This is dead - honest !

[Will Gallant]

I'm trying to attach a picture to this post but it's the first time I've done it and I'm really not all sure I've done it correctly. I'll soon find out once I post this new thread and, if it's not there, well then I'm sorry and I'll have another go.

It's a picture of my lastest piece - a diving sparrowhawk - and I'm quite chuffed with it so I've bunged it in a case.

There's another taxidermist down south called Mike Gadd and, like Stuart Jefferies who advertises on SD, he's fantastic at his work. I saw a photo in a magazine of a goshawk he'd done in this diving pose and I was that impressed I decided to have a go at it myself. So in all honesty the pose wasn't my idea - I just plain out and out nicked it from Mike (sorry Mike) - but the work's all mine.

It sort of works better with a gos, but they're not that easy to come by and I didn't have one anyway so I just had to make do and work with this female spar that I had in the freezer.

I did it just as a try-out to see if I could pull it off so it's sort of what you might call a bit of an apprentice piece. Took me bloody ages, but I like it and I think it works kind of OK and I'm hoping all you lot think so too.

Comments welcome.

Here goes then - I'm hitting the "Submit New Thread" and fingers crossed ! If I have done it right then it might appear as a thumbnail which I think means you have to click on it to enlarge it.

Will Gallant

 

[DazT]

WOW! That looks very well done!
Nice 1

 

[Will Gallant]

Thank you my friend. I'm glad you like it.
Will
(this is to Russian Sniper but I hit the wrong button !)

 

[nuttyspaniel]

Looks braw thanks for sharing.


Nutty

 

[bobt]

nice mount

 

[Paul 600]

Cool, how is it suspended?

 

[Will Gallant]

Looks braw thanks for sharing.


Nutty

You're welcome and I'm glad you like it and thanks for the very nice comment.
Will

 

[Will Gallant]

nice mount

Many thanks.
Will

 

[Will Gallant]

Cool, how is it suspended?

Glad you like it and thanks. To attach it in the case I cinched a strong double wire through the mannikin with the tails of the wire kept quite long. That's why it took so long as I had to split the skin at the back of the bird as well as the front so I had room to get those long tails through. They then pass through the back of the case and are secured into a block of wood and then fibreglassed to stop them ever working loose. Then I had to set the bird up and dress the skin and feathers while it was in the case, and that wasn't at all easy. I did it as a bit of a challenge just to see if I could in fact do it. I bit off a bit more than I could chew to be honest as it turned into a bloody nightmare because I'd never done a bird in flight against nothing but sky as a background before so there wasn't a convenient branch or rock to attach it to !! But I'm really pleased with the way it turned out in the end, and next time I do one like that I'll at least have been through the learning curve already so I'll know what to do and how to do it.
Will

 

[teyhan1]

More good birds Will. As it's a Sparrowhawk how about next time one diving through/into some cover after a small bird. You know wings back , legs forward. Don't think I've seen that before.
Good work again.

 

[stuart jefferies]

Will ,
That's what taxidermy art is all about. Give yourself a pat on the back. The whole thing ,including the case just looks right You've inspired me to try something similar, but as usual i've no time at the moment. One day soon I hope to do something for myself. Do another one and make me feel twice as bad.
I doubt there's a member on the site who wouldn't be pround to have that hanging on their wall.
Stuart

 

[Will Gallant]

..
This post is a cock-up on my part. I was trying to do a reply to Stuart and then realised I was replying to someone else's post so had to try to delete it completely, and that didn't work !
It's an Old Man Thing.
Will

 

[Will Gallant]

More good birds Will. As it's a Sparrowhawk how about next time one diving through/into some cover after a small bird. You know wings back , legs forward. Don't think I've seen that before.
Good work again.

Thank you and, yes, that's a good idea. I'll try it out so watch out for it as I'll post a picture of it (only assuming it comes out OK though)

 

[Will Gallant]

Will ,
That's what taxidermy art is all about. Give yourself a pat on the back. The whole thing ,including the case just looks right You've inspired me to try something similar, but as usual i've no time at the moment. One day soon I hope to do something for myself. Do another one and make me feel twice as bad.
I doubt there's a member on the site who wouldn't be pround to have that hanging on their wall.
Stuart

You taught me all I know so to me that's the most valuable praise I can get.
Will

 

[keith@honda]

looks good well done

 

[Hornet 6]

Very nice, and yes I'd have it my home

Neil.

 

[Will Gallant]

looks good well done

Thank you. Incidentally, just out of idle interest, why does it say at the bottom of your post "signature removed in case I have offended anyone" ?
You certainly haven't offended me !
Will

 

[Will Gallant]

Very nice, and yes I'd have it my home

Neil.

Thanks Neil.
Will

 

[AllThingsShooting]

Awesome bit of work - what's next?

 

[snowy]

Praise from the tutor Will thats certainly got to be telling you something, keep up the good work