| Vikeman's Halloween Blog |
Crazy CamoI ordered some Ultra-lite Crazy Camo Nets from Barre Army Navy Store. I placed my order last Wednesday and it shipped the same day and arrived Saturday. They have a good price on high quality netting that meets anti-fire certifications. Good stuff. 12:28 PM - 10/8/2006$25 Full-Size Toe-Pincher CoffinThis year I built a couple of full-size toe-pincher coffins to compliment the half-size coffin we built back in 2004. I posted a project description on the ScareFX.com site. Here's a picture of the coffin that will be the home for a new corpse I'm currently making. 11:30 AM - 10/4/2006New from Spirit Halloween & Spencer's GiftsPurchased a couple more latex props today. The demon came from Spirit and the spider from Spencer's. The demon will be in the graveyard and the spider will be on the porch. Both are nice sized props. I really liked the details on the demon and black widows are the creepiest spider to me. It will replace the tarantula on the giant web this year. 8:19 PM - 9/21/2006ScareFX.com Gets a New LookI've updated the design of the ScareFX.com web site. The content from the old site is still in place with the same page names so links and bookmarks will not be broken. I'll be adding new content continually over the next couple of months. 3:55 PM - 9/20/2006Poseable GargoyleThis little guy came today. 10:38 PM - 9/19/2006The 2005 Grave DiggerThe Crow 1994 asked about the details of the grave digger prop I made last year.Here is what he looked like on Halloween night 2005.  The mask is a display copy (no cutouts for the eyes) called Gravedigger from Death Studios. A wig head was used inside the mask (with some plastic grocery bags stuffed into the gaps. The wig head was placed over a 1/2" PVC "neck".  The hands are Star Wars Emperor Palpatine latex hands from BuyCostumes. Heavy wire was placed in the hands so they could be positioned on the shovel and lantern.  The frame is 1.5 inch PVC pipe and fittings with chicken wire to provide some "body". The frame is slipped over iron re-bar driven into the ground. The 1/2" PVC neck is inserted into a reducer fitting placed in the 4-way fitting. Here's a great calculator that can help with proportions.  The coveralls are from the local Tractor Supply Company.  5:19 PM - 9/14/2006Did the Rounds at the Stores TodayI'm off on Thursdays and it's raining so I thought I'd check out the merchandise at the stores today. The Spirit store is not open yet and I've already gotten the things I wanted from Big Lots this year. So I went to Party City, Halloween Express, Spencer's Gifts, and Target.I saw a nice Black Widow spider at Spencer's. I think I might add that one to my spider collection. They also have the Scary Demon with Cross which is definitely on my list to add to the graveyard. Halloween Express has tons of costumes and quite a few props. I saw a couple of spiders and a giant roach that looked pretty good. They had a couple of latex vultures that looked better than the one in Spencer's. I picked up a couple of the large poly-resin gargoyles and a poly-resin cross from Target today. Last year I waited too long to the get the bigger ones and had to settle for the smaller canine gargoyles. Those poly-resin props are nicely detailed for the money.  My giant toad arrived from the Toy Lounge today. I like him.  2:18 PM - 9/14/2006Halloween Toolbar accepted at Download.comWhoohoo. Download.com accepted our Halloween Toolbar for download. Check it out:
5:35 PM - 9/5/2006FINALLY!!!As of yesterday I actually got started on this years Halloween projects!! I know, I know too little too late probaly but I feel good about it...lol!
We went to got the wood we needed to get our new castle walls built, and built 5 out of the 9 we need already! Not a cool new prop or anything like that but it's a start and that's all that matters at this point! We got the fabric to do up our wolves too, doing the animated reindeer conversion to a sitting howling wolf, should look pretty cool when done. Then I have to get moving on the pirate ship, UFO and dragon...Only a month to go I can do it.....
.....I hope. 8:56 AM - 9/5/2006The Complete WitchThe witch is finally complete, for the most part there are a few little odds and ends to clean up like where to hang the chains from but that will be done on Halloween. Here is a video of the witch in action.
Graciously posted on http://www.eyesofhalloween.com/how.html 8:43 AM - Sep. 5, 2006The Witches GarbI've got the witch all dressed and ready to go just one step left, get this witch connected to the cauldron and fire it up! I really like the creepy cloth used as a shawl, it give her a more age look.
I'll post a video soon of the finished prop.
9:05 AM - Sep. 4, 2006The Witches BodyThe PVC frame work that was built in the beginning will now need to be completed. That entails protecting the moving parts and giving the frame a more human shape.
Things to note in this picture are the aluminum guards that are protecting the moving mechanisms from getting caught in the out clothing, the chicken wire used to create the final body shape, and the powered computer speakers mounted on the shoulder cross-section. All the wiring was taped(red) to the PVC frame neatly to avoid any snagging, the wiring includes the power and audio cords going to the witch's head and the power and audio going to the PC speakers. The speaker from the dougie was put into an inner seam of the hat to help create effect that the audio was coming from the mouth of the witch. The points of the cut chicken wire are quite sharp and can easily puncture the skin so although not shown in this pic, they were bent inward to avoid snagging the outer clothing or cause any blood loss.
The next picture shows where bubble-wrap was used to build up the shoulders and upper arm to make them more proportional. An added effect of the bubble-wrap is that when her arms are moving, the bubble wrap make a fire crackling noise. This probably won't be noticed on Halloween due to all the other things going on around it.
This also marks the beginning of sewing the clothes, while it is true that I'm no Betsy Ross, I manage to sew some tubes together to create clothes for a prop(They don't complain so...). This was 1st attempted at sewing when building the 18' Jack Skellington two years ago and I've picked up a few tricks since then to make it less frustrating. I started by making a few tight fitting under-sleeves so that if someone was to see up the arm of the more drooping outer-sleeve, the would just see more cloth. You also get a better view of the speakers mounted on the shoulders. I mounted them by removing the cover and screwing the back plastic case and into the PVC framework and putting the covers back on. 7:58 AM - Sep. 1, 2006Bones and Eyeballs...Vlad, over on HauntForum.com, put together a group buy with Marilyn at Anatomical Chart Company. I picked up another Bucky, some body parts and a Mr. Thrifty spider. We got excellent prices on these goodies. If you're not a HauntForum member, these group buys are yet another reason to join! 10:29 PM - 8/15/2006The Completed HeadWell the head is finally finished and all systems are working pretty good. I color of paint was supposed match the hands I've chosen to use which(no pun intend) are the Dementor hand from the Harry Potter movies. I wasn't able to concoct the exact color but the green glow of the LEDs(more to come on those) and the dark of night will work out the differences in color.
This is the completed head, the flash of the camera make it appear brighter than it actually is. Two things to notice in this picture. The eyelids are made by using a mini gungun and colored glue that I got at a dollar store and I just paint the clear portion of the outerportion with acrylic paints. The moles and eyebrows are made using the same glue (diffent color though) and adding the bristles of a acid brush for the hairy portions. The head in action
Ok...Now let's give this gal some curves. On to the body! 7:34 AM - Aug. 10, 2006Finials for a PVC FenceIf anyone is building a PVC fence, I wanted to point out of a source for finials.I purchased the plastic finials pictured below from DecorativeIron.com. The item number is 16.2029. These square finials will fit over 1/2" schedule 40 PVC. However, it is a very tight fit and it would be very difficult to get them on without heating up the PVC. If you use a heat gun to warm the PVC, the finials slide on very quick and easy. It creates a very good fit after the PVC hardens. In fact, it's very difficult to get them off. Shipping was a bit high from DecorativeIron to Virginia at $14.53 for 100 finials, keep that in mind if you order. BUT... they look pretty good and they kept Bucky inside the graveyard.      11:20 AM - 7/28/2006New Stuff AgainI have been busy...busy...again/still.
Recently launched http://www.SinisterSpace.com Social Community for the Halloween, Haunt, Goth, etc communities.
Spending time working, dealing with community issues, enhancing things and doing what I can.
My girlfriend makes sure I take a little time for relaxation too. 11:38 PM - 7/24/2006The Witch's Head (cont.)Well after a partial day of working of the witch, the head is begining to take shape. Proportionately, it's a little large, but the frame of the body is too. So it may work out. I plan on doing more to it over the next three days and hopefully I can get this prop wrap up in the next week.
I am not an animal...I am a halloween prop. This picture shows how I built out the head with the remaining Great Stuff from the cauldron, once it has stiffened it will be shaped just by cut away the excess with a sharp knife.
This is a picture of the head after being shaped and with one layer of paper mache started. This is my 1st experience with paper mache, at least since elementary school. I have to say that it was every bit a pain in the butt as latex and cotton. Maybe it's because of the type of project that this is that forces me to be more careful not to get it in the moving parts. But you can almost get an idea of what it's going to look like when it's done. The wig shown in the video in the prior post was just a temp for effect, I think the actual hair is going to be long, straight gray hair and much thinner. I'll probably use the hat after I beat it up a bit to give that worn look. Right now I think kinda looks like Snow Miser from a "Year without a Santa Claus".( DT, You'll appreciate that) 5:36 PM - Jul. 20, 2006Scarecrow Showdown at HauntForumZombie-F's HauntForum has another prop building contest underway. The Scarecrow Showdown will be the last this season. They have some great prizes and there will be some terrific scarecrows built for this contest. Check it out.http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=2699 8:42 AM - 7/20/2006It's a BAD SeedI received my second order from Jeff over at TheFrighteners.com today. The Bad Seed Creature Reacher looks good. I'm not going to be using it as a costume but as part of my reworked riser prop. Here's the entire costume in a catalog shot.  This is the prop I will rework using the Creature Reacher.  11:04 PM - 7/8/2006New Beginning!!Well it's already July and I'm just now posting for the year. What a year it's been already. In March I did the Los Angeles Marathon-which was brutal. End of April, we bought our first house!!! Re-did most of the inside - new paint, new floors, new doors, new windows - pretty much everything. Moved in on the end of May. June - unpacked, still working on the house. July - still working on the house and recuperating.
Now I'm trying to get back in to the forum and get the juices flowing. My husband has kind of banned any new projects and moving the crypt was a *&*($% joke. He basically cut it into four large pieces and he's getting rid of all but the front. We don't have the space to store it whole. So we (*he*) will build a smaller back for it that can be dismantled and stored every year.
My only project for this year (by me of course and besides all the stuff from the past years) that I've been able to think about is to age a skeleton that I would like to sit on the roof and make a static ghost (no crank) for my upstairs bedroom window. Hopefully more time on the forum will give me more plans. I'd love to hear from everyone and their plans for the year. I know I've been very absent, but I'm baaaaack!!! 12:51 AM - 7/8/2006
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Description We decorate mostly for our party each year. We don't get many TOT's. Brenda and I were married at our party in 2003. We have a great time and I enjoy making new props to use each year. Home User Profile Archives Friends Recent Entries - First winner of the Golden Tombstone Award for best costume - Blake in his first Halloween costume - Finally got time to post! - No Baby Yet - Not much time for Halloween with a baby on the way |
