Halloween Garden Ghost: Awesome!

A truly spooky ghost!! Bet you’ve seen this overview of DIY Halloween ghost crafts . Further to that overview, here’s an even better Halloween ghost DIY: an amazingly realistic garden ghost made out of chicken-wire. Wow. It’s almost poetic, so beautiful and realistic !!!!

Would you believe that all you really need is fine chicken wire and shape it with your hands into the shape of a figure??!! So, easy: why did I not think of it?

First, credit where it’s due, and we are thanking artist Slim Jim from Whacky Archives for this easy, do-it-yourself ghost (link below). Now, let’s all make one, or two…

UPDATED TUTORIAL

Step-by-step Instructions for this Wired Garden Ghost

Jim did not write step-by-step instructions for this crafty chicken wire ghost sculpture, but I think I can write them up for you by simply looking at his pictures.

 

step 1.

Cut a piece of wire to form a cylinder. Cylinder Circumference: would comfortably fit around your own hips. Cylinder height: from the ground till above your waist.
The cut piece of wire has cut-open hexagram spokes on the side(s) where you just cut it off your roll of chicken wire. Now weave these cut-open hexagram spokes with one-another so as to close the cylinder shape. Now the cylinder shape stands up on its own.
TIP: don’t make a straight cylinder, but rather one whereby the top diameter is smaller than the diameter at the bottom. This will make your sculpture more stable. This first cylinder shape is going to be the legs & waist of your ghost sculpture.

step 2.

Make a second cylinder for the upper-body. The diameter of this cylinder should be smaller than the ones of the legs-waist cylinder. Overlay and attach it to the first circle and mold the overall form with your hands to make it look like a figure, sort of…

step 3.

Cut a smaller piece again to shape into a head form with neck/shoulders/chest, kind of like a Mozart buste, and place it on top of the other two pieces of chicken wire and weave in the ends to attach it to the ghost sculpture.

step 4.

Now it’s shaping time, big time. You will probably by now see a ‘big man’, ‘old lady’, aka a persona. Use that image in your head and give that person a pose.

step 5.

Go look at it from a distance, Refine it as needed. Chances are you’re done before you know it. After all, it’s not supposed to be a life-like sculpture, but rather a ghost image. This project is more forgiving than you’d think.

 

DIY Moving Ghosts

Super spooky!! Hook a fishing line to it, hang the line over tree limb and and two or three horizontally from other trees and you can move it around like a puppet from afar. This is obviously something you have to fiddle around with, but you get the picture: there is no end to the possibilities: it stops where your creativity stops.

Click on either images for a close-up look to see more of how this wonderfully realistic ghost is made. Have fun.

 

Art Supplies Needed

Use a role of basic garden fencing aka chicken wire that stands up on its own. Besides wire cutters you just need your own hands. Easy peasy.

Which chicken wire to use?
This 1 inch wire is strong and suits larger projects: Origin Point 162450 20-Gauge Handyroll Galvanized Hex Netting, 50-Foot x 24-Inch With 1-Inch Openings

Features of this Chicken Wire
• Handyroll galvanized hex netting
• Made of 20 gauge steel wire
• Long lasting and weather resistant
• Hex netting with 1-inch openings
• Measures 50-feet by 24-inch width

Yes, 2-inch chicken wire is more ply-able and easier to use, but not as strong. As these are larger structures, I recommend the wire with 1-inch opening for at least the biggest parts of your work.

Eco-Tip: you can easily use recycled chicken wire if you have it.

Not-so-Eco-tip: spray on glow-in-the-dark paint for an amazing night-time spooky glow.

source images & idea : http://www.wackyarchives.com/offbeat/easy-do-it-yourself-ghost.html

 

More Creative Ideas
at Halloween Central

Visit our ‘Halloween Central’, which includes DIY Halloween costumes, 101 Halloween Costume ideas, pumpkin carving templates, Kids color pages, an adorable ghost garland as home decorating, or for your party, 70 Halloween Knitting/Crochet projects, and LOTS more.

 

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