Old Witch's Dancing Hut

The first step in any process is finding ideas. This usually is a combination of looking at the model and browsing the web in search of other people’s interpretations of what I have in mind.

First, let’s look at the model. There were a couple of things I liked:

• The balcony with the old witch on it.
• The tower with the globe on top
• The legs underneath the buiding
• The engine and smoke stacks.

What I didn’t like, was mainly the main ‘room’ of the hut.

When browsing the web, I found out there were mainly 2 kinds of interpretation of the hut. The first one was a hexagonal shack with a thatched roof. I liked the idea, but decided not to go that route. Partly because I like the building to have a direction (requiring more of a rectangle shape). Partly because it felt like this idea would be very difficult to steampunk up. Partly because it just doesn’t look epic enough.

The other interpretation I found was for a bigger hut. Usually more rectangularly shaped, with a gable roof and more lean-ons.

I liked the idea of a bigger hut. I liked that it was more like a real house. The high roof looked really Russian. Especially if I could somehow combine it with an onion-shaped dome. The lean-ons were great because it allows you to break up the shape and to make it look really rickety. As if the witch has built her house in steps, constantly bolting stuff on.

Around this town, I was talking to a mate bout this project. And he basically told me that I should have an interior for the hut. Goaded me into it, to be honest. So I went looking further.

One image that really struck me was one of a cut-through of the hut. I loved this image, because it showed the hut filled to the rafters with all kinds of junk. Exactly what I thought the Old Witch’s hut would look like. She’s a hoarder after all.

So I used this set-up as my main design concept, keeping some of the other ideas in the back of my mind.