Taxidermy Muntjac Buck

Here’s something I am have been working on lately – my first Muntjac buck.

I’ve really enjoyed working on this project actually – before now I’ve put off doing antlered deer because I was dubious about sawing off the skull cap, but it wasn’t half as hard as I expected it to be!

After sawing off the skull cap (the part of the skull the antlers are attached to), I then boiled, salted and peroxided it before fixing it to the form.

This muntjac arrived to me already partially skinned/caped, but unfortunately it was cut slightly too short before the shoulder which means there was not enough skin to fit all around the form.

I have to find some way of concealing the bare patches. I propose to add in some branch and fern foliage to cover these areas.

I’ll post pictures once he’s all done! You can check out latest progress on my instagram: @Taxidermyco

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Taxidermy Peacock – Second Edition!

I have recently began work on another gorgeous taxidermy Peacock!

It is unclear exactly what happened to this poor fella, but his owner said that he went over to the nearby farm with his mate, then she found him by the side of the road and said he died of shock. (He either got clipped by a car, or flew in to a phone wire)

He was just finishing his moult, so he had a tonne of pin feathers (an immature feather, before the veins have expanded and while the shaft is full of fluid) which makes it even more of a challenge as they fall out left, right and centre!

But considering how many feathers he lost, I am very happy with how he is turning out so far! (Please excuse state of workshop! Having a movearound and it appears I have used every single tool available whilst working on this fella!)

FUN FACT! –
Did you know, male peafowl (peacock) shed their long train every year after the mating season?

This is why this guy didn’t have a his new train. However, I am going to attempt to give him ‘Hair Extensions’  by reconstructing him a long train with single, long peacock feathers, naturally shed from another peacock. I’ll be sure to post the process once I make a start!

He will be for sale once complete.

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I actually started this juvenile Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) a couple of months ago but he’s taken a while to complete!

This was the first badger specimen I have worked with, so I wasn’t sure what to expect! I was nervous of the various scent glands they have, but honestly, foxes smell much worse. The skin was also super thick and hard to process and his tummy reminded me of pig skin almost.

It was donated to me by a local wildlife officer who found him by the side of the road after being hit by a car.

Originally, the plan was to model him in an on all fours pose, but during the skinning process I noticed a large patch of fur that was missing just above his tail on his back that was heavily ‘grazed’ presumably from the traffic accident.

Unfortunately due to this, he did loose a fair bit of fur so I had to remove that area and sew back up which did disguise this patch somewhat, but this wasn’t his ‘best side’. I took the decision to pose him in this sitting upright position, which disguises the defects and now shows off his best features.

I absolutely hate it when things don’t go to plan, especially with commissions, but in scenarios like these, I have to decide what is best to do justice to the animal. It’s much better to work with what I’ve got than to dispose of the skin all together.

His skull is being processed by a fellow taxidermist friend who has dermestid beetles. She discovered that this young badger’s atlas bone was completely fused to his cranium so I am sure the poor thing wouldn’t have been able to have full flexibility of his head and may have even been in pain!

All in all, despite the challenges that came with this specimen, it’s been a great experience and a treat to see a Badger up close and personal as I’ve never seen one so close before!

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With the big day hurtling towards us, there’s some important information you need to know!

For guaranteed delivery before Christmas, please place any orders before the 18th December 2017!

Orders may still be fulfilled until 5pm on the 20th December at the very latest, but it’s best to get your orders in early for that guarantee.

The last day items will be sent out before Christmas and the New Year is the 23rd December 2017.

Orders will then resume to normal on the 2nd January 2018

Taxidermy Barn Owl Commission

Sorry for lack of blog posts recently – following on from the last, my health has been playing up recently so I haven’t been able to get much done.

But here’s a few pictures of a lovely taxidermy Barn Owl I recently completed for a customer. This was my first ringed specimen I have worked with and found out it was ringed as a nestling in 2011 which was interesting!

She wanted it displayed in flight to accompany an existing tawny owl she had. She found the owl deceased in woodland, freshly dead, poor little thing.

I wanted to make the piece a little bit more dynamic by making it look as if the owl was just about to land on a branch. I did this by suspending the owl by one foot, having the other one ‘mid air’ about to clasp on to the branch.

At the same time, I did a bit of refurb work on the existing tawny owl she had (not mounted by me) de-dusting him and making him sparkle again.

I think the pair look impressive together!

I’m currently working on a full mount badger, so look out for that one in a blog post in the very near future, or see everything sooner as it happens on my Instagram page: @TaxidermyCo

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As some of you may know if you’ve read my ‘about me’ page, I briefly mention my life altering chronic illness.

I live with Rheumatoid Arthritis (since the age of 9), Fibromyalgia/M.E, debilitating Chronic Fatigue and some other weird and wonderful ailments. Every day is a battle and I am rarely well enough to leave the house, so this is why I am an an artist and taxidermist.

It allows me to keep my mind off of my chronic pain and other symptoms and to work from home.

I do get days and weeks sometimes, where I am unable to leave my bed, so my work can sometimes be slow-going.

I’d like to take a moment to thank all of my customers for their patience and understanding whilst my health is not as good as it should be, I really do appreciate your support.

Although there isn’t a cure for my conditions, I hope for one day in the future that there is some solution that will give me some relief so I am able to experience life to the fullest and reduce my turnaround time for commissions.

But until then, I have to continue to manage my illnesses the best I can, take time out to recover when I need to and drink lots of tea!

– Krysten xx

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I recently completed the little Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) I have been working on recently.

I experimented with crafting a Fly agaric toadstool out of epoxy clay for him to sit on, I am so happy with the end result!

The glass dome completes the piece and is now sitting pride of place in my nan’s dining room. She bought it from me before it had the chance to go on sale as she adored it so much!

I hope you like the finished piece, I will be experimenting with more fungi in the near future.

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Taxidermy Wren

Earlier this year, I dropped my darling cat (sarcasm) off to the cattery as I was going on holiday. At the entrance, there was another cat’s ‘kill pile’ which I obviously scooped up, and in the pile was this gorgeous Wren! So small and delicate.

As this is the smallest thing I have worked with, I was very surprised at how he turned out, considering he got attached by a cat too! The smaller an animal is, the harder and more fiddly it is to work with!

Autumn marks the start of Fungi season and after feeling inspired by nature, this is what sparked the idea for this project.

I sculpted a typical toadstool (Fly agaric) from polymer clay and spray-painted it. After I had completed the wren, I mounted it on to the mushroom and created a little habitat base, I love how this turned out!

Just awaiting the glass dome now and it shall be another project complete.

I hope you like it!

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I’m delighted to have received another taxidermy ‘Soft Mount’ commission!

I have had a lot of enquiries about soft mounts recently, the popularity of them has seemed to of risen as of late.

What exactly is a ‘soft mount’? I hear you cry!

Soft mount taxidermy is where the skin of the animal is processed much the same way as it would be if it were a traditional mount.

The only difference is, that instead of the skin being mounted on to the rigid form (apart from the head that is still traditionally set on to a rigid cast of the skull), it is instead ‘stuffed’ with polyfill (the same stuff teddy bears are filled with!) to give a flexible, posable, floppy and cuddly effect.

Unlike facilities in America, the U.K does not have commercial tanneries (to my knowledge!) which allows taxidermists to send off the raw or ‘green’ pelts after skinning for them to process and be sent back as a flexible, fully cured and tanned pelt, ready for mounting.

This means I have to do every single process myself.

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I shall not bore you with the technical details, but over the years, prior to ‘taxidermy-ing’ the skin, I have learned to do the following processes successfully in my workshop at home:

• Skinning

• De-fleshing

• Salting

• Pickling

• Shaving

• Neutralising

• Tanning

• Drying & Tumbling

• Breaking the hide (which turns the skin side of the hide in to a flexible, suede like leather)

As well as hand-making the mannequin forms for the skin to be mounted on to, so a lot more skill is involved than simply just ‘Stuffing’ an animal!

I pride myself in being an ethical taxidermist, so absolutely NONE of the animals I work with are killed for the purpose of taxidermy. 

This is why my recent client chose to work with me on producing her ethical soft mount British Red Fox – the majority of soft mount fox’s I have seen on the internet are either sourced from fur-farms or hunted and trapped specifically for their fur (both of which I absolutely do not agree with)

She requested different coloured eyes and no armature, so he is extra flexible and cuddly!

I’m gonna miss him when he goes to his new home.

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I’ve been working non stop for the past few months, so I’m currently away on a much needed little break!

All orders made between 24/09/2017 – 02/10/2017 will resume on 03/10/2017

Any emails and enquiries made between these dates will also be replied to as soon as I am able to upon my return.

Taxidermy Co. is solely managed by myself,

sorry for any inconvenience!

-Krysten

Taxidermy Cockatiel

This week, I had a rummage through the freezer and found this little beauty!

A female captive bred cockatiel that died of natural causes.

British Wildlife will always be my number one passion, but I do enjoy working with something a bit more exotic once in a while.

It always amazes me in the washing and drying process how be-draggled they look. I always think

“there’s no way that this is going to resemble a bird again”

but somehow, it always does! Gives you an idea of the resilience of these creatures.

I have placed her on a simple handmade turned wood perch.

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She will be available to purchase as soon as she has dried and set, please get in touch to make reservations.

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Taxidermy Co in British Vogue

This month, I have a little feature in British Vogue magazine this month (October edition), which is SUPER exciting!

I was contacted by British Vogue asking if I wanted a feature in their ‘Vogue’s Show Home’ section as they thought I’d bring something a little different to the feature.

I agreed and I am so happy with how it’s turned out. I will be featuring as part of a 3 month campaign so the advert will run right up until the December issue.

I’m allowed to change the image each time too, but I thought I’d start with my ‘show stopper’ piece, my magnificent black-shouldered peacock who stands at 6ft tall!

The write up reads:

Krysten Newby of TAXIDERMY CO is a passionate, contemporary taxidermy artist based in rural Suffolk. She practices her art with meticulous care, using ethically sourced specimens and excels in restoring them to their former beauty. Her work is available to purchase at www.taxidermyco.uk to email [email protected] – bespoke orders taken.

Only onwards and upwards from here!

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