# Wolf from an animated Christmas deer



## macsrealm (Feb 16, 2009)

I like that! Way to go JustWhisper. I wish I would've got one (or 2 or 10) of those deer when they were on sale. Son of a gun! Oh well.


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## Bubbels (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks for the tutorial! The original article I saw on this, the guy used a foam padding before putting the fur on. Its great to see that this step is not necessary. Im sure it has its advantages, but your wolf came out great without it!

I made a clay sculpture of a wolf head, in which I created a latex mask for. Going to try and paint that to see how it goes before I go out and buy a wolf mask.


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## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

I love this idea for all those animated deers. You could use this concept _(making a costume for them)_ for all kinds of things. Thank you


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

> I love this idea for all those animated deers. You could use this concept (making a costume for them) for all kinds of things. Thank you


LOL I just got this mental image of lots of little animated christmas deer running around on halloween night dressed in scary costumes. 
Wow, Bubbles...that wolf looks great. Some talent you got there. Hope the mask works out.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I've been wanting to make one of these for years. I've got the deer and I've got the wolf mask. I need to get to Joanne's and find some fur!
Thanks, whisper!! Your yard and video looked really good!!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

I like the wolf. I actually made the frame for my wolf/dog and covered in fur much the same way you did yours.Mine has the side to side motion and his mouth opens and closes as well. He also has red lights as his eyes. I think my first project this year is to put in teeth and I have thought about making a tail that moves as well. Like your whole haunt by the way. Good job.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

> I actually made the frame for my wolf/dog and covered in fur much the same way you did yours.Mine has the side to side motion and his mouth opens and closes as well. He also has red lights as his eyes.


YHJ, it sounds cool. got pics?


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Halloween Forum - yardhauntjunkie's Album: halloween 2008 - Picture

This isn't a very good pic. I am going to start working on him again so I will take a better one then.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

View attachment 3852


Here is another pic.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

YHJ,

That is really nice. And I don't think it is a bad picture either. I am impressed you made his mouth move. I cannot do that yet. I want to learn this year how to make mouths move, how to do pneumatics, and sound chips (?). Your monster in a box looks great too. Thanks for sharing that with us.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

I broke my camera before Halloween and the video we took Halloween night is great on the camera but we couldn't get it onto the computer. Only the sound. I am kind of a frugal guy so my wolf was made basically for free, just payed 5 bucks for fur at the fabric store. The lights in the eyes and mouth were from a kitchen stove. The frame was wooden and the cranks for the motor were from aluminum I scrounged and we just had a looped wolf growling on the I-pod. So for 6 bucks (5 for the fur and 99 cents for the growl download) I think it is pretty cool. The only mods I think I will do this year is ad teeth and paws. I am going to put him in a dog house this year so I don't really have to add a tail. Originally he was going to have a tail that wagged too.

My Monster in a box was free(well I did pay for a red light bulb). I used a surge protector as the switch for it last year, but I got some wireless remote plug ins for Christmas, so I can turn it on from anywhere this year!!! I am going to most likely build it as a coffin this year to fit in better with our theme.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

This just became my new project! Where did you get the mask? I couldn't find one like that.


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## maleficent (May 20, 2007)

Thanks for the tutorial JustWhisper. I had planned on doing this last year and never got to it, now I have somewhat of a pattern to follow. I'm also wanting to make a bat out of a Xmas angel.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

Dragonomine said:


> This just became my new project! Where did you get the mask? I couldn't find one like that.


Hmmmm...not really sure where I got the mask. I think the only places I have ever bought Halloween masks would be WalMart, Spirit, or Spencer Gift. I am pretty sure I got that one at Spencer a couple years ago when it was 50% off.


*maleficent*, the bat sounds like a cool project. If you get around to making it be sure to post a pic for us.

*YHJ*, what kind of motor did you use to make the wolf's mouth move?


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

"YHJ, what kind of motor did you use to make the wolf's mouth move?"

Every haunter has a few things they keep secret, but lets just say it came out of an appliance.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

How many yards of fur did you buy?


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Dragonomine said:


> How many yards of fur did you buy?


I personally bought 1 yard, but I am assuming that it would take a little more if you were actually going to cover a reindeer.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

Dragon, I think I actually bought 2 yards, but I didn't use it all. I just wanted to make sure I had plenty. Just measure your deer from nose to tail and see how wide the fabric is too. If it is wide enough to go around his middle with overlap, then probably just a little more than his length will do. Most of those fabrics are really wide. I always err on the side of too much.

YHJ, actually most of us reveal all our secrets on here. It is kind of the point of the forum. I will respect your right to keep it a secret. But I bet it was a lawn mower motor wasn't it? Ha Ha I am just kidding.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

JustWhisper said:


> Dragon, I think I actually bought 2 yards, but I didn't use it all. I just wanted to make sure I had plenty. Just measure your deer from nose to tail and see how wide the fabric is too. If it is wide enough to go around his middle with overlap, then probably just a little more than his length will do. Most of those fabrics are really wide. I always err on the side of too much.
> 
> YHJ, actually most of us reveal all our secrets on here. It is kind of the point of the forum. I will respect your right to keep it a secret. But I bet it was a lawn mower motor wasn't it? Ha Ha I am just kidding.


Thanks! I ordered the wolf mask yesterday and I have a 40% coupon for Joann Fabrics! And I've even got the reindeer. lol We had one that had a ton of lights out so the hubby let me have it. I'm ready to go!!!! Oh wait...I might need some more hot glue.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Dragonomine said:


> Thanks! I ordered the wolf mask yesterday and I have a 40% coupon for Joann Fabrics! And I've even got the reindeer. lol We had one that had a ton of lights out so the hubby let me have it. I'm ready to go!!!! Oh wait...I might need some more hot glue.


Can't wait to see pics of your progress!


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## mospeed1 (Oct 20, 2008)

thats a great idea


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

I found some video of my wolf/dog that I took after Halloween 2008(I lost my videos from Halloween night).

YouTube - DogWolf


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

good video YHJ, thanks for sharing it. The dog looks great.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

JustWhisper said:


> good video YHJ, thanks for sharing it. The dog looks great.


So that is one vote for dog I guess. Ha.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Awww man! Now I want a deer that moves his head!!!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Dragonomine said:


> Awww man! Now I want a deer that moves his head!!!


You don't actually need the deer. I made my own frame so that I could add other features like a moving mouth and possibly a tail that moves at some point.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

YHJ,
You should start a new post under the tutorials and show everyone how you made your wolf/dog. Because lots of people like the idea of the deer but can't get one cheap. You could be the hero and help them out. You don't necessarily have to show them how you made the mouth move, just the head.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

JustWhisper said:


> YHJ,
> You should start a new post under the tutorials and show everyone how you made your wolf/dog. Because lots of people like the idea of the deer but can't get one cheap. You could be the hero and help them out. You don't necessarily have to show them how you made the mouth move, just the head.


Well I guess this thread is for reindeer wolves so I will pack up and head out on a new and exciting adventure. Wolf/Dog's own how to thread.  I think he is excited. I will still be following this thread though because I hope to see other people reindeer wolves.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

yardhauntjunkie said:


> Well I guess this thread is for reindeer wolves so I will pack up and head out on a new and exciting adventure. Wolf/Dog's own how to thread.  I think he is excited. I will still be following this thread though because I hope to see other people reindeer wolves.


I started a thread for Wolf/Dog here.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/76424-how-i-made-my-wolf-dog.html


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Today I start making my own! I can't wait!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Oh cool. Can't wait to see it. What are your plans?


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Well, I have my reindeer (antler and lightless), 2 yds of fur and a wolf mask. (I've already started taking pics for the how-to) I was just going to sew the fur onto the frame but when I began I realized that my fur was too thin and all the bony wire framing would have stuck out and looked ridiculous. SO I didn't want to go out and get some foam or wrap it in a heavier fabric first so I just got out the paper mache. I didn't mache the head or underbelly, just what would be noticible if the wire were sticking out. I figure 2 layers will do the trick so by Sun or Mon I can finally get to work.

And since I've got the paper mache stuff out I thought I'd start some Stolloween projects but alas, the website isn't up right now.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Dragonomine said:


> Well, I have my reindeer (antler and lightless), 2 yds of fur and a wolf mask. (I've already started taking pics for the how-to) I was just going to sew the fur onto the frame but when I began I realized that my fur was too thin and all the bony wire framing would have stuck out and looked ridiculous. SO I didn't want to go out and get some foam or wrap it in a heavier fabric first so I just got out the paper mache. I didn't mache the head or underbelly, just what would be noticible if the wire were sticking out. I figure 2 layers will do the trick so by Sun or Mon I can finally get to work.
> 
> And since I've got the paper mache stuff out I thought I'd start some Stolloween projects but alas, the website isn't up right now.


I can't wait to see it. What does your reindeer do? Does it move its head up and down or side to side? I might have just wrapped it in duct tape if it was me.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Sadly, I'm out of duct tape but I wish I would have thought of that first! lol No, it's not a mechanical one so it'll just stand there and look scary hopefully. 

Now while I'm waiting for the first layer to dry I'm making some Harry Potter wands.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

Ooh -- I can't wait to try this! I just got an animated deer at eBay for $12.00! Ho, ho,ho!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Effie said:


> Ooh -- I can't wait to try this! I just got an animated deer at eBay for $12.00! Ho, ho,ho!


What motion does it have? The up and down or the side to side? Can't wait to see your progress.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

yardhauntjunkie said:


> What motion does it have? The up and down or the side to side? Can't wait to see your progress.



It's up and down -- I think side to side might look scarier, but that's okay! Now I have to start looking for some fur!!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

I found a GREAT video of a reindeer wolf! No instructions, but this is how I want mine to look!


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

I know who made that!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

I've started my wolf!! I got the faux fur from Joanne's -- luckily a friend told me to download the 40% coupon because the fur is about $15.00 per yard and the coupon made it way more affordable. 

Here are the photos of my progress so far -- first I took off all the lights:










Then I threaded the cord down through the leg so it would be unobtrusive after the "furring" was done:










Then I started applying the faux fur to the legs -- at first I thought "why use tape, I don't think I'll need it" but when I started applying the fur, I realized there was no place to glue it to! So I started taping up the body as I went along. I thought about using some padding of some sort, but I thought a "bony" look would be good:



















I also made a "tail" out of a coat hanger and looped it through the "reindeer" tail and taped it on. It looks pretty good so far:










The fur goes on really easily using the hot glue gun -- I am just taking it a section at a time.










I noticed the faux fur has a "grain" to it -- the fur sort of "grows" in one direction so when you cut the pieces off, you can make sure the fur is going in the right direction and it covers any seams you would have showing. It's really hard to make a mistake because the fur covers a lot of mistakes.











I just taped up the underside of the neck instead of all around in order to lighten the load on the motor -- I don't want the head to be too heavy. Also -- during the taping and furring process, I kept checking to make sure I wasn't obstructing the mechanism that animates the head -- just to be on the safe side, I left the undercarriage open:










This is as far as I've gotten -- I'm still waiting for my wolf mask to arrive -- i found one on eBay for about $6.00 and it looked pretty cool. The only problem is it has reddish hair but I found a web site that says you can use Kryon Acrylic Metallic spray paint and that works pretty well to color the hair if you apply it lightly and comb it through, so I'll try to get the hair on the mask to match the fur on the body -- I did look for reddish fur at Joann Fabrics, but I checked two different stores and all they have is white and black.










I'll post some more pictures when I get to that part! At this point it looks more like my neighbor's shepherd/lab mix dog -- but hopefully it'll get scarier once I get the mask on it!

I'm still trying to figure out what to do for feet, if anything -- the darkness on Halloween night hides a lots of details anyway!! Oh, and I just remembered, I need to figure out what to do for the eyes if I want them to light up! I better figure that out before I do anything else! Hmmm, maybe I'll get some of those LED creature eyes on eBay -- I wonder what color would be best, orange or green -- maybe red?

This is really fun - not so hard as it seemed it would be.

I'll post more as it comes along -- probably next weekend! And I'll post a video of it once it's complete.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Ooh! I can't wait to see more!!


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

How many yards does it take to do this? I have a reddish mask too and can't find any matching fur either and I have been searching for YEARS! 
I do have one mask in black/grey that comes in pieces and you kind of stick them to your face and fill in with makeup only I will use fur to fill it in if I have to use them instead of the really neat reddish mask I have.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Deadna said:


> How many yards does it take to do this? I have a reddish mask too and can't find any matching fur either and I have been searching for YEARS!
> I do have one mask in black/grey that comes in pieces and you kind of stick them to your face and fill in with makeup only I will use fur to fill it in if I have to use them instead of the really neat reddish mask I have.


I was wondering how many yards yours used as well. I used exactly 1 yard on mine, but mine is smaller. I had to do the head on mine though, because I didn't use a mask. With my coupon at Joanne's I got my fur for $5 including the tax.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Oh and the other thing I was wondering is if you are going to have it "eating something", because the head goes up and down it would be cool if there was a carcass under it.  I don't normally like the gorey stuff, but I think this would be a cool idea with the up and down motion.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Deadna, I purchased 2 yards of fur for mine and that was the perfect amount. I know what you mean about not finding an exact match color fur to the mask. I just got what was closest. It'll be dark anyway.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

I got the end of a bolt and it was 1 7/8 yards -- right now I have about half a yard left, plenty to do the neck. I spray painted the hair on the mask with black krylon acrylic paint and it looks pretty gross but that's okay!! I'll post some more pics this weekend. I am definitely planning to have some bones under it's head, like it's eating them, and maybe one in it's mouth -- nothing too gory or scary for the tots plus I don't like the gory stuff!

I found out that light shines through the eyes that are on the mask so I bought a set of the led eyes on eBay tonite & I'll try taping them behind the eyes. Now I'm trying to decide how to make the tail, plus I think the fur on the body needs to look more mangey --- maybe some rust colored paint might work?

This is really an easy and fun project -- you're only limited by your imagination!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Effie said:


> Now I'm trying to decide how to make the tail, plus I think the fur on the body needs to look more mangey --- maybe some rust colored paint might work?
> 
> This is really an easy and fun project -- you're only limited by your imagination!


To mat the hair down on mine, I used hair spray. Just an idea. Can't wait to see some pics of it all done with the eyes lit up.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

That wolf is looking great!! Your application of the fur is top notch!
I've been meaning to make one of these for years. Thanks for the pics!


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## GhoulGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

They all look great!! I still have to close the original eye holes in mine.


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

These are awesome guys. Thanks for the pics!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

GhoulGirl said:


> They all look great!! I still have to close the original eye holes in mine.


Ghoulgirl, your wolf is awesome! How did you do the feet?


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## GhoulGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

Effie said:


> Ghoulgirl, your wolf is awesome! How did you do the feet?


Thank you!! I just used extra fabric, shaped it and sewed it. Never did so much sewing before!!!!


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## GhoulGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

Personally, I think the best deer to use is the one from Big Lots. The one that moves its head side to side. That's the deer Spiderfreak used in his and we all know how awesome his turned out!!!!. I think its neck and legs are angled better giving it a more natural look. My deer was from Wal-Mart. The neck is in a more upright position and the legs are totally straight. I'll be doing another as soon as Big Lots puts out their deer.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

GhoulGirl said:


> Personally, I think the best deer to use is the one from Big Lots. The one that moves its head side to side. That's the deer Spiderfreak used in his and we all know how awesome his turned out!!!!. I think its neck and legs are angled better giving it a more natural look. My deer was from Wal-Mart. The neck is in a more upright position and the legs are totally straight. I'll be doing another as soon as Big Lots puts out their deer.


Oooohhh, that explains it!! Spiderfreak's deer, ummm, I mean wolf, looks amazing and I noticed the legs look a lot more natural. Those straight legs look kind of weird. Thanks for the tip!!

Here's a video of mine so far -- I'm not as happy with it as I hoped, but I'll do some more stuff to it and on Halloween night it'll probably look pretty scary!!


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## GhoulGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

You're gonna get a lot of scares out of your wolf! No worries there!!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

GhoulGirl said:


> You're gonna get a lot of scares out of your wolf! No worries there!!


Thanks for the encouragement! I just took some of the black paint and toned down the red tufts I had put on my wolf (I had cut them off of the mask because it was huge and needed cutting down in order to fit) -- then I used some "paprika" paint I bought (to paint a plastic chain I bought for him so it would look "rusty") and I used that to spread some of the red tint around -- it was the perfect color to match the red on the mask -- so now he doesn't look so "patchy" and I think he's a little scarier -- here's some pics -- the red really isn't as bright as it appears in the pics:



















I also just used safety pins to pin on the mask, since I want to be able to take it off and put the LED lights in when I get them.


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## GhoulGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

I think he's looking good! I might have to tame the mask a little on mine. So he doesn't look so much like a lion!! Now I have to search for another wolf mask so I can be ready when Big Lots puts out their deer!! This time, I'm going to make a black one. Spiderfreak wants to make one in white. That would get really dirty in my yard!!


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

That last video of the black wolf is awesome Effie. I want to do one just like that now. Can't find a darn used deer though. Brand new they are $32... plus shipping. Maybe it's still a good value, but I'd rather find it free (or super cheap anyway).


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

oh, and you should totally put a carcass under it (so it looks like its eating)!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

SinisterSmitty said:


> That last video of the black wolf is awesome Effie. I want to do one just like that now. Can't find a darn used deer though. Brand new they are $32... plus shipping. Maybe it's still a good value, but I'd rather find it free (or super cheap anyway).


You could also make one. I built one and added a mouth that opens and closes as well. Lot cheaper then buying a deer and then adding fur. Just an idea.


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## GhoulGirl (Nov 21, 2008)

SinisterSmitty said:


> That last video of the black wolf is awesome Effie. I want to do one just like that now. Can't find a darn used deer though. Brand new they are $32... plus shipping. Maybe it's still a good value, but I'd rather find it free (or super cheap anyway).


Big Lots will have their deer out before Halloween. They're usually about $18. I'm going to do another one.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

GhoulGirl said:


> Big Lots will have their deer out before Halloween. They're usually about $18. I'm going to do another one.


All right! I'll be going to Big Lots quite a lot between now and Halloween! 

Thanks for the compliment SinisterSmitty! I just bought a couple more masks on eBay so when I make some more they'll look alike -- the masks are on sale on eBay right now for $6.29 -- just do a search for "Werewolf Dog Evil Monster Mask Brown Wig NWT" (although it said KMart on the package so you might be better off waiting and getting them at the store?) -- also JoAnn Fabric has another 40% off coupon for one cut of fabric through September 5th -- I'm going to go back and get some more fur this week. 

The more I look at my wolf, the more I like him! I think that he (or they) will look very scary on Halloween night!!


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

yardhauntjunkie said:


> You could also make one. I built one and added a mouth that opens and closes as well. Lot cheaper then buying a deer and then adding fur. Just an idea.


junkie... you are like a prop building mad scientist... I don't think I have the skills required to get the head to move like yours! I did like your dogwolf a lot though!


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

GhoulGirl said:


> Big Lots will have their deer out before Halloween. They're usually about $18. I'm going to do another one.


Sweet... thanks for the info GhoulGirl. I will definitely be going to big lots soon!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

SinisterSmitty said:


> junkie... you are like a prop building mad scientist... I don't think I have the skills required to get the head to move like yours! I did like your dogwolf a lot though!


I don't know about mad scientist, I just make it look harder then it actually is. 

I only suggest making it yourself because then you can have angled legs and make the head move any way you want and the mouth open and close. I hate to admit this but I actually took the motor out of a reindeer and used it for my FCG and threw the reindeer body away. I could have built another wolf with it.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

I was just surfing around looking for "animated wolf deer" and I found Spiderfreak's tutorial -- he explains how he made the feet! And everything else -- wow!!!!! I hope its okay to post a link to it here?

The Mad Lab - February 2009 Tutorial

I also found this site where someone is making a DRAGON using two deer back to back --

PapaMcCain&#146;s Gallery » HauntSpace.Com


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Effie said:


> I also found this site where someone is making a DRAGON using two deer back to back --
> 
> PapaMcCain’s Gallery » HauntSpace.Com


Do dragons typically have 6 legs? Cool idea.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)




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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

yardhauntjunkie said:


> Do dragons typically have 6 legs? Cool idea.



HAAHAAAAA Mutant?


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

yardhauntjunkie said:


> I don't know about mad scientist, I just make it look harder then it actually is.
> 
> I only suggest making it yourself because then you can have angled legs and make the head move any way you want and the mouth open and close. I hate to admit this but I actually took the motor out of a reindeer and used it for my FCG and threw the reindeer body away. I could have built another wolf with it.


Very creative junkie! I didn't even think about that... Guess it wouldn't hurt to get the body done, then just install the motor when I get my hands on one! I wonder if a wiper motor would work?


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

Effie said:


> I was just surfing around looking for "animated wolf deer" and I found Spiderfreak's tutorial -- he explains how he made the feet! And everything else -- wow!!!!! I hope its okay to post a link to it here?
> 
> The Mad Lab - February 2009 Tutorial
> 
> ...


Effie - These are awesome links... thanks for sharing. Everyday I become more obsessed with this project. I just asked everyone at work if they had any deer they no longer wanted. Then, of course, they ask why? And I have to explain how crazy I am. They just don't understand!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

You're welcome, SinisterSmitty! I understand totally -- one of my coworkers suggested sending around a group email to the entire office asking for any unwanted deer and I seriously thought about it but decided I better not . . . most of my coworkers already know how crazy I am when it comes to Halloween -- I already put in for vacation on the 30th and they all understood and I got back a few jokes about how it should be a national holiday, etc. . . .

I even checked my local "Craig's List" listings and found quite a few animated deer there surprisingly -- I had never checked it for anything before and I emailed one person but didn't get a response and I don't think I'll follow up on that, but if you feel comfortable doing it, it might be worth checking.


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## SinisterSmitty (Jul 9, 2009)

Effie said:


> You're welcome, SinisterSmitty! I understand totally -- one of my coworkers suggested sending around a group email to the entire office asking for any unwanted deer and I seriously thought about it but decided I better not . . . most of my coworkers already know how crazy I am when it comes to Halloween -- I already put in for vacation on the 30th and they all understood and I got back a few jokes about how it should be a national holiday, etc. . . .
> 
> I even checked my local "Craig's List" listings and found quite a few animated deer there surprisingly -- I had never checked it for anything before and I emailed one person but didn't get a response and I don't think I'll follow up on that, but if you feel comfortable doing it, it might be worth checking.


I check craigslist weekly... haven't found anything, which is odd because Washing DC craigslist is huge!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

*Wolf Pack from animated Reindeers*

Okay -- I made another wolf today - I guess I now have a pack of wolves! The second one went so much faster now that I've done one already -- it only took a couple of hours! My cute little Cane Corso puppy Maizey doesn't know what to think! I bought an inexpensive mp3 player with attached speakers on Amazon, but the volume doesn't go high enough and you can barely hear it. I don't think that'll work on Halloween night -- it'll need to be much louder to be heard over the noise of everything else going on!

YouTube - Maizey & the wolves


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

LOL Your daogs don't look too happy.


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## halloweendarkangel (Aug 29, 2008)

*Awwwwww what great faces your puppy dogs have. So when will you breed the two?, cause i want one of the little fur balls for my haunt next year. Dont worry Ill feed it and give it plenty of lovies, *


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## Front Yard Fright (Jul 7, 2008)

LOL!
Poor pups don't know what's going on!

Very good job! They will look extra spooky come Halloween night!
.

As far as the MP3 player, is there a jack for headphones? You could try and put some old computer speakers inside the wolf's head or something to help make the MP3 player louder.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

Front Yard Fright said:


> LOL!
> Poor pups don't know what's going on!
> 
> Very good job! They will look extra spooky come Halloween night!
> ...


Thanks! My husband also says they'll look great on Halloween night in the fog -- he's the fog-master on Halloween night! Thanks for the idea about computer speakers -- I didn't think about it being the speakers, duh! I'll see if I can 'scare' some up!


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## Bubbels (Nov 30, 2008)

Effie said:


> Okay -- I made another wolf today - I guess I now have a pack of wolves! The second one went so much faster now that I've done one already -- it only took a couple of hours! My cute little Cane Corso puppy Maizey doesn't know what to think! I bought an inexpensive mp3 player with attached speakers on Amazon, but the volume doesn't go high enough and you can barely hear it. I don't think that'll work on Halloween night -- it'll need to be much louder to be heard over the noise of everything else going on!


Those are great! Where did you get the masks? Probably my biggest problem right now with making some is that I have no masks. I tried to sculpt and create one from latex, but it come out just OK.

Thats great that your dogs are checking them out!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

Bubbels said:


> Those are great! Where did you get the masks? Probably my biggest problem right now with making some is that I have no masks. I tried to sculpt and create one from latex, but it come out just OK.


Thanks! I got three masks on eBay -- here's a link, they still have 3 more and they are still on sale!! Mine had the original KMart price on them of $12.99 -- and they are on sale on eBay for $6.25 plus $5.45 shipping, so it's still cheaper than buying them at the store! 

The only problem with these is there is a slit above the werewolf's eyes for the person wearing the mask to see out of -- but I just took a needle and some black thread and sewed it shut -- worked fine and gave the first mask an even more evil look -- I still have to do it on the second one once the paint dries.


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## Bubbels (Nov 30, 2008)

Well shoot! "Sale ended" I guess I will have to keep a look out! Maybe Kmart will have them again this year. That is a good deal on a mask though for the purpose. Now just to find faux fur that doesnt cost an arm and a leg!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

Bubbels said:


> Well shoot! "Sale ended" I guess I will have to keep a look out! Maybe Kmart will have them again this year. That is a good deal on a mask though for the purpose. Now just to find faux fur that doesnt cost an arm and a leg!


Oh, sorry about that! I bet if you email them, they would relist it on eBay. I also checked their web site and they have them there but they are back up to $6.99, still not a bad price, though. The fur is a problem - it is expensive at JoAnn's and I checked eBay and it's really expensive there. All together for these two deer I used almost all of the yard and 7/8 that I bought, luckily I had a 40% off coupon for that, which really helped a lot.


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## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

this is one of the coolest ideas I have seen. I've got to m ake me some!!!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Both of those wolves look too good to NOT make one!
I've got all the parts except the fur, so I'm gonna get started!
Thanks for the inspiration! 
Those dogs checking out the wolves are priceless!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

JoAnn's still has 40% off a single cut of "by the yard" fabric through August 29th (next Saturday) -- here's a link to the printable coupon! 

Oh - and be sure to post some pics here so we can see 'em!! The more, the merrier, or should I say "the scarier?"


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks for the coupon link, but I don't have a Joann's in my area. 
Anybody know if Sloppy Lobby (Hobby Lobby) sells fur fabric??


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Dave you can order online at Joanns and use the coupon.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

I tried ordering the fur online at JoAnn's with an online coupon, and even though I ordered two yards, they only applied the coupon to ONE yard of it and charged me the full price for the second yard -- apparently they don't send a continuous cut, but two separate cuts of one yard each.  On the plus side, it only took about a yard for each wolf -- I bought two yards and still have some fur left over even.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Dragonomine said:


> Dave you can order online at Joanns and use the coupon.


Thanks for the info. I'll try that!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Just checked out the reindeer/wolf pics and think you guys have done a great job. I picked up a reindeer last year at Big Lots (who by the way also sells inexpensive "powered" speakers--$6 I think--that sound pretty good). I think I will try to make it to my local Joanne's with the coupon this Saturday before the sale ends. Thanks for posting it. Getting actually started on a new project is always the hardest part for me. I'm always afraid of making a mistake. But your projects have given me a kick in the pants.

Regarding the straight legs, I think it's a proportional thing that should be easy to fix. I would suggest focusing on the upper leg area and adding some padding there and maybe just add more fabric over it for a quick and easy fix. The legs appear like sticks because there's no real apparent muscle mass which a beast of this kind would have. Take a look at a dog and see how the leg muscles thicken near the body. The hind end of the body is usually thinner towards the back and the chest area is more developed and muscular. Remember the rib cage is there and that takes up space. Try to duplicate. You'll make him look more powerful. I love how the fur coat looks and the faces are great. Hope my sewing skills are up to yours!

BTW here's a pic of the reindeer from Big Lots last year. Notice how the legs are shaped towards the top of the leg. For a wolf I would accentuate this more however.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Yea, that's what I had planned to do on mine. Try to "bulk up" the upper part of the legs and the rib cage. Still looking for my fur................


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Ok, printed the JoAnn Fabric coupon and bought 1-1/3 yards (just to be safe) of fur tonight--went with the black since I also thought white would be dirty in no time. Thanks for the coupon and the inpetus to get going on this project. Still need to find a mask I like and not sure what I want to do about the eyes but at least I'm on my way! BTW Kmart does have the same mask Effie used, available online for $12.99 (free shipping if ordering more than $39). Just a point of reference.

BTW I took a pic of the Big Lots reindeer (posted above) last year when I bought it and the pic was dated 12/5. I think the deers had been out in the stores for a little while and I saw an ad around the 5th that they were on sale for $15. I knew I wanted one for a wolf project (saw spiderfreak's wolf last halloween and it was love at first sight) so decided to pick up a deer before they were bought out. Are you guys sure they start stocking them _before_ Halloween? I hate to see people wait for one at BL and then can't find one to buy in time to make one for this year.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Ghost of spookie: Have you got a link to the fake fur category of Joann's?
The site loads REALLY SLOW on my computer and then I can't find the fur fabric! LOL
My last resort would be E-bay.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Joann's Grizzly Fur on Sale now*



DaveintheGrave said:


> Ghost of spookie: Have you got a link to the fake fur category of Joann's?
> The site loads REALLY SLOW on my computer and then I can't find the fur fabric! LOL
> My last resort would be E-bay.




Yep, here it is, called Grizzly Craft Fur-2 Colors and it's on sale now--Reg. 14.99 now $10.49. 'Course the 40% coupon won't apply any longer but it can be ordered on line.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks a lot, Spookie! I was thinking I'd like to find a gray color fur, mainly so it would show up at night better. The black does look good, though.
I'm guessing the price is per yard?


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> Thanks a lot, Spookie! I was thinking I'd like to find a gray color fur, mainly so it would show up at night better. The black does look good, though.
> I'm guessing the price is per yard?



Yes per yard. I'll go measure my fabric and let you know how wide it is and update this post. You can always use a spray on it to change the color to gray if you go with the white fur.


UPDATE: My fabric measured apx. 60 inches wide. The shaggy fur does lay best (flat, smooth coat) in one direction--which would be along the length of the bolt of fabric, not width. Depending on the look you want to give your wolf you might want to keep this in mind as you cut out your pieces to put his coat together. Despite it being more expensive than some of the other short fur they stock, I thought this was probably the best choice for the wolf, and as was mentioned, the longer fur will hide your seaming the best.

BTW I only saved about $2 using the coupon during the non-sale price on my purchase (1-1/3 yards), so if you didn't buy your fabric then, I wouldn't feel too bad on missing out on using the coupon. The sale price is still a pretty good price.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks for the tip about spray painting. I forgot about that.
So a yard of fur would be 60" wide and 3 feet long?
Thanks for your help!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> Thanks for the tip about spray painting. I forgot about that.
> So a yard of fur would be 60" wide and 3 feet long?
> Thanks for your help!



Yes, your calculations are correct. Glad to help out.

As for the spraying of the fur, check back through this post. I know someone did this on their wolf. I don't remember if it was spray paint or a hair coloring spray (they make temporary and permanent color I think--hair care and theatrical for halloween and such).


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Here's a rather inexpensive wolf mask at Target ($13):

Werewolf Mask - OSFM : Target

Same price and very similar look to the Kmart one.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Ghost of Spookie said:


> Here's a rather inexpensive wolf mask at Target ($13):
> 
> Werewolf Mask - OSFM : Target
> 
> Same price and very similar look to the Kmart one.


Looks like the same mask I used for mine.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I finally got started on my wolf project. I wanted to make the legs of mine more like the shape of a real wolf's legs. I had an old wooden reindeer my Dad was throwing away and used the legs from it as a basic pattern to draw the wolf legs onto cardboard. I traced that pattern onto wood and used my $10.00 jigsaw I got from Big Lots last year to cut out the new legs. I'll eventually remove the wireframe reindeer legs or incorporate them as part of the new legs. Right now they help support the wolf frame while I'm working on it.


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

DaveintheGrave said:


> I finally got started on my wolf project. I wanted to make the legs of mine more like the shape of a real wolf's legs. I had an old wooden reindeer my Dad was throwing away and used the legs from it as a basic pattern to draw the wolf legs onto cardboard. I traced that pattern onto wood and used my $10.00 jigsaw I got from Big Lots last year to cut out the new legs. I'll eventually remove the wireframe reindeer legs or incorporate them as part of the new legs. Right now they help support the wolf frame while I'm working on it.


This is great. What I have a hard time with is why not make these things from scratch? I mean that is some talent to make legs like that, so why not put your own stamp on the thing entirely? Keep up the good work though. I can't wait to see it when it is done.


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

DaveintheGrave said:


> I finally got started on my wolf project. I wanted to make the legs of mine more like the shape of a real wolf's legs. I had an old wooden reindeer my Dad was throwing away and used the legs from it as a basic pattern to draw the wolf legs onto cardboard. I traced that pattern onto wood and used my $10.00 jigsaw I got from Big Lots last year to cut out the new legs. I'll eventually remove the wireframe reindeer legs or incorporate them as part of the new legs. Right now they help support the wolf frame while I'm working on it.


Those legs are awesome, they look very realistic, I think they look a lot more like wolf legs than deer legs, and you've already solved the problem of how to make the feet! Great work!!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

yardhauntjunkie said:


> This is great. What I have a hard time with is why not make these things from scratch? I mean that is some talent to make legs like that, so why not put your own stamp on the thing entirely? Keep up the good work though. I can't wait to see it when it is done.


I don't know how much talent I've got, but this was my first attempt at using a jigsaw and I was surprised how easy it is to use. (I don't have ANY power tools, except a drill and a dremel.) 
I was thinking the same thing--why do I need the reindeer frame at all? But I want the head movement and the reindeer frame is already set up for that, so i'll go ahead and use it. Plus I'm kind of pressed for time right now. But anyone who's good at using chicken wire could make a decent body after cuting out the legs and it wouldn't be hard to add a motor for head movement.
I'll keep posting pics. I still need to get fur, but I'm going to bulk up the upper legs with some padding first before adding the fur.

Also if anyone wants the same legs like these I'd be glad to either send a copy of my patterns to you or I could cut them out of wood with the jigsaw and ship the legs at cost. Be happy to help.
I'm really happy how it's coming along so far!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

An update pic of my wolf. I used some carpet padding to bulk up the legs some.
And I decided to change out the reindeer motor for one that's a bit faster. I'm also trying to incorporate some mouth movement in the wolf mask. I'm trying to get the mechanics of it done while I'm waiting for the fur I ordered.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Fairly inexpensive Werewolf masks*

Back from a trip to Target and Walmart. Saw these two werewolf masks on the shelves. Target's was $12.99 and Walmart's was $20. 


















(Pictured Left to Right: Target, Walmart)


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Well I ended up picking up the wolf head from Target today (same as Kmart one). The price was right, probably cheapest I found, and I liked that the mask face was the most like a wolf head, as opposed to a werewolf head, which was more of the look I wanted. My timing was good in that this was the last mask like this that I saw in my Target.

Tomorrow I will dig up my box with the reindeer in it and see how the fit is and how I'll need to modify things. I've been looking at the inside of the mask (full head) and seeing how it's seamed with the fur. I'll probably just separate the mask portion from the brown fur of the mask since I'm using black body fur. I'm also considering just spray painting the mask's fur black in which case I'll want to do a trim of the "mane". I'm not sure what other modifications I'll want to make. I'd love to play with the eyes and if they are clear plastic, open up the back of the mask so that they can be back lit. The eyes of this mask were also one of the reasons I liked the mask a lot. Pretty realistic looking. I'd love to animate the mouth but doubt that will happen this year. There are above eye, nose and mouth holes that will need to be dealt with. 

I'm curious how many other people are making a wolf this year, what mask you are using and what kind of modifications you are doing to the face area. Anyone else out there that hasn't posted already on this thread?


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## brombones (Sep 16, 2009)

I just thought of a suggestion for the eyes. While i'm not actually doing this project, a glance at an earlier picture gave me an idea. It seems that most of these wolf masks don't have eyes already in them. If you can get access to the eyes or something like it, you could hook up a pair of small lights to the back of the plastic eyes to make them glow brighter. My friend had those christmas deer things, and they had lights already on them. A little wire work and you could remove all of the lights except for 2 and put them just behind the plastic eyes in the mask. Not sure how opaque the plastic eyes would be though...


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Exactly brombones, that's actually what I meant when I referred to back lit. 

I just peeled a small portion of the eye from the mask and it is clear resin, so the rusty brown look of the eyes come from paint that comes off when the eye is removed from the mask. Not sure if the pupil would disappear too if removed completely from the mask and don't want to risk it right now. The iris/pupil (eyeball) of the mask does have a flat back if that's helpful to anyone thinking of the same thing. The eyes losing the rusty brown color may not be all that bad either since I'm not sure I really want the eyes to appear brown. Kind of hard to see at night even if back lit. Eerie green or gold might be a better choice. Red might be another.

I'm also contemplating looking into purchasing some taxidermy glass eyes but I know I'm running short of time and may want to just finish him up sooner than later for this year at least. I heard that Van ***** had been bought out, speaking of taxidermy supplies. Looks like they are still operating under their name though.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

I pretty sure the Van ***** eyeballs have flat backs to them. I don't know if you could back light them. I think these look great. Come as a pair. 

Coyote/Wolf/Fox , North American, Glass Eyes at Van ***** Taxidermy

And this might come in helpful too. How to Use Sychron Eye Capsules

They also do custom eyes: Van ****'s Custom Eyes

Here's a taxidermy tutorial on setting eyes into taxidermy body forms that might give some of you some ideas: How to Set Mammal Eyes Using Van ****'s Clay Gun BTW you can see the back side of an eye getting ready to be placed in one of these pictures.

Anyone out there dabble in taxidermy?


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I'll get some updated pics of mine soon. I've been working on it off and on.
My mask had eye holes and I just used a needle and thread to sew up the eye holes (from the inside of the mask). Worked great.
I've got some mouth animation going also. Not hard to do. I'll try to post a pic of my setup,
Here's the mask I'm using. I got it a couple of year ago at K-mart (this is after I sewed the eye holes shut):


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

Ghost of Spookie said:


> I pretty sure the Van ***** eyeballs have flat backs to them. I don't know if you could back light them. I think these look great. Come as a pair.
> 
> Coyote/Wolf/Fox , North American, Glass Eyes at Van ***** Taxidermy
> 
> ...


Does stuffing a thanksgiving turkey count?  This is helpful eye info. I have several masks to adapt for our little backyard haunted trail - and finding a source for eyes that can be illuminated is great! Thanks so much.... and .... BOO!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

HallowSusieBoo said:


> Does stuffing a thanksgiving turkey count?  This is helpful eye info. I have several masks to adapt for our little backyard haunted trail - and finding a source for eyes that can be illuminated is great! Thanks so much.... and .... BOO!




Turkey! LOL. Just so you didn't misunderstand what I posted about the Van **** source, I don't know if those can be back lit. I'll try to call them tomorrow and find out though and report back. 

DaveintheGrave, love your prop head. It's coming along really well. Those eyes! Look forward to see the head animated. What color fur did you end up buying BTW? Thanks for your update.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks, Spookie! I'll try to get some pics/vid of it.
I ended up buying this gray fur from E-bay. It's REALLY well made and I think I have enough to make 3 or 4 wolves  :
3 Yard Lots of Gray Faux Fur fabric NICE Made in Japan - eBay (item 270454875042 end time Oct-10-09 19:14:33 PDT)

Surprisingly it even matches the fur on the mask I'm using. Kind of light gray on top, with black fur underneath.


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## daspizz23 (Aug 31, 2009)

Thanks for the recomendation - I just bought the same fur off ebay! Where did you get the mask/Did you post a pic of it yet? I'd love to get it now & not wait for the fur to come and match it.

Thanks again!

D


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Don't know about DaveintheGrave's mask (he said he bought it a few years back from Kmart and they don't sell this one any more), but Spirit Halloween sells one (comes with hands). If you go for the Spirit one, look for the coupon posted on the forum to save you a little money.

Grey Wolf Mask with Hands in Accessories, Wigs, Masks, Hats, & Makeup Halloween Masks Classic Character Masks


Around the same price from Amazon and others: 
Going up in price: 
Here's another gray wolf mask (double the price however):

Grey Wolf Mask - The ABoyd Company


You might also be able to save money by picking up the Target or Kmart brown masks ($13) and paint it gray. I bought a brown one and will most likely paint it black. Alternatively, Halloweenmart sells this white one ($20) through Amazon you could do the same thing with (this might be a nice pick if someone buys the white fur from JoAnne's):


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## zleviticus (Sep 11, 2009)

I saw the wolfman mask at target and at k-mart.


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

zleviticus said:


> I saw the wolfman mask at target and at k-mart.




I just saw it at Walmart.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Dragonomine said:


> I just saw it at Walmart.


Dragonomine was it gray though? The werewolf mask I saw at Walmart last night and online was brown not gray. I think the person who bought the gray fur was hoping to find a somewhat matching gray mask like DaveintheGraves.

BTW I dug through our garage and found a deer to use for my wolf prop yesterday. I could have sworn I bought the one from Big Lots last year (even remember being in another town going to get it) but the box I had said Walmart. So either there's another one somewhere or I'm totally confused about it. The Walmart one is actually nicely constructed with sturdy metal framing. The lights were a cinch to take off since they had these little recessed clamp areas to connect to the wire and they lifted off easily. Didn't have to worry about the antlers or tail either. The motor on it is really quiet. I assembled him, plugged him in and threw my wolf mask over his head. Left him on for a number of hours to see if there would be any problems. All is a go. This deer has an upright head and turns it side to side. My hubby came home, looked at it and asked if he could take it to the office. hehe. Later I could swear I saw him pet the thing on his head...I might have to guard this prop with my life. I'm still looking into what eyes to use on him (the ones he has or others) and hope to settle on some this weekend. Need to measure the mask to see how much space I have to work with. I'm also debating on how to turn my brown mask black. Don't want rush into anything so may take some time to mull it over and work on another project in the meantime. We did pick up a speaker jack for my white haired Spirit Ball guy at Radio Shack last night. I've seen my husband eyeing that prop too...


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## zleviticus (Sep 11, 2009)

Ghost of Spookie said:


> I'm also debating on how to turn my brown mask black. Don't want rush into anything so may take some time to mull it over and work on another project in the meantime. We did pick up a speaker jack for my white haired Spirit Ball guy at Radio Shack last night. I've seen my husband eyeing that prop too...


What about hair dye? don;t know how well it will work since the hair is probably plastic. you could do light coats of spray paint.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

daspizz23 said:


> Thanks for the recomendation - I just bought the same fur off ebay! Where did you get the mask/Did you post a pic of it yet? I'd love to get it now & not wait for the fur to come and match it.
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> D


Sure, glad I could help. This fur seems really nice and soft. I want to make a coat out of it! LOL
Yea, this mask I was lucky to find after-Halloween at K-mart a couple of years ago. I had bought the smaller brown wolf mask, but went back another day and found this gray one.
The one spookie posted from Spirit looks pretty good. Just needs eyes, though.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Here's a couple of pics on how I made the mouth movement. Basically I took a small door hinge and used a scrap piece of metal on the back of it to bolt it onto one of the bars on the front of the reindeer head. Then cut two short lengths of wooden dowel and screwed them to the front part of the hinge. (The dowels fit in the wolf mask under the lower jaw). Ran some string from the end of the dowels down the neck, under a small pulley, then tied it off on one of the leg mounting boards (in front of the motor). As the head moves side-to-side the string pulls and raises and lowers the dowels, thus moving the wolf mouth.






































Any questions I'm glad to answer!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Rite Aid Gray Werewolf mask*

Forgot that I had this photo on my cell phone. Found this mask at Rite Aid pharmacy a few weeks ago. $19.99. Might be a choice for someone out there.











Thanks DaveintheGrave for the update. Especially on the mouth. I'm going to have to pour over those videos and pics. I'd love to add that extra movement if I can and have the time. Very neat effect. Your frame worked out well with that middle wooden section to mount to. Wow pulleys. Simple but I'm clueless. I'm going to have to go to the mechanical prop tutorial section for educating on this...


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> Here's a couple of pics on how I made the mouth movement. Basically I took a small door hinge and used a scrap piece of metal.... As the head moves side-to-side the string pulls and raises and lowers the dowels, thus moving the wolf mouth.




WOW! this is _fantastic!_. Thanks so much for sharing


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I think everyone knows by now I try to squeeze every possible prop movement possible from a single motor that I can. Would you believe I've got some tail movement going also using the same setup on the rear (without the pulley)?
Spookie--You can get the mouth movement without the pulley. I made it that way originally, but then got the idea for the pulley. It only helps a little bit, so it's not absolutely necessary. I think it wouldn't take you long to get the mouth movement on your wolf. The hardest part is mounting the door hinge to a stable spot. I used some bailing wire on each side of the hinge also to keep it stabilized.
Feel free to PM me if you need any help!
I'm ready to get started on the fur!!

Thanks, Halloweenie1!!


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

Ghost of Spookie said:


> Dragonomine was it gray though? The werewolf mask I saw at Walmart last night and online was brown not gray. I think the person who bought the gray fur was hoping to find a somewhat matching gray mask like DaveintheGraves.
> 
> BTW I dug through our garage and found a deer to use for my wolf prop yesterday. I could have sworn I bought the one from Big Lots last year (even remember being in another town going to get it) but the box I had said Walmart. So either there's another one somewhere or I'm totally confused about it. The Walmart one is actually nicely constructed with sturdy metal framing. The lights were a cinch to take off since they had these little recessed clamp areas to connect to the wire and they lifted off easily. Didn't have to worry about the antlers or tail either. The motor on it is really quiet. I assembled him, plugged him in and threw my wolf mask over his head. Left him on for a number of hours to see if there would be any problems. All is a go. This deer has an upright head and turns it side to side. My hubby came home, looked at it and asked if he could take it to the office. hehe. Later I could swear I saw him pet the thing on his head...I might have to guard this prop with my life. I'm still looking into what eyes to use on him (the ones he has or others) and hope to settle on some this weekend. Need to measure the mask to see how much space I have to work with. I'm also debating on how to turn my brown mask black. Don't want rush into anything so may take some time to mull it over and work on another project in the meantime. We did pick up a speaker jack for my white haired Spirit Ball guy at Radio Shack last night. I've seen my husband eyeing that prop too...




Oh! No, sorry! It was brown.


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## a witch from canada (Jul 13, 2005)

Dave that wolf is gonna look awsome , the mouth movement is really cool .


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## halloween_sucks_in_the_uk (Sep 28, 2008)

> Okay -- I made another wolf today - I guess I now have a pack of wolves! The second one went so much faster now that I've done one already -- it only took a couple of hours! My cute little Cane Corso puppy Maizey doesn't know what to think! I bought an inexpensive mp3 player with attached speakers on Amazon, but the volume doesn't go high enough and you can barely hear it. I don't think that'll work on Halloween night -- it'll need to be much louder to be heard over the noise of everything else going on!


lol great vid of the dogs, it made me chuckle the way your dog had a bum sniff of the reindeer wolf...bet he/she was thinking WTF are you doing on my turf.


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## Kimber53711 (Sep 22, 2009)

I love all the wolves guys! I cant wait to get started on my own! I just got my deer today actually 2 of them since someone sold them to me as a set. But mine seem a little tall, and the neck a little long. Can anyone tell me how tall theirs is like from feet to top of the head? I want to make sure I dont need to make any alterations to the frame before I start working. Thanks so much!


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## Dragonomine (Sep 28, 2008)

I saw the gray masks at Spirit. It came with gloves as well.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

a witch from canada said:


> Dave that wolf is gonna look awsome , the mouth movement is really cool .


Thank you , Witch F.C. ! I appreciate it!



Kimber53711 said:


> I love all the wolves guys! I cant wait to get started on my own! I just got my deer today actually 2 of them since someone sold them to me as a set. But mine seem a little tall, and the neck a little long. Can anyone tell me how tall theirs is like from feet to top of the head? I want to make sure I dont need to make any alterations to the frame before I start working. Thanks so much!


Kimber--my deer is 3 feet tall to the top of his head (without the antlers). If you're using a mask on it, the mask will end up covering quite a bit of the neck.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I got the legs finished today. They turned out really well. I ended up making the feet a bit bigger than I had planned, but I think it will look more menacing that way.
Now just need to put fur on the tail and body.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> I got the legs finished today. They turned out really well. I ended up making the feet a bit bigger than I had planned, but I think it will look more menacing that way.
> Now just need to put fur on the tail and body.



Dave those legs are awesome!! I love the paws just like they are. You get a sense of big and powerful. He is going to look _so_ good! And I like the fur too.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks, spookie! 
That fur I bought off of E-bay is really good quality. I'm happy with the way it's turning out so far!


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

DaveintheGrave said:


> Thanks, spookie!
> That fur I bought off of E-bay is really good quality. I'm happy with the way it's turning out so far!


I love that fur, too! It was a really good price -- I'm so jealous because I looked on eBay for fur and did not see that auction, I don't think it was up when I was shopping for fur  I did find some gray fur, but it was more expensive. I just think a realistic looking wolf needs to be gray!! 

Your wolf is looking really great -- I love his paws, too -- can't wait to see him in action!!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks, Effie!
I like the gray color too. I'm sure a darker color fur might be scarier, but I'll have the wolf out in the yard during the daytime hours mostly (before Halloween) and I figured the lighter color gray would make the wolf more visible on the lawn.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> I got the legs finished today. They turned out really well. I ended up making the feet a bit bigger than I had planned, but I think it will look more menacing that way.
> Now just need to put fur on the tail and body.


Excellent work, Dave! If I may ask, what type of fur did you use? 
Many thanks!_* H1*_


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## Effie (Aug 31, 2007)

Halloweenie1 said:


> Excellent work, Dave! If I may ask, what type of fur did you use?
> Many thanks!_* H1*_


I was just checking out the fur myself so I thought I'd put a link to it here -- the original auction expired, but there are two more lots up for sale right now. It's $24.99 for a three yard lot -- which is less than the fur at JoAnn's even with shipping. The eBay listing says:


*Need some wolf fur?? D)
*
*This listing is for 3 running yard lots of this beautiful faux fur fabric. The pile of the fur is 2 inches long. 
*
*It is branded DEEP PILE FABRIC from Nippon High Pile Fabric Manufacture, Ltd. of Japan. 
*
*The rolls are 60" wide, so each lot is 45 square feet of fabric. *

*It is very high quality. It will only shed from loose edges where it is cut. *


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks for the compliment, Halloweenie1 !! Yea, that's it. Thanks for posting that, Effie!
And everything that ad claims is TRUE! This fur is really high quality and it's probably enough to make at least two wolves!
I guess my timing was just right!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Van ****'s Taxidermy Nite Eyes for ReindeerWolf*

I finally checked out the eyes over at Van ****'s Taxidermy. I just ordered a pair of their Coyote Nite Eyes. They were designed to light from behind and are made to be authentic to species. The Coyote (Wolf) eyes have round pupils; the Bobcat (in 2 sizes) are slit, like cat eyes, in case you are wondering the difference. They also make some awesome looking Competition coyote/wolf eyes but those cannot be back lit so I'm not posting a link to them, but they are also available.

I'm going to try adding my own lighting system to save some money but they do sell a system to go along with the Nite Eyes that comes in "dim" and in "bright" lighting. Pictures comparing the two light sources would have been nice to see.

BTW Van ****'s has been in the taxidermy business for quite a while so should be a good, reliable source to purchase these from. Nice sales staff too. 

Here's a link to Van ****'s in case you have needs for other things they sell: Van ***** Taxidermy

Here's a link to the Night Eyes products: Van ***** Taxidermy Search

Here's a link to their human doll eyes which are sold by the pair: Specialty, Glass Eyes at Van ***** Taxidermy


9/29 - just received email from Van ***** that the eyes have shipped. They were able to be mailed first class for $1.39 so total purchase $17.58. I was pleased about that as it kills me when you order something really small and your shipping ends up being half the cost or the cost of the product. So far happy. Not sure how I'll do the backlighting yet but can't wait to see the eyes on the mask. 10/1 - The eyes are here and look terrific. Now to work on the mounting issues and lighting.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Joann Fabric's Online 50% off coupon/1 item*

If anyone is interested in the black or white Grizzly fur that Joann's carries, I see that there's a 50% off online Promo Code on the home page of Joann's right now off the regular price of one item online. This could be used towards the black or white grizzly craft fur since it's not on sale right now--$7.50/yard (reg. $14.99/yard). No idea how long this coupon is valid and not sure if they also have a print coupon for store use.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

Dave, I love the way your wolf is turning out. His legs are amazingly realistic. Great work.


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## Twisted and depraved (Oct 1, 2009)

You would think that being a taxadermy site, they would know that a bobcat's pupils are round.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks a lot, Whisper!
I should have some updated pics next week.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Bobcat's Eyes are Slit*




Twisted and depraved said:


> You would think that being a taxadermy site, they would know that a bobcat's pupils are round.



I've never been close enough to one to know personally but your comment prompted a web search to verify either way. Here's a quote from the Texas Park and Wildlife site: "Excellent eyesight is one of the physical capabilities that allow the bobcat to survive. Its pupils close to thin vertical slits to reduce bright sun-light during the day, and they open wide, covering most of the eyeball, to let in the maximum amount of light at night. " TPWD: Bobcats – Introducing Mammals to Young Naturalists -- 4th paragraph down.

I also checked out various images during a google image search and found that bobcat eyes do indeed appear slit in daytime photos, just like the domestic house cat's. (photo entitled Bobcat Eyes, midway down on the page)


BTW my DH rigged a simple lighting solution for my Van ****'s coyote/wolf Nite Eyes after a trip to Radio Shack last night and they are looking great! I'll try to post a picture tomorrow of the wiring and parts needed in case you're thinking of going the same route I did for your wolf.


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## Twisted and depraved (Oct 1, 2009)

I was just going by personal experience. When I started dating my wife I was initially a little freaked out by Oscar ( her pet bobcat). He died 2 years ago, otherwise I would go in the backyard and take an up close pic. My wife pointed out the eyes of a "stuffed" bobcat we saw at a pawn shop, I thought she was screwing with me. So when we got home I went outside and looked at Oscar's, and they were round.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Animated Reindeer at BIG LOTS! -- Coupon This Week*

Animated lit reindeer are starting to make their appearance in stores if you are looking for a form for your wolf. 

Just got my Buzz Club online newsletter from Big Lots and saw that they are advertising their reindeer again, $18 (same as last year). If you sign up for the Buzz Club newsletter, you'll get a 20% off coupon, good for entire purchase, for the week of Oct. 5-10. That would bring them down to $14.40 a piece.

Here's what they look like: Big Lots -- Christmas


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Here's the circuit my husband put together for my Wolf eyes. He ended up using the circuit at Hauntmaven.com (Wolfstone's Haunted Halloween Site) to make Basic Static LED Eyes using some Radio Shack parts (for parts see the area under Basic Static LED eyes - for those Who Hate Math, we chose the 2nd yellow LED down the list, which is still pretty bright). Hubby also added a switch in the circuit to add some convenience.

Here's a pic of an unmounted Nite Eye in front of an LED:










Here's the Wolfstone site. hauntmaven.com The circuit for the eyes are under Extreme Halloween Decorating link--LED Creature Eyes. Under Commercial LED Eyes, you'll find a list of products you can purchase if you prefer to go that route. The site is full of other interesting projects as well.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

Ghost of Spookie said:


> Here's the circuit my husband put together for my Wolf eyes. He ended up using the circuit at Hauntmaven.com (Wolfstone's Haunted Halloween Site) to make Basic Static LED Eyes using some Radio Shack parts (for parts see the area under Basic Static LED eyes - for those Who Hate Math, we chose the 2nd yellow LED down the list, which is still pretty bright). Hubby also added a switch in the circuit to add some convenience.
> 
> Here's a pic of an unmounted Nite Eye in front of an LED:
> 
> ...



*
Greetings GoS, thanks for posting all the info. & the pic. It's very helpful.* _*H1*_


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## daspizz23 (Aug 31, 2009)

Need some help - I'm getting ready to glue the fur into place. Is there any tricks to cutting the fur the right size? How do you apply the fur in the neck area, so there will be no opening when the deer turns it head (side to side)?

Any help woukd be greatly appreciated!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I'm just now getting to that part also, so I can't help you any there. For mine I first wrapped some carpet padding around the body to bulk it up. I plan to either use wire or to sew the fur to the carpet padding to hold it in place.
I would just overlap the fur a bit in the opening in the neck. 1/2 with the neck fur piece, 1/2 with the body fur piece. Check to make sure the head still moves properly first!


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Mine is different then most of the ones in this thread, but I made a "flap" that extends down from the neck and cover the part that rotates when the head moves side to side. Then I just covered the part underneath it that wraps around the body. I attached my fur with hobby wire and hot glue. Hot glue for most of the body and wire for the jaw because it moves.

You can kind of see the flap on the neck at the 1:30 mark.

YouTube - Dog Wolf how to


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

daspizz23 said:


> Need some help - I'm getting ready to glue the fur into place. Is there any tricks to cutting the fur the right size? How do you apply the fur in the neck area, so there will be no opening when the deer turns it head (side to side)?
> 
> Any help woukd be greatly appreciated!



Like DaveintheGrave I'm not at that stage yet either. I do think if you look back in the thread there were some comments made about attaching the fur with glue including pics as I recall. 

I've been thinking about how to proceed also. Not sure if I want to glue or maybe make several sections of fur that can be sewn together and attached in a couple of places. Sort of like tailoring a clothing piece. I'm going to want to have a flap of some sort so that I can reach in and turn on the eyes (mine has a switch). I also am contemplating putting a cheap m3p player inside him with speaker wires running someplace (along with the electrical cord to the motor) and I would want to get access to both at some point. Since my mask head is brown fur and I am using black fur for the wolf, I may just remove the fabric stitching on the mask and separate the plastic face and ears from the fur and use the brown fur as a pattern to cut out and stitch a new head piece. Right now my brown werewolf mask can just be pulled over the head and easily removed the same way. It's a bit longer than the neck and the reindeer moves fine with the mask on so I may just stick with the basics of what I have. I'll probably wrap the legs and handle the body and head separately.

As for cutting the fur for the body, keep in mind the way the fur lays and how you want it to lay on the wolf. I'm leaning towards making a fabric pattern using some old sheet material and laying it on the wolf form and marking it. Then pinning and cutting it out. Call me Ms. McCall! Too bad I was never good at Home Ec and my apron or skirt didn't turn out all that well. 


BTW the Van **** Taxidermy site has some interesting how-to's including a section on Forms & How to Measure Forms. Maybe it will give you some ideas on how to start. Here's the link to their web page for tutorials: Van ***** Taxidermy


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## gravedigger greg (Oct 25, 2006)

*Just when you think your the only one*

Photo from two years ago... dang, got started, ran out of time and fnished last year. I had cut the legs down to keep from the deer look, mounted speakers and MP3 player inside of body

View attachment 6880


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Your wolf looks really good, gravedigger!
Good idea about the speakers. I think the only room I have left in mine for speakers is in the butt!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*If you decide the pattern and sewing route for Wolf coat*

Decided to use my current furry brown-haired head mask as a pattern for my black fur wolf so will start marking and ripping the seams holding the fabric to the mask. I'll create a pattern from the removed brown fur and use the pattern to cut the black fabric for the head mask. Having never done any sewing with faux fur before I found these three instruction and tip sites that seem helpful. Hope to get the head pretty much completed this weekend.

How to Cut and Sew Fake Fur

How to Sew Faux Fur

How to Sew Faux Fur Fabric | eHow.com


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

OK-here's a few update pics from my wolf.
I used carpet padding to bulk up the body and also to give me something to attach the fur to.




















I've got the body fur put on and the front legs installed. I've also got his tail finished, just need to attach it and then work on the neck/head. His back legs should go on today.


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## gravedigger greg (Oct 25, 2006)

found the video of the wolf from last year. the red lights below are for me. took for ever to get the camera placed in the correct spot for the lightening effect. I gave up and put the red lights below for a reference fo the photo. 

YouTube - dog from christmas raindeer


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Thanks Gravedigger Greg. Unfortunately I can't really see anything much on my computer. Too dark at this end. Any other pics of the wolf when he was done?


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## daspizz23 (Aug 31, 2009)

Dave,

Your pics are awesome! Keep me posted, as I am following your lead!

Wooooooooooo!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks, daspizz! I should have some more updated pics this week with all four legs on plus his tail.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Here's a couple of pics after I got all four legs attached and his tail. He's getting close to being finished!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

He's finished!! I posted a thread about him in the Props section titled "Slobber", the WOLF.
I'm glad to be finished with him. He actually turned out better than I had envisioned!


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## Sahri21 (Oct 16, 2009)

I LOVE IT! That is AWESOME! You officially made those deer cool!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks a lot!!


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## halloween_sucks_in_the_uk (Sep 28, 2008)

That turned out great, love the drooling effect.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

He came out great DaveintheGrave! Is the drool hot glue? Also did you add sound to him? I'd love to see pics of him at night when you have him set up.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks for the compliments!! I hope to get some night pics of it! No, I haven't added sound yet. I did hook up a switch that would activate a sound source every time his head moved, but I figured that would get old fast! Plus I need to find a good sound file for it.
The drool is just some Elmer's glue squirted on aluminum foil. Let it dry and peel it off!


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## SpiritOfHalloween (Oct 29, 2009)

That turned out amazing


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## zleviticus (Sep 11, 2009)

Just went around looking for deer saw a lot for someting liek $40, but found a 4ft one for $19 at home depot. Just a fyi.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Big Lots has animated standing and grazing deer for $18 right now. It's possible that they may do a sale on them at some point. 

Outdoor Décor - BigLots.com search down the pages to see them.


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## SmartisSexy (Oct 14, 2009)

Dave that turned out amazing, you have inspired me to try for next year


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## zleviticus (Sep 11, 2009)

I was in a hurry when i was in big lots but the deer seemed to be 36" or so. Just seemed smaller than what i saw at other stores. Again, i was in a hurry.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

SmartisSexy said:


> Dave that turned out amazing, you have inspired me to try for next year


Thanks! I'm glad I could help.

Reading the posts in this thread is what inspired me to finally create my wolf after collecting the parts for a few years. So, if I can inspire others, I guess I'm just "paying it forward". LOL
My wolf was a BIG hit on Halloween. Two neighbor girls were dressed as "Little Red Riding Hood" (one normal, the other one bloody--before/after) and they posed for pics with the wolf.
Perfect timing!!


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## DEADicated (Sep 22, 2008)

I followed this thread for months and finally made 2 wolves, one static and one with a moving head. The moving head had a leg under it and looked like it was eating the leg. I used the ghosteps and produced footsteps changing from human to wolf with 2 more stages inbetween leading up to the wolf den made up from pvc covered with landscape fabric. Dave in the Grave sent me his leg paterns which were fantastic and the whole thing was realistic enough that the neighbors dog sniffed their butts and 2 different girls had to touch them before they would believe they were not real. Needless to say this was an outstanding success.
Thanks to all for their input on this thread, especialy Dave - this resource was the only reason I got as far as I did.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Glad I could help! Your wolf scene sounds really cool!


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## Xochi16 (Sep 21, 2009)

That wolf is down right amazing! You have inspired me for next year. I am thinking of dressing a deer as a Maleficent Dragon, just the head, putting it up kind of high and building a cave around it. Of course this is just in my imagination right now but hey only 359 more days right?  (do you know of the top of your head the size of your deer) Thanks for the posts!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks! My deer was pretty small. The average $25 deer size.
Maybe 3 feet tall, 3 feet long?


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Sunday only sale (11/8/09) Wolf masks at Kmart.com*

Thought I'd send a heads up if you are looking for a wolf mask for a Reindeer/wolf. Kmart.com has a brown wolf mask for 3.49, and a kids' wolf mask & hands set for 6 something, all less 10% during their Sunday Friends and Family sale (11/8).

You can find them by searching "Halloween Accessories". Quantities limited of course on the clearance items.

If you have a Kmart near you I think you might be able to pick it up in the store and save more on shipping. But I didn't think the shipping was bad.


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## madmangt (Sep 4, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up on the wolf mask! ALSO - Home Depot has animated deers on sale this week for $12 (usually 20). So it looks like I am good to go for the project!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

*Black Friday/Saturday--50% off Wolf Fur*

Just a heads up that Jo Ann Fabrics currently has a Black Friday & Saturday 50% off coupon (one for each day online and instore) on any one regularly priced item which includes a single cut of by-the-yard merchandise. This is a great opportunity to pick up some Grizzly fur from them at a very good price for a Reindeer/Wolf. The Grizzly Craft Fur (in black and white) runs something like $14.99 a yard. More info on the fur has been posted previously on this thread.


Coupons


Right now Joann.com's website is down due to heavy traffic but they apologize and say that limited duration coupons for online purchases will be honored thru Monday, November 30 (or until sold out whichever is first). Joann.com® order can be placed over the phone with Customer Care at 1-888-739-4120, Monday through Friday, 9 am - 8 pm EST or Saturday 9 am - 6 pm EST.


BTW I bought a few Gorilla masks on clearance after the holiday and this fur works very well for a gorilla too. I'm planning on making an upper torso gorilla prop for my circus theme next year and this sale will help keep the cost down (those gorilla suits get pretty expensive).


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

i just read every single post in this thread. Ive wanted to make one of these for so long!

Today i saw a dismantled animated deer at the goodwill store. it was in a box for 5 bucks. Im really thinking i should go and pick it up tomorrow. Of course right now im freaking thinking someone must have bought it already. LOL 

It seemed a little smallish box for it to be a decent size and could have been kind of flat. hmmmm. im going to go first thing in the morning and really look at it. Now that i have an idea of what to do i think it could be really great...

again, this forum has inspired me


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Welcome to the Wolf pack LadyAlthea!!

Here's a current coupon for Joann's Fabrics if you have one by you. 50% off on single cut of Grizzly fur if not on sale. This coupon expires 12/5. Fabric can also be ordered online if you go this route (see the code on the coupon for online discount).


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

thanks!!

i found a 48in sideways motion deer at the goodwill!!! half off so it was 3 bucks. its in the box, but has been used given teh condition. 

Im pulling it out tonight. Biglots was sold out of the 12.00 reindeer  

Im glad i grabbed this one when i had the chance. 

They also had about a yard of reddish longish fur for 2 bucks so i grabbed that too. 

Im not sure if ill use that fur in particular but i have it anyway. 

I hope this deer works! LOL


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## Freddiecat (Jul 26, 2009)

Since fake fur is so expensive we cut down the cost of our wolfdeer by using 1/2 fabric and half fur. I'm happy with the look and it was realistic enough that one of our dogs was pretty freaked out by it. (ok, admittedly he's not the smartest dog ) Wish I could remember how much fur it took, but I'm certain we didn't use more than a yard and may have been just a half yard and the rest is $1.50 a yard fabric from Walmart. 
We turned the antlers upside down and used them to make the tail.
Congrats on your fabric find! Should get you well on your way if you choose to use it.


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

thanks, im pretty excited to get started!

I like yours! using the antlers as the tail is a great idea.


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## Xochi16 (Sep 21, 2009)

For anyone interested. I went to find several more of these animated deer, I went to my local CVS pharmacy where they had three left. The sign said 19.99 so I got one, BUT to my surprise at the register if you use your extracare card they are HALF off! So I ended up getting three for $30 not to shabby. You may want tot check it out!


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

*GOT MY DEER DEARS!!! I have been following this thread since I joined the Forum and I can barely contain myself to get started n this prop for 2010!! We got the mask on sale after Halloween at a Spirit store - very scary! And now with the deer - all I need is the fur! I may get lucky and find an old furry blanket at Goodwill. Or see if JoAnne's is having any sale for fur. . .
*
*Thanks HF friends!!*


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

HallowSusieBoo said:


> *GOT MY DEER DEARS!!! I have been following this thread since I joined the Forum and I can barely contain myself to get started n this prop for 2010!! We got the mask on sale after Halloween at a Spirit store - very scary! And now with the deer - all I need is the fur! I may get lucky and find an old furry blanket at Goodwill. Or see if JoAnne's is having any sale for fur. . .
> *
> *Thanks HF friends!!*


Can't wait to see how it turns out!!!! I tried to find the fur at a thrift store as well. But, didn't have any luck. Got mine on a good sale at the fabric store though.


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

HallowSusieBoo, if you sign up on Joann's website for email alerts they periodically will send you 50% off coupon for 1 cut of fabric, and as long as the fur isn't on sale that week, it really is a pretty good deal. I've use coupons twice now over the past few months to pick up the grizzly fur fabric for props--some for my animated wolf/deer and more recently for a gorilla's body for my circus theme. Haven't cut into any fabric yet to start the bodies of either but I'm all set to go.


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## SB_Haunts (Jan 5, 2010)

great Idea one i will try , thank you for it


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

well i started my wolf from animated deer project.

I really thank everyone for posting their projects and the issues youve had with them. This is no where near done but im on my way!!!!

*This is a side to side deer. I spray painted it black to hide the wire fram and ill spray the foam black as well once i have it all on there. I had an old old rubber skeleton that i sacrified for this. I want a kind of zombie wolf look.* 










*This is just foamboard cut out and attached with wire.*










*Ive added most of the foam to help flesh out the form under the fur.*



















*I picked up an old brown fur coat from good will and ill use that for the fur. *

*So far im very please with the way its forming up  *


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Lady A, I'm enjoying seeing it come to life. I just looked over at my wire frame the other day and the mask and fur sitting waiting to be worked on. Kudos for getting motivated, and it's coming along nicely.


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

thank you! i sat and stared at it for a full day before i really got going. Im having a tough time finding a mask though. they seem to be expensive this time of year. 

I swear sitting staring and planning has been the toughest part!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Lookin' good so far!!


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

*Fantastic!*

*Hallow Lady A. !! Your wolf prop is looking so fine - and creepy too! Lucky you to find the fur coat. Have you had any weight problems with the frame holding all the extra material? I keep worrying that mine will buckle under the weight of all I must attach... and then I wonder if the head will be able to lift - or if that will burn the motor out... Yours is turning out great and so good of you to post excellent pics for us to follow. *


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Regarding stablizing the wolf, I've seen people use a wood base underneath the wolf frame and then attaching leg posts to the wood which the wolf body's then gets slipped over to steady it (obviously the bottom of the wolf's legs are left open so you can do this). Can't remember what was used in the reindeer/wolf I saw but if you go with dowel rods maybe you could attach the dowel to the board with a screw from below or if the wood platform is thick enough you could drill a hole and insert rebar for example into the holes and slip the wolf onto the rebar. Not sure which method would work better.

Even though I'm using Joann Fabric's Grizzly fur which seems kind of light, I'm planning on making some kind of support platform. Our ground is too hard come late October to anchor anything into the ground.


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

Hallow and Great idea Ghost of Spooky! Thanks!


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

Well the wire frame seems to be holding up fine. Im using cotton batting to flesh it out and the legs are just foamboard. I took it out to spray paint the batting and the wind blew it over more than once. that was pretty frustrating. I like the wodden dowl idea, but i think ill likely nail it to some plywood. I might cover the plywood with something like astroturf or maybe a green or brown bathmat. 

The coat is not real fur, so its not super heavy adn shouldnt fall apart when i go to cut it. Some of the other projects ive made, ive used real fur and it tends to sperate from itself, if that makes sense. 

Ive made sure to use the batting in a way that leaves where the neck connects to the body free of anything binding. So it can move. In theory, the fur will kind of drape over that part without being connected to both parts. we will see how it goes.


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

IM getting ready to latex the bones. I want the tendon look at the exposed areas. im wondering, do you guys think the red and black under the ribs will look ok? im thinking its better than teh white batting at least. i was also thinking i might put some internal organs in there but...i dont know time wise if i want to do that. i can make nylons into intestines but it takes a long time to dry. then i would need lungs and stuff too.

I dont know. 

here it is in process though.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I think the red and black under the ribs looks good.
That thing is going to be really creepy when you're done!
Looks good!


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

thanks dave! 

I really am trying to use all of the tips and tricks ive read in this thread. everyone has made great howling guys  im having a hard time finding a mask though. They had four or five when i went to walmart after halloween but i didnt pick them up. next year i just know il lbe buying all sorts of things that i normally wouldnt. just in case! I might need a storage shed just for halloween just in case supplies LOL


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## Freddiecat (Jul 26, 2009)

Incredible job Lady Althea! You are so creative! Our 2010 theme is zombies and you have just inspired my next project--Zombie Wolf. (Wishing now that I'd picked up another deer post Christmas!) Looking forward to seeing your finished project.


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

LadyAlthea said:


> thanks dave!
> 
> I really am trying to use all of the tips and tricks ive read in this thread. everyone has made great howling guys  im having a hard time finding a mask though. They had four or five when i went to walmart after halloween but i didnt pick them up. next year i just know il lbe buying all sorts of things that i normally wouldnt. just in case! I might need a storage shed just for halloween just in case supplies LOL


My thoughts on the masks are that they don't quite look right on one of these deers because they are made for a human head. If I ever get around to making my wolf prop I am thinking of carving up a stuffed animal(or more)I've seen large german shepards that would work great, and then hot gluing the muzzle and whatever pieces onto the deer frame. I figured I can manipulate the fabric into wrinkles for a snarl if I wanted. I may cut up vampire teeth for his fangs and glue them in and of course you will have those glassey eyes that stuffed animals have. I know you are very crafty Lady and can do something like this. Just an idea while scouring Goodwill stores or yardsales this summer! Another plus is by piecing the face together you can add skull showing thru where ever you want.


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

OHHHHHHHH you just could be a genius!!!!! Why didnt i think of this myself??? Look out Goodwill!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Lady A, I absolutely love the nylons. Those bones look great too. One of the things I love so much about this forum is seeing everyone interpretation of the same idea. Such cool stuff and great imaginations. I hope you are able to find a mask by summer; I'm sure you would love to finish it up with time to spare. Keeping checking ebay periodically. There should be a better selection of halloween masks and costumes as we get closer to summer. I'm a big fan of Goodwill for halloween but think they may hold on to halloween merchandise and not put it out until closer to October. I could be wrong though. I generally only hit Goodwill as it gets closer to fall. This year I'm going to be on the lookout for some prop costumes however and will be in the stores checking things out soon. I'll post if I find any masks.


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## Arlita (Aug 20, 2009)

*Wolf*



yardhauntjunkie said:


> I like the wolf. I actually made the frame for my wolf/dog and covered in fur much the same way you did yours.Mine has the side to side motion and his mouth opens and closes as well. He also has red lights as his eyes. I think my first project this year is to put in teeth and I have thought about making a tail that moves as well. Like your whole haunt by the way. Good job.


How did you get the mouth to open and close did you use another deer motor in the wolf's head?


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## yardhauntjunkie (Feb 26, 2009)

Arlita said:


> How did you get the mouth to open and close did you use another deer motor in the wolf's head?


I actually didn't use a reindeer to build mine. I started a new thread to show how I made mine and there is a video of the different steps. 

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/76424-how-i-made-my-wolf-dog.html

I did use a second motor for the mouth of my Wolf/Dog. It wasn't a reindeer motor though. It was just a small electric motor. You can see the motor for the mouth in the video at the 35 second mark.


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

LadyAlthea said:


> OHHHHHHHH you just could be a genius!!!!! Why didnt i think of this myself??? Look out Goodwill!


Thanks...I used to make stuffed animals back in the 80's just for fun and I could find eyes and noses that you inserted thru the fabric that had a locking mechanism on the back. I am not sure if those can be found anymore but it is another thought. Your original fur will still work for the muzzle if you just clip it shorter around his face. Make sure and post more pics...maybe I'll finally dig my deer frame out and get busy from the inspiration  My frame is different from other people's,it is grapevine or sticks of some sort instead of the white wire frame,could be a challenge!


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

well i hit the wall with my deer project but im finally back to it.

Im latexing the pantyhose tomorrow so it will dry and have the fur all set out. 

I wound up picking up a wolf mask on ebay. Im kind of dissapointed in it. Its really just one i could have gotten at walmart this november for 4 bucks but wound up paying 20 plus shipping. the quality of it stinks. 

im going to paint it up though and add some stuff to it. The eyes, well, im not sure yet. I havent found anything useful stuffed animal wise for eyes. 

Ill post more pics in the next few days. 

Oh, i have to do something with theis mask to fill it out, think i should use great stuff???


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

LadyAlthea said:


> well i hit the wall with my deer project but im finally back to it.
> 
> Im latexing the pantyhose tomorrow so it will dry and have the fur all set out.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure if they still sell the stuffed animal eyes but I know some of those plastic owls have some nice ones that pop out. I had popped mine out and drilled holes in the plastic behind them to make the eyes glow when I put a light into the body of the owl. It's just another idea to throw at you...I can't wait to see pics of how yours is progressing


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

hey thats a good idea...and....dont say anything but...my mom has one of those plastic owls out in her yard......i wonder if she would notice the eyes were missing....lol


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

Well i got the mask and tried to fill it with great stuff. we will see how it dries. I had to put it back over the form while the greatstuff was still setting up and a ton of it dripped out. 

We will see. i think it might help take care of the eye problem. 

The mask on the form











THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!











I didnt care for the way the mouth was so i sewed it up a little










The eyes and things











I kinda dig this look


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## Arlita (Aug 20, 2009)

There is nothing like a wolf foaming at the mouth I should know classic.


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

That's an unusual mask but SO perfect for what you are going for and I love the foam coming out of the mouth too.


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

thanks! I think it will work out ok. Well, it has to at this point. lol 

i got the mask from ebay, it was that one or some 50 one. so i went with what i could afford. I think once i get it painted up it will be ok. time will tell!


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## Freddiecat (Jul 26, 2009)

If anyone else has been inspired and is looking for Christmas deer to wolf-ify give Craigslist.com a try. I placed a listing wanting "wire Christmas deer yard decor" for free or inexpensive and, to my happy surprise, had multiple replies in just 2 days! Yesterday picked up 2 free deer and a horse (horse is actually pretty cool--might have to not turn him into a zombie...)


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

Freddiecat said:


> If anyone else has been inspired and is looking for Christmas deer to wolf-ify give Craigslist.com a try. I placed a listing wanting "wire Christmas deer yard decor" for free or inexpensive and, to my happy surprise, had multiple replies in just 2 days! Yesterday picked up 2 free deer and a horse (horse is actually pretty cool--might have to not turn him into a zombie...)



Hallow Freddiecat! Would love to see pics of your Craig's list bargains! Especially the horse! IS it full size? Thanks for the CL advice! Boo


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

well after putting this beast away for a bit, because i was frustrated with it, i started working on it again.

It took a LOT of work to clean up the head, get the greatstuff off of there, it actually peeled off the mask ok once i got it going. I have an idea on fixing the head up a bit. i really wish i had done it differently but live and learn. 

So this is where i stand today...spent time painting the latex up.

*I matched fur color best as i could to spray paint. it looks ok.*











*I worked on peeling and refining the flesh look then painted the bone with a nice off white color.*




















*I mixed green black and gold paint and did one layer, then added some red to th epaint and highlighted it.*


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

Tomorrow i will start adding the fur.


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

*WOW!! Wolf looking soooo creepy!*

Hallow Lady A! 

Your entire wolf project has been such an inspiration to me and Myster E. 
Our deer is still in the box - and our wolf mask still in the sale bag from Spirit's after Halloween clearance - but I am getting all the inspiration I need from your great thread to help us get started on this after Easter. I especially love the drool look made when the Great Stuff ooozes out and that pantyhose skin is divine!! Excellent work! Thanks for the wonderful pics and keeping us on the edge of our caves with this one! *BOO*


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

how kind of you! If this thread had not been started i never would have tried to do this myself. 

I LOVE the pantyhose latex technique. Is really easy to do and so effective. 

If i were to do this again, and i just might, i would have found a way to hang the deer upside down and let the mask filled with greatstuff dry that way. I knew it had to be ON the form because i never would have been able to carve it out to slide it on! 

All the greatstuff that is left and that will be exposed ive covered with latex as well. To protect it form the rain. 

I want to use the rib cage on it but i only have a few weeks to finish it and i dont know...maybe ill use the spine and half the ribs...


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)




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## Decorinator (Sep 16, 2009)

Wanted to give anyone interested in gathering supplies for creating a wolf from a Christmas deer a heads up.
Joanne Fabrics (on line) is running a coupon for 50% off one item, good through this Saturday, July 17th.

I've been planning to make 2 wolves every since last Halloween - I got two animated deer after Christmas, but couldn't find fur or masks anywhere.

So I'm going to order 3-4 yards of the Grizzly Craft fur in black. Half off of $14.99 per yard is a pretty good deal, even with the $6.95 shipping. Figure I'll get enough fur that I'll have extra for future projects, too. (I hate paying twice for shipping!)

Now I just have to keep my eyes open for cheap wolf masks as soon as the displays at WalMart/Kmart go up...........


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## LadyAlthea (Sep 11, 2008)

i love joann fabrics  my wolf just kind of petered out. i still have it but the head really came out badly.


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

ok so I finally sifted through a $1 bag of fabric I bought at a yardsale a few weeks ago and am super excited because most of it inside was black fur and black pleather. 

Bingo! here comes my animated reindeer wolf! 

But! I need good eyeballs. 

So onto google I go...../looks at vandykes taxidermy because I wanted nice eyes.

I noticed this that made me remember someones post earlier in the thread about back-lit eyes. 
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/product/85001100/nite-eyes-lighting-system

wow! pretty expensive right? So I then remembered the LED light packs people sell on ebay for a few bucks and thought, well, I would just use this behind my eyes and back-light them that way.

However, I am not 100% on what the eyes are like from online shops.* I would need to find some that would allow light to shine through. *

Some of those LED light sets from ebay people sell have on/off switches and even flashing settings, so much cheaper than vandykes, but its all you need for an outdoor prop, we dont need museum quality here. 

Not sure if this was posted already, but heres a tutorial for casting and making your own "taxidermy" style eyes. 
http://www.hidetanning.net/TaxidermyEyes.html

Personally, I wouldnt cast my own because I dont make props like that yet, so the volume isnt there, it would be just as expensive to gather all materials to create my own eyes than just buying them. 

So if anyone knows where to buy some decent eyes that would allow light to shine through, please post the linkys here. 

Just imagine not just having obvious LED lights in the eye socket area, we could have scary glowing eyes!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I bought some of these half-round eyeballs off of e-bay from this seller. They are very realistic and light will shine thru them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/8PCs-Scare-Eyes...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4151385c5d


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

DaveintheGrave said:


> I bought some of these half-round eyeballs off of e-bay from this seller. They are very realistic and light will shine thru them.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/8PCs-Scare-Eyes...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4151385c5d


thanks for this Dave. I saw these too but thought it would be too solid to use. 

Have you used them in your props this way? I was wondering how strong the light would be that shines through.


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## HallowSusieBoo (Aug 11, 2009)

*Don't give up !*



LadyAlthea said:


> i love joann fabrics  my wolf just kind of petered out. i still have it but the head really came out badly.


*
I just came back form JoAnne fabric where, at the back of the store, tons of fur fabric is %50 off - no coupon needed! I scored a bolt of grey and black stripe-ish looking "wolf" fur and it was priced down to $5. a yard. One yard will cover the deer nicely I hope. With a few ribs poking through and the mask and paws on - I hope it will all come together. . . .

*


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

kittyvibe said:


> Have you used them in your props this way? I was wondering how strong the light would be that shines through.


I haven't used any in my props yet, but light shines thru them very well. One or two LEDs will light up the eye very well in the dark.
They are very realistic looking too.


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## madmangt (Sep 4, 2009)

Well finally found a free vacation day to tackle this! It is definitely a 'rip off' of daves, but I am proud of the work! I have dark brown fur that is going on tomorrow!.. Now I wonder how these feet worked on daves...


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## Arlita (Aug 20, 2009)

Wow Madmangt, That is very intricate work on the lumber what kind of saw did you use or did you use a dremel? 
My brother just moved and gave me a huge roll of the big bubble wrap, I am using it to bulk up my wolf/deer. I noticed on mine that the neck looks way too long so I am building up the back section with the bubble wrap. I am going to use 3M spray adhesive to attach the fur should go pretty fast. I wanted to make it into a zombie wolf with ribs and bone showing like Lady A. but I have too many projects to do and feel like time is running out. I need to take some pics of my progress so far.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Lookin' great so far, madmangt !! I'm impressed!
I'll post a pic later on how I did the fur on my wolf's feet.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Here's a pic of my feet before the fur was put on:










I cut up some scrap wood into half moon toe shapes, one screwed on each side of the foot. I then cut a piece of fur about twice as long as the toe piece. Unscrewed the toe, wrapped the fur piece over the toe with a large loop of fur at the top/front of the toe. Then screwed the toe back onto the foot.
That's how I got the feet to look so big. Kind of a mistake that worked out for the best.


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## madmangt (Sep 4, 2009)

Thanks Arlita! I just used a jigsaw with a small blade, works very nice if you take your time! 

Dave thanks for the extra pictures! I'll be adding some toe bulk today!


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Sure, glad I could help. Make sure your middle toe is a bit longer than the two side toes to give the foot a realistic shape.
I sent someone on the form patterns for the legs I made last year. Was that you?

I used a jigsaw too. One I got from Big Lots for $10.00


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## madmangt (Sep 4, 2009)

No, actually it wasn't me... just eyeballed your cutouts! I will get around to the fur and post when I am done!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

For those looking for an inexpensive wolf mask ($13) for their reindeer wolf prop, check out Kmart. This is a mask that a few people here, including myself, have used. I like that it has an open snarling mouth and it's a nice weight to work with; the mask itself holds its shape pretty well. I think I bought this mask from Target last year but it doesn't look like they are carrying it any longer. I think I saw this or something similar at Walmart ($10) but it was so thin and flimsy I don't think it would work as well.

Totally Ghoul Brown Wolf Mask with Hair

My wolf is still in the to-be-finished box. I have my reindeer form, bought black grizzly fur from JoAnn Fabrics on sale last year and carefully removed all the stitching on the mask separating it into several pieces of fabric and the mask. I'm going to paint the face black, add some lit wolf eyes (already purchased) and will use the brown fabric I removed to cut out new patterns in the black fabric and turn the mask into a scarier black wolf face. It's been a bad year for getting projects finished here, but I think my wolf will turn out great when I get around to completing him. I really do like this mask for the prop and am happy to recommend it.


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## JustWhisper (Nov 16, 2008)

Wish I had found that one before I spent $50 on a new one this year for my animated wolfman prop. I had to give him a new mask this year as his old one bit the dust.


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