Originally Posted by
Oldtimr
After 15 years of looking at work examples of self taught taxidermists testing for a license to practice, I would forgo the videos for live on site assistance and criticism. When you are self taught the only feedback you get will be from friends who will be very reluctant to tell you your work is bad and it they do, they would not have the expertise to tell you how to make it better.
I agree with what you are saying, but, DVD's of a world champion taxidermist showing you all of the ins and outs,use of reference, and the best proven methods, isn't what I call being " Self Taught". You are actually learning from a pro, step by step, with something you can watch over and over again. This, IMO, is a great way for someone to get a good start in taxidermy, without paying thousands of dollars to a taxidermy school and then decide it's not really for them. I would suggest, taking the mount to a state competition for constructive critiqing by judges. This will only help improve their skills as a taxidermist. If they decide it's something they want to continue with, then they can decide if they want to spend the money on a school to further their skills.