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Humboldt penguin, Cottontop tamarin and European mole skeleton

Discussion in 'Skulls and Skeletons' started by Guus, Apr 6, 2012.

  1. Apr 6, 2012 #1
    Guus

    Guus Member

    563
    1
    Norway
    Finished some skeletons, the penguin had bad bone quality, but turned out alright. Lots of wire in it though. Not completely satisfied with the tamarin but it needs to go so I guess it will do. The mole was my first, they are really nice to work with I think. Hope you enjoy!

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  3. Apr 6, 2012 #2
    Knucklehead

    Knucklehead New Member

    30
    0
    Wow, awesome work.
     

  5. Apr 6, 2012 #3
    AlphaSkullSmack

    AlphaSkullSmack New Member

    251
    1
    South of Houston, Texas
    Outstanding!!!

    Guus, I've seen my fair share of penguins, and so many of them, seem, off balance, when constructed in their waddling pose. I think you've hit an x-ray bulls eye.
    Nice touch, the slight neck curve & upward tilt to the skull,...just as if the penguin is curiously looking up at a human.

    The mole, is the very first I've ever seen. Talk about a living drill bit. I've often wondered if they had zero eye socket. Are the digging digits sharp?
    This is one extrodinary, interesting, & overlooked animal.

    Finally, the monkey. The pose is awesome, seemingly, one second away from leaping off that chunk of wood, to landing on your shoulder. I want it! ha

    In my (non-proffesional) opinion, All 3 are competition worthy mounts. Thanks for posting the pictures, I've enjoyed viewing your work.
     
  6. Apr 6, 2012 #4
    grf68

    grf68 Member

    241
    0
    MA
    Your work is always so amazing. I keep finding myself using your pics for reference in my own projects. Thanks for posting
     
  7. Apr 6, 2012 #5
    Vkvz

    Vkvz New Member

    553
    1
    France
    Wow, I get to see them at last!! :D
    They all look really great, tamarin included
    No floating ribs on the mole? They're very cool specimens to work with.
    Hope my penguin will look as nice as yours, but I'll go for a swimming pose instead :)
    You didn't keep the beak sheath and nails?

    Jean-Christophe is away for a couple of weeks, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled as well when he sees them! ;)
     
  8. Apr 6, 2012 #6
    Guus

    Guus Member

    563
    1
    Norway
    Thank you all for your kind words, but I'm (still) just an amateur who tries to articulate skeletons as 'right' as possible. There are for sure errors in my skeletons but only by trail and error we get better. It is sometimes hard to find good reference, so I'm glad you can use my pictures sometimes, but please remember that I make mistakes as well! :)
     
  9. Apr 6, 2012 #7
    Voltrax

    Voltrax New Member

    543
    0
    Poland
    Guus I beg you. Stop being so modest.
     
  10. Apr 6, 2012 #8
    benjhind

    benjhind New Member

    438
    1
    Ontario, Canada
    Extraordinary! So life-like; even without flesh!
     
  11. Apr 7, 2012 #9
    ravenswings1

    ravenswings1 New Member

    638
    0
    USA
    Beak sheath could not be salvaged on the penguin? VERY gorgeous nonetheless.
     
  12. Apr 7, 2012 #10
    sunparakeet

    sunparakeet Member

    287
    4
    Kansas
    That penguin is incredible. It hardly looks like a bird when viewed from the back! The tail is very unique, how many bones are in it? It seems much longer than the average bird's tail.

    Great work on all of the skeletons!
     
  13. Apr 7, 2012 #11
    Wouter

    Wouter Member

    563
    11
    Great skeletons Guus! Your penguin has a very good posture, and your two small mammals are awesome. Did you use beetles on the mammals and maceration on the penguin? A friend asked me to do a squirrel monkey skeleton for him, and I'll try to do so with the oxidation technique. That may work, but I doubt it will get as good as your beetled monkey.

    Wouter
     
  14. Apr 7, 2012 #12
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

    14,141
    2,263
    Taxachusetts
    I can not better what AlphaSkull said. Incredible work.
     
  15. Apr 9, 2012 #13
    Guus

    Guus Member

    563
    1
    Norway
    Thank you, I hope my clients will be as pleased as you are!

    I didn't save the beak or nails on this skeleton, client didn't want it. The claws on the mole are pretty sharp, the nails that cover the digits are quite large and build to dig, cool creatures!
    Yes, the tamarin was beetle cleaned as was the mole. I hope your oxidation technique works fine, Wouter, please take pictures during the process!
    The penguin has nine tail bones and yes, the skeletons is made of so many thick bones that it is hard to realize it's a bird!
     
  16. Apr 10, 2012 #14
    Orkman-X

    Orkman-X New Member

    166
    1
    Belgium
    Radically awesome work Guus!!!!!
     
  17. Apr 16, 2012 #15
    Jean-Christophe

    Jean-Christophe Member

    845
    5
    Paris, France
    Very very good work again Guus !!! I also wanted to see them since you told me of. Perfect penguin and mole I think. On the tamarin I think there is a mistake in the clavicles position. They articulate at the top of the manubrium, not side from what I know. Look at it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manubrium
    Did you kept the hyoid on the mole ? If yes I'm very impressed ! (if not too, not bad ;D )
    Why are you not completely satisfied with the tamarin ?
     
  18. Apr 20, 2012 #16
    Guus

    Guus Member

    563
    1
    Norway
    Thank you! You are right about the clavicles, I'll pay more attention next time. I haven't done many mammal skeletons and they have a lot of challenges. The mole has its hyoid, but it is hard to see and since I already attached it to its plate it's almost impossible to take a picture of it. It's pretty short and without beetles I would never have been able to keep it in place. The tamarin is not white enough I think and I'm not completely satisfied with the placement of some digits. The cartilage around the sternum is not of the best quality either, I have to experiment a little more with different materials.
     
  19. Apr 20, 2012 #17
    Jean-Christophe

    Jean-Christophe Member

    845
    5
    Paris, France
    So your mole is perfect too. Ok, I see now for the tamarin. Hands and feet are positioned here a bit like a rodent or a carnivorous mammal and not such like ours would be.