How to Make a Halloween Ghost

Here are some ghosts I made for last year's Halloween display. I usually add to my display each year changing up the theme a bit. For the last few years it has been Sleepy Hollow, complete with horse galloping sound effects.

Now ghosts aren't hard to make, pretty straight forward actually. The thing is, I find ghosts with a human face so much more effective than the, stick two circles of black on for the eyes and a black oval for the mouth, ones.



It's not that hard too paint on a face and there is plenty of reference material on the web. Just google image spooky faces, or Dracula, etc.



Everyone loved these ghosts last year and they took all of 1/2 hr. to make and hang. They cost hardly anything, in fact you probably have all the supplies in your house right now. They'll look 100x's better than anything you buy and they'll be one of a kind. Your kids will want to make some too.

Materials needed: white fabric (could be grey or off white even black with white painted details), fibrefil, white pipe cleaner or string, black and white acrylic paint, paintbrush, some tulle (optional), fishing line

Take some fibrefil, (batting) and place in center of white fabric. You can make these whatever size you want. Gather the fabric around the fibrefil. Try to get a good face shape with flattened area for painting.



Wrap pipe cleaner or string around to secure.

Start painting, use mixtures of black and grey for shadows and definition. Follow the reference photo if you need to or freehand. add wrinkles and details. You can't really go wrong here it's a ghost.




Keep painting until you're happy with it. Click on photo for a better view.







I wanted mine to have a wispy feeling so I took a length of tulle, larger than the original white material, and covered the head.

Secure with fishing line.

Cut jagged edge all along bottom edge of tulle. Put in some holes.

Then using leftover paint, mess it up a bit. Those ghosts are dusty.

That's it. Hang with fishing line and you're in spooksville.

Make a few and scare the whole neighborhood.

So....what am I doing this year...well I'm thinking giant spider lair, the whole Shelob thing.

We Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend so I probably won't post till Wednesday next week.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE ! Have a safe and wonderful long weekend.

see you next time

gail