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Tag Archives: Eerieville

More Creepy Trees, Y’All

16 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in DIY, Haunt, Uncategorized

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It’s time to reveal another creepy tree for the haunt! Woohoo! Just in case you missed it, here’s the first one. This one was kind of a different process. I used the corners from the first block of foam that I’d trimmed off to shape the original tree. I glued them together, then sculpted a bunch of skulls from some other waste pieces of foam from that first tree. Then I got messy. I adhered the skulls to the core with spray foam, and once that had dried, covered the whole thing with foam coat. Then I slapped a few layers of paint on that bad boy and now we’ve got ourselves another fun set dressing!

Because I love you dearly, I documented the process along the way:

skull-tree-6

On the right, you see just the foam core, skulls, and spray. On the left, you see the foam coat that’s applied on top.

skull-tree

First, I painted the whole thing dark brown.

skull-tree-2

Then I added lighter browns and greens on top to make it look more like bark and bring out the skulls.

skull-tree-4

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Dem Creepy, Creepy Trees

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in art, DIY, Eerieville, Haunt, humor, painting, Uncategorized

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Okay, I finally – FINALLY – finished one of the creepy trees that will be set dressing at Eerieville (the 21 acres we’re transforming into a haunted attraction). This was my first time working with foam, hot wires, and foam coat. Paint, though, I am obviously familiar with. This is the total opposite way for my brain to create, as it involves whittling away as opposed to building up. I’ve done very little carving since college, and I’ve certainly never done it with hot wires, so it was incredibly challenging (especially since I’m accident prone). I’m also not working with the ideal tools because they’re hella expensive and out of my budget, so it’s taking me way longer than it would otherwise. I’ve been documenting the steps along the way, specifically for you, dear reader. So here is our first creepy tree:

foam-stacks

First, we had to unload these 8’x 3′ x 4′ blocks of foam. Yes, I injured myself doing this.

foam-tree-skeleton-first

Then I had to carve the block into the basic shape of a round tree. Yes, I injured myself doing this.

foam-tree-skeleton-drawing

Then I drew on the skeleton that I wanted to be emerging from the tree. No, I didn’t injure myself doing this, but I did lose the cap to the pen, which hurt my heart.

foam-tree-skeleton-early

Then I got to carve in the skeleton and add texture so that it resembled bark a little more. Yes, I injured myself doing this. 

foam-skeleton-tree

Next, I coated the tree with a product called Foam Coat that dries to a concrete-like finish. Yes, I injured myself doing this.

foam-tree-skeleton-final-2

Then I painted it dark brown, let that dry, and dry brushed on two lighter shades of brown and some green. Yes, I injured myself doing this.

foam-tree-skeleton-final

Then I stood back and was proud of myself. I did not injure myself doing this, but I did trip over a bottle of paint while I was backing up to take this picture.

And there you have it. Several more trees to go, along with a whole bunch of other props, and I’ll try to remember to take pics for you but I don’t have the best memory (too many fumes from the burning foam), so I’m not making any promises.

Hurricane Matthew Is an Asshole

08 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Eerieville, Haunt, Uncategorized

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Click on this link, then scroll down until you see the tweet from Derek Medlin. That was shot on the outside just outside our property where we’re building the haunt. Yes, the haunt looks like that, too. All the buildings are flooded, the fields and the woods and trail are washed out. We’ve gotten 17 inches of rain so far, and they’re projecting at least 10 more overnight. Sometimes there is not enough bourbon in the world.

 

 

Powering Through *Now With Styrofoam!*

08 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in art, DIY, Eerieville, endometriosis, Haunt, health, Uncategorized

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It’s been a rough few days in my body, folks. Last week, I started going into a fibromyalgia flare, which means I’m stiff and sore and feel like I have the flu all day, every day. My joints  ache and my brain gets fuzzy and full of lint. Then the fibromyalgia exacerbated a endometriosis flare. And now I’m a hot mess. We got a shipment of styrofoam in at the haunted screampark and I was super excited to start sculpting it, so on Monday, I loaded up on Advil and Aleve and headed out, intending just to start working on a piece for a couple hours. It was going really well, though, so I kept going, and going, and going. Six and a half hours later, I finally called it quits because it was getting dark. And then I realized that I am a stupid, stupid human. When will I learn that pushing through  a couple extra hours will mean days of inability to function?

Yes, powering through is sometimes necessary. In fact, in this body, most days it’s necessary. Around these here parts, it’s called life. But I need to learn not to pretend I’m a superhero. So after a couple rough days, today I’m back in the studio, but I only painted for a couple hours in hopes that I’ll be able to paint again tomorrow. And I’m limiting my time on the computer, which is equally frustrating, but which gives my hands a break.

The worst part about all this ouchiness, though, is that I’m so loaded up on Advil and Aleve that I can’t have bourbon. I haven’t had bourbon in almost two weeks. TWO WEEKS! I know. Feel free to feel sorry for me. I feel sorry for myself. And I can’t even cry into my bourbon.

Lest you think that I callously abandoned you while limiting my computer time, I thought I’d share a couple photos from what is quickly becoming styrofoam land. I’m working on trees that will have creepy faces, some skeletons emerging from them, etc. Still a looooong way to go just on this first one, but still, progress:

styrofoam-blocks

tree-skeleton-beginning

tree-skeleton-drawn-on

tree-skeleton-initial-carving

Percy Shell-y

25 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Eerieville, Haunt, humor, Uncategorized

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Hi everyone! Meet Percy Shell-y, our resident turtle at the haunt. He lives in the Witch’s Hollow, since the damn thing is always flooded.

Percy Shell-y

Hello. I’m a turtle. Will you be my friend?

I have also seen a baby turtle swimming around, who I have named Shell Silverstein. Since there’s a baby, one must assume that Mary Shell-y also resides in the Witch’s Hollow, which means we should probably expect an appearance by Frankenstein’s monster at some point in the coming years.

Don’t Cage Me In, Man

25 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Spent the day out at the haunt property today working on building the burned down cottage. I didn’t have quite enough time to finish because I had to race to town to pick up Satch from the vet, so I’ll have to post pics when it’s done in a few days (when will depend on the weather), but for today, I wanted to post a pic of the cage we just had made for one of the sets. How badass is this?! It’s me-size!

Me in the cage

This is almost the look Dizzy gave me at the shelter that tricked me into bringing him home.

Paper Mache Scarecrow Head

09 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by in art, DIY, Haunt, paper mache

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First, wouldn’t Paper Mache Scarecrow Head be a great band name? I’m on a paper mache kick, which means the back room of the studio smells like flour but without all the delicious baking smells to go with it. Sorry about that, folks. I’ve been working on a scarecrow head for the haunt, which means people walk past it to go to the bathroom and come out scratching their heads about the weird head on a post. The puzzled looks are kind of priceless, I have to admit. I kind of wish we had surveillance cameras back there.

Anyway, here’s a quick how-to:

Step one, Turn off your phone because you won’t be able to answer it once you’re elbow deep in flour paste. Blow up a balloon and tape a toilet paper roll to the bottom of it. Cover all of it with a layer of newspaper strips dipped in a mixture of flour and water (another blogger suggested laundry starch instead, but I haven’t tried it yet since I have a boatload of flour to get through – but give it a shot!). I rested the whole thing on my clay sculpting tray (a piece of wood with a plastic pipe attached to it) so that I could work on all sides of it at once. Let it dry overnight.

Scarecrow step 1

Step two, start to add dimension for the face with rolled up newspaper and a crap-ton of tape. Cover that with another layer of newspaper and flour paste. It’ll kind of look like Darth Vader at this point. If you’re a Star Wars fan, consider discontinuing the Scarecrow head and go for Vader instead. Let it dry overnight.

scarecrow step 2

scarecrow step 3

Step three, continue adding dimension with rolled up newspaper. I used a skull model to compare the basic shape of the head. You can start to add smaller details with rolled paper towel, too. Cover it all with another layer of newspaper and flour paste. Let it dry overnight.

scarecrow step 4

Step four, stretch strips of paper towel dipped in the flour paste over what you’ve constructed. Pinch the towels together to create the look of stretched fabric. Make sure the side of the paper towel that is the most quilted is face up so that it gives it texture like burlap. Let it dry overnight.

scarecrow step 5

Step five, paint the whole thing with burnt umber, curse at the phone as it rings and you’re elbow deep in paint. Then stand back and bask in the glow of your accomplishment.

scarecrow step 6

Eerieville

16 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in art, Eerieville, Haunt, humor

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Remember how I mentioned a few blog posts back that my husband and I are building a haunted attraction? First, let’s start with getting a show of hands for who likes things like scary movies?

Note that my hands are most definitely not raised.

Note that my hands are most definitely not raised.

Okay, now let’s get a show of hands for who is perfectly willing to scare the everlivin’ outta you?

Note that my hand is very enthusiastically raised./

Note that my hand is very enthusiastically raised.

This is a truly insane endeavor. First, we had to find and buy property dedicated specifically to the haunt. Done. Then we had to put up a couple buildings to store tools, take tickets, give the actors a place to change and put on makeup, etc. Done. Then we had to blaze a trail through the woods. Done. Then we had to spend about 8 months raising said trail about a foot because once we had cut the trail it became the lowest point on the property, so every time it rained, it turned into a creek. We also had to pump the water out because we had the 2nd highest rainfall on record since 1892. Done. Then we had to run electricity throughout the property and do all the trenching ourselves to be able to afford it. Done.

Please note, that when I say “we,” I really mean “S,” because, to be honest, I had to do very little of that work. Granted, I was running the studio which is what pays for this insanity, so it’s not like I didn’t help, but I was not the one out there raising the trail one shovelful at a time. I was also not the one battling giant swarms of mosquitos and gnats and ticks (okay, so ticks don’t really swarm, but we had so damn many one year that I was pretty sure we’d discovered a new breed and that this breed signaled the upcoming zombie apocalypse). Here is a pic of me in my anti-things-that-want-to-eat-me gear during the worst of the flooding we had.

Note the fertile breeding ground for malaria-and-west-Nile-virus-bearing bugs.

Note the fertile breeding ground for malaria-and-west-Nile-virus-bearing bugs.

But now, after 3 years, we are FINALLY at the phase where we get to start doing work that people will actually notice. Here are some of the sets we’re working on:

Eerieville graveyard's hand carved gravestones

Eerieville graveyard’s hand carved gravestones

Gate opening onto Eerieville's trail

Gate opening onto Eerieville’s trail

Eerieville's graveyard

Eerieville’s graveyard

Eerieville's remains of a cottage

Eerieville’s remains of a cottage

I know, madness, right?