Rahnefan
03-20-2011, 10:19 PM
This was an experiment with at least 4 different ways to make a giant mushroom. I'll discuss some things I tried, what works and what doesn't.
The finished products are in this thread:
Murder Mushrooms (http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=25971)
To make what I think worked best, you will need:
chicken wire
bailing wire
duct tape
masking tape
paper clay
Great Stuff
pingpong eyeballs
monster mud
paint
spar urethane or other sealant
For me nearly everything starts out in the sketchbook and rarely ends up looking like what I had in mind. Here's a scan of two roughs, one in pencil and one in ink:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-1.jpg
The pencil sketches were too straight and normal-looking, but the ink sketches don't really account for um, shall we say, limitations of physics and experience! But I think it was good for me to have two different examples to work from.
There are basically 4 methods I tried:
1. paper mache, using one of those plastic TP-storage things for the mold
2. rolled up phone books of various thicknesses, duct-taped together
3. chicken wire frame covered in newspaper and masking tape
4. a discarded Pringles can
Method 1 - paper mache - made the weakest but lightest mushroom.
Method 2 - rolled up phone books - was a delightful way to rid my home of these things and made the strongest stalk that wind is simply NOT going to knock over, but they are too heavy. You cannot pick these up by the cap, which is somehow a reflexive, instinctive thing to do.
Method 3 - chicken wire - was the best overall method. The stalks are light and can be shaped in cool ways.
Method 4 - Pringles can - is the smallest but was a good way to keep Thing 2 busy and out of Daddy's hair while I worked on the big ones.
About method 3: after you form the frame, you can compare it to your sketches to see if it matches up to what you originally wanted. It is easy to snip a little here or there and then bend/wire the gaps to create bends and wrinkles. The trick is getting it to still stand up when you are done. Not all of mine can stand freely.
When your chicken wire frame is exactly like you want it, you might not even need to tape any newspaper to it. Wrap it from top to bottom once or twice in 2 inch masking (not duct) tape, and it will already start looking close to done. In low light, it could pass for a mushroom. I didn't think I took a pic of that but I did:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-2.jpg
At this point you can begin adding some details like additional wrinkles or large eyes. One of mine is Cyclopian. It's carved styrofoam.
As you can see, all the caps were made separately from the stalks. The largest ones, whether bowl-shaped or floppy-hat style, are chicken wire, newspaper, and tape. The middle sized ones are discount store mixing bowls, shaped with newspaper and tape. The smallest one is half of a styrofoam ball. Only one of the caps is paper mache, and it was the most disappointing method. It takes more time and resources than any of the other methods, and is the weakest cap. All of the caps were coated in monster mud.
You can refer to this diagram when cutting chicken wire to make a cap:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2011/shapes.gif
Please note that this is basic and you will almost definitely have to do a lot of cutting and bending and twisting before you have the shape you want.
Attaching the cap is the biggest pain in the neck. This is where I saw what was a good idea and what was not.
For method 1, attach the cap to the head as best you can with bailing wire, then turn the mushroom upside down. Spray Great Stuff down the center of the stalk so that it expands where the cap is. That holds it on pretty well. Same thing for method 3 and 4. I do not recommend method 2 at all. I just did the best I could with lots of duct tape and wire. The caps do NOT want to stay on. Edit: I just found a cellphone pic that shows method 2 in progress. It seemed pretty dang clever at the time...http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2011/downsized_0930092313.jpg
More pix:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-3.jpg
When the caps have been attached to the stalks to your satisfaction, you can add more details. Lumps, more wrinkles, and teeth can be made from paperclay. It is also good for smoothing out problems. You can also use Great Stuff to create veins and tendrils.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-4.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-5.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-7.jpg
I had a bunch of smaller mushrooms made from Sculpey and hot-glued them on to make it freakier looking. Thing 1 and Thing 2 found it effective.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-11.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm2.gif
Here is an unpainted pic of method 4 that basically explains itself I think:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-9.jpg
Really you could stop there, if your mushrooms are going to be in low light and you are not going to allow any rain to get on them at all. But if you want to paint them, consider applying at least one more coat of monster mud all over the entire thing first. The amount of solidity it gave them was a pleasant surprise to me. I would say more of painting but I don't feel qualified yet! One thing I will say is that I almost always avoid using a truly colorless black on things that are supposed to look quasi-natural. That and I think that using a watery, dripping wash helps them look natural. I think painting it dark and dry-brushing light colors on it might only make them look like statues.
Painted and ready to seal:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2011/mm-22.jpg
Lastly, if these are going to be exposed to rain, you need to seal them. Based on a lot of questions from the gentle denizens of HauntForum.com, I chunked down the $ for some spar urethane and am glad I did. It coats like a skin and goes a looong way.
The finished products are in this thread:
Murder Mushrooms (http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=25971)
To make what I think worked best, you will need:
chicken wire
bailing wire
duct tape
masking tape
paper clay
Great Stuff
pingpong eyeballs
monster mud
paint
spar urethane or other sealant
For me nearly everything starts out in the sketchbook and rarely ends up looking like what I had in mind. Here's a scan of two roughs, one in pencil and one in ink:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-1.jpg
The pencil sketches were too straight and normal-looking, but the ink sketches don't really account for um, shall we say, limitations of physics and experience! But I think it was good for me to have two different examples to work from.
There are basically 4 methods I tried:
1. paper mache, using one of those plastic TP-storage things for the mold
2. rolled up phone books of various thicknesses, duct-taped together
3. chicken wire frame covered in newspaper and masking tape
4. a discarded Pringles can
Method 1 - paper mache - made the weakest but lightest mushroom.
Method 2 - rolled up phone books - was a delightful way to rid my home of these things and made the strongest stalk that wind is simply NOT going to knock over, but they are too heavy. You cannot pick these up by the cap, which is somehow a reflexive, instinctive thing to do.
Method 3 - chicken wire - was the best overall method. The stalks are light and can be shaped in cool ways.
Method 4 - Pringles can - is the smallest but was a good way to keep Thing 2 busy and out of Daddy's hair while I worked on the big ones.
About method 3: after you form the frame, you can compare it to your sketches to see if it matches up to what you originally wanted. It is easy to snip a little here or there and then bend/wire the gaps to create bends and wrinkles. The trick is getting it to still stand up when you are done. Not all of mine can stand freely.
When your chicken wire frame is exactly like you want it, you might not even need to tape any newspaper to it. Wrap it from top to bottom once or twice in 2 inch masking (not duct) tape, and it will already start looking close to done. In low light, it could pass for a mushroom. I didn't think I took a pic of that but I did:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-2.jpg
At this point you can begin adding some details like additional wrinkles or large eyes. One of mine is Cyclopian. It's carved styrofoam.
As you can see, all the caps were made separately from the stalks. The largest ones, whether bowl-shaped or floppy-hat style, are chicken wire, newspaper, and tape. The middle sized ones are discount store mixing bowls, shaped with newspaper and tape. The smallest one is half of a styrofoam ball. Only one of the caps is paper mache, and it was the most disappointing method. It takes more time and resources than any of the other methods, and is the weakest cap. All of the caps were coated in monster mud.
You can refer to this diagram when cutting chicken wire to make a cap:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2011/shapes.gif
Please note that this is basic and you will almost definitely have to do a lot of cutting and bending and twisting before you have the shape you want.
Attaching the cap is the biggest pain in the neck. This is where I saw what was a good idea and what was not.
For method 1, attach the cap to the head as best you can with bailing wire, then turn the mushroom upside down. Spray Great Stuff down the center of the stalk so that it expands where the cap is. That holds it on pretty well. Same thing for method 3 and 4. I do not recommend method 2 at all. I just did the best I could with lots of duct tape and wire. The caps do NOT want to stay on. Edit: I just found a cellphone pic that shows method 2 in progress. It seemed pretty dang clever at the time...http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2011/downsized_0930092313.jpg
More pix:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-3.jpg
When the caps have been attached to the stalks to your satisfaction, you can add more details. Lumps, more wrinkles, and teeth can be made from paperclay. It is also good for smoothing out problems. You can also use Great Stuff to create veins and tendrils.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-4.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-5.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-7.jpg
I had a bunch of smaller mushrooms made from Sculpey and hot-glued them on to make it freakier looking. Thing 1 and Thing 2 found it effective.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-11.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm2.gif
Here is an unpainted pic of method 4 that basically explains itself I think:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mm-9.jpg
Really you could stop there, if your mushrooms are going to be in low light and you are not going to allow any rain to get on them at all. But if you want to paint them, consider applying at least one more coat of monster mud all over the entire thing first. The amount of solidity it gave them was a pleasant surprise to me. I would say more of painting but I don't feel qualified yet! One thing I will say is that I almost always avoid using a truly colorless black on things that are supposed to look quasi-natural. That and I think that using a watery, dripping wash helps them look natural. I think painting it dark and dry-brushing light colors on it might only make them look like statues.
Painted and ready to seal:
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2011/mm-22.jpg
Lastly, if these are going to be exposed to rain, you need to seal them. Based on a lot of questions from the gentle denizens of HauntForum.com, I chunked down the $ for some spar urethane and am glad I did. It coats like a skin and goes a looong way.