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Skulls
On June 4th, 2007, artist Noah Scalin came up with an ingenious idea: he cut a skull out of orange paper and posted it online with the note, “I’m making a skull image every day for a year.” His uniquely witty works became a wild success: five months later, nearly 250,000 people have visited the site, many sending in skull photos of their own and turning Scalin’s blog into one of the world’s top sites.
Why skulls? Noah answers, “why not?” He’s always found them fascinating—and these days, they’re found on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers. But nothing equals Noah’s incredibly beautiful, odd, and often humorous pieces: they’re made from an astounding variety of materials, from toothpaste to melted candle wax, from tea leaves to plastic straws. One is even carved into a watermelon! (Yes, it was eaten.)
Each of the 150 skulls shown is accompanied by a brief description and fun anecdotal stories. As a bonus, there are four skull projects to make. Irresistibly merging pop, Internet, and craft culture, this fantastic collection provides an inspiring example of how to find creative potential in every aspect of daily life.
Why skulls? Noah answers, “why not?” He’s always found them fascinating—and these days, they’re found on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers. But nothing equals Noah’s incredibly beautiful, odd, and often humorous pieces: they’re made from an astounding variety of materials, from toothpaste to melted candle wax, from tea leaves to plastic straws. One is even carved into a watermelon! (Yes, it was eaten.)
Each of the 150 skulls shown is accompanied by a brief description and fun anecdotal stories. As a bonus, there are four skull projects to make. Irresistibly merging pop, Internet, and craft culture, this fantastic collection provides an inspiring example of how to find creative potential in every aspect of daily life.
- GenresArtNonfictionPhotography
180 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2008
36 people want to read
About the author
Noah Scalin
9 books88 followersNoah Scalin is an artist and author based in Richmond, Virginia. Noah is the creator of the Webby Award winning art project Skull-A-Day . His fine art has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally, including the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago, and Krause Gallery in NYC. He also co-runs the art & innovation consulting firm he founded Another Limited Rebellion and is a sought after public speaker on creativity. He is the author of six books including most recently Creative Sprint: Six 30-Day Challenges to Jumpstart Your Creativity which he co-wrote with his sister Mica Scalin. He's also the creator of the collaborative science fiction universe League of Space Pirates.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 21, 2009
This guy made a skull out of different material every day for a year. Cool idea. (One of my favorites = skull of 500 arranged condoms named "Safe Skull". heh). But MAN I cannot help but feel like the author/artistman is a giant douche, which shoudlnt affect the coolness of the book but it somehow does. Every time he made a skull using some type of food (like a bell pepper) he didnt just say "Skull carved out of bell pepper" he said "skull carved out of organic bell pepper". I'm like WHY. I don't know why that's necessary. And he made one skull out of tea leaves and specified that the leaves were "fair-trade". Alright, we get it, you vegan hippie douche. GOD. OH and the final straw was in his about the author where he is listed as an activist. GOD. Fucking activists. I guess that bothers me b/c it's such a blanket term that tells you nothing, really, so it's clear the emphasis is not on what they are activist-ing FOR, just that they want the activist title. So it's like the actual cause is irrelevant they just want everyone to know that they are a pretentious twat.
Maybe I'm being harsh. Whatever. Skulls are cool, I agree with you there, Noah Scalin.
Maybe I'm being harsh. Whatever. Skulls are cool, I agree with you there, Noah Scalin.
February 11, 2011
This book is an excellent example of symbiosis: for one year, Scalin created a skull a day out of diverse materials, then assembled photos of each into a book. Taken one at a time, the skulls are clever, whimsical, unexpected, creepy, funny; taken all together, they become bigger than the sum of their parts. SKULLS is a comment on Death and Beauty (capitals are intentional). It bravely pokes fun at the Grim Reaper and the inevitable outcome of this mortal coil.
November 11, 2008
who doesn't enjoy a lovely skull? i know i do! so, i love this snazzy skull-a-day book chock-full-o-skully goodness. this is not a coffee table, but a comfortable-to-the-hand sized book that is perfect for personal perusing or passing among pals. while the whole book is creative and inspiring, the do it yourself project in the back got my scissors and paper flying while the fan skull submissions is a lovely nod to others who were inspired by mr. scalin's delightful website. perfect gift for your vajrayana buddhist buddies!
February 23, 2010
This book is SO COOL!!
Dalam blognya yang mendapatkan penghargaan Webby People's Voice Award (dalam kategori personal website) http://skulladay.blogspot.com/ Noah Scalin membuat tengkorak dari berbagai media sehari satu tengkorak selama setahun.
Biasanya ngeliat tengkorak kita kan ngeri ya? Tapi ngeliat karya seni berbentuk tengkorak di buku ini kok ya malah fascinating?
Sekarang di websitenya, koleksi tengkoraknya makin beragam bahkan banyak yang ikut mengirimkan karya mereka yang terinspirasi oleh Noah. Pokoknya keren!
Dalam blognya yang mendapatkan penghargaan Webby People's Voice Award (dalam kategori personal website) http://skulladay.blogspot.com/ Noah Scalin membuat tengkorak dari berbagai media sehari satu tengkorak selama setahun.
Biasanya ngeliat tengkorak kita kan ngeri ya? Tapi ngeliat karya seni berbentuk tengkorak di buku ini kok ya malah fascinating?
Sekarang di websitenya, koleksi tengkoraknya makin beragam bahkan banyak yang ikut mengirimkan karya mereka yang terinspirasi oleh Noah. Pokoknya keren!
December 27, 2011
The first time I have stumbled upon this magnificent little book was during lazy browsing on Amazon, it looked cute so I added it to my wishlist. Few weeks later I was browsing my favorite bookstore and lo and behold, this was near the Halloween section ( my favorite section haha) and of course I had to at least take a look at this but after seeing 4, 5 pages I simply had to have it so home with me it went.
I remember the first time I became fascinated with the actual image of the skull, it was a superficial moment when one of my favorite fashion designers, Chloe, ran a tee shirt with a glittery gold bunny skull with a bow, the shirt was made famous when Sex and The City (love the show) had one of the characters wear it and I went gaga over the image. Ever since I liked the shape, I think most people consider it morbid or scary but in fact I agree with the author of the book, it represents respect for life and the mystery of it all. Every human being has a skull (now whether most people have something inside it is another topic) so why not deem it as something worthy of attention? Art all over the world represents it in fascinating ways and each culture has its own way of admitting its beauty and rendering it immortal, whether for Halloween or any other holiday.
This book is absolutely amazing, the first time I sat down and read it cover to cover I wanted to make my own project, in the end there is a section that lets the reader download or accomplish something from this book and make it themselves. Noah has made one skull a day for a year from some of the most random items in the house and on the street. There is the rice skull arranged with chopsticks, one carved out of an old computer mouse, even toy soldiers arranged to look like a skull. Peanut butter and skully as he calls it was one of my favorites fallowed by a pencil with carved skulls that looked like a totem pole, arranged vegetables, carved metals, push pins and paper cups, containers of all sorts and even bread that cut open reveals a sweet surprise inside, the list goes on and on. This is such a creative and inspirational little gem that I will bee looking through it for years and smiling at the myriad ways the human mind can be creative. I recommend visiting the author's site www.skulladay.com for a taste but there is no greater joy than holding this in my hands and wondering what everyday objects I could shape and turn to a cute skull.
This is what I call a mini coffee table book, best kept by my desk in case I am desperate for some inspiration.
I remember the first time I became fascinated with the actual image of the skull, it was a superficial moment when one of my favorite fashion designers, Chloe, ran a tee shirt with a glittery gold bunny skull with a bow, the shirt was made famous when Sex and The City (love the show) had one of the characters wear it and I went gaga over the image. Ever since I liked the shape, I think most people consider it morbid or scary but in fact I agree with the author of the book, it represents respect for life and the mystery of it all. Every human being has a skull (now whether most people have something inside it is another topic) so why not deem it as something worthy of attention? Art all over the world represents it in fascinating ways and each culture has its own way of admitting its beauty and rendering it immortal, whether for Halloween or any other holiday.
This book is absolutely amazing, the first time I sat down and read it cover to cover I wanted to make my own project, in the end there is a section that lets the reader download or accomplish something from this book and make it themselves. Noah has made one skull a day for a year from some of the most random items in the house and on the street. There is the rice skull arranged with chopsticks, one carved out of an old computer mouse, even toy soldiers arranged to look like a skull. Peanut butter and skully as he calls it was one of my favorites fallowed by a pencil with carved skulls that looked like a totem pole, arranged vegetables, carved metals, push pins and paper cups, containers of all sorts and even bread that cut open reveals a sweet surprise inside, the list goes on and on. This is such a creative and inspirational little gem that I will bee looking through it for years and smiling at the myriad ways the human mind can be creative. I recommend visiting the author's site www.skulladay.com for a taste but there is no greater joy than holding this in my hands and wondering what everyday objects I could shape and turn to a cute skull.
This is what I call a mini coffee table book, best kept by my desk in case I am desperate for some inspiration.
June 19, 2009
I had no knowledge of Scalin's "Skull A Day" website before I stumbled across this book, so it was a nice little surprise for me. Basically the guy created an art project for himself where he would create some sort of skull every day for a year. He made them out of metal, broken glass, food, fake bones, vinyl records, chalk, push pins, etc. etc. His level of creativity and execution were superb and this book of highlights from the series (I think it includes 150) showcase how many ways a simple idea can be executed again and again.
March 11, 2009
So nifty. Too bad it wasn't a chronological display. Have not yet figured out the pages, or the way to view all the skulls on the blog site. But, I understand scarcity--perhaps that was a factor, or maybe Noah just wanted to edit this way. Having once undertaken a One-A-Day project (though only for 2 1/2 mos), I remember how much better I got by the end, and how it was clear to any viewer.
In this same line of thinking, would have liked to know the date of each piece.
In this same line of thinking, would have liked to know the date of each piece.
May 6, 2009
This is by far one of the coolest books I've ever read. The author/artist spent a year creating a skull a day, while holding down a job, which is impressive in itself. The book contains a short intro along with over 100 of the author's skulls. Given the diversity of media he worked with, some of the skulls are a little harder to visualize than others (some are really amazing), but the sum total of the work is impressive. For middle school and up, this book's appeal is huge.
October 8, 2013
I was lucky enough to get to attend a class by Noah Scalin two weeks ago, and meet him. He is amazing, as is this book. I don't have an artistic bone in my body, but he helped me see old problems with fresh eyes, and sparked my creativity. I'm now doing my own make a thing a day project, and while it is not great art, it is refreshing my mind and I am enjoying it. A lovely book. Out of print, so grab your used copy ASAP.
June 15, 2009
An interesting art book by Noah Scalin who got the idea to make some sort of art featuring a skull every day for a year. He made skulls out of tin cans, carved a butternut squash, arranged broken glass and nails to make a skull, and even carved his wisdom tooth. Good ideas for Halloween, since we only have 4 months and 17 days left.
January 26, 2012
Noah Scalin decided to make a skull each day in some kind of medium. I admit it would have been cooler with some skull factoids interspersed with the neat designs (a human tooth? bandaids?!) but taken at face value, it could definitely be used as inspiration for artists but also for the morbid fascination some might have with them.
July 27, 2012
This book is from the award-winning blog www.Skulladay.com. The writer came up with the idea of creating a skull a day and posting them on his blog. In five months, Noah had over 250,000 visitors.
From Benicia High School Booktalks 2009, Benicia Middle School Booktalks 2009-10,
& Liberty Booktalks 2010
Benicia Public Library Call Number: YA745.5 SCALIN
From Benicia High School Booktalks 2009, Benicia Middle School Booktalks 2009-10,
& Liberty Booktalks 2010
Benicia Public Library Call Number: YA745.5 SCALIN
July 5, 2009
Noah Scalin is incredibly creative. Looking through the photos in the book, I was amazed and impressed. I really need to look at mundane things in a different way. A plastic grocery bag skull? Awesome!
May 19, 2009
Really cool book version of the Skull-a-Day website (http://skulladay.blogspot.com/) which makes for a very good conversation piece and might inspire the reader to start a similar project of their own.
July 7, 2010
OK, so there is not much to read with only captions, but it is a testament to how creative one can be with everyday objects, and how far you can push a concept. I have perused his blog before (www.skulladay.com) which has all of these images on it.
I should be sketching every day . . .
I should be sketching every day . . .
August 19, 2013
Skulls by Noah Scalin is exactly what you would expect. It's a book about interestingly designed skulls. Wanna see skulls being made out of all sorts of stuff? Like bubbles and metal? Then you know which book to read next. This one.
September 25, 2008
Absolutely gorgeous!!
I am one satisfied skulladay.com junkie.
I am one satisfied skulladay.com junkie.
October 4, 2008
I loved this book! It's a convenient size so you can carry it with you, it's filled with fabulous skulls and even has some you can create yourself. Very cool!!
July 14, 2009
Richmonders should check out Noah's exhibit at Quirk Gallery.
http://rvamag.com/articles/full/3952/...
http://rvamag.com/articles/full/3952/...
March 24, 2009
crazy that someone got to publish this. Why didn't I think of that.
September 18, 2009
Loved it! So creative.
November 5, 2009
This is a fun and handsome book to have around, it may actually inspire you or your guests to create some spontaneous and satisfying art from just about anything that comes to hand.
May 22, 2012
My pre-school age son (who refuses to read fiction) loves looking at the art in this book and then attempting to mimic the projects.
April 15, 2013
The projects that Noah did are amazing. And I liked that he put a caption to each skull. Very inspiring project.
July 2, 2013
Love, love, love this collection of Noah's skull creations. Also love the inspiring idea to focus on a single creative concept and revisit it every day with a new approach. Plus, yay skulls!
August 26, 2016
I agree with the review by Shannon ;)
January 16, 2009
Great art ideas from the Skull a Day guy.
February 16, 2011
What a talent!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews