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Becoming a Halloween Monster: Skeleton/Calavera

 Them bones, them bones, them dry bones. Such a stark reminder of what is left of us after we pass. But we can make them quite colorful in some cases. 

What is a Skeleton?

A skeleton is the bone remains of a human. Calavera is just the Spanish word for it, but it is often associated with the painted sugar skulls of Día de les Muertos. 

Tell-Tale Features

  • Bones
  • Skull (Painted for Calavera)

Common Themes

  • Graves
  • Dancing
  • Mexico
  • Coffins
  • Flowers
Showing off bones whether you are going for a hyper-realistic look or more simplified will more often than not be a black and white situation. But never let convention stifle creativity! Making colorful bones is definitely encouraged. You don't need to stick strictly with painting a sugar skull either! Take on different looks like tattooed bones or bones with an etched design. 

Calavera do hold cultural significance to a modern day culture...namely Mexico. So there is an issue with cultural sensitivity to keep in mind. The idea of painted skulls isn't exclusive, but a traditional costume may be. For example, you could create an Eastern European painted skull using the motifs of folk art in that area and dress in that garb. Personally, I love sharing and celebrating other cultures and see nothing wrong in wearing the traditional garb. But I'm also obsessed with learning all the intricacies of how to make it accurate and the cultural meaning behind every symbol or color because I want this to be a show of my admiration. 

I will say, it's not a bad idea to do some sensitivity screening of a cultural costume with an individual from that culture. 

Inspiration Resources

  • Nightmare Before Christmas (Film)
  • David S Pumpkins (SNL Skit)
  • Grim Fandango (Video Game)
  • Coco (Animated Film)
  • Sugar Skulls (Cultural)
  • Nature
  • Pirates of the Caribbean (Film)

Where to Start

First, decide whether or not you are going as a full "naked" skeleton or fully clothed. You could make this a full body-paint costume if you wanted. Calavera or Sugar Skull is definitely a creative make-up challenge. Otherwise, this is another instance of a fairly common packaged costume found at party stores. A stretchy shirt and pants with the skeleton printed on them are usually what these look like. I suppose you could make your own with iron-on images or fabric paint. 

And this is going to be my last little post on Halloween Monsters this year.

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