Want to Learn Taxidermy?
Whether you want to learn the basics of bird taxidermy, learn to mold and cast your own pieces, or learn to step up your finish work, Walnut Ridge Waterfowl can provide a tailored class that suits your needs.
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1/2 day 4 Hr Class (8am-12pm) 0r (12:30pm-4:30pm) $600.
Course Options:
Molding/Casting Course: A full scope of learning how to create your own molds for bills and feet of all shapes, sizes, and positions. Education on what types of materials to use for raw molds and Refined Master Molds.
Advanced Prep Work Course: In depth overview of skinning, fleshing, and washing. We will go over how to properly measure anatomical features for proper construction and fitment of bodies, heads, eyes, neck, feet.
Advanced Finish Work Course: Detailed paint work with both airbrush and pan pastels to achieve realistic grades of color and depth on bills and feet. Proper eye sets and construction of eye rings, nasal passages, nasal posts.
Advanced Grooming Course: Learning to compartmentalize feather groups for easy, consistent, and correct grooming at the Master Level.
Custom Habitats Course: learn to design, plan, and execute elaborate habitats in a time efficient manner with the use of various materials, tools, and technology.
Full Day 8 Hr Class (7am-3:30pm Lunch Provided) $1000.
Course Options:
Waterfowl 101 Course: Designed as an intro-level taxidermy course for students to get their feet wet who are on the fence about diving into a taxidermy hobby or career. We will go from A to B on how to properly skin, flesh, wash, paint and assemble waterfowl or upland birds. You will leave with the information and knowledge needed for the entire taxidermy process and what is required to begin your taxidermy journey.
Advanced Waterfowl Course: Designed for the taxidermist who already has a foundation in avian taxidermy and is looking to refine certain problem areas of their process as well as take their work to the next level. We will touch on what proper prep work entails (proper skinning, fleshing, and washing is an absolute must for high quality results) with a main focus on finish work and grooming. We will utilize detailed carcass measurements for proper anatomy of feet and wing attachments, body/neck fitment, eye sets, eye ring, nasal passage, and nasal post construction. We will learn to utilize multiple layers of color and applications to achieve tone and depth on bills and feet. We will learn how to compartmentalize the different feather groups so that easy, consistent, and correctly groomed feather groups can become a standard of your process. This course will provide you with the information and knowledge to produce mounts with the quality expected of the Masters Level.
Mix-N-Match: Pick any two 1/2 day classes to create a full day.
3 Day Waterfowl Workshops. $3000 (+$250 for each additional student). Local lodging available.
The workshop will consist of 3 separate days to provide the information and detail needed to take a new or experienced bird taxidermist to the level of producing high quality mounts. This class is designed for those who are serious about beginning a taxidermy career, adding avian taxidermy to their current taxidermy shop offerings, or elevating their current work to the next level.
Day 1 will be education on identifying young vs mature specimens, followed by the processes of skinning, fleshing, washing, and refreezing skins.
Day 2 will be picking poses and how to properly set up bird forms, necks, painting feet/bills, setting eyes, building eye rings, and attachment points of various kinds.
Day 3 will be re-thawing, drying, and assembly of birds including extensive detail on glueing, pinning, grooming, and carding for the final drying process.