Wednesday, January 31, 2024

AI and the Art of Propmaking

This is the future.

I've discussed my own use of generative AI like MidJourney for propmaking a couple of times.  It's a fantastic resource that can help you produce some amazing documents and handouts. "Cah242" brings us another example of what's possible with this nicely done tome.  He's using it to provide a series of clues to the players in his ongoing Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game.





Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Great Cthulhu

This towering "King Cthulhu" from artist Lee Joyner is one of the biggest figures ever featured here.  The raw casting is a staggering 22" high.  That's 13 lbs. of resin.  It's a wonderful sculpt with excellent texture work, but there's something to be said for the sheer bloody size of it.


 



Monday, January 29, 2024

Wizarding Wands

The talented McCormick Wands returns to our pages with this wonderful tableaux featuring their Nightfury wand, carved from bocote wood, flanked by two Aurora wands in zebrano.  I can personally endorse the quality of their work.


 

Friday, January 26, 2024

Tablet of Prophecy

Artist MSRaynsford was hired to create this prophetic prop tablet for a live action roleplaying event.  It was made from laser engraved MDF and then painted with a stone finish.


 



Thursday, January 25, 2024

Idol of Great Cthulhu

Alberto Camargo returns to our pages with another unique take on the traditional Cthulhu idol.   Click through for a full gallery of this piece and his other work.


 

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

The Alkahest Suspension

Josh W. Kinsey is a professional fabricator and propmaker in Oregon.  He specializes in custom installations and devices, producing bespoke items for both businesses and individuals.  The amazing Alkahest Suspension below is just one example of his work.  You really need to browse his entire website

 


 



Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The Head(s) of Edward Mordrake

"Edward Mordake (sometimes spelled Mordrake) is the apocryphal subject of an urban legend who was born in the 19th century as the heir to an English peerage with a face at the back of his head.[1] According to legend, the face could whisper, laugh or cry. Mordake repeatedly begged doctors to remove it, claiming it whispered bad things to him at night. Mordake died by suicide at the age of 23."

 - Wikipedia entry for Edward Mordake

This wonderfully gruesome recreation of the late Mr. Mordrake's mummified head comes to us from artist EJShindler.


 

Monday, January 22, 2024

Tome of the Red Dragon

The appropriately named Dragonariums brings us this gorgeous red dragon tome.  Featuring a custom binding and hand-tooled leather cover.

 


 

Friday, January 19, 2024

Aether Storage Unit

 You can never have too much aether, amirite?  This well made aether storage unit, incorporating a variety of bits and bobs including a vintage Soviet bloodletting cup, comes to us from Adventure Depot.


 

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Book of the Skull

This skull-themed prop tome comes to us from the talented Sladjana Vukelic.  I love her very distinctive worn and weathered appearance.


 

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Viking LARP Gear

This Viking-themed leather pouch and bracer set comes to us from Enric Pujol Art. An amazing level of craftsmanship on the hand tooled knotwork designs.




Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Elder Thing Star Stone

"Recovered during the Starkweather-Moore Expedition of 1933 and then subsequently acquired by Prof. William Dyer of Miskatonic University. This piece of extremely ancient soapstone was discovered near an undisclosed location in Antarctica. Seemingly fashioned into the curious star shape by artificial means not weathering. Sets of dot patterns have been theorized to be an unknown primitive language or constellation maps. Item is of possible extraterrestrial origin and correlates with descriptions of fabled "Elder Things" use of five pointed star motifs in construction and art."

Jason McKittrick brings us his recreation of the Elder Thing star stone from Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness".  As usual, the craftsmanship and presentation are outstanding.


 

Monday, January 15, 2024

Lord of the Night

Morok Art Studios returns to our pages with this glorious idol of the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca.  As much as I love this sculpt it would definitely give me the heebie jeebies if I saw it on someone's shelf.  You never know if they just appreciate multiculturalism, or are into that whole "appease the Gods with human sacrifice" thing.




Friday, January 12, 2024

Amulet of the Old One

 This nicely patinated Cthulhu amulet comes to us from artist Dan Hiryak.


 

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Voraciflora Dentata

Venus flytraps and pitcher plants are neat, but carnivorous plants that are a bit more aggressive are far more impressive.  Monsterlabs Studios brings us this specimen of Voraciflora Dentata.  It's fully poseable and features some amazing texture work.


 



Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Historical Letter Writing

The Townsends channel is one of the best historical resources available on YouTube.  The vast majority of their content doesn't really cross over into Propnomicon's areas of interest, focusing on colonial life in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Their videos about period cooking, clothing, and technology provide a great foundation for worldbuilding, but doesn't have much to do with propmaking.

 Until.. it does.

If you have any interest in historical letter writing I strongly recommend their latest video.  It's an absolutely treasure trove of information that touches on every single aspect of the subject.  That includes  details about choosing a quill and trimming it for use, the difference between laid and wove paper, ink formulations and use, the intricacies of using wax seals, and techniques for letter folding.  I found the discussion of wafer seals particularly interesting.  

Anyone intrigued at the idea of adding more epistolary elements to a tabletop RPG will find it invaluable.

Monday, January 8, 2024

Samurai Skull

Dolen Carag kicks off the new year with this samurai-themed carved human skull.  


 

Friday, January 5, 2024

Dwarven Journal

Is there anything cooler than stumbling across an old journal in the course of a dungeon delve?  This cool tabletop prop comes to us from Ryan Eury.  The worn and water-stained book will be discovered by his players in the depths of an abandoned Dwarven clanhold.


 

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Tools of the Trade

I love this set from Wyrdcor.  The hand forged, primitive cleaver-style knife and vegvisir pouch look great together.


 

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Idol of Baphomet

Artist Ebrahel Lurci has a very unique, organic style that lends itself well to horror and fantasy subjects.  Case in point- this wonderful idol of Baphomet.


 

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Monday, January 1, 2024

Horned Idol of Atlantis

One of the best Indiana Jones adventures wasn't on the big screen.  I'm talking about 1992's "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" video game.  It featured a world-hopping tale that captured everything great about the series, from battling Nazis to delving into forbidden history.  One of the highlights was the horned idol that was, literally, the key to the whole thing.  Golden Armor brings us this reproduction of the statuette with a fantastic metallic finish.