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First deer. Critique and laugh it's ok!

Discussion in 'Beginners' started by Jordan Park, Mar 4, 2017.

  1. Mar 4, 2017 #1
    Jordan Park

    Jordan Park Active Member

    167
    33
    First of all I gotta say I respect anyone that can do taxidermy well! After months of watching videos, reading, asking questions I thought I was ready to mount my first deer head.
    Once I started, I had to keep watching the steps in video as I did them cause I was simply overwhelmed at the task as I did it.
    Rick Carter really made it look simple in his DVD!!
    Everything was going fine until I had to sew the entire cape closed since I split the back all the way down. Then all hell broke loose! Also trying to close the cape around the form did not work, it was roughly 3 inches apart from closing so I began shaving the form like a mad man.
    After a whole lot of shaving, the cape still didn't come together on the bottom half of the form.
    So I stitched the cape together then slid it onto the form and wallah!! It went on...onto a small form from all the shaving!
    I had trouble getting the ear liners into the ear butts cause I suck and because I stitched the back up too high to the antlers.
    Under the ear butts by the face is where I shaved a lot of the form away and you can see it in the pics. I was going to add some clay, but once I got the liners in the butts I didn't want to take them out as it was really tough to get them in. Also ruined all my clay work around the eyes while pulling the cape over it.

    I really thought it would look like a lot of you more experienced taxi's mounts. Boy was I wrong! Lol.

    Here's some pics of it now in its drying stage. Critique away please in case I'm not seeing something that will help me on my next one.

    [​IMG]

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  3. Mar 4, 2017 #2
    3bears

    3bears Well-Known Member

    6,376
    2,377
    MN
    Is it still wet? If so bag it and study reference and go back to it and tweak the things that need it. Start in one spot such as the eye and don't move on until you get that looking like your reference. Next take a mirror and look at it from behind, sometimes all it takes is to see it from another perspective. The car door ears or wings could use some tweaking. I install the liners before I ever put the skin on the form, doesn't Rick do it that way in his video? Never seen it. The nose doesn't look too bad but needs a little tweaking to make it symmetrical. It looks like you're close it just has typical beginner issues.
     

  5. Mar 4, 2017 #3
    Jordan Park

    Jordan Park Active Member

    167
    33
    Thanks 3bears, I did put the liners in first. I had trouble putting the liner into the plastic ear butt on the form.
    Yes it's still wet, I'll try tweaking it a bit quickly.
     
  6. Mar 4, 2017 #4
    Duckslayr

    Duckslayr Active Member

    1,111
    2
    Bend, OR
    Really focus on this area, compare to reference. Tweak ear position as 3bears already mentioned.[​IMG]


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  7. Mar 5, 2017 #5
    Tanglewood Taxidermy

    Tanglewood Taxidermy Well-Known Member

    8,136
    6,831
    dallas oregon
    Keep the glass eyes clean through out the process. The upper eye lids look too thick as if you didn't remove the oil glands and thin that area down to paper thickness which will cause your eye lashes to rotate upwards as it dries. Your "tear duct" and Lacrimal crease are too open.
    Your first one or five will have more wrongs than rights. I have seen a lot worse firsts.
     
  8. Mar 5, 2017 #6
    KatieC

    KatieC Active Member

    742
    29
    Duluth, Minnesota
    Did you test fit before mounting? I always make sure to do that, then you won't run into unexpected issues with the fit during the mounting process. You may need to taxi skin forward also to help with the fit, and be sure not to just pull the skin back. I also always mount with a short incision, just find that it makes life easier.

    Upper eyelids look way too puffy, eye shape not right, eye lashes not angled right, eyes not symmetrical, tear ducts not tucked, nose not symmetrical. The brisket might be off but I can't tell from the photo.
     
  9. Mar 5, 2017 #7
    Jordan Park

    Jordan Park Active Member

    167
    33
    Ok thanks guys! I did try pre fitting it and that's when I realized it wasn't fitting. So I began shaving down the form. Once I shaved down the form a lot and the cape still didn't fit, I decided to sew up the cape since it was split all the way down. Then pulled the cape over.

    I cut all the tucking skin off the eyes so I could do the lay method. Maybe I should have shaved them thinner.

    I'll get a hell of a lot better on the next one cause this one was from the devil!
     
  10. Mar 5, 2017 #8
    KatieC

    KatieC Active Member

    742
    29
    Duluth, Minnesota
    Haha, the first one usually is, I threw mine in the trash. Each will get better. You can still tweak this and have an ok mount.
     
  11. Mar 17, 2017 #9
    Jordan Park

    Jordan Park Active Member

    167
    33
    Ok here's the finished deer! Hope it passes for my first!

    [​IMG]

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    [​IMG]
     
  12. Mar 17, 2017 #10
    DylanBW

    DylanBW New Member

    36
    0
    Looks better than my first! Keep it up everyone gets easier and looks better
     
  13. May 29, 2017 #11
    oneshot

    oneshot Member

    638
    7
    Looks better than my first. Love your sense of humor. Measure your cape across the ears on the skin side and measure from the front
    corner of the eye to the tip of the nose. Order your form off those measurements. When you are sewing the cape, pull it up toward the antlers and it will be much easier to sew. Once it's sewn you can use a cape puller to move the skin down into position. Put your ear liners in and build the bases with clay before you put the cape on the form. Do t make long skiny ear butts. Stay with it. It gets easier.
     
  14. May 29, 2017 #12
    JerseyJays

    JerseyJays Well-Known Member

    1,296
    81
    Here's some advise...please excuse the spelling errors. Made them in a hurry..[​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
     
    Masoneer likes this.
  15. May 30, 2017 #13
    ortegageno

    ortegageno Active Member

    1,568
    11
    NM
    Take that BLACK paint that you used and throw it in the trash. LOL
    Try toning it down a bit. Use more brown and just a drop of black or Yox gray.
     
  16. May 30, 2017 #14
    Grizz208

    Grizz208 New Member

    16
    0
    Just remember we all started some where. Keep up the good work and remember to enjoy yourself as you learn!
     
  17. May 31, 2017 #15
    rogerswildlife

    rogerswildlife Rogers Wildlife Taxidermy Tommy Rogers

    1,137
    960
    Yorkville Georgia
    What Jersey Jay posted is some awesome info for you to study for your next one . And grizz208 is spot on keep at it and have fun .
    Tommy ...
     
  18. Jun 1, 2017 #16
    JerseyJays

    JerseyJays Well-Known Member

    1,296
    81
    I took everything I can remember in 10 years of competing and applied it to some live photos... hope it helps

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
     
  19. Jun 1, 2017 #17
    Jordan Park

    Jordan Park Active Member

    167
    33
    Thanks guys for the extra tips! I'll always try to enjoy myself and have fun (shaving the form sucked a lot though)!
    And thanks JerseyJays for those pics! I'll keep those as reference and reminders for my next one.
     
  20. Jun 1, 2017 #18
    TripleC

    TripleC Member

    64
    23
    Georgia
    Jersey Jay. Great markup of the photos. Truly appreciated by the newcomers on here. Thanks again.