THE MONSTERS

 2014 DAY ONE

The Usual Suspects

FOR THE BONES

We took a trip to Home Depot after work for some supplies.

For these guys we needed to following things for their armatures.

PVC thin wall 1 1/4" 7 pipes

Fittings - A bunch

Chicken wire

Drywall screws

Pool NoodlesJoint Compound

Latex Paint
Burlap

When in comes to burlap...
For Beetlejuice I used scraps I found around the house. You want something a little sturdy otherwise the wire armature will show through. Burlap works best.

Paint...
You will need to use latex paint in the joint compound to make your "Monster Mud". I usually use a different color than the final paint to make sure it is completely sealed. The best and cheapest bet is to get OOPs paint from Home Depot. When dry I will paint these monsters Greyscale. I want them to look just like the old movies. For The Horse and Beetlejuice I used an outdoor paint. You have to make sure you coat it well if you want to keep it dry. There were some areas of the horse that softened up a bit. I may look into coating them with something stronger.

We plan to wire-up the eyes to make them light up. I want them to dim in and dim out. You want to think of these things before you start or it may be too late. We will send the wire through the armature.

One more thought before coating...
We would like a metal rod to hold each of these guys in place in the yard. Like Beetlejuice it will keep them from tipping over.
             

The Usual Suspects

Frankenstein, the Werewolf, the Mummy and Dracula all set to wire up tomorrow night. We need one more fitting on the werewolf and some arms. Noodles and to shoot some screws in. We found some wood across the street for the bases. We will screw them on tomorrow night. If all goes as planned I should be ready for mud by Thursday night.  Dad's coming over to help.

The Guts
We had to stop at HD and pick up a couple of things.
We needed a couple more elbows and some metal straps.

Last night Dad and I started wiring up the Monsters. First Larry had to strap them down to the boards which will later be decorated to look like grass. I'm glad we can work in the AC and not deal with the real blood-suckers.  I feel like we got a good head start on our Dead-line. I bought some good gloves for both of us but 10 minutes in decided they were a pain in the butt and I took mine off. Now I have a bunch of cuts and scratches all over me. We finished wiring up the Mummy and started on Dracula. I plan on finishing Dracula up tonight and Sunday tackle Frankenstein.

Working on Dracula with Dad

Dad tightening up Mummy Arms

Tonight Vicki came over and helped kick off the muddiest on "The Monster". Since he was the largest I figured it would be best to get him out of the way. Larry and I stopped by Home Depot and picked up the joint compound, latex paint and I spent the morning cutting up burlap. We were all set for the project and here is how far we have gotten. 

Tools of the Monster Trade

And we're off!!

Vicki hard at work

I will add a Jacket and pants tomorrow. 

Just checked on the Monster and he is drying beautifully.

Check back tomorrow night to see how he is coming along. 

We dressed the monster today and he's looking pretty sharp. Obviously I couldn't find clothes to fit him so we needed to be creative. Once he's painted he will look amazing. Well...at least I hope so. Thanks to my friend Mandy for all of her help today. 

Last night I finished mudding the MUMMY and the body of Dracula (not the arms) I will post pics this weekend of all four mudded. The plan is to work on their heads and hands separately and attach. "The Monster's" head wont fit in the garage. I'm going to my Dad's tomorrow night to work on his head and hands. Dad says he has some tricks up his sleeve to make it look amazing. I'm sure he does...The Man's A Genius.

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Getting Close to Finished.

This weekend is painting weekend.  It's hard to believe it is finally here.

I knew this would be a big job going into it but with help from Larry, Dad, Vicki, Mandy and of course Ami, we have gotten through it.  I am so excited to unveil these guys to the Lake Clarke Shores public.  I know that we have gotten some folks hooked on our displays and that is always a thrill.

Here are some more pics of the progress. The Wolfman has been mudded but is not shown. He still has a little more work. Coming along though.

I can't thank my friends enough for the help.

Drac Looking Dapper

Then There Were Three

Dad sculpting Frank's Head

Time for the mud. The wig head is really just holding him up.
We did talk about making it look like his brain and calling it abby normal.

These guys help a lot.

Ami made awesome hands for Frank.
They are mudded now and all will be revealed soon enough.

It's been a while since I blogged about the Monsters. Halloween is over but I did want to share some of the images of the event. The guys turned out out awesome! It was a great event. Thanks for following along. Check back next season to see what's next on the Blische Haunt blog.

We got the guys standing out in the yard and everything was great!

Then the rain came down and down and down and so did "The Monster" in a very funny way.  It was hard not to cry (with laughter.) So Dr. Larrystein had to do an operation. 

Add caption

Of course we got him standing again and my Brother In Law Kevin added some electricity.

Thanks again for following along!