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Description
I debated a good portion of the time while I was driving down to Florida, whether or not to repost these images in a larger format, and in less of a collage. I didn't want to come off as bragging 'too much,' but I felt like I deserved to pat myself on the back a bit about this particular fox. I wanted all those interested to see my modesty and humility. My sincerity, and not thee, "I'm better then you" clause. Because that's hardly my point. I still have a long way to go in making my animals realistic. And I have no problem being the first to point that out. But I feel it's important to my watchers, and for my own sanity, that I make it known that I try VERY hard to make this medium fullfill MY every expectation. For me to reach the full idea & potential in the craft. Everything I think this art form can be.

And here is the beginning to that end. A close representative of what I think this form of leather work can reach. This fox also represents how far I have come. And to serve as a quick explanation to my recent watchers, that plushing a pelt, or getting into this type of art form is not something I take lightly, or for granted. And therefor should NOT be taken lightly. It didn't come as easily to me, as it has to some others. And for a lot of us, we have to work HARD to reach even this far. So, for those giving this art form a go, to not give up trying to do better. To do better then even your own personal best!

This fox, Zero, represents everything I have wanted and looked for in a 'stuffed animal.' I have come so far since I stuffed one of my grandmothers 3 part-falling apart mink stalls. I didn't even know back then, I could ever get whole furs/pelts. I assumed they were not available to the general public. And I didn't KNOW that people still hunted and trapped for a LIVING! So I desperately tried to accomplish making a realistic looking, feeling, faux fur stuffed animal instead. ANY kind of animal. But the faux fur never 'quite did it' for me. I always found fault in the fake fur. It was too 'one surfaced.' (single pile), then later it became too fluffy, or even too nappy, and more recently, too expensive.. It smelled funny as well, or shed too much. It didn't breathe right either. I had come pretty darn close to making realistic faux plush animals, when I finally found sources to buy real pelts from. Then shortly after where to get the forms. I talked to helpful people on dA, spoke to actual seasoned and lcsd'd taxidermists. Read up on facts, got away from the PETA and the ASPCA's "fur is bad" stereo-types, and then read up on taxidermy, preservation, hunting, trapping, laws, humane practices, and on and on about any subject concerning work with furs and leather.

It's been a terrific lesson in animal physiology and anatomy, and working with mediums I would never have encountered with faux fur, or making stuffed animals. ~Although working on faux stuffed animals helped me to be better at working with real furs! So, I re posted these two images in particular to show how close I have come to taking a whole, taxidermy type pelt, and making it into a 'life like' stuffed animal. No, it's not perfect, the proportions are not quite right, or the fur and leather medium will not allow for a more realistic 'shape,' as one would generally get when using a ridged form, but I'm closer to my goal then ever.

Zero (as you can see in the above images and in the description text below) has a more realistic shape. His limbs are not sausages with pads and claws. He's not over stuffed or stretched out, & his head form is proportionate to his size. In addition, I made sure he has shoulders, elbows, and wrists that move and flex in a realistic manner. All of his limbs are independent of one another, and aside from his pelvis, there is no wire running through his body. In addition to his pelvis, he boasts jointed knees and ankles. I have not achieved this by simply inserting wire and strategically bending it, as I used to. Here, I've made him joints! I've done it before in a few other of my animals such as Windseeker, but have finally reached an area of near perfection in my own method. There is no hyper extending, and he's weighted just right through the entire length of his body. You don't have to 'pose' these areas of his legs and when you pick him up, he goes limp like a trusting pet. His legs are stuffed, and weighted, his armature will NOT back out, even over time. And my stitching (in ANY) of my animals, older or recent, is nearly invisible and secure. To date, NO ONE has ever told or complained to me that any parts of any of my mounts has had faults. ((That is except for an ermine. But his issues lie with the species of the animal, and not my work.))

I refer to my new formula of armature as "bone in armature," and I continue to use "containment weighting," that I have further perfected - which are terms I have personally come up with. I didn't use real bone, and I didn't use tape and glue, and copious amounts of clay to make things stay put. I used materials I would have used in faux furred stuffed animals to keep it safe and reliable. And as I've stated before, the wire I use will not break. I also do not use any portions from life size forms to fill in the legs or bodies of my animals, and never have. Because he is also heavily weighted, those holding him find the need to support him more like a living animal, and hold him in more respectful ways without being asked to, because of how he 'feels.' You can see in the top image how it appears like he's peering down at the floor in a quandary, as if to lie back down or get up and go. And here he's only being supported, not held into position and he's proportionally weighted to lay realistically.

I am very proud of my work. And I am greatly distressed with seeing plushes change hands. I don't care who made them, or why they are being rehomed. It just breaks my heart. And I don't want to ever have that happen to me. I try so hard to construct my animals so they will last a VERY long time. It would again, break my heart if I took $ from someone, mailed them a less-then-par 'real stuffed animal,' and then saw or learned that less then a month later it was being sold because I personally FAILED both the pelt and the buyer, and they were upset with me and my work. And when it comes to someone elses beloved pelt, I will do my very best to do what they ask of me, within a reasonable price range, and make sure that their beloved furry is everything they had ever hoped it would be once it was finished. Two policies I stick to: ~ If I fail - it's the worst thing that I can fathom. & "If you can't do the job right the first time, then don't even bother."

Name: Little King Zero - Fondly referred to as just, Zero
Type of work: Soft Mounted, Plushed 'Taxidermy'
YES: jointed armature in front legs: wrists, elbows, shoulders. Jointed armature in rear legs, ankles, knees, and hips, HAS pelvis, and tail 'bone' from pelvis, but tail is NOT wired or posable
(he can NOT hold his head up)
DAMAGE: NONE
Genitals: penis sheath, 'mounted' testicles, no anus
NO: poseable ears
NO: spine/neck armature
YES: COMPLETELY and heavily Containment Weighted from head to rump, with artfully placed fiber-fill for love. Feels like he has ribcage, lean belly area, avoided making him a sausage using new methods. 'Bends and folds' in lifelike manner.
YES: is NOT stiff, feels like he's 'dead'
Eyes: dark brown Gray fox eyes
Type of fox: adolescent male
KIND of PELT: Gray fox, LEGALLY HARVESTED, Tanned for- but NOT prepped for, taxidermy purposes
Where did you get his pelt?: LEGALLY HARVESTED, Taken by modern rubber jaw trap, purchased from a hunter/trapper
L/S weight: whole frozen, 4lbs - about the size of a small house cat, not including tail
For sale: For sale: $310 plush shipping, shipped only w.in the U.S.

SPECIAL NOTE(s): I also have his 'twin brother,' not yet prepped for mounting.

Description
I debated a good portion of the time while I was driving down to Florida, whether or not to repost these images in a larger format, and in less of a collage. I didn't want to come off as bragging 'too much,' but I felt like I deserved to pat myself on the back a bit about this particular fox. I wanted all those interested to see my modesty and humility. My sincerity, and not thee, "I'm better then you" clause. Because that's hardly my point. I still have a long way to go in making my animals realistic. And I have no problem being the first to point that out. But I feel it's important to my watchers, and for my own sanity, that I make it known that I try VERY hard to make this medium fullfill MY every expectation. For me to reach the full idea & potential in the craft. Everything I think this art form can be.

And here is the beginning to that end. A close representative of what I think this form of leather work can reach. This fox also represents how far I have come. And to serve as a quick explanation to my recent watchers, that plushing a pelt, or getting into this type of art form is not something I take lightly, or for granted. And therefor should NOT be taken lightly. It didn't come as easily to me, as it has to some others. And for a lot of us, we have to work HARD to reach even this far. So, for those giving this art form a go, to not give up trying to do better. To do better then even your own personal best!

This fox, Zero, represents everything I have wanted and looked for in a 'stuffed animal.' I have come so far since I stuffed one of my grandmothers 3 part-falling apart mink stalls. I didn't even know back then, I could ever get whole furs/pelts. I assumed they were not available to the general public. And I didn't KNOW that people still hunted and trapped for a LIVING! So I desperately tried to accomplish making a realistic looking, feeling, faux fur stuffed animal instead. ANY kind of animal. But the faux fur never 'quite did it' for me. I always found fault in the fake fur. It was too 'one surfaced.' (single pile), then later it became too fluffy, or even too nappy, and more recently, too expensive.. It smelled funny as well, or shed too much. It didn't breathe right either. I had come pretty darn close to making realistic faux plush animals, when I finally found sources to buy real pelts from. Then shortly after where to get the forms. I talked to helpful people on dA, spoke to actual seasoned and lcsd'd taxidermists. Read up on facts, got away from the PETA and the ASPCA's "fur is bad" stereo-types, and then read up on taxidermy, preservation, hunting, trapping, laws, humane practices, and on and on about any subject concerning work with furs and leather.

It's been a terrific lesson in animal physiology and anatomy, and working with mediums I would never have encountered with faux fur, or making stuffed animals. ~Although working on faux stuffed animals helped me to be better at working with real furs! So, I re posted these two images in particular to show how close I have come to taking a whole, taxidermy type pelt, and making it into a 'life like' stuffed animal. No, it's not perfect, the proportions are not quite right, or the fur and leather medium will not allow for a more realistic 'shape,' as one would generally get when using a ridged form, but I'm closer to my goal then ever.

Zero (as you can see in the above images and in the description text below) has a more realistic shape. His limbs are not sausages with pads and claws. He's not over stuffed or stretched out, & his head form is proportionate to his size. In addition, I made sure he has shoulders, elbows, and wrists that move and flex in a realistic manner. All of his limbs are independent of one another, and aside from his pelvis, there is no wire running through his body. In addition to his pelvis, he boasts jointed knees and ankles. I have not achieved this by simply inserting wire and strategically bending it, as I used to. Here, I've made him joints! I've done it before in a few other of my animals such as Windseeker, but have finally reached an area of near perfection in my own method. There is no hyper extending, and he's weighted just right through the entire length of his body. You don't have to 'pose' these areas of his legs and when you pick him up, he goes limp like a trusting pet. His legs are stuffed, and weighted, his armature will NOT back out, even over time. And my stitching (in ANY) of my animals, older or recent, is nearly invisible and secure. To date, NO ONE has ever told or complained to me that any parts of any of my mounts has had faults. ((That is except for an ermine. But his issues lie with the species of the animal, and not my work.))

I refer to my new formula of armature as "bone in armature," and I continue to use "containment weighting," that I have further perfected - which are terms I have personally come up with. I didn't use real bone, and I didn't use tape and glue, and copious amounts of clay to make things stay put. I used materials I would have used in faux furred stuffed animals to keep it safe and reliable. And as I've stated before, the wire I use will not break. I also do not use any portions from life size forms to fill in the legs or bodies of my animals, and never have. Because he is also heavily weighted, those holding him find the need to support him more like a living animal, and hold him in more respectful ways without being asked to, because of how he 'feels.' You can see in the top image how it appears like he's peering down at the floor in a quandary, as if to lie back down or get up and go. And here he's only being supported, not held into position and he's proportionally weighted to lay realistically.

I am very proud of my work. And I am greatly distressed with seeing plushes change hands. I don't care who made them, or why they are being rehomed. It just breaks my heart. And I don't want to ever have that happen to me. I try so hard to construct my animals so they will last a VERY long time. It would again, break my heart if I took $ from someone, mailed them a less-then-par 'real stuffed animal,' and then saw or learned that less then a month later it was being sold because I personally FAILED both the pelt and the buyer, and they were upset with me and my work. And when it comes to someone elses beloved pelt, I will do my very best to do what they ask of me, within a reasonable price range, and make sure that their beloved furry is everything they had ever hoped it would be once it was finished. Two policies I stick to: ~ If I fail - it's the worst thing that I can fathom. & "If you can't do the job right the first time, then don't even bother."

Name: Little King Zero - Fondly referred to as just, Zero
Type of work: Soft Mounted, Plushed 'Taxidermy'
YES: jointed armature in front legs: wrists, elbows, shoulders. Jointed armature in rear legs, ankles, knees, and hips, HAS pelvis, and tail 'bone' from pelvis, but tail is NOT wired or posable
(he can NOT hold his head up)
DAMAGE: NONE
Genitals: penis sheath, 'mounted' testicles, no anus
NO: poseable ears
NO: spine/neck armature
YES: COMPLETELY and heavily Containment Weighted from head to rump, with artfully placed fiber-fill for love. Feels like he has ribcage, lean belly area, avoided making him a sausage using new methods. 'Bends and folds' in lifelike manner.
YES: is NOT stiff, feels like he's 'dead'
Eyes: dark brown Gray fox eyes
Type of fox: adolescent male
KIND of PELT: Gray fox, LEGALLY HARVESTED, Tanned for- but NOT prepped for, taxidermy purposes
Where did you get his pelt?: LEGALLY HARVESTED, Taken by modern rubber jaw trap, purchased from a hunter/trapper
L/S weight: whole frozen, 4lbs - about the size of a small house cat, not including tail
For sale: For sale: $310 plush shipping, shipped only w.in the U.S.

SPECIAL NOTE(s): I also have his 'twin brother,' not yet prepped for mounting.