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This is so helpful!!! I can’t wait to get started on my own Thicket Witch 😍😍😍
Thicket Witch BUILD pics…
I’ve had a few people request that I post the witch build pictures on here. The frame for the skirt is some industrial wire that I had at work. While the wire was pliable, it was rather hard to work with but pretty easily bendable to shape it. Anyway, I wanted to connect chicken wire around the outside in two sections, not going for perfection here, just needed something for the dead grass leaves to stick to. I tried a few different methods. Most of the grass, what you see here it’s actually woven in an out of the chicken wire. I strongly… Recommend you Do Not…do it this way, it is very difficult, and time consuming! This method leaves way too many gaps and in some areas, and up close, you can still see the chicken wire showing thru. It took almost a month to complete. I ran a piece of three-quarter PVC directly up the middle of the skirt and drilled holes through it in three places, and ran wire through it and two directions to stabilize it in place to give the upper portion of the torso somewhere to connect to. Like I said, don’t do it this way…. Instead, put black material around the chicken wire and glue grass to that…so the wire won’t show and it will give it depth. The skulls original bottom jaw broke, so I made one with cardboard, foil then mache’. After I mache’d it, I used 2 solid objects on both sides to harden in the correct shape to match the skull. The earlier pictures when I attached the jaw, the jaw was angled back, and I thought it looked incorrect. To me, it gave the skull a “gimpy” look. So I removed the jaw, extended the vertical portions another inch where it was, even from top to bottom and reattached it. I typically use real anatomical resin skulls for my props, but this one was just an ordinary styrofoam skull like you can get at Walmart. Since it is Styrofoam, the three-quarter inch wide hole into the base of the skull was starting to get wallowed out, taking it on it off so I applied JB Weld for the inside of the hole of the skull to harden it. I added extra strips of burlap to the skull because the skull is draped with burlap, and then dry brushed black in the empty eyesocket and other places to give it some more character. I decided two weeks before I finished to give her some stringy hair, which is just jute twine painted gray with white and then hot glued in place. I wanted it to look just nasty and disheveled. The first mache’ rib cage collapsed, so I rebuilt it with that industrial wire. The first several pictures of early in the build show the original rib cage before it collapsed. I used a heat gun to heat and bend the PVC for the spine to angle it forward. For the vertebrae, pumpkin stems, I took two planks of wood, the same width as the bottom of the stems drilled them directly into the spine, and then hot, glued the stems directly to the wood. I may come back and JB Weld them in permanently. Like Steve’s amazing witch, I took some splinters of wood from some broken pallets at work and rough carved teeth and hot glued them in place. Hands are modeled after mine using bailing wire, heavy duty foil then mache then, hot glued into the forearm which is 3-4” pvc split down the center with a dremmel then heat gun to split ulna and radius bones. I literally hold them apart till they cool and harden. Feel free to ask any questions….Another amazing haunter buddy of mine Todd Lawrence, I gave him exclusive access to every single stage of the build for his opinion. His help was invaluable….I had trouble getting these pics on here so I just put them on Flickr.
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As Steve told me when I got started, “I look forward to seeing what you give life to….”
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87 Posts
This is so amazing! For sure, Rot and Steve are impressed by what you have done! How will you preserve her?
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159 Posts
Wow yea thanks! She will go to "sleep" in the attic with all the other props and scarecrows. I have plenty of room up there. I've decided since these gals (witches) come in 3's, I'll maybe build 2 more. 1 every year...
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159 Posts
Forgot to add but I mache’d the skull first, I normally shape my eyes. I usually just use a rolled piece of mache’. This time I used a rolled piece of foil, hot glued it, mache’d over it the re-applied the burlap. I used a spray adhesive, 3M I think, to were burlap to the skull. Fast and easy.
![Jaw Bone Skull Extinction Sculpture]()
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22 Posts
Would you consider selling that
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159 Posts
Not at the moment because she has to be displayed at Halloween but.....I could possibly.... build you one.
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22 Posts
Ok. I'm definitely interested. Please...Quote me on the build and shipping to 76063.
I'm not joking...I'm very serious. Here's a link to view my last yrs display. I really love prop building but Ive had to cut back on building with monster mud and stuff.
I cld definitely use this in my next yrs display...I injured my hands a yr ago...I have had 5 surgeries due to trigger finger. So now I buy a lot of animatronics and definitely baby all of my home made props, I built before my hand problems.
So yes I wld most definitely be interested in a purchase. Thank you sooo much for considering.
Warmly Mellissa Allex
Check my link below⬇
I'm not joking...I'm very serious. Here's a link to view my last yrs display. I really love prop building but Ive had to cut back on building with monster mud and stuff.
I cld definitely use this in my next yrs display...I injured my hands a yr ago...I have had 5 surgeries due to trigger finger. So now I buy a lot of animatronics and definitely baby all of my home made props, I built before my hand problems.
So yes I wld most definitely be interested in a purchase. Thank you sooo much for considering.
Warmly Mellissa Allex
Check my link below⬇
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159 Posts
I will let you know....I still have to build my haunt for this year, I'm doing a ghost theme and the creation of it is kicking my butt....Lol. We will figure it all out. You can email me [email protected]
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