ADVENTURES WITH STYROFOAM {Guest Blogger Robin Calkins}

This year, for the first time, I tried my hand at some basic Styrofoam work for After Prom. Before I get into that, let me say that for years, we have had a graphic artist do some really awesome foam work for our event. His name is Dennis Ruybal, and his artwork rocks! Just to give you an idea, here are a few pictures.

He has done super heroes, cruise ships, vampires, werewolves, cartoon characters, The Beatles, The Yellow Submarine, 12 foot long guitars of varying design, all sorts of signage, a sarcophagus, oversized dice, poker chips, and the list goes on. He has a personal collection of tomb stones that he uses for Halloween (and I used for After Prom this year) that is simply amazing. I swear I would go to pick them up thinking that they were going to be heavy; they looked so much like stone. You can find Dennis Ruybal Design on Facebook.

Just a note here, Hollywood (and Broadway) has been using foam to create props for years. Take a look at some of the special features on movies like the most recent Star Trek movie. The size of the foam blocks they use is intimidating.

Now, I decided this year that I wanted to do trees in my area. I saw some tree forms in one of the Prom/Events magazines, but then I saw what they wanted for a set of four. I quickly realized that I needed to come up with a cheaper solution. We usually get one block of foam that we have cut into 1 ½ inch thick panels (8’ x 4’), which gives us between 22 and 24 sheets, and for this we pay less than $250. Well, Dennis was going to be using a lot of that block of foam this year and it was looking like he may need more. So, I thought why not try my hand at some foam work too. We ordered another block of foam and I used 8 sheets of this to make 8 tree forms. Here is what I came up with.

Before dressing:

After Dressing:

Like I said, it is basic, I don’t airbrush, so I don’t ever think I will be a threat to Dennis. I did find that it was fun to do, very messy, and don’t ever use an electric sander to sand the edges (my husband’s idea). Word of warning, wear a mask (when sanding), and use the longest Xacto blade you can find or a Hot Wire tool for working with foam, to cut with. Use fine grit sand paper, by hand to smooth the edges. Oh, very important, have a Shop Vac handy. You and wherever you work will be covered, I mean covered in Styrofoam, as if it snowed.

Get good dense foam, like packing foam, not the kind they sell at the craft stores. You can get it at Depot or similar stores, or go to a foam distributor like we do for After Prom. Most of all, don’t be afraid of it, just go for it, and enjoy the process.

Happy foam cutting!

Robin

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF FUNDRAISING

I don’t want to say I hate fundraising, because that’s such a strong word to use in regard to something that good comes out of. I guess what I really feel is an animosity for the begging, pleading, endless e-mails, running around, and the amount of clerical work involved with it.

What I like about it is the benefit it gives. The schools don’t have the money to put on events like After Prom, so it’s up to the parents to raise this money. Our group is lucky to have the kind of support we do from the Administration of our school. We ask for donations of money, services, gifts, time, etc., but the biggest fundraiser our committee does is our annual Prom Fashion Show, Silent Auction and Vendor Show. Our goal each year is to raise between $10,000 and $15,000 dollars for After Prom. We know of schools whose budget is double ours. How we are able to do it for less is fodder for another piece in this series.

I’ve told you what I like and don’t like about fundraising, but what I absolutely love is the design, logistics, and staging for the Fashion Show as well as for After Prom. Even though I’m no stranger to the clerical/business side of things I will always favor the creative side more. However, I do realize that the part I truly love cannot be obtained without all the paperwork, leg work, e-mails, budgeting, etc. Believe it or not, the fashion show actually costs us little or nothing. After all, fundraising is about raising money, not spending it. The entertainment we get to perform before, after intermission, and at the end of the show is either by artists wanting exposure or by students who want to help the cause. Our theme for the fashion show this year was The Beatles, and since our After Prom theme was Hard Rock Cafe, the props we used for one event, we also used for the other. One parent puttogether a fabulous slide show, while I put together a playlist to go with it. The technical theatre students at the school helped us out by running lights and sound, and our models were from the student body. All the dresses and the tuxes were donated, for the night, by local retailers.

Unfortunately, I don't have any still pictures from this year's fashion show. I have a video, but it didn't load for me. I do have some pictures from a past show so I will post those.

Until next Friday,

Robin

HOME DEPOT IS THE BEST CRAFT STORE EVER!

Yes, the title says it all. Home Depot, as well as other hardware stores, is the best large (and sometimes small) craft store. I have gotten some weird looks from my women and men friends when I tell them I’d rather go to Home Depot than the mall. I’m giving the shout out to HD because they have been the most generous in helping out our school with its After Prom. I’m not slighting the craft stores either; I prefer them over the mall too. Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnne and others have played their roles in making ourAfter Prom décor fabulous.

What I want to establish here is not to overlook your neighborhood hardware store to create something decorative. Theatres have been using them for a long time and I would venture to guess that there are a few event/party planners out there who have also made a clandestine trip or two to Ace or Depot, etc.

I’ve already touched on what I get from the HD to create papier mâché; lumber, chicken wire, paint. I will now tell you of some other items that can be utilized.

· Cement form tubes – these come in sizes from 8” in diameter to at least 12” (there are probably more, but this is what I’ve seen) and most are about 4-4 ½’ tall. They aren’t just for pouring cement footings; they can be used in a multitude of ways.

o Columns – such as the ones I used for this years After Prom to form mausoleum columns. These were stacked and faux painted to look like marble.

o Pier supports – or made to look like pier supports. Cap them off with wood or Styrofoam and faux paint them to look like log posts. Coil and tie hemp rope around them to make it look more authentic

o Bases for a balloon arch– These were painted in florescent colors for a 60’s area, then the arch was tied to gallon water jugs which were put into the tubes (make sure your wire or fishing line is long enough so that the balloons look like they start at the top of the tube).

o Focus tubes for up lighting - Cut them down to the size you need, paint the outside black, and line with aluminum (at least around the light) to protect the tube from heat.

o Sewer drains – I know, this sounds weird but it works. Cut them down and give them a base coat of white paint. Then they are ready for the next hardware store product that comes in very handy for décor.

· Plaster, spackle, or drywall mud – You can buy this in different sizes or dry to mix. I prefer the readymade stuff in a tub that you just open and slap on.

o Sewer drains cont. – Once the base coat of paint is dry, slap on some plaster and user your fingers, a brush or a sponge to give it a rough cement look, you can insert it into part of the decoration, as I did with a papier mâché wall this year, or place it strategically in your grand design.

o Old stone treasure chest – We took an old wicker trunk, donated by a very willing parent and covered it with plaster, roughed it up and then dyed it with tea bags that had been soaked in warm water. It was very convincing.

· Sand – Yes, sand is messy but, if you want to get the look of stone on a larger scale without having to use a huge amount of plaster get a bag of construction or play sand.

o Stone walls – Here we go back to the usefulness of lumber for frames. Have a handy husband, or maybe you can do this yourself, build a frame (mine are typically 8’ tall by 4’ wide and staple cardboard to it. Here is where the “oops” paint at most hardware stores becomes a great bargain as there is usually some shade of beige, sand, taupe, brown, or gray on the shelf. Pour some in a paint pan, mix sand into the mix, and using a cheap roller, roll on the gritty paint. When dry, it looks like a stone wall. You can then embellish it however you want. NOTE: For an awesome urban look, find yourself a really good graffiti artist.

o Stone blocks – You know those free postal boxes that they have at your neighborhood post office? With the right amount of treatment, they can look like stone blocks. Close them up, beat them up, and use the same treatment as you did on the walls. Stack them any way you want to create the look you want. If your husband works for the US Postal Service, make sure he understands that this is for the kids, that the Post Office is doing its part in a community service, and that every box used is well appreciated. Or, ask him to turn a blind eye.

· Rigid clear plastic tubing – I can’t say enough about rigid plastic tubing and twinkle lights. It’s awesome. Stand them up, line them up, run different colored lights through them. Make sure that the tubing is at least 1” in diameter and no larger than 2-3”. After that it kind of loses the glowy look and its appeal.

· Tomato cages – If any of you have ever looked at an Anderson’s or Stumps prom catalog, you may have seen the gossamer covered columns they sell that have the twinkle lights on the inside that give that romantic soft glow. They charge a pretty penny for these. I say create your own. Get some tomato cages, attach them together, cover them with gossamer or other filmy fabric, run twinkle lights down through the middle and presto, you have lighted columns!

· PVC – Any PVC. You can use is for flag poles, frames, bracing, etc. I think I could come up with a lot of ideas if given enough time. PVC is like having Tinker Toys again, only larger. There are all kinds of bends and angles, different sizes of tubing, and you can get them cut to whatever size you need. The possibilities might be endless. We once had a jail cell made of a wood frame and PVC bars.

· Metal tubing – Again, flagpoles come to mind. We have used them as such.

· Wooden dowels – Many uses here as well; flags, bracing, bars, banner hangers.

If I had the time to go down each aisle and look at the different items and think about what they might be used for, I could spend a lot of it in a hardware store. I could say the same of the fabric and craft store. However, the point of this installment was to color outside the lines, think out of the box, and all those other clichés.

Like I said, Home Depot is the best craft store – EVER! So, next time you are in a hardware store, check out the merchandise, open your creative eye, and see what you come up with.

Have a happy and blessed Easter/Passover!

Robin

PAPIER MÂCHÉ 101

Hello, this was to have posted yesterday, but I had some technical difficulties, so I apologize. Since I touched on papier mâché in last week’s installment, I will go into a little more detail in this one. Most everyone is familiar with the type that your kids do in elementary (and possibly middle) school where you blow up a balloon put the papier mâché over it and then pop the balloon leavingthe paper shell. It’s a pretty simply process and the results make you proud of your budding artist. It’s a little messy, but with the right containment (a good art teacher will be on top of this) it’s fairly simple toclean up.

Now, let’s visit the scene of an adult papier mâché project where the result is much larger and ends up as a staging piece/prop for After Prom.
First, you need a fairly large space in which to do this, although one that is sufficient, but intimate (like a garage) can make for interesting camaraderie amongst those suckers…I mean wonderful friends, you coerce…oops, convince to help you. Next ask permission –no scratch that – tell your husband that you are commandeering the garage for awhile, then run before he can say anything. If you want to maintain your relationship, be sure and supply drop cloths because it is messy. This is important in the event that you need said husband to build a frame or support for any of the large pieces you are constructing.

It all starts with an idea and design, then a trip to Home Depot or your hardware supplier of choice. Items to obtain there: chicken wire and, if you don’t have them, gloves of at least the garden variety (if you don’t already have some) and at most leather. If you need a frame and don’t have scrap lumber lying around as I do, you may need a few boards. A staple gun is good to have too, for attaching wire to frame. Lastly, paint (cheap and preferably flat finish), in the color(s)your brilliant idea told you to use and brushes (rollers do not work unless the form is very smooth).

Then a trip to the grocery store is in order. Items to obtain there are: large quantities of flour (I have used anywhere from 10-30 lbs), plastic or aluminum trays, and gloves of the rubber type, unless you like to have your hands in flour paste.

A trip to the recycle bin or a plea to friends to collect newspaper is the last thing on order. Collect as much as you can, just in case, slick paper (such as ads) does not work so send those back to the recycle bin.

Now you are ready to begin. Start by unrolling and cutting chicken wire in lengths close to what your design will use. If you want contours make it longer so you get the right effect and, be sure that you have it long enough to turn those spiky edges under. If you are using a frame, staple the wire onto it prior to adding papier mâché. Bend and mold the chicken wire to the effect you are trying to get. Once your form is ready, mix flour and water together until it reaches the consistency of gruel or pancake batter. A wire whisk works well; your hands work just as well. It just depends on how messy you like to get. Make several pans to share with those friends you roped into aiding and abetting your madness.

Your friends should have been tearing newspaper into largesections, bigger than the strips used by elementary school art teachers, but smaller than a news sheet. About 8” x 10” ish or so should do it. Here I will issue a word of warning about gravity, it is good to hold things to the earth, it sucks when you are trying to hang papier mâché. If you can, lay your piece down, so that you can use gravity to your advantage, otherwise start at the top and work down using the first layer as the stabilizer for the rest. Make sure that it starts over an edge or on a solid top (such as a huge snowball, but that’s for later). After the papier mâché is covering your form or forms, it has to dry. If it is cold and wet, this will take longer than if you can put it out on your driveway to dry.

Once dry, it is ready to paint and decorate. I have used many techniques, but always starting with a solid coat of base color. Paint the base color, let dry. Do the next techniques, such as dry brushing or sponging, and let dry.If you are adding things like foliage, glitter, or spray paint for effect, that should be the last step.

Once your masterpiece(s) is finished, it waits patiently until the day of set up. Then, you have to find someone with a large enough truck, trailer or U-haulto be willing to come and pick it up and deliver it to the school. This usually comes in the form of one or two grumbling (although polite) men who are deeply devoted to their wives and kids and willing to put up with the insane ideas of the former and want to please the latter. The result can be awesome in the right setting. I have to say, that as much work as it is, it’s satisfying to see the end product and to hear people comment about it. With the right lighting, paint, etc. it looks like what you were trying to achieve instead of paper over chicken wire. Here are just a few of ideas that came from my head.

Have a great weekend!

Robin