My 2011 Buck Progress Continued.....

Well, here is the continuation of my 2011 archery buck taxidermy in progress. This is by no means a step by step but more or less just to give an idea of the process. Many people think that taxidermy is actually the process of "stuffing" the animals...somehow preserving the entire (skin, eyes, blood, bones, guts, etc.) shoulder of the animals you would like "stuffed". Aside from the tanned cape (skin) and antlers, everything else on the animal is fake. Foam forms are used to "stuff" the animal and glass eyes are used in place of the real thing. I use Bondo body filler to fill the ears and make them stiff. The ears are shaped and clay is added at the ear butt in order to give it shape and muscle. Clay is sometimes added to features on the mannequin (foam form) for added detail or shape and sometimes to fix imperfections in the form. The mannequin is then covered with a paste that will hold the skin in place. The TANNED cape is then placed over the form and sewn together. The wet cape is placed on the mannequin, so some drying time is necessary. Sometimes, foam piping and screen like material is pinned in place in order to hold hair and skin down and in place. After fully drying, finish work (touch up paint and filler clay work) is required as well as grooming. Hope you enjoy the pictures!




1 comment:

  1. SO! cool, Luke! Thanks for adding the pictures. I really had no idea how this was done before talking to you --- thank you for showing me! I think it's really awesome. It's much more of an art form than I ever realized. You are so talented and I love seeing what you're working on!

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