Sunday, July 14, 2013

Making A Shrunken Head

No home is complete without a shrunken head.  David Gagné has been kind enough to share a detailed tutorial on creating a modern version of the traditional tsantsa. One that thankfully doesn't require going to war with a nearby tribe.  Part One is here, and Part Two over here.


When I say "detailed" I mean it. He covers every step of the process, from the initial sculpt, through casting the latex skin, surface finishing, and the punching of the hair. It's easily the most comprehensive guide to making a shrunken head I've ever seen.



2 comments:

CoastConFan said...

The final product is very convincing and the tutorial has excellent detail. For those of you interested are details how the originals were made. http://www.head-hunter.com/prep.html

Here is an article about DNA research on shrunken heads.
http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/head-hunting-dna-analysis-110614.htm

For those of you who want a less gruesome figure or want your kids to try their hand at faux shrunken heads this link will be of interest by modern headhunter Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/268080/shrunken-apple-heads

Dr. Theda said...

I used to have a real one in my cabinet.... And we have known the methods of making a real one as practiced by some tribes.... another topic that we studied as a kid ....