I was wondering what techniques are there to tucking in the lips on a deer head.
Thanks
matt mitchell
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What I like is to use a lip tucking tool and I use this to cut into the lip making a groove that is angled slighly towards the inside of the manikin. It's a small groove but the skin will tuck in nicely. One important thing to remember is to use a good hide paste or an epoxy to hold the skin from pulling out. If you feel the need to pin the lip till it dries feel free to do it.
This is one area I had real problems with when I started doing deer. No matter what I did, the lips pulled out leaving this huge gawdy grin on the deer's face. So, I tried something new. I made my lip slot using a small sculpting tool, slightly thinner than my lip tucking tool. The slot is made at an approximately 45-degree upward all the way around the mouth. I insert the tool about 1/4 inch or so, then lift and drop the tool to create a wider slot inside, but tight around the lip line. Using a tucking tool, the lip tissue is inserted and tucked into position. Be sure to goop it up well with good hide paste first. Once tucked, the skin along the lip line is held tightly in place by the narrowness of the slot at that point while the edge of the lip tissue - the part deep within the slot - expands to its original thickness, thus creating something of a deadman's anchor. Even if the lip wanted to pull out of the slot, it can't because the skin along the edge is much thicker than the slot itself. I hope you can understand what I'm cescribing here.