Hi all,
I'm trying to find a few basic steps for finishing my whitetail mount. On the video I've watched they airbrush the ears a bit, the nose and around the eyes. They add sculpt-all to the tearduct. All good info and I'll follow accordingly. BUT . . .
I have not got an airbrush. I know I'll need one if I continue in this but for now is there a way to get by without? I understand from archive searches that Scupt-all is no longer available so I'm thinking of getting Apoxy Sculpt. Should I get black for any eye shrinkage and flesh for the tearduct and inside of nostrils? I've looked at ref. photos and they all vary. Some inside noses look black, others almost white. A little confusing.
So what I'm hoping someone could tell me is what are the "basic" finishing steps that are necessary.
Thanks for the help.
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Its your choice what you use. I personally prefer the natural or cream colored magic sculpt or apoxie sculpt. I prefer to paint all of the repairs myself. As for as color variations; let your eyes be your guide. Every deer will have its own appearance. Some eye skin will be darker than others, and some noses will be different. Just use the least amount of paint necessary. Just blend in the colors. Dont make them darker than necessary. I prefer my noses to have a soft flesh base, working up to a more gray than black. For my eyes I mix hen brown, with a TOUCH of burnt umber. A LIGHT spray of mars red in the crease between the eye, and duct will finish them off. As for the ears I prefer light flesh followed up with a light spray of dusty rose. These are my preferences, but everyones different. Just remember LESS is BETTER.
Hello Tony, Neal is definitly right in his last line...."LESS is BETTER." If you are doing your painting with a brush I would suggest that you make a wash of each color. Small amount of water based paint and water to thin a lot. Applied this way you don't get as much of a painted look and if you want more you just add more coats. As for a filler I like the Apoxie CLAY better because it doesn't look so glossy when painted. The inner ears if heavy haired I do not paint but if skin shows I use an off white for winter deer and a touch of flesh over white for early season deer. There is not a "right" way to do this-perhaps there are many wrong ways but the best bet is to try to match your best reference photos and if you get a chance to see a penned whitetail up close remember what you see. Enjoy, Aaron H.