$40 - $50 (based on 2020 prices)
Makes two cases
Using smaller props – like severed ears, eyes, and fingers – I decided to create two large props to add additional specimens to 2020’s laboratory. For this version, I utilized anatomical labels written in Latin to make the build appear like a twisted educational display similar to those seen in doctor’s offices. - Two 13” x 13” shadow boxes
- One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
- One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver*
- Three pieces of 8”x 11.5” brown cardstock
- One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
- An assortment of vinyl body parts (five fingers, one ear, and one liver)
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat beige*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat mustard yellow*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat navy blue*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat pink *
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat purple*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat red*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in glossy maroon*
- One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in glossy white*
- One latex face mask
- One small, white ping pong ball (1 3/8” in diameter)
- One to two feet of red yarn
- One glass doll eye
- One 0.44 oz. bottle of clear nail polish*
- Four small plastic bones
- One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in Jacobean*
- One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in red chestnut*
- One piece of 8”x 11.5” copy paper with anatomical labels printed on it
- At least one tablespoon of dark roasted coffee grounds
- One pan large enough to soak the paper
- Fifteen 1.5-inch T-pins
- One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
- One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*
1. Remove the backing and glass from the shadow boxes and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, build up layers of black and metallic silver spray paint to give them the look of steel. This process works best if you apply a base coat of black and then add the sliver, working in quick bursts to allow parts of the black to remain visible. You can also touch up portions with additional blasts of black if the silver becomes too heavy. 2. To give the frames a filthy appearance, water down brown paint and brush it over their surface, creating drips down the sides and permitting the liquid settle into the cracks (you can also use a spray bottle for the application). You may want to experiment with the consistency prior to doing this: the more water you add, the fainter the wash; the less water you add, the darker the wash.
3. Cover the backings in a thin layer of glue and adhere the cardstock, using the edge of a card or ruler to smooth the surface and remove any bubbles. For an alternate appearance, you crumple the paper before affixing it to create tears and wrinkles and add spots with dabs of olive or vegetable oil.
4. On a newspaper-lined surface, apply three even coats of beige paint to the ear and fingers and three coats of mustard yellow to the liver. Although I used three, you may want more or less based on your desired coverage.
5. Give the ears and fingers a smudging of pink paint, focusing primarily on the raised areas. Use your own skin patterns or those found in a medical textbook for reference. Then, using a brush with splayed bristles, stipple purple paint along the surface of the liver, ensuring you do not cover up too much of the yellow.
6. Detail the fingernails with glossy white paint and smudge red paint around their cuticles. After this, paint the liver’s arteries and veins red.
7. Using a brush with splayed bristles, apply a smattering of glossy maroon paint around the wounds of the ear and fingers and along the surface of the liver. To add further depth to the liver, add a light stippling of navy-blue paint to random spots.
8. Remove the elastic band from the mask, trim its edges to make them more uneven, and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply three even coats of beige paint. Akin to step four, the number of layers is based on your desired coverage. Once the paint has dried, smudge the face with pink, focusing primarily on the cheeks, lips, and nose.
9. Complete the mask’s paint job by smudging glossy maroon paint around the eyes, lips, and nose and along the edges. You want to concentrate the application in the crevices of the mouth, the folds along the eyes, and the openings of the nostrils.
10. Cut a two-inch section from the yarn and fray the ends. These will serve as the veins for the eyeball. Apply a light layer of glue to the ping pong ball and, using a needle or other finely tipped object, spread the yarn strands across it. How bloodshot you plan to make the prop all depends on how thinly you separate the strands: a thorough division will produce a finer appearance; thicker clusters will create a more inflamed looked.
11. After the glue has dried, adhere the glass doll eye to the center of the ball and coat the entire thing with one or two layers of clear nail polish. To make this process easier, make a small stand out of an upturned paper cup or plate.
12. Once the nail polish has dried, cut ten strands of yarn in varying lengths and glue them to the back of the eyeball to form the optic nerve. Although this may look goofy now, the effect will be much more impressive after you apply the blood glue.
13. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, paint the bones with the wood stain. I started with the red chestnut as a base and then dabbed Jacobean around the edges to darken them. This gave them a meaty appearance which made them look fresh. Then, I used a 1/16 bit to drill holes into each one for the T-pins in step seventeen.
14. Position all of the specimens on the backings and glue them in place. Try not to cluster them too close together, leaving enough room for the labels.
15. Add the coffee to a cup of boiling water. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Since I wanted irregular spots rather than a unified discoloration, I placed the copy paper on a baking sheet, splashed coffee and grounds onto its surface, allowed the liquid to sit for a few minutes, and then moved it to a space to dry.
16. Once the paper is dry, cut out the anatomical labels and glue them to the backings below their corresponding body parts. As with step three, you can distress the labels by crumpling them to create wrinkles and dabbing oil onto their surfaces to fashion spots.
17. Insert the T-pins into the body parts to make them appear tacked to the backings. Because they will need to fit comfortably within the shadow boxes, you may need to insert them at an angle or trim their length to get them to fit without touching or scraping the glass.
18. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it reaches the sanguine hue you desire. Then, smear the body parts with the glue.
19. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, paint the glass with the wood stain. Apply a thin coat and pat it with paper towels to produce a hazed appearance and brush the edges to create the illusion of grime buildup. Refrain from making the coverage too thick, though, because it can obscure the specimens inside the boxes.
20. Reattach the backings and glass to the frames, gluing everything in place. To add an extra level of gore, use the remaining blood glue to accent the edges of the frames.
21. The prop can be enhanced further with additional details, like biohazard labels or the name of the specimen written at the top of the frame.
*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.
