Video Tag
Every video tagged “painting” in the library — a focused slice of the Halloween archive.
97 videos
Wicked Makers' Jaimie and Jay transform a Spirit Halloween mechanical crawling hand animatronic into a screen-accurate 'Thing' from Netflix's Wednesday series. The build walks through disassembly, clay sculpting over the existing mechanism, two-part plaster mold making, latex skin casting, and final painting. A guest expert in mold making and sculpture joined the project and contributed key technical guidance throughout. The result is a fully functional walking animatronic with a realistic latex skin that closely resembles the on-screen character.
Wicked Makers hosts Jaimie and Jay demonstrate how to transform ordinary store-bought Halloween skulls into convincing, high-quality props. The project focuses on elevating cheap, mass-produced decorations through hands-on techniques that dramatically improve their appearance. This is a budget-friendly upgrade rather than a full build from scratch.
Wicked Makers' Jaimie and Jay construct an oversized animatronic LEGO Zombie Minifigure inspired by Zeke from the Scooby-Doo LEGO set. The build progresses from a cardboard prototype to 3D-printed parts, which are then detailed with Apoxie Sculpt for realistic texture, dressed in fabric clothing, hand-painted, and finally brought to life with servo motors programmed in Bottango. The finished prop was field-tested at a kids' LEGO summer camp with enthusiastic results. It serves as both a showpiece Halloween decoration and a masterclass in combining multiple maker disciplines into one cohesive animatronic build.
Wicked Makers duo Jaimie and Jay tackle a creative challenge from fellow creator VanOaks Props: build a Halloween prop using only a mystery box of random supplied materials. They land on a detailed miniature haunted house inspired by Halloween village aesthetics, working through unfamiliar papercraft and diorama territory using cardboard, natural foliage, LEDs, and a small motor. The 17-minute build video walks through every stage from brainstorming and structural construction to painting and final detailing. Despite the constraints of unknown materials, the finished piece is a charming, intricately decorated spooky miniature.
VanOaksProps walks through the full process of building realistic foam tombstones from scratch using materials available at hardware and craft stores. The build covers shaping and carving expanded insulation foam with a Dremel and rasp, adding surface texture with a blow torch, and finishing with a multi-layer paint technique anchored by masonry sealant. The result is a graveyard-worthy prop that far surpasses typical store-bought options. A companion video on finger detail work is also referenced for those wanting to push the realism further.
This tutorial walks through how to transform an off-the-shelf Halloween skeleton into a convincing burned-corpse prop using sculpting putty and painting techniques. The build is designed to be accessible for intermediate DIYers looking to elevate a basic store-bought prop into something far more sinister. Companion tutorials for crafting resin eyes and custom teeth are referenced to take the finished piece even further. The result is a striking charred skeleton display piece suitable for home haunts or yard haunts.
This tutorial from VanOaksProps walks through building a wearable Tusken Raider helmet using duck canvas, faux leather, and hot glue as the primary construction method, with a Thingiverse 3D model as a reference or base. The build incorporates fabric shaping, leather detailing, and a multi-step paint and weathering process to achieve an authentic, battle-worn look. The video is sponsored by Surebonder, whose cordless glue gun and Cosplay Stik adhesive are featured throughout. The finished prop is suited for Star Wars cosplay or Halloween costume use.
VanOaksProps demonstrates how to build a screen-accurate, Original Trilogy-inspired lightsaber entirely from common PVC plumbing components and basic hardware. The build walks through assembly of various PVC fittings to form the hilt body, followed by a multi-stage paint process — chrome base, matte black, and oil-paint weathering — to achieve a realistic metal appearance. Free grip template files are available to download, making the project accessible to beginners with intermediate crafting ambition. The result is a movie-quality prop built at a fraction of the cost of commercial replicas.
Creator Matt Daniels of Creative Geekery takes on a full garage build of a Jurassic World-inspired raptor, combining foam carving, foam clay sculpting, and 3D-printed animatronics into a single epic documentary-style video compiled from five original episodes. The build covers the complete journey from raw materials to a finished, detailed dinosaur prop — including a custom raptor containment unit. Honest behind-the-scenes footage captures the real trial-and-error process rather than a polished step-by-step tutorial. Free build resources are offered on the creator's website for those who want to attempt their own version.
A short clip filmed at San Antonio Monster Con 2022 showcasing an artist in the process of creating an Art the Clown painting inspired by Terrifier 2. The video highlights the work of horror artist Koffin Kitty Creations, whose finished pieces are available for purchase. It serves as a quick convention floor spotlight rather than a step-by-step tutorial.
This behind-the-scenes tour of Distortions Unlimited's production facility showcases the full lifecycle of professional Halloween props and animatronics — from pouring and pulling foam to painting and programming finished pieces. The video highlights a seasoned crew with over four decades of monster-making experience, all based in the USA. Featured creations include the Electric Zombie, Xenovore, Cyclops Head, Ancient Wizard, and Zombie Breakout animated props. It offers a rare, authentic look at what it takes to manufacture commercial-grade Halloween products at scale.
In this episode of the Monster Lab instructional series, Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited walks viewers through the complete process of creating a gory latex bloody eyeball Halloween prop. The build covers every major stage — sculpting in clay, making a mold, casting in latex, airbrushing detail, and finishing with blood effects. Distortions Unlimited is a respected name in professional Halloween manufacturing, lending real industry credibility to the techniques shown. At 37 minutes, the video is detailed enough to give beginners a solid foundation while offering useful refinements for intermediate makers.
VanOaksProps compiles their top ten Star Wars DIY prop builds spanning four years into a single 103-minute showcase. Projects range from beginner-friendly repaints of toy blasters and droid weathering to more ambitious scratch-builds like a Gonk projector droid, a Tusken Raider helmet, and a one-of-a-kind Star Wars lamp. Each segment links back to a dedicated source video where full materials and paint details can be found. The collection covers a wide variety of prop-making skills, making it a useful reference for Star Wars fans at multiple experience levels.
This behind-the-scenes look at the Distortions Unlimited studio in August 2022 captures the full production floor in peak-season mode. Viewers follow key team members — including co-founder Ed Edmunds — as they paint and finish Mutant animatronics, weld metal components, pour and cut foam props, and coordinate shipping logistics. The clip underscores just how labor-intensive and team-driven professional Halloween prop manufacturing really is at crunch time.
Industry veteran Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited walks viewers through adding realistic zombie eyes, goo, and gore details to a severed-head Halloween prop. This is episode 15 of the Monster Lab instructional series, which covers the full spectrum of mask and prop creation. The focus here is on finishing and detailing techniques that elevate a basic prop into a convincing undead showpiece.
This short teaser from SKS Props showcases progress on a Dead by Daylight Huntress cosplay mask, highlighting the painting and weathering stage of the build. Surface texturing plays a key role in achieving a convincing, game-accurate look. A full tutorial with free templates is planned for a future release.
SKS Props walks through the full fabrication process for turning a standard craft foam pumpkin into a detailed Dungeons & Dragons Beholder creature. The build layers EVA foam and foam clay over the carved base to add dimensional tentacle eyes and organic textures, then finishes with Liquitex acrylics and FX paints for a convincing monster look. A standout technique involves crafting glowing monster eyes from clear Christmas bulbs wrapped in foam clay. The finished piece works equally well as Halloween décor, a haunt prop, or a D&D game-room display.
This comprehensive tutorial by SKS Props walks viewers through building a full Marcus Fenix COG armor set from Gears of War 1 and 2 using EVA foam. The video compiles nine individual build episodes into a single resource, covering the chest piece, belt, shins, wrists, and pouches from construction through painting. Free PDF templates for all armor pieces are available on the creator's website, making it accessible for cosplayers planning a build ahead of the Gears of War E-Day release.
VanOaksProps walks through the full painting and weathering process for two 3D-printed IG-88 droid heads inspired by Star Wars and The Mandalorian. The workflow starts with a gloss black base coat followed by a chrome lacquer layer to achieve that signature metallic droid look. Acrylic paints in rust, orange, and brown tones are then layered on to simulate wear, grime, and battle damage, making the props look authentically aged. The build uses a 3D model sourced from Thingiverse and relies on tools and materials that are largely accessible to hobbyist prop makers.
This tutorial walks through the full process of transforming a craft foam pumpkin into a DnD-inspired Beholder creature prop. The creator demonstrates hot knife cutting, adding sculptural detail with EVA HD foam and foam clay, and finishing with Liquitex acrylics and Createx airbrush paints. A standout segment covers building expressive monster eyes using Christmas bulbs and foam clay, giving the prop an eerie, lifelike quality.
This quick tutorial from VanOaks Props shows how to upcycle a plastic maple syrup bottle into a convincing pirate rum prop using EVA foam detailing and layered paint techniques. The build relies on common, inexpensive supplies and is completed in roughly six minutes of instruction. Weathering with multiple acrylic tones and a final clear coat gives the finished piece an aged, authentic look. It's a great low-cost accent piece for pirate-themed haunts, costumes, or Halloween displays.
Distortions Unlimited hosts a live painting and texture session focused on their Micro Monster Lab project. The session gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at professional prop finishing techniques used by one of the industry's leading haunted attraction suppliers. As a channel-membership-gated live stream, it offers an intimate, real-time learning experience not typically available in standard tutorials.
This short tutorial walks through an accessible, hardware-store-friendly workflow for smoothing and prepping 3D printed parts before paint. The creator demonstrates how to minimize spot putty use by combining strategic sanding across multiple grits with a sandable filler primer. The techniques are demonstrated on a Star Wars droid dome build, making the process tangible and visually clear. All materials are widely available and budget-friendly.
Distortions Unlimited opens their workshop doors for a behind-the-scenes look at production life as the team prepares for Transworld 2022. Marsha guides viewers through multiple departments, showcasing the Creepshow clown animatronic, a Yeti prop mid-hairing in the paint room, and sculptor Tom Cassidy's work-in-progress Mutant spitting animatronic. Ed and Marsha weigh in on the Mutant sculpt's creative direction, offering a rare glimpse into the professional feedback loop that shapes finished haunt-industry products.
