BoooOOOOOOk!!!
Tis' done! My creation is complete!
A tutorial to make your own Hocus Pocus spell book.
These two would be the original from the actual movie.
So, I have have always loved Hocus Pocus and the "book". I mean seriously, who doesn't like the movie and the Sanderson Sisters? I decided that I wanted to be Winifred Sanderson for Halloween this year. My friend is going dress up as Mary and my sister is going to attempt Sarah.
I just LOVE that book... so I decided to make my own!
I went to a thrift store and found a large hard back book that would be large enough to hold standard, copy paper. I had cut out the pages, which you don't need to really do, because you can just dye the edges of the page, but i just wanted to have it look more authentic. I also took out all the binding. I'm just picky like that, aaaaand tend to be a perfectionist. Haha!
I took just plain copy paper, crumpled them up, then coffee dyed them. The reason I used coffee was because it makes them darker aaaand it's just faster. I mean, who doesn't want to dye them quicker? I'm just an impatient person. Ha!
How did I get these pages to look so awesome? Well, for starters, preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
I really should have printed my little spells on my pages (with a laser printer) and dyed the pages, buuuuut, I didn't think that far ahead.
I smoothed out the crumpled paper, placed a page onto a cookie sheet. I have silicone mats for my cookie sheets and greatly recommend using them for easy "peeling" of the paper from the pan.
I took instant coffee and put about 10 heaping tablespoons into 2 cups of warm water. I then took a mop like paint brush, dipped it into the coffee mixture and put it all over the top of the sheet of paper. Being careful not to take out all the wrinkles in the paper. I focused on just slopping it onto the paper in some areas to make it a little more darker in that area.
You don't want to have it too wet, just enough to wet the whole sheet.
I then popped the cookie sheet into the 200 degree oven and baked it for about 5 minutes, or until mostly dry to where you can handle the page without ripping it. Don't over-bake it, because you don't want to burn it.
Baking the paper you ask?? Yes, this will give it a more aged look and darken the edges of the paper more. At this time, you can just let it dry completely outside of the oven, or as I mentioned earlier... I am picky... well, this is where my perfectionism came out. I took the paper, flipped it over and did a little dying on the backside. Now you don't HAVE to do it this way, but the more authentic looking, the more happy I am. I then baked it a little longer to where I could handle it without ripping and let the paper dry completely.
After it had dried, I crumpled it up again and smoothed it out. Doing this allowed some of the edges to tear slightly, or even a little of the it fall off a little bit. This just gave it more authenticity.
I then bound the pages together, glued some card-stock to the front and back pages (just about a 2-inch section on the page itself) and modge podged the remaining part of the page to the inside of the book. Sorry, I didn't take a picture of that part.
Next! I started on the outside of the book and wanted to make the part that goes over the eye. I drew out where I wanted the stitches and the eye first on my book. Then started on closure of the book.
I purchased some Premo clay in silver that can be baked, some little hinges which was a pain to look for, but had great luck finding some cute ones in the scrapbook isle. I took the little brads that were included with the hinges, put them through the holes and curled the ends to give the clay something to hold onto. I did my design for the whole thing and then carefully pressed the hinges into place. Make sure they are metal though, because remember, you will be baking this! Same goes for the bead, make sure it is a glass bead!
I then just popped it in the oven at the recommended time, pulled it out and let it cool. Then took a black paint, painted it on the piece and then took a damp paper towel and gently wiped it off to where the black was just in the crevices. This gives it a tarnished look
I needed to see where the eye would go, so I placed the closure on the book where I needed it to go, and started on the eye. I found the plastic [doll] eye on Etsy.com because like I said before, I'm picky and wanted a more realistic looking eye.
I used air dry clay (like model magic, but used a different brand because I needed more) to shape the eye socket, brow bone and the eye lid. I shaped it around the eye leaving the bottom of the eye open so I could remove the eye.
I took hot glue and put two lines alongside my lines I drew on the book earlier. I needed a little gully for the stitches. Don't mind the scribbled out lines, that's just my pickiness (is that even a word?) kicking in.
The front of the book is supposed to represent skin, so I took some more air dry clay and worked it around the hot glue lines and blended them into the book to blend it in smoothly. I then let the eye and the stitch lines dry overnight.
The next morning I finished the eye by putting a layer of Premo clay to shape it up more and then smoothed it onto the book like I did with the stitches. You have to make sure your little closure will fit over the eye. I popped out the eye and baked it for the recommended time.
Pretty good eh? After it was baked and cooled down, I glued it down with some E6000 because that stuff is strong! Next I needed to make the snakes. Again, I used silver Premo clay, baked them for the recommended time and then dry brushed those with some black paint also. Don't glue your snakes or the closure on yet!
I painted a layer of light brown all over the book to cover up the original print.
Now since it is supposed to represent skin, I bought some tan tissue paper that I found in the wrapping paper section and crumpled it up really good. I had torn it into pieces (about the size of your hand, or into strips) and then took some Modge Podge and put it on the book and in the crevices of the stitches. I put 2 layers on because one just wasn't enough. I pulled little parts up and shaped it where the snakes will go, because it has a look where the snakes were biting it. Then put a thin layer of Modge Podge (by the way, I used matte) all over the book again to seal it in.
Next, I took a dark brown (burnt umber) and dry brushed it into the crevices and deep areas and lightly over the whole book to get it where the wrinkles are. You don't want it too look too dark, so I took a damp paper towel and blended it into the book a little more so it mainly just stayed in the crevices. I put another thin coat of Modge Podge over it.
I took some waxed thread and stitched up the "lacerations". I dry brushed a little of the burnt umber over the stitches to make them look a little aged as well.
After the Modge Podge is dry, it's time to start gluing the snakes and closure on. I roughed up the backsides of the snakes and the claw portion of the closure and glued them on with the E6000.
Let dry.
I took some of the clay and made a little mold of my pinky finger for the fingers that are on the spine of the book. I pressed some Premo clay into it and poked small holes (big enough for a needle to go through) through the lower half for stitching. Bake them as instructed.
Sorry I didn't take pictures of that part either. Once they were cooled, I painted them with the light brown/tan and then dry brushed the burnt umber on it to give it an aged look also.
I cut some wax string that was a long enough to put through the holes and look like they were stitches. I glued down the fingers with the E6000 glue and also put little dabs along where the strings would go for the stitches. I then took some more tissue paper and modge podged over the ends of the strings to look as though the strings were under the skin.
And this is my finished project!
Not bad eh?
In comparison to the original, I think I got it pretty close. :) The only thing I wish I could achieve, is the to make the eye move! All in all, it took a pretty good 20-30 hours total to make this.
Hope you enjoyed my tutorial and that it helps you create your own!
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