Around christmas last year I went through some old objects in boxes, mostly coming from my old workshop. Among them was a tiger skull, which I fabricated from foamboard cross sections some years ago, It was supposed to be a follow up to the orangutan skull I did, but never finished. I did start making a 3D-skull back then, and started collecting a heap of research material on the web to study the correct shape. The image of the panther skull just stuck in my head,just like several years ago, and I had to get it out.
So I started modeling the whole thing, with a separate jaw. The hardest part about any skull is to get the teeth right.These teeth are all separate from the skull,they each have actual roots and fit in their respective root canal.Every tooth is a sculpture in itself if you want to do it right, but it’s even harder to line them up correctly so the teeth in the lower – and the upper jaw interact correctly. The rear teeth work like scissors. I kept the teeth blunt so the kids won’t chop each others fingers off playing with it.
The skull is anatomically ‘just about’ correct, but with artistic license. Like the orangutan I stylised it, like any sculptor should do.There’s tigers and lions and panther skulls all over the web but not all of them are model material. Hence the styling. This is not a printed MRI-scan. That would be easy. I don’t do easy stuff.
The skull is finished and divided into printable parts, and if enough people like it I will make a mould and cast duplicates and paint them. You could put it on your bookshelf and you’ll be the talk of the town. You’ll be the favorite uncle with the anatomically real panther skull in a color that you choose.
Will it be ‘Panther Pink’? will it be Smurf blue ? Or Black Panther Black? let me know… The sculpture is 36 centimeters long in case you want to make room on the bookshelf. That’s about the size of a male lion skull, much bigger than an actual panther.
Marc Sokpolie 
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