Skull Fountain How-To
by Larry Hazeltine
I've seen a couple of other designs for these on the Monsterlist of Halloween Projects but bird baths are not stocked year-round in Colorado, so I decided to make my own.
Parts list:
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Plaster "Raphael Pedestal" - $18.99 at Hobby Lobby (They have several different styles, I preferred this one)
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A round plastic shallow tray (normally placed under a large plastic or clay pot) - $10 at Lowe's (bottom view)
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Skulls (4) - ~$12.99 for each set of three on Ebay (The ones I used were made from "alabastrite" (a stone and polyresin compound)
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Aquarium pump - ~$10 including shipping on Ebay or ~$10 including tax at Harbor Freight.
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Tubing - ~1 foot - I had some air tubing left over from my aquarium but you can use whatever is convenient.
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Drip irrigation "tee" connector - I had some left over, but you can get them from any hardware store.
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Paint - I already had some "oops" green as a base.
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Black and white spray paint - $1/can at any hardware store.
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"Gross Moss" - $2/bag at Big Lots
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Hot glue gun (oh come on, you know you have two or three of these laying around)
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Fake blood - I used this recipe
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Elmer's white glue (less than a buck at Wal-Mart)
Here's how I did it, your style may give you different results:
The pedestal is plaster and is intended for indoor use only, so I sealed it with Thompson's Water Seal (for concrete and masonry since plaster is closer to that than wood). I will be setting this prop up on Halloween or the day before so it won't be exposed to the weather for very long.
After sealing it, I sponged the "oops" paint onto the pedestal and bottom side of the tray. The greenish color was a decent match for the color already on the topside of the tray. I wasn't going for a solid color look, so dabbing it on with a sponge helped to give it an uneven coat. (Base coat picture)
Once the base coat was dry enough, I applied white spray paint to lighten the green and hide any sponge marks, then black until I was happy with the look. I had originally planned on sealing it again after painting, but forgot. Since this won't really be out in the weather very long it shouldn't be a problem. (Painting complete)
I'll light this with red and green floods, so the actual color of the pedestal doesn't matter. It just needed it to look "old" to fit with my cemetery theme. The next item really helped out with that:
I found this "Gross Moss" at Big Lots and bought three bags. This proved to be way too much as I used only a handful from one bag, but I can use the rest on tombstones and other props. It was applied with Elmer's white glue since I wasn't worried about it being waterproof, but I did want it to dry clear. (unassembled pedestal)
The skulls are just set in place for now, but I will probably hot glue them just in case the fountain gets bumped. The top skull was modified so "blood" will drip from its eyes onto the lower skulls.
I used a 1/4" drill bit to make holes in the eye sockets for the aquarium tubing. I could have used 3/16" for a better fit, but I secured the tubing with hot glue which filled the gap nicely. Before inserting the tubing, I took a black sharpie to the drill holes. This made them blend in with the already black eye sockets instead of letting the freshly-drilled plaster show through. (Top skull)
The tubing from each eye is connected using a "tee" connector I had left over after installing a drip irrigation system in my yard. The other end is connected to the pump. I used clear packing tape to secure this end since the tubing wasn't quite the right size for a snug fit with the pump. Notice how the tubing is connected from the tee to each eye. I did it this way to keep kinks out of the hose. The drawback is that the "blood" will take the path of least resistance rather than come out of both eyes equally.
The pump I used has suction cups on the bottom but since the tray isn't very smooth it doesn't stay down on its own. The tension of the tubing can help, but I'll probably use hot glue to secure it. I'll also use hot glue to secure the top skull to the lower ones. Here is the completed fountain:
