# Desk/Mantle Props



## Rahnefan (May 1, 2009)

Desk/Mantle Props

I only learned of pickled punks, potion props, and many of the amazing things that you professional and home haunters are doing just 2 months before last Halloween; so my head was bursting with more ideas than I had time to adequately nurture. Here are a few, made Sep/Oct 2008 by a complete beginner while Thing 1 and Thing 2 shook the table and abused me with sundry plastic toys.

These are finished but I have so many caveats and novice excuses and designer's ego that it seemed more appropriate to post them here and discuss the ideas behind them; the fact is, I like the concept a lot better than the execution. Please pardon the photo quality also.

Youth Potion

http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-youth-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-youth-2.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-youth-3.jpg

My first Super Sculpey creation. Baby's breath seemed like a fitting additive. Nothing much to say...this is about 2 inches tall. The blue veins are gouache I think. This one I glazed; most I did not. The liquid here (and in all of these) was tinted with Dr. Ph. Martin's inks that were at least twenty years old and ten years neglected. I can't say enough about how vivid those inks are on paper also. And I'm glad to have experimented with Super Sculpey before original Sculpey. I'd have given up entirely had I started with the original stuff.

Preserved Leprechaun Head
It was crazy humid here last year; all my apple head attempts failed. So I did this instead with Super Sculpey (is there a preferred abbreviation for Super Sculpey??).

http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-leprechaun-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-leprechaun-2.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-leprechaun-3.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-leprechaun-4.jpg

Lacking a work bench and a good support for this, I put a mixer into a coffee mug and built the head on the small end of the mixer. It is darkened with a wash of India ink. The ink wash mostly ran right off the baked surface but filled the cracks in a nice...um...dead-looking way? I'd gone 7 months or so without a haircut so I didn't mind trimming some from the front for this prop. I applied it with rubber cement, in layers, so that most of the rubber cement is hidden, and the rest is unseen because the Leprechaun was balding before he died. His ears are oversized because it looks more natural to me than a humanoid with all its features scaled down. The neck guts, heh heh, whatever they are, are tissue that I soaked in red ink overnight, then dried, twisted, and saturated with Elmer's glue. This prop would be better under a dome than in a jar. It lacks context.

Walk Water
Remember that old episode of the SuperFriends? Douse a plant with walk water and it gets up and attackes folks? Yeah I hardly remember it either.

http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-walkwater-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-walkwater-2.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-walkwater-3.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-walkwater-4.jpg

The idea was that the customer tested this batch with a wild flower, which became mobile but promptly drowned. Just a face and body, with fake leaves hot-glued onto it. This wasn't glazed, so I guess it'll eventually decompose, but in the meantime, it's growing a nice creepy cloudy tendrils, all on its own. All of my labels are handmade; as a calligrapher, I'm biased towards uniqueness, but it also just makes more sense to me than a printed label (I've never seen a store where you can buy eye of newt). But I'm weak on ornamentation and it shows in the plainness of the labels...they want more design. Live and learn.

Bottle Imp
If you are unfamiliar, please see: 



 . Basically the imp will grant your every wish, albeit with tragic consequences, and the owner can only sell it for less than the price he paid for it, else it returns; and whomever dies owning it will go directly to Hell.

http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-imp-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-imp-2.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-imp-3.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-imp-4.jpg

The idea was to make it difficult to see what is in there, and to make it look as if it had really come from a dusty shelf in some forsaken shop. The imp is a basic horned devil from Super Sculpey (with wire armiture), painted black, immersed in brackish liquid. His pose and size were a consideration in making it more realistic; palms are toward the glass, and he moves but cannot tip over. The sloppy label here was meant to look like some roadside shopkeeper did his best to emphasize what a bargain it is, while having little or no hope to actually get rid of it (no U.S. currency is lower than one cent). My better half says it looks nothing like my handwriting, which pleases me. If you know of a better or easier way to get that blasted woven twine on a jar or bottle, I am all ears.

DrownProof - from Real Mermaid Eggs
You will have to look closely to see the little ones emerging from conchs and huddled in a clamshell. Terrible image quality. But I cannot open the lid to this one for a better shot because the smell is ungodly. Though I bleached the shells and rinsed them like crazy, the smell persists. I used fresh seashells mixed with brightly painted tiny ones, sand, and Sculpey for the eggs and mermaid fetuses. The best it looked was mediocre and that lasted about 2 weeks, even though I glazed these. It's a train wreck but I like the concept a lot. A friend requested one but I wouldn't do it again unless I could take the time to add a lot of detail to the mermaids with a magnifying glass, etc. And time is what I have the least of.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-drownproof-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-drownproof-2.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-drownproof-3.jpg

Love Potion
Heart-shaped bottle, obligatory red-tinted liquid, fake worm and curled doll hair trimmed to 3-4 inch strands. A coworker saw this on my desk and immediately asked if those were real pubes. LOL And now the worm is developing a nice milky cloud of "murk" in one place. Note the misspelled French on the label. I seldom misspell anything. *&^%$#@ 
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-love-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-love-2.jpg

Sleep Well
Sand and a poorly sculpted locust. But I like the label.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-sleepwell-1.jpg

Hang Proof
Contains a rusty razor blade and a bit of rope.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-hangproof-1.jpg

Hedgehog Spit
Green of course. This is equal measure of water and vegetable oil, tinted with green ink and brush-on silver ink. When shaken, it cascades beautifully; at rest, after a couple of months, it foams disgustingly.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-hhspit-1.JPG

Disturbing Photo
I can't take credit for this one; this photo of Thing 1 is almost entirely unedited. It bothered me a lot at first, but hey, he's a monster kid like me.

http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-thing1-1.jpg

As you've already read in other tutorials, twine is easily kept wrapped around a jar with rubber cement. I used leather strips in some of mine but am not proud about it because I did not take the time to age them! Labels are also easily adhered to bottles with rubber cement. But be sure to apply them last.

There were more but even moreso than the above, I like the concepts more than the finished products.


----------



## Don Givens (Dec 2, 2008)

Good ideas and the end results look pretty good if you ask me.


----------



## sharpobject (May 7, 2008)

What great ideas. I didn't even think of attaching an eye dropper, spoon, or anything else to the bottles.


----------



## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Really like the Walk Water one. Great collection.


----------



## KimilyTheStrange (Jul 20, 2008)

Awesome job! 
If only we had a potion to keep our heads from exploding from being over-run with creativity. 
Funny, the one thing I find that actually relaxes me, when I'm trying to fall asleep, is creating something new in my head.


----------



## Draik41895 (Oct 25, 2008)

thats freaken awesome!more ideas for when i get all my bottles out of storage


----------



## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

These are some really unique ideas. I think they turned out very well. Thanks for sharing and I personally would love to see more of them.


----------



## Silent Requiem (Feb 17, 2008)

looks phenominal to me.


----------



## Rahnefan (May 1, 2009)

*Six More*

Thank you all! Here are six more.

Fortune's Favor
Use a green bottle filled with oil, dice, and fake money. Cheap and easy.
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-fortune-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-fortune-2.jpg

Second Chance - Do Not Drink
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-second-1.jpg
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-second-2.jpg
My idea was that this was not a potion but a spell or something that requires the recipient to make a sacrifice in order to gain protection from some mortal dangers. The reverse of my label reads: "Deposit one finger or ear or toe, once. Protects against bullets, blades, flame, falling, pox, and consumption, once." Using rubber cement to apply a label has the advantage of a smooth, clear finish so that if you write something on the reverse of the label, it should be clear enough to read (in real life anyway, maybe not in this photo).

The finger is made from Super Sculpey. It was surprising to me how easy it is to make a lifelike finger with that stuff. Add details before baking, but carve around the nail after baking also, for that flakey cuticley look.

Here's how to add convincing hair to a fake finger: hold your face over a sheet of paper and rub your eyebrows and tug at your eyelashes. Bunches of them will probably come out; you lose them every day. When you are ready to glaze the finger, use your steadiest hand to hold tweezers for keeping the hairs in place and glaze with the other hand. Blow on it and in just a second it should be dry enough to move on to the next one. Pete & repeat...

Wish I'd been as clever with painting the cut end, however. Nothing ruins suspension of disbelief like PINK where there should be reddish brown.

Zombie Powder
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-zombie-1.jpg
Powder just wants to be in round bottles for some reason. This is baby powder, a fishnet, and random trinkets. The more quasi-Christian the better, to make it look kinda voodoo. I forget the name of that snake, but it's a voodoo thing. In retrospect, this one probably should be shiny and gaudy more than rough and sloppy.

Reducer - use sparingly
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-reducer-1.jpg
Not a new idea, the garnish-type skeleton in a jar. But I have set mine in ashes from the fireplace and something about that really works for me. The spoon (Super Sculpey again) doesn't hurt either. Notice the uneveness of the spoon - a lot easier than trying to make it straight and perfect, and probably a better idea anyway.

Sweet Revenge
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-sweet-1.jpg
Just a scorpion tail (Super Sculpey yet again) on sugar. I considered putting it in with mints or candy corn but that just seemed wrong. EDIT: no, not sugar, I used salt actually. Sugar melts in the heat and attracts bugs. But when you see white granules and the label says "sweet," you don't question it, you think sugar.

Warm Welcome - Opens Doors / Loosens Corsets
http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2008-welcome-1.jpg
Just a skeleton key and rose petals, in oil.

Though all of mine were rushed in production, I like the idea of an interesting label and appropriate ingredients suggesting (but not telling) a back story. My others are too simple to warrant photos; there's a flask of Might for example, that is filled with clear oil and nails, trimmed in black leather. It looks like you'd take a swig just before going into battle or something.


----------



## madmomma (Jul 1, 2009)

Impressive and very creative. Great work!


----------



## Rahnefan (May 1, 2009)

Thanks madmomma!

Update for 2009

Not glazing some of these has caused a really nice effect. The flower man in the Walk Water is getting fuzzy in an odd way:

















The leprechaun head looks better in his dome, as I thought he would:









And the Hedgehog Spit for some reason looks awesomer than ever, whether shaken:








Or not:


----------



## The Archivist (May 31, 2009)

Very impressive. These would make a great addition and a must-have to any self-respecting witch's kitchen!


----------

