The skin on a warthog cape will rarely fit properly on most of the forms available from our suppliers. This is especially true with the lip area of warthogs and how this part of the facial anatomy fits around the tusks. Warthogs, as with most species of game animals, are all different and adjustments need to be made. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One way is to sculpt and carve the foam to fit the skin. This can be very time consuming and the results sometimes are not satisfactory. The method I prefer will be explained in this article.

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In the final installment of this article series, I will continue going through the World Taxidermy Championships® scoresheet and complete my reference study and discussion of fish anatomy and how it relates to fish taxidermy. We start this article by moving our focus to the accuracy of color of our painted fish. I feel this is a somewhat subjective area of the scoresheet for this reason: if a judge points out that a color is not accurate for a given species, more often than not the competitor will produce a reference photo showing that color scheme. While there are no absolutes as far as color is concerned, there is a range of colors and markings that are considered normal or acceptable.

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The purpose of this article is to inspire others to embrace creativity and experiment with different model-making techniques, both among museum model builders and technicians, as well as taxidermists. My philosophy when constructing models of extinct animals is that I should exceed beyond anatomical accuracy. Attention must also be paid to surface textures and execution to achieve the highest possible degree of realism. This realism is achieved by incorporating the same natural elements observed in extant animals, such as dirt, scars, and tissue translucency.

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In this Part 2 I will discuss profitability, getting more work than you can handle, and not getting enough work. Never apologize for being profitable—it is critical for your family and your business. Take advantage of buying power. Take advantage of the state association’s vendors discounts. Always focus on what you’re spending. My father always taught me to “Watch your pennies; your dollars will come.” This is so overlooked in this industry, and it drives your cash flow. I know each one of us is in a different position, but if you have your deposit money in your account, if you stay on your schedule, and if you maintain your customer base communication (keeping up on completion and pick-up times), you should be able to take advantage of purchasing power, driving more profits into your business.

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As we have done in the past, when a new advertiser comes to Breakthrough with a new and unique product we consider a product review. Allen Bullman is the owner and developer of the Taxidermy Management System. The uniqueness of this system is the app which allows new and current customers of your studio to contact you through an app that can be downloaded on their cell phones for free. https://hunt30.com

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