MyScaryHalloween.com ~ Village 101

1. Polystyrene Foam
Polystyrene is more commonly know by its proprietary brand, "Styrofoam". Actual “Styrofoam” is readily available at craft stores (in the floral aisle) but it's rather pricy. It's also not the best choice for carving because it’s not very dense and won’t give you great detail. There is a denser craft foam (used by model railroad hobbyists) that carves with amazing detail but is very expensive. Utilize this foam to carve intricate, reusable pieces such as stairways, walls, or brick fences. For general base structure, use the “sheathing foam insulation” sheets (found in the insulation aisle of Home Depot or Lowes). They are sold in 4x8’ sheets for about $10-18 depending on thickness. Half sheets are also available. Each side is coated with a plastic “skin” that you’ll want to peel away before using. Safety first: Again use a mask & goggles because the adhesive used on this skin turns into an irritating, powdery mist.

2. Hot Wire Foam Cutter
To carve the foam you’ll need a hot wire foam cutter or “hot knife”, which is looped wire attached to a handle. When you plug it in, the wire gets very, very hot allowing you to cut (or rather melt) through the styrofoam. Using various wire shapes and techniques you can achieve a rocky appearance or even a brick pattern. In general, you first make rough cuts in styrofoam with a serrated knife to begin building your shape, then refine with a hot knife to whittle away and add detail. You can find hot wire foam cutters at craft stores, model railroad stores, or online at Hot Wire Foam Factory. Safety first: make sure to have plenty of ventilation and wear a respirator safety mask - foam is essentially plastic and burning plastic gives off toxic fumes.

3. Low Temp Glue Gun
To assemble foam pieces together, it's best to use a low-temp glue glue. Do not use high temp glue guns as the glue will melt right through the foam. Always glue towers or levels securely to the base to avoid damaging your village buildings if someone (or something) accidentally bumps the display (I’m looking at you stupid cat). You can also use liquid glues but they take so very long to set. For extra support of intricate shapes (or broken foam pieces), wooden skewers and toothpicks work wonders along with hot glue.

4. 100% Latex Spray Paint
Since foam is white, painting a display will require a lot of acrylic paint, which can get expensive. To get a head start consider spray painting a base coat. This will level the painting field and get to all those nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, 99.9% of spray paints will "melt" the foam due to their chemical composition. There are only two paints (that I know of) that will not melt styrofoam: Design Master Floral Craft Spray and Krylon’s H20 Latex Paint. Krylon's water-based paint delivers a better coat, dries fast, and is a cheaper, but both are somewhat difficult to find. Begin your search at art supply stores, some crafts stores, and even better Ace Hardware stores. Online you can find Krylon H2O at MisterArt.com or Pearl Art Supply, two fabulous arts and craft suppliers.

5. Acrylic Paints & Nylon Brushes
To define and color your base use water-based acrylic paints. For the best results and pigments, I recommend the Liquitex Acrylic Paints that come in a variety of rich colors and bodies. And they can be easily mixed together or thinned with water for versatility. For brushes, go for the Loew Cornell Brown Nylon All-purpose Brush Set that will stand up to the rigid foam texture, and will clean up easily. A damp natural sea sponge (found in the home improvement store's painting department) is also a good way to quickly add color and texture.

When painting, have a three level approach: base, mid-tones, and highlights. I start with with a mix of gray and black spray paint basecoat, then brush on various layers of "Red Oxide", "Raw Sienna" or "Burnt Umber" as my mid-tones. Once that is dry, just a few edges get a light dusting of "Titane Ecru" as the highlight. View a sample photo.