For That Special Someone

I was finally able to finish up the "Deep One" fetus project I mentioned last month.  It's available on Ebay, and would make the perfect gift for that special someone who appreciates mummified creatures.  Heh.

On a related note, I've been trying to get a handle on what kind of packing materials were used in the vintage era.  As you can imagine, there isn't an overwhelming amount of material available on the subject.  That means tracking down things like period office manuals and shipping guides in order to get some solid references.  So far it appears that wood excelsior or wood wool was the preferred packing material, followed distantly by packing paper and Spanish moss.  The latter two only seem to be popular in locations where they were dirt cheap.  For packing paper that would be mill towns with access to cut-offs from paper rolls.  Dried Spanish moss was primarily used in the deep South, where it was literally free for the taking.

Faux Gemstones

You never know where you'll find a useful technique.  Bruno at "Acetone and Old Lacquer" brings us some impressive faux gemstones created using nail polish and glass cabochons.  These would be perfect as mounted stones in an idol or artifact.  The cabochons are available in extremely precise sizes, so it's easy to incorporate a depression for mounting one into a sculpt.  The finishes available are just amazing.

The Great Old One

John Tatarelli Jr. brings us this nicely done Cthulhu bust.  I really like the elephantine texture on the tentacles.

Fiat Lux

I stumbled across this piece from Evan Chambers and thought it was a "War of the Worlds" prop, but it's actually a table lamp.  The craftsmanship and finish work is just perfect.

The Seal of Cthulhu

After a too long absence, Florian Mellies returns.  He brings us this very nice boxed set of Cthulhu seals.

The Face of Cthulhu

Barbelith2000Ad brings us this beautiful Cthulhu sculpt.  If you take a look at the high resolution version of the closeup shot you can see just how much detail goes into a piece like this.  

Bookbinding Tutorial

Rev. Marx returns to our pages with a handy tutorial on binding a book with double end papers.  As usual, it's extensively illustrated and provides a detailed explanation of the technique.