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Before going further I
recommend painting the entire
skeleton flat black so it will
fully disappear when under black
light.
Now for clothes.
The cheesecloth I used came from the paint supplies department of my local Home
Depot. If you are also left with
only small pieces like I was,
simply sew these two pieces
together by hand to make a single piece
8' X 8'. Instead of sewing the cloth into an
elaborate costume I simply draped it over her head and shoulders and pinned it
to her forehead and throat (just below the bloody gash). The effect is a natural
hood and robe-like arms. When you
lay the cloth over the hands and
wrist as shown, the clips on the
ends of the lines going through the
cloth to her hands will keep the
robe in place. The best thing about this is that when she floats
downward the fabric opens in the front revealing no body at all! Be sure to
shred the bottom edge of the cheesecloth to give her a ravaged, tattered
appearance.
 Next
we need to focus on the painting of
her robe as well as face. I
recommend doing the painting of the
robe under the actual light she
will be illuminated with,
blacklight. The
fluorescent paint you see her LIGHTLY dusted with is
light green. Not apparent
here is the white paint I used for intensifying the purple that white gives off
under black light. Unless you are
actually under the blacklight you
can't tell the balance needed
between the two colors! For the
face I recommend using normal
lighting. The entire face as you see in the
picture was done with black and then red
(NOT UV) used for some blood effect on the gash
and down the front of her chest. Fluorescent red doesn't look anything like blood
when under the UV light, so don't
bother even purchasing a can. The red with touches of black gives a curdled blood
look under the blacklight and really adds to the effect.
Some important things;
1) Using anything other than cheesecloth for her
robe such as a bed sheet or other
less lightweight material will not only make her too heavy
for the Dayton motor suggested as
an alternative motor to the one
shown in this build,
but will ruin her ethereal effect.
Cheesecloth
is light and translucent, giving your lady a very spooky, ghostlike appearance
that an opaque cloth could never give.
Using bridal veil will not hang
without sewing it into a costume
BTW, and the natural effect you see
here will more than likely not be
attainable without considerable
work. We have used this a couple of
different times with no success.
2) Place a fan under her that is set on low
and the fluffy cheesecloth wisps weightlessly in mid air.
3)
Above and in front of her is the
best place to position
 the
blacklight. A simple 18" or 24"
tube will work, do not use
incandescent "blacklight" bulbs as
they do not work to filter the UV
like true blacklight does. Make
sure the light is fully hidden
behind cloth or some other method
that will keep any of the
blacklight from shining on the
viewer or the other items in her
general area to suspend disbelief.
And you have it! Congratulations!
Since the construction of this
project became simple and
lightweight, this has become
the single most constructed
animatronic in the haunt enthusiast
community today. You can be sure
your victims will be as thrilled
with her as I was the first time I
got to see her fly! Thanks Doug for
the many inspirations on the
forefather of this spooky event.
See her in action
Rest In Pieces,
Death Lord
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