SKULLS [Paperback]

Noah Scalin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2008

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books; 1ST edition (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600593755
• ISBN-13: 978-1600593758
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Noah Scalin is a Richmond, Virginia based artist/designer/activist. He is the creator of the Webby award-winning daily art project Skull-A-Day. His fine art has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally including the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia and the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago. Noah also founded the internationally recognized, socially conscious design and consulting firm Another Limited Rebellion. In addition, Noah often gives talks on the subject of generating creative energy at conferences and universities, and he teaches a course on socially conscious design at Virginia Commonwealth University. His first book, Skulls, was honored by the New York Public Library and as a "Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Teen Readers" by the Young Adult Library Services Association and was featured on The Martha Stewart Show. His latest book, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, from Voyageur Press, is designed to help people reap the benefits of making a yearlong daily project.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One skull a day keeps boredom away, October 15, 2008

By 

- Kasia S. (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: SKULLS (Paperback)

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.

- Kasia S.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and Inspiring, September 22, 2008

By 

A. Janney "Jewelry chic" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SKULLS (Paperback)

This book is a series of examples from the author's blog where he creates a skull a day out of various materials. He's incredibly creative using such items as computer keys, bubble wrap, petroleum jelly, army guys and more to create skulls. I bought the book two days ago and I've already gone through it three times, and it's inspired me to start a daily art project of my own.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's even been on Martha Stewart!, November 9, 2008

By 

Sharon N. Denmark (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SKULLS (Paperback)

Noah Scalin's artistic mission may at first seem trivial--to create a skull image each day for a year, but the results are anything but trivial. Scalin is a tremendously talented artist and the challenge he set for himself gave him the creative push to try new mediums and find new ways of looking at everyday objects. Particular favorites include the carved squash and the Vegemite painting (the most apt word for his method). Strange, perhaps, but also clever and very impressive.