Welcome back to Anna’s lab! Today, we’re diving into the fascinating world of taxidermy, focusing on some steps that weren’t covered in our previous session on how to taxidermy a squirrel. But before we get started, a quick reminder: we’re running an Indiegogo campaign for our project, and your support could make a lasting impact. Whether you contribute or simply share our video, your help is invaluable. Now, let’s get back to our furry friends!
Taxidermy is an art form with various methods and purposes. Broadly, there are three main approaches:
Anna enjoys a blend of museum and commercial taxidermy, aspiring to create unique poses that capture the essence of an animal’s life.
When recreating animals, it’s crucial to remember that not every creature is always in action. For instance, bears don’t spend all their time growling. Museums often use dioramas to depict animals in natural, everyday activities, such as grazing, which is what they do most of the time.
One of the key aspects of taxidermy is crafting realistic eyes. There are different types of eyes used, such as bead eyes and bubble eyes. Bubble eyes, often hand-blown, have intricate details and a unique color, while black glass beads are solid black and easier for beginners to use.
When setting eyes, it’s helpful to have reference pictures to guide the shape of the eyelids. For beginners, using solid black eyes can simplify the process, but as you advance, you can experiment with iris positioning for more realism.
As you work on the squirrel, you’ll notice it starts to look more lifelike once the eyes are in place. It’s essential to keep the fur looking nice by brushing it regularly to prevent it from becoming greasy or ruffled.
After sewing up the squirrel and working on the face, you can fluff up the fur using sawdust. Align the skin with the form, pinning it in place to ensure it stays secure while drying. If there are any bald spots, carefully fold the skin over them to conceal them.
The last step involves grooming the squirrel using a hairdryer and a brush. Use low or no heat to gently lift the fur away from the form, giving it a natural and polished appearance.
This educational journey into taxidermy is brought to you by the Field Museum in Chicago, where art and science come together to preserve the beauty of wildlife.
Choose one of the three main approaches to taxidermy: study skins, commercial taxidermy, or museum taxidermy. Conduct in-depth research on your chosen approach, focusing on its techniques, purposes, and historical significance. Prepare a short presentation to share your findings with the class, highlighting unique aspects and examples.
Participate in a workshop where you will learn to craft realistic eyes for taxidermy. Experiment with different materials such as bead eyes and bubble eyes. Use reference pictures to practice shaping eyelids and positioning irises. This activity will enhance your understanding of how details contribute to lifelike taxidermy.
Work in groups to design a diorama that depicts animals in natural, everyday activities. Use your creativity to capture lifelike moments, considering the environment and behavior of the animals. Present your diorama concept to the class, explaining your design choices and the educational message it conveys.
Engage in a class discussion about the balance between art and science in taxidermy. Reflect on how taxidermy serves both educational and artistic purposes. Share your thoughts on the ethical considerations and the impact of taxidermy on wildlife conservation and public education.
Organize a field trip to a local museum or taxidermy studio to observe professional taxidermy work. Take notes on the techniques used and the stories behind the exhibits. After the visit, write a reflection on how the experience has influenced your understanding of taxidermy as both an art and a science.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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– Hey everyone! We’re back in Anna’s lab this week to show you a couple of steps that didn’t make it into the first iteration of how to taxidermy a squirrel. But first, I wanted to remind you that we have an Indiegogo campaign running through the end of the month for our project, and we could really use your help and support. Your contribution, or just sharing the video, could help build something that will be here for literally a century or more. So if you could check it out or give a thumbs up, we would really appreciate it. And now, more squirrels!
**Warning:** This episode contains material that may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
**Grossometer:** Extreme. Some blood, skin removal, visible organs.
– Are there brains on this thing?
– Yeah, there might be some leftover parts in here.
It seems to me there are three different ways to preserve an animal, and three different objectives. One, we have this study skin which is used for research. Two, you have commercially produced taxidermy, and then there’s museum taxidermy, which seems to be the more artistic one.
– Where do you see yourself in those three things?
– I like doing a mix of museum stuff—that’s where I’d really like to be—and doing the commercial stuff too, because when you’re doing client work, they generally don’t want anything overly ornate. They just want their animals for the memory. I really want to start getting into doing unique poses and capturing awkward moments in the animal’s life.
– When you’re talking about recreating these animals after they’re gone, not every bear is spending all of its time growling, so I think it’s super important to think about where museums come in with dioramas, as we are trying to capture those individual moments.
– And like, the habitat, and sometimes it’s just grazing, because that is probably what that animal spent 90% of its life doing.
– For the eyes, we’ll see if the scalpels can handle this foam. What I like to do is cut this brow off, so we can set in our eyes. It depends on the eyes we’re using too; for example, bubble eyes go in a little deeper than black glass beads.
– What’s the difference between a bead eye and a bubble eye?
– These bubble eyes come from a supply company and are hand-blown, so you can see the little details in the back. They have a bit of a purpley-black color, whereas the black glass beads are just solid black.
– When you’re looking at a squirrel, unless you’re looking really closely, you’re not going to see that brown iris, so when you’re first learning, it can be easier to use solid black. Once you get more advanced, you can work on iris positioning.
– So we just want to hollow these out a little bit, and then very carefully with our blade… If you’re using the glass beads, make sure that your bead holes go up and down vertically so that you don’t end up seeing them.
– The best thing to do when you’re doing this is to have reference pictures around to help you figure out the eyelid shape and everything.
– It’s already starting to look a little more like a squirrel. As soon as you start putting eyes in, everyone gets really excited.
– So what I’m noticing right now is that the skin is slipping, and it looks a bit greasy. How do we make it look nice later?
– Just continue brushing the fur as you go to keep it from getting ruffled.
– For these guys, we’re just going to get them all sewn up and do the face, and then we’ll brush them and fluff them up a little bit with some sawdust.
– You want it to be slightly smaller than your skin. So I like to find the corner of the mouth on the skin and line this up on our form.
– So we can pin your guy a little bit. I like to do a pin in each corner.
– What does that do?
– This helps keep the skin in place while it dries.
– Right now, because these guys had a couple of bald spots, I’m just folding the skin over those spots so that we don’t end up seeing them.
– The final step is finishing touches—grooming with a hairdryer and a brush. We want it on low or no heat, and then you can start blow drying it, gently back brushing to lift the fur away from the form.
– The Brain Scoop is brought to you by the Field Museum in Chicago.
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This version removes any inappropriate or overly graphic content while maintaining the informative nature of the original transcript.
Taxidermy – The art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals with lifelike effect. – The university’s art department hosted a workshop on taxidermy, where students learned how to create lifelike animal displays.
Art – The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture. – The art students organized an exhibition to showcase their latest sculptures and paintings.
Museum – An institution dedicated to preserving and exhibiting objects of historical, cultural, or artistic value. – The local museum hosted a special exhibit featuring the works of emerging contemporary artists.
Commercial – Related to or engaged in commerce, often implying a focus on profit and business. – The art students discussed the impact of commercial galleries on the careers of emerging artists.
Realistic – Representing familiar things in a way that is accurate or true to life. – Her realistic painting of the cityscape captured the intricate details of urban life.
Dioramas – Three-dimensional full-size or miniature models representing a scene with lifelike figures and surroundings. – The students created dioramas to depict historical events as part of their art history project.
Anatomy – The branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms. – Understanding anatomy is crucial for artists aiming to create accurate and expressive human figures.
Grooming – The practice of cleaning and maintaining the appearance of something, often used in the context of personal care or animal care. – In the DIY workshop, students learned about the grooming techniques necessary for maintaining their art supplies.
Presentation – The manner or style in which something is given, offered, or displayed. – The final presentation of their art projects was a key component of the students’ grades.
Wildlife – Animals that live and grow in natural conditions, often used in the context of conservation and natural habitats. – The art class took a field trip to sketch the local wildlife in their natural habitat.
