How to Make Creepy Zombie Hands Cheap and Easy

I wanted to add a little more spookiness to our yard decorations. Originally I was going to use some bought items from the dollar store. In previous years I have purchased some skulls and some skeletal hands from the dollar store but this year I wasn't able to find the skeletal hands. I checked several stores and come up empty handed. So I decided to try and make my own using some expanding foam and rubber gloves.

Expanding Foam

Spray Bottle Mister

Water

Blue Tape

Vinyl Gloves Size Large

1/4 inch dowels

Utility Knife

Disposable Cups

White Spray Paint

Black Spray Paint

Black Acrylic Paint

Brown Acrylic Paint

Green Acrylic Paint

Chip Brushes

Paper Towels

Drill with Various Size Bits

Plastic Skulls

Acetone

I used Loctite Expanding Foam because that is what I had on hand. It was a few months old and clogged up so I soaked the nozzle and tube in acetone. After a few minutes I was able to remove the dried up foam from the nozzle and the tube and was able to use this can up.

There is a YouTube channel that goes by the name StiltBeastStudios who has a few videos on sculpting expanding foaming. He will spray the surface of the foam to sort of seal it and get it to set quicker than normal. I figured I would try and use his method to see if I could shape these Zombie hands a little quicker.

I first sprayed the water in to the gloves but wasn't sure it completely soaked all the inside surfaces. So next I put the glove on and sprayed the inside again this time moving my hand around to make sure all the inside surfaces got coated with water. I then took the glove off and drained any excess water.

I used the nozzle to start filling each of the fingers in the glove with foam beginning with the pointing finger. Then moved on to the next finger. You want to make sure you shove the nozzle in all the way to the tip of the finger and then squeeze the trigger and as it fills work the nozzle away from the finger tip in to the palm area. I repeated this for all the fingers then filled the palm area about half way full of foam. Since the foam will expand I wanted to leave enough room in the palm for the foam to expand. I set it aside and then filled the other gloves.

One can of foam yielded eight hands.

After a few minutes you can see that foam has expanded. The glove will swell and look like its blown up with air. Once the foam is starting to set I patted down the foam to a more realistic size/thickness of hand. In doing so this will create some wrinkles in the glove. I used my fingers to lightly pinch sections of the glove to make more wrinkles and clumps. I also pinched parts the of the fingers together to try and create the look of knuckles on the hand. You don't want to use too much pressure here as the foam is still soft and malleable. I also tried to sculpt the hands and give them a semi closed shape. Depending on how set the foam is it will hold its shape after you sculpt it. Once I was happy with the look I set aside to fully cure.

For the gloves that need a little more time to set I used blue tape to tape the fingers in to the position I was after. I put those aside and let them fully cure. When you are bending the fingers make sure to make both left and right hands. I almost forgot about this and could have ended up with a bunch of right hands.

I purchased some pre-cut 1/4 inch dowels from the craft store and used my utility knife to sharpen one end. I will use these to hold the zombie hands while I paint them but also to help keep them in place when I use them to decorate.

Once the foam sets I tear off any loose part of the gloves. This doesn't have to be perfect any bits that are left over will just add to the overall look of the zombie hands. I insert the wooden dowels in to the foam about an inch deep.

Next I but on a thick coat of white spray paint and set them aside to dry.

Now is the messy part. I found some black, brown and green acrylic paints in our closet. I put a little paint in separate cups and added a bit of water to water them down. You don't want the too runny just a little looser. You will know if its too runny if it doesn't change the color of the hands when you paint them.

The first thing I did was liberally paint the entire surface of the zombie hand in the black paint which is actually more grey than black. Then I use a paper towel to wipe off the excess. The goal here is to weather the hand and not wipe off all the paint. You just want it to work its way in to all the nooks and crannies you created. I let it dry for a few minutes then I do the same with some brown paint and then the green paint. Each time I add some paint with the brush and then I remove some of it with a paper towel. I do this over and over until I am happy with the end result. I set the zombie hands aside to dry for a few hours.

I wanted to give the skulls the same treatment but first I have to drill a hole in the base of the skull for the wooden dowel. The wooden dowel helps keep the skull in place.

For the skulls I did the same thing as the gloves but I didn't paint them white first I just did the weathering process. When it comes to weathering I don't think the "less is more" mantra applies. You want to create many layers which add to the depth of the piece. I don't have a picture of it but I did end up painting all the dowels black so that they will be less noticeable.

Here is the final product. I placed the skulls in the bush and then the two hands for each skull to give the appearance that the skeletons are coming out of the bush and reaching for you. I added the cobwebs after I had placed all the skulls and zombie hands to finish off the piece.

I am really happy with these. The best part is that I didn't spend a ton of money on this either since I already had the gloves and expanding foam as well as the paints. I hope you like this Instructable and find it helpful.