DIY projects

Do IT yourself halloween decorations

Jacob Leaf, aka The Upcycler, has done it again – creating a collection of handmade Halloween decorations that will transform your property into an IT-inspired haunted house.

Fans of the spine-chilling Stephen King classic will recognise Georgie and Pennywise the Clown, which Jacob has made a horrifying homage to using some household supplies brought to life with Resene testpots and the very clever Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint. The glow of Resene FX Nightlight ‘charges’ during the day, and then the glow slowly disappears at night the longer the lights are off. To get a longer glow effect you need to apply more of the product (though there is a limit at which you won’t get any extra glow benefit).

Making these decorations is a great way to get your house dressed up for the spooky season, and will let the neighbourhood kids know you’re open for trick-or-treating business.

If you’re after more traditional Halloween decorations (or have a pathological fear of clowns) check out the cool decorations Jacob created last year with common household items and Resene paints.

3 x pool noodles
Gumboots
Jeans
Yellow raincoat
Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat
Resene testpots (Jacob used Resene White, Resene Black and Resene Poppy)
Resene FX Nightlight
Red balloon
Wooden dowel
Cardboard

Painter’s tape
PAL detail brushes
Resene testpot brushes
Permanent marker
Ruler
Large straight edge
Snips or scissors
Craft knife

Life-sized Georgie

Georgie meets his untimely end at the very start of the story and is famous for his yellow raincoat and paper boat.

Place down your Resene drop cloth and use painter’s tape to secure two pool noodles together – this will form Georgie’s body.

Insert the base of the pool noodles into a pair of children’s jeans and black gumboots, then put the yellow raincoat on the top, inserting shorter pieces of pool noodle into the sleeves to form Georgie’s arms.

Take your Resene White testpot and write “You’ll float too” – the story’s terrifying catchphrase – on the back of the raincoat. Leave to dry.

Use the same sized brush to illuminate the words with Resene FX Nightlight.

Blow up a red balloon and place it at the top of a wooden dowel, then attach it to the end of one of the pool noodle arms.

You might need to trim the pool noodles down to the height of a young child. Words on jacket painted in Resene White.

Yellow jacket writing painted in Resene White and topcoated in Resene FX Nightlight.

Giant Pennywise head

The horrifying star of the show, Pennywise the Clown, is nightmare fuel for the children of the story, and this giant painted head can be displayed at your front entrance for maximum scare factor.

Print an image of Pennywise onto an A4 piece of paper, then mark up a grid onto it. Use the grid transfer technique to draw Pennywise onto a large piece of cardboard, recreating the details from each small square on the paper into the larger ones on the cardboard with a marker.

Apply a coat of Resene Quick Dry to the whole drawing to really help the colours you’ll add look their best.

Use Resene Poppy to fill in Pennywise’s hair, lips and nose. Add Resene White to the face, teeth and eyes, then use Resene Black to paint the outlines and add details.

Once everything has dried, add Resene FX Nightlight to the eyes and teeth, which will give them a ghastly glow when the lights go out.

Use snips to cut out the head, then install it in a prominent place to welcome trick-or-treaters.

Using the grid technique helps you to keep the drawing in proportion when transferring to the large piece of cardboard.

Giant Pennywise the Clown head painted in Resene Black, Resene White, Resene Poppy and Resene FX Nightlight, sign painted in Resene White and Resene FX Nightlight.

Clawing hands

Simple but striking, these bloody arms can be placed anywhere around your house, but look especially effective on the inside of your glass front door or windows.

Ask a friend or family member to lie their hands down flat on a piece of cardboard and trace the outlines of their arms and hands with a marker.

Cut them free then apply a coat of Resene Black to the arms. Once dry, apply Resene Poppy to the hands, flicking the brush to create the impression of blood splatters going down the arms.

Use clear tape to stick them to the inside of a window or glass door, and backlight for the best effect.

Life-sized paper boat

Jacob also created a large replica of Georgie’s paper boat using cardboard. He used Resene Black to write the wording, and Resene Poppy for the ‘blood’ splatters.

Get the kids involved and trace around their arms and hands before cutting the shapes out and painting them. Clawing hands painted in Resene Black and Resene Poppy.