I recently sat down with Alessandra Dzuba (artist; dreamboat; co-owner and manager of Oracle; co-owner of Fraction Print Studio; Arcana founder and our resident Bone Wizard) and asked her about the process of articulating a skeleton.
Not even half of the bones are shown here for the fox skeleton!
She compared the endeavor to solving a jigsaw puzzle. Often, she is faced with a box of bones - all jumbled up together in a pile - and from there begins the laborious process of sorting the bones out and identifying where they belong (vertebrae, leg bones, tail bones, feet and toes etc.) there's a lot of teeny, tiny, pieces, as you can imagine.
Jesusgod...how...
Using wire and a bit of glue, Dzuba begins by assembling the vertebrae (of which there are many sections - lumbar, cervical, thoracic, caudal and sacrum) working from the center out - and often it's simply a matter of trial and error, feeling out which pieces connect and which do not. Deciding how to pose and stand the skeleton also determines how the thing is put together - whether it stands freely or rests in seated repose - the skeleton must be able to bear weight as it would in life.
MacGyver-ing a prop-stand with a glass jug - skills of improvisation are key!
It's fascinating to watch these incredible pieces come together and having an awareness of the research, knowledge and elbow grease that goes into each articulated skeleton facilitates a greater appreciation for each beautiful work.
Behold, a completed rooster skeleton!
I think it's NEATO!