# Corpse making



## scourge999 (May 4, 2008)

Has anyone else bought Christian Hanson's "make your own Scratch build Corpse" yet? If not I suggest hitting www.monstercloset.com and getting it. The price is right and the results are amazing!


----------



## samhayne (Jul 3, 2008)

Followed your suggestion and just ordered, will let you know later when i rx it.

Thanks for the sugg.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

samhayne said:


> Followed your suggestion and just ordered, will let you know later when i rx it.
> 
> Thanks for the sugg.


X2...I figured learning how to carve a skull out of a stryofoam wig head was worth that.


----------



## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

I ordered too... Looks like fun and a do need a new corpse for my prisoner's cage.


----------



## berzerkmonkey (Oct 31, 2006)

Please post a review after you've watched it - I'd like to know how it is.


----------



## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I too would be interested in a review. I don't know that I could carve anything. I am not artistic at all but I might be able to use some of the techniques.


----------



## tonguesandwich (Oct 13, 2006)

Its OK....BASICALLY making a skull out of a foam wig head and liquid nail.


----------



## scourge999 (May 4, 2008)

Tonguesandwich is right about the head/skull. I liked the video because it is very clear on how to achieve the results. The rib cage and pelvis are well thought out. All measured and easy to do. Any one who can lay all that out gets my respect.


----------



## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Ahhhh, well some of us need that kind of direction. I am at the top of the list of one who needs details and visual ...lots of visual.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

I said what the hell and ordered it. It's one thing to read about how to do stuff and look at pictures; a really good step-by-step how-to video is something else entirely. And if he's got a system that's cheap, looks good, and reasonably fast --- yeah, I want to know it.


----------



## ubzest (Jul 1, 2008)

I wonder what they used to make the rib cage...


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

ubzest said:


> I wonder what they used to make the rib cage...


A plastic 5 gallon bucket.

My son and I watched the instructional video last night. The rib cage seems like it would take quite a bit of time and I'm not so sure the method he used for cutting the bucket is something I want to try. Plus the rib cage seems a little thin. Maybe some additional adhesive or mache' to make them thicker.

Carving the skull out of the foam head seemed pretty easy with pretty good results.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

I like everything with the exception of the ribcage. for my own purposes, I think I'll stick to wire, cotton and latex. the rest of the body is actually very well done.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

To their credit, I bet the bucket ribs are pretty durable. For extra dimension maybe lay a thin strip of foam rubber or batting along them, and cover with tape. Then once you brush the disgustingness on them it'll hide the tape. Dunno; I haven't received my video yet. I'll give it a try.

Hey joker, do they give you an idea what the total cost is to crank out a basic corpse? And how long to expect it to take?


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

If I remember correctly, it's supposed to be less than $20.

Basically pvc, wig head, hot glue, cable ties, two spray bottles, a 5 gallon bucket, and liquid nails.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Sickie Ickie said:


> If I remember correctly, it's supposed to be less than $20.
> 
> Basically pvc, wig head, hot glue, cable ties, two spray bottles, a 5 gallon bucket, and liquid nails.


I don't recall a estimated dollar figure, (was a lot going on in the house- always is when I try to do something like that)

But sickie pretty much has the materials list with the exception of the duck tape, tin foil, and windshield washer fluid bottle.

On the bucket there has got to be a better (safer) way to cut that thing.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Thanks for the correction, Joker.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Sickie Ickie said:


> Thanks for the correction, Joker.


Not a correction just an addition:smoking:


----------



## scourge999 (May 4, 2008)

I use the Dremel with the multi cutting bit on my skulls all the time. It looks jumpy but it is fairly safe, just looks scarry.


----------



## ubzest (Jul 1, 2008)

I love this place! thanks


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

scourge999 said:


> I use the Dremel with the multi cutting bit on my skulls all the time. It looks jumpy but it is fairly safe, just looks scarry.


Using it to cut the skull, tombstones, etc is fine ( I do it), but when cutting the 5 gallon bucket it just didn't look safe at all.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

I just got my vid and watched it tonight. Pretty darned cool. I know I'll end up adding something to the ribs to round them out so they don't look so flat. But it's a neat idea. The total cost is definitely going to add up to more than 20 bucks -- you'd spend that much just in hot glue sticks and liquid nails -- but it should still be pretty affordable. Besides, there's two babes with great cleavage in the cut scenes of the DVD.

Hey waitaminnit.... cheap props, hooters, and hot glue -- yo Sickie, I think he made this DVD for you specifically.


----------



## monstercloset (Aug 24, 2007)

Hey everyone, This is Christian (aka Dr. Neurotic), of Monstercloset.com. It's great to see that the dvd is well received over here.

One thing to keep in mind about my method for building a corpse. My goal was to come up with a way to do this without resorting to stuff outside of hardware store items, and without calling upon much to any art skill from the user. I've got many other "how to" dvds that demonstrate techniques and results that are beyond most novices, and thought that it would be cool to make up a process that had achievable results by just about anyone. Therefore, most of the steps are much more explicite than is needed by some. I also limited how far I took the artistry. The skull that I carve in the dvd is much more simplified than one I would do on my own. Some of you here may be able to do much more with the corpse than is shown in the video. But it will definately give you a great start.

The ribs are thinner than real ones, and filling them out a bit would definately help the realism. All the same, you get very close using a bucket. (plus most of us have 5 gal buckets just sitting around our shops or garages anyway.) Also, in the dark it sure looks like a real rib cage.
Cutting the bucket with a router bit is the best way I found to do it, and I never hurt myself or ever came close. If anyone came come up with a safer way to do it, I'd be happy to pass it on.

(P.S. Glad to see that the babes, Lula and Boompira, got some notice. Especially since Boompira and I are getting hitched soon!)


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Revenant said:


> ...Hey waitaminnit.... cheap props, hooters, and hot glue -- yo Sickie, I think he made this DVD for you specifically.


I just saw this...and ya know...I think yer right! 

Congrats on being hitched to Boompira! 

I have to admit, I really enjoyed the character acting of Eyegore.


----------



## monstercloset (Aug 24, 2007)

That's my fellow Halloween, fx, artnut friend Mike Etol. Check out his crazy movies and art and fx stuff:
http://www.myspace.com/mjeprod


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

We received our copy today and just finished watching it. Really great tutorial with achievable results. Hats off to Christian for figuring out the patterns and taking the time to document it for others. I am as cheap as they come, but this is the kind of product I don't mind supporting.


----------



## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

I thought it was good and informative for a novice such as myself. As noted previously, it involves some unorthodox procedures (5 gal bucket > ribcage, or 1 gal > pelvis), but is certainly doable and probably not a large cash outlay required.

I agree that the ribcage could be a bit more dimensional, but even the tinfoil+duct tape could do that easy enough. The skull and hand techniques were especially well done.


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Follow up - I hadn't done any plastic cutting with a dremel and also thought it seemed like a trip to the ER waiting to happen. But we just finished the initial rib cuts in the 5 gallon bucket and it really wasn't that hard to control.


----------



## scourge999 (May 4, 2008)

That's good to here Phil. I started this post but have not had the time to start my own scratch build corpse. Do you have any additional tips before I start mine? Also, we should post pics of our finished cropses, corpses, that doesn't sound right. I think I need my morning coffee.


----------



## edwood saucer (Aug 21, 2006)

Hey Christian... 

Just looked through your animal sculptures - very cool.

I got a laugh from your Artic Ground Squirrel... just like Lemmiwinks from South Park...

Fantastic work though... will order your dvd shortly.


----------



## Evil Eyes (Aug 23, 2007)

I bought the DVD last year. It's really cute and thorough. I used it to make a few skulls last year since I loved the look of his. I am very artistic and I have to tell you, I could not achieve the same results with the Liquid Nails no matter what I did. Has anyone else tried yet?


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

scourge, we haven't gotten any further and will be out of state for a few days. the only tip so far is if your dremel is cordless keep it charged - it does jump and chatter as the RPMs drop.


----------



## monstercloset (Aug 24, 2007)

Evil Eyes said:


> I bought the DVD last year. It's really cute and thorough. I used it to make a few skulls last year since I loved the look of his. I am very artistic and I have to tell you, I could not achieve the same results with the Liquid Nails no matter what I did. Has anyone else tried yet?


Hi Evil Eyes. If I can help direct your corpse skull making, please let me know. I found that as long as I had a good skull form, the results were usually pretty cool. 
TIPS: 
1) Asymmetry. ads lots of character. I usually play with the eye sockets and nasal area to get this to happen. Try to let the Liquid Nail do the work. You may need to play with a clump of it for a minute or two. You can leave a blob of it off to one side with some stringy bits connected to the other. Once it drys, it can look really gross. It's trial and error. Remember, you can add more LN if you aren't happy with the results.

Here's an example. check out the nose area









2) Crooked teeth. I found that you can go way out with the teeth. Get a variety of sizes. have jumbled areas and missing spots. The more crooked the better! Also good if the ends of the teeth are sticking out from the skin, so that they are jutting forward a little. I've seen some heads people have made where the teeth are too flat in the skin. You want them to be placed into the LN at a slight angle, so that the root of the tooth is pushed into the face more than the end.

This guy illustrates this. Notice how the teeth overlap in some areas and don't follow a straight line across the mouth.










3) Stretch the skin. One trick that works great is to apply a blob of LN, let it dry for a few minutes. Then take a popsickle stick (or whatever you prefer) and pull some of that across a gap of the skull. Works great for the eyes, nose, or especially the checkbones. also great for making dried lips. I get great results from leaving the rounded part of a line of LN, and blending out the other. That's how I got the circle like "holes" on some of these guys. It's really easy once you get the idea.
Here's a good example of that effect. I left a nub in the center of the eye sockets to have something to pull the LN to. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.










Even looking at these heads today, they look pretty complicated to me (and I made 'em!) But each only took something like ten or fifteen minutes of LN play to get the effects. You've just got to let the LN do what it wants to do naturally, and just guide it along here and there.

If I ever get the time, I'll try to put together a little vid demonstrating these "advanced" techniques. I've also got plans for a "corpse head kit" that should make it all much easier.


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Oliver (our new corpse) is drying in the garage. He will be ready for assembly and photos tomorrow! We followed Christian's instruction pretty closely but made a few changes. I really enjoyed this one.


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Oliver agreed to pose for a few photos, though he is still a bit tacky. 


























There are a few more photos on my site here.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

outstanding job there, phil! Looks very realistic, and under the lights, downright corpsoriffic!


----------



## Beth (Sep 27, 2005)

Awesome work!! I ordered and watched the DVD and haven't tried to make one yet!! (Trying to get rid of a real life varmint in our Haunted barn!!!) Can't wait to try it out!!!


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Hey thanks Sickie and Beth! He ain't perfect but he is done and will work fine in the dark.


----------



## monstercloset (Aug 24, 2007)

That turned out great! Best one I've seen yet. I'll have to feature this one in a customer gallery.


----------



## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Thanks Christian. I have always considered making a full corpse as a 'rite of passage' and your DVD made it attainable. I am very happy with the result (but the next one will be better).


----------



## Uruk-Hai (Nov 4, 2006)

Sweet! Really great looking! I've really got to order a DVD - maybe for Xmas, too many things on the go now as it is!


----------

