[Hawks Hill Haunter]

I want to make some lifesize silhouettes of zombies walking through the back yard up to the front where the TOT's will be. Any suggestions? We get crazy winds up here this time of the year so it has to be able to withstand icky elements. And snow is always a very good possibility. I'm thinking OSB but cutting may be tricky. Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[RoxyBlue]

I like the idea. I don't think OSB is recommended for exterior use, so that could be a problem.

 

[Eeeekim]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150287071460634&set=pb.10150133470975634.-2207520000.1350940299&type=1&theater

Check this link out. the next image is the some kind of thing. I made these for my yard.
I used corrugated plastic and a step stake to make mine. you can get the supplies from any sign shop.

 

[Eeeekim]

here they are in my yard.

 

[Hawks Hill Haunter]

Thanks Eeeekim. I actually have access to that material where I work. but with the winds, i think it would get really blown around.

Did you do any full size?

 

[Irish Witch]

What about plywood?

 

[austenandrews]

Will plywood hold against the elements? When I left some out, it delaminated after one rainshower. I hadn't used Scotch Guard or anything, though.

 

[Hawks Hill Haunter]

i think plywood could be ok. but my concern is cutting out the image - not sure i can make it look right.

 

[austenandrews]

Last year my wife made some wooden cutouts of ravens. I was skeptical but it worked wonderfully. She found a couple photos on the net, printed them large and traced them onto the wood. It wasn't plywood so she cut it with a dremel, but I would think the larger details of a zombie (versus the fiddly feathers of a raven) would be doable with a jigsaw.

This year we used a cheap TV projector to cast images for tracing. If you have access to a projector, there's no reason you can't make near-lifelike silhouettes. Plus after you make one, you've got a blank to trace and copies go much faster.

 

[scarrycher]

I made life size witch out of a 4x8 sheet of plywood and staked it out with a t-post, lots of exterier latex paint will water proof...used a projector from micheles to project my image on to wood. jig saw worked well except in tight corners, used a scroll saw for small detailed cuts

 

[Hawks Hill Haunter]

Thank you austenandrews and scarrycher! I think i might try my hand at the jigsaw/plywood idea.

Either of you have pics of your silhouettes?

 

[fontgeek]

If you want them to be truly durable out in the weather, I'd look at Alumilite. It's aluminum faces with a solid plastic core, it does great in all kinds of weather. It's not cheap, but it's not wildly expensive either. YOu could take your designs to a sign shop and let them cut it for you. Drilling pairs of holes side by side so that you could use U-bolts to tie the zombies to pieces of rebar that's been sunk down a foot or two into the soil. I'd use at least two pieces of rebar for each zombie, that keeps your zombie from spinning around the rebar in strong winds.
You can do the same kind of setup with plywood, and just seal and paint the heck out of it, including the holes drilled for the U-bolts and the bottom edges.

 

[Irish Witch]

My grave stones are all made from wood and i store them in my shed and they all got damp this year except the one made from plywood this is why i suggested this, Ireland's weather is CRAP all it does is rain and they are fine in the garden for the few days they are out. If your not comfortable using a jigsaw slow the speed down and take your time

 

[DreadKnightswife]

Also in addition to exterior latex paint you could use a clear sealer on plywood or OSB to make them water tight, with OSB you have to recoat it every year before you put it out if it gets any nicks or dings in the paint though or it will swell and desintigrate over time, a lesson learned the hard way :/ .

 

[Hawks Hill Haunter]

Thank you all for your input. I think I'm going to tackle this using either corrugated plastic or plywood and just hope for the best and a steady hand!

Anyone got any good sources for zombie silhouette images/patterns? Full size?

 

[Rage]

Just as something else to think about, there is a material called Trovicel that is made from PVC and comes in a variety of thickness. Being PVC it's completely waterproof and comes in a variety of colors including black. Any details will need to be painted with Krylon though since Krylon is the only paint I've found cheap and with enough bite to hold on.

 

[Hawks Hill Haunter]

Just as something else to think about, there is a material called Trovicel that is made from PVC and comes in a variety of thickness. Being PVC it's completely waterproof and comes in a variety of colors including black. Any details will need to be painted with Krylon though since Krylon is the only paint I've found cheap and with enough bite to hold on.

Is this something sold in typical home improvement stores? Easy to cut?

 

[fontgeek]

Thank you all for your input. I think I'm going to tackle this using either corrugated plastic or plywood and just hope for the best and a steady hand!

Anyone got any good sources for zombie silhouette images/patterns? Full size?

I'd do a search for "Zombie vector art" online, there are several files available for free. Vector artwork can be scaled up or down, or even distorted without any loss of clarity or smooth lines.

The PVC material is great, but it will get brittle with prolonged UV exposure.

 

[Rage]

Hawks you can get it at a sign shop or a sign supplier........if you use a course saw blade in a jigsaw then it cuts very easy. Too fine of a blade will just gum up. It comes in varying thickness so you can decide how thick you want. Trovacel is one name but it's also known as Sintra board as well. Since it's made of PVC it will last forever, rain, shine, snow..........now it might get blown into the next county in a hurricane, but what wouldn't? And yes it will get brittle eventually..........but I had a sign shop in Orlando Florida and used it outdoor on a lot of stuff and even there it lasted several years outdoors....the biggest problem was people stealing it before it went brittle.........I think with an exposure of a couple of months a year, brittleness shouldn't be a problem for a long time.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Anyone got any good sources for zombie silhouette images/patterns? Full size?

You could use the pattern I have on my website for my zombie crossing sign and scale the figures up to life-size. I have a PDF available for download for personal use.

Zombie Crossing Sign