Haunted Portraits

$15 - $20 (based on 2018 prices)

Makes two portraits

For the ghost theme used in my office’s annual decorating competition, I decided to revisit a prop from 2014’s haunt and apply the lessons learned from four additional years of prop-building experience to fine-tune the item. Akin to the earlier piece, you can make a subtle statement with a small, cheap frame or a dramatic impression with something more massive and ornate. You can also create a series of portraits with several smaller window clings.

• Two 16” x 20” frames
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in au natural*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in cherry cobbler*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in hot cocoa*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in spice brown*
• Eight pieces of 8” x 11.5” copy paper
• At least four tablespoons of black tea (e.g. Darjeeling, Earl Gary, English Breakfast, etc.)
• One pan large enough to soak the copy paper
• Two Halloween-themed window clings
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• One bag of small spiders (roughly thirty spiders per bag)
  

1. Remove the backings and any glass from the frames and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply an even coat of black spray paint. Although I only used one coat, you may want more depending on your desired coverage. Keep in mind, though, that this is the base coat and much of the black paint will be covered up by lighter colors.

2. Use varying hues of brown to achieve an aged wood patina. I found that working from light to dark provided the deep tones I wanted to contrast with the lightness of the tea-stained paper; however, if you need brighter shades, work from dark to light.

3. Boil enough water to completely submerge the copy paper and pour it into the pan. Add the tea. The longer you allow the tea to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of tea will produce a richer stain. I found that a combination of English and Irish Breakfast brewed for over ten minutes produces a nice, deep brown. Submerge the paper into the tea mixture and soak it until it reaches the color you desire. I soaked mine for eight hours and scattered the loose-leaf tea over the top of the paper to add spots. Remove the paper from the water and allow it to dry. Although it can be time consuming, this process works best if you stain each sheet of paper individually.

4. Glue the stained paper to the cardboard backings. To make it appear even more decrepit, crinkle the paper and create holes. Since the window clings will rest above these elements, preplan their location to prevent any odd placements that will interfere with the images.

5. Glue the window clings to the paper. For the best results, press the vinyl as smooth as possible, removing any bubbles and wrinkles. To assist in this process, use a firm piece of plastic, like a credit card.

6. With black and brown paint, create smears and spots on the paper. Play with the patterns until you reach the design you desire. You could also water down the paints and let the wash run downward from the top of the portrait. You may want to experiment with the consistency prior to doing this: the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash; the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash.

7. Accent the portraits with a cluster of spiders crawling from a torn eye socket and bloody handprints. NOTE: The particular spiders I used were made with a slick plastic which did not adhere with hot glue. As a result, I used superglue gel to affix them to the prop.

8. Attach the frames to the backings. For added support, glue the backings in place, particularly if you plan to display these in windy conditions. If the frames did not come with hanging hooks, you can add store-bought items to the back or fashion your own with steel wire.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.