I know I post a lot about my Etsy shop, but have you been to my Storenvy? I have things there that aren’t on Etsy, items made from wolf, black bear, zebra and lynx hide and bone and more! Check out these exclusive items from my Washington studio at http://thegreenwolf.storenvy.com/ :)

Hey, folks! We have just a little over two weeks left for the Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo campaign (which ends March 23) and we’re a little over $500 away from reaching the first stretch goal--wolf skull stickers! You can back the campaign and help us reach that goal at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101

Hey, everyone! So in case you haven’t heard, I am writing a book about Vulture Culture, the “fandom” that’s sprung up around the appreciation of hides, bones and other dead things in recent years. The working title is Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things, and I will be self-publishing it via CreateSpace; the projected date of publication is Summer 2018. Currently, the first draft of the book is done, and I am working on edits and revisions. There’s also an IndieGoGo campaign through March 23 at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101 which has already met its initial goal and is working toward stretch goals.

While I have spent over twenty years making hide and bone art, I do not have extensive experience with tanning hides or cleaning bones or otherwise prepared raw specimens. However, no book on Vulture Culture would be complete without tutorials on some basic processes, which is why I’m seeking writers to contribute essays!

Each essayist will be compensated with $100 and 10 paperback copies of Vulture Culture 101 once it has been published. Thank you again to my IndieGoGo contributors for helping to make this happen!

I am seeking one essay each on the following topics:

*Skinning a freshly dead or frozen and thawed animal and preparing the hide for tanning
*Tanning a hair-on hide, starting with a raw hide (rabbit would be best as it’s a nice small hide that’s easy and inexpensive to acquire); while you may choose one method of tanning, such as alum, please briefly mention other tanning methods like egg tanning
*Brain-tanning leather, starting with a hair-on hide (deer is most popular but I’m open to other easy to acquire suggestions like goat)
*Cleaning bones through maceration, starting with a whole skinned carcass, though with a brief mention of dermestid beetles and nature cleaning as alternatives, and proceeding through degreasing and whitening
*Wet specimens in jars, to include long-term care, how to change out old fluids, etc.
*Very basic mouse or rat taxidermy, including how to prepare the hide, positioning, etc.
*The basics of skeleton articulation; there’s not space to go through an entire skeletal articulation, but at least give people an idea of the tools and methods involved, and basic steps from skeleton acquisition to final display

Essays should have the following qualities:

*Between 1500 and 2000 words (you may be able to go over that a bit if you need the space)
*Written in easy to read English and suitable for a general audience
*Thoroughly explain the topic in a step-by-step manner; steps should be numbered
*Be accompanied by at least 4-6 print-quality photos showing different steps of the process (if you have to show different animals at different stages of the process, such as for longer processes like maceration, that’s fine, so long as all pertinent stages are covered clearly)
*Should not be previously published, either in print or online. If you’ve written similar essays that’s fine, just write a unique one for this project

I will have already covered topics like where to get hides and bones, and legalities concerning them, so you don’t need to go over them again. Stick to the how-tos of your topic. I will be doing some basic editing and proofreading, but you should be sending me final drafts by the due date.

Please apply by contacting me at lupa.greenwolf(at)gmail(dot)com; you will be asked to provide the following information:

*Your name, general location, email address and phone number
*A brief description of your experience in working with hides and/or bones and/or other dead things
*Which topic you would like to write about and what makes you qualified to write about it (you can apply for more than one topic; however, only one topic will be assigned to one writer unless there is a serious lack of suitable writers)
*At least three samples of your writing, published or not; Vulture Culture topics and how-to articles are extra-awesome, but send the best of whatever you have. Please also send a few sample photos showing your photography skills. You can send them as links and/or attachments.
*If you are under the age of 18, proof of permission by a parent or legal guardian

The deadline to apply is March 28, 2018. Selections will be made by April 7, 2018 at which point acceptance letters and contracts will be sent out. Completed final essays have a FIRM due date of June 7, 2018, so please make sure before you apply that you can dedicate the time to finishing your essay on time. You can also send me drafts in progress before that point if you’d like feedback.

Thank you!

Hiya, folks! I’m preparing materials for March goodies for my Patrons on Patreon. If you’d like to get in on the fun, sign up as my Patron for as little as $1/month. There are perk levels that get you monthly packages of art or books, payment plans for full hide headdresses, and much more--sign up before midnight on February 28 at http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf

Soooo....we are less than $300 away from meeting the goal for the Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo, and we still have a month left! You think we can hit that $3000 goal this weekend and start unlocking stretch goals? I think we totally can! You can back the campaign at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101 - please reblog/share to anyone who may be interested!

So I got to be on The Higherside Chats podcast recently; they got into some questions I don’t normally get, and it was a LOT of fun. Lots of talk about nature spirituality, especially working with animal spirits. Take a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCJ2lAkLzzI&t= :)

Holy wow, everyone! So the Vulture Culture 101 IndieGoGo campaign has been going for exactly one week, and we’ve already raised just shy of two-thirds of the initial goal! THANK YOU! I am chewing on some stretch goal ideas, and I should hopefully have news for you about that later this week.

In the meantime, while the early bird paperbacks are sold out (you can still get the paperback now, just at a slightly less discounted rate, though still less than the eventual cover price) there are still seven early bird ebooks available for just $6 each! Plus you can still get in on lots of awesome perks, from vulture culture starter kits to wearable ears and tails to the Tarot of Bones and more :) Back the campaign at http://igg.me/at/vultureculture101 today!

Check out this great review of The Tarot of Bones at http://paganpages.org/content/2018/.....-book-by-lupa/ :) I’ve gotten a lot of feedback since it came out last year, and I’m very appreciative!

So I officially have 502 listings in my Etsy shop. Want to help me knock it back down under 500? Now’s a great time to make a purchase at http://thegreenwolf.etsy.com :)

Hey, Portland-area folks! Come draw animal skulls with me at Still Death in February and March! Each session is from 6:30pm to 8pm at the Fernie Brae at 4035 SE Hawthorne.

February 20, 2018 – Not From Around Here: This month we’ll draw the skulls of critters from far-flung lands well outside of North America.

March 20, 2018 – Mustelid Madness! Come draw a variety of weasel skulls, from the tiny ermine to the biggest mustelid of all, the wolverine.

Still Death (stilldeath.com) is a monthly education and art session in Portland, OR featuring a variety of real animal skulls! We start each 90 minute session with an educational presentation on some element of natural history, followed by ample time for participants to draw, paint, sculpt or otherwise create art using the skulls as references. Each month’s selection is unique, and focuses on comparative anatomy as an illustration of how different species have adapted to the pressures of surviving and thriving in the world we all share. Please note this is not an art class; like drop-in life drawing sessions, this is open to artists of all skill levels. 18+ only, please. $10/person, bring your own art supplies (no photography!)

More information is available at http://www.stilldeath.com/

Hey! The IndieGoGo campaign for Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things starts in a week! You can find out more about it and sign up for an email notification when it starts at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/.....re/coming_soon

Can you please share and help get the word out? Thank you <3

Less than two weeks until the IndieGoGo Campaign for Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things goes live! There’ll be lots of awesome perks, including vulture starter kits featuring a variety of specimens to go with your paperback copy of Vulture Culture 101. Want to get an email reminding you when the campaign starts? You can sign up at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/v.....e/coming_soon/

I am excited to announce that the official IndieGoGo campaign for my next book, Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things, will launch on February 6, 2018! More than a book on taxidermy or bone identification, Vulture Culture 101 is a guidebook to the subculture surrounding the preparation, collection and appreciation of hides, bones and other specimens. It's suitable for both beginners and experienced Vultures and may even appeal to those who are just curious about us and our collections.

The full IndieGoGo campaign won't be launched til the 6th, but you can get a taste of what will be included at the prelaunch page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/.....re/coming_soon . And you can sign up for an email reminder to be sent to you when the campaign officially starts!

As with my wildly successful IndieGoGo campaigns for The Tarot of Bones, this campaign will help me to fund attendant costs for the book, such as paying guest writers for how-to essays on topics like hide tanning and bone cleaning, as well as the cost of printing physical books and having them shipped to me. Anything left over after that will help me cover my bills and other expenses as I finish up the last bit of writing, editing, layout and other work that remains before projected publication in Summer 2018.

I will, of course, make an announcement when the campaign itself goes live, but for now check out the prelaunch page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/.....re/coming_soon for a taste of what's to come! And, as always, thank you for your ongoing support.

Hey, folks! I just opened a Ko-Fi account at https://www.ko-fi.com/thegreenwolf ! If you enjoy my hide and bone artwork, my writings on paganism and nature, or my other creative efforts, you can make a small contribution to my self-employment here. Just click on the link and choose how many virtual $3 “coffees” you’d like to buy me, and then you can pay via Paypal. It’s a great way to toss a little extra cash my way in appreciation for my work. Thank you so much <3

First blog post of the year! I talk about how food can help pagans to develop a deeper sense of place, not through meditation, but through eating. Read more at http://www.thegreenwolf.com/paganis.....nt-of-terroir/

In case you haven’t headed over to the official Vulture Culture 101 site, here’s a look at the Table of Contents that I’m currently working with:

Introduction

Chapter 1: Roots and Revival: Historical and Modern-Day Vultures
Chapter 2: The Successful Scavenger: Where Do I Get My Goods?
Chapter 3: Identifying Hides, Bones and More
Chapter 4: Here’s Where It Gets Messy: Processing Raw Specimens
Chapter 5: Put Your Best (Rabbit’s) Foot Forward: Displaying and Caring For Your Collection
Chapter 6: Vultures and Our Neighbors
Chapter 7: Rewilding the Beast: Vulture Culture as a Return to Nature
Conclusion

Appendix I: Further Resources
Appendix II: Recommended Environmental Nonprofits

At this point my portion of the manuscript is most of the way done; I’ve been able to flesh it out a LOT with topic suggestions you all have made over the past few months. And as I’ve mentioned earlier in the year I will be doing a call for writers in spring of 2018 to write tutorials on basic things like bone cleaning, tanning, etc. to be included in the book. Money raised from the IndieGoGo campaign that I intend to launch early next year will go to paying said writers for their work. And I want to have the book out and available for general purchase next summer. 

Want to keep up on news and updates? You can sign up for email updates (I send out a few a month, not a flood) by going to http://www.vultureculture101.com, scrolling down the left sidebar and putting your email address in the relevant box.

So I reordered fifty copies of my self-published booklet, Skull Scrying: Animal Skulls in Divinatory Trance, and they just arrived on my doorstep. I'd like to see them go to some good new homes, so I'm running a limited-time offer! If you buy The Tarot of Bones deck and book set on my website at http://www.thetarotofbones.com/shop between now and the end of Saturday, December 16, I'll send you a copy of Skull Scrying at no additional cost.

This ONLY applies to orders of the deck AND the book, and only those made from the Tarot of Bones website at http://www.thetarotofbones.com/shop , not Etsy or eBay or Amazon. If you just want to buy a paperback or ebook copy of Skull Scrying, you can do so at http://www.thegreenwolf.com/books/skull-scrying/

Hi, folks!

I’m laying plans for the IndieGoGo campaign for Vulture Culture 101: A Book For People Who Like Dead Things. My plan is to kick it off early in 2018, possibly mid-January? I’ll keep you posted on that.

Aaaaaaaaaanyway, I was thinking about what sort of perks to offer, in addition to the book itself, of course. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

–A limited special edition of the book with full color images and perhaps some extra photos not in the regular black and white edition

–Perk packages with some of my other books and/or the Tarot of Bones; for example, a “Dead Things” package with Vulture Culture 101, The Tarot of Bones, and Skin Spirits: The Spiritual and Magical Use of Animal Parts

–Handmade hide and bone artwork. I offered deerskin pouches for the Tarot of Bones, and I could come up with options for this campaign as well

–A sticker of the wolf skull design that I’ll be using for the cover

Anything else you might like to see as a perk?

Just a reminder–you have until the end of this Thursday to get in on the December Patron rewards at my Patreon! Every month I make things out of hides, bones and other natural and reclaimed materials for my Patrons, along with creating exclusive videos, sneak peek WIP shots, and more. Sign up today at http://www.patreon.com/lupagreenwolf :)

Do you want to keep up on my progress on my next book, Vulture Culture 101? Head to the official website, http://www.vultureculture101.com/, and scroll down the front page. On the left sidebar there’s a form to add yourself to the email update list. I generally only send out a few emails a month so you won’t be bombarded, but you will get to find out more about this project--to include when you can preorder it!

The Tarot of Bones Redbubble shop is officially open at https://www.redbubble.com/people/thegreenwolf/collections/799940-the-tarot-of-bones! You can get Tarot of Bones card art on a variety of items from clothing to prints to bags and more. Right now the shop has the six cards that were featured in the two IndieGoGo campaigns--Empress, Hierophant, Magician, Justice, Ace of Pentacles and Two of Pentacles--but I'll be adding the rest over the weeks to come.

All Redbubble orders will be fulfilled by that company; they will not be shipped by me. You can still buy the Tarot of Bones deck and book, as well as Tarot of Bones readings, directly from me at the Tarot of Bones website shop at http://www.thetarotofbones.com/shop. And if you would like to see the deck and book in your local metaphysical shop or bookstore, direct the owner/buyer to my wholesale information page.

And just as a reminder--this is a 100% self-published endeavor, so every purchase helps an individual artist/author keep the bills paid :)

You may have seen the Animal Parts Laws pages on my primary website at www.thegreenwolf.com/animal-parts-laws/, a collection of links to US federal, state, and international laws concerning the sale/trade and possession of various animal remains. In my upcoming book, Vulture Culture 101 (http://www.vultureculture101.com), I'll dedicate an entire chapter to legalities and ethics. This includes a detailed summary of some of the more prominent laws, like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Obviously I can't discuss every single law, since there are a LOT of them. But it covers a lot of bases, and it introduces the concept that we Vultures need to be responsible for knowing the laws that affect us, as well as anyone we may do trade with.

I am not a legal professional and this isn't offered as legal advice, just a resource for you to better educate yourself. When in doubt, contact your state's fish and game or natural resources departments.

Hey, model horse customizers! Just listed some Breyer and other custom bait lots over at http://www.etsy.com/shop/thegreenwo.....h_query=breyer

I’ve run into the idea before that in order to be a true Vulture you have to process your own specimens. That means picking up roadkill, salvaging the hide if it’s fresh enough, and finding a way to clean the rotting meat off the bones. While these are certainly part of Vulture Culture, they’re not required for you to be a part of this community. It’s made of taxidermists and bone cleaners, artists and collectors, and people who simply enjoy the aesthetic beauty of hides, bones and more.

In Vulture Culture 101 (http://www.vultureculture101.com) I’ll be addressing some of the myths about Vultures, like whether we kill animals for hides and bones (no!) and whether you can be a vegetarian Vulture (yes!) What are some of the myths and facts you’d like to see discussed in my book?

Check out this great review of The Tarot of Bones at Panegyria: http://www.panegyria.org/single-pos.....Tarot-of-Bones