Decomposing Fingers

$10 - $15 (based on 2020 prices)

Makes five fingers

 

When my little brother and I began yard haunting, it was easy to find realistic-looking body parts at local party shops. Over the years, though, the appearance of fake limbs has become more and more pathetic. Now, to acquire something believable, you have to make your own or buy it at an expensive special-effects store. Since the latter option is impracticable (no one has the money for those stores), this project developed from my own attempts at self fabrication.

• Five vinyl fingers
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in brown*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in khaki*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in umber*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in white*

1. On a newspaper-lined surface, apply three even coats of khaki paint to the fingers. Although I used three, you may want more or less based on your desired coverage.

2. Give the fingers a smudging of brown paint, focusing primarily on the tips and around the knuckles. I discovered that applying a small amount of paint to your thumb and index finger and rubbing it onto the prop works well.

3. Once the brown paint has dried, repeat the process with umber. During this application, be careful not to cover too much of the brown paint.

4. Begin detailing the nails with a coat of white paint then, after that dries, dab gray paint onto the nails, building up layers until they look decrepit. To complete the process, smudge black around the tips of the fingers and along their cuticles.

5. Cover the severed ends of the fingers with several even coats of black paint. I used two; however, you may want more or less depending on your coverage preferences.

6. Using a brush with splayed bristles, apply a stippling of black paint along the surfaces of the fingers. Do not overthink your application, since a random pattern will look more natural.

7. The fingers work well by themselves or you can use them to build other props: create holes around the stumps and thread twine through them to fashion a necklace; place them in a monster’s gnarled mouth; or allow them to take center stage in a specimen display.

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