raccoon skull study

Today I introduced the study of the human skeleton to my portfolio class. The students loved it, especially since Watkins is blessed with a real human skeleton for their life drawing studio. Of course, this is a somewhat rare thing to find (most biology study skeletons are plastic), and to a class full of teenagers, a real human skeleton is a pretty cool thing. I have to confess that it was a pretty cool thing to me, too! I have a fondness for collecting skeletons and skulls, something only my closest friends know about me. It began when I studied with Chris Misencik-Bunn back in high school--she is an amazing artist and her husband is a game warden with an incredible collection of confiscated taxidermy (from poachers and those who possessed the specimens illegally). Thus began my "natural history museum." Since then, with the help of my dear father, I have collected all sorts of skulls, bones, and various other natural treasures. It started out for the benefit of my students' drawings, but it really is more because I like to have these things around. This is a raccoon skull that my father found and cleaned for me, and in the spirit of studying bones (and my current lack of human specimens), I decided to paint it today.