# Morganna Toadrotter - my version of the ScareFX witch



## murpup (Aug 1, 2011)

So this year, I decided to take the deep plunge into prop building. I had always wanted to do a static scene of the Macbeth witches for my yard - then during my research I came across the ScareFX witch project. I fell in love. I have attached some pictures and a link below to youtube video of her during a test run in my garage. I call her Morganna Toadrotter

The key improvement to my mind was use of a drum from an old dryer as the cauldron. I like the dimensions of that better than the 50 gallon drum. I thought about giving it more of a round shape but that would have been a lot more work so I decided it was effective enough as is.

Instead of paying an outrageous amount for store bought witch hands, I created my own using the latex rubber and cotton balls technique, and created a mound of simulated coals using Great Stuff.

The audio in the video is poor and the green glow from inside the cauldron is washed out by the garage light, but the fog effect is still impressive (at least to me). 




Any thoughts or feedback would be much appreciated.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

The prop itself looks pretty darn good, the only things I'd add or change would be the addition of the other two witches (from Macbeth) and a fog chiller. Right now, your fog comes up straight into the face of your witch, making it hard to see her. I would guess you have an audio track going, but it's level is so low that it's hard to make out in the video.


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## murpup (Aug 1, 2011)

Thank you for the feedback. Yeah, I didn't have time this year to get into a fog chiller. That is something I want to experiment with next year. To keep things as compact as possible, I was thinking of trying to incorporate a chiller compartment around the inside of the cauldron itself, rather than use an entirely separate chilling unit. Not sure how I would do that, or if it would even be effective. I will admit that it didn't help that the video was taken in my garage - the fog wasn't able to dissipate as quickly as it did when outside on Halloween night. Also, the audio was there, just that the mic was poor in picking it up for some reason.


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## scarynoyes (Sep 6, 2011)

I agree about adding her sisters. Where did you find her mask? You might want to check out DeadThings You Tube channel. He has an animated version that is truly amazing. Great job.


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

I like this look and all the attention to detail.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Murpup, I think she is fantastic as is. She is a stand alone prop and can do that just fine all on her own. You did a great job constructing her and I love that you showed her PVC frame, I love the hunched over effect that you achieved. Very cool. Did you sculpt her hands? I am very impressed I think she rocks that cauldron like a pro (and great job on that, you made that thing look incredible!). Great job altogether, she is stellar!


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

I think you've done a great job - at first I thought the same as Fontgeek about the fog which at times did get a little thick around her face but as you say - outside there would be more airflow and move it away. I think she looks awesome as she is - and you can always add to the prop with additional witches in the coming years. Well done!


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## murpup (Aug 1, 2011)

Thanks everyone. @scarynoyes, regarding the mask, I got it from Halloween Asylum a few years ago in an after halloween sale at 50% off. I think it was called 'Wicce'. DeadThings stuff is cool. He is at a level of sophistication I can only dream about right now. I plan to just add a little each year to my yard haunt. Next year, I want to expand my graveyard and build a crank ghost.

@pumpkin5, yes I did sculpt her hands. It is one of the things I am most proud of as I am an engineer, not an artist. I basically followed Merlin's Corpse Hands tutorial, but I used more layers of latex and cotton to beef up the fingers and hands more and add raised vein detail. Last layer of latex I mixed in some acrylic paint for the base olive drab color, then lightly dry brushed some different brown and beige shades to give things depth.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

That is a really cool prop! I love the mask and the hands look really good. I like the pic of her pvc form with the drum along with the finished look to show how she began. I like the look you gave the drum /cauldron too. Very cool!


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Nice job! Love the details and colors.


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