The best way to master Cat faces is to learn to draw them. In flat art -- drawing -- they are accomplished with a series of circles and small ovals. Get some books on drawing animals, or even just cats, and get a feel for how the faces are structured.
Also, keep a couple of skinned, frozen bobcat heads in your freezer. When you need to you can pull one out and compare it to the head of the mannikin you may have on hand. Learn what they're all about. Of course after a while of becoming freezer burned -- dried -- any further comparisons will be useless!
Here are the widest parts of any Cat face!
The biggest thing most often neglected is taxiing -- MOVING -- the head skin forward on the head form once it's been pulled over. This being done, the parts will truly fall into place. I can't tell you how many cat faces I see that are mounted incorrectly due to the lack of any taxi of the derma ... moving of the skin!
Unless you are particularly adept at doing eyes and the like, use Critter Clay for the eye work on the head form of the mannikin. Let the clay set up a bit so it stiffens before applying the head skin for mounting, and don't forget to use hide paste! Neither clay nor epoxy has any holding capabilities.
Bear in mind how eyes are placed on a Cat's head. Looking at them from the front, notice the rear corners of the eyes are higher than the fronts.
Also note the angle at which the pupils sit.
Even viewed from the side, this is so.
This shows how a Cat's face lines up.
Get and
USE photo references! Note how close to the center of the head the ears sit when the animal is at attention and alert, and where on the sides of the head the ears sit. Notice on the skull, just where the ear canal enters the skull, and mark this on your headform.
Pay close attention to the wide conical shape of the ears. More often than not, I see many that are mounted with wide
flat ears ... and that is incorrect!
You want to get the muzzle somewhat round, and definitely soft in appearance. Either pluck the whiskers and mark where they go laying them on a piece of wide masking tape, to reinsert them back into place after the cat is mounted and allowed to dry; or scribe between each whisker root and carefully clean around each one after the hide is tanned. An area is then cut or ground out the headform at the proper place the whisker root bed sits, clay is applied there, and after mounting, each whisker is manipulated into place, and worked each day to keep it in place until the Cat is dry.
Be sure the nose skin is as thin as possible, and with the use of clay and good reference, model the nose to its correct shape. Be sure the front of the muzzle pads on either side of the nose are full looking. You do not need an overabundance of clay, but more a knowledge of skin manipulation.
Oops! I got a 'head' of myself and forgot the nose!
Lastly, pay attention to the chin of the Cat. Often times Bobcats, and Cougars are mounted with very weak chins. A little added clay, and proper skin manipulation, will produce a natural, and full looking chin.
There you have it. Making a good cat face takes work, and time ... there are no shortcuts!
Good luck to you!
John.
Author
