@MightyMitochondria listed faux taxidermy as one of her themes in the recent Monster Swap. I’ve never tried to do faux taxidermy, but I do love playing with clay. The result was an intersting challenge!
Lots of process pics with details:
I started with some napkins rolled in a ball and tied with string. Then I layered a thin coating of Sculpey air-dry clay on top and molded the features and horns.
After 48 hours of drying I began layering acrylic paint until I was happy with it. I sealed the monster head with artist’s wax and then used UV resin to give the eyes a nice shine.
Mounting the head to a wooden base was another challenge. Even though I used the lightest armature possible and air-dry clay (which is lighter than polymer clay), the completed head was 11 ounces. Way too heavy for just glue. So I drilled holes in the head (praying it wouldn’t break) and then used long screws to secure it to the wood…plus I used E6000. I dabbed the tips of the screws with red to mark the back of the head so I’d know where to drill.
This is truly adorable and shows so much creative thought. I love how the UV resin really makes the whole thing come to life (as much as a supposedly dead thing can come to life).
I’m so glad this little monster has a home with you, @MightyMitochondria! Definitely try adding a few hats on him/her. I wish I’d taken a pic of the monster in the little witch’s hat I have. It was too cute. Thank you for a wonderful swap!
