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
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
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!