Thatcher

Thatcher was once a strong and agile young man. He had a thriving business mending roofs for the townsfolk, farmers, and the dwellers of the woods. One day while he traveled deep into the forest, he happened across the small untidy hut of a feeble old lady. She beckoned to him.

"Thatcher,' she called out as he approached, "There is a hole in my roof. I have no money to pay, but can grant you a wish if you will fix my leaky roof."

Thatcher was familiar with bartering, but was woefully unaware of the underhanded dealings of the crazy old "bottle lady". He kindheartedly agreed, knowing he would collect no payment this day, and started the repairs. Upon completion of the task, the old hag asked Thatcher what his wish was. Jokingly, he chuckled that he wished that hers was the last rooftop he ever saw.

As Thatcher lay down for the night, huddled under his cart, he thought of the old lady and his wish. When he woke the next morning, he found his wish had been granted. Thatcher was blind, and as requested, would never see another rooftop.

Witches!

Witch. Hag. Crone. Biddy.
Sorceress. Enchantress. Siren.

New witch completed

I just finished this witch as a custom order for one of my past Etsy customers. I do not mind saying this gal gave me quite a bit of trouble....there was something elusive about her facial expression early in the sculpt that drove me nuts. Early on, the expression was blank...no character or emotion displayed whatsoever. The unfinished piece sat on my bench for several weeks, staring up like a dead fish, mocking my lack of creative inspiration. I have learned that when a piece doesn't feel right it is best to put it away until new thoughts emerge. Such was the case with this witch....last week a new approach on the facial features came to me, inspired by the twin witches I posted last week. I raised the cheekbones, dropped the brow, defined some deep scowling lines in tightly pursed lips and all of a sudden she had an attitude. After I overcame that hurdle, the rest of the sculpt was relatively easy.

The Sisters of the Waning Moon

Deep in the woods on the last nights before the moon goes dark, a chanting can be heard beneath the whispering wind and the drone of crickets. Some say it is merely the incessant call of the katydids rasping away in the night. But I know different. I have heard the twisted voices of a pair of twin witches known as The Sisters of the Waning Moon. Few have actually seen the old hags as they circle the abandoned well, chanting an ancient spell into the echoing abyss. Few would want to recount the memories of an encounter with evil divided. I have seen the Sisters but cannot allow myself to describe them for fear of losing my already shattered mind.

Witchlette video!

Click the picture to view video of Witchlette in action

Witchlette Completed

Witchlette is now finished! Her costume features authentic vintage fabrics, buttons, and jewery ( as well as a single raccoon tooth) Four 1950's era bottles provide a visual accent to the base of the cauldron. I will post video as soon as I can work thru an error with Blogger. Completed size is 19 inches tall...the perfect size for a one of a kind eye-catching Halloween Display.

Witchlette : testing the costume

This is the first test fitting of the fabrics I have chosen for the Witchlette. Most are vintage fabrics that I have collected from various sources throughout the years. I fell that this is a good mix of colors and textures to give the old hag a real-world appearance. At this stage I like to let everything sink in for a few days, observe her in different lighting and take note of any changes or additions that need to take place before attaching her wardrobe permanently.
For instance, as much as I would like to press onward, the painting on the cauldron needs to be finished before any fabrics are applied. The plastic hands stand out as a beacon of laziness at this point, prompting me to push my comfort zone a bit to make them blend in with the rest of the piece. The forearms need some work as well since the fresh clean burlap glows like a beacon. Accessories, knickknacks and other bits and bobs will be the final touch to give her an authentic presence.
Overall I am pleased with the way this is turning out.

Witchlette: The eyes

Her eyes told of a soulless determination. The task at hand was a daunting one indeed and nothing would stand in her way.

Progress has been made. Between events at Great Lakes Fright Fest, I worked on painting the skin tone of the Witchlette. Normally I have a clear idea of how I want a skin tone to look, but Witchlette was a puzzle to me. I knew I didn't want a stereotypical green skin, but felt that leanings toward green would be appropriate. I fumbled along, adding bits of color here, a wash or two there until I reached a point of utter confusion. I told Ghoul Friday, my camping companion at the event, that the old gal had reached a point where she was either almost done or almost ruined. Upon arriving home, the final stages of painting slowly came into focus, leaving Witchlette with a stony complexion to match her fixed gaze.

The final pieces of the puzzle will be her hair, costume, and accessories.

Getting close now. She has begun to whisper her wicked mumblings in my ear, telling me how to bring her to life.

Witchlette: Dressing begins

Ok, not really much to look at here other than I have added plastic bottle over top of the mech to keep everything nice and secure inside. I then covered the body in burlap that has been soaked in Sculpt or Coat. The resulting body is lightweight and fairly stiff. I have also mounted the cauldron to the top of the books and the motor inside the cauldron. At this point I gave the the dual motors a 24 hour test run...they worked flawlessly with absolutely no heat build up.
I decided to go with a dual voltage desktop power supply with 5vDC going to the head motor and 12vDC going to the cauldron motor. This keeps the two movements out of sync with each other adding to a lifelike illusion.

I have a feeling the outfit on this nasty little gal is going to be a whole bunch of fun. I will be staying away from traditional black cloak and hat and stay in earthy fabrics with alot of texture. I am not looking forward to making a pair of small hands though, and might wuss out and use a pair of plastic skeleton hands.

Witchlette progress: Arms

Witchlette's arms have been installed and tested. I added a bracket to the main front rod to support the shoulders, providing a secure foundation for the jointed arms. Trial and error with the arm lengths resulted in a smooth natural movement. As stated before, I am designing this mech to be as maintenance free as possible so that the eventual owner can enjoy her for years to come.
A loose fitting at the wrists will give just enough play at the natural maple stirring stick to give the entire arm assembly a smooth, natural stirring motion.

Witchlette continued: The mech

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to add some head movement to the Witchlette. I have made head turning mechs before, but always on a larger scale where the overall size wasn't an issue. This project has several design demands that I have not encountered before.

• The mech must be small enough to fit inside the body.
• The mech must be reliable. In the past, I have made props for myself, and troubleshooting always seems to be par for the course. This mech must work flawlessly and provide trouble free operation.

This is my first successful configuration that will meet the necessary requirements. After the pictures were taken, I have tweaked a few dimensions to make the mechanism even more compact than pictured. The design will allow me to easily adjust the overall height and neck-to-torso dimensions, but for now proof of concept has been achieved.

Witchlette

Here's the start of my next animated, motorized figure. This one is already taking on a life of her own and developing a creepy personality. Like Luther, she will be a motorized prop stirring a small cauldron. I may try to coax a little more movement into her, but haven't quite figured out how to hide the mechanism I have been thinking about in such a small space. I also need to make sure to leave access to any inner workings for potential troubleshooting and maintenance. It is also possible that the stirring motion will be enough. Decisions, decisions....