The Life of Charlie

Meet Charlie, he’s an everyday papier mache pumpkin that volunteered, or rather was drafted for an interesting experiment.

Charlie’s new job is to test the durability of weatherproof coating on papier mache props and he started his new job today (Saturday, July 10th, 2010).

Charlie was painted with black exterior latex paint and acrylics then sealed with one coat of spar urethane.

To reduce the shine of the urethane he was also sprayed with a coat of clear flat enamel.

Charlie’s tour of duty will end on October 31st, 2010...yup, he’s staying outside until Halloween, that’s 112 days rain or shine.

Charlie will be moving to different locations around our yard during the next couple of months and I will post updates as to his progress.

Good luck Charlie, you’re a trooper!

Screaming Half Skulls

The Screaming Half Skulls were made in a similar fashion to the DEMONIKUS skull but rather than using a hard hat they started with half of a papier mached balloon.

Each Screaming Half Skulls can be hung on a wall or incorporated into a full three dimensional prop for your haunting pleasure.

These pieces were all created with recycled materials including cardboard and newspaper.

Each skull is approximately 22 inches tall and feature open eye sockets making it possible for the addition of lights or eyeballs.

View the complete gallery here.

Backyard Drive In

As most of you know by now I'm a huge thrift store fan and today we scored a very nice portable movie screen....so we decided to spend our evening sitting in the backyard eating popcorn, drinking drinks and watching Indiana Jones fight some bad guys.

Life is more than papier mache and summer is short so I say enjoy!

New Pumpkin Technique

Here’s a new method for creating papier mache pumpkins using recycled cardboard to make the armature.

The technique is great for making smaller sized pumpkins suitable for tabletop or mantle display and makes some really nicely shaped pumpkins.

Complete instructions here.

Look Sharp!

This is a very easy way to make some convincing rusted looking barbed wire to enhance your props or costume and the best part is that it’s safe and inexpensive.

This prop does not involve the use of a papier mache (gasp!) but it does make a nice enhancement to your papier mache props.

The Faux Barbed Wire is made from twine, craft foam and black latex paint.

Tutorial can be found here.

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.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July to all my U.S. friends, enjoy the festivities and remember to keep those fireworks away from your papier mache creations.