#articulated skeleton

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I spent the past few days up in Washington; Friday I got to go to the Burke Museum in Seattle for the second time this year! This involved hanging around with a bunch of cool science/writing/etc. folks, plus a great behind the scenes tour of the collections and specimen prep areas of the museum. Thanks to Kristin Hugo for arranging the get-together!

Then that evening I went up to Camano Island to spend a couple of days with my aunt, Carole Lexa Schaefer, who has been an accomplished children's book author for over three decades and is a huge inspiration to me as a professional writer. We visited several bookstores in the Skagit Valley, and I managed to land another book signing this fall (details coming soon!) There was also plenty of good food, and entirely more ice cream than I anticipated--not that I am complaining, mind you.

By the way, I know a lot of you have favorite bookstores! I would love it if you would mention The Everyday Naturalist to them. The more bookstores that carry it means the more people it can reach--and if you haven't gotten a copy for yourself yet, please give that bookstore your business.

[victorianvampyr]

My newest raccoon taxidermy named “Pepper”, sourced via roadkill

[pacificremains]

Amputated back foot from a French bulldog.

[leadhanded]

[thedustycat]

Naked armadillo

"Anatomically speaking, it resembled the unhappy melding of an anteater (the face), a mule (the ears), and a tortoise (the carapace). I thought it overall an unlucky creature in the looks department, but Granddaddy once said that to apply a human definition of beauty to an animal that had managed to thrive for millions of years was both unscientific and foolish." ― Jacqueline Kelly, The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate

[chupacabracrafts]

Shop Update! 

I finally got an oxidation project up on Etsy... please enjoy this chonk of a golden hamster skeleton! etsy.me/40NNt50

[thegreenwolf]

So I still have a bunch of assemblage pieces, mostly some of the original Tarot of Bones art along with a few other odds and ends. I could really use the space here in the studio, so make me an offer! You can see everything that’s currently available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/thegreenwolf?section_id=6708168 - keep in mind that current prices include shipping, but again, I am open to offers for single or multiple pieces, and payment plans are available. Drop me a line at lupa(dot)greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com :)

[bonecorn]

What do you use to drill and attach those bones? Would it work for smaller ones?

It does work for smaller ones! Look up "[animal] articulation tutorial" for step by step process.

What I have going for this deer is multiple sizes of wire, from 9 gauge to 24 gauge weights, and a piece of rebar for the spine.

I use hot glue to stick non-weight-bearing parts and to be a placeholder for where I will drill and wire things in the future. Hot glue sets instantly, is easy to pull apart and is easy to remove with rubbing alcohol. This makes it good for temporary fabrication but not so good long term.

For long term, you will want to drill holes in the bones and glue wires between them. This is much stronger than glue and adds a small degree of posability. It's SMALL though, so pick your final pose before you start drilling. Skeletons to not have hinges, but rather slide and rotate within sockets, which is impossible to do without the cartilage, flesh, muscles etc.

Posable, manipulatable skeletons will have much more visible wires and springs and are a whole other beast than simple articulation

This joint isn't going much of anywhere but that's ok because I drilled the holes to connect it right where I wanted it to stay in the final pose.

For big joints and the spine, I used a steel-epoxy mix since those have to bear a lot of weight.

Smaller animals can use tiny holes, thin wire, and glue. If you're careful to take the tail out before all the connective tissues dissolve, you can pose it naturally by soaking in water, posing, and drying in position.

In Very small animals, the connective tissue throughout the skeleton is thin enough to dry out without rotting. Meat will turn brown and cartilage will turn yellow, so it's not the cleanest look, but I like it. There's a bit of gluing to do but if you're careful in the cleaning process, the only wire you'll need is one to pose the spine. Pose when wet, let dry, and glue the remaining bits together.

This deer is my first full articulation as sticking rodents in orbs takes considerably less drilling.

Remember to decide on your pose before you start drilling!