Building a (Prop! Fake!) Bomb

Builder and former movie SFX artist Dave Fogler has a fun look at creating a prop bomb on a tight deadline for an upcoming film.  He starts with a collection of reference photos approved by the director for the the overall look of the device.  Then it's a matter of grabbing electronic bits and bobs to assemble the final prop.  That includes recreating the look of plastic explosives using a decidedly low-tech approach- coating a cardboard box in clay and giving it a coat of paint.

Bonus:  He actually pays attention to one of the biggest issues with a prop like this.  Once it's done, how to you send it through the mail without having a SWAT team show up at your door? 

 

Babylonian Cthulhu Idol

BVDV14 brings us this recreation of the Babylonian Cthulhu idol featured in Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities series on Netflix.  It's based on the original design created by artist and designer Guy Davis, one of the director's long-time collaborators.

Using Wax Seals

Wax seals are one of the easiest ways to take tabletop RPG props to the next level.  Christina Makes Things over on YouTube has posted a great video covering the basic technique and some more advanced procedures.  That includes blending colors, highlighting, and the use of wax molds and sticker backings.  

Woman of the Woods

Model Margaret Kery brings us this stunning costume created by Brutal Workshop.  It's a good example of how layers of texture add to each other to create a cumulative impression.  You should click through to check out the complete photo series. 

 

Great Cthulhu

Danish artist Anders Lerche brings us this clay master sculpt for what is soon to be a latex Cthulhu mask.

 

 

Classic Era Camping Gear

One of the attractions of classic era Mythos gaming is the sheer romance of it all.  Much of the world was still terra incognita in the 1920s.  Expeditions to the dark corners of the earth (see what I did there?) were a prominent feature of pulp adventure in general and Lovecraft's work in particular.  Miskatonic University made a habit of exploring the blank areas of the map, with teams heading to Australia in "The Shadow Out of Time" and the infamous Antarctic expedition of "At the Mountains of Madness".

That's one of the reasons I love things like this in-depth look at period camping gear from Waypoint Survival.  Horace Kephart was one of the giants of recreational "roughing it" in the classic era.  If you find the video interesting you'll definitely want to check out "The Book Of Camping And Woodcraft" it's based on.  Digital copies are available for free over on archive.org.  

The Chalice of Babylon

Jason Soles of Gods Below has been producing some of the best Mythos and occult-adjacent artwork for years.  What sets his work apart, beyond his unique style, is that his castings are actual metal.  That includes this disturbing piece in bronze and sterling silver, the Chalice of Babylon.