WEEKEND WATERFOWL WORKSHOP

Weekend Waterfowl Workshop

Due to repeated request and overwhelming interest, I have decided to offer a two day mini workshop on mounting a standard waterfowl in either a standing of flying pose. The classes will be offered every weekend through September and are limited to two students per class on a first come/first serve basis. I am by far not a Savides, or a Newmeyer, nor do I claim to be. However, I have in the past 20 years logged many hours in avian taxidermy and learned many skills and tips to help put out a better product. I do not work in a classy 3000 sq ft avian mortuary, rather an non insulated made over storage room, but I have found that you just don't need all that jazz to make things happen. The only drawback is that even with fans blowing, the heat builds up rather quickly so I do recommend bringing your own thermos with ice water.

Overview
The classes will begin promptly at 8 am on Saturday morning and will last possibly 8 to 12 hours per day depending how quickly the Texas heat runs us out of the shop! It is the student's responsiblity to provide his or her own bird, the form, and artificial head if so desired along with adequate reference material on their subject. I can offer assistance in ordering these parts if necessary. (Wrapped bodies and real heads can also be used if you so desire. The choice is yours)

DAY ONE
This morning will consist of anaylizing the anatomy of the unskinned bird, making reference sketches, and evaluating your specimen and assessing any damage. It is at this point we will decide how to best showcase your bird and what needs to be done to accomplish that. We will then proceed with skinning the bird and once again pause to study anatomy of the carcass paying close attention to how things move and where things are alighned. We will then learn proper fleshing, degreasing, washing, and drying of the bird. After lunch, we will come back to the shop and will spend the remainded of the afternoon prepping either the artificial body and head, or learning how to fabricate a wrapped body, neck and how to rebuild the real skull. I personally would like to see all students learn how to survive on wrapped bodies and real heads....but that is only my opinion. When that is done we will study our reference some more and paint either the artificial or real head. We will learn how to properly measure the real eye when choosing a glass eye replacement and how to properly set them into the head. Day one will end with a question and answer session and I will try and cover anything that you feel you need additional help with.

DAY TWO
This morning will begin where we left off, with a prepped skin ready to put on the mannikin. At this point we will make one last assesment as to the accuracy of our mannikin in comparison with the carcass and proceed with the mounting of your bird. You will learn how to properly wire wings and legs and how to make secure attachments. You will learn where caulking will be most advantageous, and how to securely attach the head back to the form. From this point the bird can be considered mounted. We will then spend the rest of the time learning how to taxi the skin, and studying your reference and learning about feather patterns and groups along with how to recognize certain attitudes and moods of the bird you are studying. You will learn proper methods of pinning and grooming to assure accuracy in your mounts in the future. When we return from lunch, you will learn about design and composition and how to best accent your mount in the base work you choose. You will learn about different medias used in making the most relistic habitats. At the end of the day.. You will have a completed mount to return home with to display in your shop or in your home.

Supplies

The student will be responsible for supplying their own bird to work with and an artificial body, head, and a pair of eyes. Everything else will be furnished. We will be eating lunch out for the two days so bring some spending cash, as well as PLEASE don't forget your water bottle!!!

Cost

The cost of this two day workshop is $300.00. Please contact me to make your reservations.


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	Weekend Waterfowl Workshop Due to repeated request and overwhelming interest, I have decided to offer a two day mini workshop on mounting a standard waterfowl in either a standing of flying pose. The classes will be offered every weekend through September and are limited to two students per class on a first come/first serve basis. I am by far not a Savides, or a Newmeyer, nor do I claim to be. However, I have in the past 20 years logged many hours in avian taxidermy and learned many skills and tips to help put out a better product. I do not work in a classy 3000 sq ft avian mortuary, rather an non insulated made over storage room, but I have found that you just don't need all that jazz to make things happen. The only drawback is that even with fans blowing, the heat builds up rather quickly so I do recommend bringing your own thermos with ice water. Overview The classes will begin promptly at 8 am on Saturday morning and will last possibly 8 to 12 hours per day depending how quickly the Texas heat runs us out of the shop! It is the student's responsiblity to provide his or her own bird, the form, and artificial head if so desired along with adequate reference material on their subject. I can offer assistance in ordering these parts if necessary. (Wrapped bodies and real heads can also be used if you so desire. The choice is yours) DAY ONE This morning will consist of anaylizing the anatomy of the unskinned bird, making reference sketches, and evaluating your specimen and assessing any damage. It is at this point we will decide how to best showcase your bird and what needs to be done to accomplish that. We will then proceed with skinning the bird and once again pause to study anatomy of the carcass paying close attention to how things move and where things are alighned. We will then learn proper fleshing, degreasing, washing, and drying of the bird. After lunch, we will come back to the shop and will spend the remainded of the afternoon prepping either the artificial body and head, or learning how to fabricate a wrapped body, neck and how to rebuild the real skull. I personally would like to see all students learn how to survive on wrapped bodies and real heads....but that is only my opinion. When that is done we will study our reference some more and paint either the artificial or real head. We will learn how to properly measure the real eye when choosing a glass eye replacement and how to properly set them into the head. Day one will end with a question and answer session and I will try and cover anything that you feel you need additional help with. DAY TWO This morning will begin where we left off, with a prepped skin ready to put on the mannikin. At this point we will make one last assesment as to the accuracy of our mannikin in comparison with the carcass and proceed with the mounting of your bird. You will learn how to properly wire wings and legs and how to make secure attachments. You will learn where caulking will be most advantageous, and how to securely attach the head back to the form. From this point the bird can be considered mounted. We will then spend the rest of the time learning how to taxi the skin, and studying your reference and learning about feather patterns and groups along with how to recognize certain attitudes and moods of the bird you are studying. You will learn proper methods of pinning and grooming to assure accuracy in your mounts in the future. When we return from lunch, you will learn about design and composition and how to best accent your mount in the base work you choose. You will learn about different medias used in making the most relistic habitats. At the end of the day.. You will have a completed mount to return home with to display in your shop or in your home. Supplies The student will be responsible for supplying their own bird to work with and an artificial body, head, and a pair of eyes. Everything else will be furnished. We will be eating lunch out for the two days so bring some spending cash, as well as PLEASE don't forget your water bottle!!! Cost The cost of this two day workshop is $300.00. Please contact me to make your reservations.