Monster Mushroom

Hi, in this instructable, I made a mushroom monster growing in glowing green rocks. The green rocks are made from sculpting hot glue and the mushrooms and grey rocks from paper clay. Both the mushrooms and the green rocks have led lights installed.

Supplies:

Plastic bowl

wire

ping pong ball

4 sets of Led lights

eyes

foam board

woodland scenic fine turf

woodland scenic clump-foliage

wire nut

tape

Aluminum foil

Paper clay

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Acrylic paint

Clay sculpture tools

Dental Explorer

I found objects such as a hot sauce bottle, silicone shaping tool, pencil, cap for a soda bottle to use as the form when making the green rocks.

I placed plastic wrap over the object and then made a line of hot glue around the object at the point of how tall I wanted to rock to be. The I put lines of hot glue going from the base line up to the top, making some thicker and some thinner to give it different textures. After I glued all the way around I let it cool for a brief moment. It doesn't have to completely cool before moving on.

Then I filled in any gaps with thin lines of glue. These lines should not be perfect lines, instead it should be bumpy and rough looking. Let cool but not completely and then peel off the object (hot sauce bottle). The bottom will be open creating a hollow shell. I put the led light inside later in the process.

Repeating the process making 10 different sized rocks which will be placed around the monster mushroom.

Then repeat the process again to make extra rocks for the larger pit of green glowing rock I placed under my big mushroom, more on that in step two.

I used a square of form board covered in plastic wrap. I started by drawing a square of hot clue.

Next I carefully glued rocks from step one inside the square. Making sure to not seal the hallow of the rock so I can add a led light later on.

After all the rocks are in place I applied hot glue in all the empty spaces inside the hot glue square. Making sure to keep the glue in little rough bumps and giving the glue time to set before apply more over the top of it.

When all the areas have been filled in and it has cooled slightly, I peeled it off and set aside for future use.

I cut out 4 circles plus 2 bigger circles out of foam board. The 2 bigger ones were just big enough to add the grey stones around the base.

I left 1 smaller circle whole and cut the centers out of the rest of them.

On the whole circle I made holes for the led lights to through.

Then I cut out a square the size of the rock square from step 2.

I cut two squares from the foam board larger than the square cut from the circle base. I used this square to hold the lights and hot glue square in place.

One of larger squares I cut out the center the same size as the hot glue square rocks. The other larger square I left whole.

The whole square I inserted the led lights and glues the square hot glue rocks in place.

I glued the cut out center large square around the hole on the bottom of the circle base to create space for the hot glue square rocks.

I glue the rocks in place.

I a ping ball in half.

Using blue led lights I pulled on through the foam board circle base and pushed it through I hole I made in top of the ping pong ball and then glued it to the board. I repeated on the other side of the board.

I pushed the other eight blue led light into the foam board circle for the horns.

I pushed green led lights into the board for the rocks.

I used a small plastic bowl I bought at dollar tree for the base of my monsters head.

Using a drill I made 10 holes in the bowl. I made sure of the holes were placed properly for the eyes.

I hot glues the led lights in place.

Cut a hole for the battery to into the base. Which later I discover was a mistake and I ended up removing from the base.

Using an allergy bottle with plastic wrap over it I used hot glue to make horns.

I turned the bottle over during the cooling process so the glue did not settle down instead it stayed in a peak.

I made 10 of these for the base and 8 for the head of the monster mushroom.

I arrange the rocks and glued them down using hot glue.

Then I glued the horns onto the blue led lights and one on each half of a ping pong ball.

I painted the horns blue and the rocks glow green. I did not be careful with the paint as everything would get covered later.

I covered the entire base with a thin layer of paper clay around the rocks, horns and ping pong balls. Then I used a toothbrush to rough up the clay a little.

Next I put a thin layer of paper clay on the ping pong balls. I put little balls of clay on the ping pong balls and smoothed the edges.

Then I poked lots of holes in those balls of clay to look like pores.

I used garden wire purchased at the dollar tree. Cut and shaped the wire to look like octopus legs. Next I used a square of foil and made a point with an opening to insert the wire.

I wrapped the foil around the wire and used more foil as needed to get the desired shape.

I applied a thin layer of clay. Then make little snakes of clay which I laid across to give the leg raised stripes. I smoothed the edges of the clay snakes and last I etched lines into the legs between the raised stripes.

Set aside and let these completely dry. They sat for a couple of days before I needed them.

I used a screw driver to poke holes in the base while the thin layer of clay was still slightly wet.

When I used a hobby glue, like for model cars and planes to glue the legs into place around the ping pong ball barely emerging monster mushrooms.

I used a sample cup from Sams club for the body of the mushroom. Yes, I put the not messy sample cups in my purse instead of the garbage can while shopping. I use them for projects like this and for little paint cups. Yes, my husband finds it embarrassing, but I am okay with recycling them!

I poked holes in the cup for the eight wires, six garden wires and 2 white sturdy wires from a clothes hanger.

I repeat the process of making the legs for the little mushrooms in the base. (Step 11) Except I left one of the white wires bare to finish when I installed the mushroom into the base.

I used a Styrofoam bowl and cup the bottom off. I glued it under the plastic bowl with the lights already installed.

I glued the hot glue horns I made previously onto each light. Making sure to leave the two meant to be it's eyes empty. Next I glued the plastic eyes into place. I found these eyes at the dollar tree at Halloween time they were in the center of black roses.

I put a thin layer of clay around the outer edges of the base. Then I used a ball of foil to press details into the clay.

I let the base completely dry.

Then I painted the rock boarder a dark grey and I painted black the top base around the rocks and mushrooms.

I painted the little mushrooms the same blue as I painted the horns.

First I dry brushed brown onto the black base around the green rocks and mushrooms.

The I dry brushed light grey onto the dark grey rocks followed by dry brushing reddish brown and gold.

First I did not address that I already dry brushed the green rocks a while ago. I used a yellowish green to go over the glowing green and I was pretty heavy handed with the yellow/green.

The legs and horns and ping pong ball bodies I dry brushed a light blue over the raised lines and used a pinkish purple over the rest to give it detail.

I went over the entire base (rocks, mushrooms, green rocks, black dirt) with a black wash. At first I was very nervous about doing this, but the results were spectacular. I should be black washing most of my projects. It is scary at first, but worth trying it.

I filled in around the rock with a thin layer of clay and used the toothbrush to rough up the clay a bit to resemble dirt. After it dried I painted it black with brown dry brushing over the top.

I originally planned to make this area different, but when it came to execute the original plan I decided to keep it simple instead so I could have done this area when I did the rest of the base. This project was full of those kind of last minute changes.

I cut out rectangles from foam board and covered them with a thin layer of clay. Then I used a ball of foil to press detail into the rock.

I repeated this process for what felt like forever, but it was really only long enough to get enough rocks to go around the entire project three times and have a few sprinkled on top and have three left over.

I then painted them. Half I gave a base coat of dark grey and half I did in light grey. I gave them all a dry brush coat in the opposite color, so dark grey for light and light got dark. This only accomplished one thing, wasting my time. It made no difference what so ever and I could not tell them apart once they were all mixed together.

I applied a light dry brush of reddish brown and then gold. This is worth the time and gives them a realistic look.

Now time for the magic. These were so ugly and looked like blobs of clay with detail and paint, but once I put my coat of black wash on it transforms these into beautiful rocks. This is the first project I have ever used black wash and I love using it!

Time to glue them into place and set the three extra aside to sit in the way for a few months before I give up and toss them.

I used woodland scenic grass to cover the base and then woodland scenic clump-foliage around the rocks and mushrooms. I use mod podge glue to glue it down and a 50/50 mix of glue and water dripped on after the grass and foliage was in place to help hold it down.

I start with painting the horns blue.

Apply a thin layer of clay over the entire plastic cup on the outside. The I use to thick snakes of clay on his forehead. Smoothing the edges so it blends in.

Then I put on two pieces of the snake clay. One under his eye and one over. Repeat with the other eye.

Next put thin snakes of clay under is eyes to create wrinkles. Use a blending tool to blend the edges.

I etched lines into his eyebrows and between the snake ropes to give his face details.

Paper clay dries out pretty quickly so as it dried I would mist it with water to keep the clay soft and workable.

I added clay balls and then used a pointed tool to poke lots of holes in those balls of clay.

Then I etched lines around the balls of clay and the horns

Let it completely dry.

Then glue the head to the body.

Foil first to create a desired shape for the base and then add a thin layer of clay.

I made thin snakes of clay and put on the leg blending as I attached them.

Then etched in lines to give him slight wrinkles.

Repeat for all the legs. I put clay on all the legs except one before I attached the head. Once again I had a different plan going to into this build and needed that leg to not have clay until this step, but after I changed my mind I realized this could have been done at the same time as the others. No matter though, in the end it always seems to work out.

I started by painting him all blue.

Then I applied light blue (Neon) to all the clay snakes. This paint dried very very light. I went over it with 4 to 6 coats by the end of painting it.

Then I dry brushed pinkish purple on the entire thing including the horns.

And I finished with my magical black wash. You can see in the final picture of this series how dark it goes on and in the first picture of the next step how much is lightens after it dries leaving behind only beautiful detail from adding the black wash.

This glue worked amazing! I applied glue anywhere it touched the base and held him in place a few moments before letting him go and giving him time to dry before moving on to the next step.

Now that he is glued in place, I need to repeat all the steps for the base so it all matches.

Step 1- clay

step 2- toothbrush texture

step 3- dry

step 4 - paint black, dry and then dry brush brown

step 5- apply glue

step 6- sprinkle with grass

step 7- use watered down glue dripped on new grass to hold it down even better

I used 5 Led lights that I purchased from the dollar tree.

Thank you for checking out my instructable!