Because of my affinity for buccaneer culture, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island in Disneyland was far from lacking inspiration for me...
17 Days 'Til Halloween - Pirate's Lair
Because of my affinity for buccaneer culture, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island in Disneyland was far from lacking inspiration for me...18 Days 'Til Halloween - Ghost Galaxy
New to Disneyland's Halloweentime this year is Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. What's special for the holiday is riding the coaster in pitch black as a projected animated ghost pops up on the wall here or there for a "boo!" scare. It's fun, but not worth the almost 2 hour wait in line I had. Get a "fastpass" for it (if you don't know, this is a ticket you can p/u at the ride with a scheduled time to return and skip the regular line). We were too late for one. All had been taken for the evening.
The ghost is a clever design. At first, you see a galaxy of cosmic vapors. It morphs into a spectral skeleton with it's eyes being smaller swirling universes. It's appearances are brief moments trying to grab you, preceding or just after some of the larger drops, twists or turns. The creative inspiration for me though was the projected effects and lighting on Space Mountain's exterior.
Beyond basic color changes there was eerie movement and images that changed the facade's texture. It went through several different cycles. All were retro-cool in feel like radiation and martian ray special effects from old sci-fi movies, although one kid in line mentioned it looked like the world's largest lava lamp to him. There was a constant metallic hum and occasional industrial clanging in sync to the lighting which set a great ominous spooky tone like a futuristic haunted house version of rattling chains and moaning. It was a bit hypnotic and helped pass the time waiting.
This got me pondering how projectors might be used on my own house to create an undefined creepy look with simple light and shadow movement. Below are some photos of the various changes and a video of one when all the colors and textures seemed to blend.
19 Days 'Til Halloween - Bradbury's Tree
In Disney's Frontierland, there is a nice holiday detail which I'll bet is overlooked by visitors as this area is just a themed passageway these days between the more popular places in the park...
I liked it's simplicity, just lights and jack-o-lanterns. All the pumpkins seemed to be faux foam ones with faces drawn on in black marker. Very low tech and looked great. Something anyone could do in their own yard.
I liked it's simplicity, just lights and jack-o-lanterns. All the pumpkins seemed to be faux foam ones with faces drawn on in black marker. Very low tech and looked great. Something anyone could do in their own yard.
20 Days 'Til Halloween - Field Trip
I'm a day behind in my countdown (and decorating) due to a surprise Sunday research field trip of great importance and fun...
There was much creative inspiration. I'm going to share what I found and make it Disney theme week here with Monday to Friday's countdown posts.
There was much creative inspiration. I'm going to share what I found and make it Disney theme week here with Monday to Friday's countdown posts.
21 Days 'Til Halloween - Old Man Ghoulsteen
Old man Ghoulsteen had two lazy, spoiled, good for nothing children. Everyday of their lives, everything they did, if they did anything at all, was with no effort or care.
After many, many frustrating years, old man Ghoulsteen told them he was tired of hoping they would ever make him proud. He would let them live their selfish lives, leeching off his money under one condition...upon his death they bury him under his favorite tree, in the finest casket money could buy so he might rest comfortably for all eternity.
His children agreed, but when he died, they bought the cheapest coffin and just left it standing up in a shallow hole because digging was far too much work.
The following Halloween, his children found out how unhappy old man Ghoulsteen was about it...
After many, many frustrating years, old man Ghoulsteen told them he was tired of hoping they would ever make him proud. He would let them live their selfish lives, leeching off his money under one condition...upon his death they bury him under his favorite tree, in the finest casket money could buy so he might rest comfortably for all eternity.
His children agreed, but when he died, they bought the cheapest coffin and just left it standing up in a shallow hole because digging was far too much work.
The following Halloween, his children found out how unhappy old man Ghoulsteen was about it...
22 Days 'Til Halloween - Mrs. Scaryweather
Every week, Mr. Scaryweather would bring sunflowers to his wife. After 66 years and 6 days of marriage, Mr. Scaryweather passed away.
Mrs. Scaryweather returned the gift planting sunflowers at his grave.
Every week she would visit and care for the flowers.
66 months and 6 days later, Mrs. Scaryweather passed away.
She was laid to rest next to her husband, together again.
Some say on Halloween, you can still see her tending his grave...
Today I started to put the front lawn display together with Mrs. Scaryweather. All the major stuff should be out by next weekend as I complete props over the next several days. In past years I've discovered adding something new everyday and little details along the way up until the 31st is welcome. We're lucky to live in a neighborhood with many passer-by's and dog walkers. They look for new things. It's become a lawn countdown of sorts.
I'm both happy and critical of how Mrs. Scaryweather turned out. I wish I had more time and resources to customize her original "blucky" parts and get more character out of her...a little hunched over, give her a softer sweeter face, etc. This is again a "no budget" decorating year so I'm stuck using what I've got.
One thing I really like is the water from the can. It's acting as a support post for her arm. The illusion works fairly well. It's just a dowel painted white covered in Saran Wrap. Next year I hope to re-vamp her and the planter making them a working water fountain. If you haven't guessed, the watering can is custom from an old coffee can. It's funny, with all the junk in my grim, ghastly garage, I didn't have one to use. The one I made though actually works.
Her hat is a kid sized straw cowboy one and decorated with stuff from my stash. Her hands could be much better, they gave me grief making using heavier Sculpty, running out of Model Magic. Only after I put her on display today did I realize giving her garden gloves would of been a nice touch.
23 Days 'Til Halloween - Reaper Gravestone
This is an unexpected new gravestone for the lawn this year. Originally it started as a zombie but while working on went another direction in a moment of "I wanna try something" thinking. The torso is a "blucky" ribcage and head mounted on a post attached to a wood base. I dunked old curtains from my material stash in a 5 gallon bucket of gray colored house paint and draped over the torso. It only took a half hour to make but there's a trade off, it took a good 3 days to harden. I finished by dry-brushing on a lighter shade gray to bring out details and weathered with brown washes. For a creative experiment, I'm really happy with how it turned out.
24 Days 'Til Halloween - Of Specimens And Jars
Making specimen jars has become a traditional Halloween ritual every year for me, right up there with carving pumpkins and giving out candy. It's actually hard to make a really bad one. I can have fun spending hours making little details or just create one in 5 minutes but both still look equally cool. What I really love is, they're so cheap to make. All you need is a jar, water, food coloring and some kind specimen. Creatures and things are especially fun to find or make and for next to no money. There will be many specimens posted about in the next few weeks but I thought I share details and some ideas based on this collection pictured above.
Overall, when I know several jars are going to be displayed in a small group, no matter how different the jars, keeping the cap color, fluid color and label style the same on each unites them in an interesting vignette ( the small worm jar cap above hasn't been rusted yet). I like to make a large pitcher of formaldehyde first, that way the color stays consistent in each. The recipe for this batch was 7 drops yellow, 1 drop green food coloring and watered down until looked good to me.
Unknownus Creepus:I asked what this creature was the other day and...CONGRATULATIONS
JOHN ROZUM!
It's a Massiff action figure from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Thanks to all who answered and the great possibilities as to what it is. You've all helped reinforce this tip... the oddest looking little toy can become a cool, mysterious, never before seen creature (especially to non-geeks, unlike John and I).
Every one's guesses are correct in a sense, this kind of specimen is fun to have as it leaves the storytelling to the viewer's imagination. The jar is one from an old spice rack set.
Lab Rat: Colored fluid and distortion from the glass can make the lamest rubber creatures look pretty good. This is just one of 6 toy rats in a bag found for a $1.50 at, believe it or not, my corner mini mart way back in May. You never know what you'll find running into a store to pick up some milk for your morning coffee.The jar is one of a set of various sized food containers from the bargain bin at a home goods store. I rusted up all the caps with some enamel model paint. A dab of clear silicone on his tail glued him in place half way in the jar so when filled with fluid, he looks suspended and floating.
Brain Jar: This is actually a painted NERF football. Years ago they had made some that looked like brains. I've had it in my stash for years. Being soft foam I could use a smaller jar and just mush it in there, making it organic looking pressed up against the glass.The paint has peeled away here and there, with some flakes floating to the bottom. This is a happy accident helping it to look as if rotting a bit.
One tip using anything made of soft foam. It can act like a sponge so you may need to add more water later.
Spiderous Giganticus: You can't go wrong with plastic bugs. Great size for small jars and many these days have great sculpts and look very real. Once again the glass distortion increases the creepy factor.I gave this guy a dry brush of brown and gray enamel to bring out some details against his original all black plastic body.
His jar is just an old salt or pepper shaker. I sealed the cap holes underneath with garden hose repair tape and then filled them in on top with a few thick coats of paint.
The residue at the bottom, is actual rust from the inside cap edges over time from condensation. I love it, it adds texture.
Formaldehyde Flask: This is an ordinary, inexpensive, single flower plastic vase. Just by adding a champagne cork it instantly becomes a laboratory equipment.
Worm Cocoon: Baby food jars are terrific for little oddities. This fuzzy thing is just a coiled yellow pipe cleaner.Like the Star Wars toy and flower vase, when certain objects are seen out of context, they can be believed to be as how you present them.
25 Days 'Til Halloween - Garg Oil
Added a new potion to the collection.
It's an old hot sauce bottle. The medallion was created using the molding and casting trick posted awhile back copying a detail from a Haunted Mansion collectible. There was a nice space for a computer made label and all was painted.
It's an old hot sauce bottle. The medallion was created using the molding and casting trick posted awhile back copying a detail from a Haunted Mansion collectible. There was a nice space for a computer made label and all was painted.
26 Days 'Til Halloween - Family Fun Crafting
In the past 2 years, I've been the craft stylist for the "how-to videos" on the Disney Family Fun magazine website (familyfun.com). For these projects, the designs and ideas come from the editors at the magazine. My job is to create the numerous "step-outs" needed for shooting, the finished hero props and set dress the beauty shots. All the projects are super simple to make using basic art supplies and everyday things found around the house. We've just completed filming a new batch of holiday videos, including Halloween (and the bats pictured above) which should be up on the site very soon.
In the meantime, I thought I'd link to these past Halloween crafts that were some of my favorites to make...
27 Days 'Til Halloween - Unknownus Creepus
Among my collection of specimen jar creatures there is one that cannot be identified. Can you? Leave your answer as a comment. The winner (or winners) will get bragging rights. I'll reveal what it is Wednesday along with more from my collection and some tips and tricks I use making jarred up things.
28 Days 'Til Halloween - Water Water EveryHARE
Time for a needed cartoon break from all the decorating and prop making for inspiration...
29 Days 'Til Halloween - Haunted Horseshoe
Click on images to enlarge.
Prestigious historians and expert metallurgists have confirmed it, but to believe it's from the actual Headless Horseman's steed of legend is just plain silly. Many such objects from the Revolutionary War are often found in that part of Tarrytown, New York.
However, none can explain why every October 31st it emits a ghostly light. Glowing as if being forged again in some unseen demonic fire...
Could it be? Maybe. Now, if I were to make a prop like this, I might take an old horseshoe, give it a faux rust treatment using fluorescent orange and glow in the dark green mixed in. Then I'd attach it to an aged up frame with wood backboard. Finally, I'd glue on a computer made label antiqued with watercolors and plug in a black light.
30 Days 'Til Halloween - Woolworth's
No better way to begin the countdown than with what might be my earliest Halloween memory. There's no real story to tell, only a couple of hazy moments remembered on a shopping trip to Woolworth's.
I recall it being a rainy day and crossing the parking lot in a hurry holding my Mom's hand. The whole time my eyes fixed on the front window filled with pyramids of plastic, candy bucket pumpkins.
I stood in an aisle walled in by stacked, boxed costumes. Above me, some were displayed on hangers tied to the ceiling looking like Trick or Treaters hung from gallows.
This might of been around 1969 because the very first costume I vaguely remember owning was Casper the Friendly Ghost. I wore it proudly to a kindergarten Halloween party that year...
When I was a kid, you knew the season had begun when Woolworth's started selling Halloween stuff. Looking back, the store was really no different than Wal Mart, Target or CVS today but long ago, it was a very special store to me.
I stood in an aisle walled in by stacked, boxed costumes. Above me, some were displayed on hangers tied to the ceiling looking like Trick or Treaters hung from gallows.
This might of been around 1969 because the very first costume I vaguely remember owning was Casper the Friendly Ghost. I wore it proudly to a kindergarten Halloween party that year...
When I was a kid, you knew the season had begun when Woolworth's started selling Halloween stuff. Looking back, the store was really no different than Wal Mart, Target or CVS today but long ago, it was a very special store to me.
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