What's new this week in the world of arting all over stuff? I was commissioned to paint a cow skull!
Not just any cow skull, but a longhorn skull. What's pretty strange about cow skulls in Oklahoma is that almost everyone has actual cows, and just about everyone has a cow skull. Yet the skulls themselves are super hard to come by, and rather pricey when found. The ones with like this one in perfect condition with excellent horns are very rare. So the guy who found this one (and paid a LOT for it) was really trusting me with something valuable. And yep. That totally made me sweat a little whenever I picked up the brush. Here are the step-by-step photos, along with a little storytelling and some art tips: 1. Bare Bones
This skull was raw when it came to me. That means it had not been bleached or cleaned chemically. It had most likely been done the "natural" way, which is to leave the skull in the sun or in a place where ants and other insects can do the dirty work for you.
It still had some little patches of rawhide and some pretty mysterious and gross crusty stuff in the nooks and crannies. As part of the prepwork I vacuumed it gently with a brush to remove some webs and debris. Then...well, picked the nose (very professionally and artistically) with some tweezers to remove dried cartilage. This allowed me to paint farther up. I scraped the last bits of rawhide off, (you can use a razor blade for this, or very fine sandpaper). Finally, before painting, I wiped it with a soft cloth and rubbing alcohol to remove any greasy residue from nature or human hands. Even the bleached or boiled skulls I've painted before have needed to be wiped down with alcohol. They will almost always have a fingerprint or something and that can make the paint peel away. 2. Base CoatSince I don't think they make a paint specifically for painting on old dead things, I used one of my favorite mixes: flat white interior house paint tinted with craft acrylics. This makes a very tough paint. 3 years ago I painted faux stones on my living floor by the front door using this technique. Even though it is a high traffic area (with lots of sand tracked in) and the kids are always dragging the furniture across it, there are zero worn areas. To make my mix I scoop out as much white paint as I think I will need, and start adding drops of water until it matches the consistency of the bottled craft paint. Then I add my color in and blend until I have the shade I want. For the cow skull base coat I used three different shades of the same mix, and applied them with a sponge brush for a watercolor-like effect. The cool thing about this project was the guy pretty much gave me the freedom to just go with what I felt was right. All he asked for specifically was a blue background and the black kokopelli motif. Everything else was artistic freedom. 3. The Main Motif
This is the exact point where my art space started to get less tidy. And also where I probably I first asked myself "Why do you get yourself into things like this?" when I started the rick-rack design.
Worth noting that "longhorn" means "looooong horns". I had to paint this whole thing while squatting on the floor of my office for 6 nights because it wouldn't fit on my desk or kitchen table. At one point I managed to jab myself in the back with one of the horns, so I recommend NEVER fooling around with any longhorn skull that is still attached to a moving cow. 4. Details, Details
Continuing along with motifs and details. Here are some of the materials and tools I used:
Assorted paint brushes Nothing fancy. Mostly fine tipped brushes from the craft section, like these. Apple Barrel Craft Paints In these colors:
Miscellaneous If you use a lot of colors and are lazy like me, then it's cool to have more than one paint tray. I have several of these, and also use plastic lids or pie pans when I need to mix larger batches. And of course some water, a rag (or two), paper towels and a plastic drop cloth. ( I used a trash bag.) 5. Almost Done
Floor is totally messy by this point. I cut lots of little paper scraps to use as templates and guides. Embarrassingly enough, there are also dead insects in this photo because I opened the window for some fresh air and the bugs LOVED the smell of the cow skull.
At this point I was cleaning up some linework and adding second coats to any of the small detail bits. Once all the painting was done, it was time to turn it over and clean up the bottom. I left parts of the skull unpainted, but they still got some drips and splatters. Even if you don't catch drips in time, they are easy to clean up! Just use a cotton swab and a little nail polish remover (the acetone kind). Rub the paint drops gently and they will wipe away in a few seconds. 6. Painted Cow Skull Finished!
This was actually such a great project experience. Not only is the kokopelli motif one of my all-time favorites, I love working with blue and black!
The best part is that the owner loved it and said he would contact me again when he found another skull he wanted painted. All in all, a pretty awesome week for art! (Note: If you decide to DIY paint a cow skull using acrylics, please remember to hang the finished piece out of direct sunlight and use a good spray sealant so your creation will last a lifetime.)
4 Comments
Patricia
9/30/2021 02:02:10 am
I painted one and made a mistake by using testers black gloss to outline some details only to have the resin clear coat make it bleed out...what a mess..o well I started over.
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cheryl J weiss
5/22/2022 11:09:50 am
Thank you for this tutorial. I have 5 skulls to paint but have been wary on how to start and which type of paint to use. I saved this blog and will try a skull soon.
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Nikko
5/28/2023 01:59:01 am
Hi what happens since it wasn’t degreased properly or at all lol and the grease starts to leach out ruins the paint and rots from the inside out ? I’ve had this happen ..
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7/18/2023 04:12:08 pm
We raise longhorns. 1st off, the horns come off so you could more easily paint where ever more comfortably. The fact that you didn’t properly clean and degrease the skull is concerning. It shouldn’t smell if cleaned properly. The horns can be sanded and then polished with bees wax making them gorgeous! Once the head is painted the horns slip right back on. We cut the horn inside cores off to 3-4 inches then the horns slip right back on and the skull & horns can be easily shipped. I recommend looking on youtube for video demonstration of proper horn cleaning. Your painting is beautiful. Best wishes for your endeavors!
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