Dracula VHS Box: Pt. 2

In this post I'll go into details about how I crafted the coffin box itself. Part 1 was all about the process of Lucy's illustration, which you'll see incorporated here into the final design. For the coffin, I knew that I wanted it to look like Lucy was lying asleep inside, and you could see her through a glass window - similar to this style of coffin from the Victorian era:

I started googling for "coffin papercraft," to get an idea of where to start, knowing that most likely I would need to create my own modifications for the final version to be the correct size and shape to hold a VHS within it. I came across this pattern from a blog that appeared to automatically crawl other blogs and websites and amalgamate them into one spot. The description in the blog post was, "Paper Horse Mask Papercraft Template Printable Mask Diy. Skeleton Coffin Halloween Paper Plates 9 In 48 Pack 48 out of 5 stars." It got 48 out of 5 stars, perfect!

Next, I printed this out on regular 8.5 x 11 scrap printer paper and folded a test, just to see how it would come together. And then I did another...and another...and... you get the idea. I quickly realized that in order to fit a VHS, the pattern needed to be enlarged quite a bit and wouldn't fit on a regular sheet of printer paper. Luckily, I have a printer which can print up to 13 x 19, so I didn't need to deconstruct the pattern, just enlarge it overall.

All told, I ended up with at least 4 (maybe 5 or 6, a couple got thrown out in the process) test prints. After printing several on scrap paper, I took a sheet of my thick mixed media paper meant for the final product and painted it brown. I couldn't find paper in a brown shade in the thickness and size I wanted, so I purchased a plain white sketchpad and painted it light brown with acrylic craft paints from Walmart. In order to replicate the heaviness of a VHS box, I chose Strathmore Mixed Media, 187 lb. weight.

The box design with the film title, description, credits and stills I took from both a VHS and DVD release, cut the elements up in Photoshop, and then rearranged them to fit my coffin shape. I also added some illustrated roses from Lucy's drawing to the box. Using the feeder tray of my printer, I was able to print the box design and pattern directly onto my painted mixed media paper. Then I used a super-sharp Exacto knife to cut the coffin out and make score marks into the paper where the folds were going to be.

The oval shape cut-out in the center is where Lucy will be showing through, to mimic a window.

After cutting out the pieces and folding the edges in, I used E6000 and double-sided Scotch tape to attach the sides together. Also, Ocean Spray grapefruit juice makes a great heavy-duty weight to hold everything together while the glue is setting. (Plus, it pairs well with vodka for a Salty Dog, yum...) On the right, you can see Lucy resting in her coffin. I printed her out on a separate sheet of paper and glued her to the backside of the coffin lid, facing out. It's hard to tell in the photo, but there is a sheet of clear plastic acrylic paper over the top to mimic the glass of a window.

For the tape itself, I went with a simple splatter-painting effect. Again, basic red acrylic paint (mixed with a tiny amount of water to thin it out) purchased from Walmart.

Within the body of the coffin, I needed something sturdy to hold the tape in place. I ended up creating a backing, just a tiny bit smaller than the coffin body and putting 2 brackets on the top and bottom, spaced far enough apart to hold the tape within it. I was going to create it in thick cardboard, but then my husband offered to take my Illustrator file, extrude it, and use his 3D printer to create the backing. Doing this in plastic helped to give the box some heft and create an even sturdier backing to hold the tape. Plus, he suggested printing it in white to mimic the interior lining of a coffin and match the theme of it being her "wedding death bed."

Hot glued fake flowers from the Dollar Tree line the coffin to keep Lucy company in her endless sleep.

And the final product looks like this! If you are attending Crypticon I will have a couple of these for sale. They'll be very limited, as I'm not sure how much a market there is for these ridiculous cases (I'm calling them VHS art pieces) and they take quite a while to make, but it was really fun figuring out how to put all the parts together to make what was in my head a reality.