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May 6, 2012
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wrapped body and powder finished bill and feet
September 26, 2011
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Lots of motion in that mount. Great work as always Bruce . I appreciate all the experience you bring to the forum !
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May 6, 2012
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Aaron..thanks so much for the compliment and thank you for the forum!
August 5, 2012
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Man that’s a good looking Woodie! Great job!
I was curious if you removed the legs to inject and paint. I’m about to do my third mount, a standing Wood Duck and used pan pastels for the bill and I am very happy with the results. Will also use them on the legs.
May 6, 2012
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gptx, thank you! I have never removed bird legs and pre injected. but I am very old school. I still hand wrap all my bodies right from the carcass. everything you need to duplicate is right in front of you instead of having to rely on a hard generic foam body. I hardly if ever airbrush to finish. I have found that Pan Pastels are far superior to any kind of paint. it can take some experimentation to understand how to work with them, and the broad range of applications they offer. I now use them almost exclusively for finishing birds, fish and game, as well as adding some blending touches on base work.
August 5, 2012
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Thanks marshy creek!
I think I am just starting to get the feel for the pastels. I can’t airbrush for nothing and these pastels are a huge help for me, although I’m not very speedy at it! I was thinking of removing the legs for injecting because I was hoping it might help me with the Masters Blend. The legs were terrible on my first two but I think I will give it one more chance with the legs on before trying to remove.
May 6, 2012
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gptx. If I can share in any way, please just ask. I am very old school after almost 40 years doing this full time. so many things have changed since I started, and applying everything new to an old guy is paramount in moving forward. basics will never change, but how you apply that is always changing. there are some valuable pointers on both injection as well as manipulating powders for finishing. If I can share on this forum, just ask
August 5, 2012
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Thanks for the kind offer marshy creek!
I do have a question on brushes. Have you found a pointed brush for the powders to make fine lines in tight areas? I have the loew cornell scrubber brushes, sofft foam tools, and even the wife’s rounded on both ends makeup foam pads. They all work great applying the powders but on the wood duck bill I did, the red area at the top between the black and yellow was a pretty tight space with the brushes I have. Something with a smaller tip would have worked better there. I am wondering if any ole soft hair small pointed brush would work with the pastels? I hate to keep spending more money experimenting haha!
Thanks Again!
May 6, 2012
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gptx. I use generic scrubber brushes available on line. Pan Pastels, IMO are the best product with applications for taxidermy, far beyond even the best paints, and airbrushes. Proper finishing, for whatever specimen, needs to show life. IMO, there is know better medium than Pan Pastels, for the softness and flat finish you can blend ,on anything you want. once you work with them, and have the proper colors, exceptional results can be achieved with the proper sealing after blending colors. fine definition is so easy once you lock down your base. I use hair spray until I am done. feel free to reply with any questions you may have
August 5, 2012
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Thanks marshy creek, I sure appreciate it!
August 5, 2012
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Hi marshy creek,
I was wondering if you have to wait several days or so after injecting Masters Blend before painting with powders like you might with paint? I use Krylon clear matte between coats if that makes any difference. Thanks!
May 6, 2012
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Gptx. I wait at least 2 weeks after injecting before I start to finish. Pan Pastels need a surface to “bite” to. any slick surface is counter productive for them to work for you. I let my legs dry very well, clean with acetone. I block off the body with tin foil as it is very easy to manipulate and protects the feathers better than anything I have found. I then prime the feet with rattle can primer, sprayed into a paper cup and applied with a brush. primer is available in a few different colors. I use mostly grey. the primer is the best under medium I have tried for a base for pastels. it has the proper bite that takes the pastel colors well. if you want to blend colors, you do not want to seal. if you want sharp edge between colors, you need to lock down between colors to keep them from mixing. I use woman’s hair spray for that. it will give you the bite you need for more color, and seals down your pastels between colors. when you are completely done I use a finish coat of matte rattle can lacquer. hope this helps and answers your questions
