Nightmare Before Christmas: DIY Zero and His Dog House Ornament

Now who doesn’t love Zero?  He’s one of my favorite movie characters from the Nightmare Before Christmas and so because of this I just knew that I had to make him too.  Today in this article I will teach you how to make him for yourself.

Materials Needed for Zero:

• Foam ball
• Air Drying Clay
• Platic Milk Container from McDonald’s
• White Felt
• RedFelt
• White Foam Art Sheet
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Orange Acrylic Paint
• Yellow Acrylic Paint
• Fishig wire
• Hot Glue and Low Temp Glue Gun
• Fine Grit Sand Paper

1. Cover the foam ball with a thin layer of air drying clay smoothly and then roll out two pieces of clay for his mouth/snout.  Make a small ball for his pumpkin nose adding ribs and make a Jacko lantern face.
2. Smonth the mouth onto the head and then use the round end of a tool (I used one my sponge brushes that I got in a bag at Michaels for cheap) to push into the clay making the eye sockets.
3. Alow head to dry overnight or use a blow dryer to speed up the drying process.
4. Sand the head to smooth out any imperfections and then paint the inside of the mother and eye sockets black.
5. Paint the pumpkin nose orange in 2 to 3 coats and then paint the eyes, nose and mouth yellow.  once dried hot glue to the end of the snout.
6. Cut the plastic milk container in half, trim off the neck of the bottle and then cut the bottom off.
7. Cut a triangular piece of white felt and then hot glue onto the top of the plastic piece from the milk bottle.
8. Glue the head onto the body.
9. Cut out long ears from the white foam sheets, then fan fold them to create that flapping in the wind look and glue to the head.
10. Cut a thin strips of red felt and glue around the body and head for his collar .
11. Use a needle and poke around small hole in his head, then add a dab of glue and next push the fishing line into it to hand Zero so he floats.

Materials Needed for Zero’s House:

• Foam Core Poster Board
• House Shaped Box (dollar store find)
• Air Drying Clay
• Ivory Acrylic Paint
• White Acrylic Paint
• Gray Acrylic Paint
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Hot Glue and Glue Low Temp Glue Gun

1. Cut panels for the roof and a cross out of foam core board and peel off the paper.
2. Glue the roof and the cross in place on the box ( I found mine at the dollar store ).
3. Paint the house and cross in different layers using the ivory, white and gray paint.
4. Paint and oval shaped door onto the front in black and carve the word Zero into the foam and then paint the letters black.
5. Roll small balls of clay and flatten for the roof shingles and once dried glue them in place.
6. Sculpt Zero’s head and cross bones smoothing onto the doorway.  use a non sharp tool to make his eye sockets.

These make a really great addition to your trunk or treat scene or table top Halloween Town and can be a really cute addition to your Christmas tree later in the year.  Check us out tomorrow on Halloween for instructions on creating the Mayor of Halloween Town.  Until then, happy crafting !