Taxidermist help (Fix it)

[boneaddict]

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[boneaddict]

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[Red Dawg]

I think it looks good. I haven't been keeping up but i will ask it anyway. How old is the mount. I dont know anything about taxidermy but I would be happy with it. Besides you did it. That would have to mean something to you. It would for me.

[Hunting Cowboy]

Looks good boneaddict!

[boneaddict]

Its been hanging in my garage now for at least 5 years, lets see, I guess 7years since thats how long I have been here.  It was in a storage shed for about a year before that and so forth.  I had started it, but hadn't finished it by the time I had to move, so it just kind of tagged along unfinished.  It then hung above my woodstove  inthe garage and cooked.   I cleaned it up, repaired some bad spots, and painted it.  Now it goes back on the garage wall until I get that trophy hall made.

Thanks guys.  I know its a long ways from professional, but glad to have it on the wall.  It was my second head I think that I tried working on.

[gray brow]

I find the airbrush to be the defining taxidermy tool.  You have to get all the fine knife and fleshing work right, basics for proper horn & eye setting, form work, etc, but putting on the final makeup is what brings the critters to life.  It's a fairly subtle thing to learn and I agree with Michelle - use as little paint as possible and custom mix your colors for the best effect.

Also, if you over paint, say get a base that is too white in the ears (not saying they're too white in your mount, just an example) I've had better luck wiping the paint back out with an acetone rag and starting over.  It's quick and takes the paint right off back to the skin, prepped for the next round.

For me, the bondo method on ears is hands down the easiest way to get great ears with minimal risk for damaging the inner ear skin.

[boneaddict]

I agree.  Much easier to blend I can tell.  I used to hand paint all of my animals.  Very hard to blend, do evenly and keep it thin.  Lots of learning to do.  Do you guys have any particular preference over water based versus laquer based paints.  Currently I am using waterbased.  Easier to clean up probably.  Advantages, disadvantages from you more experienced folks???

[gray brow]

Bone, I use water-based Polytranspar with good results.  Water-based paints can clog your tip more easily than laquer-based I'm told, but it's easy to avoid by thinning your paint mixture a little bit with water.  If you keep a wet q-tip handy, you can swab off the tip and keep going so I find it's kind of a non issue.  Wear the latex gloves while painting and you can constantly adjust your spray pattern and test on the back of your hand as you go.  And remember to have acetone handy - it will handle any clean up of dried paints easily on mounts or the gun.  Also really handy for cleaning up incidental overspray on birds or on furred critters.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I use polytranspar laquer based paints. 

[boneaddict]

Thanks all.

[boneaddict]

This ones fixed now.

[boneaddict]

took the picture and then saw the dirt on the chin