Poetically Sweet & Spooky Stuff

While we do a lot of skull illusions, few seem as romantic and touching as these three. In fact, Vurdlak already posted one by artist Karl Kwasny, who did the first and last ones in this post. I have to admit, I am attracted to Kwasny’s art for the very same reason Vurdlak is – the clean lines with sweet imagery make them hard to ignore, especially when paired with a spooky poem, like the one accompanying Karl’s Sisters illusion:

You’d better watch your footing
as the ground’s like thickened cream
there’s an awful secret
waiting down beside the stream

This next illusion was done by DeviantArt user MelloLover. While it might not come with a lovely poem like the one above, the artwork itself, adorned with the title Some of Us Change is simply beautiful. Everything about this work seems to invoke a story of dying love and a heartache…

Lastly, another impressive work by Karl Kwasny, even though not having a poem attached to it, is still beautiful and tragic as it shows the two boys kids back to back against a full moon.

Update: Thanks to everyone who pointed out the one on the left is a girl, I should have caught that and didn’t. My apologies for the mistake.

What do you guys think? Do these works make you feel for lost loves and deceased loved ones? Or are they too sugary-sweet and tragic to swallow?

43 Replies to “Poetically Sweet & Spooky Stuff”

  1. On the last picture, you mention two boys back to back. I think the left one is a girl from the bloused sleeve. Great illusions, though!

    1. First wow amazing! i love the creativity in this very detailed and clear meanings in the deaths I think the last one is a set of twins that died fraternal twins. The second one was magnificent I could see the pain in the guy as i assume he was the onebeing rejected but could be the girl who is calm and he is in pain of the seperation of death to come on her. The first one is my favorite though with the two girl sisters. You still see the skull at first then you see the beauty they were close and young it seems and thats how they died…

  2. One of your two “boys” is obviously a girl. I guess you’ve been fooled by studying illusions too long.

  3. Ok, the first one looks like someone is peeking in on her. The second seems like the couple are up to no good and the last looks more like twins than any “couple”

  4. I would just like to point out that the last image is of a boy and a girl, the girl being the one on the left, as seen by her build and more feminine clothing.

  5. Just a small observation, You made a comment ‘two boys back to back’ when one of them is obviously a girl, notice the small bump just above her left forearm and the obviously puffy sleeve sugesting a blouson, hense a girl…. as I say just a small observation

  6. I love these. I have an entire folder on my computer devoted to skull illusions. I got hooked on “Vanity” and have been fascinated ever since.

  7. In that last picture, the figure on the left is in fact a girl, not a boy. Notice her “figure” and her style of shirt. Also, her face has softer angles. Sorry, it just bothers me when girls are mistaken for guys simply because they have short hair.
    But anyways, I really rather like these three pictures, especially the media chosen and the artists personal style, as well as the monochromatic palate. I particularly like the subtle use of shades and shapes in the second image.

  8. In the last photo, the caption says “two boys back to back” but if you look closer, the figure on the left is a girl. The puff sleeve and bustline profile are “dead” givaways. No pun intended.

  9. That is a girl on the left in the last one you refer to as two boys back to back, unless he has gynecomastia.

  10. As clean and simple the image that Karl Kwasny did is, I am still impartial to his work. Sometimes his poems are good and sometimes the artwork is, but finding both a good poem matched with a good image is…well, I have not found one quite yet. I always feel like his image is lacking just a little more or his poem is, but all that is just my personal opinion.

    On another note, the second image by MelloLover is done in quite an interesting style. I thoroughly enjoy looking at it, but the title feels disconnected from the image. How does changing equal to submerging half of oneself in water? I know the image is trying to tell a story, but no matter what the story is, I cannot get “some of us change” from it…

    Kudos to skull illusions nonetheless~ It will never be an overused image. =)

  11. They are wonderful illusions. The Kawasny illusion was incorrectly explained as two boys being back to back though. The person on the left is female.

  12. They aren’t 2 boys!! The one on the left is a girl – notice she has breasts.

    I really enjoy your illusions.

  13. The second one looks like a girl on the left, male on the right with his or their hands around a third possibly younger male. A little creepy or at least definitely dark.

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