14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when skeletons were macabre, or at the very least creepy, but years of studying anatomy with show-and-tell involving skeletons, real or otherwise, has mostly desensitized humanity to the sight of bones.
Sure, bones sticking out of perfectly living flesh, soaked with blood and sweat are a completely different kettle of fish.
Nevertheless, you would be hard-pressed to find someone now who would feel squeamish or otherwise uncomfortable when faced with the sight of a pile of bones. Or perfectly well aligned bone systems, as the case may be.
Indeed, a man by the name of Brian Richardson has decided to launch an entire set of 3D printed skeletons belonging to mythical or otherwise fantastical creatures.
As you will find by visiting his Etsy shop corresponding to the Mythic Articulations exhibition, there are dozens of different skeletons to order.
All of them are popular, or once-popular, mythological beings or cryptids (beings said to have existed by cryptozoologists), or at least the bones of such things. Famous species include el chupacabra, centaurs, and gargoyles.
Initially, the man only planned to make a couple of figurines, but his idea morphed and grew, taking a life of its own in a sense.
Interestingly enough, Richardson doesn't actually draw up the virtual models, not exactly. And he doesn't build them up from parts either. Instead, he takes a virtual ball of clay and pushes or pulls substance from it, sometimes cutting and moving pieces around.
He uses many reference photos and actual animal skeletons for cross-reference. Initially, it took a day or two for a design to be complete, but now he is able to make them in a couple of hours, mostly because the skulls, wings and spines can easily be reused and modified for new species.
The vampire, wetland fairie, El Chupacabra, the Mongolian death worm, mermaids, grey aliens, and the pegasus are among the most popular, but so are imps, lizard men and Asian dragons, plus unicorns of course. Each 3D printed model costs $45 / €34. Soon enough, Richardson may reach the point where he can make a living solely off selling these things. Hopefully for him he won't run out of ideas and folklore to draw upon.
Have fun guessing what creature each of the skeletons in the gallery below belongs to. Or you could, you know, just head over to the shop itself using the previous link.
