Creature of Smoke : Great Cthulhu Stem: Ebonite

Shank Extension: Prickly Pear in cast resin.

Length: 7.75 in

Weight: 95 grams

Tobacco Chamber: .75 in dia

Tobacco Chamber Depth: 1.3 in



I've always said that creature of smoke pipes are one off deals and that I don't make copies. What I do like to do is explore the subject matter. When an opportunity came up to make another Cthulhu based pipe I thought it was an awesome idea. I originally made a Cthulhu pipe three or four years ago and the way I approach figural creatures has changed a lot in that time. Making carved head pipes is a lot of fun, but making the whole creature is a lot more challenging. One of the things about Cthulhu that stuck in my head was the first description of the idol that is found in the first Cthulhu story, "The Call of Cthulhu." Lovecraft describes the idol as squatting evilly and that is one of the the images that sticks with me when I envision Cthulhu. After some sketching, I got out the modelling clay and started to work on the basic shape. I've learned from past experience that two dimensional drawings are great, but there can be a lot of time wasted trying to figure out how the parts you can't see will fit into the overall shape. Then there are the concerns with making sure that the design will fit well around the engineering. That the chamber walls will be thick enough, that you aren't dealing with too many funky angles in drilling etc. With a little over an hour of work with modelling clay I was able to come up with a half scale pipe that gave me a great reference throughout the actual shaping of the pipe. The next step was to consider what the texture of something that had been sleeping underwater for untold millennia would be like. I get wrinkly fingers after an hour in the tub, and regardless of a godly constitution I couldn't get over the idea that even Great Cthulhu would show the affects of his time submerged I had the idea that hardened silt and clay would build up on the back and that there may even be barnacle-like features or tube worms living in the silt and on the surface of Cthulhu itself. After some experimentation with scrap briar I came up with textures that I liked. Staining was also a challenge. Cthulhu is described as a "sticky green," but there are very few descriptions I could find that went into much detail beyond that. I decided to try and add some deep maroons to the crevices and gills to give the creature some depth beyond a monochrome green. I'm really pleased with the way this pipe turned out, and having an excuse to listen to the collected works of Lovecraft on audiobook while working on a pipe around Halloween is just icing on the cake. Close Window