Mounted Fae

Artist Johnathan Rode brings us this excellent mounted fairy.  The sculpt is fantastically alien, but it's the paintjob that really shines.  Click  through to the full sized picture so you can take a close look at.  There's some very subtle anatomical detail complimenting the lionfish-style skin coloration.

Halloween FX Props

Please join me in welcoming our newest sponsor, Halloween FX Props. In addition to carrying a huge variety of off-the-shelf props they have a nice selection of propmaking materials, including some attractively priced moldmaking and casting supplies. They're also running a Halloween prop building contest with a grand prize of a complete pneumatics package for animated props. The deadline for entry is September 15th.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Reid Edition.

Carter Reid brings us some work in progress shots (1,2,3) of this Cthulhu embossment.  The finished resin castings will adorn the covers of some hand-bound journals.

Fear

 Contrarian that I am, I held off on having my mid-life crisis until well after all my peers went through the sportscar/motorcycle phase.  Now that I've embraced it, I find myself torn between trying to meet the sartorial standards of being a biker and being keenly aware of the absurdity of same.  This t-shirt design is the result.  The standard iconography of biker gear combined with a cool Lovecraft quote!  Heh.

If you like it, it's available in my Zazzle shop.  The base design is set up for a short sleeved black t-shirt, but you can customize it on a long-sleeve or hoodie.

Creatures of the Dark Crystal

Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal" is a landmark in the history of creature design.   When it was released in 1982 it marked the first time in history that filmmakers created an entire world from the ground up.  Never before, and rarely since, have artists and designers had an opportunity to build not only alien cultures, but an entire ecology.

Hundreds of people helped bring the world of the Dark Crystal to life, but it was Brian Froud who provided the over-arching vision.   He produced thousands of designs for the film, from plant life and insects to the incredibly detailed costumes and artifacts of the world's intelligent races.  That artwork, and the creative process behind its creation, would form the basis of The World of the Dark Crystal, a massive coffee table book collecting his designs.

I fell in love with the book the first time I flipped through it at WaldenBooks.  The sheer depth of thought that went into the film was mind blowing.  It was a revelation to see how the orbital mechanics of an alien star system influenced everything, from the spiraling iconography of the Skeksis and Mystics to the anatomy of the world's creatures.  It was the first example of fictional worldbuilding I ever encountered, and to this day it stands as one of the best.

Over thirty years later the film is still inspiring fans.  Last year the Henson Company sponsored a creature design contest, with a trip to a special commemorative screening of the film as the grand prize.  The entries are pretty amazing.  I'm not a fan of "cute" creature depictions, but even the ones that veer into that territory show real craftsmanship.   Follow the link to take a look at over a dozen entries, each with it's own gallery.

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

A kind reader asked if I was involved with an "interactive e-book" version of "At the Mountains of Madness".  Much to my surprise, I am.  The creators have lifted both my Miskatonic University seal and Miskatonic Antarctic Expedition logo.  I'm not sure if they're actually used in the book, but they're definitely offering premiums using both.

What I really dislike about situations like this is the pointlessness of the theft.  Non-commercial projects are free to use anything here for a simple credit.  I'm also extremely loose with commercial licensing.  I think I've only "charged" for use twice, and in both cases I just wanted a copy of the finished project. 

Update: My thanks for all the kind words.  The creators of the Ebook have removed all the infringing material from their Kickstarter page.

The Golden Tome

Aegeri brings us the Golden Book.  The beautiful tome features a hand-crafted cover, leather bindings, and hand illuminated interior pages.  Check out the full gallery for a closer look at the details.