124 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 4)

Finished the actual switch for the Franken-Switch. This is going to be a blast to paint and detail up. I went with the classic rocker switch style. It's big, theatrical and cartoony looking so it will seem dangerous and easily seen by the Trick or Treaters. It will also make a fun prop to actually use by my brother Ted if he wants to return and play the mad doctor again in October.

I played around with it's placement on the pillar and liked it at an angle. It seems more practical to use and interesting to look at rather than flat on the side as I had in the first doodles.  It's just loosely attached for now by a bent L bracket underneath. I'm still undecided whether or not to make permanently affixed or it's own standing prop.

Dark brooding will take place pondering this (as well as the final color scheme) in my lab tonight.

125 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 3)

Here it is so far. My thoughts were to add the oversized on/off switch to the left of the clear dome on the column, but I like how this is looking without it. We'll see, the switch may become a separate freestanding piece.

The domes will have flickering lights inside. As of right now I'm planning to use a fluorescent light starter wired into an extension cord for the effect (which I already have). As usual, trying to keep it a low budget Halloween. In a perfect world I'd love to buy and use those tabletop lightning balls.


Many more details to add while I debate whether to finish it in a verdigris copper steampunk theme or stick with the silver retro-future look it's got going now. I'll break down what all the parts and pieces are in a later post.

127 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 2)

This creation is going to involve a lot of recycling junk into something new and I love that kind of prop making. Today, I started to pull potential parts and pieces from the stash. In doing so, as with other things I make like this, I usually lay out and divide what I might use into 4 categories.

GOOD BONES: This is big junk that could be cobbled together becoming part of, if not the whole main body of a prop.
SUPPORTING PLAYERS: These are random odd things that have potential as additional elements. Especially good when just parts from other things and not recognizable as anything it once was.

FANCY DOO DADS: These are decorative elements that some manufacturer has already made for you. Anything that is "designed" already and might work with the theme.

GREEBLIES: This is the real fun stuff, parts and pieces you can use for small details.

Propmaster Tip of the Week: Slimed Spare

When transporting slime, never underestimate the importance of well secured buckets with tight lids!

128 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 1)

Alright, time to stop thinking about ideas and switch to some actual prop making by making an actual switch. I want to add more decor and really flesh out (pun intended) the annual front porch Frankenstein theme. Below are a few doodles of what I'm thinking. This is going to be the weekend project and hope to post few updates on it along the way.

Monday Morning Sliming

To promote season 2 of Nickelodeon's BrainSurge, host Jeff Sutphen appeared yesterday on Good Day LA, a local FOX morning show. I got to be apart of it being called back from slime making hiatus asked to mix up a fresh batch and dump on Dorothy Lucy, one of Good Day's anchors...

New episodes of BrainSurge air every weekday at 6pm.

Creative Inspiration: Al Williamson

A two part interview with him in 1991 found on YouTube. These videos have some audio glitches, but if you can ignore them, there are some wonderful insights and stories to be heard from a career that spanned nearly 60 years of comic history.

My Great Grim Ghastly Garage: Weekend Progress

The odds of seeing the Loch Ness Monster are often better than seeing my garage this clean...


Still a way's to go, but huge progress since this last picture I posted back in January...

Mysterious Tales of the Mysterious: Episode 2

I present Episode 2 of Niece Devin's Mysterious Tales of the Mysterious...which also begins a video mini series posting every Friday over on Para Abnormal.

If you missed Episode 1 (which was way back in January) you can see it by clicking here.

143 Days 'til Halloween: Abominable Announcment

I want to put just one single prop out very early this year, maybe in the last few days of September as an announcement that the season is arriving while I get the rest of the decor ready. Above is a real quick doodle of a possible idea that might be fun to place at the lawn's edge near the sidewalk.

Creative Inspiration: Muppet Pipe Dreams

A great story from NBC Nightly News...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

My Great Grim Ghastly Garage: David & Alice

Halloween stuff + box with old labeling = unintentional prop comedy

150 Days 'til Halloween: Beginning Wiser

My countdown to Halloween officially begins. My hope for this year's yard is being much wiser in my planning and prep. My main goal is to get started early and enjoy the "making of" more. Not pressure myself. It's great to create new props or improve old things, but If I don't do as much as I hoped, that's okay too.

After all, the neighborhood trick 'r treaters liked what I did last year and the year before that and the year before that. The only person who has voiced harsh critique or given notes on making things bigger and better is me.