If you feel like the walking dead in the morning and yearn for something warm and flesh, er, fresh, to feel awake, we have got the perfect coffee mug for you.
Now you can drink your morning brew from a disturbingly realistic-looking zombie mug.
Kevin “Turkey” Merck is the braaaaaaiiiins behind the mug. He is a pottery artist who has been throwing clay on wheels for the past 15 years. He likes creating a lot of horror and monster sculptures, but snail-paced, cranium-cravers are special.
“Zombies are by far my favorite monsters to work on, primarily because the of the forms,” Merck told The Huffington Post. “Textures and color choices for zombies are nearly endless.”
His coffee mug creations are impressively detailed and his pieces are inspired by work done by makeup artist Lon Chaney and the makeup development team on the movie “World War Z.”
“The 'clicking teeth' zombie that Brad Pitt encounters in the lab while testing his 'terminally ill camouflage' theory -- that dude freaked me out,” he said. “And I loved the subtle details of that makeup.”
He’s also a huge fan of the show "The Walking Dead" and its special effects makeup artist, Kevin Wasner.
“His work is amazing! I had the opportunity to meet him last year,” he said. “Having lunch and chatting about his makeups and life in general, was definitely the highlight of my career. To top it all off he bought one of my zombie mugs for his collection!”
One of Merck’s pieces costs $220, but if that price makes you gasp, the passion that goes into Merck’s process may change your mind -- each mug is hand built from the ground up.
First, Merck turns the initial form on a wheel. Once it begins to stiffen and can hold some extra weight, he “bulks” it out with more clay. Once the primary form is complete, he uses his hands and sculpting tools to carve away any excess clay, adding details.
After the sculpting is complete, he sprays on glaze, adds highlights and pops in kiln for 24 hours of firing and cooling. A second and sometimes third round of firing and cooling typically occurs.
All in all the non-toxic mugs, which are fully functional and dishwasher and microwave safe, take a long time to make.
“I've spent anywhere from four to 30 hours on a mug,” Merck said. “The entire process can take up to a month or more.”
Though it’s seems like a pain, creating this creepy cups is a labor of love for Merck.
“When I learned how to work with clay I became obsessed with the possibilities and I haven't looked back since.”
Though the cups are currently sold out, Merck's website notes that the "Slow Joe" mug will see a limited release in February.
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