Just finshed setting everything before dry time on my first bobcat mount. I took some pictures and I'd appericate it if you could take a look and tell if something could be improved while he's drying. I'm planning on entering this into a competion in the Amature divison next month.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Bellman3021/Bobcat7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Bellman3021/Bobcat6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Bellman3021/Bobcat4.jpg
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Nice job,especially for your first.Stand back and really look at all the patterns on the face and make sure they are all perfectly symmetrical as it dries.Very carefully line up the black whisker lines,looking at your reference.You may even have to take a small tool and press in on the black lines.sometimes they get stretched out a little.Make sure the black"v" on the chin is centered and symmetrical.Groom the hair on the face so you can see the stripes and patterns well,then just keep working them till they are as good as you can make them.The second day will be real critical ,make sure everything is real close to where you want it by then.Keep working and lining up these patterns till they can't be moved.Check for body wrinkles continually.They can be hard to feel sometimes when the skin is soft.When the skin is dry they become obvious.Again,really nice job.Just stay with it.
very good eyes - nose color and inner ear color are not right - correct these and i think you will win easilly
Next time make the nose a tad smaller - it is a bit on the large side. try tucking your lower eyelids a little more so you don't have such a large dark ring on the outside of the lower eye, cut in notches at the inside corner of the eye so you can tuck/push a little more of that skin into the notch. use a small piece of clay at the eyebrow whiskers to plump them up a bit and reform the muscle that controls their movement. taxi the whiskers spots so they are symetrical. Work on shaping your feet a bit more - push the claws completely into the toe -or cut them off with toenail clippers near the base. A relaxed cat most likely wouldn't have the claws showing.
pretty darn good for a first bobcat mount.... do not paint the eyes with black - a dark brown with a bit of burnt sienna is good - same with the nose. use reference to get the color you want.
Thanks for the greaet feedback! I'll take the tips and use them when mounting the next one.
For your first cat it looks good! You may look at tucking the lower eyelids just a little more...just have a thin line of the eyelid showing..front corners of the eyes maybe try a "V" cut in the corner then fill with epoxie before you mount it...gently push down in the corner of the eye and create a small crease comming out from the front of the eye socket...I like your pupil placement..that`s where alot of people go wrong. The tp eyelid should catch about a 1/3 of the upper part of the pupil...keep up the good work..