Haunting Your Yard!

So we were back out at the shop yesterday, working on our projects.  What we did/needed to be done:

We had to finish the tombstone we were making for the coach of a football team.  Then Shane was going to start my toe pincher coffin because we need it for the mini movie we are making that will be the “save the date” for our guests for the Halloween party.  Once the mini movie is done I’ll post it.

I was going to start changing the skeleton.  What that was going to be like, I wasn’t sure when I started.

And I got Dylan going on painting some columns we’ve had for ages.

First off, the coffin.  We want to make this one on the fancy side.  It will be completely trimmed out, with decorative pieces on the front and sides and we plan to line it as well with batting and some sort of silk.

The first thing he did was use the table saw to notch out the sides so the pieces fit together.

Then they slowly started adding the sides.  This particular coffin is designed to fit me.  We were planning on making one for everyone this year, but the cost is going to put that on hold.

They were short a bit of wood for the side so the plan this week is to get that finished, get it trimmed out and stained so that next weekend we can finish the inside.  This coffin (toe pincher) will be used as an indoor prop in our vampire mansion room.

A rough estimate of the cost would be about $200 ish for materials.

Next, I was working on the skeleton.  This whole thing is an experiment so I just got a plastic skeleton to work on.  I am not ready yet to venture into getting the expensive ones.  The first mistake made was I got the wrong batting, which I didn’t realize until I started working on the prop.  I need cotton batting and we got poly.  It isn’t taking the paint well and on the whole, the plastic skeletons don’t (I stained some last year so I knew this already).  The effect right now is of a burned victim - I only did so much and am letting it dry (takes forever) before trying any more.  If I am still not terribly happy with the outcome, I will go to plan B which is use paper towel strips to make it more mummy like.

One thing I do with these plastic skeletons is cut out pieces of plastic between the ribs, the eyes, the mouth, arms, etc.

It’s always good to have more than one project going on at a time because while something is drying you can switch to something else.  That’s what Dylan and I did with the columns he was repainting and the headstone we were working on.

The columns will be used in the vampire mansion room.  One will have a dead floral arrangement on it.  The other, a bust of a vampire we got at Michael’s.  Dylan painted them a red color and then I went back and “aged” them a bit.  I did this by taking black paint, getting as much off the brush as possible, and doing a dry brush over the columns.  Here is a before and after:

The last thing we did was finish up the headstone that was ordered.  This is not for Halloween.  A football coach had us do one to put their season from last year to rest.  He wanted something very, very basic - no distressing or aging really.  I still did a bit of aging using paint as I couldn’t stand to have it go out the door so plain.

The technique I use to do that is to put a line of black paint at the top, then use a spray bottle filled with water to spray the paint, and a dry paint brush to drag it.  I do this over and over again until I’m happy with the result.  Normally I would do a lot more of this and also add the moss.  They would also have cracks and distress - but he didn’t want any of that, so this is really a very basic headstone.

That pretty much wrapped up our day.  More to come….

I thought I would post a link to Flickr where our Halloween pictures from Halloween ‘07 are posted in a set:

Halloween ‘07 on Flickr

I think there is more there then posted on this website.

So we have finally gotten started with the Halloween projects.  The first ones are adding more headstones to the graveyard.

I will do a complete how-to once we have gone through the entire process.  But for now, I’m just blogging about what we did yesterday.

Shane is actually working on a tombstone for someone else right now. The pink foam is found in sheets at Home Depot.  I believe at Lowe’s it’s the blue.  We use the 2″ thick foam.  First the basic shape is cut out with small hand saws.  Then the details begin to be added.  The router is used for cutting out insets.  He’ll also use it for the lettering when he gets to that point.

Dylan used plaster of paris to create some molds that will eventually be glued on to headstones before the painting process.  Once they are glued on and painted over, you can’t even tell that they weren’t “carved” out of the foam.

The molds we got at a hobby store and are ones used to make soaps.  Shane got these a couple of years ago - we have crosses and angels.  Since then we have not been able to find any molds that aren’t cutesy.  We got lucky finding the crosses.

Dylan and I decided to use scraps of the foam to make some small “markers”.  Now the ones shown are upside down to dry after being primed.  This is the beginning of the painting process.  First, primer goes over the foam to seal it and also help cover up that pink.  After the first cuts were made, we “distressed” the foam using saws, wood burner, etc.  These were also cut at an angle at the bottom, so that they will look crooked when put in the graveyard.

I did not get past the priming phase yesterday as they were not drying quickly.  What is still to come is a couple of coats of the main color, then the technique to “age” the stones with paint, then the moss.

On our way home we did stop by Big Lots to see if they had any Halloween decor out.  We are always on the lookout for cheap things that can be modified.  Here is what we came home with -

This skeleton will not been seen as is.  It will be heavily modified.  I have plans to mummify him.  Another thing that can be done and is relatively easy is to stain them.  Last year I did this to a couple.  But I first cut out extra plastic between the ribs, etc.

The pictures will be part of the walk through - they are the kind that change as you walk by.  Yes, the frames are the cheesy plastic, but in the setting they will be in, with dim lighting, it is not worth it to modify that and spend the money.  No one will see them long enough to notice.

This summer is flying by and we have so much to do to get ready for Halloween!  One of the things on the list obviously, is adding to the graveyard.  What better way to get inspiration than to visit an old cemetery.

Shane and I recently did this on our way up to the mountains while out for a weekend ride in the Lotus.  There is a wonderful old cemetery not too far from the house and we stopped by to take a look at some of the headstones.  

We are always looking for new ideas in regards to not only shapes and wording but also the little things - cracks and how they form, what they look like when they are weathered.  If you want headstones in your Halloween graveyard to be realistic looking, then I would suggest not buying them at your local retail store.  You really need to either do it yourself, or pay to have custom ones made.  It’s all in the detail.

I loved some of the shapes we saw at this cemetery.  Some of the carvings and intricate work.  These types of things can easily be duplicated when you have the right tools.

Now a recent trip of mine to visit my brother in Wisconsin, took me to a very old cemetery.  There is a noticeable difference in what the climate does to the markers.  Here in Colorado, due to the dry climate, we don’t get all the heavy, wonderful moss.  This is such a great element to add to custom tombstones.  A must really.  And the picture to the left - I love how they are leaning.  This is a very easy thing to duplicate as well.  We have done it to one of ours and I plan to add another like this this year.

Some of the markers were so old and falling apart, that there were rock sitting behind them in order to keep them propped up.  What a great idea.

To have a realistic looking graveyard, you need all these elements.  You don’t want perfect looking headstones all lined up.  You need small, large, cracked, mossed, broken, etc.  Will people notice every small detail on each headstone?  No - especially if your graveyard is large like ours.  People can’t get up close.  But all of them put together is what makes it look the way it does - old, creepy, realistic.

Well, alright, it’s not haunted in that ghosts and goblins are rattling chains or moving things as we make our way through the shop. Rather, it’s soon to be our new building space dedicated to working on the ensuing props & decorations for this upcoming Halloween. Therefore, it’s going to be our “haunted” shop, soon!

We’re very fortunate in that we just wrapped up a business whereby we had to store a number of cars and needed a place to “detail” cars. Since we’ve sold most of the assets and are just keeping a few of the “toys”, reads Lotus Elise and Old Jeep, we’re using the rest of the space for our decorating projects.

Having this luxury is awesome! However, we’ve spent the past 5 years or so building our elaborate decorations inside our homes 2 car garage. As Jodi posted several days ago, we’re slowly getting ready. Having any space to build props whether it’s a garage or inside an extra room or even the basement is helpful for any Halloween haunt. Your needs will grow as the size of props and projects grow, ours have. Now, we’re on to bigger and better ideas that will nearly take over our home this years. I’m sure in a few years we’ll need twice this space as we let it get out of control, and we do, get out of control, but in a good way.

First things first, moving all of the tools and stuff from our garage is the first logical step in getting organized this year. Next will be building counters and spaces to do more tombstone work and organizing the tools. The goal is to have it in place in the next few weekends so we can start laying out our October plans and getting started sooner rather than later.

Space to grow and test ideas in secret is awesome!!!

I would like to say right off the bat, that I realize some of the things we incorporate into our voodoo room are not voodoo  and this year we will most likely be adding more.  But the overall feel we are going for is that voodoo feel - like what was in Pirates of the Caribbean.

This year, instead of setting up in the bathroom down in the basement, we will be setting up in our garage so that trick-or-treaters will be able to view it.  The past two years we have done it, it has been one of my favorite things we do, but has only been “enjoyed” by our Halloween party guests.  This year that will change.

I am a firm believer that gore is not needed to create a scare.  Not that well placed body parts and such aren’t effective - we have done it before and will most likely do it again this year in some capacity - but the element of the “unknown” can be just as creepy.  We also get a lot of very small children and so we are careful about what we do.

I think we are planning our first walk-through this year, and the voodoo room will be part of it.  The opportunities that can open up to us by moving it out of the bathroom and into the garage are endless.  For now, I’ll describe how we set up in the bathroom.  As the months progress and we start planning out the garage, I’ll add to this.

One thing we did was put a pentagram on the floor.  This was something that freaked people out a bit.  Dylan took great pains in trying to get it right - his advanced math skills came in handy!  I would really like to add more detail this year.

I also did some research regarding symbols.  I printed them out, tore the edges of the paper up and soaked the paper in coffee.  This gave them an older look.  We also drew symbols on mirrors.  I created a spell book - with some authentic spells and I even included the ingredients on the table, so that if anyone got adventurous enough….

The jars were quite a find - they were given to me.  I had made a request on freecycle and someone responded.

Of course you need bones and skulls lying about.  Lots and lots of candles too.  Don’t forget the shrunken heads.  Year one I made them out of apples - this past year I bought them.

This last year we also dressed up our animated butler and turned him into a bit of a voodoo witch.  This next year I will have a live person doing the honors.  I have a particular friend in mind!  The butler will have other responsibilities in another part of the walk-through.

Last but not least, the one element that creates the whole mood is the music.  I was lucky enough to find some that is actual voodoo drums playing.  The music is a must.  For me it was a good sign when some guests would not step over the threshold of the room.  Hopefully this year we can bring it up to the next level.

Halloween 2007 almost didn’t happen. We were so busy dealing with our little side business that it seemed like the last thing we needed to be doing. What ended up happening was that it turned into a nice distraction from everything else going on.

We had big hopes that another new, large “something” would be added. That didn’t happen. What did happen was new tombstones were made and other things, such as the pillars, were redone. Dylan made his first crypt - the above ground sort of burial plot. It was really the first time he’s done a project completely on his own. He’s old enough now to be trusted with the various tools it takes to cut and carve the foam.

He did a pretty good job and his final product turned out nicely.

The garage scene almost didn’t happen.  But we decided to go ahead and do something - but just use props we already had.  So we went with the mad scientist theme again, but went a bit more gory than we have before.  We had bodies in body bags hanging from the ceiling (interesting story regarding where we got the bodies, but I’ll save that for another post), beakers and body parts, etc.

Once again we had a party.  This year I went all out in the voodoo bathroom down in the basement.  Surprisingly, no one wanted to actually use the bathroom.   They all seemed a bit freaked out.  This was really one of the best areas and I have to figure out this year how to incorporate it into the outdoor thing - maybe the garage will become a voodoo room.  I think the thought of the unknown is really creepier than blood and gore.

This is an example where attention to detail makes all the difference.  I will write more detail about this in another post to give ideas on how to go about doing your own voodoo bathroom.

Halloween night last year was one of the few times where the weather was perfect and everything came together.  For our fog chillers to work (a contraption we make to cool down the fog after it is released from the machine) we need to get the fog colder than the outside air.  When this happens, the fog does not just disperse, but it rolls along the ground.  If there is no wind, it is one of the coolest effects you can have in your graveyard.

Last year all those pieces came together - no wind, perfect temp - I wish we could have captured it better on camera.  This year our goal is to do a better job of that.  I have a friend who is a professional photographer and I hope she can give us some good advice and tips this year on how to accomplish that.

So that brings us up to date!  From here on out we’ll write about how we are preparing for 2008, and also some information on how we built and put together some of our props and scenes.

Halloween 2006 was the first year we added a moving prop! She is usually referred to in the Halloween world as a Flying Crank Ghost, or FCG.

She really is an amazing prop. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the best of pictures of her in 2006 - we really seemed to drop the ball in the picture department in general and we lost some pictures due to a computer crashing.

We had built a whole mineshaft with walls that I created using chicken wire and papermache that were made to look like cave walls. I think I spent almost two months working on those walls. Some had bones that were made to look as if they were embedded in the stone. Some had dynamite sticks (made out of toilet paper tubes) sticking out.

It took multiple layers of papermaching, then painting a base coat, then adding some other effects to make them look aged. They looked okay in the daylight, but looked great in the darker lighting.

We also had prop skeletons in the cave and panning for gold pans, rocks, railroad tracks leading out of the cave, etc. We even went to the trouble of buying a bird cage, aging it, and putting a fake bird in there, upside down, so that it seemed as if the gases had been what took all the miners.

Right now you’re probably thinking, “Boy, I’d love to see pictures of that!”. Well, I would too - but they all seemed to have gotten lost in the later computer crash. All I ended up with was pictures of the building processes.

One cool new prop we made for the front porch was a skeleton wrapped in spider webbing.

That was nice hanging from the ceiling of the garage for a few weeks until we started decorating the outside.

As usual, it made all of our neighbors wonder about us.

I don’t want to say 2006 was a bust because it wasn’t. I was our best year up to that point. I just don’t have the pictures to prove it!

Oh well. Onward and upward as they would say…..

I’m going to attempt to give a basic “how to” of the process of building our pillars for our graveyard fence. There are a lot of great ideas out there on the web - different ways to build pillars. Some which are made of foam and very lightweight. We would eventually like to redo ours.

First off, one of the biggest issues we have here in Colorado is the wind. We can get hurricane force gusts coming off of the mountains. This makes prop building more difficult as we always have to think in terms of worst case winds and build things and set up things in the graveyard with that always in mind. We don’t want our props to end up in Kansas!

The year we built them we were also on a tight budget. Well, we are always on a tight budget. If we didn’t watch ourselves we could easily spend hundreds of dollars each year on Halloween. That year a lot of new houses were going up close by - and dumpster diving was how we got much of our materials. If you shouldhappen to use that method of acquiring materials be careful to ONLY get materials that are IN a dumpster. Otherwise it is not free game - even if it’s sitting next to the dumpster.

So we worked with what we had - which was a lot of framing material. Some of which was perfect for building our pillars.

We built 2 tall, main entrance pillars and 4 shorter pillars. What helps the pillars stay upright being that they are so tall, is a couple of things. First, since they are attached to other pillars via the fencing, they are not stand alone. We also stake them with metal stakes to give them a little extra stability.

As far as fencing goes - we did not make it. There are some techniques out there that use pvc pipe to make some pretty realistic fencing. We decided to go with real rod iron. We were able to get pieces similar enough from a local recycling place. So storage and hauling them around can be quite difficult, but they are sturdy. One of the problems we have had is that up until this year, the elementary bus stop was in front of our house. The kids loved looking at our setup while waiting for the bus, but they had a tendency to “hang” on the fencing. Which is why we chose something more stable, and the pieces of fencing are screwed into the sides of the pillars.

To finish the pillars we did some basic painting. One great way to get large amounts of paint is to see what colors they have at the local home improvement store in the “oops paint” section. You’ll save a lot of money. We did not learn that until after using spray paint on these which is very expensive. We did gray first, then did touches of black and a greenish paint to give them a different look.

Since then, this past year, I redid the pillars. I did a different paint job in which I put black paint in a line, spray it with water, then do a drag with a paint brush. It gives things an older look (I use the same technique on our tombstones and on the mausoleum). This is an example of how they looked this year. They are not quite as dark overall but look so much better at night. I also added moss.

Now back to the original year we first built them. I have mentioned that we build most of what you see. There are some exceptions. We do buy inexpensive Halloween decor at local stores and usually modify them. So these skulls in a cage we got at Big Lots one year. I have since added moss to these as well. These hang from the two tall entrance pillars. It is the small details that make the prop in my opinion. The crosses you see on the front of the pillars were also purchased at Big Lots and have also had moss added to them to give an old feeling.

No matter how well you construct your props they will need touching up and repair just about every year. Moss is a great way to hide flaws and things that happen in general while being moved around and stored. Keep bags of it on hand - it comes in very handy.

So that’s pretty much how we built our graveyard fence. I will say, the rod iron does add an extremely realistic touch. If you have a way to get a hold of some and a way to store it, I would really consider it. Each year we seem to do a little something more to add to them, which is always part of the prop process!

Halloween 2005….the big addition that year was our mausoleum. It was quite the spectacle and a little, well, sick, considering we made it tall enough for Dylan or me to stand in. We also put our family name, Cooper, across the top.

Little big of lighting and a ghost hanging inside and it looked pretty cool.

We slowly made more handmade tombstones, and replaced the wooden ones.

The previous year was the first time we had done a “scene” in the garage, that is only on display Halloween night. It was very thrown together - last minute - but ended up being a big hit because we were able to have more interaction with our trick-o-treaters and the parents.

What we did was sit outside in our scene - that year it had been a mad scientist lab of sorts - and served hot apple cider and handed out candy.

In 2005 we stepped it up - a lot. We built walls to block off the rest of the garage and created a haunted saloon. It really turned out

great. We sat behind the “bar” and served the apple cider that year.

We had things down to the detail - the skeleton poker players dressed as cowboys with chaps, wanted posters that were aged, and the old timey jugs.

Huge hit, but we were beginning to have a storage nightmare. We had to go out after Halloween that year and rent a storage unit for our Halloween props. We weren’t just decorating the outside - we also decorate the inside as well. We were quickly running out of room!