What ghostly apparition is here to haunt your home? None other than this life-sized ghost made of packing tape and plastic cling wrap. Because of the materials, it\’s transparent, yet strong enough to hold its shape. Hang it from a tree or the ceiling, and the ghost appears to float in front of you. Now that\’s getting into the Halloween \”spirit.\”
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Things You\’ll Need
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Foam head
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Plastic cling wrap
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Packing tape
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Scissors
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Dress form mannequin
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Bed sheet
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Pins
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Fishing line
Step 1: Make the Head
Wrap the foam head in plastic cling wrap. It is easier to wrap the head with two or three pieces of plastic wrap than one continuous piece. The plastic wrap sticks to itself, so the multiple layers help them stay secure on the foam head.
Cover the plastic-wrapped foam head with strips of clear packing tape. Because packing tape is so sticky, it\’s more manageable to work with shorter strips that are about 12 inches long. Keep going until the head is completely wrapped in packing tape. Push the tape in around the eyes and nose to capture the facial details.
Using scissors, cut a slit at the back of the head through the layers of packing tape and plastic wrap. Cut from the bottom of the head all the way to the top. The plastic cling wrap acts as a barrier that allows the tape to separate easily from the foam.
Slide the foam head out from the opening, and close up the opening with packing tape. Set the packing tape head aside for now.
Step 2: Make the Torso
Now that you have some experience creating a body shape with packing tape, let\’s move on to the torso. Here is where the dress form mannequin comes in. (I found my dress form at a discount clothing store.) As with the head, cover the torso of the dress form with plastic wrap. For now, just go to the hips.
Then wrap packing tape around the torso. Overlap the strips of packing tape to completely cover the plastic wrap. You don\’t want any of the plastic wrap exposed. Add extra layers of packing tape if you want the ghost form to be stiffer. For this project, I used about one and a quarter rolls of packing tape.
Step 3: Make the Skirt
Even though this ghost has passed to another realm, she still appreciates the flattering silhouette of an A-line skirt. To achieve that effect, pin a bed sheet around the hips of the dress form and fan out the bed sheet to the floor.
Cover the bed sheet with plastic wrap. In the area that extends past the actual dress form, the skirt is hollow, so there will not be a hard surface to push the plastic wrap against. Instead, just pat gently on the layers of plastic wrap to adhere them together.
Like you\’ve done before, cover the plastic wrap with packing tape. When you get to the bottom of the dress, leave the plastic wrap uncovered, as the wispy pieces of plastic create a more ethereal hem.
Step 4: Remove the Dress Form
Using scissors, poke holes where you pinned the bed sheet to the dress form and remove the pins. Cover up the holes with packing tape.
Then pull down the bed sheet to reveal the transparent skirt.
Cut a slit up the skirt and all the way up to the neck of the torso, going through the layers of packing tape and cling wrap. Keep the scissor edges away from the dress form so you don\’t cut into it.
Slide the dress form out of the packing tape ghost, and seal up the cut with packing tape. The body section is done.
Step 5: Attach the Head
Now that the head and body are completed, slide the neck of the head into the neck of the torso, and attach the two sections together with packing tape.
Step 6: Hang the Ghost
To allow the ghost to hang so it appears to float in mid air, tie a piece of fishing line or thread around the neck. Make a knot, and then attach the fishing line to a tree branch if you\’re outside, or to a ceiling hook inside.
Step 7: The Finishing Details
Add some plastic cling wrap to the sides and back of the head to create hair for the ghost. Don\’t be too careful with the placement of the hair, as you want it to look a bit disheveled. You can tape the plastic wrap to the head, but it clings even without it.
Tip
The hair goes on after the fishing line so the hanging mechanism doesn\’t mess with the hair.
Attach two long pieces of plastic cling wrap, around 24 inches each, to the shoulders so they cascade down as arm sleeves.
When displayed outside, the ghost comes to life, moving around as the breezes blow. Amplify the spookiness with some artificial fog or smoke, or shine an uplight towards the figure to illuminate it.
