Boo the Ghost Dog Halloween Decoration

I have always wanted to make a ghost dog for Halloween
Some ways of making the dog is by chicken wire
But it cost too much money to make it out of chicken wire and great stuff foam
So I decided to make the dog out of newspaper or also called paper mache
Paper mache is an inexpensive way of making sculptures
This is only my second time with paper mache
Paper mache is very easy especially for beginners and to make the sculpting easier, you could use paper mache clay
It is very easy and inexpensive
I also named the dog Boo because he is a ghost
:)

Lots of newspaper (I got mine for free in the newspaper boxes)

Tape : Masking tape works best because it clings to the paper mache

Scissors

That's it for the base

Start by making a medium to large ball for the dogs' bottom
Make the ball by layering and layering sheets of newspaper into a ball
If the balls newspapers start falling apart, use tape and continue to making into a larger ball
You have to know how tall you want your dog to be
Next make a tube by making the first newspaper into a flat rectangle
You have to layer the tube many times
The tube will be the dogs stomach and back
Make sure the thickness of the tube fits the thickness of the bottom of the dog
If it is too long, slice it with a knife to shorten
Take the tube to the ball at an angle to imitate the dog sitting
Next make another ball for the head the same size as the dog's bottom but slightly smaller
Take the head to the end of the tube aligning into an angle again to imitate the dogs sitting posture
Tape the head and tube together securely
Make the chest by making a flat circle in the first sheet of newspaper and continuing until the chest is a flat ball
Tape the chest onto the top of the tube just below the head
Make the about by also making a tube but shorter and taping it on the head securely
Make sure the snout is slightly just under the chest
See the pictures above for examples of the base
You can make the dogs snout any kind

Now we are starting to layer and strengthen the dog structure with a strong paste


Newspaper cut into strips

1 part water

1 part flour

Whisk

Newspaper to be laid out for prevention of mess

Mix equal parts of flour and water into a low bowl
Whisk together to get a consistency of pancake batter
Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture
Lay out newspaper over your work surface
Tear or cut your newspaper into long strips and short strips
You will need both sizes because the dog has some ridges in the body
Take a newspaper strip and place it into the paper mache mixture
Cover both sides with the mixture
Take out the strip and place it between two fingers at the top of the strip
Carefully and gently begin to slide down the strip of the newspaper removing the excess paper mache mixture
Apply the strip onto the dogs body going along with the edges of the body
Continue doing this until the whole body is covering in strips of newspaper
Let the paper mache dry until hard
For it to dry faster, leave it outside in the sun
If you are able to press the dogs body easily, you may need to add another layer of newspaper strips dunked paper mache
Since we are at the paper mache, get two thick sticks
The thicker the better for less work of layering the paper mache for the dogs front paws
Begin by layering the sticks with paper mache until the thickness of the legs matches the body shape
Do not worry about the measurements now
You will cut it later

The dog is sitting and dogs sit kind of slanted forward
If you have a dog, make him sit and see how slanted forward they sit
I used my own dog for an example
Cut the legs until they fit the dogs slanted position and make sure they are cut even
If not the dog will likely top over
Make sure the legs are just below the chest
Tape the legs on the top
Use newspaper to withstand the front legs so they stay in the position of a sitting dog
Place small of amounts of newspaper just on the armpit
Preventing from pushing the legs down into the stomach and causing the legs to tear from the body
This will prevent the legs from going slanted into the body itself
Do this to both legs
And take until sturdy still maintaining the position of a dog sitting slanted

This is completely optional
But I recommend it, it will make the dog's body smoother and more realistic
And it will also make the structure stringer and hard as a rock


A handful of toilet paper

1/2 a cup of flour

5 tbs of liquid starch or glue (optional)

1/4 cup cornstarch

Water

Butter knife

Large bowl

This will be for modeling, but I make it into a thick and spreadable paste
I recommend making it into a paste

Grab your handful of toilet paper and wet it in water
Squeeze out the water and start shredding the toilet paper into tiny pieces using your fingers
Place all of your ingredients into the bowl and mix
If the mixture is too thick and not spreadable, add more water

To apply:
Using a butter knife, scoop some of the paste into the knife and spread all over the body
Spread until the whole body is covered and smoothened with the paste
Mostly focusing on the legs and snout because those are the weaker parts of the dog
Let the paste dry out in the sun until hard

For the eyes and nose, I used cheap play doh from the dollar store
I like using play doh because it is moldable and dries hard

Eyes:
Mark where the eyes will be
Make two of the same sized balls that fit the dogs head
Not too big and not too small
Place the eyes onto the head at the same level or where you marked it
Flatten the sides to connect to the head
After you have done that, flatten the eye ball a little
Get a strip of play doh, any color, and flatten
Make a sharp tip on the end and place a little over the top of the eye ball making sure the tip of the strip is at the end of the eye ball opposite the other eye ball
Do the bottom of the eye with the same process
Continue to do this to both of the eyeballs

Nose:
Mark where the nose will be
Make a triangle shaped nose
Place on the end of the top of the snout between the eyes or where you marked it
Flatten the ends of the nose so they connect to the snout
Use the end of a ball tool or large paint brush to make holes on the ends of the nose in the middle level
Cut the end to where the holes reach the edge of the nose
Kind of making a heart shape
See the pictures or your dogs own nose for example
Make a line using a toothpick from going from the bottom to the top but not all the way

Using white and black paint
Paint the eye skin flap white paint carefully
Using the black paint, paint the nose and eye ball part black
Wait until dry before continuing to the next step
I also used the black paint on the mouth and snout

To make the Fur, you could use Faux Fur or make your own using yarn and a wire brush
Also see my instructable on yarn fur

Make a bundle by gathering bunches of yarn and tying the middle with string
Gather the ends and cut the tips to deloop the loops
Using a wire brush, brush the bundles of yarn until a fur texture appears
Using a glue gun, make the mouth under the nose of the dog
Cut the ends of the bungles until reaching the end making little bunches of fur
Using the glue gun, apply glue around the dogs eyes and placing the fur on top
Making sure the black part of the eyes show
Using the fluff on the wire brush, place it around the nose and where the mouth is
To make the beard, using the fur fibers, go around the jaw making a full but short beard
I also used my own dogs fur to cover the dogs face only because only the eyes and snout will show
Make sure the fur does not fall off
Use extra glue to secure
If fur gets in the way of the eyes, nose and mouth, snip the fur on the end

Using a toothpick and black paint
Outline the hot glue mouth with the black paint to show the mouth

Taking a white cloth big enough to cover the dogs whole body,
Place the cloth over the dog making sure to cover the dog completely
Using a marker, outline the eyes big enough to show the eyes when cut, forming a circle
Also outline the snout connecting to the head
Make it smaller than outlined
Just trust me because I made it bigger and it was just much too big
Cut the outlined shapes and place on the dog
If you do not want the cloth to fly away while outside, use the glue gun to glue the cloth down onto the body
I am not so worried about that though

This is a very cheap and easy way of making a Halloween decoration
My little dog, Boo, turned out adorable in his costume
I hope you make this decoration
Happy Halloween!