Art Nouveau Compact--Tutorial

Modern makeup compact

As a prop master, I've had to come up with vintage makeup packages and applicators from time to time.  Sometimes I'm fortunate to find vintage pieces, but there are times when they need to be created.

My wife had a used Covergirl compact for face powder and I asked her for it when it was used up.  I had an idea for making an Art Nouveau compact that would be stage worthy.

Step #1:  Research
I did a quick google search for Art Nouveau compacts and came up with a couple of images I liked.  One was a dragon fly with a blue background, the other was a cast silver piece with bas relief.  I decided to Frankenstein the two of them together.

Image research

Step #2:  The Colored Background
I chose a scrap piece of red velvet for the background color for this piece.  First I turned the velvet over and with a sharpie pen drew the outline on the backside.  Then I cut the circle out, but made sure I cut it a little smaller than actual.  I don't know if this was good, bad or indifferent, it made sense to me to do it that way.

When it was cut, I took it to the fume hood in the shop and coated the top of the compact and the backside of the velvet circle with Super 77 Spray Adhesive.  I double coated the velvet.  I gave two coats to the velvet because fabric is absorbent and I wished to seal the fibers.  The second coating was for adhering.

I can't say enough about having proper ventilation when using solvent based adhesives or other chemicals.  If you are fortunate enough to have access to a fume hood, use it.  

I waited for a few minutes to let the spray adhesive get tacky and then I put them together, hoping to create a permanent bond.  I was successful.

The parts

Tracing the outline

Obvious

Cutting the circle

Circle of velvet

The fume hood.

3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive

My Dad always said it was a fool who stated the obvious...

Coated with spray adhesive

Attached with a permanent bond

Step #3:  Prepping
I noticed at this point that there was a paper sticker on the back of the compact that would need to be removed.  I turned to the always handy, Goo Gone for that

One thing I hadn't accounted for is the fact that velvet is a little stretchy and as I applied it to the top of the compact it became a little misshapen.  I used an exact-o knife to trim the edges back to where I thought they ought to be.

Once the edges were cleaned up, I transferred the image to the velvet with a sharpie pen.

An important ingredient in any prop master's kit, Goo Gone

Label gone.  Amazing!

Cleaning up the edges

Transferring the image freehand

The image

Step #4:  Hot Glue
Hot glue fell out of favor among prop artisans and costume craftspeople in the nineties.  I think it's been having a slow rebirth in the prop field.

I like to use hot glue as a sculpting medium when making certain props.  It's a great way to get something 3D in a hurry.  I used two sizes of hot glue guns when doing this project.  A large one and a small one.

Hot glue works best for distance work.  If this were something I had to put on film or very close up I would use a different medium.  However, at a distance it works quite well.  At a distance broad brush strokes show up better than fine detail.  Close up work demands the fine detail.  Fifteen feet away, though this piece becomes stage worthy.

With the line work drawn in, the hot glue step becomes more of a paint by numbers proposition.  Fill in the black parts.

Hot glue is notorious for leaving behind little spiderwebby strands.  It's important to wait for the hot glue to completely cool before removing them.  I used a toad sticker to get the leftovers off of the piece.

Large hot glue gun for the broad strokes

Smaller glue gun for the smaller detail

Glued 

The toad sticker

Step #5:  Gold Leaf
This step can be done with any color metal leaf.  I had originally intended to use silver leaf but discovered I didn't have any on hand.  Since this was a prototype prop, I went with what I had.

I started on the bottom of the compact and gold leafed that, then I moved to the sides.  Once they were done I moved to the hot glue on top.

The first step of gold leafing is to apply the metal leaf size.  Basically it's an adhesive.  I have gold leafed with spray adhesive before, when I was in a hurry.  It works okay, but I think the effect looks better when a brush on size is applied.

The size goes on with a milky color.  When it dries to the touch and the milky quality has turned clear, it's time to apply the metal leaf.  It's imperative to keep your hands free from the adhesive when you are applying metal leaf.  If you don't, it sticks to you and causes messes and problems.  Keep your hands clean.

Lay the sheet of metal leaf on the size very gently, then press it straight down into the size.  Once you are certain you have a good bond, then you can get a stiff paintbrush and burnish the metal leaf.  This does two things, first it completes the glue bond and second it gives the metal leaf a luster.

Once the metal leafing is finished, inspect the piece to make sure there aren't any spots where the metal leaf missed.  Cover any missed spots by repeating the process.  When you are satisfied with the metal leafing, the final step is to seal the metal leaf.  The company that makes the size also makes a sealer.  It's important to seal the metal leaf, especially if you are using imitation leaf.  The metal leaf will dull over time and oxidize to something really ugly.  I've had a little experience with that actually.

Metal leaf size

Gold leaf package

After the size has turned clear, apply the metal leaf gently to the surface, then press straight down into it.

Burnishing

Applying the size to the sides

Metal leaf applied, ready for burnishing

Applying the size to the hot glue

Metal leaf applied to the hot glue

Burnishing

The finished piece

So, this was a prototype, and I think it is definitely stage worthy.  This is project I will attempt again.  I think next time I'll take greater care with the hot glue and maybe choose a pattern that isn't so specific.  This was an enjoyable project for me.  I hope the readers enjoy it.

Haunted Mansion Candelabra

Haunted Mansion Candelabra

Halloween is the propmaster holiday.  When I'm not working on a specific show, I turn my creative energies to building props for Halloween.

I found a cheesy '70's candelabra in a local thrift store.  It was a four arm candelabra with a fifth candle holder in the center.  The base was turned wood and the arms were made of bent pencil rod.  It needed to become cooler.  Personally, I think skulls make just about everything better and so...

Cheesy, 1970's thrift store candelabra

Skulls

I just happened to have a few small foam skulls and a handful of mini plastic skulls laying around.  My thought was that if one skull was good, then five were surely better.

The Process
The first step in the haunted mansion candelabra was to set the larger skull on the central post.  To do this, I sawed the skull in half with a steak knife, then carved out channels for the skull to fit around the pencil rod.

Once the parts were cut and fitted, I reassembled the skull around the center post and fixed it with hot glue.  If I were to do this project again, I would use low temp hot glue.  I think there would be less melting of the foam.  Nevertheless, it worked and I was able to attach the skull to the middle of the candelabra.

Sawing asunder the foam skull

What that looks like

Fitting the foam skull around the post.  Measurements were made and scribed with a sharpie pen and the channels were cut with an exacto knife

Once I was satisfied with the fit, I applied hot glue to the post and fitted one half of the skull to it.

Next the other half of the skull was attached with hot glue.  Low temp hot glue
would have worked better

Next came the mini skulls on the arms of the candelabra.  I used hard plastic, hollow mini skulls from a Bag O' Skulls I acquired at a Halloween shop.  The first step was to drill a hole the same diameter as the pencil rod through the top and bottom of the skulls.

Next, along the back of the skull I joined the top and bottom holes with a cut line made with an exacto knife.  The cut line allowed for the back of the skull to be spread and placed around the pencil rod.  The original drilled hole then snapped in place around the metal.

After that, each of the skulls are situated on the pencil rod and the interior of each skull was filled with hot glue.  I then placed the candelabra upside down so the mini skulls wouldn't shift while the hot glue set.

Drilling the mini skull

Connecting the dots with an exacto knife

Placing the mini skulls

Filling the mini skulls with hot glue

Allowing it to set upside down

Pre-painting

I just happened to have a couple of wall mounted candelabras and gave them the same treatment.  Why not?

The Paint Job
I have a technique for painting cast iron that I thought I'd like to use on this project.

Step one:  Base coat.
I used Krylon flat black spray paint for my base coat.  Normally I would use mastic on the prop prior to painting it.  I didn't have any so I overlooked this step.  I figured the paint on the foam skull would be robust enough to withstand the solvents in the spray paint.  The mastic would have been a more sure barrier.  Next time I won't forego this step.  The foam skull reacted to the solvents a bit.  Not so much that it ruined the effect, but it wasn't as nice as I would have liked it to be.  It gained a pebbly surface.  Next time...

Step two:  Workup
For the workup on this process I stood back about 24 inches from the candelabras and misted them with silver spray paint.  It's important not to go too heavy with this step.  It really needs to be a fine spatter of silver.

Step three:  The finish
The finish coat was a medium coating of Design Master Glossy Wood Tone.  If I could only have one spray color and expect to be a properties artisan, it would be Design Master Glossy Wood Tone.  It is by far the most useful spray color I have ever used.  It is a color tool used in the floral industry, and is more like a spray dye than a paint.  It is self leveling unlike most spray paints, and it goes on transparent like watercolor.

Once the glossy wood tone is dry, the candelabra is done.  If you wish to age it or dirty it up, that can be done with a little raw umber, a brush and a rag.  See the blog post on magical tomes for that technique.

The finished piece, ready for Halloween

And it's brothers

The Apostle Altar--Tutorial

The Apostle Altar

The Apostle Altar Tutorial

The design of our production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead required an Apostle Altar with a fast trap set in it.  This production was set in a ruined parish church.

Design
I designed the altar to be 6'-0" x 3'-0" x 2'-6".  The walls and top of the altar, as well as the pilasters, trim and arcade were built by the scene shop.  I was responsible for the "carvings".  I wanted each panel to have a single Apostle of the original 12 Apostles in it.  The names of each Apostle would appear under his figure.

Execution
Step #1--Bearding
I chose to "carve" the apostles out of G.I. Joe and Ken dolls or other eleven inch male action figures.  The first step in the process was to give the usually non-bearded action figures a beard.  The beards were sculpted out of hot glue.  I bearded all of the Apostles except for John the Beloved because he is usually depicted without a beard in Medieval paintings.

A few of the Ken dolls had fiber hair rather than molded plastic hair.  For these, I matted some of it down with hot glue.

Growing a beard on Peter

The hot glue, naked, bearded, G.I. Joe Apostles

Step #2--Sawing Usunder
In order to get the relief of the altar to appear as if it were carved from a single piece of stone, the action figures needed to be flat on the back.  This was done on a band saw.  I found that I only needed to shave off the back of the head the neck, the back and the buttocks of the action figures to achieve this look.

When using a band saw, be sure to use the blade guard, safety goggles and ear protection.  Also make sure your fingers are well away from the blade. 

The first cut is the cruelest

Shaving the buttocks

What the inside of a naked eleven inch action figure looks like

Step #3--Placement
There is a little artistry involved in placing the action figure Apostles.  Which Apostle goes where, how are they posed, etc...  Since Peter is traditionally the leader of the Apostles, I placed him in the front, flanked by James and John the Beloved.  On the end of the altar, as far to the left of Peter as possible, I placed Judas and cut him so his head would be turned away from all the other Apostles.  I also left off the halo on Judas.  The action figure I chose for Judas was one from one of the "Boy Bands" because I consider them to be a sin against Rock and Roll.  On the far right of Peter, I placed Doubting Thomas.

The figures are placed and fixed with hot glue.  When I did another project with action figures, I tried several different adhesives, including five minute epoxy and E-6000, but none of them worked as well or as fast as hot glue.  We glued the cut edges of the back of the figures and placed them, then posed their arms and hot glued them in place.

Gluing the cut edges of the action figures

Gluing the joints to freeze the figures in a pose

Front.  Peter is third from the left

Side on Peter's right

Side on Peter's left

Step #4--Dressing the Apostles
I got a scrap of wool tweed from the costume shop because I thought it would replicate stone in scale fairly well.  I think it did the job.

The wool is first cut in a trapezoid with the top being between three and four inches across.  The next step is to cut a V-shape where the neck of the garment would be.  After that, the garment is shaped around the arms and shoulders so it looks like a tunic.

Folds, creases and draping are then hot glued in place and the garment is fitted on the action figure.  At this point, you can determine how long the tunic needs to be, and if G.I. Joe's feet are going to show.

Once it is cut and glued to the correct shape, the garment is fixed in place with... Hot Glue!

For some of the action figures, I added a strip of cloth around the waist for a belt, others I added sleeves to and almost all of them got a head covering of some biblical sort.  These were all made with scraps of the original wool tweed

The shape of the tunic

With the V-neck

Engineering the folds with hot glue

The folds

Placing the tunic on Peter

Gluing the tunic on Peter

Peter with sleeves added

Adding the headwrap

Peter

The main side of the Apostle's Altar

Step #5--Mastic
Like many other prop projects, I like to paint a mastic over them.  I do this for several different reasons.  On the Apostle Altar, I used the mastic to stiffen the fabric so it could be painted to look like stone.  I also used mastic to give a uniform painting surface to the piece.  On the Apostle Altar I have several different surfaces.  I have blue polystyrene foam, luan, painted wood moulding, MDF, PVC, fabric and the plastic the G.I. Joes are made of.  These different surfaces needed to be primed with a common substrate so they would accept paint the same way.  That is why I use mastic.

We used Childers CP-10 Vi-Cryl mastic.

For the fabric, we thinned the mastic with water in order to get it to spread easier without moving the fabric too much.

Mastic

Applying the mastic

The Apostles with mastic

Step #6--Bad Latin
I wanted the names of each of the Apostles to be inscribed in Latin below them.  I went to a free translation site on the internet and typed in each of the Apostle's names.  I got some of the Apostles names in latin and some in English.  I didn't check other sites, I just went with the first one.  I regretted that because it isn't consistent.  I'm one of very few people who will notice this fact during the play, but it will still bug me that I wasn't more thorough. 

I cut the bad Latin under each apostle with a soldering iron.  If you attempt to cut polystyrene foam with heat, be aware that anytime there is heat transfer of polystyrene you release Hydrogen Cyanide gas into the atmosphere.  Make sure you have proper ventilation when cutting foam in this way.  If you can smell it, you are being poisoned by it.

Inscribing the bad Latin

Step #7--The Paint Job
After the altar was primed, the scenic artists painted a base scumble with several different colors of paint.  It looked particoloured.  Then they painted a workup with Burnt Umber paint in a natural sea sponge.

At this point, I was bad and added another element.  I added halos to eleven of the twelve Apostles.  I used plastic shower curtain rings that I flattened on the belt sander and hot glued them into place.  I didn't put a halo on Judas for obvious reasons.

The painters went in and put mastic on the halos and based them and gave them a workup like the rest.  After that, several thin washes of Raw Umber were applied until the particolour was obscured but not lost.



The particoloured altar with workup

The altar with shower ring halos and the first washes of Raw Umber

Another view of the Apostle Altar.

This was a fun project to craft.  It was the work of many people.  The carpenters, the scenic artists, a few tech students and me.  I enjoy repurposing action figures to make something special like this.  I will craft with them again.