Supplies
2" (5.08 cm) Housing insulation foam
Sandpaper
Sculpey clay
1" (2.54 cm) Upholstery foam for tongue and optional book thickness
Acrylic paints in fur color, lighter and darker than the, and tongue and teeth colors
4 Faceted black beads at least 1/2" (1.27 cm) size for eyes
Clear drying, paintable craft glue
4 straight pins
1 yard (0.91 M) of fur fabric
Scissors
Gold paint pen
Gold paint
Small paint brush

Instructions
Book
Cut the 2" (5.08 cm) foam to the size you want the book to be.

Shape the book and pages using sandpaper. You don't have to do a lot of shaping of the binding since it will be covered, but pay attention to detail on the pages.

Coat the sides that will be viewable with clear drying, paintable craft glue, such as Sculpt or Coat.


Gums & teeth
Form the gums and teeth with Sculpey clay, being sure to leave excess that curves around the top and bottom of the book.

Bake according to the manufacturer's directions, and allow to cool.

Coat the gums and teeth with the clear drying, paintable craft glue and paint.

Author's
Note: I prefer an under-painting of white on the teeth and red on the gums with a top coat of brownish tinted clear drying, paintable glue. If you leave the excess in recessed areas it will give depth and reality. It dries clear and shiny so it looks wet even though it's dry.


Tongue
Cut a piece of upholstery foam to roughly the size of a tongue, leaving a length to tuck in under the fur to anchor.

Sculpt the curves and shape of a forked tongue with scissors.

Coat with clear drying, paintable craft glue and allow to dry, then paint the tongue as you did the teeth and gums.


Fur
Cut the fur fabric to the size of your book plus 4" (10.16 cm) excess which will become the tendril arms.

Glue the fur to the book, tucking the teeth and tongue in their place with plenty of glue.

Let dry thoroughly.

Cut the tendrils making sure to leave the appropriate spaces for the teeth and tongue to show through.

Coat the underside of the tendrils with the clear craft glue, let it dry and then paint a fleshy tone.

Paint on the suction cups on the underside of the tendrils.


Eyes & Nose
Cut 4 holes for the eye beads to be slipped through.

Pin them in place with a straight pin and glue them, making sure that they fit very tightly just inside the slit.

Trim the fur around the eyes to give the desired look of an eye and tint with watered down paint for some shading around the eyes.

Repeat for the "nose" and paint appropriately keeping in mind that you paint dark first and lightest last to give depth.


Finishing
Trim the fur very short in the areas where there will be type.

Paint the fabric beneath the fur to match the color to give yourself a smooth surface in which to paint the letters.

Paint the letters by first using a gold paint pen to draw them on.

Follow up with gold paint painted on with a very small brush.

Voila! You are finished and can sit back and enjoy your very own Monster Book of Monsters!

Final Product


Credit
Jeannine Ginsburg's tutorial was taken with permission.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.