A few years ago I participated in a thing called “Secret Reaper” through HalloweenForum.com. It’s like a secret Santa for Halloween enthusiasts, and it’s really fun! The person who was matched up to me had photos posted of things he would like to receive, and on his wish list was faux PVC candles and creepy haunted candles. Challenge accepted! Here’s how I made mine.
You will need:
Cardboard tube
Cardboard, Foam board, or Cardstock
X-acto Knife
Scissors
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks {lots and LOTS of glue sticks!}
Tape
Paper Clay or Paper Mâché
Spray Paint
Acrylic Paint
Sealant (Mod Podge or a sealant spray)
Paintbrush
LED tealights (I really like these if you want the color changing kind, or these if you want regular tealights)
- Start by cutting out a face on the side of the cardboard tube. You can see I’ve crossed out one of my designs…small details to not work well with this project. =)
- Measure the opening at the top of the tube and cut out a circular disc out of cardboard, foam board or cardstock. Tape or glue it a couple inches down inside the tube.
- Use your paper mâché or paper clay mix to cover the entire tube and form a 3D face. This may take several days and multiple layers…you don’t want to put the mixture on too thick, and you want to give it plenty of time to dry in between layers.
- Once the piece is entirely sculpted and dry, start dripping hot glue from the top. It takes awhile to build up the drippy look. I like to let the glue dry and do multiple layers to make it look old, and like it’s spilling over the top. Keep your tip of the glue gun close to the tube to prevent glue strings. (If you get a lot of glue strings you can help minimize some by blowing hot air on the tube with a hair dryer or heat gun.) BE VERY CAREFUL…I cannot tell you how many burns I get from the glue gun. I have finally learned to keep a bowl of water close by just in case.
- When the drippy glue is how you want it to look then you can spray paint your new sculpture. I found that I prefer my faux candles to be black. It usually takes a couple coats, and you’ll want to turn the sculpture upside down to make sure you get all the crevices. I like the Krylon Dual Paint & Primer spray paints so you don’t have to prime first.
- After your base coat is nice and dry, then you go back with acrylic paints to add some nice details. I like to use white or gray acrylic paints with a dry brush. Just lightly brush over different areas to add some texture and dimension.
- When your piece is how you want it to look, then add some kind of sealant as a top coat and let it dry.
- Add some LED tealights and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome new decoration for Halloween (or anytime of the year if Halloween is everyday for you, too!) =)
I used a similar method to make these PVC faux candles, which you can read an overview of how to make that kind on my old blog.
