How to Make Seaweed Out of Trash Bags - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

You may be preparing props and set pieces for underwater musicals you are waiting for to have licensing options such as Spongebob: The Musical. If this is the case, you may need to make seaweed for your set. While it seems like seaweed would be a difficult set piece to make, it is actually very easy.

Seaweed

You will need the following items:

1. Small Trash Bags such as Hefty Small Trash Bags, 4 Gallon.
2. Scissors such as AmazonBasics Multipurpose Office Scissors
3. Green and brown spray paints such as Rust-Oleum 6 PK Specialty Camouflage Spray Pack
4. A flat surface such as scrap wood or old cardboard.
5. Pins or tape to hold the plastic trash bag material to your flat surface.

In order to make the seaweed:

1. Start by taking your trash bags and cutting 2" wide strips. Of course, the measurement doesn't have to be perfect, but this is about the size that you want.
2. Once the strips are cut, hook your index and middle finger underneath both sides of the shortest width at the top, holding them with your thumb.
3. Stretch the bag, but do not pull so much that the bag tears.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3, moving down the long part of the strip until you reach the end.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each strip until you have enough pieces of seaweed for your set.
6. You are now going to need to put the strips onto your flat surface. Secure them at the top and bottom. They do not have to be held tightly.
7. Once your strips are secured to the flat surface, use your spray paints to paint the seaweed the colors that you would like them to be. You do not have to be careful about where the spray paint goes on the strips as seaweed comes in different colors and varieties to where the colors can be uneven.

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