Tiki God from Cardboard Tube

My cardboard tube (from Amazon) was a 5" diameter.  I could have spent a LOT more money on a sono tube, which are used for pouring cement forms, but wanted to keep the costs down to a reasonable expense.  I found a 5" diameter plumbing piece at Lowes with a 7" base which holds his light weight and makes a perfect stand.  His arms are 2" mailing tubes (from Amazon).  Before covering the larger tube, I cut holes into it for the arm slits.


I started by wrapping the entire tube in brown fun foam.  I use tacky glue that I mix with just a small amount of water to make it a thick, paintable substance.  I also use painters tape to secure the edges until my characters dry.  It peels off of the fun foam easily.  If
you look closer, you will still see a piece down by his feet.

Lowes and Home Depot (not sponsors) sell wall insulation in 2' x 2' sections.  I bought a piece of that size for the hands and the feet.  

After he was dry, I cut holes through the fun foam where the arm slots had been cut.  I pounded 3" of each end of the 2" tubes flat with a hammer.  I used E-6000 glue to attach them.

I made patterns for the hands, feet, and face in Photoshop.

If you see the hand has an extension box.  This is 2" tall at the end.  It fits into the end of the arm mailing tube.  I used a peach Sharpie to color the nails.  I made the face in layers.  I enlarged each pattern to the size I wanted.  If you convert images to Adobe in your print menu, a box appears to let you enlarge items to any poster size you want.
You can look up the directions on how to do this on the internet.  I never knew that converting images in the 'choose printer' menu did this, until my hubby showed me.
I doubled the size of the 8" x 11" image to get my face.  I glued the four sheets of the pattern together, then cut it out, traced it with a sharpie onto the fun foam, and cut it out.  I did the same process for the hands and feet.  

His FEATHERS are 5 feather picks from Michael's.  I used a 5" diameter insulation piece and glued it into the top of the tube.  When I used my foam burner to cut the circle, I also burned holes into middle of the circle to stick the picks into.

I used this guy's headpiece as inspiration for the darker brown crown under the feathers.
The hula skirts (Amazon) is an adult size one that I wrapped around three times and sewed in place.  He is about 5 1/2 feet tall. If I had tried to buy one this size, he would have been hundreds of dollars.  I am quite please with the result.  When I post photos of the actual Luau in September, I will tell you how people reacted to him.