DIY chicken-wire ghosts are going to be your new go-to for Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner. What better way to get into the spirit than with some spooky, DIY decorations? 

Artist Brandon Hardy designs costumes, puppets and scenery. So when it comes to making elaborate decorations, he’s a pro. Hardy shared an easy tutorial to create haunting, ethereal ghosts made of chicken wire — the kind that will make passersby do a double-take when they spot these “chilling” figures. 

What you’ll need:

  1. Chicken wire

2. Protective gloves and eyewear

3. Wire cutters

Hardy’s steps

1. First, Hardy created a tube of chicken wire large enough to be a human torso. 

2. Next, Hardy cut slits on each side for the arms.

3. He made two smaller chicken wire tubes for the arms. 

4. Hardy attached the arms with a bit of a caveat: “It’s going to look dumb at first but don’t worry,” he reassured

5. Then he made a very large tube of chicken wire for the base. Hardy suggested making it even bigger than you might think. 

6. He created a head shape by molding it over a styrofoam wig mannequin but said this method is not necessary. Just be sure to mold the chicken wire into a head shape. 

7. The artist put all of the pieces together and shaped them until the sculpture resembled the silhouette of a tall Victorian woman or bride.

8. Hardy spray-painted the bottom of the ghost green so that it faded into the grass, giving it the appearance of levitating. He also added patches of black, glossy spray paint to give it shadows. 

9. Finally, it was time to position the ghost. He recommended keeping it far away from people so it looked blurry, but not to keep it in front of a solid background so folks could stare right through it. This maximized the sculpture’s ghost-like effect. 

At night, the finished product was extra effective thanks to Hardy’s lighting. 

“The light that I’m using is a moving fire-and-ice light,” he explained. “The moving light makes them look super spooky and ethereal. I’m lighting them from the side, not the front or behind. I find that’s the most dramatic look.” 

Hardy also added a fog machine to further up the creepiness and illumination. 

“They really look best in person and from afar. But I hope you can tell these are awesome and I will be making more of them,” Hardy said

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