I didn't know you could do that! This is really nice!! I love the colouring! uvu

I didn't know that! Oh gosh I should email them!

these are some awesome studies!!

I had no idea either this could be done. :) I'm going to have to take another trip to my local museum! very excellent work~

When I was at the Natural History Museum in London I saw artists working all over the place, sketching up the different exhibits. It was very cool to see :)

Beautifully drawn !

I really would like to do this, I keep forgetting its an option.

Oh my, thanks for the tip! I'll see if they'll let me check out the local collection!

also didn't know this! great to know for the future ! study looks awesome :)

The art, is AMAZING! Really! beautifully done! But when I first clicked on it, I dunno what I thought..

I think I thought that you had one of these as a pet? Or that you got to meet one, and I was like *flails* "OMG.. my favorite bird!!"

; _____ ;

Fig. 1
The toucan lays supine, as if submitting in ecstasy, next to some artistic renderings.

Very cool. In all the years I've been associated with my museum, I don't think we've had any artist requests like this, so it's very nice to see. I hope to see more like this in the future. :)

By the by, this is excellent work too. ;)

I never knew you could do that! (the whole museum thing). Wow! ...that gives me...soooo many ideas... And awesome job on the toucan! I can never get the beaks correct.

Toucan Sam! Noooooooooooo

Though I don't like referencing art from dead things, this is a great alternative than supporting something I'd prefer not to support or be supported. Museums are for education so I can agree with this. Another route you could go is to call up zoos and animal sanctuaries and book a photo shoot. I know Sandra Brue of Sandicast Creations does this. She takes hundreds of photos and then sculpts incredible art. Might check her out if you haven't heard of her already. :3

Beautiful art! I suppose this would be an excellent way to get up close and personal, see all those little details you'd never be close enough to get otherwise. I'm not sure I'd be able to get past the sad, though. Poor dead bird.

This is a WONDERFUL idea! Norman has a great natural history museum. I might have to drag my friend with me 'cause she's totes into the birds.

Those staring cotton-wool eyes and the banalities of science and specimen collection make for a wonderfully creepy combination, if that's your thing.

Worth noting that the older specimens may be preserved with arsenic/mercury/something dire, and that staff generally won't let random visitors work with the fragile stuff - but also, many places have a public handling collection these days.

I feel a visit to my local awesome ethnographic museum coming on :D

That bit of purple beneath the bird is one of the gloves I was using to protect both me and the specimen.

I used to go to a local biology lab to study specimens. They had birds, snakes, fish some alive and some dead. Plenty of stuffed mammals too.

Yeah, our biology department even has a full collection of animal skeletons they can cart out on request. Biology labs are great places for specimen. :)

sadly, the closest museum to me is a 3 hour drive... and its a plane museum. :/