Thread: Crank Ghost Help

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Looking for some ideas on how to make a completely transparent crank ghost. I have the mechanics completed last weekend and now to make the ghost.

My idea was to mold the head and just the upper torso out of wireform (got the idea from another website). Since this will not be rigid I was going to make a wire frame to give it some strength and to keep its shape. My thought was to make the frame out of coat hanger wire and silver solder to hold it together. This is all new to me (my first Halloween prop). Does anyone have any better ideas on how to approach this.

Thanks

Mine is just coat hanger wire for shoulders and arms I used fishing swivels to connect all the joints. The head is a styro ball.
I draped veil type material for ghost over the framework. Pretty much transparent.
Pete

I chose not to go the transparent route (although I DID consider it) but here is what I was looking at using at the time...

Clear plastic retail display torso form (bas relief--not full-round or half-round cuz those are way too $$$):
http://www.mannequinland.com/flatform.htm

Clear plastic retail display head (full round, but could be cut into half-round if desired?)
http://www.allendesigners.com/produc...play_Head_Form

I did end up getting one of the plastic heads for a ghost that stands in the yard. It's lightweight, but still weighs more than a styro wig head.

HTH!

My suggestion would be to build it as designed (foam wig head and coat hanger for shoulders and arms). You'll be amazed at how well this looks. The body doesn't look as flat as it really is.

To tell you the truth, I think the heavier cheese cloth at the head and shoulders adds to the detail. Without it, it looks really plain. I even added a grouping of cloth over the head to for a veil (or hair). IMO, it adds an extra touch of realism.

I have seen where someone painted their wig head black and then put cheesecloth over it like normal. It looked like the fabric was more of a skin over nothingness, giving kind of a transparent appearance. If you did something similar with the traditional body--layering cheesecloth, etc over a layer of black fabric, it might suggest more depth and dimension...

Something else to consider anyway

My crank ghost is see through. I used fabric stiffener and dipped my cheesecloth in it and then molded it around a wig head. Waited at least a few days to make sure it was COMPLETELY dry and then peeled it off. The cheesecloth kept the shape of the head (mostly - it didn't want to come off the foam cleanly).

I had to split the cloth up the backside, and ended up hacking off the back of the "head" and then used embroidery thread (white) to do some cross ties to keep the head shape mostly rounded. Ran a white wire up from the shoulders through the center of the head and bent in a hook to hang.

I put red transparent film in the eye holes and they show black in the black light. I also painted her lips with regular white acrylic paint so they would be opaque when lit up. It looks AWESOME.

She's out of shape from storage and I'm probably going to get a clear balloon and put it inside the head (or maybe a foam skull?) if we use here this year. I really needed to store her better, but I sort of just balled her up and her face is warped now.

Not the best pics, but you can see it sort of:

Daytime


Crappy night shot

I think it looks great, Frankie's Girl! The balloon sounds like a great idea, too. Just make sure it doesn't glow under a black light! I have found that many unexpected things glow under a black light.

Some great ideas. I really like the clear plastic Mannequin torso but concerned about the weight. But to keep it simple I may resort to painting a head black. But first I am still going to try this wire mesh idea and then go from there.
Here is the link to the web site I was referring too.
http://http://hedstorm.net/HAUNT/instructions/FCG/armature.html

want a clear plastic torso? Use packing tape.

Now you got the wheels turning. Plastic Cellophane and clear packing tape – great idea! I am thinking this will work. I could even embed some plastic strips within the packing tape to add support to the frame. Now – what can I use for plastic strips or maybe some wire here?