Skulls used in subcultures
I’ve been known to draw skulls. Skulls with feelings, skulls with sarcasm, skulls with eyeliner. And ever since I first heard Skulls by the Misfits (one of the best punk pun songs ever), I’ve been obsessed. So I thought I’d investigate the skull—starting with the one we all have inside our heads.
The real human skull
In adults, the skull consists of 22 bones—21 fused together, and the 22nd, the mandible (jaw), is moveable. Structurally, it includes the cranium (housing the brain) and facial bones. When artists simplify or stylize skulls, proportions often get exaggerated. The real eye sockets are not circular and the nostrils are often drawn upside down. The cheeks do not stand out so much.
Whether you include the jaw in your drawing or not can totally change the vibe. Jawless = cute. Jaw-on = serious business.
Subcultural skulls
The fiend skull of the Misfits
The Misfits' skull logo, often called the "Fiend Skull", is said to be based on the skull of the Crimson Ghost, a character from the 1946 movie serial The Crimson Ghost. However it is styled to look different and very unique and does not immediately remind you of the crimson ghost.
Today it's commonly used also by people who are not Misfits fans.
The fiend skull is not so wrong anatomically, compared to the human skull. It’s mainly of the face, but it has huge grin. With the eyes, I think, it’s a living dead.
Eddie the Head
Eddie is Iron Maiden’s mascot and unofficial skull ambassador. He’s more zombie than skull, but often appears in skeletal form, especially on early albums. Eddie is grotesque, theatrical, and always evolving—matching the band’s elaborate, often horror-themed style.
Punk skull
Punk skulls are all about nonconformity. Think rough lines, mohawks on bones, and aggressive expressions. Bands like The Exploited and early punk flyers used skulls as shorthand for chaos, rebellion, and rejection of polish.
Skater skulls
Skate culture owns one of the most iconic skull aesthetics. Powell Peralta's VCJ-designed decks, featuring cracked skulls breaking through walls, defined the 80s and 90s. These skulls are jagged, grinning, and proudly unrefined. A lot of modern “graffiti skull” styles trace back to skateboarding.
Scene & emo skulls
These skulls are simple, often jawless, and drawn in a naive or doodle-like style. Scene skulls tend to go colorful—pink bows, star-shaped eyes—while emo skulls lean black-and-white with visible sadness, also hearts. Both reflect vulnerability under a layer of edgy charm.
Kawaii skulls
With round edges, sparkly eyes, pastel colors, and hearts or bows, these appear in pastel goth, decora, and kawaii-core. Unlike emo skulls, they’re not sad or edgy—just playful and icl not spooky.
Animal skulls
Animal skulls evoke something even more primal. A raven skull is very expressive, we immediately think of something occult, ritualistic or witchy and primal energy. Cows and bulls bring western and outlaw energy. Rams and deer lean occult, witchy, and satanic.
Some random skull drawings I like
They are not mine.
Fun fact about dogs & zombies
How to give a zombie biting power - fun fact for zombie creators: Many mammals, such as the dog, have a sagittal crest down the centre of the skull; this provides an extra attachment site for the temporal muscles, which close the jaws - they have super biting power.
When research got weird (surprise feelings)
[a weird section for sure] While reading about skull anatomy, I went down the path of human evolution. Neanderthal skulls, Cro-Magnons, gorillas, … Comparing skulls started to feel awkward. They evolved over time and it doesn’t feel right to have them in strict categories, as there are all types in between as well. These were real people, living and dying, had their problems and illnesses, had their happy moments. I am not sure what pronouns to use for all of these people, whose skulls are in the collections.
Well, the evolutions is one thing, I’ll just draw skulls that are symbolic of my own kind of people, who I maybe have the right to be sarcastic or humorous about.
Links & read more
A blog about different uses of skulls: https://www.suzyturner.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-skulls/
A large, somehow eerie skull collection: https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/human-evolution-skulls/#top