Halloween is right around the corner!  So it’s time to start with props.  I started with a prop of Book from Hocus Pocus.  I used the following blog post from 102 Wicked Things to Do as a launching point to create my book.  I found it on Pinterest.

For the most part I followed most of the steps from the blog, but I made some of my own modifications.

1.  I bought a basic hollowed out book and painted the cover white to cover up the art work.  Then I used clay to make the ridges for where the “skin” will get sewn together.

 2. Then I used brown packing paper from a Chewey order and glued it to the book with Modge Podge.  I painted the book dark brown, and using more crumpled packing paper added layers of paint.

3. I glued on the eye and added more packing paper for the eye lid, adding more layers of paint.  I sliced through the paper at the ridges for the “skin” so it could be sewn together.  I painted the split open paper with dark red to represent blood.

4. I sewed the paper back together, through the clay.  I used wood stain wipes as a final coat to smooth out the paint layers.

5. The hardest part for me was making the little sculptures.  I didn’t make the mold like the blog suggested, I just created 4 separate snakes for the corners and 2 snakes for the binding.  I also created the ring, hand, and forearm.  I used a forearm instead of a braid.  I thought it made more sense for the arm.  I baked the sculptures and painted them with various layers of metallic silvers and grays.  Oh yeah and a plastic ruler was used too.  After gluing everything on the book I did a final cover in Modge Podge, because the book was a little sticky and the Modge Podge helped to smooth it out.

Of course they all didn’t turn out well.  Some were too big or small.  The first hinge I super glued, was super glued so it wouldn’t open and close.

6. I went a little further than the blog post instructions.  I covered the hole in the book with heavy stock paper.  Next I took some spell pages that I bought on Etsy.  I also bought some aged paper stock to print them on.  I also found a cool image for my cover page and I added a gold border to it.  Unfortunately the book isn’t quite 8 1/2 x 11, so I needed to trim the paper a little.  I used rubber cement to glue the pages in.  I finished off the pages by burning the edges.  I taped the cover page with metallic gold paint.