faux chimney w/ kicking Santa legs

How was Santa going to visit us if we didn’t have a chimney? So I built one! And to add a little humor – and try my hand at animating something – I added a stuck Santa with kicking legs. Progress pics and videos in action below. Enjoy!

wooden structure for faux chimney — the frame was built from leftover 2x4s and plywood I had on hand

faux brick made from foam — rigid wall insulation was treated with a heat gun to make the surface irregular

faux brick made from foam — a base coat of white then washes of grey and tan to match the mortar of the brick on the actual house

faux brick made from foam — masking taps was cut to make irregular edges to tape off the mortar

faux brick made from foam — the pattern was taped to match the brick design of the house

faux brick made from foam — The actual brick is pretty irregular in color and texture so I used lots of splatters and blotting.

faux brick made from foam — faux on left; real on right. after removing the tape to reveal the mortar.

faux Santa legs — A layer of fabric then wrapped with duct tape. Thanks to Dop for his assistance.

faux Santa legs — the fabric/tape was carefully cut off.

faux Santa legs — boots were first wrapped in garbage bag then black duct tape

faux Santa legs — boots were first wrapped in garbage bag then black duct tape. from a distance these will look realistic

faux Santa legs — the structure of the legs was made of 3/4″ plywood

faux Santa legs — the wooden structure was placed inside the legs and they were taped shut

faux Santa legs — the leg on the right has been filled with spray foam. Perfectly plump.

faux Santa legs — pant legs (tubes of fabric, really) cover the legs. Since they’ll just be seen from one side, they were pinned in place.

wiper motor for automation — the wiper motor and speed control were anchored to a board which was attached to the chimney structure.

faux chimney with santa legs — starting to put it all together.

faux chimney with Santa legs — need to keep the motor out of the elements.

faux chimney with Santa legs — the sides will be covered by foam but the top is open to the rain/snow so this roof will protect the motor and electronics.

faux chimney with Santa legs — detail of the axis on which the legs pivot.

faux chimney with santa legs — starting to put it all together on the roof.

faux chimney with Santa legs — the finished product!

faux chimney with Santa legs — …and at night

Tags: decor, mixed, other Leave a comment

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