Life Size Props

13922 Views 83 Replies 34 Participants Last post by xxScorpion64xx, Oct 21, 2013

Palladino

Discussion Starter · Oct 1, 2013

I'm feeling frustrated and dissatisfied with my life sized props. I've tried chicken wire but even with gloves I find it hard to work with, especially because it comes in rolls and keeps bouncing back as I try to work with it. The PVC option is expensive. I don't have a power saw so wood is out.

Is there any other way to make life size props that will stand up securely?

1 - 20 of 84 Posts

His and Hearse

· #2 · Oct 1, 2013

Well, if you use a grim reaper robe or similar you can just use a 6 foot 2x2 and a piece of scrap wood across the top (shoulders) to make a cross shape. Add a shirt and pants, then the robe over the top. The bottom of the 2x2 can stick into the ground. You will probably need a hand saw and a screwdriver or hammer and nails, but it should cost no more than $10. Probably less.

Or just stuff a shirt and pants and sit em' in a chair.

Honestly though, PVC is the way to go. Costs a few bucks but worth it.

furfee25

· #3 · Oct 1, 2013

oops nevermind.

furfee25

· #4 · Oct 1, 2013

Misread your post.

Palladino

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 1, 2013

His and Hearse said:
Well, if you use a grim reaper robe or similar you can just use a 6 foot 2x2 and a piece of scrap wood across the top (shoulders) to make a cross shape. Add a shirt and pants, then the robe over the top. The bottom of the 2x2 can stick into the ground. You will probably need a hand saw and a screwdriver or hammer and nails, but it should cost no more than $10. Probably less.

Or just stuff a shirt and pants and sit em' in a chair.

Honestly though, PVC is the way to go. Costs a few bucks but worth it.

Thanks for your response.

The characters I'm making need legs. I've never made a complete PVC dummy. I'll check out the tutorials.

mementomori

· #6 · Oct 1, 2013

I use the base to an oscillating fan, i put a brick on top and it works fine.

Reactions: 1

xxScorpion64xx

· #7 · Oct 1, 2013

I think the most you spend on a complete pvc armature is $15 to $20 bucks..

bl00d

· #8 · Oct 1, 2013

I use the grey electrical condit pipes, they are extremly cheap. A key trick w/ chicken wire is using zip ties so it wont bounce back

Jenn&MattFromPA

· #9 · Oct 1, 2013

Well, a really simple way that my hubster and I do it is like this - DH is an avid fisherman, so he has a lot of waders that go up & over your clothes. Same thing as overalls, really, just sturdier & waterproof. You can keep an eye out at thrift stores for overalls or look for inexpensive one piece jumpsuits like you would put over your clothes when you are fixing cars. Then, we stuff those things like mad with newspaper, paper & plastic bags, and pool noodles from the dollar store. We have some family who save extra newspaper for us starting around August so that we know we have a lot. My hubby will then use a very tall rebar that he hammers into the ground and we fit the dummy onto it using pieces of the clothing to help secure it as well as bungee straps too.

The only thing we sometimes have to get creative with is sticking on hands & putting the arms into a realistic pose. We use work gloves, monster hands, dollar store plastic hands, etc. Sometimes we'll use some fishing line to pull the arm into a bent position if we have time. It *is* easier to pose this kind of dummy in a sitting position rather than standing up, but it can be done with a little patience. We pose a few stuffed dummies like this on a bench for people to take photos with, and last year, my Dad dressed up and sat really still in place of one of the dummies and would casually move for the older ToT's. Ha ha!

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Reactions: 2

Palladino

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 1, 2013

Jenn&MattFromPA said:
Well, a really simple way that my hubster and I do it is like this - DH is an avid fisherman, so he has a lot of waders that go up & over your clothes. Same thing as overalls, really, just sturdier & waterproof. You can keep an eye out at thrift stores for overalls or look for inexpensive one piece jumpsuits like you would put over your clothes when you are fixing cars. Then, we stuff those things like mad with newspaper, paper & plastic bags, and pool noodles from the dollar store. We have some family who save extra newspaper for us starting around August so that we know we have a lot. My hubby will then use a very tall rebar that he hammers into the ground and we fit the dummy onto it using pieces of the clothing to help secure it as well as bungee straps too.

The only thing we sometimes have to get creative with is sticking on hands & putting the arms into a realistic pose. We use work gloves, monster hands, dollar store plastic hands, etc. Sometimes we'll use some fishing line to pull the arm into a bent position if we have time. It *is* easier to pose this kind of dummy in a sitting position rather than standing up, but it can be done with a little patience. We pose a few stuffed dummies like this on a bench for people to take photos with, and last year, my Dad dressed up and sat really still in place of one of the dummies and would casually move for the older ToT's. Ha ha!

I could use the $1 Store paint overalls. But how do you keep the head on? Duct tape? Or do you have a lot of headless props?

Palladino

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 1, 2013

xxScorpion64xx said:
I think the most you spend on a complete pvc armature is $15 to $20 bucks..

Really? I was sure I'd priced it out closer to $40. Even then, when you're building half a dozen or so, it adds up. And I don't have a saw to cut it.

Palladino

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 1, 2013

bl00d said:
I use the grey electrical condit pipes, they are extremly cheap. A key trick w/ chicken wire is using zip ties so it wont bounce back

Thanks - I'll check out the electrical pipe option.The zip ties are a good idea, too. I use tons of those at Halloween.

Jenn&MattFromPA

· #13 · Oct 1, 2013

Palladino said:
I could use the $1 Store paint overalls. But how do you keep the head on? Duct tape? Or do you have a lot of headless props?

Ha ha! No, they have heads most of the time, although we often do that part last minute since they can be a little testy. Sometimes we use tape, sometimes we poke a stick into the padding around the neck area, tape the stick in place, then sit the mask on top of that. We often stuff the mask a bit to fill it out too. You can also use a black, hooded sweatshirt to put over or under the overalls and stuff the hood to help hold a mask on. We figure if we don't ultimately like the look of the clothing, we just then drape the figure in a black cape or other fabric so you don't see the overalls or the sweatshirts.

Since these aren't permanent props and my DH wants to be able to use the waders, we just craft something on the fly most of the time. We make sure to have velcro tape, clear packing tape, fishing line & lots of bungees on hand!

We recycle the newspaper & bags after we are done each season too. We keep the pool noodles though.

Screaming Demons

· #14 · Oct 2, 2013

This is another option: http://www.halloweenasylum.com/inflatable_male_mannequin.html

Do a search and you can usually find them on sale somewhere.

Palladino

Discussion Starter · #15 · Oct 2, 2013

Screaming Demons said:
This is another option: http://www.halloweenasylum.com/inflatable_male_mannequin.html

Do a search and you can usually find them on sale somewhere.

Thanks. The problem is that the majority of life size props I use need to be freestanding. That guy won't be able to keep himself up.

Pretty Little Nightmare

· #16 · Oct 2, 2013

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/111244-life-size-prop-pvc-frame-3.html

I grabbed the stuff for this the other day and spent about $12 at Home Depot!

Pretty Little Nightmare

· #17 · Oct 2, 2013

The materials list is on the 1st page.

jdubbya

· #18 · Oct 2, 2013

Palladino said:
Really? I was sure I'd priced it out closer to $40. Even then, when you're building half a dozen or so, it adds up. And I don't have a saw to cut it.

A ten foot piece of one inch pvc runs about $3.65. Figure two lengths will be more than enough for one 6 foot armature. You should be able to get 1 1/2 armatures out of this. You need a few 45 or 90 degree elbows, a cross fitting for the neck/shoulders/spine, and a T fitting for the hips. These might come to 6 bucks total. A styrofoam wig head runs under 5 bucks. Costume or Goodwill clothes of your choice, a mask and hands. The actual armature would come to less than 13 bucks. You can make clean, accurate cuts with a hack saw and those are pretty cheap too.

pacman

· #19 · Oct 2, 2013

Instead of chicken wire for the torso i prefer to use the tough foam found in armchairs and sofas , you can buy it in squares usually from stores that sell material in rolls and sewing and knitting materials , you can cut it to shape with sharp scissors or a sharp knife then tape it into position and when squashed it resumes it's shape once left a few minutes unlike the chicken wire method , there is a tutorial on the forum showing dummies being made in a similar way using foam padding .

Screaming Demons

· #20 · Oct 2, 2013

Palladino said:
Thanks. The problem is that the majority of life size props I use need to be freestanding. That guy won't be able to keep himself up.

I have used a variety of ways to stand them up. One of the easiest, which works sometimes depending on the clothes and shoes, is to run a length of PVC pipe down the body and into one of the shoes.

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