"The Guild of Taxidermists is dedicated to the art, science and education of Taxidermy, whilst promoting the highest standards across the UK. Membership open to all."

The guild set the standard of taxidermy throughout the UK and work with authorities to uphold a moral and respectful practice.

At this stage, I began to critically consider the display and foreground of my specimens, moving beyond just the specimen itself. I aimed to integrate the specimen and its background into a , cohesive art piece.

during my 2 day workshop I learnt the most obvious difference between a moth and butterfly are the antennae, Moths have fluffy thick antennae, while butterflies are thin. As well as this Moths have thicker bodies next to butterflies. Lastly Butterflies tend to fold their wings vertically up over their backs. Moths tend to hold their wings in a tent-like fashion that hides the abdomen.

The death head has many different spiritual meanings, tends to be a sign of bad luck , evil and a sign of death.

Many people recognise the iconic moth from The Silence of the Lambs.

On the other hand, I quickly adapted to entomology taxidermy, and sourcing ethical specimens proved to be convenient.

Following my newfound skills and growing interest I have decided to continue practicing mounting insects as a hobby

equipment:

the specimen

a pinning board

pins

entomology pins & forseps

parchment paper

and then foam board and frame

so the specimens come dry, so to position and pin them I have to rehydrate them. I have done this in a few different ways.

my preferred method is to wrap the specimens in wet paper towels, place in a box and allow the sunlight to create a warm,moist environment which rehydrates them gently.

then I have to insect a entomology pin through the thorax. pinning the insect onto the pinning board, using forceps, parchment paper and pins I position the wings and body where I would like them. Once I am happy and the specimen is pinned where I would like, I wait for them to dry. once dry it is ready to be mounted on to a frame.

My current "Creative Lab" project will naturally build upon the progress made in the previous semester, but it will be less constrained, offering the freedom to develop smaller projects and experiment with new materials and techniques. This will allow me to further develop my practice and prepare for my future career as an artist.

My primary area of interest within this project is entomology, specifically focusing on insects

This inspired me to look into paper dolls, and how I could potentially create my own line of adults toys for an alternative audience.

Blind boxes - plush toys- stickers and paper dolls

Using Procreate, I developed a complete outfit set for the beetle, consisting of a top, bottoms, cowboy boots, and a matching cowboy hat. The color palette features black and white, with a touch of pink as an accent color.

To mimic the appearance of stitching, I incorporated dotted, broken-line work into the design.

Having completed this outfit, I will now move forward with designing my own taxidermy-inspired doll, also based on the Goliath beetle.

• creating an incision down the back, not to deep. separating the skin from the bones&organs.

• following removing the skins you have to prep the skin for preservation- removing the fat with a knife and a salt scrub.

• cleaning the skin and prepping it with preserver.

• drying the fur.

• then creating and internal structure with wire to hold and position the specimen.

  then finally positioning them, with props to create the final product.

3D cardboard modeling.

Although intended as a small experimental project, it proved to be quite challenging. Working with unconventional materials pushed me outside the boundaries of my illustration-based practice.

This proved challenging, taking my 2D design into a physical format which I am unfamiliar with.

Alongside my mini projects I continued to focus on my Topic :Insect Pinning and mounting.

Here is a visual summary of me continuing my project.

Showing the hydration, pinning and mounting process of my new specimens.

Recipe

• 1 Large Pinecone

• 40g Radium

• 3 Egg of a Demonic Goose

• Virgin Blood 5 Pints

• Hair of a Mouse

• Salt (Tears)

• Uncle Bens White Rice

• 1 Clove of Garlic

• The cry of a Child

• Devon Custard

• 2 Tarantulas

• 1 Centipede"

All specimens of mine are verified ethically sourced business

this mock shop structure is for my degree show., and would act as the structure at the hypothetical events my brand would attend which I identified in my audience

• A Coffin Critter

• Accessories

• Birth certificate

• Stickers

Inspired by blind boxes, having an audience open these boxes without knowledge of what they are getting creates excitement and the capability to accessories each critter leaves room for growth for myself and more ideas.

Stickers can be made with QR codes that can be stuck around ready for people to scan. The QR code can link to my instagram profile, allowing growth for more reach on my Coffin Critters Instagram

• Prints

• Blindbox tins of magnetic paper dolls "coffin critters"

• stickers

• framed and pinned insect mounts

I created the design in Procreate, looking at the images of fonts for inspiration, I used standard type face as a template for spacing and created the final logo for coffin critters.