and had left the region of clinging snow definitely below us."

"It did not seem necessary to protect the plane with a snow banking for so brief a time and in so comfortable an absence of high winds at this level; hence we merely saw that the landing skis were safely lodged, and that the vital parts of the mechanism were guarded against the cold."

"At a very high level there must have been great disturbance, since the ice-dust clouds of the zenith were doing all sorts of fantastic things; but at 24,000 feet, the height we needed for the pass, we found navigation quite practicable."

Put that all together and you have the Dyer expedition's airplane - a Dornier model available in late 1929 to early 1930 with a flight range of at least 800 miles and a maximum flight ceiling at or above 24,000 feet. Oh, and it has to have landing skis. There's a good deal of wiggle room about the plane's flight characteristics based on the conjectural modifications carried out by Dornier and Frank Pabodie, but the presence of landing skis narrows it down to only one plane: the Dornier Do-B, most likely the "Merkur II" variant.

All of the other general aviation Dorniers at the time were flying boats that wouldn't need skis to touch down on ice and snow. In fact, the addition of skis to the aircraft, most likely attached to the wingtips, would have been downright dangerous. A block of ice or dip in the terrain could have catastrophically ripped apart the wing.

That leads to an obvious question. Why did I insist that the expedition used the Dornier Do-J "Wal" up until now, when Lovecraft's mention of landing skis conclusively identified the aircraft?

The answer is that I deferred to the expertise of some of the best Lovecraft scholars in the world. The identification of the Wal as the Dyer party's aircraft appears in S.T. Joshi's The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft and again in The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories , credited to Jason C. Eckhardt. From the former:

"More exactly, as Jason C. Eckhardt ("Behind the Mountains of Madness: Lovecraft and the Antarctic in 1930," Lovecraft Studies No. 14 [Spring 1987]:31-38) points out, Dornier Do-J "Wal" airplanes, a twin-engine, single-wing flying boat used primarily for passenger service."

"The Dornier-Wal planes were capable of carrying 7000 pounds of cargo. Eckhardt, basing his calculations on those supplied by Byrd, has conjectured that the total cargo of the Miskatonic Expedition may have come to about 21,000 pounds (12 men = 2400 lbs.; 36 dogs [80 lbs each] = 2880 lbs.; human food = 2160 lbs.; dog food = 3888 lbs.; gasoline = 9000 lbs.; miscellaneous cargo = 1300 lbs.), well within the capacity of the four planes."

That's the citation I relied on. Eckhardt's scholarship makes perfect sense, and is an example of the kind of historical research I delight in, but it ignores the presence of landing skis on the aircraft. I want to make clear that I'm not pointing a finger of blame at either Eckhardt or Joshi, who I have an immense amount of respect for. I just think the seemingly trivial issue of the skis has more importance than they do.

What complicates matters even further is that I think Lovecraft intended the planes to be Wals. We know that Roald Amundsen's expeditions to both the North and South polar areas were among his inspirations for "At the Mountains of Madness". The Wal seems perfect for polar exploration, as Amundsen demonstrated during his historic attempt at reaching the North Pole in 1925. The tough aluminum hull was ideal for operations on ice or water, the dual engines provided a comforting measure of redundancy in case of trouble, and the sheer carrying capacity of the plane allowed for extended operations.

More intriguingly, the Wal's long distance flying characteristics were front page news in the months leading up to Lovecraft writing ATMOM. He penned the tale in February and March of 1931. On August 26th, 1930 Wolfgang von Gronau and his crew completed an epic flight across the Atlantic and landed in the Hudson at New York City. His plane was one of the pair used by Amundsen on his expedition, refurbished and repaired since it's previous adventure. For the rest of the year von Gonau made regular appearances in the news as he and his crew were feted at events across the United States and Europe.

Given all that I don't think it's too much of a stretch that the gleaming silver hull of the Wal was what Lovecraft pictured in his mind as the story of the Dyer expedition flowed out of his pen. It's a distinctive, beautiful plane with a sterling record of exploration and long distance flight that's perfect for the needs of the story.

Then Lovecraft adds landing skis and...poof...reality replaces the Wal with the Merkur II.

Later this week I'll go over a few of the modifications the stock Merkur II would need to bring it in line with Lovecraft's story. Ironically, most of them are the same ones our old friend Herr von Gronau was secretly carrying out on a brand new version of the Wal at the same time ATMOM was being written. Following that I'll have the new logo for the Miskatonic Antarctic expedition featuring the Merkur II.

Wings Over Antarctica

2011-11-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

The history of this blog is intimately tied to my love for H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness". Most of the early material was based on a desire to bring that story to life, ultimately culminating in the "Dyer Materials" prop set. Along the way I produced my first product in September of 2008, the original "Wings Over Antarctica" expedition patch.

Saying it was a quick and dirty effort would be kind. The rather generic plane based on the DC-3 is a glaring anachronism and the layout is what you would expect from an amateur just getting familiar with Adobe Illustrator. On the bright side, the outline of Antarctica is consistent with what was known in the late 20s.

A few months later the second version of the "Wings Over Antarctica" design debuted.

This was a definite improvement. The font was a weighted version of Futura released in 1927. The generic DC-3 knockoff was replaced by the Dornier Do-J "Wal" flying boat based on a reference in S.T. Joshi's extensively footnoted version of "At the Mountains of Madness" in "The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft". It's a visually interesting aircraft and it's reinforced hull could easily handle landing on water, ice, or snow.

All in all, the second iteration was a pretty well designed and historically accurate effort.

Except it wasn't.

As much as I like it there are two problems with the second version of the patch, and the design as a whole. The first is the lack of separation between the black outline of the Dornier Wal and the dark blue background of the design. On a computer screen it looks fine. In real life it's muddy.

The actual patch shouldn't have come out nearly as well as it did, but I was saved by a quirk of the manufacturing process. An embroidered patch isn't just a flat representation of the original artwork, but a three dimensional reproduction. The threads used to recreate the design are physically raised from the backing cloth and have a perceivable texture caused by the orientation of the threads. More importantly, the threads get polished as they move through the high speed sewing machine. Because of that they're reflective and produce highlights along the edges of the raised design elements. That effect saved the patch.

The second problem with the design is the primary reason I'm writing this.

Put simply, there's no possible way the Dornier Wal was the plane used by the Miskatonic Antarctic expedition.

More about that tomorrow.

Dragon Tooth Scrimshaw

2011-11-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

Caerban brings us this example of scrimshaw inscribed on a dragon's tooth. If you thought harpooning whales was hard...

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Green Edition.

2011-11-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

Marc and David Green bring us this faux ivory Cthulhu amulet. The graining effect is really outstanding.

The Best of Both Worlds

2011-11-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

Vintage flashlights can add an immense amount of immersiveness to live action games as well as being cool little props in and of themselves. Unfortunately, examples from Ebay or your local antique shop can be a bit fiddly to get working. Not to mention their frustrating ability to burn through bulbs and batteries.

A thread over at Club Obi-Wan (registration required) points to this useful alternative: a vintage-style flashlight fitted with modern LED guts from Restoration Hardware. There are three different models, ranging from the conveniently small 2 cell handheld to the large "can be used as a bludgeon" 3-cell monster. Prices range from $18 - $29, which seems reasonable for such a niche product.

The smallest model also happens to be a screen-used movie prop. The linked thread identifies it as the flashlight used by Indiana Jones in the temple exploration scenes of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". High resolution screen captures from the film show that it was just redressed it with a minor paint job to the grip area.

The Rot

2011-11-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

Brendon Lenzi brings us this multi-legged preserved specimen. The body was sculpted from polymer clay and then coated in rubber cement to create the decaying skin.

Bottled Beastie

2011-11-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

Another preserved worm that just happens to be available on Ebay. With the crass commercialism out of the way...

I think I may have figured out why the epoxy resin teeth on some worms pick up the dye used to color the water. Before I close up a jar I add a few grains of potassium metabisulfite to sterilize the contents and prevent bacterial growth. I believe the worms prone to absorbing the dye were closed up too soon, before the sulfur dioxide produced by the metabisulfite has a chance to dissipate into the air. Why does that matter? Because it's the same reaction exploited by the textile industry, where potassium metabisulfite is used to...surprise, suprise...help set dyes.

This is actually a handy thing to know, for two reasons. One, you can prevent dye from staining your critters by allowing the solution to air out before sealing the bottle. Two, you can use potassium metabisulfite to help dye epoxy resin.

The Creature on the Slab

2011-11-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

Professional special effects and design artist Jordu Schell brings us this amazing creature maquette. Click through the link and you can see better views of the altar stone it's resting on. Not to mention the kind of gallery that makes me gnash my teeth in frustration at my own feeble skills.

Making Foam Armor

2011-11-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Over the last two years there has been an explosion of projects using EVA foam pads to create armor. It's a cheap, readily available material that's easy to work with and a skilled artist can create a finished product with an unbelievably high level of finish. This tutorial from Allen Hopps is a good introduction to some of the basic techniques, while some truly incredible work is on display at the Bioweapons blog.

I think this could be the solution to one of the biggest problems with live action games- creature creation. Making Lovecraftian beasties is hard. Some mind-blowingly great costumes are out there, but to a great extent they've relied on expensive molding and casting supplies. With EVA foam a simple heat gun and a variety pack of disposable razor knives can be used to create some epic creatures. After all, segmented armor is just another way of describing a Mi-Go's exoskeleton.

The Elder Signs

2011-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

When you're fighting the Mythos it's always a good idea to have an Elder Sign handy. Thankfully, Alv Rehnberg is ready to help with both the Lovecraft and Derleth versions.

The Banners of Night

2011-11-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

Talon Abraxas brings us this interesting iconic artifact. The rich textures play off nicely against the angular form of a traditional religious item.

The Scarabs of Nyarlathotep

2011-11-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

From artist Offero Jones, a collection of Egyptian scarabs bearing the glyph of Nyarlathotep. I love props like this that add a subtle Mythos touch to real historical artifacts.

The Russian Specimen

2011-11-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

From Gleb Trzhemetskogo comes this intriguing preserved specimen. My apologies to the artist if his name is badly mangled. This is the first Russian site I've linked to, and I wish Google Translate did a better job of rendering the text. Then again, getting the gist of another tongue with the click of a button is still pretty amazing.

The Congo Specimen

2011-11-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

Another specimen from the Miskatonic University collection, this time from the 1927 expedition to the Congo. As usual, things didn't end well.

The glowing fluid is a by product of illuminating the interior of the jar with reflected light. The tabletop is lit by shop lights on both sides. Light passes into the jar and gets bounced off a circle of white paper sitting under the jar and a rectangle behind it. I stumbled across the idea trying to get decent shots of specimens floating in fluid.

If you like it, the specimen is currently on Ebay .

Fossil Dragon

2011-11-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Some day the narrow minded keepers of paleontology will finally admit the history of our planet is far different than the mundane orthodoxy they endorse. Current theory simply can't account for things like this fossil dragon excavated by Josh Hughes.

Mistaken Identity

2011-11-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

I've written before about why I use the Propnomicon nom de plume. I have a distinctive, if not unique, birth name and like my privacy. It isn't particularly difficult to discover my real name, but using a moniker provides a useful measure of anonymity.

Useful until now, at least.

Unfortunately, a gentleman by the name of Rick Olney happens to live in the same small upstate New York town where I do. Over the years he's managed to gain a truly amazing reputation in the world of comics. And by "amazing" I mean "horrific". Now he's taken his shenanigans to the next level. I won't go over the entire story here, but the short version is that he appears to have made off with a limited run of Indiana Jones World Maps that were the property of Lucasfilm. Bleeding Cool has a good summary of the whole bizarre affair here, here, here, and here. You can learn more about Mr. Olney's long history of dubious activities via Google.

I thought it was a bit odd when I started getting multiple emails asking about my interest in Indiana Jones props earlier this week. It wasn't until Thursday that someone was nice enough to explain what was going on. It appears some amateur sleuths connected the fact that I live in the same village as Mr. Olney (and have a street address just a short walk away from his) with my occasional posts about Indiana Jones collectibles and...tada! I was actually him.

Just for the record, I'm not Rick Olney. Anyone who has done business with me is aware of that, and equally cognizant that my reputation is absolutely impeccable.

What makes the situation particularly painful is that I had the same horrified reaction as everyone else when I discovered what was going on. If the allegations against Mr. Olney are true he's done much more than bamboozled Lucasfilm. He's used his status as a military veteran to exploit other veterans. I believe that will have some local repercussions he wasn't expecting.

The Teeth

2011-11-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

A selection of toothy critters from Carim Nahaboo.

The Eyes

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

Shing Khor brings us this multi-eyed specimen.

The Necronomicon, Ratter Edition

2011-11-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

Peter Ratter brings us this video tour of his handcrafted Necronomicon . There are some great visualizations on display.

The Unquiet Dead

2011-11-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

Great minds, and all that. Anthony Souza brings us a grave marker for the surprisingly popular Joseph Curwen, along with a tribute to Arthur Machen. I find the idea of sequentially dated tombstones for Curwen scattered across the United States, and the world, incredibly amusing.

The Not Quite Final Resting Place of Joseph Curwen

2011-11-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Part of Jeff Devine's Halloween display was this tombstone for Joseph Curwen from Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward". Not surprisingly, there wasn't actually a body under the marker. Heh.

Lords of the Air

2011-11-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Few things are pulpier than than an airship. You get all the tropes of ocean going vessels in the classic era with the added benefit of flying far above the earth below. The Airship Heritage Trust website features a detailed look at the cruise ships and destroyers of the sky, including blueprints, flight logs, and in depth looks at what life aboard an airship was like.

Specimens

2011-11-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Zelemihr" brings us this collection of specimens from a secret Miskatonic expedition to the Antarctic in the late 1800s.

Of the three I actually like the empty test tube the most. It's a simpler prop in a technical sense, but it adds something to the story established by the other two. That's not a trivial accomplishment.

Catch of the Day

2011-11-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Phil Bolton brings us a curious bit of aquatic detritus. This is why every fishing boat should have a shotgun. You won't be able to stop the Deep Ones from boarding your ship, but you can make sure you don't fall into their clutches.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Mellies Edition.

2011-11-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

The gifted Florian Mellies brings us this fantastic Cthulhu idol. There's so much to like here, from the mix of textures to the truly alien feel of the sculpt. Mr. Mellies consistently creates some of the best Lovecraftian props in the hobby.

Tramp Steamer Plans

2011-11-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Jason Rippetoe sent over a link to this fansite focusing on the pulp adventures of Louis L’Amour. Among the features is a set of vintage-era tramp steamer plans. Few things have more adventure potential than a cargo ship chugging from one exotic port to another.

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year

2011-11-01T03:05:00.000-07:00

I dearly love Halloween, but I love the day after Halloween even more. Don't forget to take advantage of the sales and stock up on raw materials for the long, cold winter ahead.

Egyptian Mummy Head

2011-11-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

From the burning sands of Egypt, and the hands of David Pirkle, comes this well done Egyptian mummy head. Sadly, it appears something has been snacking on the right side of this particular specimen's face.

Baron Samedi

2011-10-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

Michael Locascio brings us this interesting depiction of Baron Samedi. He's creeped me out ever since I saw "Live and Let Die" when I was younger. Even learning some of the symbolism behind him hasn't been enough to shake that unease.

Aliaric

2011-10-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Aliaric is a fun little fantasy font created by Russian writer Anton Antonov. It has a rough, handwritten finish and enough variation in character density to make it handy for grimoire text and such. The superscript vowels can be a little distracting, but that's easily fixed with a quick search and replace.

The Deep Ones

2011-10-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

I think this is the future of propmaking, and I have mixed feelings about it.

Bryan Wynia "sculpted" this fantastic selection of Deep One concepts using Zbrush, a 3D modeling program.

And here's the final version with a complete skin.

The second picture is what lead me to the linked site. Even at high resolution it's difficult to tell that it's a totally digital object and not an actual maquette. It's not the first time I've been fooled by a good digital "sculpt", and I have a feeling it will be happening a lot more in the near future.

What I find really interesting about Mr. Wynia's work is that it could be transformed into a real bust in just a matter of days. The plummeting cost of modeling software has made creating digital objects and props easier than ever. Once those models are created they can be used to construct virtual items, for use in high definition video productions, as well as actual items. Tabletop 3D printers are still a few years away from being household items, but it's just a matter of time until they are.

When that happens it will revolutionize small-scale manufacturing, not to mention hobby propmaking. "Sculpting" isn't going to be any easier, but there are a lot of people, myself included, who are far better at creating three-dimensional objects than they are at making two-dimensional depictions. There's going to be an explosion of small shops cranking out obscure items like Cthulhu statues and Elder Thing star stones.

Whately's Patent Cures Match Books

2011-10-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Chris Huning sent over these nifty little prop matchbooks. You'll find the high resolution JPG here, and the PDF over here.

"Spent a while riffing on Raven's "Dr Whately's Energy Elixer" label and created some advertising matchbooks for the Elixer and a couple other Whately's products and figured I share :) I also used Alex Kaeda's Arkham Sanitarium matchbook pdf as my template."

Leather Cthulhu Mask

2011-10-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

For the fashion conscious cultist, a molded leather Cthulhu mask from artist Eden Bachelder. I love the flowing, sinuous lines.

The Collection of Dr. Cagliostro

2011-10-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

A wonderfully evocative tableau from the collection of curiosities gathered by the eminent Dr. Cagliostro. Currently curated by Oskar Hejll. Students of the bizarre and the occult, not to mention masterful propmaking, will find a visit most rewarding.

The Necronomicon, Milliput Mog Edition

2011-10-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

An interesting take on the Necronomicon from "Milliput Mog". It seems to be a prop for a British television production. Anyone have an idea what show it was used on?

This is Not Cthulhu

2011-10-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

This is a vintage stamped brass jewelry finding of an octopus. It costs $2.75 at the provided link and you can find it for significantly less at a variety of jewelry supply houses.

It is an octopus. A very nice octopus, to be sure, but nothing more.

It is not Cthulhu. Epoxying it to a gear does not make a steampunk Cthulhu. Putting it on the end of a chain does not make a Cthulhu necklace. Adding an earring mount does not make it a Cthulhu earring. Adding a backing pin does not make it a Cthulhu lapel pin. Gluing it to a barrette does not make a Cthulhu hair clip.

If you feel a deep and abiding need to pay $45 or more for this octopus and pretend that it is Cthulhu, please contact me. I'll sell you one for half that.

Cordially,
Snarky "Etsy is a scourge upon the Earth" McSnark

Update: Dr. Curiosity pointed out that others have trod this path before. Please check it out.

Stuff like this rarely sets me off. I'm normally a live and let live, do your own thing kind of guy. Love cute little crocheted Cthulhus? No problem mate, it's just not my cup of tea.

But the insidious proliferation of this particular finding masquerading as Cthulhu is just too much. It's. Freaking. Everywhere.

Corpse Nails

2011-10-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

"Fumsmusings" has posted hundreds of makeup and special effects tutorials on Youtube, including this one on creating the ragged fingernails of a corpse. It's obviously useful if you're doing any kind of undead costume for a live action event, but the technique would be ideal for prop use. Mummified hands are a perennially popular occult artifact. Most of them look less than convincing because the fingernails are added as an afterthought and look too flat. This approach would go a long way towards making a believable reproduction.

Four Years On

2011-10-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of Propnomicon. The first post back in 2007 featured a tutorial from Make on crafting your own vampire fangs. Since then there have been 1265 more posts, a number I never imagined I'd reach back then.

The basic focus of the blog is the same today as it was four years ago, but there have been some major changes. During the first two months of it's existence there were 22 visitors in total. Now the blog gets an average of just under a thousand hits a day. In total there have been 611,334 unique visits since the blog started, and 1,407,413 page views. Here's a look at the Sitemeter logs as of this morning.

That's all just a drop in the bucket to the traffic generated by one of the top tier tech blogs, but for one servicing a tiny niche audience it's pretty impressive. Here's a look at how the readership breaks down in terms of nationality over the last month.

Here are the most popular posts by subject over the same time frame.

While the growth in readership has been a real positive some other developments over the last year weren't quite so pleasant. I was slapped with cease and desist orders by two artists and received threats of legal action from a third. The first C&D was for linking to pictures of a prop being offered for sale that did, indeed, infringe the artist's copyright. I complied with that one and removed the link. The second was for linking to pictures of another prop that was in a private collection. I politely declined to comply with it and haven't heard a peep since.

The threatened lawsuit was a little more involved. The artist in question thought that the various "kits" I've featured infringed on his own work. I provided documentation for the existence of various vampire, werewolf, and witch hunting kits, not to mention embellished wunderkammer-style presentations of exotic creatures, stretching back into the early 20th century. When that wasn't enough I pointed out that his own work was simply a copy of those earlier efforts. That really set him off.

Eventually I had to drag the family lawyer into the picture. Helpfully, in addition to being an experienced advocate he happens to be a prop collector. Many of the items I've posted were destined for his own collection, and the first Antarctic expedition patch was created largely at his urging. Thanks to his efforts the absurd legal threats came to an end.

So that's where things stand with Propnomicon as it enters it's fifth year. I want to sincerely thank you for supporting not only the blog, but it's associated projects. It's been a real pleasure bringing it to you. I hope you'll find it even better in the year to come.