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Make an upside-down Halloween bat from two polystyrene balls, felt, craft wire and a reused black plastic bag. The body is painted foam, while wire-and-plastic wings create the bat’s silhouette. The original tutorial finishes the wing edges with a lighter; this guide explains that hazard clearly and gives a scissors-only adaptation if you prefer not to heat plastic.
What you are making
This project produces a lightweight decorative bat with a 15 cm (5.9 in) polystyrene head, an 8 cm (3.1 in) polystyrene body and flexible-looking wings. Felt supplies the eyes and rounded ears. Each wing is a 9-gauge craft-wire outline covered between layers of a reused black plastic bag. Feet made from twisted wire can wrap around a twig, letting the bat hang upside down from a branch, wreath or patio roof.
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The Tool Desk
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Materials and tools
| Part | Materials | Purpose or qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Body | One 15 cm (5.9 in) polystyrene ball and one 8 cm (3.1 in) polystyrene ball | The larger ball is the head; the smaller is the body. |
| Surface and paint | Fine sandpaper, skewer, water-based paint, optional texture paste | Sanding smooths dimples; the skewer makes each ball easier to hold and helps align the join. |
| Adhesives | Polystyrene-safe glue or PVA, plus spray adhesive or Mod Podge | Use foam-safe glue or PVA on the balls. Spray adhesive and brushed Mod Podge are the two wing-film choices named by the tutorial. |
| Face and ears | Black felt, white felt and glue | Cut eyes, white highlights and rounded teardrop ears. The tutorial includes a downloadable pattern as a guide. |
| Wing frames | Four pieces of 9-gauge craft wire per wing, wax paper, UV resin and a UV light | Wax paper protects the sketch; resin-and-light curing secures the wire joins in the demonstrated method. |
| Wing membrane | A clean, used black plastic bag | Cut the bag into pieces large enough to cover each wire frame. Reuse the bag rather than buying new film. |
| Finishing and hanging | Nail scissors or other small scissors, lighter for the demonstrated finish, extra wire, a twig and glue | Scissors trim arches; the lighter melts excess film in the source method. Wire wrapped around a twig forms feet. |
Also prepare a stable work surface, a pencil or marker for sketching, and a way to hold the balls while painting. Keep UV equipment, sharp wire, scissors, adhesives and any flame out of reach of unsupervised children.
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Safety before you start
Heating plastic is the highest-risk step
The tutorial uses a lighter to melt excess plastic around the wing wire. Do that only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, with a clear, fire-safe work zone. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Art and Craft Safety Guide advises avoiding inhalation of plastic-resin vapors and decomposition fumes, using appropriate ventilation or, for relevant activity, a NIOSH-approved respirator with organic-vapor cartridges, and practicing fire prevention. Ventilation does not make all fumes harmless. Never melt plastic near flames, heaters, solvents, paper piles or other combustibles.
A no-flame adaptation
If you do not want to heat the bag, trim the membrane with scissors instead. This is a safety-oriented adaptation, not a finish demonstrated or durability-tested by the tutorial. Leave a narrow, even margin outside the wire and make several light cuts rather than forcing the blades through a thick folded area.
Other precautions
- Wear eye protection when cutting or bending wire; tuck or cover sharp ends before handling the finished bat.
- Follow the resin and UV-light manufacturer’s handling instructions, and avoid skin and eye contact.
- Use adhesives in accordance with their labels and ventilation requirements.
- Do not let children handle the lighter, UV light, resin, wire ends or scissors without close adult supervision. Neither the tutorial nor the safety guidance establishes a child age rating.
Build the foam head and body
1. Smooth and skewer the balls
- Inspect both polystyrene balls and lightly sand visible surface dimples. Remove loose foam dust.
- Push a skewer into each ball. The temporary handle keeps paint off your fingers and gives you a straight reference for joining the pieces later.
- Test the orientation by holding the 15 cm head above the 8 cm body. Decide which side will face forward before painting.
2. Paint the foam
Apply water-based paint in thin coats while holding each ball by its skewer. Let one coat dry before adding another so the surface does not drag or become patchy. Texture paste is optional if you want a less perfectly smooth, more handmade surface; apply it sparingly and allow it to dry before painting.
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3. Join head and body
Remove or reposition the skewers as needed, align the two balls and glue them with polystyrene-safe glue or PVA. The skewers’ holes help you line up the pieces, but the adhesive must still cure according to its label. Support the assembly while it sets so the head does not slide off-center.
Cut the face and floppy ears
Eyes
- Cut two eye shapes from black felt and smaller white pieces for the visible highlights.
- Glue the white details onto the black pieces, then glue the completed eyes to the front of the painted head.
- Keep the pair at the same height, but do not worry about absolute symmetry; a slight difference can reinforce the whimsical expression.
Ears
- Use the tutorial’s downloadable pattern as a size guide, or draw two rounded teardrops that suit the head.
- Cut the ears from felt, fold each piece lengthwise and glue the fold so it holds a curved, slightly floppy shape.
- Make two small holes at the top of the head and insert the ear bases. Add glue inside the holes if the felt shifts.
Finish the face with a drawn or painted smile after the eyes are secure. Waiting until the end prevents the mouth from being rubbed while you handle the wings.
Make the wire wing frames
1. Sketch one wing
Draw the proportions you want on paper, including the broad shoulder near the body, scalloped lower arches and a curled tip. Place wax paper over the sketch. Wax paper lets you build the frame on top of the guide without permanently bonding it to the drawing.
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2. Bend and join the wire
- Cut four pieces of 9-gauge craft wire for one wing. Bend them over the wax-paper sketch to follow the outer outline and interior supports.
- Overlap the wire ends at each join and place small drops of UV resin over the overlaps.
- Cure the resin with a UV light according to the resin maker’s directions.
- Lift the frame and flex it gently. If a frame collapses or feels unstable, add more resin at the weak join and cure it again, as the tutorial recommends.
- Repeat the process for the second wing, reversing the sketch so the pair mirrors one another.
Leave the wire tip that will form the curled end distinct from the main edge. The plastic membrane will cover the frame but should not hide that curled tip during the bonding stage.
Cover each frame with the recycled bag
1. Cut the film
Cut open the black plastic bag and flatten it. Measure or estimate a piece that is taller and wider than the wire frame. It is better to start oversized; the arches are trimmed after the layers bond.
2. Apply the first adhesive layer
Coat the plastic with spray adhesive, or brush on Mod Podge if that is the option you have chosen. The tutorial names both methods but does not compare their durability, tack time, cost or outdoor performance. Place the wire frame over the coated film while leaving the curled tip uncovered.
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3. Add the second layer
Wait until the adhesive becomes tacky, then cover the frame with a second strip of black plastic. Press around the wire so the layers contact each other without pulling the outline out of shape. Allow the adhesive to set as directed on its label.
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Use nail scissors to cut the membrane along the arches and between the scallops. Keep the blades close to, but not through, the wire. For the source method, a lighter is then passed around the excess plastic to melt it neatly against the wire; follow the flame safety rules above. For the scissors-only adaptation, make a clean cut around the wire and accept that the edge may look less heat-sealed. Repeat for the other wing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Attach wings, feet and hanging point
Wings
Make a hole on each side of the smaller body ball. Push the inner end of each wing frame into a hole and check the angle from the front and underside. The wings should appear to extend evenly while the bat remains upside down. Add glue if a wing feels loose, and let it cure fully before lifting the bat by the body.
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Wire feet and twig
- Wrap wire around a twig to create two gripping feet.
- Twist the wire ends together and glue the twisted section into the underside of the body.
- Test the balance over the twig. If the body shifts, add glue where the wire enters the foam and allow it to set before hanging.
The twig is both a visual perch and the support that lets the bat hang upside down. Choose a dry, stable branch for indoor display or a sheltered patio location; the tutorial does not establish how the materials behave in sustained rain, sun or wind.
Material and finish choices at a glance
| Decision | Option named or suggested | What is established |
|---|---|---|
| Wing-film adhesive | Spray adhesive | Named in the tutorial for coating the plastic; no comparative durability or outdoor result is provided. |
| Wing-film adhesive | Mod Podge brushed onto the plastic | Also named in the tutorial; tack time, cost and performance are not compared. |
| Foam paint | Water-based paint | The source’s recommendation for the polystyrene balls. |
| Ball adhesive | Polystyrene-safe glue or PVA | Both are presented as suitable choices for joining the foam. |
| Edge finish | Lighter-melted edge | The demonstrated method; it introduces plastic-fume and open-flame hazards. |
| Edge finish | Scissors-only trim | An editorial safety adaptation, not a tested comparison or guaranteed equivalent finish. |
Troubleshooting the build
- The head will not stay aligned: Re-seat the skewer holes, apply foam-safe glue or PVA, and support the balls until the adhesive cures.
- A wing frame folds when lifted: Reinforce the collapsed wire overlap with additional UV resin and cure it again before adding plastic.
- The plastic wrinkles: Lift the loose section while the adhesive is still workable, smooth from the wire outward and avoid stretching the film aggressively.
- The membrane pulls away from the wire: Check that the first coat was tacky before applying the second strip and press the layers together around the outline.
- A wing looks uneven: Compare both frames on the same sketch or flip the paper guide for the mirror image before covering them.
- The bat tilts on its perch: Reposition the twig inside the wire feet, adjust the wing insertion depth and reinforce the underside wire with glue.
- The edge is rough after scissors-only trimming: Make small corrective cuts along the arches. Do not switch to a flame indoors merely to smooth the edge.
Hang and care for the finished bat
Once every adhesive and resin joint is cured, hang the bat from its twig feet on a branch, wreath or patio roof. Keep it away from candles, light fixtures, heaters and locations where the plastic could snag. Because long-term outdoor performance is not established, inspect the plastic, wire joins, feet and glue before each season and bring the decoration inside during severe weather.
The result is intentionally handmade: painted foam gives the body volume, felt controls the expression, and the recycled bag creates translucent-looking wing areas without requiring a new sheet of craft plastic. The key construction checks are secure resin joints, firmly glued foam and feet, and a wing edge trimmed without exposing sharp wire.
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