Bloody Milk Bottle

$3 - $5 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes one bottle

This project was a quick artistic break from the drudgery of producing dozens of pumpkins and cornstalks for 2016’s theme. Using an old olive oil bottle and some spare paint, I crafted this prop in a little over a day. In hindsight, I wish I had made more to scatter throughout the haunt and place in a vintage milk jug carrier by the front door.

• One 12 oz. glass bottle
• One 8 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying latex paint in flat white*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in cherry cobbler*

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the bottle three even coats of white paint. You want the coverage to be solid enough to adequately cover the glass without becoming too thick and cakey. To achieve this, apply each coat individually and allow it to fully dry before the next application.

2. After the paint dries, sketch your label on the side of the bottle in pencil. You can create your own design or copy one from a vintage milk bottle. If you plan to make multiple versions of this prop, it might prove useful to fashion a stencil out of cardboard or cardstock.

3. Once your design is ready, use a fine-tipped brush to trace over the pattern with black paint. If you accidentally smudge the paint, you can always touch up the bottle with a dab of white paint on a toothpick.

4. Starting from the top of the bottle, allow globs of the cherry cobbler paint to pour down the sides. To control the flow and direction of the streaks, rotate the bottle as the paint drips downward.

5. If you want additional gore, use a brush with splayed bristles to create smears along the base or cover your fingers with paint and add bloody fingerprints to the bottle.

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