Stewie's New Gig - I'm SO Proud!

Stewie, who once graced my front yard at Halloween, has gone pro, as many of you are aware.

I just ran across this picture, posted by Joel Watson of Heartstoppers Haunted House (now a part of DireWorld).

Makes a momma/creator proud!

Makes me itch to start making a new monster for my next display in L.A....

NorCal Scares: Direworld

Every year, I swear I'm going to get out to a haunted attraction. This year, it may actually happen! 

Direworld is fairly close to me, and now? It features Stewie, who has completely gone pro this year!

It started with a somewhat alarmed phone call in late September from the storage space where I'd been keeping him.

"Umm, hello. Ma'am? There are strange noises coming from your storage space. And something that may be fingers is poking out from underneath the roll-up door. I can't get anyone to check it out. They're too scared. Just what have you been keeping in there?!"

Hard to explain about a giant pumpkin-headed scarecrow with a life of his own...

So I drove over to have a chat with Stewie about scaring the normals.

I could hear him grumbling from outside the door as I put my key in the padlock. It was a bit muffled...

"Mfrl. Grummmmmble. Grr. Rumble. Grumble grrf."

I suppressed a smile. My creation was just so cute when he was just waking up for the season.

I rolled up the door. He stood there, spiders fleeing the inside of his head in terror. 

"Grumble? Grumble!"

"Hey, Big Guy! Happy Autumn!"

There was an awkward pause. Then he told me that while he loved his yard and scaring the kids there, that he wanted to go back and play in the big leagues. Scaring hundreds, being on the local news, having his picture taken, going out for beers with the cast and crew afterwards...

How could I say no? At a certain point, the kids grow up and need to spread their wings.

We'll miss him. We're hoping to get pictures soon, maybe a postcard here and there to let us know how he's doing...

I'm so proud!

Stewie Goes Pro!

This year, I could hear Stewie grumbling in the storage shed a little earlier and louder than usual. He's naturally grumpy, since black widows and rats often move into his head during the months of storage and it affects his attitude.

I finally had enough of hearing him through the walls and stomped outside to the shed. I threw the door open.

"What?! What is it? It's too early to come out and play and I don't have time for your nonsense right now!"

"GrumblegrumblegrumblegrumbleGRUMBLE!"

Translation: "I'm bored of your yard. I wants to travel! I wants to be a STAR!"

Great. A scarecrow with delusions of grandeur.

Fortunately, I have connections!

I called up my buddy Joel, from Heartstoppers Haunted House in Rancho Cordova. I sent him a text and asked if he might want to borrow Stewie for the season. I neglected to mention the prima donna aspect, not wanting to muddy the waters with, um, facts... 

Luckily, he agreed.

Click here for the result.

There'll be no living with him, now.

A Little Frustrated, and "Famous" Again!

Confession time: it's the eighteenth of October, and I'm not done setting up the yard, yet.

Stewie isn't in his usual place in the window. Mr. Chicken's new haunted tombstone isn't started or placed, yet, though I did get the projector for it. The caged skeleton isn't hanging.

Zombie Fred isn't happy
about still being in the
attic, either...

The list goes on. Why? Mr. ShellHawk and I are being "adults," and are taking care of some much-needed home maintenance. We're doing roof repair and adding some gutters and down spouts, in addition to replacing dry-rotted fascia boards and having them painted with a new color. (Mr. ShellHawk was a doll and is paying someone to insulate my studio/garage bay, too, and put some kind of stripping around the edges to cut the draft! Yay!)

Stewie would just have far too much fun tormenting the workmen, and his idea of "fun," would probably include removing ladders and possibly eating one of the painters. *Shudder* Then how would I get the fascia painted? It's just too awful to contemplate.

Between that and being at Abel's three days a week, plus  finishing projects in-between, plus domestic chores like laundry (and what the hell happened to party planning?! It's next Saturday, for cryin' out loud!), etc., it's been non stop. Oh, and then there's school, which I have not been attending with regularity because of various obstacles.

Have I mentioned that I haven't been sleeping well, either? I'm pretty sure I'm starting with those rotten night sweats. Waking up covered in sweat and the sheets soaked with it is. Just. Gross!

O.k., ShellHawk. Quit whining! They get the point.

The good news is that the tombstones are in place and I'm continuing Beloved's repair from last year's puppy attack. And for those of you who have followed me, that is, in fact, the second time I've had to replace the entire skirt. At least this time, there was no dead rat to contend with. While I did make the monster mud too thick, it will do for now. I Drylok-ed it Tuesday and have been letting it dry. Hopefully, I'll get to the tea-staining after work over the weekend.

I have never needed minions more than I need them now, but the folks who normally help are either out of town or really need to focus on getting a job, and I can't, in good conscience, ask them to drop everything and come help. *sigh* Oh, well. Whatever doesn't get done, just doesn't get done.

In better news: Hey! I'm famous! Again! ;o)

I made it on the cover of the local paper, and apparently, there was an even better spread in the neighboring town's paper. I guess I need to get some more candy for the ToTs this year! YAY! I'm really hoping it will improve the turnout this year, as it's been pretty thin around here. The decorating has been dismal, so far, too. What's up with that? I mean, when even Pumpkinrot's neighborhood is sparse, you know it's bad...

Maybe we should decorate our neighbor's houses, like Noah Fentz did? Hmm.

Thoughts? Anyone else have a sparse neighborhood?

Dawn of the Scarecrow

Taken at dawn on Friday morning. Just enough light to see the
Cheshire Cat grin and details, but not too much.

Hallowe'en has officially started on my block. Stewie lumbered into the front yard Thursday afternoon and has taken up his old residence in front of the living room window.

Terror is sure to ensue.

Terror Onna Stick!

Still in my top five favorite scarecrows by a scarecrow master: Spooky Blue.
Of course, another is Stewie's daddy, The Grumble.

Spook's Grumble

My little angel, Stewie. 8' arm span, and all.

I am grateful every year that Spooky Blue was kind enough to talk me through this project, especially when Stewie scares the neighborhood kids. Thanks, Spook. You're a total rock star!
Spooky Blue's project page.

Holy Hand Grenades, Batman! Two Years I've Been Writing This Drivel?!

And you first readers are mostly still here! Amazing!

O.K., I'm such a big, fat loser that my two-year blog anniversary came and went on November 3rd without so much as a peep from me. Yup. Two years since my first blog post. Hopefully, you can forgive me this oversight.

I want to thank blog buddy Spooky Blue for being the very first person in the blogosphere to notice and comment on my blog. Spook was encouraging from the very beginning, when I was pretty darn sure that I was blogging to a completely disinterested web. We had been something like pen-pals the previous year, when Stewie was under construction. I'd write with an idiotic question, and Spook would send back a knowledgeable and kind response. (Not, "You freakin' idiot! Stop writing me! Effing stalker!")

Spook, you are still my prop hero and I just think you are da bomb! Your writing is thoughtful and always either inspires me or makes me giggle. Thanks!

Wow, two years. My grandma was a spring chicken of 99 years old. I did my first sculpture, and a bronze at that! Stewie was still new and proud, and at least a year away from looking like he needed neck surgery. I was forty, and wanted to start to do what it was I believe I was meant to do and set my feet on the artist's path once and for all. Now I have a piece in a museum.

The time went very quickly, and the work was, and is, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes disappointing. I'm in the process of learning some new throwing techniques, which makes me feel like I've been busted back down to rank beginner. Oh, well! It's either grow or die on the vine, right? Today at school we're doing a soda firing. I made four or five pieces and glazed them last week in preparation for it, and I'm really excited to be involved in it! Next month, there's a pit firing, so I need to make sure I have some pieces ready for that. I'm pretty sure Mr. ShellHawk would frown on my digging a pit in the back yard!

So life goes on, and hopefully, learning and growing will continue. I hope the same for you, too!

Stewie is in the House

Always the first to creep from the darkness to his rightful place in front of the house, Stewie made his appearance right on schedule. Other denizens have been spotted, too.

They're awaiting their brethren (and sistren!) eagerly. Outside, Stewie has been joined by Gnorman's head, which is all that is left of our dearly departed Gnorman. Oskar is awaiting his turn in the spotlight, which once again, will probably include a window display.

Ghoul Friday's Brains Vs. Coffee is my seasonal coffee table book, and is now on the den's coffee table. It's a cute conversation piece and makes my friends roll their eyes. Her Bluebird of Unhappiness (my title, not hers) plague doctor has nested on my mantelpiece, and surveys all around him with either avidity or disdain, I'm not sure which.

There are more to follow, and one thing is sure:

They will be creepy.

Birthday

My birthday is Saturday. While at a Crab Feed to raise money for the local elementary school, Mr. ShellHawk bid on a month's worth of art classes for my gift in the silent auction, and won them. He gave me the info today, which included a booklet of class choices for me to look through.(Thanks, hon!) I happened upon this one:

Halloween

Make a Life-size Scarecrow!!! [Three exclamation points? The sure sign of an unbalanced mind!!!]

Come in for the afternoon and make the most amazing scarecrow you have ever seen.

The heads are made out of gourds which are painted and decorated. The bodies are wood which will be clothed and raffia tied.

Your neighbors will not believe what's sitting on your porch. These are the most unique scarecrows ever!

"The most unique scarecrows ever." Really?

Previous three scarecrows: Pumpkinrot.com.

My own offering.

I think I might give that particular class a miss, though it's nice that someone is spreading the Halloween Spirit. The acrylic painting one looks good, though...

My Stirring Witch, or Pimp Your Cauldron

A few videos on my progress on the stirring witch project.








I am a little bummed that my power supply for the wiper motor (2nd one) had died, too. I have to call over to Monster Guts and find out what I'm doing wrong! The chances of two bad power supplies in a row are pretty slim, so it must be me.

We also determined that Stewie needs to get strapped to gavanized pipe, which we already have sticking out of his concrete-filled tub. I don't mind mache repairs, but re-doing his stand every year doesn't appeal to me!

The Music Box and Other Things

Found this short on You Tube today. Though you might enjoy it...

In other news, I'm doing my first test-firing of my kiln today. The army of Jacks has grown since the last pic I shared, and even since I took this pic. (The pot on the top shelf, one from the right, if my neighbor V's son's pot. He volunteered it for the test run. Brave kid!)Honestly, I'm going to have to seriously consider another reorganization of my studio space, and soon! I'm running out of space, and Stewie just keeps snaking those long fingers out to try and trip me whenever he can. If I didn't need to repair him, I'd make some kind of hammock for him and suspend him in the rafters of the Garage of Doom! Of course, Brian and Peter just snigger in their corner of the garage. Jerks. If they keep it up, they're going in the kiln, too. That'll learn 'em!

P.S. HOLY SHIT! ONLY 98 DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN?!

National Random Image Day

Many of you may not be aware that today is Random Image Day. Declared by the President of Dorkistan, Random Image Day can happen at any time of year, and images on the same posting need not have any theme or thread to make them into a cohesive piece.

Here goes:

Mr. and Mrs. ShellHawk finally made it out into the Garage of Doom this weekend to remove Stewie's arms for the purpose of storage. After much snarling, snapping, growling and howling (on both sides), Stewie was successfully subdued and his arms were removed and stored in another area of the garage. Aside from the fact that they keep escaping their restraining ropes, the arms seem to be unable to do any serious damage while unattached to their owner. Mr. ShellHawk is considering a rope and pulley system to get the rest of Stewie into the rafters and out of the way until next year.

Much to our relief, the doctors say Mr. ShellHawk's eye should heal up just fine, and that my bite wounds don't seem to be infected. Mr. ShellHawk is making rumblings that he and I need to have a "talk" about my creations, and before I start my building for next year. I'm trying to think up a suitable defense, but so far, I've got nothing. After all, I'd be ticked about that whole eye thing, too.

It's been raining here, and snowing in the Sierras an hour or so away. Mr. ShellHawk is an amateur

birdwatcher and has a number of feeders around the outside of the house.

Here are some little Goldfinches having some well-earned breakfast. I can't wait to see what else comes through the yard, aside from the usual scrub jays.

Lastly, our neighbor V's mom and dad brought this lemon with them to the Christmas party on Friday night. Mr. ShellHawk put a face on him and calls him "The Lemon God." Please note the quarter at the bottom left of the picture. Yes, the Lemon God is huge. Mom and Dad tell us that half the tree produces huge lemons like this one, and the other half produces normal-sized lemons. Very impressive! Mom makes lemon meringue pies out of these guys and says they turn out quite tasty.

That's the news from Dorkistan today. I'm off to paint some more and start to get prepped for my Obligatory Family Visit.

Hey, what is that growling coming from The Garage of Doom?

Making Stewie, Part 1

Some folks wanted to get a clearer picture of Stewie's creation, so I'll do a two-parter with what pics I took.


I want to give full credit to SpookyBlue, whose design I followed here. Spook has a far better tutorial than I will cover here. This will be something of a quick overview, complete with my beginner's mistakes.


I put on my thick gardening gloves and some eye protection and wrestled the chicken wire head into a roughly spherical shape. As I said before, there were a few spots in Stewie's build where I didn't quite follow the directions exactly, and this was the start. Stewie's head wound up more football-shaped than round, hence the name Stewie. Oh, well. As I said in a previous entry, I'll fix it in post. I took a few feet of 3/4" PVC pipe, drilled a hole through the pipe towards the top (leaving space to attach a stalk later) and one farther down the pipe so I could wire the chicken wire "sphere," now reinforced with duct tape, to the pipe. If I had realized at the time that I was building Stewie larger from the start, I would have chosen a thicker pipe to support the weight. I did mention SpookyBlue's tutorial was better than this one, right? We also wired a light socket with an orange fluorescent light bulb I had picked up at Walgreen's into his head for an evil flaming effect later.

At this point I rolled up more chicken wire into tubes to form breastbone and ribs, drilling holes along the pipe to run wire in order to secure the ribcage, etc. My husband came up with the great idea of taking heavy-duty cable ties rather than wire to add stability. Worked a treat! I then stuffed the ribs with newspaper and wrapped the whole lot with duct tape.

This was truly where I mixed up Spook's instructions and made the ribs way too large. In addition, the way I placed Stewie's head on the pipe (looking for a relatively good spot for his face later on), and placed his ribs created forward-heaviness as the project went on and I added more elements. If I had thought about it, I would have wrapped the ribs more towards his back.

Up to this point, Stewie had been small enough to be supported by a clamp on my workbench. Now I needed to be able to move around him as I started his layers of papier mache. I asked for my husband's input on the issue, and he came up with the idea for a bucket with a post set in cement. I got 1" PVC with the idea of sliding the 3/4" inside, but had to go back to Lowe's and get a coupler to make it work. I added wheels to the bottom before the concrete was poured, so I could move it around easier by myself.

Later, as Stewie's rapid weight gain put him in danger of face-planting almost daily, we got a galvanized tub, a 1 1/2" galvanized pipe, and a 50lb bag of concrete. The tub spread the weight out nicely and gave him a more stable platform.

I was ready to start the first layer of papier mache. For people who just want to knock out a prop fast, this is not for you. This takes time and patience, and if you focus on what you're doing, you can achieve a sort of relaxing, Zen-like state. This 

was around the time I bought a cheap stereo system from Big Lots and brought my laptop out in the garage with me to act as MP3 player and reference to SpookyBlue's site. It made the 90+ degree weather more bearable.

After I applied three layers of newspaper strips to Stewie's head and body, I cut out his eyes and mouth, going for a really big, evil, toothy grin. Then I started with real papier mache. This is an art form, and since it was my first time, there was a learning curve involved. I soon got the hang of it, doing my best to keep the mixture on the dry side. It took me a couple of days to work out where I wanted ridges and the details for his teeth, but once I had a clear picture in my head, it was pretty easy. I also used rolled-up newspaper to form ridges and duct-taped them to Stewie's head.

I made sure to cut an access hatch in the back of his head so I could change the light bulb when needed. I also made sure to continue the ridges and details I had started on the front to the back, so that he'd look finished on all sides.


More tomorrow!

Halloween Recovery

Halloween has been known as the Pagan New Year, the Final Harvest, the time when the fields, at last, will lay fallow, awaiting the plow and the planting of next year's crops. I begin my New Year with my first foray into blogging, and with great hopes of pleasant surprises, love, and new creative endeavors falling on rich, ripe soil.
Halloween came and went, leaving me with that post-wedding planning feeling. You know you didn't get everything done you wanted to, and if you're smart, you also know that you're the only one who knew you didn't get that last flower perfectly displayed. In my case, it was my "monster eye" from Dave Lowe's blog in October. It got finished Halloween day and never made it into my front window. Oh, well. Unlike (you would hope) weddings, I can make another run at it next year.
Here's a few shots of the house and "Stewie," my scarecrow from Spookyblue's website. He's got a few other projects on my list for next year, too.

We had hoped for the same gorgeous weather we had last year, but got rain and wind instead. Good turnout for our party, though there weren't many TOTs. What was fun, was the older kids sending other kids our way to see our yard display. I took a couple of pictures for a group of kids on our lawn, Stewie looming over them in the background. I hope the shot turned out o.k.
I put out both my fog machines in spite of the weather (I bought 'em, dang it, I'm gonna USE them!), and the lightning machine worked beautifully. I stuck a 4th quality Bucky skeleton in my 1969 Dodge Dart and parked them in the driveway with a battery-powered led flashing blob (thanks again to Spookyblue). Everyone loved it, though I was thin on props and didn't even get to carving pumpkins!
I have great dreams for Halloween 2009. Maybe a Headless Horseman, and absolutely a graveyard. And more New Year's resolutions.