The Cthulhu Seal

From Doktor A at Spookypop, the Seal of Cthulhu. Approximately 1.5" in size and cast in resin. I was surprised how well it reproduces the look of polished ivory. Sadly, the piece is long since sold out.

Faking Fossils

In the comments for yesterday's post on Rick Sardinha's fossilized dragon CoastConFan provided a link to a fascinating discussion about the proliferation of fake fossils. It's a major problem for serious collectors who might end up spending thousands of dollars on a rare, high quality specimen only to discover that it's just a cleverly made counterfeit. Worse, there's no recourse. By the time you discover you've been had the check has been cashed and the scam artist is long gone.

While faux fossils may be the bane of collectors, from a prop standpoint the linked article is a treasure trove of information for anyone looking to create their own fakes. Some of the techniques are obvious, such as carving the skeleton in relief and then staining it, but others are surprisingly inventive.

"The techniques utilized in creating PTEROSAUR and BIRD FOSSILS are identical and equally apply to both fossil types. Predominantly, these two methods are employed together:

1. Carving, sculpting, painting portions of the fossil that never were there INCLUDING SOFT TISSUE AND FEATHER IMPRESSIONS!!!

2. Assembling several components of fossil bones from several different incomplete animals into one animal.

3. Utilizing modern bird (or other type) bones arranged and embedded on a matrix slab or artificial matrix rock."

Fossilized Dragon

Artist Rick Sardinha brings us this fantastic fossilized dragon, one of many in his collection. It's sad that denialists refuse to recognize the existence of specimens like this.

Arkham Sanitarium Variant Logo

This was worked up for a Halloween attraction that features a horror asylum theme. They wanted a callback to Lovecraft's Arkham Sanitarium, but with a more modern design appropriate for an ambulance and incidental signage. Just click through for the high res version.

Sea Sprite

The Styles brings us this fantastic Sea Sprite. Click on it so you can take a look at the full-sized picture.

I wish I had just a fraction of the skill on display here. The basic form captures the look of real musculature under the skin, particularly in the tentacles. On top of that you have a simply masterful application of surface texture. And it's all set off with a paint job that perfectly reproduces the look of living flesh.

Cthulhu Cane Handle

Dr. Scolopendra brings us this beautifully detailed Cthulhu cane handle. The faux bronze finish is very well done.

My Curmudgeonly Ways

I just wanted to make one of my biannual postings about Propnomicon's subject matter.

In general, the blog focuses on realistic depictions of occult or horror subjects, and in particular, those based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft. That includes reference materials for making said props, a catchall area that includes everything from painting tutorials to map collections from the 1920s. I occasionally feature a science fiction prop if I find it particularly interesting.

Sadly, I have little or no interest in anything "cute".* That includes chibi Cthulhu, super-deformed Cthulhu, knitted Cthulhu hats or gloves, Cthulhu plushies, anime-style Cthulhu, smiley-face Cthulhu, and anything along those lines. I'm a crotchety old man and quit finding the ironic usage of the Mythos gut-bustingly funny about ten years ago. I definitely respect the amount of work and talent that go into those kinds of things, but they're not my cup of tea. Which reminds me- add Cthulhu tea cozies to that list.

I love when people send me pictures or links to props they've created. If you can share a little bit about how the piece was created and any special techniques you used I'm even more appreciative. I can't guarantee I'll use everything you send, but if it's similar to the kind of thing I normally feature it's a shoo in. If it doesn't get posted, please don't take it personally. Half the stuff I do never gets shown because I'm not happy with it or I wasn't able to get a decent picture.


*The one exception to this is my annual April Fools day post.