NICK GARDIN
Properties Artisan
HAND PROPS
This page shows a variety of Nick's hand props that he has built. Techniques used include foam carving, faux paint treatments, inventive use of materials, molding and casting, aging and distressing, and woodworking.
Please click on the pictures for a larger view.
 Finished Casting |
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 Finished Casting |
 Flexibility Demonstration |
 Progression of Project |
 Foam Bust Sealed with Resin |
 Foam Bust and Resin Model |
 CNC Face |
 CNC Layout |
 3D Scanning |
 Support Shell Progress |
 Finished Mold |
Stage Combat Alice Paul Bust
POTUS - Steppenwolf Theatre Company (2023)
This project was a team effort! We needed to make a bust of suffragette Alice Paul that could safely be thrown off stage and not break or cause damage to whatever was in its path. My coworker, Melissa Hunter, and I bought a 7” tall resin bust of Alice Paul, then went to the public library to use their 3D scanner so we could scale the model up to 18” tall. Next, the Associate Technical Director, Chris Winnemann, helped us CNC the bust out of insulation foam in layers. After we assembled the layers, Melissa did some corrective sculpting and sealed the foam bust in epoxy. We then made a 2-part brush on mold with Rebound 25 and a 3-part support shell out of epoxy and fiberglass. The final casting is KX Flex 90 with so-strong white brushed into the mold and backed with Flex foam it! 15. I did clean-up work on the seamline to make sure the casting looked like sculpted white marble. This was a great project with a lot of learning and technology involved!
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Preserved Hand in a Jar
Store Display (2022)
To create this store display, I soaked my hand in water for an hour to make it wrinkled, then molded it using Alja-Safe alginate. From there, I cast a copy of it out of Smooth-Cast 300 and made a matrix mold off of that casting using Eco-Flex 30 for the mold and Free Form Air for the support shell. I molded a piece of roast beef to make the wrist stump texture. The hand itself is also Eco-Flex 30 pigmented to a dead flesh tone. The hair is doll hair that I punched and glued with Silpoxy. The "liquid" is Encapso K pigmented with silc pigs. To age the jar, I used mod podge, acrylic paint, and alcohol ink. I created the labels in a photo editing software and then aged the paper with watered down paint.
 detail close up.jpg |
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 arm casting process shot.jpg |
 arm casting raw and painted.jpg |
 bone and mold process shot.jpg |
 arm mold interior.jpg |
SILICONE SEVERED ARM
Material Display Piece for Store
To create this severed arm, my lovely wife, Kathleen, volunteered to be the model for the life casting process. I used Smooth-On's Body Double standard and plaster bandages to create the mold from Kathleen's arm. Then, I melted Monster Clay and poured it into the mold to get a casting that I could sculpt. I sculpted the gore and then made an epoxy mold off of the clay arm. Using epoxy meant that I could cast silicone without using a release agent, making painting the arm easier. The bones were sculpted, molded, then cast out of Task 6. The arm itself if Dragon Skin FX Pro. I glued the bones in place with Silpoxy and used Silpoxy with Silc Pig pigments to paint the arm.
 Finished Full Front Side |
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 Finished Left Side |
 Finished Front Side |
 Finished Right Side |
 Horns Applied |
 Ash Bone Cut Out |
 Ash Bone Painting Process |
 Two Halves of Mold |
 First Coat of Rebound 25 |
 Last Coat of Rebound 25 |
 Finished Full Right Side |
 Finished Full Left Side |
 First Half of Mold Complete |
 Bolt Suspended in Mold Demo |
STAGE COMBAT BONE AND SKULL CLUB
She Kills Monsters- Ohio University (2020)
The bone handIe of this project is made of ash that cut on a bandsaw and shaped with an angle grinder flap disk. It's painted with plastidip, acrylic, and spray paints. For the skull, I created a Rebound 25 silicone mold with a plaster mother mold using a medical skull replica. Once I had the mold, I created a rig to suspend a carriage bolt in the skull to mount the skull into the ash handle. The skull is cast using Flex Foam-It! X due to it being soft to be hit with. The horns are shaped EVA foam glued on with contact cement. The lashing around the skull is leather, but is only aesthetic because of the bolt holding the skull and bone together. The skull is painted with wood stain and acrylic paints. I screwed the leather wrist strap into the handle securely with additional leather hiding the screw.
 chicken mold and casting.jpg |
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 finished chicken label 1.jpg |
 finished chicken 1.jpg |
SILICONE PACKAGED RAW CHICKEN
Material Display Piece for Store
I wanted to make a display of raw chicken, so I purchased a rotisserie chicken and molded it using Smooth-On's Body Double Fast to make the mold as quickly as possible to avoid rotting chicken. Once I made the mold and support shell, I cast Dragon Skin 10 Fast as a skin and then backed it with Soma Foama to make a cost effective casting. I packaged the chicken on a foam tray, covered it in plastic wrap, and used a photo editing program to make a fake packaging label.
 Painted Hatchet 2.jpg |
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 Painted hatchet 1.jpg |
 Flexing Hatchet.jpg |
 hatchet in mold.jpg |
 Hatchet 3 side by side.jpg |
 close up hatchet handle.jpg |
 close up hatchet head 2.jpg |
 close up hatchet head.jpg |
RUBBER HATCHET
Material Display Piece for Store
I molded an actual hatchet to make a rubber combat version that can be used for film, theater, haunted attraction, or military simulation. The mold is Mold Max 30 with Fast Cat 30 to accelerate the cure to two hours. The handle and head of the hatchet are cast out of KX Flex 90 and pigmented using So-Strong pigments. For the metallic look, I brushed in a layer of Cast Magic Pig Iron, then cast Smooth Cast 60D behind it for the structure of the hatchet. For the paint treatment, I used alcohol inks to build up thin washes and achieve a realistic aged look.
 full bat casting 1.jpg |
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 close up nails 1.jpg |
 full bat casting 2.jpg |
 mold with urecoat and fiberglass rod.jpg |
 nail mold with castings.jpg |
 real bat in clay.jpg |
 casting next to real bat.jpg |
STAGE COMBAT BASEBALL BAT
Material Display Piece for Store
This baseball bat is molded from an actual bat and nails. There were two molds made. The first mold is of the bat, using Mold Max XLS II. I brushed in a layer of Urecoat thickened with Urefil 11 to create a rubber skin, the adhered a fiberglass rod down the middle of the bat for durability. I then closed the mold and backfilled it with Flex Foam-It! X. The nail mold is Mold Max 14NV with Cast Magic Pig Iron brushed into it, then back filled with more Urefil. I used a small diameter metal pipe to pierce through the bad and place the nails. I then used alcohol inks to add depth and texture to the casting.
 bottle side by side.jpg |
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 Folded bottle.jpg |
 finished bottle mold.jpg |
 casting next to core.jpg |
 casting in mold.jpg |
 bottle casting.jpg |
 resin bottle casting.jpg |
 brush on mold.jpg |
STAGE COMBAT BROKEN BEER BOTTLE
Material Display Piece for Store
The goal of this project was to create a broken beer bottle that could be safely fought with for stage combat in film and theater. I smashed a real glass bottle, then created a brush on mold of it. I then cast a solid resin version of the bottle that would be able to be pressure cast. From there, I made a pressure casted mold of the outside of the bottle, then lined the mold with wax and created a silicone core. This was so I would have a consistent wall thickness for each casting. The casting itself is PMC-770 with a thin layer of urecoat brushed on the outside to bring back the high gloss. This bottle is very flexible yet sturdy enough to hold its shape for a fight sequence.
 Finished Hurdy Gurdy |
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 Wheel Cover Removed |
 Wheel Cover On |
 Closer Detail of Wheel Cover |
 Keys Fitted in Key Box |
 Internal Structure |
 Turned Handle |
 Trimmed Bendy-Ply with Veneer |
 Rough Headblock Shape |
 Shaped Headblock on Key Box |
 Untrimmed Veneer Applied |
 Untrimmed Bendy-Ply |
 Rough Shaped Head Block |
FAUX HURDY GURDY
Hand Props Class- Ohio University (2019)
On the back side, a removable panel allows a Bluetooth speaker to be mounted inside, creating the illusion of functionality. Moving pieces include the keys, crank wheel, crank, and wheel cover. To start the project, I cut the basic shape out of 1/2" plywood for the top and bottom with upright supports between the two faces to create dimension and attach bendy-ply to. After assembly of the body, I applied maple veneer using contact cement. The headblock is shaped from basswood and carved using a bandsaw and dremel. The wheel cover stoppers, top of the keybox, and string bridges are walnut. I turned the handle from walnut, too. The metal parts are mild steel that I shaped using angle grinders, files, and a metal cutting bandsaw
 shears full shot.jpg |
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 shears handle close up.jpg |
 shears close up.jpg |
 Brushaxe closeup.jpg |
 brushaxe full shot.jpg |
 hogsplitter full shot.jpg |
 hogsplitter close up.jpg |
ABS PLASTIC WEAPONS
Haunted Attraction Industry Commissions
These props were built for use in the haunted attraction industry. The blades are made of ABS plastic, so they are safer to use around patrons in a haunt, and sturdy enough to be used and abused by haunt actors. The handles are made of Hickory axe handles that have been modified. The ABS plastic was cut and shaped using a variety of saws and sanders. The shears were shaped by using a heat gun and steel pipes for shaping. Rusty paint treatment were achieved by layering a variety of spray paints and acrylic paints.
 Finished Ray Gun |
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 Wooden Ray Gun Pieces |
 Filled and Sanded Ray Gun |
 Primed Ray Gun |
 Reference/Inspiration Image |
RAY GUN
Class Project- Ohio University (2019)
For this project, the assignment was to find a research/inspiration picture of a weapon to create. I chose to do a retro looking ray gun. The body of the gun is rock maple which I turned on the lathe to get the tear drop shape. The handle was also turned, then doweled into the body using metal pins and epoxy. The fin on top of the gun and the trigger guard are made of Worbla. At each end of the ray gun, I filed small lengths of 1/4" metal rod to create durable pointed detailing. After getting all of the shaping complete, I used a sandable filler and primer in order to make the wood smooth like metal. I then used automotive metallic paints to achieve the metal look. I completed the project by distressing the paint treatment to give it a battle damaged look.
 Full Final Axe |
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 Final Head Right |
 Final Head Left |
 Original Axe Prop |
 Rough EVA Foam Head |
 Layered EVA Foam Head |
 Shaped and Plasti-Dipped Head |
 Axe and Hatchet |
FOAM AXE HEAD
Noah's Flood- The Glimmerglass Festival (2019)
Because the cast of Noah's Flood were children, the props master did not want to give them an axe that had a wooden head on it. I was given an axe from stock and assigned the task of creating a foam head and redoing the handle. To make the head, I used contact cement to layer EVA foam together with a hollow section in the middle for the handle to pass through. One I had a block of EVA foam, I cut the shape of an axe head out on the band saw. I used a dremel and a belt sand to taper the blade of the axe head. After shaping was complete, I sealed the foam with plastidip and used a combination of acrylic paint and spray paint to achieve the finshed metal effect. I also built a hatchet to match the Axe as a set.
 Finished Left |
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 Finished Right |
 Detail Right |
 Detail Left |
 EVA Foam Head |
 Shape On Foam From Above |
Axe and Hatchet |
FOAM HATCHET HEAD
Noah's Flood - The Glimmerglass Festival (2019)
For this project, I needed to make a foam hatchet head out of EVA foam. To make the head, I used contact cement to layer EVA foam together with a hollow section in the middle for the handle to pass through. One I had a block of EVA foam, I cut the shape of an hatchet head out on the band saw. I used a dremel and a belt sand to taper the blade of the hatchet head. After shaping was complete, I sealed the foam with plastidip and used a combination of acrylic paint and spray paint to achieve the finshed metal effect. I also built an axe to match the hatchet as a set.
 Finished Left Side |
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 Finished Right Side |
 EVA Foam Head Not Painted |
 Angled View Front |
 Angled View Side |
FOAM HAMMER HEAD
Noah's Flood- The Glimmerglass Festival (2019)
This hammer head is made from EVA foam that I used contact cement to layer into a block. I left an open area in the center for the handle to pass through. Once I had the foam block, I shaped to foam using the band saw, the belt sander, and a snap knife for the tapered detail on the front. After it was shaped, the foam was sealed with plastidip and then painted with spray paint and acrylics.
 Production PhotoPhoto Credit: Connor Lange GGF19 |
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 "After a few hours" Treatment |
 "After a few hours" Treatment |
 "One Week Old" Treatment |
 "One Week Old" Treatment |
 Before Paint Treatments |
 Before Paint Treatments |
SEVERED HEADS PAINT TREATMENTS
Ghosts of Versailles- The Glimmerglass Festival (2019)
These heads were purchased, then I was given the task of making them look like they were a few hours old, and then one week old. I used acrylic paint in washes and shellac to achieve the various paint treatments.
 Finished Statue |
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 Finished Statue |
 Finished Statue |
 Base Coat |
 Detail Applied |
 Rough Sculpt |
 Research Image |
 Full Scale Pattern |
TERRACATTA WARRIOR STATUE
Hand Props Class Project- Ohio University (2018)
This statue is carved out of blue foam and EVA foam applique for details. I started by finding a research image and scaling it up to full scale. Then, I roughed out the shape on a band saw and used a snap knife to carve the details. I carved the arms separately, so I could get the placement and angles correct. After I sculpted the body, I added details out of EVA foam. Then, I coated the whole body in epoxy resin to give it a protective coat. I finished it with a paint treatment of acrylic to look like old terracotta and mounted it on the pedestal, which I built out of poplar.
 Finished Fish |
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 Bottom Side |
 Finished Fish |
 Latex Coat |
 Painted Fish |
 Reference Image |
STAGE COMBAT FLYING FISH
Hand Props Class Project- Ohio University (2018)
This stage combat worthy flying fish is carved out of upholstery foam with the fins being made out of EVA foam. I sculpted the detail using a dremel. The whole fish is coated in 5 layers of liquid latex, 2 layers of Plastidip, then spray painted to look like a flying fish. If thrown, it can glide approximately 10 feet.
 Finished Cocaine Carrier |
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 On Lathe |
 Pattern for Reference |
COCAINE CARRIER
Cabaret- Ohio University (2018)
This container was built for Sally Bowles to carry cocaine during the show. It is inspired by a pineapple and is influenced by snuff containers. I designed it, then turned it out of walnut on the lathe. The middle has a threaded tube in it, which I topped off with lamp parts for decoration. The top unscrews to allow the actress to remove it and pour lines of cocaine to snort (Vitamin B powder).
 Finished Book |
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 Side View |
 Actor With Book |
 Beginning Binder |
 Inside View |
FAIRY TALE BOOK - SCRIPT BINDER SHEATH
The Lovely Stepsister- Texas Shakespeare Festival (2018)
This fairy tale book had to be built to hide a script binder for an actor taking over someone's character due to an unexpected emergency for the duration of the run of a children's show. I started with a binder, which I covered in fake leather. Then I added gold paint for detail, along with upholstery tacks and the covers of two books in stock that were falling apart. For the pages, I cut apart a dictionary and adhered the page edges to foam core cut in the shape of open book pages. The open area on the inside was large enough for 8.5"x11" script pages and still concealed them from all angles from the audience.
 Finished Hamper |
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 Finished Hamper |
 Assembled Legs |
 Finished Hamper Liner |
YARN HAMPER
Personal Project- (2017)
This yarn hamper was for my wife. I designed the legs and framework. I found carpet bag material that I thought she would like and proceeded to make a carpet bag with a liner inside to look nice when the level of yarn is lower.
 Finsihed Severed Head |
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 Finished HEad |
 Painting Process and Hair Work |
 Production Photo |
 Plaster head in Mold Box |
 Latex Face |
 Cage Process Photo |
SEVERED HEAD IN CAGE
Richard III- Texas Shakespeare Festival (2017)
To make this head, I made a lifecast of the actor play Hastings. I made a plaster positive from the alginate, then a plaster negative from the positive. I poured layers of latex into the negative mold to make a skin, which I then backed in expanding foam. The paint treatment on the face looks quite extreme, but that was to balance the look under the lighting of the scene. The hair was donated from the costume shop, which I styled to look like the character's hair. The cage was made from metal rings and wire which I twisted with a drill to make a rough and gnarled appearance to fit the world of the production.
 Finished Severed Head |
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 Severed Head with Ear |
 Tinted Latex in Mold |
 Plaster Positive |
 Latex in Mold |
 Ear Mold |
 Head on Pike |
SEVERED HEAD ON PIKE
Macbeth- Purdue University (2015)
For this head, I created a lifecast of the actor playing Macbeth so the head would look like him. From there, I made a positive plaster mold, then a negative plaster mold. I ran the mold in latex that I tinted to be closer to the actor's skin color. The latex was backed in foam for structure. I joined the front and back halves of the head together and patched the seam with more latex. I also sculpted and attached ears, since I did not mold the actor's. I then mounted the head on the pike and completed the paint treatment, including laying facial hair and adding gore to the neck stump and wound.
 Finished Chest |
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 Hidden Drawer |
 Close up Detail |
 Close Up Detail |
 Paint Process |
 Tile Spacers Attached |
 Interior |
 Adding Texture |
 Untitled |
WORN WOODEN CHEST
Props Construction Class Project- Purdue University (2016)
The main body of this chest is pine that I used a wire brush to eat away at the soft grain. The metal banding effect was created by texturing masonite and layering several colors to build up a rusted metal look. The rivets are plastic tile spacers that I glued to the masonite. On the front, there is a hidden drawer that can only be opened by removing a pin on the inside of the chest. The hardware was all hardware that I bought new and then aged to match the other paint treatments.
 Finished Cigar |
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 Finished Cigar |
 Production Photo |
FAKE CIGAR
Carousel - Texas Shakespeare Festival (2016)
This cigar was built out of a dowel rod that I tapered. Then I covered it in paper and added bits of shredded foam at the end to look like burned ash and tobacco. I completed the paint treatments by using browns and grays to achieve the correct look. This cigar was meant to only be carried by the actor, not put in his mouth.