As you know, I jump at any excuse to throw parties, make things, and dress up in costumes.
With Halloween around the corner, October seems like the ideal time to combine my three favorite activities. How, you ask? A Bloody Costume Making Bash! Simply Spray, the clever inventors of spray fabric paint, have a very fun craft product for Halloween: spray blood. Simply Spray was kind enough to send me a few bottles to play with. If you're in the market for some very realistic fake blood to decorate with, then this is for you.
Invite all of your creative (and not so creative friends) and tell them to bring an article of clothing, preferably white or light colored. Encourage them to think bigger than the basic white t-shirt: lab coats, aprons, wedding dresses, etc. The more elaborate- the better! For interesting pieces, stop by the thrift store. In anticipation of Halloween, many shops are filling their racks with doctor coats and prom dresses, just waiting to become the canvas for your bloody works of wearable art.
Find an open space, preferably outside, and set up different stations for the party goers to create their ghastly masterpieces. Each station should include various materials to create a different bloody effect on the article of clothing. We also had some plastic trays from our nurse friend and used a lot of rocks to hold things down. Be sure to provide your guests with plenty of Spray Blood, paint drop cloths, cardboard and paper towels for clean up. You may also want to designate an area for the items to sit and dry.
Here are the stations I set up:
The Street Sweeper
Apparently, a street sweeper is a slang term for a machine gun (says Patrick, who happens to play a lot of violent video games).
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
heavy cardboard
garbage bag
Cover the cardboard with the garbage bag and slide between the layers of your clothing item. Hold the cardboard up, causing your clothing item to stand vertically. The cardboard helps it stand up and the garbage bag will prevent the paint from seeping through to the other side.
Hold the paint about 8 inches away and spray in one spot until it begins to run down. Make several bullet holes in a jagged line across the clothing to create the effect of automatic weapons fire.
The Death Grip
Nothing says 'I barely escaped death' like a set of hauntingly bloody hand prints.
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
latex rubber gloves
styrofoam or plastic coated disposable plates ( regular paper plates will absorb the paint, no good)
Lay the article of clothing flat. Spray a little paint on the plate and rub a glove covered hand in it.
Press your hands firmly on the fabric and slowly lift.
The Love Bite
Creepy and romantic. This effect is small, simple, and looks great on the neckline of a t-shirt.
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
a hole punch
cardstock
heavy cardboard
garbage bag
Fold a piece of cardstock in half and punch a hole about half an inch from the crease. Unfold the card stock. You now have a stencil for two vampire teeth puncture wounds.
Cover the cardboard with a garbage bag and place inside your clothing article to prevent the paint from bleeding through. Prop up the cardboard to make your clothing article stand vertically. Hold the card stock about an inch from your clothing and spray until the paint runs down creating a dripping blood effect.
The Helpless Victim
The last words you'll ever say, forever preserved in blood.
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
cardstock
scissors
Cut the letters 'Help' from a sheet of cardstock. To make this station easier and faster, you may want to print the words 'Help Me' on the card stock, or even cut them out for your guests beforehand.
Set the letters on your clothing item and mist gently with the spray blood. After a a minute or so, blot the letter stencils with a paper towel to absorb excess paint, then remove.
*note: the card stock letters can only be used once. After one spray, they'll become soggy and messy
The Zombie Attack
Zombies are voracious and brutal- and when they attack, you can bet its going to be messy.
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
scissors
sponge
Start by distressing the fabric in one section of your clothing item. Rather than cutting one gaping hole, use the scissors to add several tiny rips and tears in one area. This will cause the wound to look like it was made by human sized teeth and nails.
Coat the torn area with spray blood and use a sponge to smudge and smear it around, creating the effect of a chaotic, messy zombie bite.
The Ax Murderer
Serving up all your favorite choice cuts...rare.
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
drinking straw (one that fits over the nozzle, larger fast food restaurant straws work best)
tape
heavy cardboard
garbage bag
Place the straw over your spray blood nozzle and tape in place. Use plenty of tape, but be sure not to cover the blue trigger.
Without the straw nozzle, the paint will form a mist and spray in a constant line, which is also a great gory effect. Adding the straw will cause the paint to come out in fat messy drips.
Cover the cardboard with the bag and place inside your clothing item to prevent the paint from seeping through. Spray the paint slowly over the clothing item in lines allowing it to drip from the straw and creating streaks of thick blood splatters. "Throw" the blood across the surface in violent arcs by quickly flicking your hand in one direction. This will create a streaming splatter effect. SPLAT!
The Organ Harvest
That moment when you realize you're lying in a bathtub full of ice...sans a few vital organs.
For this station, you will need:
Simply Spray Blood
a spray bottle of water
gauze
garbage bag
Unravel and gather the gauze together in a small pile on the garbage bag.
Coat generously with the spray blood, then mist a few sections with water to dilute the blood for a frightening post- surgery effect.
Allow the costumes to dry for an hour or so before wearing. You may also want to make sure your neighbors know what you're doing. It just occurred to me that some unsuspecting employee was probably horrified to find a garbage can of blood soaked paper towels and table cloths.
This Spray Blood is cringe-inducing-ly realistic. Although its not made for human skin, you can wreck just about anything with it: clothing, festive party decor, furniture... the list goes on. Keep an eye out for future Spray Blood posts this month. I have many ideas stewing in my head....
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