The Art of Darkness

Devilish Shoes

January 31st, 2011 by Cobwebs

Horn ShoesJust look at these beauties.

The amusingly-monikered AngryRedhead put up a wonderful tutorial on Instructables, describing how to “hack” a pair of inexpensive pumps using spray paint and a substance called Sugru. I’d never heard of the latter, but a quick search tells me that Sugru is a type of silicone that can be used like modeling clay. It’s waterproof, self-adhesive to lots of materials (including metal, glass, ceramic, and plastic), self-curing, and dishwasher-safe. Suddenly I can think of a lot of uses for this stuff beyond adding horns to shoes.

Regardless, I just adore the shoes, particularly given the relative simplicity of the technique. I’d never considered using spray paint to decorate shoes, and I love the idea of customizing a boring pair of pumps so easily.

The Sugru appears to be fairly lightweight and won’t crack like polymer clay, so you could probably use it all over the shoe to create something like trailing vines (or tentacles).

I like the idea of pumps decorated with stenciled spiderwebs and a couple of Sugru spiders. You could also use primary colors and trick your shoes out to look like Dia de los Muertos sugar skulls.

Incidentally, the end of the tutorial also includes a brief look at adding horns to a pair of men’s sneakers, so guys can have fun with the concept as well. (Some matching his-and-hers shoes would be fun to wear out clubbing.)

(via CRAFT)

Posted in Doom It Yourself, Paint It Black | 2 Comments »

The Link Dump Over the River Kwai

January 28th, 2011 by Cobwebs

Blackmail – Kit to create your own “ransom note” postcards. I’m thinking it would be fairly easy to DIY something similar.

Indiana Jones Room – Cute themed kid’s room, done fairly inexpensively.

DIY Halloween Candelabra – Tutorial for making a gorgeous candelabra from thrift-store lamps. (via Creepy Cupcakes)

It’s a Small World – Interesting animation featuring images from old polaroids purchased at a flea market.

Pumpkin Watering Can – Attractive metal watering can that looks like something Madame Mim would use to water the aspidistra.

Traditional Tattoo Kitchen Roll – Paper towels patterned with tattoos.

Cthulhi Ski Hat – I’d like to wear this whilst running errands, just to see if anybody dared to say anything. (Hat tip to Seigmar S.)

Strange Dolls – Artist Beth Robinson creates all sorts of nightmarish dolls from polymer clay and vintage fabric.

Wedding Dress Transformation – Great idea for altering a wedding dress into a cocktail dress.

Coffin Sunglasses – Rimless sunglasses with lenses shaped like toe-pincher coffins. (It seems almost superfluous for them to mention the UV rating; who’s going to wear them in the sunlight?)

The Indifference Engine – Steampunk British comedy hip-hop by Professor Elemental. It’s…niche.

AmysNotDeadYet – Etsy seller specializing in weird little cartoons, coloring books, and other art. I particularly like the tentacly little heart on the Valentine’s Day cards.

Posted in Link Dump | 2 Comments »

Real Deal Weddings

January 27th, 2011 by Cobwebs

Hoffline Photo

Joshua Hoffline, the photographer who specializes in horror vignettes, is also one half of a team of wedding photographers. Although the portfolio at the site is all fairly standard–although undeniably very well-done–wedding photography, the photo above is their splash page so I’m assuming he might be induced to bring his vignette skills to a wedding as well.

Their prices (which I would link to directly if their site were not all Evil Flash) don’t seem outrageous compared to other wedding photographers, and their talent would certainly be worth it.

If you’ve already got a gothy wedding in the works, you might consider commemorating it with some wonderfully spooky photos. These guys should certainly be able to deliver.

(via Ghoul Friday)

Posted in Terror in the Aisle | No Comments »

Printed Dinner Napkins

January 26th, 2011 by Cobwebs

NapkinEtsy sller marywibis sells these elegantly spooky cloth napkins,* and though they might seem rather expensive at $50 for 6, given the cost of a basic silkscreening kit (Amazon | DIY) the price is more or less a wash.

I do like the look of custom napkins, and it might be possible to do simple designs using a stencil and fabric paint rather than silkscreening them. This would make it easier to do several designs in the same set, although given how frequently napkins tend to be laundered I do wonder how long the paint would hold up.

I’d never really considered the notion of silkscreening napkins; if you’re considering silkscreening as a hobby, a reasonably simple project like this might be a good introduction. (Or, y’know, just buy ’em pre-made.)


*Bonus link: Check out this lovely Black Widow Decanter and matching glasses from the same vendor.

Posted in Doom It Yourself, Needful Things | No Comments »

Trivia Tuesday

January 25th, 2011 by Cobwebs

(No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights.)

  1. What is the name of the character killed in the famous shower scene in Psycho?
  2. A male priest of the Voodoo religion is called a “houngan.” What is a female priest called?
  3. Taphephobia is a fear of what?
  4. Chris Sarandon did the “speaking” voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Who did the “singing” voice?
  5. In Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Morpheus is mistakenly captured by a cult that is actually trying to capture who?
  6. What band is a spinoff of Sisters of Mercy?
  7. This author wrote of vampire-stricken knights who were, “Pale warriors, death pale were they all.”
  8. Absinthe is traditionally flavored with what herb?
  9. From what novel comes this (enormously run-on) sentence? “It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.”
  10. In Stephen King’s Christine, what type of vehicle was Christine?

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Trivia | 3 Comments »

The Kingdom of Witches

January 24th, 2011 by Cobwebs

This is a charming little animation based on the silhouette art of Jan Pienkowski. I want to visit this place.

(via Ghoul Friday)

Posted in Whatever | 2 Comments »

Dances with Link Dumps

January 21st, 2011 by Cobwebs

Heinous Hats – Blog devoted to “hats with character, as well as the people who wear them.” All kinds of interesting hat designs; I’m rather taken with the spider one here.

Lovely, Beastly Bones – Photogallery of skeletons from the archive of LIFE Magazine. I’d love to have a bunch of these blown up and framed.

Organ Scarf – Cute scarf made with appliqued felt organs. This blogger is doing a “scarf a day” for the month of January, and has several other unique designs, such as the Neck Newt, too.

The Padawan’s Guide – This is more geeky than gothy, but it’s such a nicely-detailed site I wanted to mention it: Everything you wanted to know about making Star Wars costumes.

The Ghosts of Old London – Haunting photographs from the late 1800s.

X-Ray Lampshade – I love this idea.

Deadlicious – Specializes in pastries and other sweets themed like luchadores and calaveras, you guys, I don’t even know. Anyway, some interesting packaging and decorating ideas. (Hat tip to Seigmar S.)

ETOMB – Prototype for a bluetooth-wired headstone. We all know it’s going to happen eventually.

The Bead You Need – Etsy seller specializing in lampwick beads. I especially like the GemBonz.

Hipsterberry Finn – Someone responded to the newly-bowdlerized Huckleberry Finn by replacing the n-word with “hipster.” I think I might like this better than the original.

Jack Pops – These Jack Skellington candy lollipops are beyond adorable. (via Creepy Cupcakes)

The 5 Most Half-Assed Monsters in Movie History – Word.

p.s. – Since they have somehow, slowly, ineluctably, turned into a regular feature on the site, Link Dumps have been broken out into a category of their very own. All of the weirdness the Web has to offer is a mere click away.

Posted in Link Dump | 3 Comments »

Mind-Blowing Lasercut Wedding Invitation

January 20th, 2011 by Cobwebs

Lasercut InvitationArtist Sonja Buehrke created this astonishing lasercut wedding invitation, which is completely inkless.

With the invitation telling the romantic fairy tale story of their wedding, from the proposal to the actual wedding party at a castle with alpine scenery, the folded leporello silhouette landscape card, does not only tell the story, but is unique and a keepsake to always remember the most gorgeous day of their lives. The intricate design and the folded pieces, combined especially with the two-colored paper make this invitation a little piece of art.

It started as a hand cut cutart wedding invitation, but I wanted it to be much more delicate and detailed. So the technique was to be laser cut with a touch of laser engraving. Producing an invitation without ink, it was a challenge to get the typography to be readable. Apart from that, it was also a challenge to not overdue the design, because the lasertime is expensive.

“Expensive” is rather an understatement in this case, as the invitations worked out to $25 each.

If you don’t have that kind of budget (if you do, can I come to your wedding?), the same general idea could be used as inspiration for a hand-cut–or even just printed–foldable stand-up card. If you happen to have access to a laser cutter (some colleges have them), this would be an amazing project.

There are several more detail photos at the FPO site. Go take a look!

(via Super Punch)

Posted in Terror in the Aisle | 1 Comment »

Seen Online

January 19th, 2011 by Cobwebs

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. And good luck trying to make it smoke. So, basically: You can’t make horses party
DemetriMartin

Tampons are so close to being mouse shaped. If one brand would add tiny soft little ears, I’d be brand loyal for life. LIFE.
kellyoxford

When she gives me those puppy dog eyes, I just know she’s been mutilating puppies again.
donni

I bet every so often Tony the Tiger skips the corn flakes and rips open a gazelle.
JerryThomas

goth clan…it’s like a gang, except when it’s time for them to jump you in, all they do is hold you down & put too much eyeliner on you
-Inox

Kids, don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. But be very afraid if those dreams manifest physical form & start following you. It happens.
DeathStarPR

My mind is like a steel trap. I don’t know what that means, but I’m afraid there’s a squirrel trapped inside my brain.
thedayhascome

Geese and swans mate for life. And that explains why it’s very common for geese and swans to fly into jet engines.
BillMc7

I wasn’t upset about that black cat crossing my path but mouthing “you’re fucked” as he passed was just rude.
stevetweeters

His sign said “will work for food” so my broccoli hired him.
rodney

Posted in Funny Peculiar | No Comments »

Movies From an Alternate Universe

January 18th, 2011 by Cobwebs

HalloweenArtist Sean Hartter has created an astonishing collection of posters for “movies from an alternate universe,” featuring popular titles seen through a looking glass.

The vintage-60’s artwork is fantastic, and the posters all hint at storylines that I’m sort of disappointed I’ll never be able to see. Kill Bill starring Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne, an R-rated “cult classic” version of Masters of the Universe, Alfred Hitchcock’s treatment of Halloween, yes please.

11″x17″ prints of the posters are for sale at the site. These would be a fantastic gift for a film buff with an odd sense of humor.

(via BoingBoing)

Posted in Whatever | No Comments »

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