# Mandrake Root - Easily Made



## Rahnefan

You can scarcely find an illustration of a witch's kitchen or wizard's sanctum without an anthropomorphic mandragora root. It's a necessity! But I don't think they sell them anywhere.

This is likely one of the easiest things you will ever make, but I am very satisfied with mine.

You'll need newspaper, masking tape, paper clay, monster mud (sandless), fake leaves, and paint.

Roll up the newspaper into 5 tapering wads, and wrap them with masking tape. I didn't photo this part because, well, it's just newspaper and masking tape. Tape all of these together into a basic body shape. You can add tape extra tendrils for fingers and toes if you prefer something more Harry Potter-looking. I might do that next time. Tape the whole thing up so that it looks unified, then hang it and coat it with monster mud (sans sand). This will start to fill in cracks and skin it.










Once that dries, make a face out of paper clay or whatever you have that will stick to it and dry on its own. You can also use paper clay to fill in the places where it looks like you just taped a bunch of newspaper together and painted it. Which is what you did.










Once that dries (it can take days for paper clay to dry, if you use it as thick as I do), attach the fake leaves at the top. Actually you could have done that before the first coat of monster mud, but it doesn't matter. So long as you attach them before painting.

Cover the whole thing in brown latex paint.










Once that dries, apply a lighter, flat earth tone with a sponge or paper towel or something (anything but a brush), but only pick up the highlights, like dry-brushing but without the brush. He should look nice and tatery now.










Use a dark (but not black, which looks unnatural) color to embellish the lines in the face. Dirty it down some if you like. Wrap twine around it near the top and hang that sucker from the rafters near your cauldron. You're done.










Mine looks pissed for having ever gained self-awareness: http://www.mkdavis.net/images/props/2010/mr-6.jpg


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## RoxyBlue

LOL, he does look terribly grumpy about something


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## Allen H

looks great, I made mine in a similar fashion I just based mine on a doll. Great work.


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## MommaMoose

Looks great! Defininately on the list of must do this year!


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## SuperCreep31

great job! I might have to try this...


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## Haunted Bayou

That's great...he does look a little grumpy.
Being self-aware kinda sux.


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## Eeeekim

He is way cool! Freshly picked he is. LOve his face.


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## wheussmann

great idea..... Part of my haunt is to be Harry next year... so this would be great, now to figure out how to add sound and motion when its pulled from a pot!!!


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## tot13

I really like this a lot - thanks for sharing and including lots of pics.


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## fick209

That is so cool! What a great idea, thanks for sharing!


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## beelce

Like it .....Nice work...


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## Haunted Bayou

I learned something because I had to look-up Mandrake root. Interesting history.


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## tot13

Haunted Bayou said:


> I learned something because I had to look-up Mandrake root. Interesting history.


Sigh. Thanks a lot . . . (goes off to research mandrake root) . . .


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## Rahnefan

This year I made three more but added tendrils with twine. If you wind the tendrils around a broom handle and add glue or paperclay or monster mud, they will retain a somewhat curvy shape, even after drying and removing from the broom handle.

Pix at my blog: http://yargcade.blogspot.com/2013/10/roots.html


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