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R'lyeh Runes

March 2, 2014, 3:00 am
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What the world really needs now is a new Lovecraftian font. 

Here are some sample glyphs from one I've started working on.  It's based on recreating the kind of runes you would find inscribed in the stonework of sunken R'lyeh.  With that in mind I'm trying to use organic forms reminiscent of deep sea life, with call backs to claws, sea shells, and jointed exoskeletons. 

Based on my experience so far I have a new found appreciation for typographers.  Making a font is hard.  Every time I finish a glyph I like I get a nice warm glow...and then realize I have about fifty more characters to go.  That doesn't take into account the technical process of actually laying out the font.  Designing and digitizing the glyphs is a formidable process, but then the technical details of kerning and alignment rear their complex heads.

I'll keep you updated as things progress.  When it's finally done I think it will be a great resource for propmakers.
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Cthulhu Fhtagn! Loincloth Edition, Part Deux.

March 3, 2014, 3:00 am
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Classical Gaff

March 4, 2014, 3:00 am
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Colonial Marine Raiders

March 5, 2014, 3:00 am
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I've been following the production of Christian Matzke's "Last Flight of the Freya 7", an "Aliens" fan project that has some excellent production values.  That includes these Colonial Marine Raider patches from William Pace. They're great conjectural props, and the presentation is outstanding.



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Coins of Carcosa

March 6, 2014, 3:00 am
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Legacy of the Mi-Go

March 7, 2014, 3:00 am
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Jason McKittrick returns with a collection of items from the late Prof. Wilmarth of Miskatonic University.  The Wilmarth Investigation Box is his latest short-run project, and comes with a plethora of accessories.  The Mi-Go idol is outstanding.



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Cthulhu Fhtagn! Rossouw Edition.

March 8, 2014, 3:00 am
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Artist Chad Rossouw was kind enough to send over his latest work.  He describes "The Angel of History" as a mashup of  Cthulhu and Paul Klee's Angelus Novus.   Frankly, that's terrifying, particularly given the latter's absolutely Lovecraftian sway upon former owner Walter Benjamin. You can see more of Mr. Rossouw's work at his website.



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Creating Vintage Documents in Illustrator

March 9, 2014, 3:00 am
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The amazingly talented Dean Engelhardt has posted a tutorial on creating vintage documents using Adobe Illustrator.   The step-by-step directions cover everything from period font selection to using a transparency mask to duplicate the spottiness of vintage printing.  I feel safe saying that this is going to be the go-to resource for anyone looking to recreate period documents.

While that already looks pretty reasonable, there are a few things that stop it looking truly vintage. One of the first things I like to do is to tweak the inter-character spacing in text (technically called the “tracking”) of the text. Modern fonts and computer typesetting seems to usually create text where the letters are quite tightly spaced, but old hand-set type was much, much looser — doubtless there’s some historical reason for this. Once you’re used to looking at true vintage typography, samples spaced in a “modern” way just jump out at you as non-authentic.


One of the really great things about Mr. Engelhardt's directions is the level of detail.  The tutorial is very Illustrator specific, but by describing each step of the process he's provided enough information to adapt it to any vector-based program.  I'm specifically thinking of Inkscape, a free and open source alternative to Illustrator.






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Mother Hydra

March 10, 2014, 3:00 am
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Joe Broers returns to our pages with this very nice Mother Hydra idol.  The ichthys is a nice touch. It has a long history with both the real and fictional Dagon, including the "eye" version used in the 2001 film "Dagon". 


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Hunting Gear

March 11, 2014, 3:00 am
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Crescent City Auctions brings us a Blomberg-style vampire killing kit. 

Description: Unusual Vampire Killing Kit, 19th c., and later, the fitted mahogany box with nickel edges and hinges, the center with a nickel cross with a faux ruby, the sides of the box with two ring handles, the interior of the lid fitted with a large crucifix, the tray with a Holy Water bottle, 2 Bibles, a New Testament, a smaller crucifix, 6 wooden stakes and a wooden mallet, over a lower drawer containing a double barrel pistol from Casa Paulina Garcia, Rio de Junior, a mirror with a cross on the reverse, a box containing two silver bullets, a rosary, and a dagger with a sterling handle., H.- 8 1/2 in., W.- 14 1/2 in., D.- 9 in.
It's nice to see the "19th century and later" bit included.  Every vampire killing kit is a modern fake, and suggesting otherwise in an auction description is unethical and dishonest.  I believe the mallet in the picture below is the same one I ordered off Amazon about five years ago.  The base of the handle has been re-profiled, but other than that it has the exact same silhouette, right down to the grooves on the handle. 



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The Mark of Yig

March 12, 2014, 3:00 am
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Cthulhu and the King in Yellow get all the press, but what about the little guys?  The lesser gods of the Mythos?  Jason McKittrick embraces Yig with his latest project.  The Father of Serpents Medallion is available in two variants- one for invoking Yig's wrath and another for protection from his slithery children.




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Have You Found the Yellow Sign?

March 12, 2014, 3:30 am
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"What is it?" I asked. 

"The King in Yellow." 

- Robert W. Chambers, "The Yellow Sign"

"True Detective" has come to an end.  I won't spoil the finale, other than to say I really enjoyed it and that we finally get a clear look at the show's conception of "The Yellow Sign".  Or at least, again trying to avoid any spoilers, one interpretation of it.  A friend wanted the symbol as a screen background, so I banged one up based on a screencap.  Given the interest in the show I thought you might enjoy it as well.  Here's the plain working version along with a colorized take.  Just right click and open in a new tab to download the full sized PNG files.  These are, of course, for personal use only.

I do have to admit that I got caught up in the speculation around the show and spent a few hours looking for any potential deeper meaning to the symbol.   If you're curious, it doesn't seem to correspond to a golden section, a Fibonacci Rose, or the arrangement of the stars in the Pleiades.  There are two possible correlations.  The figure does appear to mimic the proportions of the tiles in a Penrose Triangle, but slightly askew.  That seems rather appropriate.  The other possible correlation I can find is that it does form a rough match to the Pleiades with the addition of another star to the center- the view you would get from the opposite side of the constellation looking toward our sun.  




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Idol of Tsathoggua

March 14, 2014, 3:00 am
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Brandon Zimmerman brings us this idol to Tsathoggua.  It's an interesting take on one of the lesser-known Mythos deities.



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Vampires Beware

March 15, 2014, 3:00 am
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Kamelot Auctions brings us another Blomberg-style vampire hunting kit.  It's a pretty standard bit of assemblage, but the plaster icon is a nice touch.  I believe the "stakes" are actually re-purposed furniture legs.  I've noticed that many of the more recent offerings are using that approach.  The box itself is full of character.

I don't normally post a wall o' pictures, but these auction finds are an exception.  Once they're sold there's no real reason to keep the galleries up.  I hate seeing inspirational material like this just vanish.











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Small Arms of the World War One Era

March 16, 2014, 3:00 am
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Ah, Reddit.  The perfect embodiment of all that is wonderful, and monstrous, about the web.

Yesterday a team of historians worked together to produce this excellent discussion of small arms in the World War One era.  It's a great introduction to the subject filled with links to more in-depth resources and further reading.  I'd recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in what kind of weapons pop up during classic-era Mythos adventures. 

As a bonus, you won't have to wait for Gawker, Buzzfeed, or the Huffington Post to recycle it into some inane "You Won't Believe These Ten Insane Weapons of World War One" click-bait.


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The Horror In Clay

March 16, 2014, 3:30 am
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"The bas-relief was a rough rectangle less than an inch thick and about five by six inches in area; obviously of modern origin. Its designs, however, were far from modern in atmosphere and suggestion; for, although the vagaries of cubism and futurism are many and wild, they do not often reproduce that cryptic regularity which lurks in prehistoric writing. And writing of some kind the bulk of these designs seemed certainly to be; though my memory, despite much the papers and collections of my uncle, failed in any way to identify this particular species, or even hint at its remotest affiliations."– H.P. Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu”

Jason McKittrick's recreation of the clay plaque from "The Call of Cthulhu" is available in a new framed edition.    It's a wonderful piece made even more striking by the presentation.



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The Fungi From Yuggoth

March 17, 2014, 3:00 am
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The incredibly talented Mark Cordory returns to our pages with this full-sized Mi-Go body.  The prop body was produced for a high-end LARP and features internal illumination and UV reactive markings.





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Dragonborn Runestone

March 18, 2014, 3:00 am
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The Black Grimoire

March 19, 2014, 3:00 am
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Mille Cuirs brings us this beautiful hand-crafted tome.  There aren't many people capable of this level of craftsmanship.  What makes it even more humbling is that it's only going to look better as it weathers over time.

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Dieselpunk Shock Trooper

March 20, 2014, 3:00 am
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Lawrence Zilochius brings us this cool dieselpunk shock trooper mask.  Take a crack at identifying the source materials.  The unified paint finish blends everything together, but when you take the time to examine it you can ID the individual parts.  It's a good demonstration of how the old kitbashing technique of modelmakers can be applied to larger prop items.

I've left my guesses as to the bits down in the comments.


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