David Everett: Spooky Characters for All Seasons

Step into the magical world of David Everett, where spooky meets mischievousness. In a strange twist, a man who was scared of skeletons as a boy, now creates them with his sculpting tools. The unique name for his business, Chicken Lips, came from a family brainstorming session. David proclaims his spirit animal is a chicken and he loved the humorous angle of incorporating the expression, “as useful as lips on a chicken.” In his studio, you’ll find David creating Halloween and spooky twists on other holidays, such as a skeleton Santa. 

His recent relocation to Arizona has inspired him to create cowboy skeletons and cactuses with menacing faces. The animated holiday specials by Rankin/Bass, such as Mad Monster Party, inspire him and give him a dose of nostalgia. Another favorite is Disney’s Haunted Mansion, which he used to visit twice a month when he lived in California.  

Play-Doh is a deep tie to his childhood. It’s one of his favorite scents and he still keeps a can on his desk. He uses it to make quick sculpts to test out ideas. It helps him feel like a kid again. 

Our guest shared his thoughts on the impact of AI on creatives. He is concerned about deep fakes and disinformation.  As a graphic designer, he sees how it is a creativity tool and he’s excited to see how it will help him and others with the design process.  Artists that embrace AI can thrive and create new, interesting works.  

David’s advice to creatives is to create what you love – your audience will find you if you are truly passionate about what you are doing. He feels blessed to have such enthusiastic collectors.  

David releases new artwork on the 13th of every month. The best way to stay in touch with him is to subscribe to his monthly email newsletter via his website.  

Check out David’s work at: