On our Halloween mantel, in a Nightmare before Christmas theme...'jack-o-lantern' eggs, saved from the year when I had enough time and energy to craft a Martha Stewart featured item...when would that have been...2003?
(My 3 oldest kids as Lock Shock and Barrel from the Nightmare Before Christmas.)
Back then, I probably would have made their costumes 'from scratch'. These days, a purple dress and 2 colored sweatsuits with added bits are as close to 'from scratch' as I get, and you know, it's OK. Maybe even better! Because take the tail off Shock's costume, and Constantine has a gym outfit he can wear all school year, and Aurora has a new fun purple dress (from Target, $7.99). Russell, on the other hand, wants to wear his 'skelly' suit regularly, so I'm leaving it as is, and he's happy. (Okay, sure, the papier mache masks were from 'scratch', but not toooo time consuming or complicated...)
The Lock Shock and Barrell dolls are from years ago, when the movie first came out, they are still my favorite Halloween decoration, beautifully made...I remember I used what should have been my rent money to buy them, back then...the bathtub is new, from Jun Planning...the vampires are also Jun Planning, the metal trees are from Urban Outfitters.
Hello, I came across this today when I was trying to figure out how to make lock, shock, and barrels masks for halloween this year. You did an awesome jobs and it looks really simple! I was just wondering if you could tell me how you did it? Much Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! Well, I made the masks with papier mache over cardboard. I think this is my favorite recipe for papier mache: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/best-papier-mache-recipe-708645/
ReplyDeleteand I just measured my kid's heads and made sure the masks were going to cover their faces and also to put the eye holes in the right spot...using masking tape to hold the cardboard in a slight curve until the papier mache on both sides had dried/hardened - the noses are cut out from the bottom layer with a bent piece of cardboard over top - (you'll need the room for their real noses) - and the round skeleton one started out as a paper plate - just like 'old-school' crafts! - I waited to punch the ribbon holes till the masks were dry and painted - to get the eye holes as close to their actual eyes as possible - and then these just tied on with ribbon - mostly the masks were supposed to hang below their faces for walking in the dark safety reasons, and then they wore face paint underneath too - because I think that's the joke, that Lock Shock and Barrel are actually scarier in 'real life' than their Halloween costumes are.
Good luck and have fun making your version!
Thank you so much for all of your useful information! I can't wait to make my own! My friends will be so excited!
ReplyDeleteWhat did you cover the masks with? These are AMAZING by the way. :)
ReplyDeleteHi egoznel - um, I think I just gesso'd them (to prevent any newspaper print from showing through) and then painted with acrylic paint is all - and you're done! No varnish, oh, but I did also use a thickish sharpie marker for the few black detail lines...
ReplyDeleteHave fun! :)