16 March 2009, 09:13
BlankFantastic mount and display. That is gorgeous!
Besides my leopard, the bushbuck is the only other trophy my wife wants to see life-sized.
16 March 2009, 21:08
NavalukVery good indeed. Who made the form if you do not mind me asking? I am trying to decide on the position when I have mine done, assuming it makes it here from there.
Are those silk leaves or what type of material? Also are those leaves just leaves or do they replicate the habitat of the animal?
Once again, well done!
17 March 2009, 02:31
GraftonThanks for the kind words.
It is a slightly altered Animal Artistry form. The original position has the bushbuck with an extreme turn, looking back behind it.
My habitat materials vary. I use a mixture of real, dried, silk, plastic, etc.. You have to think about color, longevity and durability. A mixture of real twigs, silk leaves, plastic etc.. is much more convincing than all plastic for sure. And a mixture of different types of plants, leaves, is more natural looking than a clump of all the same thing.
I will say this, 90% of the artificial plants I find are unsuitable for this kind of work as is. You have to tweak them, paint stems, cut them up, use small pieces of them vs. the whole plant. A lot goes into habitat work and I think it shows when you do not put the time into it. It can make or break a life-sized mount IMO.
They are the icing on the cake, not the focus so I did not fly to Burkina Faso and make wax molds of individual leaves.
You will not find me using oak leaves on a base like this but small almond shaped leaves and compound leaves can be found here and in Africa.
I did use reference photographs provided by the hunter in order to understand the look I was trying to capture. The hunting areas are burned. The look of much of the ground was dry dirt, grasses, animal dung, worm mounds, a few green shoots coming up, and some areas of unburned grasses, green shrubs, etc..
17 March 2009, 23:45
L. David KeithWork of beauty Grafton. Bushbuck are one of my favorite African antelope. What a great looking mount.
Cheers,
David
Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris
http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333
Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com
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Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#926103994110 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson
Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......
"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."
