So i was browsing the forums as I often do and came across this thread: http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/71290-fake-skull-candle.html by Scourge...and got me thinking, I think i can do that... just with a really lesser quality skull lol... so here is the beginnings of my own Skull and candle... its still a work in progress...
Items used:
1. Plaster of Paris and skull mold
2. 1 battery operated tea light
3. Black poster board
4. Brown shoe polish
5. Black paint (crayola water based...Do not recommend..acrylic would be better)
6. Hot glue gun / glue
Ok, so i saw everyones candles on the how to section made from PVC and really wanted to make some, but a) didnt have pvc, b) no way of cutting it even if i did have pvc, c) didnt want to spend the money on it right now... so the solution?... Black Poster Board for 99 cents
I got my tea light, wraped a section of poster board around it, and glued it in place just tight enough where it will hold the candle, but i can remove it to turn it on and off.
next step, cover and glue to make it look like melted wax, and paint with crappy water crayola paints... next time i will use better stuff.
the skull is self explanatory... after is was cast i began covering is brown shoe polish to age it... im not finished with it, but the polish was giving me a headache so i put it away for now. afterwards i plan on sealing it with something. but anyways, here is the progress...
I think i want to keep the bucky clean, maybe use him as a stand alone, or make some mache casts of him or something. I cant bring myself to pour hot glue all over a beautiful bucky skull. lol
I'm actually a real big fan of the cheap plug in candles that joann fabrics has for $2.89 and replacing the bulb with a flickering flame bulb. I've used them numerous times for candles in skulls projects, no pictures...bummer...
Just get a foam skull of sorts, the ones from Michaels near halloween are awesome, drill a hole big enough for the candle chord, pull through, hot glue the candle in, with the brass stand removed that is. Then I actually get wax and drip it down the candle side. With enough you get an awesome result. Next time I do it I'll post pics, but the outcome is priceless. It's not a moving prop and you don't have to worry about the wax breaking because, well, it's all on the skull!
The texture was done by using a 5 dollar mini hot glue gun, i started from the top and basically made big U patterns, making sure i covered the entire thing. once the glue dried, i painted it flat black.
@ Dragon: the "tutorial" is reeealy simple. basically cut out black construction paper, and form it around your tea light and glue it. (think toilet paper roll core, or paper towel roll) after that, cover in hot glue in the above mentioned way, then simply paint. you can accent it by adding the spanish moss or anything else you think looks cool
I was just thinking... I could go to the dollar store and get a bunch of real different sized candles and cut out the top inside so I can set the light in, then just use the glue gun on the outside to make that effect. A buck a candle really isn't bad, you think? Compared to this and PVC it's a lot more expensive though.
Yeah, I was surprised how cheap PVC actually is. For 3 bucks you can get 1.5 inch like 6 foot long piece of pipe... you could make a bunch of candles with that. Although I was also thinking about real candles... if you hollow out the center...and thin out the sides, you could get a good glow going on within the first few inches of wax i bet. Might be worth a try
Yeah, I was surprised how cheap PVC actually is. For 3 bucks you can get 1.5 inch like 6 foot long piece of pipe... you could make a bunch of candles with that. Although I was also thinking about real candles... if you hollow out the center...and thin out the sides, you could get a good glow going on within the first few inches of wax i bet. Might be worth a try
I like the way Lonerogue2 did all this. Great stuff. Your 4 candles with the moss looks superb. Awesome job there!
For those worried about making candles with construction paper and having it blow over, I'd suggest just buying a metal washer the size you need and gluing that inside flush or a little above flush with the bottom of the construction paper. Fill that up with a few small rocks and that will keep a solitary construction paper candle from blowing over in a gust of wind. The weight of the washer plus small rocks with all that glue will make it sturdy enough.
On the PvC verse buying candles: I cut up a 2 inch PvC pipe today at work. The pipe was 10 feet long and cost $3.47. That gave me . . .
1 twelve inch candle part.
2 ten inch
3 nine inch
4 six inch
5 four inch
4 three inch
2 two inch parts.
So I'll have 21 candles (when done) for $3.47 + the cost of hot glue. Pretty good deal
So here is a project inspired (copied from) by SKAustin.
It is essentially a large rope handled bin with the rope removed. I then needed to make a bunch of ribs to create the cauldron shape. Taking the time to make a great template was key!
When I was a kid there was a house near our neighborhood that was built to look kind of like a castle. We went trick or treating there one year and they had the whole place decked out with torches along the walkways and people dressed like monks wandering around with torches. For an 8yr old kid...
Here's the how-to for the Moving Eyes Mechanism I made for Frankie's Girl to use behind a painted portrait. It could also work for moving eyes behind a tombstone or in a static prop.
MOVING EYES MECHANISM...
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Note: This is a repost of an old tutorial whose links to pictures were broken with the software update at HF.
Gurus of interior design follow basic rules in designing a great room. Christopher Lowell came out with a blockbuster book called the Seven Layers of Design. In haunting, we also use...
