If you read the comments posted under the Music to Corpse By entry, you may have seen the conversation ssflipo, Camile and I were having about ssflipo’s really cool wax scarecrow (with perched bat) creation. He was kind enough to let me see this pic yesterday and I think it looks great! I’d love to have a ‘crow like that sitting on my desk watching over me as I work on SoS. Ssflipo did have a question pertaining to sealing and hardening the wax sculpture. So, I offered the suggestion that he may want to try “Sculpt or Coat” found at Sculptural Arts, as that seems like it would be a good product for protecting it.

Speaking of Sculpt or Coat, a big thanks goes out to “Krough” over at Grim Visions for first turning me onto the product back on the old Methods of Madness forum at Terror Syndicate. Anyway, I know a lot of EXTREMELY talented, artistic folks visit here, and I wanted to see if anyone has any suggestions for another good sealant (maybe one that is meant to be used specifically for wax) to harden and protect his scarecrow.

Again, great job, ssflipo, and thanks for sharing the pic!

For the full how-to, visit The Devil’s Workshop: Cauldron Creep How-To.

Video source: YouTube user Craigisboredatwork

This photo was taken last Halloween (2008), but I left it out of the 2008 page because of the blemishes in the paint job (if you click on the photo, you can see them easier). I originally built this corpse in 2006, so it was one of my earlier designs. After finishing the paper mache, I used a white spray paint as the initial layer of coverage and then went to darker additional coats of latex, applied with a brush. This probably would have been alright, except for the fact I chose the desert southwest as the location to set up my yard haunt. New Mexico usually hits around 98 degrees in the summer. My props get stored in different locations – none of which happen to be air conditioned.

Because of the heat, the mache has a tendency to tighten up. Once it constricts, it reveals little nooks and crannies which were only covered with the initial layer of white paint. The result: white blemishes begin to peek through the darker top coat. Once I finally dig this corpse out of storage, in preparation for Halloween night, I inevitably have to do a ton of extra touch up to cover the blemishes. And, even then, some are hard to detect until the camera highlights them.

For me, the moral of the story is to no longer apply a base coat that’s lighter than my final top coat of paint. Doing this on my most recent props (plus a slight change in my mache technique) has made a big difference and I no longer have any lighter color playing peek-a-boo.

In the next couple of months, as the weather begins to warm up, I’m hoping to film another Halloween Haunter’s Reality Video in which I’ll demonstrate some groundbreaker painting techniques.

Related Halloween Prop Posts

Halloween Prop Building Q & A
Halloween Haunter’s Reality Videos
Return of the Scarecrow Corpse
Halloween How-To Projects

Since posting my Halloween Haunter’s Reality videos, I have received several excellent questions by email, asking for more clarification on some of my supplies and techniques. I’ve decided to post a few of these, every once in a while, in the hope it will help others who may have similar questions about building props.

Question: I’ve come across Halloween sites recommending smooth paper towels for the skin of a corpse. Why, in your videos, do you use rough towels with lots of picture prints on the towel?

Answer: That’s an excellent observation. The only reason I use rough, printed towels is because my paper mache mix is very thick. The glue to water ratio, I mentioned in the video, allows me to get by with using cheaper paper towels. When the glue is thicker, it absorbs right into the rough towel patterns and smooths them out. And, if it does still leave evidence of the pattern – I go back and create multiple layers of shredded towels, over the first layer, anyway. When the paper towels are shredded, it’s almost impossible to see any remnants of the original rough patterns.

The corpse I built in the third Halloween Haunter’s video is cutting it pretty close to Halloween, so I may not use my typical shredded mache skin on it. The shredding process can take several weeks to finish on a half corpse. I decided to purchase smooth Viva brand paper towels to mache him with instead. The Viva towels will only be applied after the initial “cover” layers of rough towels have been applied. I’ll be including these upcoming mache sessions in my next video.

Regarding the picture prints on towels – whether I’m using a light egg shell and tan paint combo (featured on my scarecrow from last year) or a gray and black on the ground breakers, they just don’t show. A couple good coats of paint will eliminate any flowers, hearts or flags on your corpse.

If you have any specific questions about the Haunter’s Reality videos or my Halloween prop building techniques, feel free to contact me.

Related Posts

Halloween Haunter’s Reality Videos
Return of the Scarecrow Corpse
Halloween How-To Projects