Need Ideas For Skull Work

[SOSHorses]

Okay customer sends me this logo to put on a phone case, but he wants something in the background to accent it.

I don't do a lot of work with skulls so I am having trouble deciding what would go with it. I was hoping that some of you that work with skulls and some of the darker images could give me some ideas.

Here is the logo.

[DCKNIVES]

I personally like to add flames to mine.Dave

[whinewine]

Okay customer sends me this logo to put on a phone case, but he wants something in the background to accent it.

I don't do a lot of work with skulls so I am having trouble deciding what would go with it. I was hoping that some of you that work with skulls and some of the darker images could give me some ideas.

Here is the logo.

After you've tooled the design, matting tools can set off and separate the design nicely from the background; try different ones till you find one that really looks good- maybe the E294 series from Tandy, F900, M883, etc.

russ

[Mokosh]

You might also like to check out some of those Dover books for design, usually Barnes and Nobles stocks a good selection in their art book section. Personally, I am a big fan of putting Art Nouveau designs with skulls.

[Bondurant]

Whats the logo? I have about 30 hammers and don't recognize the one in the logo. Are the tools for a Tinner?

I think a big mistake people make with skulls is making them to clean. Rarely are you going to see a clean skull and often the jaw bone is displaced, teeth are missing, and there are sometimes chunks of the skull missing. The skull in my avatar was a headhunters trophy owned by the government of Malaysia on display at their National Museum along with a collection of head hunter swords I was there to see. They had all these dark red lights going on which came through in the image.

You could add texture in the eye sockets, I like the black sockets with the red but not sure how your client would like that. If anything the logo seems to have many details that may not transfer well to the look your going for. Maybe you could dirty it up, focus on the overall concept, skip some of the details.

Is the logo something that's been used a long time? Maybe with the clients permission you could add them as cross-bones below the skull. Having them behind like that makes the picture very busy.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Bondurant

[iwannabeacowboy]

Maybe if you could explain the logo or in general what products are made ,something could be added in the background that would tie in or compliment the logo.

charlie

[Fredo]

The tools in that design are used by sheet metal workers. AKA Tin Knockers, That is a sheet metal hammer and a soldering iron.

Tin Knockers make things like air conditioning duct, over head exaust fans for kitchens and the like. A BG that depicts tin knocking would be in order, maybe a rivited piece of sheet metal?

Good luck, it looks like you have a bit of imagination coming your way.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Fredo

[TomSwede]

I like Russ's idea about matting. Just posting a design with special matting, not a skull but doesn't matter. Principle is the same.

Tom