Thread: Need Easy to Make Props

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I'm new to prop making and I need some ideas on some easy BUT good props to make. Preferably made from common household items. Any ideas?

I'm not that great at prop building myself. But last year I made a ghostly rocking chair. I already had the rocking chair I just attached a windsheild wiper motor to the legs of the chair and turned it on. My guests were very impressed. I purchased the windshield wiper motor from monster guts. It was very inexpensive.

are you interested in static or moving?

Walgreens usually sells the cheap plastic masks with the rubber band on the back. These really look great if you put them on a stick and stick them in the ground reversed, a few feet from your walkway. You'll have to shine a light at them but they will appear to follow you up and back down the path. Paint the inside of the mask white and shine a colored light at it. Great bang for the buck. Here's a wiki;
Check out the dragon!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-Face_illusion

I have always liked this simple scarecrow build. Here is a pic

http://www.halloweenforum.com/attach...e-img_0006.jpg

Step 1: Simple PVC construction.
http://www.nighthaunt.com/mannequin_stand.htm

Step 2:
Purchase cornstalks and Mask. You can purchase the hands from Nighthaunt Studios.

Step 3:
Wrap cornstalks around PVC and secure with twine.

Look thru this thread.Lots of links with LOTS of easy props.
Prop how-to info sites for new members

See my yard display from the past couple years. All DIY - if you have questions on any of it, lemme know

My first prop was the Shiatsu massager ground breaker. It was a good starer.

PDF of tutorial here.

I just made this today. I'm in the same boat you are in. I just phased out my store bought props this year and customized everything to my liking or made my own original stuff. This head is made from the following items:

-Groundbreaker skellie from Wal-Mart= $8.00
-Liquid Nails construction adhesive = 1 tube from Lowes, Home Depot, etc. $6.00
-1 ping-pong ball (had it lying around)
-Cardboard from a ceral box for the ear
-a little masking tape to build up the nose and left eyelid.
-Artist's paint brushes- Cheap-o pack at Lowes=$3.00

Here's the How-To:
Apply Liquid Nails heavily to areas that you want more "fleshy", I did this on the brow line and the side of the face that's less rotten. Leave some pure bony areas on the skull by not applying liquid nails at all to them. Spread liquid nails around randomly to your liking with a 1/2'' or so brush. THIS STUFF WILL RUIN THE BRUSH so try to do it all in one sitting to avoid buying tons of brushes. Don't worry about brush marks, they will fix themselfs after painting. Let the Liquid Nails dry COMPLETELY, this will take at least 8 hours, depending on how heavy you apply it. After it's dry, paint with acrylic paint to your liking or use a good stain. I like Minwax Cherrywood stain for that real dried-out look, but this guy will be painted a bluish-grey so he looks more "fresh" I guess. Avoid applying excessive amounts of paint and avoid the "bone" areas

Extras:
I added an ear just because. It's thin cardboard cut to the shape of an ear and attached with Liquid nails and detailed a little. The eye is a ping-pong ball cut in half.

Hope this helps. The cool thing is that you will not use the whole tube of liquid nails on this project. 1 tube will make about 3 of these. Check out some of my other posts for pics of other stuff I made for dirt cheap that looks good IMO for what I spent on it.