Thread: I'm ready

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Well, I'm really really wanting to start working on my own props, but for the life of me I can't get my own inspiration bubbles to work. I can't even think straight enough to put the right words in search. I'm ready to begin haunting....and ready to make my own props, though I have very little experience with anything from paper mache which I haven't done since 3rd grade (I'm 27 now) to any wood working, and I am VERY limited on any wood working tools, meaning I only have drill, hand saw, sandpaper, and a hacksaw, but that's it.

Can anyone help a fellow would be haunter to start out simple and easy but awesome work (or at least as awesome as I can get it for the first try)
Also cheap materials would do nicely since I am having to use a very meager unemployment check to fund this.

And ideas and Especially step by step tutorials would be great for helping out a beginner. I really want to be a part of this wonderfully talented circle even if it will take time to get good at it.

Please help....I'm devistated...er...I mean desperate!

I'm not especially talented but I've found a couple of easy things to do to make my haunt what I want it to be. First thing i do is plan it out in my head what I want it to look like, then i draw it on paper, what will go where, what i want to make and where it will go, etc...
Right now I'm taking garden stakes and cardboard triangles that i cut out, i assembled them together with just adhesive spray and staples and sprayed them black, it's super easy. Next, i got skulls from the dollar store, I'm cutting out the eyes with an exacto knife and putting in flickering tea lights. The skulls will be impaled on what look like pikes. It's very easy and less than $12.
Another thing i like to do is modify store bought stuff. I got $1 tombstones from the dollar store, resprayed them grey and pained some to glow in the dark, that's also super cheap and easy, glow paint is about $4.
Buy a blucky and corpse it, there are some great tutorials on here that show you how, also super cheap and easy to do.
Start small, then as you get more comfortable making things expand out to more complicated stuff.

A couple of tips to keep your expenses down:
Dumpster diving behind businesses - if you find an industrial park, check in the alleyways after hours (yes, dumpsters), and you'll likely find some very usable items.
Be careful not to take something that might still belong to the business - checking the trash is one thing, stealing is not acceptable.

Also, craigslist - check the "free" section on your local craigslist...I am dumbfounded at some of the things I've seen listed. I'd need a warehouse to keep all the stuff in that I wish I could have brought home, just from the "free" section.

You mentioned paper mache? Great idea! Cheap, and so much can be done with it!
Some old newspaper, a cheap bottle of white glue, some flour, starch and salt (all very cheap), and you have the basis for creating your own horrifying masterpieces (best thing with mache? If you do screw it up, it's not like you've wasted money on materials).

Re purposing every day items to fit your needs will help to cut costs.
Many people dumpster dive for goodies. Thrift stores are a wonderful source as well. Don't forget about the dollar stores for supplies. Many people use wooden skids that are thrown away as free sources of wood. Regardless of what the projects... you'll still need some supplies (paint, wood, glue, screws, etc. ) to complete projects. Public library will have Halloween books for sources of inspiration.

When you get back to a regular paycheck, there are "How to Haunt" books & dvds out on the market.

What size yard and house do you have?
What's your theme?

There's a few essentials that almost every haunt needs, lighting, fog machine, and scary sound track.

In the meantime, start with tombstones. The foam is easy to cut with a steak knife, and then you just carve some words for the epitaph and paint the whole thing grey. Take a rag with black craft paint and drag down the front to give it that old look.

Shiatsu Zombie time! Go to your thrift store and get a shiatsu massager (~$8), then go to the hardware store and get 1 10' length of PVC (~$2) and 1 package of "plumbers tape" (~$3). Get a pallet for the wood (free).

Put all these together and you should have a nifty little haunt going on.

well, like Warrant says, decide what you want, a grave yard, etc.
Also, make sure you search the turorial here, for easy suggestions, and there is always hauntproject.com, as well as halloweenmonsterlist.info, they are full of ideas, some elabrate. some cheap and easy.
If you have trees, hang a few ghosts, the dollar tree has skulls, use those, some cheese cloth,(cheap by the yard) wire and fish line or twine, and hang them to blow about in the wind,
if you have any masks laying about, use pvc,old clothes, a wig head(about 3-4 bucks), or just use a gallon milk jug,put the mask on it, and there you have a static prop.

good luck in your search!

i find looking at videos on YouTube or your fav video page helps out alot also for the DIY stiff because you can see what is being done plus it also helps come up with some ideas

Where do you guys find you wig heads?

I find them in thrift stores used but value village always have new ones with the halloween stuff.

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it was Si-cotik bragging about being done all of their stuff for Halloween. HaHa