Sugar Skulls
Sugar Skulls celebrate life by honoring the deceased.
Painting a skull was not on my list of I can't wait to paint projects until I started researching the history. Shared experience is a recurring WHY in my work. Love, loss, celebration, honor, empathy are all boxes that the Sugar Skull checked! When I learned decorating a skull made out of sugar has been a tradition since the 1600s I decided to give it a whirl!
The Process:
An inspiration image is always a good place to start. I didn’t want to look at other Sugar Skull art work; instead, I wanted to see the anatomy of a human skull. A quick google search produced the perfect result. The image gave me the information I needed without feeling spooky or scary and without influencing my artistic interpretation.
In my studio I had some previously cut shapes that worked perfectly for the proportions of the skull. Using two different sizes I mapped the important features of the skull, eye sockets, nasal cavity, jaw bone and teeth. From here the painting began! Working quickly, I used color to build the form around the black eye sockets, nose and jawline. It actually reminded me of my days in cosmetics, it felt a lot like using makeup to contour a face!
First I needed the skull to look 3 dimensional. The trickiest part was embellishing the skull without giving it the illusion of having skin or being lifelike. A feeling that gave me the creeps! It’s one thing to honor a loved one by decorating a skull made out of sugar; Creating a symbol that represents this long standing tradition is another thing altogether! If I were decorating a skull in honor of my Grandmother I would embellish it with remnants of her favorite things to honor her life. The first experience of painting a skull was an exercise in letting go of the heeby-jeebies.
It felt so good to be painting again!
With one Sugar Skull under my belt, and some positive reinforcement from my cheerleaders. I kept on going! Working on a collection all at once allows me to keep working while the paint is drying. In this process, some began to take shape more than others. It takes time to paint. And that is only the beginning of the process. When a painting is complete, it can then be photographed, digitized, edited and sent to the printer for testing, color matching… and finally, small batch printed. With the clock ticking, the paintings that had developed the most became my full focus! A very Heather Opal large colorful skull with hidden hearts and a mini skull with a more controlled color pallet.
A Glimpse into the Painting Process
Does this process fascinate you?
Once digitized, I have the flexibility to make changes to the original painting. One key factor of a skull design is the shape of the jawline and cheek bones and placement of the eye sockets, nasal cavity, teeth bones and teeth. I compared the shape of my digital image to the photograph of a skull and made changes to mirror the actual skull. After the colors and shape have been confirmed and approved, I create the necessary files to send to my printing partner. It has taken years to perfect this process! What once caused a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety has now become an enjoyable process. Learning new things and building confidence through practice and process improvement Lights. My. Soul. On. Fire. What is something in your life that once caused you extreme anxiety that now makes you stand a little taller? We are powerful beings and we can do hard things.
Practicing and improving your passion builds tremendous confidence. If this doesn’t seem that difficult, it’s because I make it look easy. Believe me, it is extraordinarily difficult. And I can do hard things.
This collection ended with 2 large Sugar Skulls and 1 mini Sugar skull. In the end, I decided to keep the large originals and only offer prints of the very “Heather Opal” version. The mini was purchased by a collector. Check out how we styled it!
Sugar Skull Styling
A glorious Sugar Skull with love at the forefront of the mind and a fire from within.
Black Feather Wreath (Commissionable Link)
Fuchsia 2 inch ribbon and bow - I use paper clips or safety pins for a no sew method of constructing the ribbon to wrap around the wreath and attach the bow.
Do you love a wreath? In the right size, a wreath can add a layer of dimension which creates more visual interest. It is also a way to combine a traditional look with a contemporary symbol on your door. Take it a step further by giving the illusion that the wreath is hanging on the door by a festive ribbon. Be sure to use your wreath hanger for the wreath and hanging wire for the Wreath Charm; the ribbon is just for looks!
A huge Thank You to all of the people who have asked me to paint a Sugar Skull in the past and to my friend, Ginger for finally tipping me over the edge to go for it!
Sugar Skull Family activity
Click on the image below, save it to your computer or phone and send it to your home printer. Death is a part of life. Talk to your family about decorating a skull to honor someone who has passed. Want to keep the emotion out of it? Choose a historical figure instead of a family member. What would a sugar skull dedicated to George Washington look like? Not ready to go there? Just talk about the anatomy of a skull … or simply color and have fun!
