[EyeballsStudio]

Like the last three years, I will be part of the haunt at the local zoo. Our theme for this year will be a film museum, and one of the featured movies will be Hellraiser! One of my friends has a Pinhead costume, and I'm gonna build a bleeding, mutilated torso.
I had been searching for a mannequin doll for a long time, only to find out these thing, even used ones, are expensive as hell. A while ago, I found a torso for only 4 euros at a thrift store! Since a torso was all I needed, I didn't have to think twice about this.
Today, I cut open the neck, shoulders and stomach using a Dremel. A messy job, creating lots and lots of dust. The torso is made of fibreglass, making it quite hard to cut. It took me an hour and a half and three cutting wheels to get the job done.

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The next step is running a tube through the torso, so it emerges at the neck. Using PU foam and polyester putty, I'm gonna make gruesome cuts and gashes. The purpose of the tube will be to pump (fake) blood over the torso using an aquarium pump; the entire thing will stand in a bucket so we can simply pump it around.
Of course, I will also use some hooks and chains! The hole in the stomach will have some hooks in it so it looks like it's being ripped open, and the neck and arms will have thick bolts screwed into them, for attaching more chains.

 

[EyeballsStudio]

Allright, so I filled the empty shell with some PU foam. Yesterday, I filled the holes near the shoulders, and today I filled the abdomen. The foam is expanding away now, it will take some cutting and sanding to turn it into something resembling a gory wound.

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[annamarykahn]

looks gr8!

a little bit of paint & it'll be amazing!

amk

 

[BeckyMurphy]

This looks awesome so far - what an awesome idea
Who knew PU was so versatile!?

 

[EyeballsStudio]

After the foam had completely cured, I carved a large cavity in it using a Dremel and a sanding bit.

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Next, I used polyester filler to create a jagged, torn edge to the wound. It took me a few passes, with lots and lots of sanding in between, to get a decent result. I could only mix up small batches of polyester at a time, because it has a working time of only ten minutes. The outside, where the polyester meets the skin, required a lot of sanding. The inside wasn't sanded at all, the irregular, rough appearance is exactly what I needed.

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Finally, I coated the entire inside with a 50/50 mixture of cheap white house paint and acrylic caulk. I added a bit of red paint so I could see when it was thoroughly mixed. The mixture is a very thick paste that covers the foam and the polyester, so you don't see any more seams, and it also hides the spongy foam texture.

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It will take a couple of days to dry completely. I used a paintbrush that was already more or less ruined. Don't use a new brush for this because you'll probably have to throw it away afterwards anyway!

 

[EyeballsStudio]

Allright, so I'm almost done painting this thing! I primed it using a plastic primer first, and then spray painted it entirely in raw sienna, wich makes a fine basic flesh tone. The wounds were painted in carmine.

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The wounds looked too brightly red, so I made a 50/50 mixture of carmine and burnt umber, diluted this a bit and splashed it on the wounds. When dry, it looks a lot like dried blood, with the bright red showing through in some places.
The skin was still a boring, flat shade, so I mixed a bit of pink and burnt umber and thinly applied it with a sponge to create darker spots. For the bruises, a mixture of gray and blue was used. I used some pictures of real bruises as a reference, wich helped greatly. A real bruise has a brownish outline, with a gray-blue center.

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It starts to look quite good! All that needs to be done now is blood drips. I also took the effort to use our good camera and take the prop outside to take a decent picture

 

[EyeballsStudio]

Almost finished! I added lots and lots of blood. I took some carmine paint and darkened it with burnt umber (I guess about a 3/1 ratio), and thinned it to a creamy consistency, thin enough so it would slowly drip down. Then I started putting drops of paint on all the wounds and let gravity do its job.

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I originally intended to call it finished after this, but then someone at another forum came up with a suggestion. Since she doesn't have nipples, I should add some sort of tassels. I'm not quite sure what I'm gonna do next, but it's a great idea. I'll see what I'll come up with.