MIA

My sincere apologies for not keeping the blog updated.  Sadly, I'm undergoing a rather vexing crisis in my personal life.  Nothing life-threatening, for those of  you that were concerned, but definitely life-changing.  Everything should be straightened out in a few days.

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Dyagileva Edition.

Long time readers of the blog know that one of my pet peeves is the lack of more mainstream depictions of Cthulhu.   Hordes of artists are creating horrific idols inspired by Lovecraft's works, but there's a notable dearth of more playful items.  Where are the crocheted Cthulhus, the Cthulhu ski caps, and plush Cthulhus that would open up the Mythos to a whole new audience? 

Thankfully, things are starting to turn around.  Russian artist Marina Dyagileva brings us this delightfully cute take on the Great Old One.  Gaze into those love-filled eyes and see the future of the Mythos!

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.