diy spooky halloween decorations: secrets from a hollywood designer

DIY Spooky Halloween Decorations: Secrets from aHollywood Designer

Hand it to a Hollywood production designer to know exactly how to turn his front yard into acreepy� seriously creepy� Halloween display. We�re talking about Johnny Love,who has a growing following of fans for his annual Love Manor Halloween house, his amazinglyelaborate tribute to the macabre.

HeâÂ�Â�s shown us how he turned his fireplace into a faux stone hearth suitable for a horrormovie. He also shared his expert techniques in creating a eerie ghost paintings and haunted houselighting.Ã�Â

And now, his newest contribution to our Halloween Style Challenge series. We send mystery boxesof Home Depot Halloween decorations to some of the most talented designers and DIY bloggers onthe internet, and step back to let them come up with their special takes on Halloween.Ã�Â

Johnny Love shows us how he created a very spooky Halloween decorations�a flying GrimReaper figure, along with hanging jack-o-lanterns and faux tomb stones� all made frommaterials found at The Home Depot.

When asked this year to venture outside and create a visual Halloween focal point I was prettyexcited. I�ve always found with outdoor spaces you can utilize such a natural environment tocreate something frightening. That being said, I wanted to create something extrafrightening� a flying monster. However, rather than approach it from a shock value, I wantedto create something both artistic and macabre.

I remember when my school had dress up days for Halloween, my go to was always the GrimReaper. Iâ��d spend countless hours shredding away any black fabric I could get my hands onand then stitching it together. The way the different shades of darkness caught the windâ��shands was always very beautifulâ�¦ and eerie. I think when wondering the aisles of Home Depotand stumbling upon some black weed block fabric all those memories came back to me. I knew Iwanted to create the silhouette� of a dark spirit flying over a graveyard.

The Flying Monster

I knew I needed to create something that was light wind and would �fly� easily overthe yard. So I created a simple frame out of chicken wire held together with black zip ties.

Once the general shape of the figure was created, with the most important element being the hood, Iplaced an armature of PVC pipe and two elbows inside to create what would become ghoulishlengthy arms.

The most visual thing I wanted to create was lengthy hands. Using some pink foam core and a thingauge wire did the trick! I used wire to attach it to a drilled hole within the PVC pipe and secured itwith tape. Again, using all light weight elements to help this spirit take flight.

Now the fun part. I used drop cloth material to conceal the chicken wire form and help shape thefigure. I simply used a thin gauge wire to �stitch� it onto the chicken wire below.

Once done with that, I applied several coats of black spray paint.

Since the drop cloth was more to create the general shape, I needed another fabric that would catchthe wind. This is where the weed blocker fabric came in great use! Both light weight and easy toapply, it did the trick tremendously. I simply shred it into pieces and used wire to attach it to thedrop cloth. Don�t be a perfectionist! The more raggedy the scarier.

For the arms we simply used black duck tape to conceal the PVC pipe. The texture and shine gavethem a unique look.

The Graveyard

With the spirited figure drying, I moved onto what would be his setting. Foam insulation sheets fromHome Depot is the perfect material to make tombstones. I found some terrific 2 ft. pieces of pinkfoam core that were perfect for what I needed. I simply measured out the shape of the stone and cutit out using a utility knife. Again, perfection is not needed when it comes to this. You want the stones

to appear a little worn, as if they�ve been there for ages.

With that being said, I cutout some cracks and indents.

Now, time to paint. Using a mixture of three colors from Behr Paint did the trickâ�� Mined Coalto create aging, and two grey colorsâ�� Broadway and � Wet Cementâ�� for the overallcolor.

Once the base coat of grey was applied, I used a separate brush to blend in the black paint, runningit down from the top to the base of the stone to create a mossy water effect.

Once ready to place, secure a heavy gage wire through the base and simply press down into theperfect area of your front yard. Use Spanish Moss to add character.

Pumpkin Buoys

I�ve always been fascinated by glass water buoys. I knew I could create something usingpumpkins. The Home Depot sells a variety of ropes, so I went with the most rustic I could find.Within my mystery boxes were some foam pumpkins, which were the perfect candidate due to thembeing very, very light weight.

Simply create a rope harness for the pumpkin to sit in, and secure it from the top and bottom with azip tie.

You can then use a smaller sized rope to wrap around the top to add a faux knot.

Once the three of these elements were brought together, it created one eerie and beautiful setting.

I incorporated a duo of bats I was pleased to find in my mystery boxes to accompany the flying spiriton his evening flight.

Johnny Love is the creative mastermind behind Love Manor, an annual haunted house in the LosAngeles area. See more JohnnyâÂ�Â�sÃ� spooky Halloween decorations onÃ� Love Manor.Ã�Â

To create his Halloween haunted house, Johnny used the following products� from The HomeDepot:

For more DIY spooky Halloween decorations, see other articles in our� Halloween StyleChallenge� series here on The Home Depot Blog, and follow our� Halloween StyleChallenge� pinboard� on Pinterest.

Visit The Home DepotâÂ�Â�s onlineÃ� Holiday Decorations DepartmentÃ� for everything youneed to decorate your home for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.Ã�Â

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