Year In Review: 2010
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My calendar has the year starting on November 1st and ending on October 31st…sort of a Halloween timetable.
Looking back on the year here is rundown of the papier mache props made over the past 12 months.
Buster Gravesley
Buster was the first prop I built in 2010, he was made for the HauntForum $20 prop challenge and probably the largest and most time consuming prop I have made to date.
The experience was very enjoyable and everything came together as I had envisioned…he ended up being my favorite piece in our 2010 display and received many positive comments.
The fact that he won the contest was just icing on the cake.
My only regrets are that I didn’t make him so that he could be disassembled because he takes up a lot of space and is a pain to move around.
Pumpkins
This year will be remembered as the year of the pumpkin, I made a lot of pumpkins this year although I really tried to do new things with each batch.
The year started out with making twelve pumpkins as pieces to use as a demo for Great Lakes Frightfest and once I started I felt compelled to finish them all.
The “Tortured Pumpkins” were a fun concept but were made to sell on Etsy and I’m pleased that they all sold.
The Pumpkin Mashups were made for me…an experiment in mixing different techniques and I was pleased with the results.
In addition I made two pumpkins in December as Christmas gifts so I pretty much got my fill of pumpkins in 2010.
And finally 2010 rounded off with five large “Tool Shed Terror” pumpkins….variations on the “Tortured Pumpkins”….another fun concept that has many more possibilities.
The Wardens
The skulls for The Wardens started as pieces I intended selling on Etsy but after botching the paint job (several times) I opted to re-sculpt them and make them the center pieces for my 2010 display.
Creating the bodies was a lot of work when you figure that it required building three ribs, three pelvises, six upper arms, six lower arms and six hands.
This year was sort of test at animation and something I really want to concentrate on for 2011.
Overall I liked The Wardens very much….they were creepy and got a lot of attention from our guests.
DEMONIKUS
This piece was the result of The Mad Lab contest where a Halloween props had to be made from a hat…in this case I used a hard hat and sort of built the piece on the fly.
The result was cool and DEMONIKUS ended up winning the contest….it also paved the way for pieces that I sell on Etsy…the Screaming ½ Skull.
Screaming ½ Skulls
This concept was a result of creating a piece for The Mad Lab.
Building the ½ skulls is a lot of fun and I have many, many different concepts for this style of prop.
They are time consuming but building a skull that lies flat opens up some new creative avenues and they serve as a bridge between art pieces and Halloween props.
NOCTURNUS
NOCTURNUS was a large spider made for The Davis Graveyard SpiderFest 2010 and he was a joy to build.
The spider came together without a hitch and I really love the fact that the legs are detachable and can be posed.
I really want a couple of these for my 2011 project, the whole process was fun and fairly simple.
Gourdon Rotsworth
This pumpkin groundbreaker was built for a Facebook page giveaway contest and I was really pleased with the result….yes I would have loved for Gourdon to have had a place in my display but I’m thrilled that he went to another enthusiast and he looked great this Halloween at his new home in The Nevermoor.
This project was one of those that came together like clockwork…no snags or over thinking…smooth sailing with a result that made me proud.
Overall a good year but you ain’t seen nothing yet!
