I originally built these Giant Mushrooms for my annual Halloween walk-through but they also serve as wonderful decor pieces at music festivals, weddings and a variety of special events.
They range in a variety of sizes from 5ft to 10ft tall. They are made of wood, chicken wire, electrical conduit, 2 part spray foam, spandex and l.e.d. lighting.
More info: stopandeattheroses.com | Facebook
Photos by HeadAboveHeart Photography at The Haunted Garden, Nightmare Festival.
I knew I wanted to replicate the traditional mushroom
I also knew these would need to be lightweight, weather resistant, transportable and storable.
I started with the stem, using 2x4s, plywood and lag screws
Once upright, I stapled chicken wire all the way around to create a surface for cheesecloth
The caps were built so I could separate them from the stems for transportation
Using a 4×4, electrical conduit, pvc tubing and chicken wire, I got that mushroom shape just the way I wanted
I screwed the caps to the stems through their wooden bases and they were ready for their skin
The skin is a layer of cheesecloth or cotton scrim material that creates a surface for the foam
Using spray adhesive, I simply sprayed the chicken wire and attached the cheesecloth
Once everything was covered, I prepared for the spray foam
Spray Foam comes in a 2 part tank system. It is traditionally used for insulation but works wonderfully when building large props
It requires safety gear including a full body suit, respirator, gloves, and goggles
The foam cures quickly, rising up and hardening within minutes of application
I let the foam cure for 24 hours
Using a paint sprayer to get all the little nooks and crannies, I got painting
Using many gallons of paint, I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed
Creating the gills was a tedious and long process that involved pleating, pinning and hot glueing
Using 10 yards of 120″ white spandex, I first pleated and stapled the fabric to the perimeter inside of the cap
Allowing for some drape in the fabric, I then pleated and pinned to the outside edge
I cut the excess fabric off
It was time to glue
I finished it off with hot glue and a couple skin burns along the way *ouch!*
I was quite happy with my build so I made many more and have been improving them along the way by adding Velcro, different paint colors, moss and lighting
Big Dub Festival
My Giant Illuminated Mushrooms Brighten Up Every Place They Go
