Creating A Wildlife Decor Masterpiece - The process of creating a decoy for Sam and Lilly Nottleman begins with the block of tupelo wood, which is harvested from a swamp tree in Louisiana. Sam then draws patterns inspired by his own mounted birds which ultimately results a realistic work of art. The shaping process is completed with carbide grinder beginning with a coarse grinder and eventually a finer tool. The wood shaping process itself takes over 100 hours per bird and the larger birds such as geese may take up to 400 hours. The detailed feather patterns are accomplished by the use of a burning pen and take up to three to four weeks per bird.

The finishing colors and the detailed paint patterns are created by Lilly. She uses acrylic paints and brushes of all kinds ranging from a 1 inch to a 1/6 inch brush. She also uses an air brush to blend the multiple colors to give the final product a more realistic and life-like feel. Lilly’s favorite bird to create is the colorful Drake Wood Duck, due to the extraordinary color patterns.

The final creation is a bird that represents the life-like qualities and characteristics of the natural bird. The Nottlemans are noted for their capacity to create the most life-like wildlife decor sculptures in the world, and add action poses. This characteristic has separated the work of Sam and Lilly Nottleman from other carvers around the world, and sparked the interest in some famous owners of wildlife decor sculptures such as Paul Harvey, Norman Schwarzkopf, Richard Mears and many others. The Nottlemans birds have been secured by many national organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, The National Rifle Association, Pheasants Forever, Quail Unlimited, The National Dove Society, The National Wild Turkey Federation, The Safari Club and the Delta Water Fowler Association. Sam and Lilly strive for innovation and creativity and promise to keep coming out with new and exciting sculptures in the future. Keep an eye out for what Wildlife Decor they will create next.