hello,to all
i am starting out on fish taxidermy i am trying the book learning way...so i got all the breakthrough manuale's except the paint sceem one....
i have read them from cover to cover..now i am asking if you guys and gals are out ther to help me go through this lesson.
i am trying not to imbariss my self or the art..i have attempted the first..ect stage with my books....so i am asking for a little guidance to get me futher as of finishing ,painting,ect if you can help me go through without ant further mistakes..i am doing it the right way i hope by not cutting any corner's as i see it i think i am as far as i can get on my own.so i am asking for help
i have add'd a few pic's of the stage i am at please feel free to judge it or suggest ,or down me for what's wrong am
nd right any thing will be greatfull.thank's for all that can and can't.......
thank you
little freddy
Mouth to wide,, head should have been up nice smooth transitionalong the top of back to the secondary mandible. the lip on bass can roll up to help funnel food in.
You do have a nice line from the pelvic fins to the lower lip, once this is filled with epoxy it will look a whole lot better.
Your back side symetry is abit large, looks like you needed to rasp some off the back side. rememberalways carve to the round. This throws the spiney dorsal off.
Anywhere on the body there is a fin there is also a change in body conture. You needed to have fin pockets for the pelvic fins, the trailing edge of the pelvic fins should be up against the body or close the leading edge can drop. remember these are steering fins!!
The soft doral and anal fin should be at the same angles on the leading and trailing edge. trailing edge should be almost against the body.
Againd for those fins you need a pocket of sorts forming off the trailing edge.
The body is to large in the caudal peduncle area. and it appears you did not get the mea or cartildige out of the area directly infront of the tail rays.
I always like to have the upper and lower edge of the tail to be at almost the same angles as the anal and soft dorsal fins.
Keep a water bottle handy and keep your fins wet while skinning and until you are carding them to dry.
The paint sceduchles will get you started and darn sure one of them explains the hows and whys of the pearls and metallic paints., its worth that info alone.
My bet is you use the diem fishi skinning knife, by all the scales knocked out?
?? Try a grapefruit knife from walmart. and dont get in a rush.
Also make a T cut at the tail along the edge where the scales stop and the tail starts, to help you get the meat out,and with a sharp pair is siccors, at a angle perpendicutal to the table clips the fin rays.
Also you might want to skin on formica or even a glass tops, this will let you turn the fish without lifting it ftom the table as much as I think you did.
Now use a clothig iro to iron the scales down on your dried fish, does not have to be hot hot, about mid range is fine. if you have a scale that will not lay down, just put a bit of super glue under the already ironed down scale with a pin point and touch it again with the iron. Instant smooth scales!
Modle the missing ones in with Apoxie scuplt, keep a bitof the mixed off to the side and when you can mark it with a sharp pencil and it accepts the indentation draw the rest of the scales inot the missing, apoxie sculpted area..
Whenyou get ready to paint, paint with as little color as you can. maybe even make your paints (opaque colors) semit trans parent but mixing 50/50 with clear gloss.
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