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

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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.

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Taxidermy Raven Project

I have never worked with such an amazing beast! Corvids are by far my favourite family of the bird world, it’s an honour for me to be working with the king of all corvids, the Common Raven (Corvus corax)
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Instagram Giveaway Competition – Win a taxidermy mouse terrarium!

Want to win one of my taxidermy mouse terrariums? Head over to the @taxidermyco instagram page to find out more!

All you have to do is follow the page and repost the featured image with #TaxidermyCo to be in with a chance.

One lucky winner will be chosen at random on the 31st July at 7pm (GMT).

Don’t worry if you don’t have Instagram and you’re missing out this time, I’ll be running other competitions in the near future on other social media sites.

Sign up to the mailing list on the footer of this page to be informed of new contests and exclusive news!

Good Luck!

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;

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‘Don’t Badger Me’ Charity Tees

I’ve just finished up another design for some upcoming T-shirts; one more design to go then I am going to get some printed up for you all!

10% of proceeds from each T-shirt will be donated to various wildlife and animal charities, including the Badger Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and RSPB.

I think to some people, taxidermists are painted in a bad light with concerns over animal welfare, the art being of ‘bad taste’ etc.

I pride myself in being an ethical taxidermist, which means none of the specimens I work with are killed intentionally for the purpose of taxidermy and are sustainably sourced from frozen zoo food suppliers, the result of accidental road traffic collisions, humane pest control or natural deaths.

Being a keen naturalist and wildlife enthusiast, I want to go one step further by giving something back to wildlife and the wonderful world we live in by donating a percentage of what I earn from my taxidermy and other work to these great charities.

If you can’t wait for the T-shirts, I found a bunch of unisex tank tops from my old clothing brand that I have just added to the site, featuring my ‘Great Antlered Owl’ design for just £7.99!

Some have gone already, but if you’re quick you may be able to pick one up in your size!

GET ONE NOW

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Taxidermy Stoat Commission

Here’s one of the latest projects I have completed, a gorgeous little female stoat.

It unfortunately got attacked by a dog and my customer wanted her mounted up as a result of this.

I gave her a relaxed pose on a bit of driftwood I had and completed with some moss.

I am really in to casting heads at the minute, so as you can see from the progress pictures!

I cast the head in resin which means it’s an accurate representation of the original skull, giving it a perfect fit.

The body form was handmade out of wood wool.

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Shrewbert the Eurasian Water Shrew

The tiny little Eurasian Water Shrew (Neomys fodiens) commissioned by Iain Webb at The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire went off to his new home yesterday!

He is now aptly named ‘Shrewbert’ – love it! Iain thought it would be a good idea to have the specimen mounted up for educational purposes after he found it deceased.

Notable features that distinguish it from the other species of shrew include the line of hairs under the tail forming a keel, the fringe of hairs around its feet to help with swimming, and the whiskers on its snout, the vibrissae, to help it search for food.

I’m back from my short break away now and feeling refreshed, ready and full of inspiration after being amongst so much wildlife!

I’ve just added some new products to the store, including these 5″ x 7″ Glossy Wildlife Photography prints.

I took these lovely pictures on a photography course at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, it was a wonderful day out and I enjoyed seeing the birds of prey up close, gave me an excellent insight and reference images for future projects.

If they go down well, I may print some more of my wildlife photos in the future.

You can check out some of my photography adventures by clicking the button below, mostly taken in and around rural Suffolk & Norfolk in East Anglia.

Flickr Stream

£1 from each of the prints sold will be donated to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

Shop Prints

I will be away on holiday from the 22-26th May, 2017.

Orders will still be taken but will not be processed or shipped out until the  29th May.
Sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience!

-Krysten

Taxidermy Barn Owl Installation

I recently completed a lovely Barn Owl Commission, you can read up about this project and what a nightmare I had with it in a previous blog post here

This morning, I went round to my customers house to install the Barn Owl on an incredible piece of oak branch they found and installed in their house!

I was SO pleased that she fit on there perfectly, because normally I would mount the taxidermy on to the piece of wood I intend to use for it’s permanent perch to make sure the feet are positioned nicely on it. So I was pleasantly surprised when it all worked out, especially with the addition of the little vole I added under her talons.

But in this case I had to do a bit of guess work and temporarily perch her on an old piece of wood I had until I installed her on the oak branch. She looks right at you as you walk in the door, take a look!

Happy Customers=Happy Krysten!

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‘Vulture Culture’ T-shirts

A few years ago, I had my own T-shirt brand called ‘Awfully Good Apparel’ where I applied my own illustrations and designs onto various apparel. It was mostly an extension of a college project and I thought it could go somewhere, but as I had uni and other commitments, unfortunately didn’t have the time to pursue it.

I loved getting the T-shirts back from the printers and sending them off all over the world!

As the I intentionally set up the ‘Taxidermy Co.’ brand as a platform to sell all kinds of natural history related items, not just taxidermy, I am toying with the idea of illustrating a few designs to get printed on T-shirts in the near future.

The designs will be inspired by the natural world and will appeal (hopefully) to nature lovers that appreciate all things living (and dead!). You can expect designs that feature skeletal structures, botanical elements and all that is flora and fauna.

I’m working on a design right now, featuring a griffin vulture that I’m drawing by hand using a dot work technique – VERY tedious but the end result will be worth it. Depending on how things turn out, I may start a kickstarter campaign, I’ve never done one before so it should be exciting!

Let me know what you think so far, feel free to follow my progress on Instagram and other social media!

@taxidermyco

– Krysten