I need some help. I have been doing birds for a while as a hobby. I have the hardest time with getting the correct look for my pheasant heads. Sometimes I split the wattles to far, and sometimes not far enough. Should I switch to artificial heads? I don't know if I over stuff them, or what. But I can't get the look I'm going for. Can anyone give me some advice? Any good seminars, or weekend schools I could go to?
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I'm not into artificial heads. I think they look fakey & are expensive too. Also tried injecting preservative in them a couple of times but they tend to shrivel out of shape. Takes practice to turn the skin and open up those wattles. Use a scalpel under a good strong light and just keep working at it. I put a small wad of clay in the upper & lower sections and can then form it with my fingers when posing. Try putting the clay in through the eye hole and working into place with a small tool. That works good for me.
i split mine and place alittle bit of clay in them ....you have to remember you are dealin with fall birds so the waddles are smaller than in the spring........just keep trying i still put some tiny cuts in them.............
Try doing that in comp. I did a small wattled /mid winter bird(on a snow based habitat) and got dinged for not puffing up the wattles.