Realistic DIY Hides

[Dakota_Ghost]

Hi all. Here are some pictures of the hides I made over summer. I still have to paint the background for the tank, but it will be in a similar style. Seen as I have two female leos, I decided to make some hides with two chambers in them so that they can have their own space and there wouldn’t be any conflict. They’re made from Styrofoam, grout, acrylic paints and non toxic sealant. It’s a shame the photos do not depict all the detail.

Dakota

 

[Jordan]

wow, they are extremely impressive, haha. if i saw them in shop id probably buy them lol.

 

[jerry]

Ill Take 2, lol They Look Perfect, You Should Sell Them To Pet Stores lol

 

[Troy L]

Those are awesome!!! I was just looking at hides at our local shop tonight.
Just curious as to what non toxic sealer you used?

Troy

 

[GeckoGathering]

Hides not to "Hide"

Dakota....Very Impressed!
Just a beautiful job on them.
Details seen with those photos too.
Nice art and craft /man/lady ship.
Very marketable.
Take care. HJ​

 

[Dakota_Ghost]

Those are awesome!!! I was just looking at hides at our local shop tonight.
Just curious as to what non toxic sealer you used?

Troy

Thanks for all your comments guys As for the non-toxic sealer, I had to do some research on the internet too. I found a few people saying that Ronseal Quickdrying Varnish (matt and clear finish) was suitable. However, I live in the UK and I am not sure if the product is available where you are. Just remember, that it has to have a low VOC content. The higher the content, the more fumes it will give off even when wet and when dry. I hope this helps!

Dakota

 

[FelixSilva]

Those are cool. You can probably make those and sell them to people. I'd buy them!

 

[Dakota_Ghost]

Those are cool. You can probably make those and sell them to people. I'd buy them!

Thanks I think the problem would be that too much time is spent on making them in relation to how much I could practically sell them for. I couldn't sell for a price based on the hours of work put in. It would be far too high. But I'm glad you guys like them

I'll post pictures when I have finished the background.

Happy New Year to all,

Dakota

 

[UnicornSpirit]

Have you ever taken a mold making course? If you make molds for them you can reuse the molds over and over, then you can quickly hand paint the resulting casts. THEN you can sell them without devoting your entire day to sculpting unique pieces. They will still be unique- you can even make limited release molds where you only make 20 casts (for example) for each. Just a suggestion!

 

[Lindz]

Wow, I really want one. These are awesome! Do you have a tutorial showing how you made them??

 

[LeopardGeckoNinja]

Wow, I really want one. These are awesome! Do you have a tutorial showing how you made them??

Yeah I really like them too, soo much detail! But would love to see a tutorial!

 

[Acidix]

They are indeed awesome. I know what you mean with time not paid if you sell them. I have the same with my backgrounds. Thats why it stays a hobby.

Is there no way you could replicate them? Maybe you should contact an artist to help you with moldmaking. I think your pieces could really sell.

 

[Dakota_Ghost]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your replies I think if all else fails at uni perhaps I could then make a living selling reptile hides haha. I think I could be able to make moulds for them. However it's the painting that takes a lot of time too :/ Even though it can't be seen in the pictures, there are like seven different colour stages then all the detail added. I think if I tried to speed this up and remove some of the colour stages then they wouldn't look quite the same.

For those interested in how I made them...

I have posted on here the background I have finished a little while ago. See link below. I have written a post on there in response to a request detailing how I made the background. The hides were made in pretty much the same way, but without the hardboard.

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=70383

Dakota

 

[moviemanmania]

Those are wicked cool! How much time did you spend on them?

 

[Dakota_Ghost]

Those are wicked cool! How much time did you spend on them?

Thanks It took a while!

Dakota

 

[leoguy1]

If I were you, I'd sell them for $10-$20 each.

 

[TifaBea]

Would a plaster base be bad if you sealed it with something?

 

[Dakota_Ghost]

Would a plaster base be bad if you sealed it with something?

A plaster base? Like plasterboard?

 

[Norrad]

Holy Hell! What detail! You are for sure an artist.