JustJimAZ

Witch Doctor Rattle Mod

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Cruising through the thrift stores, I came across this creepy little thing:
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It is pretty freaky and weird all on its own, but I thought I could give it a makeover. The base seems like a coconut shell sanded smooth and carved. Both sides have the same carving. The teeth are pieces of paper glued inside. A couple of bottle caps inside make the "rattle".

I started by replacing the hair with the hair from a doll.

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Next, I used cotton balls and a 50/50 glue water mix to cover the shells. This gave them a dried flesh texture and also allowed me to give expressions. I just dipped the cotton ball in the glue and laid it over the existing face.
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Once I added the glue to both sides and let it dry, I applied a black base coat.
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Once that was dry, I continued my old tricks. I dry brushed the whole thing with a dark brown, then with progressively lighter shades of brown.

When it was all dry, I wrapped the handle in doll hair and twine. Then I sprayed the face with sealer to preserve the paint, and I ended up with this:
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So, what do you think? Did it end up better than I found it, or should I have left it alone?

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