When I first entered the Halloween Instructables Contest I didn't know what I wanted to do. Ideas were flowing through my brain, but as the discovery phase says, I needed to go through a certain amount of steps to get meaning out of the project and to make my project successful and fun for others. My first step in the discovery phase was interviewing. I went wandering around my school's hallways asking people on thier opinion about Halloween, how they celebrate it and what they most like about it. Most people said they liked to see how people expressed themselves through props and costumes. To add on, interviewees said that The Joker and Pennywise the Clown was thier favorite Halloween character. The interviewing step lead me to a good start. After the interviews, I went into the interpretation phase where I created drivers and constraints based on the answers from the interviews. Next, I started ideating. My teacher, Ms. Ugarte taught me that the ideating process was more about quantity than quality. I had to focus on one big thing about Halloween. I chose to do props. I started brainstorming about what others might like the most. So, I decided to do an iPhone case for daily use. I began sketching the initial ideas I had. I sketched and sketched. I chose my best sketches and started going for feedback. After this, I had already done the first step of my project. The Discovery Phase. Now, it was time to create. I will guide you through the process of creating a customized Joker iPhone case, I hope you enjoy it!

Supplies

A:
- Clear iPhone Case

- Green, Purple, Red, White, Black Paint, and Paintbrushes

- X-Acto knife

- Pencil

- PVC Cutting Mat

- Masking Tape

- Paper

- Vinyl Sealer

- Newspaper

- Blowdryer

- Epoxy Resin

- Epoxy Liquid Hardener

- Chopstick for mixing

- 2 cups (One for step 4 and one for step 5)

Step 1: Step 1 A: Painting Splatters

A) After collecting all the materials listed above for project A, you are ready to start creating the iPhone case. For this first step, you will need green and purple paint. You will also need newspapers, paintbrushes, a blowdryer, and the case. In the first step of creating the case, we will guide you through the process of beginning to paint the background of the case. You will start by painting the splatters.

To begin, you need to know how to paint the splatters. In my opinion, I prefer to use the Finger Flicking Technique where you grab the paintbrush and pull the tip back with two of your fingers and then releasing forming a good paint splatter. However, there are other techniques you might find easier. In the video shown above, the professional artist explains other techniques to create paint splatters. Once you decide on a technique, dip the tip of the paintbrush in paint and start applying your chosen technique. Remember to place the newspaper below the workspace so that other objects do not get affected by the paint splatters. To not risk paint landing your clothes, I would recommend you put on a large t-shirt that you do not mind getting paint on.

After painting the case with one of the colors above with the splatters, now its time to dry it. Grab a blowdryer and dry it. Hold the blowdryer facing places you covered with paint. You should dry the case for about 10 minutes to make sure the paint won't get off. Next, do more paint splatters with the other color you have not yet used. Try to put paint splatters in most areas of the case. Do the same and dry the new layer of paint splatters on the case. Now, you have completed the first step.

Step 2: Step 2 A: Putting on the Vinyl Sealer

After having the two layers of paint splatters on the case and dry, now you will have to put the vinyl sealer on top of the case. To do this you will need the case, a vinyl sealer, and a paintbrush. It is important to put this on to make sure that the paint on the case does not get removed over time.

To put the vinyl sealer you need to dip the paintbrush inside so it has a decent amount. Then, gently move your paintbrush from the top to the bottom. Let it dry for about 10 minutes. Remember, don't touch it while it's drying because it can affect its outcome at the end.

Step 3: Step 3 A: Trace the Joker Face and Cut Out With an X-Acto Knife.

In this step, you will need a pencil, a paper, a PVC cutting mat and a photo of your chosen Joker face. You will trace the Joker's face and then cut it out. When tracing be sure do be as exact as possible because it will be very important when filling in with paint. After tracing on the paper put a bit of tape to make the paper studier so that you will cut it out correctly. Now, place the drawing on top of the PVC cutting mat. Next, get out your X-Acto knife and cut the drawing gently and precisely. Cut all sides and all the details of the drawing. After finishing cutting the drawing, remove the inner pieces. Then, put small pieces of tape around the corners. You have finished the third step of the creating process. Now, you are ready to move on!

Step 4: Step 4 A: Painting the Cut Out Joker Face

In this step, you will need a small pointy paintbrush, some paper towels, green, white, black and red paint. Some other materials you need are the paper that you work on the last step and a small cup of water to clean the paint. With the tape already put on, attach the drawing to the case. Try to place the drawing in the center of the case. Now that you have done that, you are ready to begin.

First, grab the paintbrush and dip a small amount of paint on it. Remember to paint gently because of too much and paint can go everywhere making your final product inaccurate. You can begin with the color of your choice except for the white paint. The color green is for The Joker's hair. The black is for the eyes, wrinkles and the surrounding face shown in the picture above. The red is for The Joker's mouth. Now you can begin. After drawing with one color, you need to place the paintbrush inside the small cup of water. Move the paintbrush around in the water and take it out when you see its paint has been spread out in the water. Then, when already removed, clean it with a paper towel. When there is no more paint you are ready to move onto the next color. After painting inside all pieces let the painting dry for about 10 minutes.

At the end, when you have finished with the colors that were mentioned the second time, now its time to outline the painting. You will need to use white paint and carefully outline all pieces of The Jokers face. You must be precise with this part. Gently outline all pieces of the face. While you do this try to put very little paint on to make it as accurate as possible. After outlining, dry the paint again for about 5 minutes. Now, you have completed the 4th step of this customized iPhone case project.

Step 5: Step 5 A: Putting on the Resin

You have come a long way through this project and you're about to finish. Welcome to the final step. In this step, you will need the case, a bottle of epoxy resin, a bottle of epoxy liquid hardener, a chopstick, tape, and a small cup. You will be creating a hard clear material to put onto the case. When mixing resin with liquid hardener it creates a chemical reaction transforming the mix from a liquid to a solid. So, you will use it to make a cover on top of the case. Before using the resin and liquid hardener, remember to cover the space for the camera with tape so that it does not pour on top.

In the first part of this step, you will have to mix both liquids. First, grab the resin and liquid hardener and then pour a rational amount into a small cup. When both liquids are inside the small cup, grab the chopsticks (or any mixing tool you would like) and mix for about two minutes.

For the second part of the step, you will pour the mixed liquids on the case. After mixing, pour the mixed resin and liquid hardener on top of the case. Then, expand it with a piece of paper so that the liquids covers all places on the phone.

Finally, let it dry. The mixed resin and liquid hardener take an estimated amount of 24 hours to dry to the touch. It is very important that you keep it untouched while it's drying. After about 24 hours, come back for your brand new case. You have finally completed the project.

Step 6: Congratulations, You Made It! 😄👍🏼👏🏼

Good Job! You have finally finished! It was a long and fun experience. A lot of effort and time were needed. I can reassure you that everything paid off. You now have a brand new, cool, Joker iPhone case. Thank you for your time. Enjoy it!