The Witches' Swamp & Shanty Town

[michka]

Yet more wonderful photos. You realize it gets harder to come up with nice things to say to you. There's only so many adjectives in this language.

And now, how the hell did you make the brown/grey/green root looking things in there lower level? You mentioned Hot Glue, but is there something else in there?

[deafnala]

Apr 1, 2015 21:58:24 GMT DnDPaladin said:

amazing work !!
i still laugh at that ok swimming sign !!!

now thats my kind of fantasy. awesome work always fun to watch man !

Thanks, DnDPaladin! To be honest, I don't think I could pull off serious anymore. I'll have to leave drama for other Folk. Comedy or, at least, whimsy fits my stuff & personality much better.
Credit for the NO SWIMMING OK idea goes to Gary Larson's The Far Side. One of his panels has a Dog hiding in the bushes wit a sign reading BEWARE DOG OK.

[deafnala]

Apr 2, 2015 7:37:36 GMT michka said:

Yet more wonderful photos. You realize it gets harder to come up with nice things to say to you. There's only so many adjectives in this language.

And now, how the hell did you make the brown/grey/green root looking things in there lower level? You mentioned Hot Glue, but is there something else in there?

Thanks, michka! I've been finding it harder to comment on other Folk's Works of Wonder without repeating myself also. SO I try to comment on specifics of a post like the tree root question.
For the bulky part of the roots I use raffia covered floral wire that I twist together for thickness & twist for shape. For the roots I cover with hot glue & then tease the unset glue out to give it a rough, peeling bark look. For the tree trunks I do the same thing but substitute carved plumber's epoxy putty or the hot glue...I going to try air dry clay on the next trees I do. 

[deafnala]

The Goblins had long know that The Rock was sacred & had a special religious significance for them. The Rock had told them so; AND, if a usually uncommunicative, inanimate object like a rock told you something in a loud firm voice, & you had the intelligence of a Goblin, you believe it. SO, here are a few close ups of Frag's Sacred Rock Bar & Grill:
















There you go. There will be some detailed shots of the other Isles in a bit; then on to the Shanty Town.

[tauster]

Awesome, again!

I think your style would be great for roleplaying with children...

[deafnala]

Apr 2, 2015 19:32:38 GMT tauster said:

Awesome, again!

I think your style would be great for roleplaying with children...

 Thanks, tauster! You do have a point. I've gotten a lot of "my daughter/son loves your stuff"; &, from the adults, I love the stuff, but it gives me nightmares!".

[deafnala]

The Isle of the Three Sisters is dominated by three VERY large & SINGULARLY strange Mushrooms; they in turn are dominated by the three Witches that call the Isle & the Mushrooms home:


























...next Crazy Mary's Cay of Lust Potion No. 9 fame with the Piranha Club.

[deafnala]

Crazy Mary's Cay is noted for the aforementioned Lust Potion brewery, it's proximity to the Piranha Club, AND the HORRENDOUS amount of pollution it contributes to the fetid waters(?) of the Swamp:












The Piranha Club:






That FINALLY concludes the Tour of the Witchy Isles of Langerhans. Next time the Shanty Town will be seen in all its ramshackle glory.

[michka]

Fantastic. I think that's the perfect description of your work. Not only is the sculpting and painting fantastic, but the ideas are so fantastical. If a picture tells a thousand words, then how many more for a three dimensional creation.

And the tree with the eyes inside the branches is creepy as hell. Love the Love Potion still too.

[deafnala]

Apr 3, 2015 10:43:30 GMT michka said:

Fantastic. I think that's the perfect description of your work. Not only is the sculpting and painting fantastic, but the ideas are so fantastical. If a picture tells a thousand words, then how many more for a three dimensional creation.

And the tree with the eyes inside the branches is creepy as hell. Love the Love Potion still too.

Thanks for the kind reply, michka! I'm slowly emerging from my usual Spring Fever reveries; SO the motivational feedback is EVEN MORE appreciated than normal.

Adding details that are not expected like the trees' eyes & faces were there shouldn't be faces adds a surrealistic aspect to the scene that is disturbing at the least. The bead eyes have the added eerie effect of seeming to follow the viewer around...I've had comments that this is nightmare inducing. Younger Folk aka Children just accept the strangeness, but Older Folk aka Adults can't quite handle the weirdness...I, of course, have never grown up; I just got old.

[deafnala]

While my AT&T connection again seems to be working, I thought I'd start posting some photos of the Shanty Town. The yet-to-be-named ramshackle conglomeration of cobbled together shacks that loosely form a town is the haunt & masterwork of the Goblins that associate themselves with The Coven in a commonality of interests. It adjoins The Isles & lies on somewhat firmer soil than the swamp itself...somewhat. Just beyond the Shanty Town is a long untended Graveyard that is a major source of building materials for the Goblins & a surprisingly lively evening community for various Living Impaired Residents...but first the Shanty Town:

...seen here with The Isles:


...circling high above, a Vulture's viewpoint:










...swooping in:






...for a landing:


Next time I'll do closeups & some of the W.I.P. photos. In the interim feel free to comment...or not.

[stroezie]

This is starting to be one huge theme park :-))
I love the multiple layers on top of each other.

[deafnala]

Apr 6, 2015 17:47:58 GMT stroezie said:

This is starting to be one huge theme park :-))
I love the multiple layers on top of each other.

Thanks, stroezie! Originally I had Mordheim in mind with the various boards. With the diving charges & damage from falls, all the walkways add a  bit of swashbuckling excitement to the game...wait until you see how high the Urban Blight board is going to be. Since I've been here the possibilities of a solo RPG is stating to take hold...I wonder why.

[michka]

Damn those walkways are nice. I love the effect you use for wooden planks. I love that the doors look like a different wood then the walkways. Most of all, I love the colors!!!

[deafnala]

Apr 6, 2015 23:34:49 GMT michka said:

Damn those walkways are nice. I love the effect you use for wooden planks. I love that the doors look like a different wood then the walkways. Most of all, I love the colors!!!

Thanks, michka. The walkways & doors are balsa & some bass wood that I distress by drawing a rough hobby back saw with the grain...the floor boards get a little rougher treatment. This works for a wood effect on insulation style foam as well...the grain on foam runs top to bottom on the long edge of the foam boards in the same direction as the lettering.

I admit to loving vibrant colors. It may come from years of painting flashy historical types...we can't have or Fantasy Folk looking drabber than their historical counterparts.

[curufin]

That is quite an amazing build you have there. Love all the wood (walkways, posts, shingles), the candles are great, and you have just put a ton of little details in there. I also like the mushroom coming up through the walkway, then I realized it has a door in it. Wow. Lots and lots of stuff to look at. Excellent job.

[chiefsgtbradley]

I still just can't close my mouth cause it has dropped when i first see this. Such an amazing theme park of awesomeness you've made there, Sir!
Surely karma and many likes for you!

[deafnala]

Thanks for the kind replies, Guys!

curufin: The adding the little details is what I enjoy most about the craft. If it's done right, there will always be something new to notice with each visit. It also is THE reason I never consider a terrain piece finished...always something to add to the Beasty.

chiefsgtbradley: I'm delighted you like the stuff & took the time to say so. That does make my day.

[deafnala]

SO after going through all the W.I.P. & finished photos trying to figure out how to present them & only coming up with a headache for my efforts, here are some random shots around Town.
We'll start at Mother Josephine's with Herself & the lower portion of her Mushroom House:


...AND the lower portion without Herself:


...Mom Jo down by the Swamp:


...on the waterfront sans Marlon Brando:








...being astute observers, you will,I'm sure, be able to tell that some of the photos are in the W.I.P. stage by bits of missing details. That said we continue with some shots by Mom Jo's & then work our way around Town:












...Yenta the Snoop's News Service:


...in operation:






...The Drop Of The Pure Tavern, purveyor of Hooligan's Hooch, & the Distillery proper:












On our next visit we'll hit the creepier area that adjoins the Graveyard. Then on to the Graveyard itself.

[michka]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. More goodies from the mind of DeafNala!!! Yenta Snoop! Drop of the Pure! That weird tomato-looking thing that I think is a boiler! Faces sliding down drippy walls!!! So many crazy, cool, amazing things to see. Every post you make is a delight to see.