I picked up two heads from a taxidermist I decided to try out. The work is good, but I think he finished in a hurry and there are a few details that he neglected. To start with there are some nails left in one, and both need touching up around the eyes.
What is the best kind of putty, or clay or resin to use?
Is it better to mix the colour in or to sculpt then paint?

Thanks.

the less "putty" used the better, actually most taxis use epoxy around the eyes...sparingly!

black goop and paint around the eyes isn't normal/natural and shows a failure to properly prepare the skin and properly mount it.

touchup work around the eyes, nose, and mouth should be minimal...

eyes should look like this....



troy

I should have mentioned that the head in questions is a boar, so a dark colour is needed, and there is a fairly large gap to fill in. I spoke to the taxidermist, who reccomended a type os hard setting plastacine that I happenen to have some of. It's a 100km drive to drop them off and not a very noticeable problem so I'll fix it myself rather than go to the trouble of sending it back.
Thanks.