Tombstones, part 2

Okay, here's the second part of my build log! In my previous entry, I talked about the design and construction of the styrofoam shapes. I had already made four tombstones with the names or horror writers on them. I wanted one more, a cross, before I proceed to the next step. The cross The cross is made from another 5 cm thick styrofoam slab, and a...

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Flashback: the jar of eyeballs

This is a prop I made a few years ago for a Halloween party. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the entire build, so I'll try to explain it as good as possible. Here's a list of materials I used: Empty jar (I believe it contained pickles) Pingpong balls Hot glue gun Acrylic paint Glossy acrylic varnish Images of irises, printed with a color...

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Tombstones, part 1

Here's the first part of my Halloween props series for this season. I'm gonna start with a few tombstones. They will be made from styrofoam, and coated with Monster Mud, a mixture of latex paint and drywall compound. I plan to build four regular tombstones and one cross. The stones will bear the names of horror writers: Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe,...

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Halloween is coming!

With Elf Fantasy Fair behind us, it's time to get started on the next project: Halloween! I haven't had much time to prepare anything yet, so I'll have to finish my props in a record amount of time. Me and my friends are part of a Halloween event in a local zoo. Every year, the weekend before Halloween the entire zoo is turned into a gigantic haunt. Last year I participated for the first time, but we didn't have enough time to build a decent set. This year, I plan to build a basic set that can be expanded year after year. It will be a graveyard,...

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The Dwarven Helmet, part 2

In my previous post about the helmet, I talked about creating the shape and painting it. Now we're gonna continue where I left: adding the earpieces and neck protection. The earpieces I made the earpieces from foamboard, a very cool material to work with. It consists of a slab of foam plastic sandwiched between two layers of paper. I cut the basic...

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The Dwarven Hammer, part 3

Introduction In my previous post, I coated the styrofoam hammer with acrylic resin. Working with the resin was a lot harder than I thought, and I had to adjust my plans a little bit. The final result, however, turned out better than I expected! Painting I started by painting the entire hammer dark gray. I mixed a batch of acrylic paint, consisting...

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The Dwarven Helmet, part 1

Introduction My dwarf costume wouldn't be complete without a helmet, of course. I wanted to make a basic shape out of paper maché, and add more features to it using the styrofoam and acrylic resin technique I used for my hammer. My inspiration was Gimli's helmet in Lord Of The Rings. In fact, my helmet will be more or less the same. The basic shape I...

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