Bobcat ears

[Wild Side Taxi]

On a general bobcat form how big do you make the holes for the ears when preparing the manikin?  I know they have brian hendricks forms that do it all for you, but would like to know in general. In the bobcats I have done,  I am thinking I am just not getting right. Other than that they look really nice.


Wild Side Taxidermy
Julie Spencer
Owner/Taxidermist
214-726-2703

[Cole]

I've never skinned a bobcat that had holes in it's skull where the ears go, so I suppose the easy answer is I don't make holes in the manikin.

[Bob Mead]

Technically, the ear canal is a hole, but I know what you mean.  That's a great observation.  Remember that the ear butts sort of run down along the side of the skull as opposed to going into it.  Predator ears are tough, from the 3rd ear flap to the connection point on the skull, and it really takes some study and practice to get them right.

Try marking the ear canal hole on your mannikin (look at a bobcat skull for reference), then test the actual ear canal in that position and see if it looks right...

[Cole]

Technically, the ear canal is a hole, but I know what you mean.  That's a great observation.  Remember that the ear butts sort of run down along the side of the skull as opposed to going into it.  Predator ears are tough, from the 3rd ear flap to the connection point on the skull, and it really takes some study and practice to get them right.

Try marking the ear canal hole on your mannikin (look at a bobcat skull for reference), then test the actual ear canal in that position and see if it looks right...

bingo

[Codi]

Since we are being technical, the ear cartilage doesn't actually touch the skull at all until it meets the auditory meatus - it is running down the muscles on top of the skull. The only parts that are (usually) cut away when you are skinning the head is the cartilage itself, the muscles on the back of the back of the cartilage, and the parotis gland or some of it. If you cut into the mannikins 'skull' (temporalis muscles) then your ears will be seated too deep and look very small. If you are using liners instead of bondo, that is a different story, some liners have thick bases that force you to cut into the mannikin to make them correct. If you keep some skinned heads in your freezer to look at that will help you some.

[Jim B]

All that would be true if we were mounting real ear cartilages on real skulls or skinned heads.

Ear cartilage is soft and often when separated from the head and molded,the lower portion may not follow the exact contour it did when on the head.

Couple that with the fact that many commercial mannikins aren't correctly shaped in that are to begin with.Most are too wide and many have the wrong contour.Now try to put those two together.Measure the distance ,ear canal to ear canal,of a skinned bobcat head-with calipers and then put those calipers onto a correct size commercial head.Most have way too much "meat" in that area and often it is way too convex in shape.

I personally,set up the head form and cut away whatever I have to until my ears are the correct distance apart and the correct angle from a front,top and side view.After I've done that,I see exactly where the excesses are around that area and start changing those transitions to flow into the ear correctly.

There isn't nearly as much meat in front of or between the ears as is often portrayed.Keep in mind,many heads are sculpted over skulls and often,ears and earliners aren't incorporated when shaping the back of the head.

To make an earliner fit a head perfectly,one would have to mold it in place,on the skinned head,then mold that skinned head and when sculpting it,incorporate the new,cast earliner into the sculpted head.And the earliner would only fit that head perfectly.Nobody has done it.Hundreds of heads,dozens of earliners,all have been sculpted seperately and in all different shapes and sizes.

I cut ear pockets in every cat I do,then start reshaping from there.It is the only way I can get the two to align together without throwing something else off.

[Codi]

I use the real ear cartilage. Put fiberglass in the ear, put the head form in the skin, and then shape the cartilage to fit the head. That is how I do it without cutting holes in the head. Thats what is easiest for me but everyone has their own way.

[Jim B]

That fits the earliner to the headform but what if the head is too wide at that point or incorrectly shaped?It's why I get everything set up on the form and lined up without a wet hide distorting my view.I also am viewing the head and ears from 3 different angles and need to step back for that.

[Cole]

I do mine similar to Codi. She uses her own heads, and I use whatever the mannikin came with so I suppose I'm handicapped there. I have used liners and ground into the form, then sculpted the liner in where it belonged. Just remember you don't spade out a big hole in the head and seat the liner in it. I didn't care for that method because I felt I had no control over the ears and their shape and switched back to how I do them now. To each their own. I will say Jim B has forgotten more about cats than I've ever known, so taking his advice is usually a good idea.

[Jim B]

OK Codi,you didn't tell me you made your own heads.You sandbagged me.

[Wild Side Taxi]

Okay. Thank you everyone for your input. You know us lady taxi's got to notice everything. Things that bug me.....  Well there has to be a way to fix it. Haha

My question now is....  How big or what type of hole do all of you suggest I put in my manikin?  Or maybe a better question is what kind of forms are the best/easier to use?  Tempted to order some Brian Hendricks forms and maybe that will answer all of my questions. What do ya'll think?

Thank you again for everyone's input and help.


Wild Side Taxidermy
Julie Spencer
Owner/Taxidermist
214-726-2703

[Matt]

Ditto on what Jim said, he is a pretty good catman and anything else for that matter!(LOL)

[Cole]

The only thing that Brian Hendricks form is going to do is make you ask more questions. questions that have no answers. LOL

[Mike Doyle]

Hey Jim.....are you forgetting about the widest point of a cat's skull...duh, the back of the bottom jaw, without that you'll never make a Bobcat head look correct.....sheeeesh!!! Didn't I teach you anything...LOL
 

Mike

[Jim B]

You did Mike but the memory fades.The only reason I posted in the first place is that no cranky old "no it alls" showed up so I thought the least I could do was step up.They must be napping.

I promise I'll get more clay now that I remember where it goes.