Charr – Page 3 – An Unorthodox Halloween

Charr Stele.

Last year, we said good bye to one of my favored pieces in the yard.

The totems.

Originally constructed as a new entrance for 2006, it was always fun to watch the younger kids stand and decide whether they dared pass between them or not.

However, they had become wet in 2008, as it rained most of Halloween night. And, they did not stand up to storage while wet very well. So, they were removed in order to make room for Charr.

From Year of the Charr

And, I think those who came through the yard last year will agree. Charr is definitely one of the more impressive pieces we have these days. What’s more, it was made with a mind towards our new overall theme of switching towards Spider Woman.

Well, in researching on Spider Woman, I come across Mayan Stele from one of her temples.

From 2010 Buildup

Now, Jaguar is all fine and good for Mayan religion. However, we are creating our own here, and CHARR shall be taking their place in symbology. So, I decided to make some Charr stele to stand at the entrance to my temple, as the totems once stood as our entrance…

Now, in keeping with Charr, we needed FIRE for our Stella. And thus, when these things went on super duper no one wants such a silly thing clearance last year for $20 (down from $75), I procured 2.

From 2010 Buildup

Now then, to begin their transformation into my Stele.

From 2010 Buildup

More to come once this part dries….

Year of the Charr is a "Winner"!

Year of the Charr has been declared a “Winner” in the Guild Wars Halloween Art Contest. What’s more, another yard haunter was also selected as a winner! Good to see us prop builders getting into the winner’s circle. A costume once again takes the top prize, however. Hmmm, NEXT year….

The yard is prepped and ready. Family and Friends stopped by last night for the test-firing.

From Halloween 2009

More to follow after tonight.

The Final Charr Report.

With my Froggy’s order showing up this week, and the deadline swiftly approaching, it’s time for the final Charr report:

From Year of the Charr

It’s really not often a SINGLE project takes me this long. We’ve been working on this in fits and starts since MARCH!!!

From Year of the Charr

And, this thing comes at the expense of the first big props we built utilizing mostly paper mache…but, it will certainly serve as a suitable upgrade.

From Year of the Charr

Contest entry out of the way…we can now tear everything down for the coming storm on Monday, and wait patiently for my vacation to begin next Saturday…

The Charr Report #4.

A number of finishing touches remain to be accomplished…however, we are swiftly flying towards completion.

The whole thing wanted to twist side to side, so I made a couple braces to lash to the legs…

From Year of the Charr

Yes…teeth…

From Year of the Charr

Tubing for the eventual fog.

From Year of the Charr

The fog will REALLY bring the lighting to life…but this is suitably representative of what will be.

From Year of the Charr

Unfortunately, crappy weather is scheduled for most of the week…

The Charr Report #3.

Weather be damned.

We’re movin’ this production indoors.

So, as the weather railed against the inevitable, the Charr began to form.

It must have been a stroke of foresight to make this thing segmented. I can work on individual sections. THIS one, however, BARELY fits in the garage, when angled a particular way, propped into place, with just an inch to spare under the door.

As such, we made some VAST strides upon the thing.

From Year of the Charr

The lower jaw needs it’s teeth, but they are of a different manner, and will need to wait for some fair weather.

The body and the ‘fin’ up the back are nearing completion.

From Year of the Charr

The goal being to begin painting next weekend.