My first homemade model!

[Advicot]

I mainly comment how wonderful they are on STS, but now I see it gets no responses here, I'll be sure to comment more! 

Wow, you have done a marvellous job on the guan, and the coral snake too! I got the horned guan by Yowies about two weeks ago with your Malayan tapir, now I just wait on your surprise figure to arrive and then your package will be boxed up and ready. I may also slip a homemade model that I've made. Even though it may be too big, you can keep it by your computer or something.

[Isidro]

Adam, you're soooo kind and lovely!!!! Thanks for being like you are! Big hugs and many thanks for being so sweet 

The homemade model is an unexpected surprise, for sure I can't keep it into my collection but I will keep as a decoration as I have some other scattered few figures that doesn't met the collection's standards, over my books.

I was unconvinced by the guan's eyes, so finally I added a minute ball of paste on each eye for make bulging eyes. It resulted certainly better.

[Isidro]

Now the favourite columbiform of Advicot the Snow Pigeon!
For this figure I wanted to make it showing the splendid design of the tail. But pigeons do not normally shows the tail open, except in flight. And I wanted to avoid this species in flight. Then what was the solution? Well, pigeons also show their tail when preening. So I wanted to do a preening snow pigeon!
The posture was not exactly as I wanted (tried to get the head much more closer to the back), but still it's a plausible position.



This is the only animal in my collection that I must photograph backside for obtain a frontal portrait.


Being the only pigeon in my collection, he said me that he felt lonely. So I wanted to provide some Tibetan neighbour for make friends.


Not sure why, but then the pigeon called me stupid and asked me for a less intimidating friend.


No, idiot!!! This fox still can eat me!! I want an animal that eat plants!!!


Gosh, are you really so dumb??? HEEELP!!! This bear will turn me into pigeon juice!!!


Finally!! That's what I pretended! Better late than never. Nice small birdies from Himalayan mountains! And Mr. Takin will defend me from big predators!

[Advicot]

Wonderful, wonderful rendition of the species, and the pose is magnificent   

Now we just need more brands in general to make our dear columbiforms! 

[Isidro]

Yes,they tend to be generally ignored because for general people, "pigeon" is just domestic pigeon and nothing more...

[BlueKrono]

Well done on the epaulette shark and horned guan! Ive seen those beautiful  sharks in several aquariums, and I got to see a horned guan at an aquarium in Dallas last year. No one else understood why I was so excited to see this interesting bird. If you're going to do a viper, parviocula is a good choice. My viper tattoo incorporates the attractive olive color of this snake.

[Isidro]

Oh, lucky you, you went to the mythical dreamed Dallas World Aquarium that I would die to visit! Full of incredible rarities that no other zoo in the world have! The only Jabiru outside South America, the horned guan (only one individual in Europea and three more in a single zoo in America, I believe), the Cotinga Corner, the only albatross in captivity in the world, the yapok!!!, the only three-toed sloth out of South America, and the (saaaaaaaaaaaaaadly behind the scenes) only mythical Black and White Hawk Eagle captive in the world I think. I really need to go here!

Thanks for your kind words!

[BlueKrono]

Yes, I was very lucky, especially since Dallas is 950 miles from where I live. The biggest highlight for me was getting to see a Madagascar big-headed turtle (Erymnochelys). They're one of my favorite species, and the keepers were surprised I was so excited to see it over, say, the penguin show.

[JimoAi]

I'm totally against animal performances

[BlueKrono]

I'm totally against animal performances

I get that. With the penguins it was less a performance and more them coming out of the water to be fed fish. They seemed quite happy with it. 

[Isidro]

I'm totally against people that are against animal performances

[JimoAi]

I'm totally against people that are against animal performances

What?

[JimoAi]

I'm totally against animal performances

I get that. With the penguins it was less a performance and more them coming out of the water to be fed fish. They seemed quite happy with it.

For my country, we have a sea lion performance where the seal lions would splash water on the audience, be fed fish, fool around and then take photographs with the audiences

[Advicot]

I have a zoo/aquarium wishlist and the Dallas Aquarium is my top one in North America 
I also have the Georgia Aquarium high on my list

(I should really be getting on with my school work  )

[PortJackson]

Hey Isidro, Love the sculpts! Very much looking foreward to your wingehead shark Also wanted to ask what type of clay and paint you use? Thinking of getting  into some sculpting myself. 

[Isidro]

Adam, would be fantastic to do zootravels with you Oh, so Dallas is even over San Diego? I would like to read your zoo/aquarium wishlist What a shame that with the pandemy the travels are very restricted

PortJackson, good, I will add the winghead shark to my "next to do soon" list It's a such obscure yet strange species that I love it a lot. Much better than any hammerhead!
For the most of this thread I used SuperSculpey, that is a baking clay, grey-coloured. It's the best for sculpting and detailing. With a touch intermediate between bubblegum and plasticine. The only issue is that you must ensure very well the figures for don't allow deformation of tiny parts in the oven.
Since this year, I'm again modelling and all the last models were made with air drying paste instead baking paste. I asked for air drying paste because this allow to add things to figures that are already finished. For example is perfect for fit broken parts (missing horns, tips of bills, etc). But also good for make new figures from zero. I have two clays and usually I use both in a single figure. One is FimoAir, it's an extremely light paste (figures done with it don't weight almost nothing!), white, that allows fine textures. To the touch is more or less like the paste (chocolate, cream or whatever) that we find in stuffed cookies. But they have some issues. External surfaces begin to dry quickly so you must do the texture as soon as possible. Also it breaks very easily, not because the result is rigid, but because the paste is not very consistent. Cracks appear quickly once the paste beging to dry and I had to repair them with glue more than once. The other paste I use is WePAM, it's white but slightly translucid, and to te touch is like a stick bar. It's wet and sticky. It dries also quickly in the external surface so one must do the texture very soon. It don't cracks and it's very resistant. The result is hard but a bit flexible, unlike the FimoAir that is soft but brittle. It's much better for very thin parts.
You can see photos of both pastes some 3-4 pages past in this same thread.

[JimoAi]

My country has an aquarium with reef Manta rays and hammerhead sharks, a zoo dedicated to birds, a regular zoo, an aquarium dedicated to freshwater animals including Indian gharials, a zoo dedicated to nocturnal animals and a rainforest park coming soon

[Advicot]

Sorry, Dallas aquarium is my highest aquarium whereas San Diego and The Bronx Zoo top the zoos in North America 

[Isidro]

Ah, the confusion cames from which I considere aquariums to be zoos

[JimoAi]

Ah, the confusion cames from which I considere aquariums to be zoos

Liquid zoo