Wildlife Artist does amazing work!

I am always in awe by their work. Lifelike in every detail. Absolutely wonderful!!

 

As far as IM concerned WA is THE best taxidermist Ive ever seen.. I simply LOVE the work...You know the old saying, never use anothers work for reference... well.. that is one taxidermist who I wouldnt hesitate to use the mount as a reference.. I mean sheesh they look alive... its truely amazing...I can only hope to be as good some day.. WA sure sets the standards for others to follow LOL...

 

Do you suppose he uses a carcass cast for his forms?

 

He's Old school, wraps em'. Carcass cast? Takes way to much time.

 

Yup--the guy is amazing..He makes the whole piece come together...a true artist no doubt..Don`t ever give him your phone number tho---he`s pretty stink`n good at practical jokes also..

 

Nothing wrong with Old School asterisk man. You know that even a carcass cast need to be reworked before it assumes the shape of the animal in life - muscles sag, chests shrink, etc. The final product, what the animal looks like, is all that matters as long as the underlying materials do not get modified over time to render the specimen different. Materials used in wrapping bodies last at least several centuries - I'm not so sure of modern foams.

 

I haven't wrapped bodies in ages and never considered myself good at it,but a guy that is,can do them faster than you think,especially if he has sculpted and cast a head so that he doesn't have to carve one.Compare that time to a custom taxidermist that feels it is important to substantially alter a foam mannikin,and there's not much difference.Either method can produce superior or inferior results.It all depends on the artist.

 

Never seen anybody that can wrap a body as good as WA can
I'm old school and He puts everyone to shame with his technique.
There is no way you can alter a mannikin as fast as you can wrap one and have the freedom to pose anyway you want.

 

Give us newbs a link! I wanna see this guys work! ;D

 

http://www.wildlifeartiststudio.com/

 

I still wrap most of my bird bodies and some mammals, as they are fast and cheap to make.This might make a good article for Taxidermy Today as I have a pretty nice fisher in the freezer. And yes WA does awsome work. JL

 

Growing up in the 1950 era my best friends dad was a taxidermist. I remember a tiger that he did that was a hand made form with no reference to go by. He had a center piece of plywood that was cut out like the silhouette of the cat and then hand wrapped it with excelsior. Don't remember what other reinforcing he did in it. I do remember that he had to tear it down and redo it because the owner of the animal said the body was too short. I was and am impressed that someone can hand make a form with no reference to go by.

 

very tidy work they do there...............

 

Does this wildlife artist have a name. I'll tell ya it would be awesome to spend some time working arnd learning in his or her shop. The photography is also awesome that really helps.

 

Wayne Miller is his name

 

But how do you prepare the head for wrapped bodies? Do you think he used the real head or is it a casting?

 

I don't know how he does his heads.You can buy a commercial head,sculpt,mold and cast your own,carcass cast a head and clay in the details or carve a head out of foam or balsa wood.A guy that was doing a lot of bobcats would probably sculpt and mold his own.

 

i have one of his bobcats, and i absolutely adore it!

 

I'd like to learn this wrapping method, I guess I would just have to start doing it with the carcass sitting there for the reference. I have some excelsior somewhere. I would use a foam head, you can buy change out heads for some small games. Others I would have to carve/cast my own.

I also have a LS marten skin, too small for any commercial forms, but I have the whole carcass still in the freezer. Ditto for a coyote pup I have. Great idea for those odd sized skunks. LOL, also for doing a med size dog LOL