A common mistake for beginners using small mammals as practice is to fail to fill the toes. One, the toes take a tedious effort to skin down to the last joint, and stuffing the toes with clay can be haphazard. Sadly, the finished product shows major shrinkage on the toes.
To eliminate that, make sure you get all the bone out of the toe. Then take a small ball of Critter Clay (not a substitute nor potter's clay) and roll out a fine line, equal in size to the toe bone you've removed. Cut the line in 4 equal pieces about 4 inches long each. Then put them in the freezer and freeze them solid.
When you begin mounting your mammal, work only one foot at a time and use only a single piece. Shove the frozen line up the toe skin and snap it off. The piece should provide you enough clay to do one foot each. After the toes are filled, take a fresh ball of Critter Clay and lay in a dam behind the toes so that the clay will thaw and not sqeeze out.
Many taxidermists recommend wrapping tow or jute around the tail wire to form the tail. Many times this impedes slipping the tail skin over the wire and can be frustrating with lumps in places. Roll out a ball of Critter Clay the same size as your animals tail and freeze it too. When you go to mount your animal, carefully insert the frozen clay into the tail skin. It will slide easily up the skin without grabbing or lumping. Allow it to thaw and then carefully insert the tail skin over the tail wire that's been precut to length. The tail can be bent any way you'd like without fear of creating gaps or clumps.
Return to Beginners Category Menu
Coon and possum too.
Until now I have mainly worked birds so now I am expanding to small mammals.
Lead me, show me, I am sure many others have Enquiring Minds too.
You just continue to pull down on the skeleton until they are free. I use a pair of needlenosed pliers to insure that I don't just rip the skin apart. On Squirrels, extra care needs to be taken with the "thumb" on the front feet. The pliers come in very handy there as if you aren't careful, you'll rip the "palm" area apart. When you get the toes out to the nail, take a pair of dykes (diagonal side cutting pliers or snips) and cut the bone off.
have your base built prior to doing the feet or at least a "mock base"...That way you can form the toes to fit the base..nothing looks worse and more un-natural than the feet not resting correctly on the base...remember as an artist we are trying to make the recreation look as real and natural as it can be..alot of people over fill the toe area so be careful as not to overfill this area. I ship most of my mounts across the US---I use the same method as George except for I use apoxie sculpt for my mounts that get shipped because of the damage that can be caused from shipping.
about the tips...hope to see more.
I have injected them with Masters Blend buts alwas run into problems.
Here is a tip for those wanting to make death mask. I have been using some of the older methods and materials.
I recently use a Silicone dental impression material. This is a catalyzed material. Anyway this stuff is so much better than normal water mixed alginate, so much better I can olny compare it with a Model T Ford and a Cadillac STS (The new Caddy sports car), so yesterday I am pouring a bit of plaster of paris in the mold of a squirrel mold. When set it came out very well, but not alot better, then I poured cat. bondo in the mold not any better. Then I tried pour-a-cast. Left it to sit overnite I just pull the replica from the mold.
No big deal correct? Wrong I can see the individual teeth, I can see the total 98% accurate lip line, the nose details are incredible!
Now get this, I have many of the individual wiskers and hair, the whiskers even stick out from the body. This is after I thought the model was waste!
So I decided to try modelin my finger, Oh My God! The detail is better than 100% It is better than my own live finger, I cannot explain why it is this way, but I did use bondo for the finger, the replica looks totally real!! I can replicate my fingerprints better, it is almost surreal!
George
On the last couple of lifesize animals I have been filling the toes with latex caulk then backing the toes up with critter clay, this has seemed to work pretty well. Have you tried this and if so what is your opinion? I have been reading this site for 3 or 4 years and would like to thank you and all the other folks that take the time to post for all your input, the information and knowledge that I have learned from this site have been invaluable.
Lance T
I've probably tried everything, including the oversized pipecleaners (which work exceptionally well, but as the skin dries, it still shrinks.) I don't like the caulk because it takes so long to firm up and if you have any nicks, you get oozing. You also can't form the posture for the particular toes as well. I've used Apoxie sculpt, Sculpt All, etc. but I like the extended working time I get with Critter Clay. Once your Apoxie kicks off, the adjustments are done where with Critter Clay, you can squeeze about 3 days out of it before it becomes unworkable.
those are GREAT tips. thanks for sharing. i'll be sure to try them out.