Spooky Grim Reaper!

So, this is my first instructable so sorry if it's a bit scrappy! In this I'm going to show you how to make this creepy reaper with just a few things! This was super fun and easy to make and I was very pleased with the final outcome!

So here's what you will need:
-some wood, any that you can find (I will explain how big the pieces will be in later steps)
-nails
-hammer
-duct tape
-light ball
-drill
-old rags

And that's it! You can add what ever you want as you go!

My base and spine was already made as it was just something I had lying around. All it was was a thick piece of wood at the bottom with a long thinner piece of wood going 90 degrees upwards which was nailed on with two other pieces of wood nailed to the longer piece of wood to support it. The trouble was it wasn't sturdy enough and kept falling over so I took a bigger but thinner piece of wood and nailed it onto the bottom. I would use a bigger piece of wood for the base anyway!

Take a piece of wood roughly the size of someone's shoulders (if unsure make them bigger than you think you can always cut it off later!). Nail this onto your spine where you would like the shoulders to go. The arm is a little tricky. I wanted the arm to be curved out to it's side but for it to be pointing outwards as it would be holding a Sythe. So I thought about it like the wood were bones and joints. I nailed a small square like piece of wood underneath the shoulder (this acted like a joint in the arm!) I used only one nail so I could move it into any position I wanted. Next I nailed on a longer piece of wood the half the size of the shoulders (this acted like a bone in the arm). I again nailed this once onto the "joint" so I could move it into any position. I done the same for the lower arm by adding another small "joint" with one nail to the "bone" and added the other "bone" to the new "joint". Now because all of these only have one nail in you will have to prop it up as it might not be able to support itself! I'll get onto how to keep it up later.

To secure the arm and shoulders I simply used some duct tape! If you used enough to of it it really does keep it together. Just get the arm into the shape you want and tape it up. You can also tape where you nailed the shoulders on to give that extra support as it is heavy sided.

For the head all I used was a cheap light ball. Because it was red I decided to cover it fully with duct tape to make it less noticeable. To attach it to the top hold it in place (it's best if someone helps you with this step) and tape it from one side to the other, for example front to back, with duct tape, then repeat in different directions until it is still and is not moving on top. Wrap some duct tape around the neck to secure the duct tape you have just applied. You could also cover the neck and shoulder area that might show on the final product.

Almost finished! Cover your base with duct tape or paint it black (I didn't have any black paint), this will make it less noticeable at night. Now on each corner of the wood drill holes big enough to put some tent pegs in to give the prop extra support outside.

For the clothing I used some old rags I had lying about. I used three pieces to cover it completely. I used a small piece for a hood (top), a medium sized piece for the sleeve and upper body (middle) and a big piece for the bottom (bottom). Because the bottom piece would not reach the floor when I hung it on the shoulders I decided to add a piece of wood around the hip areas slightly smaller than the shoulder so I could wrap the bottom piece on that. This also made it look a lot more realistic as the fabric wasn't curirving in. For the middle part I just hung the material over the shoulders and arm (over the arm I made it look like a sleeve by just hanging it almost evenly on each side). I also put safety pins in it to cover the the body and to attach the material together. For the top part I just hung it over the head so it looked like a hood and wrapped the right side of the material onto the left shoulder and left the other side dangling. This made it look like one robe not like lots of different pieces.

Once you've decided on the clothing you can take this time to change anything and cover any bits that are showing with duct tape or paint.

For the face I am going to add a skull mask as this will make it look alot better and creepier. You can also buy a Sythe from a Halloween store or make it yourself! Just attach it to your arms and your good to go (I haven't done that yet, sorry!).

That's all folks! Have fun scaring your trick or treaters with this easy to make reaper! I'd love to see anyone who has recreated this so leave it in the comments. Once again have fun!