Idol of Dagon

Ukrainian artist Petro Petrovsky of Petrovsky Gargoyles brings us this nicely done idol of Dagon.  It's a great sculpt elevated by excellent weathering.  It really does look like something you would see displayed behind glass at a museum.

 

 

Idol of Shub-Niggurath

 

"Ever Their praises, and abundance to the Black Goat of the Woods. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young!"

- H.P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in Darkness 

 Morok Art Studio returns to our pages with this creeptastic idol of Shub-Niggurath. 

 

 

"Murder of Crows" Props

This collection of props for the "Murder of Crows" scenario for Call of Cthulhu comes to us from Pomchop.  Believe it or not, the Abenaki spirit stone was created using salt dough, the same simple material beloved by teachers and generations of kids. 

 

Tablets of Mara

The fine folks at the Orangutan Shipping Company bring us the three tablets of Mara from the infamous Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Disn....er, the Lost Delta region of modern India.  

 

 

The Silver Key

Skelton Crew Studios brings us the key to the Gate of Dreams from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Silver Key".  It was designed by artist Gabriel Rodriguez, cast in metal, and then silver plated.

Eldritch Totem

Burned Raven Tales returns to our pages with another mysterious artifact- the Eldritch Totem.  Cast in resin with a bronze powder finish.

"These totems depict an ancient god and are carried by their worshipers.   Many are found in the ocean as offerings to invoke the ancient gods help or blessing." 

 

 

Up From the Depths

We wrap up the week with a cool idol of Dagon from from Black Shawarma Shop over on Etsy.   

 

Eldritch Fertility Statue

A new curio from Burned Raven Tales is always a cause for celebration.  This time it's a faux bronze "Eldritch Fertility Statue" that mixes a familiar Lovecraftian form with the exaggerated feminine attributes of paleolithic Venus figurines.  

 

 

Mask of Mithra

This beautiful mask of the ancient Iranian diety Mithra comes to us from Canadian artist Menighbe.  Cast in resin and then finished in gold and silver leaf.

 

 

Alchemist's Bag

Outcast Props returns to our pages with this nicely done full leather alchemist's bag.  It's designed to serve as a portable workshop and laboratory, with multiple slots for potions, vials, ingredients, and a removable drawer for document storage.  It mirrors a lot of the design cues from historical medicine chests going back to the age of sail.

 

 

The Crawling Chaos

Molech996 brings us this excellent clay relief of Nyarlathotep.  

 

 

Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Props

I absolutely love discovering obscure props created by passionate fans.  This thread over on the Replica Prop Forum is a prime example.  Like all right-thinking people, Lukeiswho is a huge fan of the Granada Television Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett.  Over the years he's created an impressive collection of props based on those used in the show, recreating them in excruciating detail.  You really need to click through to appreciate the level of dedication on display.  

 

Spates Catalog of Nameless Horrors

"T. Watson Spates published an annual periodical, starting in early 1901. It was billed as a compendium of nameless horrors and sensationalized the occult. Spates often chose the most fantastic lore he could find. It found popularity with both students of the occult and those who simply loved reading fiction. It was said to be a favorite of Harry Houdini and H.P. Lovecraft. The periodicals were collected into a compilation titled "Spates Catalog". Spates ended the periodical in 1935 and retired a wealthy man."

That description of "Spates Catalog of Nameless Horrors" comes from the Ghostbuster's Wiki.  The book itself was only mentioned in passing in the original movie, but had significantly more backstory added in the IDW Ghostbusters comics.  Now the legendary Mignoli Props has produced a reproduction version, and it's pretty incredible.  The prop runs to 350 pages and is filled with dozens of articles, mixing real-world history, haunted locations, supernatural events, and quite a few easter eggs based on other media properties.  Ghostbusters News has a nice, in-depth look that will make it an instant buy for many.

Nyarlathotep

This fantastic digital sculpt of Nyarlathotep comes to us from artist Alex Carratala.  Click through for a full gallery and 360 degree view.  It was directly inspired by Nyarlathotep's sonnet in Lovecraft's "The Fungi from Yuggoth". 

 

 

Phyrexian Mask

Grumbly Art brings us this creeptastic mask inspired by the Phyrexians from Magic: The Gathering.

 

 

Hand of Glory

The Hand of Glory is a foul bit of black magic that allows thieves to open all doors and travel undetected.  It was first documented in the Petit Albert in the 18th century.

"Take the right or left hand of a felon who is hanging from a gibbet beside a highway; wrap it in part of a funeral pall and so wrapped squeeze it well. Then put it into an earthenware vessel with zimat, nitre, salt and long peppers, the whole well powdered. Leave it in this vessel for a fortnight, then take it out and expose it to full sunlight during the dog-days until it becomes quite dry. If the sun is not strong enough put it in an oven with fern and vervain. Next make a kind of candle from the fat of a gibbeted felon, virgin wax, sesame, and ponie, and use the Hand of Glory as a candlestick to hold this candle when lighted, and then those in every place into which you go with this baneful instrument shall remain motionless."

This particular specimen was acquired by Dan Baines, who is no stranger to these pages. 

 

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? 

 

Icons of Nyarlathotep

Ceramicist WestwoodFM returns to our pages with these icons of Nyarlathotep's Black Pharaoh aspect.

 

 

A Hobbit's Desk

Michael R. Miranda returns to our pages with this wonderful tableaux of a hobbit's desk, filled with a variety of prop documents and items.

As an aside, I've always wanted to run a hobb...er, halfling-only fantasy RPG campaign.  They're well known for being the only race almost totally immune to dark magic and eldritch influences, making them ideal delvers for locations filled with arcane corruption.  It would be a cozy mystery version of Call of Cthulhu, with a touch of Indiana Jones.  

 

Idol of the Gatekeeper

Tomàs Barceló returns to our pages with this wonderfully alien idol of Goem, guardian of the gates of Hell.