Cthulhu Fhtagn! Tóbal Edition.

Tóbal delves into the restricted collection at Miskatonic University to bring us this interesting find- a paleolithic Cthulhu idol.  From the associated documents and photographs it appears the artifact was excavated during an expedition to Austria.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Slater Edition.

New Zealand artist Carlos Slater brings us this 3D printed Cthulhu idol on Thingiverse.  I suspect that within a decade we'll see an explosion in short run sculptures like this.  As the technology continues to mature the price of creating custom pieces is going to drop down to a pittance. 

Forging With Foam

Will Morgan of WM Armory has posted a pretty comprehensive collection of tips for crafting costumes and props from EVA foam. 

Anyone considering a live action game should take a look at his techniques.  No matter what genre you're playing in foamcrafting is an ideal method for making costumes and props. The materials and tools are inexpensive and easy to obtain.  With his tutorials and a little patience anyone can craft useful items.  With a little experience you can go beyond that and create some truly incredible props, like this fusion rifle from "Destiny".

 

Old Tilman Beer

One of my favorite things is discovering props based on books.   Lovecraft's work is far and above the most popular inspiration for those literary props, but it's not the only fictional world that inspires cool stuff.   Imagine my joy at stumbling across these prop labels for "Old Tilman" beer, Honor Harrington's brew of choice.  They're the work of graphic designer Nicole Hefner.

If you haven't read the Honor Harrington series I would heartily recommend giving them a try.  It's a rip-roaring, futuristic take on the Age of Sail consciously patterned after Horatio Hornblower.  The later books in the series are increasingly Mary Sue-ish, but the secondary characters and interesting technological extrapolation help make up for it.  They're published by Baen, which has an outstanding "try before you buy" philosophy.  The first novel in the series, "On Basilisk Station" is available for free, along with the opening chapters of every other book. 

The Gods Themselves

Animator Richard Svensson has been working on the Lovecraftian short film "The Other Gods" for the last two years. One reason it's taken so long is that he had to create the titular beings. His look at that process includes some great techniques for anyone interested in creating gaff creatures.  His method for creating tentacles out of latex coated string wound around an armature is nothing short of brilliant.

Beastly Baby

This intriguing bit of fetal nastiness comes to us from Christopher Ghio. 

Brown Jenkin Pendant

Brown Jenkin from "Dreams in the Witch House" is arguably one of Lovecraft's most horrific creations.  Gage Prentiss brings us this nicely done tribute.   

The Glow

Kamui Cosplay brings us a simple technique for creating glowing orbs. This would be great as a focal point for an occult artifact.  High emission LEDs make it easy for anyone to add integral lighting to a prop. 

The Red Dragon

Mille Cuirs returns to our pages with the Red Dragon grimoire. 

Quick and Dirty Silicone Molds

Darcy Wilkinson of "Art and Sole" brings us a handy tutorial on using silicone caulk, cornstarch, and hot glue for molding and casting. Her tutorial focuses on reproducing scrapbooking embellishments, but it's equally applicable to any kind of small detail piece. The minimal materials make it ideal for anyone operating on a shoestring budget.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Landron Edition.

Al Landron returns to our pages with a new Cthulhu wall relief.  The antique bronze finish is very well done.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Carter Edition.

Zombie Carter is providing a running commentary on his build up of a new Cthulhu idol.  The third installment focuses on his approach to detailing the base.

So far I’ve just got the two sides of the idols base completed.  You’ll notice the upper picture is kind of shiny.  I haven’t cooked it yet to harden it.  You’ve got to cook the Kato clay at 300 degrees for about a half hour to harden the clay.  This is after I smoothed the details with a fine brush and turpentine to knock back my tool marks.

The Vault Dweller

Normally propmaker Mark Cordory is crafting pieces for other people.  This time he brings us his personal costume for the "Vault 57" LARP in England.  As you would expect, the craftsmanship is impeccable.

The Peruvian Stigmas

"Highbury Cemetary" brings us these wonderful deformed skulls collected from a Peruvian burial site.  Considering they're made with expanding foam and a cheap Halloween skull as a mold the results are all out of proportion to the effort required.  The site includes a detailed writeup of their creation. 

Bioshock Infinite Founder Soldier

This amazing recreation of the Founder Soldier suit from "Bioshock Infinite" comes to us from Calen Hoffman.  The entire costume was crafted from EVA foam and does an impressive job of recreating the look of leather.

Deep One Plaque

I absolutely love the Deep One plaque included in the March "Parcel of Terror" from Cryptocurium.  It's no longer available, but I would strongly suggest taking a look at the current offering. For the sake of disclosure I should point out that Jason McKittrick is a long-time advertiser on the site.  That said, I was featuring his work long before we had any kind of business relationship.

The Obelisk of Yog-Sothoth

The Obelisk of Yog-Sothoth, carved from real alabaster, is brought to us by Copper Centipede.  This seems like something that could be sitting around for years in some obscure corner of a collection.  Unless you're aware of it's Mythos significance it's just a curious carving.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Mau5 Edition.

Mythos works that draw on the imagery of H.R. Giger are nothing new, but this Cthulhu idol from Mau5 is one of the better examples.  These are renders of the digital sculpt he's currently finalizing for 3-D printing.

The Hand of Dr. Klaw

Jacob Petersson returns to our pages with The Klaw, the signature accoutrement of the infamous seafood chef Doktor Klaw. No, really.  I would still be watching the endless stream of cook-off shows on cable if the participants had gear like this. 

Sigil of the Snake God

This recreation of the snake cult amulet from the original "Conan the Barbarian" comes to us from Andres Feliciano.  It's a little discouraging that the 1982 movie is the only adaptation of Robert E. Howard's work that's come close to capturing his spirit of adventure.  "Solomon Kane" had it's moments, particularly the awesome "So be it!" scene, but things just fell apart in the third act.

Elder Sign Pendant

S.D. Williams returns to our pages with this nicely done Elder Sign stone pendant.

Casting With Metal Powder

Will Morgan at WM Armory brings us a detailed tutorial on using metal powders for resin castings. 

Dungeons and Dragons Props

A Reddit thread on using props in DnD yielded these well done pieces from Avason.  After the success of prop-heavy Kickstarters for Mythos adventures I suspect we're going to see the same treatment applied to tabletop fantasy games.

The Blistering One

Mille Cuirs returns to our pages with Le Pustuant, their latest grimoire.  As you would expect, the craftsmanship and design work is impeccable.  One of the hallmarks of a great concept is that it's instantly evocative.  After seeing this I immediately wanted to know more about its history and purpose.

Fallout Laser Rifle

John Haddock brings us this beautifully done AER-9 Laser Rifle from "Fallout".  It's designed as a cosplay accessory that breaks down into multiple pieces for transport. 

Vintage Parcel Labels

The clever marketers at the World Label corporation deserve a lot of credit.  They regularly post vintage postal material like these customizable vintage parcel labels. The PDFs just so happen to perfectly fit their adhesive label sheets, but they're equally handy for prop use.

The Voices

This will not end well.  Russian artist Margarita Dunwich brings us this nicely done tableau.  Remember, when you call out into the void don't be surprised when something answers back.

Termite Fairy

Tóbal brings us this specimen of Pseudofata lignatermes, the rare termite fairy. I love seeing naturalists collect fae.  Mainly because they're vicious, nasty animals in dire need of extermination.

A Mailbox Full of Mayhem

A new month, a new Parcel of Terror from Cryptocurium.  Jason McKittrick's latest offering features a plaque inspired by Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space", along with the goodies inspired by "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "The Amityville Horror", "The Shining", the classic Universal Werewolf, and traditional vampire hunting kits.  For $35 shipped it's an absolute steal.