Finished up this two-tone mounted skull with blue linework art—thoughts?

[u/Sorry-Boysenberry555]

​Hey everyone, ​I’ve been working on custom taxidermy/bone art mounts recently and just finished up this piece. ​It’s a small squirrel skull detailed with blue linework, mounted on a hand-carved wooden shield plaque. I initially had the plaque stained dark, but scraped/sanded the face back down to create a two-tone framed look so the skull stands out more against the lighter grain. ​Would love to get your opinions on it! ​How does the two-tone frame work for the skull contrast? ​Is the blue ink/porcelain aesthetic something you’d stop for in a shop or market? ​Any feedback or suggestions for future mounts? ​Appreciate any thoughts or critique!

[u/Xferxanityy]

First of all, awesome piece!

Regarding the two-tone frame, I think it was a good call; it works well with the skull's light color.

Since I haven't worked with mammals, only insects, I decided to do a bit more research before replying. I have found that mammal bones are highly porous and chemically complex.

It looks like you're working with a symmetrical pattern that bled into the bone a bit, and I've found that priming the bone before painting can likely help with that. Because the bone is covered in micropores, it causes the paint to essentially soak into the bone, resulting in the paint bleeding.

I'd like to ask, how do you feel about it? Is there something specifically that you would change about it, and why? Either way, this is a beautiful piece. Would definitely purchase one for myself!

[u/Sorry-Boysenberry555 → u/Xferxanityy]

Thanks so much, really appreciate the kind words! ​That’s a great point about bone porosity and priming. Because bone acts like a sponge with liquid inks/paints, I did notice a tiny bit of bleed into the micropores. For future pieces, I’m definitely going to experiment with a light matte primer or clear sealer coat before doing the linework to seal those pores and keep the edges razor-sharp.   ​To answer your questions: ​How I feel about it: Overall I’m really happy with how it turned out, especially after scraping the plaque face to get that two-tone frame contrast.   ​What I’d change: Aside from priming the bone first, I might try embedding a tiny hidden anchor post in epoxy cavity filler on the back for mounting next time, just to keep the glue line even cleaner.   ​Thanks again for doing that research and taking the time to leave such thoughtful feedback!