Thread: Need Ideas for Black Bird Cages

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Hi!

I got some bird cages from the thrift store, painted them black, added the bird, and now I'm not sure what to do. They still look really bare to me. I did add fingers to the cages, but that's not enough!

I am selling these at a craft show tonight and on Sunday. I sold one as shown in the photos, but many people looked at them and thought the price was too high.

However, all I'm doing is doubling the cost to make them. The big ones COST $10, and the little ones COST $5. I am trying to sell the large ones for $20, and the small ones for $10.

I just need some ideas for what I can do to make them appear like they are worth it. The bird cages by themselves at regular price would be $20 and $10. hmm...

Any ideas to make these guys spookier? Are the fingers lame? Wrong place? Hmm... Thanks in advance for help.

They look good. I personally wouldn't buy a bird cage for that much, especially when you can make one and make it look real for cheap.

Try making the cage look rusty? There are tutorials on here on how to make something look rusty. Basically either with spray paint or dry brushing acrylic paint onto it. You could also add corn meal to the cage to give it some depth, almost like its been acquiring rust clumps over the years..

An example from my album. Keep in mind I took this picture when the paint was just freshly put on so its brighter. It has now darkened and there is not shiny gloss to it.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/member...-progress.html

Dirty up the hay you have in the cages, either by lightly spraying black in some places and heavier in other places or whatever spray paint you want to help the effect or add multiple layers colors in random areas. Spray paint is pretty cheap, you don't always need the best stuff and the cheapy paint will do.

Add blood to the crow (either mouth or even just on the crows back/wings) like its been eating people like mad. You can achieve this either by getting "blood" for cheap at wal-mart like I did for a dollar or something. Or you can do CLEAR elmers glue and add a little bit of red food coloring with maybe a drop of blue or green. It dries with a gloss to it, like its fresh, though it is washable with water so putting it outside for an extended period of time and with rain probably would wash it away.

Just some ideas you might want to try that are relatively cheap.

Love the ideas of darkening the hay and rusting up the cage. They do have blood on their beaks already. Should I toss the fingers?

I've been looking at them for so long that I can't tell what looks good/bad anymore. ah!!!

Thanks for your advice!

I know how you feel. When I am working on a project for so long, it all just runs together in your mind so its good to get a second or third opinion. I think if you tossed the fingers it would be good, OR bloody up the fingers even more with the fake blood you can get from walmart or the process I told you about, cheap but effective. That way it wont look as much of a fake prop.

I saw they had blood on their beaks already, just think of the movie The Birds, if you haven't seen it you should watch it. Crazy birds that hunt people down. So in that case, they shouldn't just have blood on their beaks, it should be everywhere to make it gorified. That is where the fake blood could come in. Also if you have burlap or I guess any clothing/fabric laying around, you could rip it up and either dangle it through some of the cage or hang it, OR put it under the bird like it made a nest out of the bloody looking material. Almost like a Pirates of the Carribean look when they have dead bodies in cages. So drench cloth in some liquid or fake blood again and make it so it looks fresh and tattered like the human was picked to pieces.

Check out the thread by Frankie's Girl re: freshly-plucked eyeball dangling from crow's beak.