Welcome to our zombie dirt and splatter costume tutorial.
Here are a few things you’ll need: A spray bottle (filled with cold or room temperature coffee),
brown acrylic paint, red acrylic paint, a large brush, a medium brush, and a small brush.
Fresh coffee grounds (with a little moisture), a pair of scissors, and some water for the brushes.
We’ll start with the pants, we chose jeans for this particular demonstration.
If your pants don’t have holes already, use your scissors to cut a few or even cut
pieces off (like the leg) and fray the edges.
Tarp your area and begin!
We’re gonna get a little messy.
Mix a little brown paint into the red paint and thin down with water.
Also keep some thinned out brown paint handy.
Spray some coffee to start some initial spatter, then begin to add the red color for blood
and the brown paint for dirt around each rip, blending out with a bit of water or the coffee spray.
Use the thinned down brown mixture and the coffee spray to add a grungy look around all your seams.
Don’t be stingy with the dirt around the pant legs, and embellish with some smeared
or spattered red to make as gory as you choose.
When you’re happy with the look, take some of the fresh coffee grounds and really rub
into the areas where you want more of the dark and gritty stain.
Bundle up, shake off outside, let everything dry and your zombie pants are ready!
Next is the shirt, we chose a plain white t-shirt for this demonstration
Use your scissors to cut a few holes and tears all over, then pull and stretch.
Four cuts side-by-side, pulled out make some great grab marks.
Mix a little brown into the red paint and thin down with water.
Also thin some brown paint in addition to the blood color.
Lay everything out on your tarped area and begin!
Spray some coffee to start some initial dirt stains, then begin to add the red color for
blood and the brown paint for dirt around each rip and tear, blending out with a little
water or the coffee spray to create a bleed effect on the fabric.
Use the thinned brown mixture and the coffee spray to add a grungy look around all of your seams.
Be generous with your dirt, especially around the armpits and collar!
Embellish any section with red spatter to make as gory as you choose.
When you’re happy with the shirt, take some of the fresh coffee grounds and really rub
in to the areas where you want more of a dark and gritty stain.
Bundle up, shake off the grounds, let everything dry and your full zombie ensemble is ready to go!
Finish the look with the right makeup and some help from our other zombie tutorials.
Check out your local Goodwill and see what you can create,
And visit Goodwill.org/Halloween for more Halloween inspiration.