(Source: fannytoxic)

dead-sweet-art:

TAXIDERMIED JACKDAW PROCESS

Finished my new taxidermy piece yesterday and I know a lot of my followers are interested in how my pieces are done so here’s the process of how I made ‘DON’T TURN TO ASHES DARLING’.

Summary: I started with a dead jackdaw and made:
- a taxidermy mount of the jackdaw holding a jar of his body’s ashes
- a wet preserved lung specimen
- a wet preserved heart necklace

Basic steps:
- Skinned jackdaw, kept skull in but removed brain, and removed inner body.
- Created body mould out of tied hay and stuffed it inside and sew back together.
- Dissected inner body and removed heart and lungs.
- Preserved both organs in jars of alcohol and then turned heart jar into a necklace.
- Left both jackdaw and inner body in salt for a week to dry out.
- Cremated inner body and put it’s ashes into a jar.
- Positioned jackdaw and placed jar of his ashes in his grasp.

Final pieces:
‘DON’T TURN TO ASHES DARLING’ : http://dead-sweet-art.tumblr.com/post/25122994108/dont-turn-to-ashes-darling-by-mia-jane-harris#notes
NECKLACE : http://dead-sweet-art.tumblr.com/post/25152183747/jackdaws-heart-necklace-necklace-i-made-out-of

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DISCLAIMER: No animal is ever harmed or killed for the purpose of my art. I only preserve what is already dead to keep its beauty alive.