I have been doing deer for about 5 years now, mostly for friends.
The reaction from someone picking up their deer from me is always
excitement, probably due to seeing their deer mounted. They are not
critical on detail so I am not really sure as to the best way to color the nose. I recall a Sally Dahmes video where she colors each millimeter pad of the nose and also in between each. Looks like a lot of work. I have simply used a gloss black and have had no complaints.
Any other ideas ?
Greg
Return to Beginners Category Menu
One of the recent Breahthrough issues has a scheduled used by Bill Yox.
It's entirely up to you---I don't think I'd enter a competition with a gloss black deer nose, but for commercial taxidermy, it is the industry standard. you decide how much time you want to spend. if your friends and customers are happy, and you feel good about your work, that's what matters.If you were to focus on improving your mounts, then I'd invest the time in things like sturdiness and anatomy--use good reference to improve your eyesets and muscle detail, make sure the mount is solid, adhered to your form with epoxy or bondo, work on your earbutts with reference. use sturdy hangers or backboards----those things will matter most to your friends years down the road, and those are the things that will stand out (if they are done wrong) from a normal viewing distance.
So, as long as you like your noses black, paint them that way, If anyone else tries to give you a hard time about it, you can tell them
to kiss MY ass.
Dave
In many cases most are not charging enough money to put the extra time into finish work or the little details that will set your work apart and above the rest.
Many customers will not know the difference in a good nose and a great nose.
All those little details do add up to TIME and MONEY.
I prefer to do a fairly detailed job on the nose, I also stain the wood back of the form, wash the cape in a washing machine, sure maybe I don't and won't do 100 deer per year. I do feel when the deer go out the door personal satisfation that I HAVE DONE MY BEST to give the client a very good mount!
But then I am not in this to make a living either, just set a standard few can match in my area on a daily basis. John C