Never before have I been asked to do lettering on an animal skull.  In January 2012, Paul Brothers of the advertising company of Brothers & Co. asked me to inscribed "Strength & Honor" onto an elk skull.  This skull and antlers attached were quite large, but the initial concern was about working on the skull surface.  After a few consultations with fellow calligraphers, I had an idea of how to complete the lettering, though we worked with a few trials on other skulls first.  After many trials, consultations, and agreement on layout and lettering style, the work began.  Below, you can see the process of this project that involved many hours of preparation and diligent efforts to do this correctly, since I only got one chance.

        Setup could only be done in the garage.  My trial skulls did not have antlers, so the final work required more space.

Because of the antlers, I couldn't get close enough for detail. 
Out came the OptiVisor for extra visual aid.

With layout approved, this was the only way to transfer the logo design.  

Brothers & Co. uses this logo, which was incorporated into the skull design.

After completing the lettering and illustration, the client asked that it all be "knocked down," to appear to be weathered.  Reluctantly, I sanded it down, and then sprayed with a matte-finish.

 

Finished, delivered, and believe I had a satisfied client.  Amazing project!!