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Bigfoot's Foot
Do you believe in Bigfoot? Does one live out in the woods behind your house? Can you hear him howling at night? I love mysteries, things we'll probably never have answers for. But isn't that the best part...not knowing what's real. That's why I love making Sideshow Gaff and the severed foot of a Bigfoot was a really fun project.
A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from an avid Bigfoot collector. He wanted me to make a life size replica of a Bigfoot's actual foot. That's over 16 inches long. I started molding it first with foil. I couldn't have afforded the oven bake clay to make the whole thing. Then I covered it with clay and just kept working at it until it looked just right. The bottom had to be right too. He wanted it take it out of the display case to show people. After the main foot was done I made the leg bones and the flesh that would be seen when his ankle was cut. I had a few real deer bones to look at so the bones were easy. After the whole thing was baked I started to paint it. Many, many layers and shades of brown and black. The fur was added last, real fur. I find old fur collars off coats from antique shops really come in handy. Last we made the display case out of 1/2" plywood, painted it, aged it & engraved the plaque for the front.
It was a fun project and very interesting to talk with the customer who had actually met the men who shot the Patterson-Gimlin film at Bluff Creek. I did a lot of reading on Bigfoot and watched every special I could find. I think there are so many mysteries out there and Bigfoot is one more, keeping life interesting & making us question what lurks in the woods that we don't see!
