# I need to Make a Tall and Scary Scarecrow



## bignick

Let me start off by saying hi,

I just joined haunt forum and am really looking forward to meeting all of you and learning all of your tricks of the trade.

Back on topic, I saw a scarecrow online that was by far the most amazing scarecrow i have ever seen. I don;t want to replicate it because that was his creation but i want to create something similar to it.

Here is a link to the guys website and the picture of the scarecrow i want to recreate.

http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/html/06_props_13.html

I have never built any props before in my life but if i could just build this guy i don't care if i don't build anything else this year. My main question is how do you think he made the face? It looks so perfect and i don't believe it is a mask. I tried emailing the guy but haven't heard back from them yet. Since Halloween won't wait for me i need to figure out a way to build a scarecrow of my own.

I can assume that the body is more than likely make from chicken wire. Its probably coated with monster mud to keep it hard. After its dried i'm sure its painted. Than layered with pieces of Burlap. As for the lower part of the body i can tell that they used spray foam and it looks like they might have mixed some straw and rope into the mix. Once that dried they painted it. The hands are made from coathangers and electrical tape. The hat looks to be hand made. To finish it off i would need to get a trench coat (just because it looks really good that way).

I just can't figure the head. If it is made from chicke wire then i am blown away even more. I am also SOL. I mean i am talented and all but thats like hollywood quality. I though about using a mask but its not the same. Then i thought about using manican's head but it still wouldn't be the same.

Now i am thinking about using one of my prop skulls and putting a burlap bad over it. Then i want to rip part of the burlap bag to expose some of the skull (like the eye socket or something).

I am open to any and all ideas.

Thanks a lot,

Nick


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## Lilly

That is kevin 242 from this forum... maybe he will see your post and let you know.


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## bignick

No Way! 

That is Awesome. *crosses fingers*


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## skeletonowl

If you haven't seen this, visit pumpkinrot.com for inspiration! amazing scarecrows!


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## bignick

I will be sure to check it out. Thanks a lot!


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## bignick

That pumpkin Rot was amazing. I wonder if those were paper mached *spelling?* or if that was just tape that they painted over. Either way they looked good.


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## STOLLOWEEN

The original entry post is still in the challenge archives:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=3931

There is a list of all materials used.


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## bignick

Thanks a lot Stolloween!! 

That was just what i needed. Thanks again!!


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## kevin242

Hey Nick,
This is how we made the face
1. cover a prop head with aluminum foil
2. mix white (elmers) glue with a small amount of water in a shallow pan
3. put on gloves
4. lay some burlap into the pan, soaking it
5. lay wet burlap on prop head, contouring the fabric to the face
6. let dry
7. brush on a second coat of glue
8. let dry
9. remove the prop head, paint and enjoy!

The scarecrow armature is just two straight branches screwed and tied together with rope.
We used chicken wire to form the shape of the head and torso.
The hat was made the same way as the face only that we used a hat-shaped birdhouse for the form.
We got an old trench coat from our local thrift store and put it on him
Great stuff spray foam finishes the rotten effect.
I hope this helps you Nick and anyone else who wants to build one!
Let me know if you have any other questions.


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## bignick

Kevin i PMd you. Thanks a lot!


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## bignick

How long did it take you to make the Scarecrow from start to finish?

Also the tree/branch that is holding up your scarecrow. How did you put it into the ground so that it didn't blow over?


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## bignick

Well i got my burlap, chicken wire, great stuff, rope, branches, and manican head. Now i am afraid to start working on it. LOL I hope it turns out good. 

Kevin, 

Did you use PVC inside the body to make the arms and to attach the head? How i was basically going to do it was get a piece of PVC a little shorter than the length of his torso and basically use that as his back bone. At the top i was going to attach a 45 degree piece of PVC to angle the head downwards and basically wrap the chickenwre around that. Should i use crumpled paper on the inside of the chicken wire to make him not so see through?


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## Spookie

This guy's basic setup for making scarecrow props is pretty nice and easy. Check it out.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34EdoSbGCtk"]YouTube- Prop Scarecrow Jeepers Creepers Style PVC Halloween Yard Haunt How-to[/nomedia]

If this comes up and says it's no longer available -- embedding was disable on it but if you copy the URL and put it in a new window it will come up.

BTW welcome aboard BigNick! Love to see your scarecrow when it's done.


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## Spookie

BTW for those who don't want to work with chicken wire, I really like Heresjohnny's scarecrow project alot.

http://johnnyspage.com/scarecrow2.htm


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## bignick

Thanks for the links. I started forming the head and i never thought how hard it would be to design/sculpt a head.

I got a wig styrofoam head that has no nose or eyes or face for that matter. Its basically just a styrofoam oval, but it does sort of resemble a head. I started froming the nose out of crumpled up aluminium foil. It looks okay but i am not all that impressed. Does anyone know of any sites that have how to's to sculpting heads?


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## NickG

check out what I did: scarecrow pictures by vw_nick - Photobucket


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## Spookie

BigNick have you considered just using a mask over the styrofoam form? Padding out the spots that need it. Add some hay or raffia for hair and a hat or hood to make it simpler.


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## bignick

I have thought about using a mask over the manican head. But I think it would just look better with the burlap over the head. I figured the head is going to be the hardest part. Once i have the head the way i like it i will make the hat and then construct the body. I am hoping to finish it this weekend. So ican start on my graves next weekend and then go to the Bucky's from that. I think i am only going to make 2-3 graves to give myself enough time to finish everything. Once i finish everything i will try and make more graves. Worst case scenario is my scarecrow isn't going to be as scary as i thought it was going to be. Not the worst thing in the world. Hell, if i get my yard to look half as good as i am imagining it in my head i'll be happy.


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## bignick

Well after yet another sleepless night due to me thinking about how i can make this scarecrow look as cool as Kevins i realized that i need a better manican head. Basically i need a head that has a face. So i went on to ebay and picked up a nice male manican head that is just perfect. Once my head arrives i am going to be able to really start putting this scarecrow together.


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