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First Mallard Hens

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  willkess 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi All,

I finished my first set of mallard hens. They are Hollow Body Sugar Pine painted with oils. I'm still trying to get the finish a little bit flatter.

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I thought that painting the hens wouldn't be as much fun as the drakes, but I really like doing all of that feather work on the hens. Now I just need to rig them for duck season.
 

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#2 ·
Couple of things:

You want flat, spray them with Testor's Dull Cote. It doesn't get any flatter than this. I've been using it for thirty years and it works.

Next, the hens look good but the first thing to catch my eye is that the side feathers are painted opposite of real mallard hens.
You painted them buff with black edging. They should actually be "black" with buff edging. Look at a real mallard hen or pictures of a live mallard hen, you'll see what I mean. Otherwise, they look pretty sweet.

Then, you need to define the side pockets more. Use the feather shapes to differentiate the side pocket from the under rump feathers. You'll get there. You're just making the typical novice mistakes. We all made them when we first started carving. It just takes someone to point them out.
 
#3 ·
mudpack said:
Couple of things:

You want flat, spray them with Testor's Dull Cote. It doesn't get any flatter than this. I've been using it for thirty years and it works.

Next, the hens look good but the first thing to catch my eye is that the side feathers are painted opposite of real mallard hens.
You painted them buff with black edging. They should actually be "black" with buff edging. Look at a real mallard hen or pictures of a live mallard hen, you'll see what I mean. Otherwise, they look pretty sweet.

Then, you need to define the side pockets more. Use the feather shapes to differentiate the side pocket from the under rump feathers. You'll get there. You're just making the typical novice mistakes. We all made them when we first started carving. It just takes someone to point them out.
I see what you mean with the side pocket feathers. Something to play around with before the next batch.
 
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