Quilled Skull

Sharee Surrett from Hampton, VA shared with us a quilled skull that she created.

Wound-up C says:

Since the Skullmaster posted his 312. Quilled Skull, back in 2008, there have been a few others who have submitted work in this medium each one different.  I am truly amazed at the uniqueness of this art form and its ability to be manipulated into exactly what you need it to be with some pinching. Thank you for sharing this excellent piece with us, and adding another example of this art style for our Skull-A-Day family to admire or be inspired by.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a "Til Death Do Us Part" heart skull by Joshua Harker

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED,  THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

Don't forget you have until 11:59pm Eastern USA Time, TONIGHT,  Friday, February 15, 2013 to make an entry comment to win a "Til Death Do Us Part" heart skulls created by Joshua Harker. You can find the original contest post by clicking the side bar ad, or visiting this link.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST HERE to enter this contest! You CANNOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+] 

Quirky Bones Animal Skulls

The other day, I was browsing Instagram on my phone in search of great art. I came across an ongoing series of animal skull artwork made by Jennifer of Quirky Bones. I was so impressed with her artwork, that I asked her to submit it to us. Luckily, she responded and submitted several amazing paintings. Jennifer explained that Quirky Bones is "a personal project which I have created to bring myself in front of the viewing eyes of you beautiful people. I am based in the rural town of Wagga Wagga, Australia and you can often find me wondering through the worlds of Photography and Illustration, whilst listening to swell tunes."

We see a lot of artwork using human skulls as the motif, but rarely see animal ones. Jennifer paints her amazing animal skull portraits on cardboard. She uses a variety of animal skulls as her inspiration. I love the depth and character of each one. You can find more of Jennifer's work on Instagram (quirky_bones), Facebook, and Tumblr. She is free for commission so feel welcome to email her at quirkybonesillustrations@gmail.com.

Water Lilies!

I set out tonight thinking I was going to do the Candy theme for February's Nail Art Challenge...however, I found this amazing water lily painting in the style of impressionism and I knew I had to try to recreate it. So, sorry if you were looking forward to the Candy theme, but I just couldn't resist!

In total, I used 14 different polishes for this mani! That may be a new record for me! I thoroughly enjoyed painting this, likely because as I managed to roughly execute what I wanted. It could very easily have been a frustrating endeavor. I apologize in advance for the ridiculous number of photos I took of this mani...

Here is the inspiration for this look. I really love this painting by Ann Fuller who recreated Nicholai Fechin's piece. Looks very much like Monet :)

One of the things that I love about impressionism is that on the originals you can see the brush strokes and thick paint creating some amazing texture. I took a few pictures of this before putting my top coat on to try and show the texture that arose from painting this on. Now they are smooth as a baby's bottom (top coats are amazing that way!).

And my right hand (dominant hand)! It definitely leaves you a bit wanting, but I suppose it could have come out worse!

And here is the mess I created! My workspace is in dire need of a clean up...oops!

My palette! I mixed a lot of colors together to get the right shades so these are not true to any actual color. I love using this as my palette because I can easily dip a cotton ball in my dappen dish, soak up whatever acetone I have left in there, and then wipe clean the plastic surface. Super easy!

I'm really proud of how these turned out and excited that I managed to execute something that I thought was a bit daunting. If any of you have a favorite painting that you'd like to see me try to recreate, I would love the challenge of it so let me know! :)

Happy Polishing :)

Skully Valentines

Artist/Printmaker Coralette Damme, AKA The Crafty Hag, in St. Petersburg, FL shared with us a pair of hand printed Valentine's Day appropriate note cards that she created.

Secret C says:

One may be a bit skeptical to receive a token of affection with a skull on it.  However, if you are up on your Christian Saint reliquary knowledge you will understand how a skull and St.Valentine's Day go together perfectly. (HERE is the visual answer for those not familiar). It seems to me that a skull would be the natural symbol opposed to a heart. Thank you for submitting your excellent creations to us and allowing us to share them and reflect upon them.

[CONTEST REMINDER] Win a "Til Death Do Us Part" heart skull by Joshua Harker

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED,  THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING! 

Don't forget you have until 11:59pm Eastern USA Time Friday, February 15, 2013 to make an entry comment to win a "Til Death Do Us Part" heart skulls created by Joshua Harker. You can find the original contest post by clicking the side bar ad, or visiting this link.

[NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook or Google+, you must go to THE ACTUAL BLOG POST HERE to enter this contest! You CANNOT enter this contest by commenting on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+] 

Learning to Live: Stephanie Snyder

From wonderful yoga teacher Stephanie Snyder comes this inspiring TEDx Talk about darkness, passion, yoga, and self-study.

From the video description:
"What you hide from the world owns everything you do. Your most successful existence will come from making friends with your broken places and being of service. Know yourself and you will know what your life's work is meant to be."

 

Readers Via Email - Click Here for the Video.