Homemade Owston's palm civet

Dear STS forum,
Trying to make some new models for my collection, the next one in my to do list is the Owston's palm civet (Chrotogale owstoni).
I did it, but the result was fully unsatisfactory. Proportions are off. The tail is too small and the head is too big. And maybe the muzzle is too long, too.

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Besides that, I made too big for my tastes. Here compared with Nayab genet. I think genets should be noticeably larger than Owston's palm civets, it's right? I already had to pull out the Giant ibis from my collection because it was too giant... I know I'm much more strict than others regarding both size and accurateness, but I prefair to avoid "ugly ducklings" in my collection...

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I want advice about what I should do now:

a) Paint it and keep into my collection as a weird-shaped and oversized Owston's palm civet.
b) Keep unpainted and sell/trade it to a collector that want it, and then try again from zero.
c) Paint it and sell/trade it (for higher price) to a collector that want it, and then try again from zero.
d) Make a bigger tail over the preexistent one (but then the figure will be even much more oversized) so only the head remains oversized, paint it and keep it.
e) Cut the tail and the head, make new ones with more accurate proportions, paint it and keep it.
f) Add a more tapered tail, more thickness to the neck, and customize into a Mountain coati (even if the eyes are too large for a coati). But mountain coatis excite me less than Owston's palm civets.

Any other suggestion is also welcome!

Ihh, but it is ever so cute

I am sure when you apply your magic hand to painting it, it will be a gorgeous

The Chrotogale owstoni really looks very strange, but has a fantastic, beautyful fur, so do not give up !!!
I can not wait to see the result

First, I don't think it is too big. Actually, Owston palm civets are slightly larger than common genets and surely longer. However, I agree about the proportions. Head is long but not that long, the same for all other observations. These richly patterned animals are really hard to get correctly. Their pattern causes a kind of illusion. My suggestion is that you make the back of the animal more massive and longer. Considering the pose, the highest part of the body should be over the back legs, just after the identation to the tail. If you do it with the back arching gently from the neck to the highest part over the back legs, the body will be longer and immediately it will turn the head proportionally smaller even if you don't change the head. I think the tail should be around 80% of the length of head+body, a very long tail. You will need a longer and probably more robuste tail, if you make it curved to one of the sides, like as in an otter, it will reduce the impression that the figure is oversized. Be sure the identation of the tail is not that abrupt to turn the model more fluid and graceful. I think if these suggestions work, you only need to change the posterior part of the model, I know the most difficult is to fix the head. After painted, the animal will look more proportional once the pattern is quite distracting. Oh, I surely love your species choice.

Congratulations
for me it has good proportions, I can't wait to see it after a painting session

I think that it is wonderful!
Such a good species choice, and looking at photos you've got it just right! I think you should paint it and then see- I'm sure that it will be beautiful afterwards! And looking at the Nayab Genet, which I have, it must be a tiny model, which means that it is even more tricky to get it right and so I think that it has been very successful! For something so small, there is so much detail and I love its head!
I am excited to see the finished result!

Thanks everybody and especially Roger, as these advices are extremely helpful!! First I tought that these civets were much smaller, meerkat-sized so its very good to know that it can be put aside to the genet and my other small carnivores without looking out of place. The trick of make the hind back arch higher must ve very effective, and even if the snout will continue being too elongated, a higher hind quarters and a new, larger and curved tail will make a better figure without need of cut off parts already sculpted! See, the air drying paste have advantages such as adding parts to already finished figures, but also disadvangages such as being unable to modify sustantially the shape of a figure before finishing without damage other parts of the figure. But you managed to think great solutions to this inconvenience! Muito obrigado!

I agree with Rogério, you don't have to worried too much about your model.

Owston's palm civet: Head and body length between 56 and 72cm, tail between 35 to 47cm.

Common genet: Head and body length between 46 and 52cm, tail between 42 to 51cm.

Giant forest genet: Head and body length between 55 and 60cm, tail between 41 to 49cm.

In both case your civet could be even bigger.

my advice: e (sorry indeed :)

A interesting species again

Pardofelis wrote:

Thanks everybody and especially Roger, as these advices are extremely helpful!! First I tought that these civets were much smaller, meerkat-sized so its very good to know that it can be put aside to the genet and my other small carnivores without looking out of place. The trick of make the hind back arch higher must ve very effective, and even if the snout will continue being too elongated, a higher hind quarters and a new, larger and curved tail will make a better figure without need of cut off parts already sculpted! See, the air drying paste have advantages such as adding parts to already finished figures, but also disadvangages such as being unable to modify sustantially the shape of a figure before finishing without damage other parts of the figure. But you managed to think great solutions to this inconvenience! Muito obrigado!

De nada! It works in both languages. I am glad my comment is useful. It is always not easy for me once I never sculpted and my English is limited but I am surely excited to see the result.

Thanks, you all are so lovely people! :) I finished the model, and I think Rogério saved what was a ruined figure

It's still far from perfect, but is enough for me. Scultping fur texture with WePam is more difficult than with SuperSculpey, as it's harder to see and dries quickly. So the texture in this model is worst than in my models made with baking paste.

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And with a sympatric vietnamese neighbour:
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And it turned out amazingly!
What a beauty, with all the characteristics of the species!

I really feel honoured that you considered my suggestions in such an accurate way, I feel like you have seen what I designed in my mind while writing my suggestions! Do you have telepathy power? It is actually a strange feeling. The texture is not a big problem when the pattern is so flamboyant. Obviously it was you who saved the model, not me. It is much better now and it is even more attractive in terms of design. I have however one more little suggestion. What about removing the word failure from the title of this topic and replace it by the name of the animal?

Hahaha is not telepathy, just you wrote it step by step in a very easy to follow way, and while I tought in enlarge the tail I never would tough in elevate the hind quarters so you're the heroe that saved the poor civet

OK, since it's not anymore a failure, I will edit the title! :)

Thanks a lot Roger and Bonnie

Good job on this model Pardo !
Both sculpting and painting.
It looks nice and I like the pose too.

Very nice

Good job on this Pardofelis model and very nice species

Lovely work, congratulations!

Great improvement on a very interesting species!

Very nice, I was sure you would succeed