Trading tips for dark displays and prop production.
#78686
I love the way u use foam board in your props. It looks pretty easy to work with if you have the right tools and I like that it must all be pretty light to carry around.
#78706
We have done a pirate theme in huge past. I made wooden crosses and aged them with the name and date of real pirates that have sailed off the coast of my home state of North Carolina. People thought that was the best part of the whole night. If I find pictures on my old computer I will share. We decorated the from door like a heady entrance into a pirate tavern including a drinking skeleton and treasure.
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By mesmark
#78718
staticfurball wrote:I love the way u use foam board in your props. It looks pretty easy to work with if you have the right tools and I like that it must all be pretty light to carry around.
SFB - the foam is fantastic! Like you said, it's easy to work with and light. There are a few negatives to foam though. One is that it's light, which makes it difficult for large outdoor displays. Also, you can't paint intricate strokes on it. It's great for signs and you can layer it to get some good 3D action going.

The foam works really well to make something look like wood. It's also easier to age. However, making it look like wood takes a little longer than actually using wood.

the last of the main props - a pirate sign:

again, here's the paper plan
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I used two pieces, one is the base and the second will be pieces glued on to give the sign some depth and character
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I drew my little plan on the second piece and had my little mascot template ready so I could check spacing
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here are all of the pieces cut out and placed together. if everything looks good, then I paint and glue them together
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and here is the sign:
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I'm going to thread some wire through the top and for the party, I'll hang the sign with rope.
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By mesmark
#78719
BigScience wrote:We have done a pirate theme in huge past. I made wooden crosses and aged them with the name and date of real pirates that have sailed off the coast of my home state of North Carolina. People thought that was the best part of the whole night. If I find pictures on my old computer I will share. We decorated the from door like a heady entrance into a pirate tavern including a drinking skeleton and treasure.
That sounds awesome! I would love to see some pictures. :pirate:

some crosses might look real good on me beach. they could certainly help fill some of the sides.
#78753
I love signs and yours is pretty darn nice. You're good at doing wood effect on foam Mes, thats one thing im rubbish at. It never looks like wood grain when I try so I normally end up just using real wood which is fine for signage but not so good when you need to make a few coffins or something even bigger. The crate is fab too, I can just imagine it loaded up with strange exotic spices or gallons of rum.
#78755
If we hadn't said it already , we'd call you an expert at such things. But boy are your props looking sharp!
For the sign, did you cut the depth with the two pieces together? Or did you cut the hole and then put it on the base?
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By nosferatu
#78759
I have run out of superlatives. The only one I haven't used so far this year is outstanding and I was saving that, hopefully, for the site relaunch. However, needs must...... Outstanding! :pirate:
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By sloaner
#78790
That's going to be a great party by the looks of these props. You should carve some pirates of the Caribbean pumpkins. Those pictures would be tough to beat in the gallery.
#78836
This just keeps getting better and better! What kind of tools are good for the foam sheets, can u use regular exact o knives, & do you have tools that use heat?
#78948
Mark, it's amazing how fast you're able to churn these props out. I look away for a day, and when I come back to this topic I see that you've posted another lengthy series of photos. Another finished tree, chest, or ship. You have this stuff down pat. When I have the time and space, I'm going to play with some foam. Clearly it's a versatile material.

I think I mentioned it before, but I really like your cartoony skull and crossbones. Reminds me of this jolly roger design I did several years ago. I sold these on a series of tshirts, tank tops, and undies:

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#78949
pagemaster1993 wrote:You display must have really struck on of Ryan's cords. He made a special smiliey just for you. :pirate:
Oh, and I must give credit were credit is due. mesmark designed that smiley himself. I liked it so much, I plundered it, and made it an official emoticon that anyone can choose while posting.
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By mesmark
#79359
SuperSonic wrote:For the sign, did you cut the depth with the two pieces together? Or did you cut the hole and then put it on the base?
SS - it's layered. I just stenciled a little border as you see in the third picture and cut that out. Then using the extra pieces I cut out the letters and the skull and crossbones. I glued the border and bottom frame together, then made the wood grain effect, and painted the base and border. The inside pieces I painted separately and then glued on with hot-glue.

It's very simple to layer for effect, but much harder to sculpt.
monstermash wrote:I love signs and yours is pretty darn nice. You're good at doing wood effect on foam Mes, thats one thing im rubbish at. It never looks like wood grain when I try so I normally end up just using real wood which is fine for signage but not so good when you need to make a few coffins or something even bigger. The crate is fab too, I can just imagine it loaded up with strange exotic spices or gallons of rum.
I'm slightly impressed with the "wood finish" this year (if it's okay to pat my own back.) I think the beach wood effect has turned out nice. However, it really is as simple as running a screwdriver down the board. Paint it brown (or gray for old wood) and then add some other colors here and there.

I'm getting the feeling I should be working with more real wood. It is rather easy to cut and put together for simple props.
sloaner wrote:That's going to be a great party by the looks of these props. You should carve some pirates of the Caribbean pumpkins. Those pictures would be tough to beat in the gallery.
I'll certainly be carving a pirate pattern or two. Oh! and the new ghost pirate pattern as well :pirate:
staticfurball wrote:This just keeps getting better and better! What kind of tools are good for the foam sheets, can u use regular exact o knives, & do you have tools that use heat?
Thanks! I just use a box knife and an exact-o knife if I'm doing something small. It's not really necessary to use a heated knife, but you do need to saw at the foam rather than try to slice it, even with straight blade. A sawing motion will keep the foam from tearing and breaking. Not really a big problem but it keeps the edges smooth.
Zombie Pumpkins wrote:Mark, it's amazing how fast you're able to churn these props out. I look away for a day, and when I come back to this topic I see that you've posted another lengthy series of photos. Another finished tree, chest, or ship. You have this stuff down pat. When I have the time and space, I'm going to play with some foam. Clearly it's a versatile material.

I think I mentioned it before, but I really like your cartoony skull and crossbones. Reminds me of this jolly roger design I did several years ago. I sold these on a series of tshirts, tank tops, and undies
I would wear that t-shirt :pirate:

I seem to be getting better and faster at doing this. Although it's hard to tell. The Egypt theme and the haunted house exterior had a lot going on. The hard part is a realistic vision for the decorations. I was a little worried about this year, because I had no vision or none that I felt I could pull off within two months. Luckily, it came together a bit in August and I've been able to push forward.

It should be a good year! :pirate:
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