Tonight I took a timeout from pottery projects to work on my Halloween costume. If anyone knows me, they know how much I love creating cool as shit costumes! And scaring the kids. *here's your warning, if you're gonna be offended you should probably split, taking this message: I think this is hilarious, and that's why I'm happy, living the dream*
Please meet Disny. She's a Zombaby, and half of my costume this year. She's a typical baby, except for a few character traits that make her special. Well, she's an aspiring artist as well. I would love to share with you how I made her!
We have this fantastic second hand store in Canmore and I've found so much great stuff for Loft Living, my studio and for my travelling pottery show.
Today I found this red tag doll, 50% off. Along with a $1 bag of face paint, this little pumpkin candy holder which is the perfect size for Disny, and two half price growlers for my Kombucha experiment! Eight bucks total. I says, "Pardon me?" John's like, "I know! All red tags!" Winning.
I already started adding gesso to the dolls body when I recognized the opportunity for a blog post. Here she is, all cute and innocent with her dress as a do rag. 
I loved her adorable little eyes, but they were too sweet for a Zombaby who just found her way to be a Halloween costume!
I gave this Dollie a good coat of gesso with a sponge. I dabbed it on so it would have texture rather than brush strokes. I apologized to her repeatedly and assured her little spirit that I adore her as is. She's actually quite forgiving. And asked that I play some musics. I found a Disney stamp on her neck, and gave her a name. It's appropriate don't you agree?
As the gesso cured I assembled acrylic paints, brushes, a salad tray for a palette and started mixing. For the Zombie Grey I mixed white with a blob of black and green. I used the same sponge that I used for the gesso to sponge the color all over. Even though the hair is covered, I used packing tape to mask the very edges of the hairline, and it helped hold the turban in place.
Next, I started mixing a Zombie Flesh colour. I used white, red, yellow and a touch of the Zombie Grey. Skin is not pink. It's kind of green in some light. So, I mottled it with two different sized bristle brushes, this kept the fleshy textures consistent. 
Here's a good close up of her little Zombaby face. This doll has a flat face and there's no contour whatsoever. I used a much Darker Shadow Grey to create deep eye sockets. Her features popped once I added a layer of Light Grey. The lips have Blood Red added, which is the color I also use for the wounds. 
Zombaby's wound is built up using one ply of toilet tissue and my favourite acrylic medium Mod Podge. It's glossy, so it creates depth to the Wound Red and Blood Red. Wound Red is simply a dab of red with some of the Zombie Grey. Blood Red has a dab of black in the red. 
Now for the gross part. I used pieces of toilet paper, Mod Podge and the Blood Red to make fleshy bits in her little monster hands. 
That's disgusting. But wait til you see what happens next!
Pallette
Disny Zombaby! Ready for Trick or Treats!
