Beetlejuice Adam and Barbara Maitland Costume

Cost to make: over $200
Tips: Always believe in yourself even if things don't seem like they are working out. Keep on pushing through to the end and never give up!

I’m not a professional costume maker. I’m a self-taught artist/sculptor that uses my craft to bring my favorite director, Tim Burton, characters to life. Beetlejuice was the perfect choice for this year because I had a lot of materials lying around the house that would work perfect for building it.

I always want people to feel like they are experiencing a character that walked right off of the movie set and that is something you cannot do with a store bought costume. My goal is to allow the adults and children's imaginations to go wild.

How I made them:
Step 1) I made two head forms with duct tape and chicken wire then covered it in water based clay and sculpted both character masks.
Step 2) I made a mold of the sculptures with plaster of paris to have a negative of the sculpture
Step 3) Poured latex in the plaster then pulled out two masks.
Step 4) Gave the masks support with green craft foam and airbrushed the details
Step 5) Glued wigs to the masks and blacked out eyes with spandex.
Step 6) I used ping pong balls to make the eyes then painted them and added epoxy glue for the realistic shine.
Step 7) Put together matching character outfits.

The costumes were a success. We experienced very long lines of people who wanted pictures and lots of compliments. It's a good feeling to hear the complements after spending several weeks building it.

I actually almost gave up on making the costumes when my sculptures fell over and cracked but glad I stuck through to the end.

You have to make sure what you do is connected to your heart so that it will not just end up being a project, but a work of art. I hope Tim Burton gets a chance to see the costumes as well. You can see more on Instagram @daleonchase