The Mad Lab Is Back!

After an extended the hiatus The Mad Lab has returned with a vengeance, coming back bigger and badder than ever…here’s the scoop straight from the doc herself:

"Foam is the weapon of choice for the static prop build. This includes, well, pretty much any foam. Great stuff, insulation foam, styrofoam, pool noodles, craft foam, egg shell foam, upholstery foam, foam board, foam packing peanuts...Ok you get the picture.

Ahhh the wonders of the wiper motor! Whether you are well acquainted or a novice this little device can open a door of haunting possibilities. Hit the salvage lot or head to Monster Guts. Use of a wiper motor is the only SEI requirement for this challenge.

You may enter as many times as you like in both categories. The deadline is extended to allow you ample time to crank out as many props as your decaying little heart can handle. 

Your entry for either project will need to be submitted by September 21 in order to be eligible to win."

That’s right, two different contests and two awesome prizes…to see what you could win take a visit to The Mad Lab by clicking here.

See you all September 21^st!

July Mad Lab Prizes

Received my goodies from Marsha aka Dr. Jekyll at the Mad Lab and as they say good things come in small packages. The first thing I pulled out were two packages of Liquid Fog Scent FX from Forum Novelties, Inc. Each package contains two small plastic pouches filled with “Creepy Crypt Scent” and “Moldy Morgue Scent.” Each pouch is enough to scent one gallon of fog. I haven’t had the chance to test them out but I’m excited about the concept of having scented fog this year in our display.

The second item was “Van Helsing’s Curse” by Oculus Infernum, a CD containing heavy metal interpretations of classical selections. Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister) headed up this project initially released in 2003 and re-released in 2007 with two additional tracks (“Halloween” and “Cry Little Sister”).

The style reminds me of The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the music is dark, heavy and highly enjoyable. Strung throughout the first ten tracks are narration courtesy of Dee Snider telling the tale of Van Helsing’s curse. Mr. Snider does an admirable job narrating the story but I would have much preferred the music to be separate rather than mixed with the dialog. Overall a very cool concept album that I would highly recommend strictly for the musical content. Just my two cents.

Thanks Marsha for the goodies and I look forward to the return of the Mad Lab in August.

Enter The Mad Lab (If You Dare)

I was thrilled to learn that DEMONIKUS, the piece I created for the June 2010 Mad Lab ended up winning this month’s contest.

The Mad Lab is a truly wonderful concept where each month you are challenged to create a spooky prop using the month’s SEI or “Specific Everyday Item.”

This last contest marked my eleventh entry into The Lab and my fourth win .

My heart goes out to Marsha, aka Jekyll and Hyde for creating this site because in doing so I have been pushed to create some of my most popular creations including my pumpkins, gargoyles and haunted busts.

The prizes offered every month are cool but the true satisfaction is forcing yourself to conjure up a concept and meet a deadline.

If you need a boost to your mojo or just need an excuse to quit procrastinating then visit The Mad Lab and let your creative juices run rampant.

Visit the site July 1st for a new challenge, I will see you there and we can do battle together!

Note: The above photo shows ten of my entries into The Mad Contest.

June Mad Lab

Finished my entry into the June 2010 Mad Lab contest, the complete tutorial can be found here.

DEMONIKUS

It’s been quite a while since I’ve visited The Mad Lab monthly prop building contest and the beginning of June I really felt the need for a creative challenge, something to break my “been there, done that” feeling that has plagued me since I completed Buster Gravesley.

The challenge for June is to create something scary from a hat, any kind of hat is acceptable and you are free to do what you will with the hat. My concept involves turning an old plastic hardhat into a demonic type of cow skull that I will call “Demonikus.”

The following pictures are sort of self explanatory as I took the hard hat, cut eye holes, added some cardboard to define the shape and sculpted with papier mache clay.

I’m quite pleased with the progress on this piece this exercise in creative freedom really filled the bill….I’m recharged and ready to build like a bat from hell … and what could be better than that?

You can see more photos on the STOLLOWEEN page on Facebook.

Haunted Busts

Managed to finish my March entry for The Mad Lab contest.

For those unfamiliar with The Mad Lab, it's a monthly contest that challenges you to create something from a specific item. The item or items are different every month and the contest proves to be a challenge and great motivator. In addition to the satisfaction of creating something cool you are also eligible to win some great prizes.

This month's contest required you to build something from plastic CD cases or jewel cases. My concept was to use the cases as the base for some haunted busts. The busts were made from papier mache as well as an assortment of recycled items such as aluminum cans, cereal boxes and newspaper.

Check out The Mad Lab at www.themadlab.com and give the contest your best shot, it's fun, it's rewarding and before you know it you will also have a bunch of new props for the Halloween season. While you are in the lab make sure to stop by and say hello to your host Marsha aka jekyllandhyde, she is devious, conniving and scheming but that's what makes her special.

Seriously Marsha is a great haunter and a very fun person so check out the lab and see what you've been missing.