My friend Harrison Jones went to town on his green army man costume for Halloween, and nailed the classic icon. The result is definitely one of the best costumes I saw this year. How did he do it? Harrison started by picking out the perfect green tarp, then taking it to the hardware store and having them color match a quart of semi-gloss interior latex paint. He then painted the air soft helmet, boots, and gun with several coats of the green paint. Next, he cut out cardboard in an oval shape, painted it green, and used duct tape in a loop to stick to his boots.

As for the uniform, he picked out a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of pants he was willing to sacrifice, and cut them both along the seams. Harrison then spread the chopped shirt and pants out on the tarp, pinned them to the tarp, and cut around the fabric, leaving about a half inch of extra tarp (the sleeves were done separately). He used duct tape to “sew” the tarp back together, leaving half of the tape’s sticky side exposed and putting it on the inside of the seam, and then connecting the matching part of the tarp, adjusting to the right fit.

Possibly not the best skin treatment, but he then painted his hands and face with the same latex paint. I had to ask how that latex paint felt on his skin, and he said, “It was okay as long as I wasn’t in direct sunlight, and after a while it would crack if I smiled or moved my face. It ended up just being able to peel off in warm water.” Harrison amazingly managed to work his shift at Andy’s market (best produce ever!) down the street from MAKE headquarters. Nice work, soldier!