Taxidermy Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) work in progress.
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!
Taxidermy Soft Mount Fox – 2nd Edition!
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.
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:
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Skinning
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De-fleshing
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Salting
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Pickling
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Shaving
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Neutralising
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Tanning
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Drying & Tumbling
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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.
Taxidermy Cockatiel – Work In Progress
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.
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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As seen in British VOGUE magazine
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!
Taxidermy Mandarin Duck Commission – Complete!
I have recently completed my first ever Mandarin Duck commission (first duck of any kind actually!).
My client stumbled across him deceased and wanted to restore his beauty forever and wanted him posed on an ancient oak branch he found.
A bespoke glass case was also made for this taxidermy project, courtesy of Immortal cases & displays who did an excellent job of catering to the requirements.
Because of the addition of the artificial water habitat base, I needed a wooden ‘tray’ style of base to contain it, which is what was made.
I added some ripples to the resin water which I think helps bring this piece to life.
This project produced a lot of ‘firsts’ for me, but I am super happy with how this project turned out!
Please check out the gallery of images below
Juvenile Goldfinch Taxidermy Commission
Juvenile Goldfinch Taxidermy Project
Here’s what I have been working on this week!
A juvenile Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) that unfortunately met his demise flying in to a window.
My customer wanted the wings displayed out, so I posed this little bird in a take off position, which shows off the ‘gold’ fabulously.
I find small birds particularly challenging due to their delicate, fiddly nature, they can spoil very quickly which can lead to feather loss.
But this time, I soaked the bird in denatured alcohol prior to skinning, which helps preserve the skin as well as toughening it a little, making them less liable to feather loss. Works a treat!
See below work in progress pictures (don’t look if you’re squeamish!).
I love how most stages look like a complete feathery mess and I always think “There’s no way this is going to turn out looking anything like a bird” but somehow, by some sort of miracle, they do.
I’ll pop him on a branch once he is dry to complete this project.
Taxidermy Mandarin Duck Commission
Mandarin Duck Taxidermy Commission
I recently had the pleasure of working with a very special specimen – a stunning Mandarin Duck. I’ve been wanting to work with one for a while now!
This beautiful ornamental species was introduced from China in the mid-18th Century but didn’t start breeding and flourishing in the UK until the 1930’s.
The crazy (but beautiful!) feather arrangements on this bird were definitely challenge and slightly intimidating at first, but I think that now I’ve completed a 7ft peacock I have the confidence to do just about anything!
I spent about 9 hours + feathering and preening this duck alone, but I am very happy with how he turned out.
A hand carved mannequin was made out of balsa wood for this duck after taking various measurements from the carcass.
The left over meat from the carcass was also donated to some local hungry tawny owl chicks that were rescued, so nothing goes to waste!
To finish this project off, he’s going to be placed in a custom made glass case with a habitat and resin water base.
I will post pictures once he’s fully complete, but in the mean time take a look at the ‘in progress’ pictures below;
