Sneak Peak #18 (Final Clue)

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #18: Remember To Lock The Tripod.

Clue #18: The final clue, the final photo. The prop is done, complete, photographed. The piece will be entered tomorrow and once approved I will post the finished result and tutorial. One month and $20 bucks later my display has a new prop. All is good.

Sneak Peak #17

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #17: Chains Of Love.

Clue #17:The good news is that the prop is done and ready for paint....an end to the clueless clues.

In a short while the prop will be unveiled and the clues will end, we can all get back to our normal programming. Thank goodness for small favors.

Sneak Peak #15

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #15: Against The Grain.

Clue #15: I was very board, bored creating these sections of the prop.

Sneak Peak #14

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #14: Peeling Off The Bone.

Clue #14: The first time I have incorporated this technique into one of my works.

Sneak Peak #13

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #13: Hands Down.

Clue #13: Final Nail In The ______.

Sneak Peek #8

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #8: Zygomatic Bone.

Clue #8: Anatomy lesson for the day, you may now resume your normal programming. Helpful wasn’t it?

Sneak Peek #7

HauntForum $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #7: Great balls of fire….um, foil.

Clue #7: Obviously balls of foil serving as the armature for eyeballs. The contest is limited to a $20 budget so I wrapped two small sheets of aluminum foil around a core of crumpled newspaper. Recycled newspaper is free…aluminum foil is not.

Sneak Peek #5

HauntForum 2010 $20 Prop Challenge entry.

Photo #5: Criss Cross .

Clue #5: In my years of doing papier mache this is the first time I have ever used brown craft paper, or in this case a recycled paper grocery sack for my paper source. The result was very strong once dried and very easy to work with while applying.

Here’s a little secret. I suck at strip mache. The fact that I suck doing strip mache is a tidbit of information that I have shared with the students in several of my workshops. I suck at applying strips because I find the whole thing tedious and as a result I end up rushing the process. I rush because I know that the strips will be covered with clay but that is no excuse. Trust me; I’ve seen people do BEAUTIFUL strip mache. During my gargoyle workshops I had a couple of students (you know who you are) that painstakingly stripped their gargoyles resulting in a smooth, beautifully detailed piece that really didn’t need further enhancement.

Now back to me. For this prop I took my time with the strip mache and achieved a smooth, well done look. I worked with extremely small pieces of brown craft paper (about ½ the size of a dime) and managed to incorporate fine details and intricacies. Lesson learned....don’t rush.

Final thought, I apologize for the crappy photo…it doesn’t show much so you will just have to take my word that it’s brown craft paper used for strip mache.

Until the next clue.