In this fun and spooky tutorial, Heather (@h.meinen.designs) is excited to share how she creates a 3D ghost that brings her DIYer Monthly: Ghostly Masterpiece painting to life! She’ll guide you through her simple process, showing you step by step how to craft a little ghostly charm that takes your Halloween decorations to the next level. Whether you're a DIY newbie or a seasoned crafter, Heather's easy-to-follow tips will make this project a blast. Get ready to add some serious spooky vibes to your Ghostly Masterpiece painting!
Supplies:
- Balloon
- Cup
- Gauze or cheesecloth
- Scissors
- Glue
- Bowl
- Paint (leftover from Ghostly Masterpiece)
- Tissue or styrofoam ball
- Tape
- Hot glue
- Felt
Steps:
- Prepare your workspace. Set up a clean, well-lit area to work. Ensure the surface is hard and flat. Cover your workspace with a drop cloth or newspaper to protect surfaces from paint spills.
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Create your support. Using a cup and a balloon, I measured the ghost in the "Ghostly Masterpiece" to ensure my support was the correct size.
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Prepare your gauze. I draped gauze over the structure I created in step 2 and cut the pieces to the correct size. I used approximately 7 strips of gauze, but you can use more or less depending on how see-through you want your ghost to be.
- Mix glue solution. In a bowl, I mixed equal parts white glue and water.
- Dip the gauze. I dipped the gauze strips into the glue solution, ensuring they were thoroughly coated.
- Create the ghost's body. Next, I draped the wet gauze strips over the structure I created in step 2 to form the ghost's body. I rotated each piece of gauze when I placed it to ensure the structure was covered on all sides.
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Form your ghost. Using my fingers, I added creases to the gauze by pushing sections in and out. Once I was satisfied with the ghost's form, I let it dry. If you want to speed up the drying process, you can use a blow dryer.
- Paint your ghost. Once my ghost was dry, I used the leftover paint from the "Ghostly Masterpiece" to add highlights and shadows to the high and low areas of the creases, creating further dimension.
- Cut the ghost in half. Once the paint was dry, I cut my ghost in half from head to toe. I liked the idea of cutting it in half because it would look like part of it was still in the painting. Also, if I made any mistakes, I could fix them using the other half!
- Support the head. To give my ghost's head a little extra support, I crumpled up some tissue paper and used tape to make a small ball. I then hot glued the tissue paper ball to the inside of the ghost's head.
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Glue your ghost to the canvas. I outlined the ghost's body on the canvas and glued down my ghost. My ghost was a little larger than the one on the canvas, so I rolled over the edges of my ghost when securing it down.
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Add eyes and mouth. I cut two eyes and a mouth out of felt. You could also use other materials, such as googly eyes or a Sharpie, to add the eyes and mouth.
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Insert a battery operated tealight. I wanted the ghost to stand out even when the lights were off, so I inserted and hot-glued a battery-operated tealight into the body of the ghost, so it could glow! Because the on/off switch is at the bottom, it's easy for me to turn the tealight on and off.
- Other ideas. To keep with the pumpkin theme in the painting, I chose to also create a pumpkin out of twine and a cinnamon stick for the ghost to hold. You could also use puffy paint to create 3D leaves in the background, paint the frame, use glow-in-the-dark paint on the eyes of the pumpkins and ghost, add faux leaves to the frame...there are endless possibilities!
Get ready to bring your Halloween decorations to life—literally—by crafting a captivating 3D ghost that will take your Ghostly Masterpiece to new, spooky heights!
By following these easy, fun steps, you'll add a whole new layer of dimension and charm to your seasonal decor. Imagine how this eerie little ghost will float above your artwork, instantly giving it that hauntingly cool vibe perfect for the season.
Plus, we’d love to see your ghostly creations! Snap some pics and share them on social media using #thediyermonthly, and don’t forget to tag @decorsteals for a chance to be featured in our community of DIY enthusiasts. You might just inspire someone else’s Halloween masterpiece!
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