DIY Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween Props

Monday, June 17, 2013

Nightmare Before Christmas Barrel Prop Tutorial

Barrel tutorial coming soon...

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Nightmare Before Christmas Sally Prop Tutorial

This is a tutorial on how to make a life-size Sally the rag doll from Nightmare Before Christmas.

Supplies Needed: (Sally)

PVC Pipe & Connectors
Foam Pipe Insulation (2 Sizes)
Air Dry Clay
Acrylic Paint
Wire (thin gauge)
Balloon
Yarn (in Sally's hair color)
News Paper
Great Stuff Expanding Foam
Felt (few yards)
Scissors
Hot Glue (Lots)
White Glue
Material (black and white stripe socks)
Sharpie Marker (black)

Supplies Needed: (Hands)
PVC Pipe
Pink Insulation Foam (chunks)
Wire (thin gauge)
Masking Tape
Soft foam
Plasti-Dip Spray (Plastic Coating)
Acrylic Paints

(Detailed description corresponds with picture tutorial above)

1. Find a reference picture. Find the scale, measurements and make a plan.

2. Sculpt Sally's face out of air dry clay. (craft or hobby store)

3. Paint Sally's face with acrylic (using a photo for reference). (Liquitex- Soft Body in "Light Blue Permanent" #770) Add shadows accents and details as needed.

Cut very small segments of small gauge wire (Home Depot) and glue them onto Sally's "seams" on here face. They should look like staples or stitches.

4a. Blow up a balloon roughly the size of Sally's head. Paper mache' over the balloon to make the head leaving a 2" opening at the bottom. Once the paper mache' is dry pop the balloon. and fill the cavity with Great Stuff expanding foam. Let it dry/harden. Hot glue Sally's face to the head. Carve out a hole in the expanding foam in the bottom of the head big enough to put a 1.5" PVC pipe in. This will hold/support the head onto the PVC frame.

4b. Measure out the desired length of Sally's hair. Start cutting and hot gluing strings of yarn, placing them INDIVIDUALLY on her head. Time consuming...

5. Construct the PVC body frame

6. Measure and cut the foam pipe insulation. The pipe insulation tubes have a slit running the length of the tube, so they can be opened up and fit over the pipes. This will be Sally's skin. Use the smaller diameter tube for her chest, and arms. Use the bigger diameter for her collar bones and legs.

a.To make the tube taper at her wrists, cut away some of the material at the slit and close the gap and glue it (making the diameter smaller).

b.To make her calves on her legs bulge out, wrap the pipes near her calves with masking tape, news paper or foam to build it out. This with give her legs shape.

c. For the neck/chest, place the foam tube around the neck PVC pipe. Where the tube meets the collar bone cut horizontal slits on each side of the main vertical slit. This will open up and flatten it out for her chest area.

7. Paint the foam insulation tubes to match skin (Liquitex- Soft Body in "Light Blue Permenant" #770). Add "stitches" to her skin with a black sharpie (use photo reference).

8. Lay Sally down on a large piece of felt to make a dress pattern. Pencil the dress shapeof the dress around Sally. Move Sally. Cut out The dress shape. Trace, and make a duplicate of the dress pattern, one front and one back.

9. Stuff Sally's chest and torso to give her a "womanly shape". I used a paper bag stuffed with news paper.

10. Fit the two dress pieces (front and back) to Sally's body. Hot glue or sew the dress together. Cut the V-neck shape into the front of the dress while its on her.

There maybe an easier way to do this, feel free to improvise...

11. Paint the patchwork pattern on to the dress. It was a lot easier, faster and cheaper for me to paint the quilt style dress, instead of sewing all the different material sections together.

12 Finishing touches:

a. Shoes/Socks - I bought black and white striped legwarmers at the 99cent Store. I cut one in half and used it for both socks. I fit it around both ankles. I carved some shoes out of pink insulation foam and painted them black.

b. Hands - 1. Cut out a piece of pink insulation foam. 2. Fit it onto a 1.5" PVC pipe. 3. Insert wire for fingers. 4. Masking tape fingers in place. 5. Cut soft foam (like the foam from a foam hair roller/curler) into finger size strips. 6. Pad the wire fingers with the squishy foam and wrap them with masking tape. 7. Continue wrapping the rest of the hand with masking tape. 8. Spray hand with Plasti-dip plastic spray. this will give the hand a flexible protective coating. It goes on thin, you will need several coats.When it dries you should have a rubbery pose-able hand. 9. Paint hand with acrylic (Liquitex- Soft Body in "Light Blue Permenant" #770). 10. Fit hand onto PVC "wrist" and pose as desired...

(I just realized that I for got the stripes on her yellow sleeve, and the square patch on the front of her dress...oops)

Please comment if you have any questions... Good Luck.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Jack's Chalkboard Christmas Equation: Nightmare Before Christmas DIY Prop Tutorial

New Tutorial Coming Soon...

This is a tutorial of how to make a "chalkboard" prop. You can use this tutorial to make any faux chalkboard.

I decided to make Jack Skellington's chalkboard from Nightmare Before Christmas. Its from the scene where he is trying to figure out what Christmas is. He draws out a long elaborate formula / equation as he tries to find the meaning of Christmas.

NBC MOVIE REFERENCE:

DIY PROP:

(Work in Progress)

Friday, May 24, 2013

PVC Candle Prop Tutorial

This is a tutorial is on how to make fake candles out of PVC pipes. They look great placed next to your NBC/Halloween props, and they are completely safe! You dont have to worry about burning the house down. This is how I Made them:

Supplies Needed

1.5" x 2' PVC pipe (One pipe makes 2 or 3 Candles)
**To save money, cardboard paper towel rolls can be substituted for the PVC, but they will not be as sturdy, and may be crushed during storage**

1.5" diameter circles/discs cut from pink insulation foam
(One for each candle)

Battery operated tea light candle for each candle
(3 pack/$1.00 @ Dollar tree)

Hot glue

White spray paint/Acrylic paint

Saw

Approx Cost: $10 or less

Time invested: 1.5 Hours

(Description corresponds with picture tutorial above)

1. Buy 1.5 inch x 2 feet PVC pipes* ( as many as desired) Cut the PVC into 2,3,4 Pieces. I was able to get 3 Candles of differing heights from one, 2 ft. segment.
1.5" diameter is the perfect diameter for the average tea light to fit perfectly.

2. Cut 1.5" diameter circles or discs out of foam. I used pink insulation foam since I had a ton left over from all my other projects. You can really use anything that will wedge snugly into the PVC pipe and create a shelf for the tea light. You can use expanding "Great Stuff" foam too, but its messy and takes much longer.

3. Buy battery operated tea lights. These are available at many stores, but I found a 3 pack for $1 at Dollar Tree.

4. Dry fit all the pieces together.

5. Once everything is perfectly fit, heat up the hot glue gun! Drip layers of hot glue all over the rim of the PVC pipe, try to simulate melting wax as best you can. You will go through lots of glue sticks during this project. (Dollar Tree sells packs of hot glue sticks! Pick some up while your getting the tea lights).

6. Spray paint the entire candle + hot glue drips white.

7. After the spray pant is completely dry, give it a wash with a mixture of brown/black acrylic paint and water. let it settle in the cracks and discolor the bright white. This will give the candle an aged & antiqued look.

Comment if you have any question.... Good luck.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Dog House Grave Stone Tutorial

This is a tutorial on how to make Zero's dog house from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. In the movie, Zero is a ghost dog, so his home is, what else? A tomb stone in a grave yard! This is how I made it...

Supplies Needed:

Pink Foam Insulation - Home Depot

Caulk
Glue

Screws

Drill

Cardboard

Knife/Saw

Exacto Blade
Paint/Brushes

Approx. Cost: $15+

Time Invested: 4 Hours

(Description corresponds with picture tutorial above)

*1a. Step one is always look at a reference picture, get your scale, measurements & a plan.

1b. Cut two identical pieces of foam in the doghouse shape. This will give the dog house more depth by stacking the foam. You will cut the door into the top piece, the second piece will only show through the door cut out. Cut a Zero shaped head and cross bones from foam as well. Glue them together with caulk. Let it dry.

2. Cut cardboard to use for the roof. It should be slightly wider than the foam roof, and overhang ( like a real roof). Also use three cardboard strips to make the covering for the apex of the roof. Use screws and a drill to quickly and easily attach the cardboard to the foam roof.

3. There is also a 1" cardboard lip that runs the length of the front edge of the roof. These were cut, dry fit, trimmed, and glued into place.

4. Use an Exacto blade and carve the name "ZERO" over the door opening.

5. Make roof shingles. To make shingles, cut a long strip off of the pink foam board about 2.5/3" wide.

Round two edges of the strip with a knife and sand them smooth, making a horse shoe/domed strip. Now slice thin pieces off ( like slicing a loaf of bread). Repeat until you have enough shingles to cover the roof. use a gob of caulk on each shingle and stick it too the cardboard roof. start at the bottom and overlap/stagger your way up the roof. Use calk to fill any holes or unwanted gaps that are visible.

6. Sand any imperfections on house with a fine sandpaper.

7. Patch any holes, imperfections, & seams in the foam with caulk

8. Cut a cross from foam, and sand it a little. Attach cross. You can use glue. I was able to screw upward through the roof overhang into the cross making it very sturdy.

9. Prime. I used flat grey interior wall paint that was in the garage.

10. -Paint black details ("ZERO" , door opening, Zero's eye sockets).

-Paint roof with a wash of black paint and water ( may need two coats)

-Using a dry brush technique, age and antique the rest of the dog house so it doesn't look so bright

and new.

Comment if you have any questions... Good luck.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Disneyland Haunted Mansion Madame Leota Static Prop Tutorial

...Another non-Nightmare Before Christmas Tutorial, but its somewhat related...

This tutorial is how to make a Disneyland Haunted Mansion Madame Leota prop. Those of you familiar with the Haunted Mansion, know that Madame Leota is a ghostly head floating inside a crystal ball. The real Madame Leota is a projection that appears to be able to move around and speak. There are some skilled people who have been able to make an exact replica prop with projectors, and electronics. However my tutorial is much simpler. I will be showing you how to make a stationary "static" Madam Leota prop. She still looks awesome sitting out on the table at the Halloween party!

Supplies Needed:

1- Glass globe similar to: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Westinghouse-7-1-2-in-Handblown-Gloss-Clear-Globe-8154900/203066064#.UbDgO9I-aDk

I was able to find a 8" frosted glass lighting fixture globe at the local thrift shop.

2. Blonde Porcelain Doll : thrift shop

*Make sure dolls head fits through opening in glass globe!*

3. Pedestal : thrift shop

The one I used was an ash tray, search for something that will work for you.

4. PVC pipe segment: 6"

5. Acrylic Paints/ White Spray Paint /Glue /Scissors

6. False Eyelashes (optional)

Approx Cost: $15 or less

Time invested: 2 Hours

How to:

First, start by finding a glass globe, then find a doll, and then the base piece. Make sure her head fits inside the globe's opening. Make sure it's not too small either, or it won't look right. Use scissors to cut and remove the doll head from the body. Do some testing and dry fitting and find out how long your PVC pipe needs to be. It will be supporting the head, and resting on the base. Once you have your measurements and the head is sitting centered in the globe, cut & glue the PVC pipe segment up into her head through the neck. You now have a creepy head on a stick, essentially...Use a comb and brush out all the dolls cute curls, frizz it out, back comb and tease it . You need the hair big enough to fill the interior of your glass globe. Spray the hair with white spray paint. After you get the hair painted white, lightly mist the hair with a squirt bottle of watered down baby blue and lime green paint (separately), and let dry. The goal here is to give her grey hair, but add that eerie blue/green ghostly glow. Next paint the dolls face & neck like Madame Leota (use a picture for reference). Apply the false lashes. Paint the PVC pipe and neck black to camouflage it ( you want all the focus on the "floating" head). Once Leota is painted, carefully wiggle and squeeze her big hair and head through the globe opening. You can use a pencil or something thin to poke into the globe and fix the placement of her hair. Now rest the globe and PVC support piece on the base. Done. If the base looks too new, antique it with paints for a more authentic look

Monday, May 13, 2013

Nightmare Before Christmas Jack in the Box Scary Toy Tutorial

This is is a tutorial on how to make the scary jack-o-lantern jack in box toy from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas!

Supplies Needed:

:
1- Dollar Tree Craft Pumpkin
1- USPS Priority Mail Box 7"x7"x6" (free @ USPS)
1- Semi-rigid Aluminum Flexible Hose
1- Pink Foam Insulation Square 7"x7"x2" cut
12" PVC Pipe Segment
Air Dry Clay
Acrylic Paints
Sand (or Something to weight the bottom of the box)
Exacto Blade

Approx. Cost: $5 or less
(Depending on what you already have at home)

Time Invested: 3 hours

Clown Template Printable: http://scarydad.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/jackintheboxclownfacekh6.jpg

Detailed description coming soon...

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Nightmare Before Christmas Undead / Bullet Hole Duck Scary Toy Tutorial

This is a tutorial on how to make the scary duck toy from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas!
aka: Undead Duck & Bullet Hole Duck...

Supplies needed:
2 - Pieces of pink insulation foam cut 7"x9"x2" (Home Depot)

1- 3" Styrofoam ball (Michaels)
1- .5" PVC pipe Cut 3" long (Home Depot)
1 - Thin wooden dowel ( at least 12" or more)
Acrylic Paints
Masking Tape
Glue
Knife/Exacto Blade
Eyelet Screw
Pencil

Approx. Cost:
$10+
(Depending on what suplies you already have)

Time Invested: 3+ hours

Detailed description coming soon...

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion 13 Hour Clock Build Tutorial

This is a tutorial on how to build a light weight life size replica of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion 13 Hour Clock, as seen in the ride. I realize this project isn't NBC related, but I keep getting asked how I made it so I thought I'd share...