MODELLING OF ANIMALS BY SUBSTITUTION OF CLAY, COMPOSITION, PLASTER
CASTS, OR WAX FOR LOOSE STUFFING.
THE subject to be now treated of is of so varied a nature, requiring
so great a knowledge of anatomy, and so much experience and aptitude,
that I have deemed it advisable to reserve for a separate chapter the
explanations of the processes to be learned, to avoid, at the outset,
confusing the learner by asking him to attempt too much. This chapter
may therefore be considered a finishing one, and, perhaps, it will be
best to be candid, and say at once, that no one should attempt the
mounting of animals by this method until he has fully mastered the
principles laid down in the foregoing chapter, and has learned the
characteristic attitudes and expression of some hundreds of animal
forms.
It is quite true that this art--which has for its end and aim the
better delineation of character as exhibited by the lower animals--is
not teachable unless the pupil is well grounded in anatomy, and is
also a clever draughtsman and modeller--in fine, an artist!--with all
an artist's perception of beauty of line and of form. I will here
indicate what I take to be the basis upon which a competent
taxidermist must proceed to become a zoological artist. First, then,
let him take lessons in drawing, pinning himself steadily to copying
pictures by the best masters of zoological subjects; as he advances,
let him draw from the casts of animals, when procurable.
Let him beware, however, of the conventional lion, and lion's head,
which are about as much like the real things as the donkey is like the
horse--just a family resemblance, nothing more. Having done all this,
let him copy animals from nature; and if he lives in or near London,
so much the better, there is the "Zoo" for him to study in. Indeed, it
is a marvel to me that, with the museums and the Zoological Gardens
surrounding them, so few London taxidermists attain even a respectable
proficiency in the correct delineation of animal forms. The pupil
being well grounded in drawing, will have observed many points in
animal anatomy not hitherto suspected by him, and will naturally wish
to know the why and wherefore of the swellings and depressions
occurring in his subjects. To this end he must study a little simple
anatomy of bones and muscles--their objects and meanings in different
animals.
The last stage is the reproduction, by modelling in clay, etc, of the
various parts of animals, the head, of course, in the instance of
large mammals, being looked upon as the chief motif in composition. To
do all this requires time and considerable perseverance, but, with the
facilities for study now offered by the various schools of art, he
should not despair of success in a few years' time after mastering the
first principles of his art.
I will now proceed to demonstrate how the learner may work himself up
to a respectable proficiency in modelling animals, should he possess
the necessary aptitude.
Let us divide our theme into three parts--First, mounting the skin of
the specimen, by using the skeleton as a foundation.
Secondly, mounting by means of a rough framework of wood and iron,
more completely than as instanced in the example of the bear mentioned
in the last chapter.
Thirdly, mounting on a model skeleton of carved wood and iron, to
represent, and to take the place of, the bones; somewhat in the manner
described for the elephant.
In each of these systems there is one point of resemblance, namely,
that the bones, or their semblances, are to be covered with hard
composition, of some kind or another, to replace the flesh and
muscles, and that the heads of mammals being often of great beauty,
and possessing certain characters of their own, are to be copied first
of all by one of two methods. Either they must be
(1) cast as a "mould" from the dead head, and the "return," or model,
again cast from that; or
(2) modelled from the dead head in clay, by the eye and by
measurements, and a mould taken from that, to be again cast into for
the model.
This latter, though entailing three processes, is the more correct,
and gives the best result when the modeller is experienced; but as the
former is the easier, and leads up to better things, I must describe
it first.
We will take as an example the most difficult head to cast--a horned
head--considering that, if we do this correctly, all others will be
easy enough. Here, then, is a stag's head, some modelling or
pipe-clay, some soft-soap, a hundredweight or so of common plaster of
Paris at about 4s. per cwt, two pails, or rather zinc or galvanised
iron buckets, one of them containing water. [Footnote: Pipe-clay quite
good enough for this purpose is sold by the pipe makers in dry blocks
or pieces, at about 6s. or 7s. per cwt. The clay must be soaked as
wanted in a bucket of water and beaten up with a stick or "bat" until
it is smooth, free from lumps, and of the consistence of very stiff
putty. It should then be formed into a square mass, and kept damp by
wet cloths.]
The first operation, after beating up the clay, is getting the head
into position; this will be easy enough should it be cut off from the
body, otherwise the head must be propped up on the table, whilst the
greater part of the body rests on boxes, or trestles, somewhat lower
than the table. A very little "gumption" will enable the learner to
cope with these small difficulties, always remembering, however, that
both body and head must be immovably fixed during the process of
casting.
Let us assume, therefore, the body arranged so that the head--face
uppermost--and part of the neck, rests on the table, firmly fixed;
supports, or stays of wood, fastened at one end to the horns by wires
or cords, and at the other end by nails to the table, will effect
this. The chin should be propped up a little from the surface of the
table, by means of a pad of clay which has been previously prepared;
next cut more slices of clay from the mass, and build in the front and
sides of the face in a straight line, to just under the nostrils, but
above the line of the mouth; smooth the clay--which should extend
outwards some two or three inches from the head--with water and a
broad knife. The lower half of the head is now hidden, mouth and all,
up to just above the upper lip.
Next fill in the nostrils and the lachrymal sinuses (the orifices
below the eyes) with clay, but in a careful manner, so that, although
they shall be filled up sufficiently to prevent the plaster from
running in to make "undercuts," they shall still preserve a certain
shallow imprint of their original form. Now mix your soft soap with a
brush until it becomes a stiff lather, and paint it all over the face
and hair of the head; build up a wall of thin board around the
clay--in the manner described in Chapter VIII. on Fish Casting--and
when practicable tie a thin board just in front of the horns, so that
the model may end there.
If, however, the back of the head down to the neck is required--which
it seldom is, for reasons explained hereafter--it must be managed by
"piece-casting." (See Chapter XII.) The head being nicely soaped, lay
a thin piece of string or strong hemp along the top of the face and
head, exactly in the centre, and extending from the clay under the
nostrils up to the back of the head in a straight line. Be sure that
the string is perfectly straight, and that it presses closely to the
nose before coming on to the clay.
Next mix the plaster, not in the usual manner, by adding water to it,
but by half filling a vessel with water, to which the plaster is
added, a little at a time, until enough is mixed to serve the purpose,
i.e, in sufficient quantity to cover the head with a layer some inches
thick. After it is well worked up and moderately thick, carefully pour
it over the specimen, taking it up as it runs down, and piling it up a
little thicker in the centre, to give stability to the mass. Just as
the plaster is setting--which a very little experience will
teach--lift the ends of the string upward through the plaster, which
has the effect of cutting it in two, but these halves will not fall
off of their own accord if care be taken.
The mould being allowed to set for about half an hour or an hour,
according to the quality of the plaster, is then ready for the next
operation, which is the turning of the carcase, so that the head may
also be turned upside down. Previously to this, should the mould show
the least sign of coming off, it will be as well to tie it on.
Supposing, however, that the wall of boards being removed, the head is
successfully turned until it rests with its centre on the table, it
may happen that the horns, being in the way, may require to hang over
the edge of the table to effect this properly, and that the head,
being rounded by the superior thickness of the mould, may require
propping. To describe the means for overcoming such self-evident
little difficulties as these, would only insult my reader's judgment.
The head, then, being now securely fixed face downwards, the clay
which hides the lower half must be picked off. This exposes the inner
edge of the mould, together with the lower jaw. Scrape the plaster to
a level surface, and cut two moderately large V-shaped nicks, one on
each edge of the mould, build up around as before with wood, and fill
in all interstices leading to the table below with clay. See that the
mouth is properly shut, introducing a little clay if needed. Brush
over with soft soap, not forgetting the top of the plaster mould, and
mix some more plaster and pour over the lower jaw, on to the edges of
the plaster mould, until stopped by the wall; build up thicker in the
centre, as before, and suffer all to dry for about an hour. After
this, pull away the walls, and all retaining clay, and the mould will
easily come away from the head in three pieces, i.e, two for the upper
surface, and one for the under.
The chief thing to guard against is not to get the plaster behind the
horns, so that it locks the front up. As, however, you may require to
cast more, in length, of the under surface than of the upper, you may
easily do this by lengthening the upper surface, when turned over,
with clay, and casting on to that. It is this system which gives the
diagonally-cut appearance to the model (see Fig. 28).
You have now three pieces, forming, when trimmed and put together, a
concavity representing the place whence the stag's head has been
extracted; bake these pieces in an oven for a day or so until
sufficiently dried, then examine them for flaws or air-bubble holes,
which fill up with clay, brush over inside with linseed oil or soft
soap, tie together, and fix the mould, nose downward, in a bucket or
pail, pack with wedges, and run in sand outside the mould to make all
secure.
Prepare some plaster and pour into the mould at the opening and before
it is quite set, scoop out some to make it hollow at the neck; allow
it to remain undisturbed for from two to four hours, then take it out,
undo the string, and gently tap the mould in every part with a small
mallet, rolling it every now and then upon the table; in a short time
you will hear something rattle, and perhaps a little loosening of one
edge or piece will take place; tap now very cautiously, lest you
should break anything; soon one piece will come off, which will
materially assist your labour; take time and have patience, and you
will be rewarded by seeing a perfect model of the stag's head come out
of the mould in due course. [Footnote: Baking, when practicable, will
often assist the parting of the mould from the model.]
I have said perfect, but I mean perfect so far as this system allows
of perfection. If you hold the model up to the light, or look down
upon it from above, you will see, if your eye is sufficiently
educated, that, although it correctly represents the hair even, and
all prominent features, yet that the weight of the plaster has perhaps
caused one eye to drop lower than the other, or twisted the mouth
aside, and given a different expression altogether to that needed.
What is to be done then? Nothing but altering the model, by cutting
and scraping it, until both sides are even, casting again from the
corrected model when necessary, that is to say, when it is desired to
get or to keep a very good one for reference. Remember that the model
is a little larger than you require it, so that the hair marks, etc.
must be trimmed away to lessen it. Shaving the hair all away from the
head, leaving only the naked skin, has been recommended as a
preliminary to casting; but this, of course, destroys one specimen
entirely, that others of the same size may be mounted from the model
made from the shaved head. Skinning the head first, and casting from
the flesh, does not help the amateur, as so many muscles and other
characteristic parts are cut away, that a model taken in this manner
is often worse than useless.
What, then, is our way out of this difficulty? Nothing but educating
the hand and eye to the point of being able to take a dead head, and,
by knowledge of its living anatomy, to model it in clay so truthfully
as to far surpass any other process whatever. I can, unfortunately,
give no directions for doing this. I can merely say, in the words of
many unpractical "guide books" to art: "Take a board, some tools, a
well-kneaded lump of clay; place the head before you in strong light,
and turn out a lifelike representation of it; wrinkles, muscles, and
all--in clay." To me, this is now far the easiest thing to do, but I
do not forget the time when I used perhaps a ton of plaster in
experiments, and wasted lots more, and learned many little arts before
I could model correctly.
Let this be a grain of comfort to the learner, that, although he must
waste a deal of good plaster ere he sees the "points," and before he
can model straight away, yet that he has an advantage which I, as a
self-taught man, did not possess--the advantage of some little
practical advice, such as is given in the pages of this work.
Now, "returning to our muttons," it must not be supposed that our
omega is gained when the tyro has modelled by eye, and by
measurements, his first head in clay; this has to be cast from, as if
from the dead head, and the resultant model touched up, where
incorrect, by cutting and scraping when too large, or by addition of
clay when too small. Sometimes it will be necessary to cast from this
again and again, but in all cases the mould and model should be
managed as before described.
Fig. 28--Stag's head in plaster from clay model.
Assuming that the student has managed a cast to his satisfaction, he
will see, by looking at the accompanying cut, Fig. 28, that the orbits
of the eyes are shallow, that only the upper line of the sinus shows,
that the lips and nostrils are also shallow depressions; all of these
parts must be hollowed out or undercut. To do this we require a knife
such as that figured No. 12 in Chapter III, and three other tools, one
a large crooked awl (sharpened at one edge), in handle, and steel
"undercutting" and "relieving tools" (see Figs. 29 and 30). [Footnote:
Messrs. Lechertier, Barbs, et Cie, of 60, Regent-street, London, have
many patterns of these for plaster work, at a low figure.]
Fig. 29--Steel "undercutting" tool.
Fig. 30--Steel "relieving" tool.
With these the eyes, nostrils, lips, etc, of the model, are relieved
and undercut, in order to take in the folds of the inner surfaces of
the skin of those parts. Be sure to hollow out the mouth upward toward
the nostrils, keeping it fine, however, at the lips, and not opening
it outward too much; the same with the nostrils, looking to the dead
head to note the beautiful curves which can be treated so as to
express, at will, rest, alarm, or defiance, according as the
under-cutting is managed; the eyes of the model must be hollowed out
and deeply undercut to receive the hollow glass globes (see Chapter
XII), and the eye pits (lachrymal sinuses) relieved.
Although we have cast the head whilst attached to the body in order to
get our difficulties increased, yet we will now imagine the stag's
head, with a long piece of neck-skin attached, severed from the body,
in the manner in which heads usually arrive from Scotland to be
mounted as trophies of the chase. The model being ready, the dead head
is now skinned, the skin being taken entirely off the head, and being
"double-skinned" as described, washed and cured, is now ready for
mounting.
First, however, the horns must be sawn from the skull by cutting away
a triangular piece of the bone to which they are attached; drill this
bone for two long screws, by means of an American "twist-drill,"
fitted into an ordinary brace. Next, the prepared model requires
blocking; this may be done as shown at Fig. 26. A slot to receive the
board should have been previously cut in the plaster under-jaw of the
model, or, in a more simple and efficient manner (see Fig. 31), by
procuring a piece of "quartering," 3 in. x 2 in, about 2 ft. in
length, cutting a channel in the under-jaw and the back of the head to
fit it, wedging up, and pouring in wet plaster to make all secure. The
head of the model should be cut to receive the horns, leaving about
half-an-inch or more of plaster before coming to the wood.
The quartering protruding below the neck must now be fixed in a vice,
and the horns screwed in. seats, the screws coming through the plaster
and into the wood, which they should "bite" for an inch or so of their
length; wet plaster is then poured on the top, and the back of the
head made up by the addition of more. When dry the quartering should
support the model with horns attached, and all parts should be
immovably rigid.
Nothing remains now but to thin the skin all over the inside in a
careful manner, remembering, the thinner the skin the better the
points of the model will show up. When finished, simply draw the skin
over the model like a glove upon the hand, put a little clay in the
"bags" of the eyelids, perhaps a little about the nostrils, and fix
the various parts in the under-cuttings made to receive them, being
sure that the lips go in naturally, not leaving a thick edge outside.
The ears now require blocking; to do this many taxidermists run a wire
all around each ear from the inside, or put cardboard inside, sewing
another piece outside by the edges to give shape.
Neither of these plans is, I am sure, equal to my method of cutting a
zinc plate to the full size of the ear--when flattened out--and
inserting it between the skin, pushing it well up to the tip;
afterwards it may be elevated or depressed, and moulded to any shape,
or to any degree of convexity; a little clay placed at the base of
each ear improves its shape, and assists to fix it in position.
The last thing to be done is to cut the "quartering" to the length and
angle required, to determine upon the shape and size of the neck, and
to fix the neck block (see Fig. 27) to the "quartering" by screws.
Fig. 31--Back view of model with neck block inserted.
A A, the Horns attached to piece of Skull; B B, the Model; C,
Quartering on which the Model is mounted.
Try the skin of the neck for length and shape, and then fill up each
side of the block with peat nailed on, over which pour wet plaster,
making up the back of the head as you go on, keeping the neck in front
narrow, and of an elegant shape, using clay afterwards over all to do
this. During all this time you will no doubt have had the skin off and
on several times to get the shape to suit, and you will have taken
precautions not to break away the thinly carved parts around the
mouth, nose and eyes.
The very last operation is sewing up; this is done with a "skin"
needle (glover's needle) and strong hemp, double and waxed; commence
your stitches at the skin in front of one of the horns, bring it
around to the back, and enter your needle in the edge of the skin at
the side, lace across and across, including the other horn, in the
manner most convenient, being careful, however, to make every stitch
"tell," otherwise, as the skin dries, the horns will be left bare
around the "burrs," and ugly gaps appear. The neck being sewn up, is
to be nailed around its circumference to the neckblock by strong
tacks.
The skin of the face is, perhaps, a little out of position; it must be
properly arranged on the model, and wire points of suitable size,
filed up from galvanized wire, must be driven into the eye-pits,
inside the corners of the mouth, the nostrils and ears, and also on
various parts of the face and the head, to prevent the skin rising
whilst drying. The eyes should now be inserted, and the skin of the
eyelids filled slightly, and drawn naturally around them. Hang the
head up as high as possible out of the way, and also because the room
is always warmest near the ceiling; two centre-bit holes of different
sizes, forming a kind of keyhole, may be drilled in the centre of the
neck-block, or strong wire bolted in the form of a loop near the top
to hang it up by.
Be sure all is sound and firm, as also the nail on which the specimen
hangs, otherwise your own, or your stag's, head may come to grief.
Plaster heads being very heavy at first, before drying, it is as well
to get them dried, if possible, in advance of the mounting, to obviate
great weight, and also a tendency to cause mildew inside the skin. It
is really astounding, however, to observe how very light plaster
becomes when thoroughly dry; clay of the same sized model is, on the
contrary, exceedingly heavy--more than twice the weight of plaster.
Sometimes it may be necessary, if wanting a frill of hair, or what
not, to be conspicuous, to keep it in position until dry, by brushing
on paste, or thick clay water, to stiffen the hair in the desired
manner. This can afterwards be brushed off, when the head is
ultimately cleansed, before screwing it on its shield. Foxes' and
other similar heads may be blocked best by the process sketched out as
relating to Figs. 26 and 27: and finally attached to suitable shields
(see Chapter XIII.)
Looking at the skeleton of the otter, Plate III, we at once observe
that it is placed in the position it assumed when the animal was alive
and walking with a stealthy, cat-like, movement. This skeleton is not
very unlike that of the fox, nor, if we except its smaller size, that
of the lion. Hence we shall be enabled to refer to it, from time to
time, as being sufficiently our guide to the mounting of these
animals.
We will not be too ambitious to begin with, and will, therefore, take
our old friend the fox for our first lesson. This is the animal sure
to be selected by all learners, and the reason is not far to seek--it
being of a manageable size, not too large nor too small; an animal,
moreover, of a picturesque habit of body, and about whose death more
or less of mystery hangs--this mystery so dear to the imagination of
the youthful amateur! In some places the death of the vulpine robber
of hen roosts is hailed with delight, and people are to be found even
--oh, horror!--willing to grasp in friendship the hand of the slayer.
In such a county as Leicestershire, foxes are not "accidentally"
killed, but when so, what bewailings over the "late lamented!" what
anathemas upon the villain's head who is suspected of "vulpicide"! If
it were not so serious a matter, one would be inclined to laugh over
Anthony Trollope's description, in the "American Senator," of the old
hunting farmer who moved himself and his dinner to the other side of
the table, in speechless indignation, lest he should be contaminated
by the presence of a sympathiser with a man who wantonly killed a far
too sacred fox, which gobbled up the aforesaid man's ducks and fowls.
Let this sad relation be a warning to all who look with acquisitive
eyes on the scented jacket of our "Reynard."
Moral, procure your specimens from the Highlands, where they are not
worshipped, nor protected, with a view to being hunted to death
afterwards.
Having procured our specimen, we lay it in state on the modelling
table, and, having decided to mount it by the first process mentioned
at the beginning of this chapter, viz, by using the skeleton as a
foundation, we have further to decide if the animal is to be
open-mouthed or not. In the first case, we shall require the skull, in
order to show the teeth and palate; in the latter case, we may discard
the skull if we choose, making a model of the head in a similar manner
to that of the stag, but with the difference that now, our specimen
not being horned, will make a mould and model much more easily.
We decide, then, to keep the skull as part of the skeletal foundation.
Skin out the animal in the usual manner, as described in the last
chapter, with these differences, that the skin must be split on the
underneath, from the vent to above the shoulder (in some cases, and
for some attitudes, this cut must extend up the throat); cross cuts
from this must extend all the way down the limbs, on their inside
surfaces. By these five cuts the body is released entirely from the
skin, the head being cut off at the nose, and the feet at the claws;
nothing, therefore, of the skeleton remains in the skin but the cores
supporting the claws.
Measure the body now carefully for size, etc, and treat the skin in the
manner indicated, and turning to the body, disjoint the hind limbs at
the junction of the femur with the pelvic girdle, and the fore limbs
at the junction of the humerus with the scapular arch (see Plate III).
Cut off the head (A, B), and trim it. If you cannot make a rough
representation in wood of the pelvic girdle (H) and scapular arch (M),
you had better cut these bones out and trim them, as they, or their
representatives, give a natural set to the limbs. Throw away the
remainder of the body. You now possess the complete skin, and also the
bones I, J, K, 1, and N, O, P, Q, together with the skull and the four
other bones, or their semblances. Having properly cured all these
parts, we will for this lesson take the skeleton of the otter and its
attitude as our guide.
Our first care, then, is to provide a block of wood, similar to that
in the illustration, for the animal to stand on; the length and width
of this are, of course, determined by the measurements which should
have been previously taken--its thickness should not be less than one
inch. The next thing to be done is to cut a piece of 0.5 in. or 0.75
in. deal to represent the body--now thrown away--figured in the plate
as D, E, F, and R; the shape as shown in Fig. 32 will be found the
most convenient.
To this attach, by bolting, a thick wire, to represent the neck (C),
and of sufficient strength to carry the weight of the head, also
another thinner one to take the place of the tail (G). At the point M
nail two small blocks of wood on each side of the body-board, in order
to slightly raise from its surface, and also attach thereto, the
scapulars; do the same at H, remembering that the thickness of the
blocks with bones attached determines the width of the chest, etc. Bore
holes along D, through which thrust stout wires to represent the ribs,
bending them into position, and bringing them over the edge of R, and
bolting each end into one or the other of the holes along its lower
surface. The wires must, of course, be cut of sufficient length to go
right through the holes at D, to form both sides of the ribs, ere
being finally bolted in the holes at R.
Fig. 32--False body of wood, with neck and tail wires attached.
We now have a cage, as it were, of wood and wire, terminating in two
long wires, in which state we leave it for the present. The next
process is to drill the leg bones (I and J, and N and P) with an
American twist-drill and brace, in order to push up a wire rod of
sufficient stoutness to carry the weight of the body; leave plenty of
length of wire above and below. [Footnote: In cases where drilling is
impracticable, it will be sufficient to firmly lash the bones to the
rod in the position which they should occupy during the subsequent
modelling.]
Next drill the bottom board to receive the wires under the feet, where
shown at 1 and Q; when firmly bolted underneath bend the rod with
attached bones into the positions shown on Plate III. Bend the upper
portion of the rods now at right angles, in order to go through the
scapulars and pelvis. Next take the cage (Fig. 32) representing the
body, with pelvic girdle and scapular arch attached, and ready
drilled, lift between the limbs, pushing the top wires--now at right
angles--through the holes drilled to receive them, bending these down
on each side. We have now a rough but fairly correct image of the
skeleton without a head.
Taking now the natural skull (A B), we open the jaws as much as
desired, and filling in the cavities with paper and tow, perfect the
shape by modelling with clay to replace the flesh. Fixing this on the
wire, C, we make up the neck with tow and clay, binding the former on
very tightly, and adding clay to give character, especially where it
approaches the chest. The cage must now be tightly packed with old
newspapers, brown paper, or clean straw, but with neither hay nor
"flocks." [Footnote: "Flocks" and sacking are the harbouring places of
Tinea Tapetzella, 1, a destructive little moth, the ravages of whose
larvae once cost me all the "soft" parts of a sofa, besides filling
the house before discovery with the perfect insect--eager to
perpetuate its race at my expense.]
Before this is done, however, it will be as well to interlace the
wires with tow, laid on as a thin sheet, and glued; be sure of the
shape now--if ever; let the cage be widest in the middle, tapering off
above and below and toward each end, being careful to make it a little
smaller, if anything, than the actual body; make up with straw and tow
at E, keeping this part narrow underneath; bind the tail, G, thinly
with tow, gradually thickening it as it approaches F; cover all these
parts with clay where required.
The fore and hind limbs, especially the latter, require very careful
modelling. To do this properly measurements and tracings of the shapes
should have been taken. Bind tow around all, to roughly represent the
form, and then artistically adjust clay to represent the muscles and
flesh. The appearance presented now should be as a clay model--without
hair--of the specimen taken in hand.
Nothing now remains but to take the skin, properly thinned down and
prepared, and try it over the model, altering the latter where it is
too large or too small. Perhaps it may be necessary to pull it
over--commencing at the head--several times before getting it quite
right. When fairly satisfied with your progress, commence stitching
the skin up from the neck, adding clay where wanted, noticing that, in
the position you are now working to, the neck will hang low, and
rather fine in front, between the fore limbs, and that the flanks will
be tucked up.
Go on sewing up until you are at the point behind the shoulders,
including the fore limbs in this; pad the skin at the toes with clay,
to replace the flesh previously cut away. Leave this now, and go to
the tail end; bend the wire down, and insert it in the hollow of the
skin of the tail, and work on the hind limbs, finishing as you go on,
and sewing up to the point between F and E. This leaves you the
remainder of the body to finish, and also gives you a chance to
dispose of any loose skin about that part. The clay and wire, being
both amenable to any alteration, can be beaten into shape where
required. Finally, sew up, and if your modelling is correct all the
remainder must of necessity be correct also.
To keep the skin in position on the model, tack it down with
galvanised wire points, or by stitching it through in places, such as
occur in the neck and various parts of the limbs. These wires can, of
course, be removed, and all stitches cut and drawn away when the
specimen is dry, at which time the eyes can be inserted, if not
previously done. In all cases, however, the specimen must be
thoroughly dried before it can be finished off by modelling the inside
of the lips and palate with wax or cement (described in Chapter XII),
or before the model tongue is inserted.
The foregoing thus describes the method which may be adopted to
educate the tyro to a correct idea of the osteology of his subject,
and, by analogy, to the osteology and relation of parts of many
others. It is practicable only in the case of mammals done from the
flesh, and whose skeleton is not valuable. In this system, as in all
the following, the model head of any animal, cast as described for the
stag, may be substituted for the natural skull, unless the teeth, etc.
are required to be shown. Model teeth carved from bone, or from wood,
subsequently coloured, are sometimes inserted in model heads, but this
is not recommended.
The next part of our theme deals with mounting skins from the "flat,"
when no body or skeleton is forthcoming, and is practised by masters
of the art, who know by experience the various positions assumed by
their subjects when in a state of Nature. By this means large animals,
such as tigers, lions, bears, etc, may be mounted from skins sent home
from abroad.
The skin having been relaxed and thinned (see Chapter X.), is put over
the model in exactly the same manner as described for the otter. The
model is, however, now determined by the size of the skin, which, when
perfectly soft, is folded together, legs and all, and shaped on the
floor of the studio, in somewhat the position required; from this a
rough tracing is made with red chalk on boards kept for that purpose,
or on sheets of brown paper. These are afterwards corrected by eye, or
by the aid of smaller drawings or good prints.
Inside this large finished tracing trace an irregularly-shaped long
oval, quite two inches smaller all the way round than the tracing of
the skin itself. Cut this out in stiff paper, and from it shape up one
or two boards of 1 in. to 1.5 in. deal, jointed together on edge; to
this "body-board" bolt by staples the four strong rods representing
the fore and hind limb bones. Let each have a right-angled crook where
they first spring from the board, to represent the scapular and pelvic
arches, then bend each one (more or less) at each joint (see Plates
III. and IV.) according to the attitude desired.
Insert these rods at the feet through a strong base made of 1 in. or
1.5 in. boards, remembering that, if the projected attitude of your
model demands the fore-feet raised, you must nail "quartering" on end,
to which attach a platform of board of the requisite height. Fix two
medium sized or one very strong rod for the neck, and one moderately
strong for the tail. In a large animal--and I am assuming that we are
now engaged on a lion--the wire ribs may be replaced by sections of
0.5 in. board, cut as in Fig. 33, and nailed vertically on each side
of the body-board. On the half-rounded surfaces of these, laths are
tacked, and afterwards covered with straw, or plastered over, just as
a plasterer would finish a partition; let this be kept somewhat
smaller than you wish it, in order to allow for its subsequent
covering with clay. From this proceed to model the limbs as before,
using plaster over the tow, and clay over all; next arrange the tail,
and, lastly, fix on the skull, if you possess it, or the plaster head,
which has been modelled and cast in the same manner as the stag's
head.
The skin is then fitted on as before, with the difference that the
head part, which, perhaps, is split right through the chin, and the
tail, split up its whole length, will come on more easily, but will of
course require more sewing up. When finished, adjust the claws, the
mane, the ears (blocked with zinc as in the stag), and the mouth.
Should it be wished to open the mouth to express rage or what not, the
edges of the skin of the mouth, being no doubt destitute (in a "flat"
skin) of their inner lining (the mucous membrane), must have this
replaced by wash leather sewn all around to form the "bags" of each
side of the lips, previously mentioned.
These "bags" are then filled with clay or modeling wax, and when the
skin is put on over the skull, are pinched into proper shape and
attached by their inner edges to where the gums should be, or around
convenient teeth by stitches, or by strong wire points driven into the
bone, in the manner which will best commend itself to the learner.
Suffer it to dry, looking at it from time to time, and when perfectly
dried model the palate, etc. (should the animal be represented
open-mouthed), in the manner described in Chapter XII. So great a mass
of damp clay used on these large animals is apt to crack; paper may
advantageously be pasted over the whole surface before the skin is put
on, which will stick well and not interfere with the modelling.
Fig. 33--Section of half-inch board to represent ribs
Plate IV. Lion mounted from the "Flat".
Plate IV. represents a lion mounted by this method: A, B, the skull;
C, the neck rod (sometimes two); D, E, and F, the body-board; G, the
tail rod; and 1, 2, 3, and 4, the rods representing the parts H, I, J,
K, 1, and M, N, O, P, Q, in Plate III.
The last process of all is mounting, by means of a model skeleton of
carved wood, supplemented by iron rods. This is a system which
requires a slight knowledge of wood carving, and would be practised in
the case of having the skeleton of the large animal to model from, or
in cases where, having both skeleton and flesh, it is desirable to
retain the former as an osteological preparation, and to treat the
skin as a taxidermic object.
Supposing, then, we have a lion in the flesh, our first care must be
to determine upon the position and attitude it is to ultimately
assume. Not to perplex the student too much, we determine that it
shall take the attitude of our last example (Plate IV), or else that
shown in Plate III. Accordingly, we arrange it on a platform just
raised from the floor of the studio, when by propping and judicious
management we make it, although lying on its side, assume the position
we require.
We carefully measure and take a rough tracing of the whole. The
muscles are now worked up into position, and moulds taken from them,
or from such parts of the limbs as we require. By careful arrangement
of clay, wooden walls, and other packing, it is quite possible to take
a complete cast of the whole carcase. Piece-casting, however
(described in Chapter XII), assists us here. From these moulds we cast
reproductions of parts of the lion, which will be patterns for, and
greatly assist us when, ultimately modelling up. The animal is now
skinned, and the skin prepared in the usual manner, i.e, stripped
entirely from the body, cured, and thinned down. The bowels are taken
out, the flesh is cut off the bones, and the parts H, I, J, K, and M,
N, O, P (see Plate III.), are copied by carving in lime-tree or beech
wood. [Footnote: Bones can be cast in plaster quite as easily as
anything else, and often take the place of carved wood.]
These models are then sawn longitudinally in halves, and each half
hollowed out to receive, and to be either tied, or wired on to, the
rods-1, 2, 3 and 4 of Plate IV. By this it will be seen that the model
is made up precisely as in that, the only addition being the
substitution of carved limb-bones in place of tow previously used to
bind over the rods. Clay or other substances is worked over these
"wooden bones," and the finishing processes are the same as the last.
The skeleton must be carefully mounted and articulated, as described
in Chapter XII. Be careful to get the ultimate phalanges of each limb
out of the skin, and by careful management we shall also be enabled to
get the bony core from the claw, and thus reap the advantage of having
two specimens instead of one only.
Large fishes--such as sharks; or reptiles, such as very large
alligators and crocodiles--may be mounted by slight modifications of
any of the foregoing processes.
Often hardened wax, linseed oil and plaster, plaster composition,
modelling wax, cobbler's wax, shellac, or what not, is used to
represent the muscles and "flabby" parts. Wax is also used to paint
over the mucous membrane, where shown or exposed. All this will be
found fully explained in Chapter XII, thus exploding all the rubbish
talked, and written, about "secret" or "patent" compositions, which,
when put on soft, will ultimately dry as hard as marble. These
wonderful "secrets" may be summed up under three heads--Clay, Plaster,
and Wax!