Halloween costume 2011: Edvard Munch and The Scream | Kids Out and About Rochester <

Halloween costume 2011: Edvard Munch and The Scream

By Debra Ross

A Halloween costume for the truly odd culturally literate!

Those who have (or have had) 12-year-olds understand how sometimes they make you want to SCREAM!

So that's what Madison was for Halloween. Her sister Ella, who usually likes playing the supporting role, was Edvard Munch, the painter of The Scream. Of course, Ella looks more like a dapper 19th-century French artist than a dour early-20th-century Norwegian artist, but Halloween is all about imagination, right?

EdvardMunchandTheScream2.jpg

Instructions

I printed out a copy of The Scream for reference. Then I cut out a skull-shaped face in the middle of a piece of hard foamboard, and made sure that Madison's face would fit in it. Then I painted around it, doing my best to get at the feel of the Munch painting, even if I couldn't really reproduce it exactly. (It's easier than it looks... just draw with pencil underneath it to get an approximate sense of the layout, then paint with acrylics. Acrylics, which are standard kids paints, are very forgiving; they dry quickly, and you can easily paint over them in a few minutes if you mess up.)

Attach light handles (or use duct tape to make handles) to the back of the foamboard so it's easy to hold up. Occasionally, you can find self-sticking handles or fasteners in the Child Safety section of home improvement stores.


Got ideas for other cool culturally-literate Halloween costumes for kids? Email me at ross@kidsoutandabout.com.