The Homestretch

The "Whispers from R'lyeh" Cthulhu Ouija board kickstarter is tantalizingly close to hitting it's goal. Remember, every person in communication with the Dark Powers moves us one step closer to that glorious day when the stars are right!

Taint of the Wolf

The latest bits for the Viking Mythos project veer into more traditional Norse culture.  The Úlfhednar were berserker warriors who embraced the spirit of the wolf, as opposed to the more traditional bear.  Historically, the transformation was assisted by donning pelts and body parts from wolves.

I want to take that idea and give it more of a Mythos spin.   These coyote teeth, stand-ins for the far more expensive wolf teeth, will be part of a ritual fetish.  I'm envisioning a pelt adorned with teeth and claws.  Tying that imagery back into the Mythos, I'm planning to put together the accoutrements for whipping up the Draught of Ubbo-Sathla.  That Elder God's protoplasmic, ever-shifting nature seems like a good match for the "truth" behind the Viking legends.

Leather Tome

Mille Cuirs brings us a grimoire from his personal collection.  This comes from back in the day, when he first started crafting tomes.   I've made a few tomes in my time and I'm still not close to being this good at it.

Witch's Jawbone

Fox Henderson returns to our pages with this curious artifact from the vaults of Bureau 51- a witch's jawbone.  Both the relic and its display case are outstanding.

The Rot

Makeup effects artist Steve Harris brings us this detailed tutorial for a gruesome infected flesh effect.   Everything you need (glycerin, gelatin, makeup) is available at your local mega-mart.

Case #171

 Redditor "Pink On Inside" posted this nicely done FBI case file on Imgur. I'm leery of using the actual FBI seal, since the statutes regarding the use of official government seals are pretty vague.   

Idol of Shub-Niggurath

The Viking Mythos project continues.  This week saw the addition of some leather pouches and this absolutely perfect idol of Shub-Niggurath from Copper Centipede. He has a couple of variations available in his Etsy store.

The Night Floors, Part Deux

Following on to yesterday's post, here's a quick and dirty version of one of the handouts used in The Night Floors.  I won't say more in order to avoid spoilers.  Just click on the image and open it in another tab to get the full sized graphic.

The Night Floors

Here's something a bit different.  I banged this out based on a request from a Redditor for an audio prop for a "Call of Cthulhu" scenario.   The clip is part of Dennis Detwiller's "The Night Floors" for "Delta Green", which just happens to be available at his website.  It's a very moody piece that makes a great one-shot for Halloween.  The faux-voicemail message is available for download at SoundCloud.  Those of a delicate sensibility should be aware that there's some fleeting adult language in the clip.

RPG Answering Machine Message Prop by Propnomicon

If you happen to need any kind of voiceover work for a game please don't hesitate to drop me a line.   It's a fun change of pace from the monster truck and concert spots I do for a living.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Kezeff Edition.

Kezeff brings us this awesomely stylized Cthulhu idol. 

Birthday Present

Today marks H.P. Lovecraft's birthday, and Jason McKittrick celebrates the occasion with this limited edition bust.  The piece is only available for 24 hours.

Harsh Reality

There's a good chance that some of you have recently been approached by the producers of a reality television series.

I would suggest, in the strongest possible terms, that you think long and hard about having anything to do with such a project.

To give you a little perspective on where I'm coming from, I've spent my entire career working in the media.   Until you've seen the beast from the inside you just can't comprehend how fake most "reality" based entertainment is.  A relatively mild example can be found on most radio morning shows.  Those outrageous callers with bizarre personal problems are, for the most part, actors and actresses.  The same goes for 99% of the prank phone calls that are broadcast.  I don't have a problem with that kind of thing.  It's purely for entertainment and just a bit of harmless fun.

There's an argument to be made that reality television is more of the same.  What makes it different is the lack of concern with separating the character the producers want to develop with the real person they're molding into that role.  And rest assured, you are going to be molded.  If you agree to be part of one of these shows you will be flattered,  your ego will be stroked, and you will find yourself the center of attention.  All that delightful kow-towing has only one goal- to make you entertaining to an audience.  

Just be aware that the character they want you to play is going to be with you forever.   What seems like a harmless lark can turn into something you'll regret for years.

Warhammer 40K Medical Supplies

I love coming across niche props like these.  Light Tricks brings us a collection of medical supplies from the world of "Warhammer 40K".   His gallery includes multiple styles of field dressings, medic armbands, medical logos, triage charts, and more.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Centipede Edition

Copper Centipede returns with his latest carved Cthulhu idol.

Whispers from R'lyeh

Please welcome our latest sponsor, the Whispers from R'lyeh Kickstarter project.  Alberto Cano is the man behind this effort to produce a Cthulhu-themed Ouija board.  The board artwork is impressive.

The very talented Daniel Ritthanondh is no stranger to these pages. He's provided the master sculpt for the planchette that comes with the set.

You'll find more information about the project at their Kickstarter page, including some nice pledge rewards.

Detailing EVA Foam

Will Morgan at WM Armory brings us a handy tutorial on detailing EVA foam.  It's impressive how cosplayers have pushed the boundaries of what's possible with formerly overlooked materials.

The Bones

The talented Carim Nahaboo brings us this nicely done fetal skull.   The piece was sculpted from air drying clay, .

The Yamada Texts

Dr. Takeshi Yamada is one of the world's premiere sideshow gaff artists.  He's done more to popularize the artform than anyone else.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he's embraced the Mythos with an extensive series of faux grimoire pages through his "Coney Island UFO Research Institute".

The Map from Pnakotus

Dale Bigford returns with another amazing prop set.  This time the centerpiece is an ancient map of the world containing secrets man was not meant to know- the Map from Pnakotus.   The well done accessories include multiple containers from its journey around the globe and through history.

The map itself is scribed on real parchment from Pergamena, one of the few companies still producing the real thing. 

Mr. Bigford was kind enough to share his technique for creating those nifty wax seals:

Go to a trophy place or any place that does laser engraving (wood plaques etc) bring them in the image (better to email them a digital one they can manipulate) and bring them in a piece of THICK plexiglass.

They can engrave plexiglass as easily as wood. BE SURE to tell them you want the image REVERSED ( the PICTURE cut IN and the outlines and BORDERS left RAISED) for a wax seal.

Once it's done cut them out (I recommend a bandsaw then a table top disk sander). Then glue (GORILLA GLUE) a "stamp handle" of some sort to the back.

NOW: It's TRICKY to make the seals. Plexiglass does NOT let go of the wax as easily as metal. Pour the wax onto a pane of glass, let it cool a bit (this takes practice to gauge) then press in the seal and LEAVE IT until the wax is totally cool (I place it in the fridge, it shrinks the wax and plexiglass, makes them harder and allows them to separate easier).

It's COMMON for the seal to not want to let go. You can experiment with breathing condensation onto the seal first, using water or a THIN coat of oil. The wax will be vacuumed to the glass. Start working the seal off slowly (NOT EASY) then razor blade the seal off the glass.

If the wax tears or will not come out of the seal properly (the smaller/more intricate the design the harder it is to release from all the nooks and crannies) Run it under VERY hot (you may have to boil some then pour it over it slowly) water and it will melt out the wax/clean the seal out. Then TRY TRY AGAIN!

After that drip some of the hot wax on whatever you want then lay the seal into it to attach it.

With the engraving: the SHALLOWER the image is cut the EASIER it is to make and remove the stamp!

Daikan Font

Carlos Ignacio Pellegrini brings us Daikan, the font for his constructed language of the same name.

Runic Fantasy Fonts

One of my dearest pleasures is stumbling across a cool prop resource that should be getting more attention.  These fantasy fonts from Holger Göbber are a great example.  He's crafted the characters for two different fantasy language families and then produced a total of seven variants from those basic designs.  I like his take on Elven runes, but the fonts for "Lorrian Scripture" and "Alternative Elven Runes" stand out as something special. 

The fact that these fonts haven't received a lot of exposure is a shame, but it does have the benefit of avoiding the "Tengwar, again?" effect when they're used in documents and props.

Mask of the Dragon Priest

Kezeff brings us this recreation of a Dragon Priest mask from Skyrim.  The carbon fiber (!) sports a nicely done patinated bronze finish.

The Amazonian Specimens

Christian Alpini recently discovered these curious specimens in the effects of Professor De Bedenettis. The creatures, a rarely seen insect species, were collected in the Amazon basin back in the 70s.  The English translation of the webpage is available via Google Translate over here.

Dagon and Cthulhu

These gigantic idols of Dagon and Cthulhu are the work of Amber Arpin and Dave Helfrey.  They were apparently used in a Lovecraft-themed Halloween haunted house in Portland. 

Fossilized Drakeling

Artist Sarah Wilkinson brings us this intriguing drakeling fossil.  The bones were individually sculpted from polymer clay and then imbedded in air drying clay.

Relic of the Great Race

Jason McKittrick returns with this nicely presented "Relic of the Great Race".  It's a limited edition piece for Gold members of the Cryptocurium Inner Sanctum.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Edi the Mad Edition.

Edi the Mad has taken on the challenge of recreating the Ur-Cthulhu idol depicted in Lovecraft's original sketch.

Quick and Dirty Vacuum Forming

Professional modelmaker Fon Davis demonstrates a vacuum forming setup kludged together with some clever trailer park engineering.  Via Eric Hart's Prop Agenda.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Tóbal Edition.

Tóbal returns to our pages with a casting of his Mayan Cthulhu idol in translucent resin.  The opaque detail wash helps recreate the look of ancient jade.