Black leopard made from genuine leather

This art of creating life like animal statues from leather is now practiced inIndore, Madhya Pradesh. Craftsmen and their families practice this art and create miniature to life size versions of all types of animals, from horses, cows and elephants, to lions, tigers and rhinos of the jungle, to exotic creatures of the wild, like giraffes, zebras and meerkats. From a mere photographic reference, the craftsmen can make an accurate sculpture of the animal, complete with the details of posture and muscular curves and then paint them with lifelike colours depicting the skin patterns. Starting with the basic skeleton, craftsmen first make an armature with steel wires to act as the frame on which rest of the material will be supported. This is covered with tightly packed hay or waste paper, bound with strings to hold it together. This forms the body of the animal, which is then covered with cardboard pulp and given definition. On this soft outer cardboard covering, craftsmen and women shape the fine details of the animal’s anatomy, its muscular structure in different poses, to great accuracy. It is this expertise of the artisans to understand the structure of animal from a photograph and bring it out in three dimensions that makes this craft so remarkable. Once the cardboard dries, it can be coated with goat leather when required. Wet leather is beaten to increase its softness and flexibility. Using tamarind seed glue as adhesive, the craftsmen cover the animal structure with leather, taking care not to leave any unwanted wrinkles or folds. So neat is the leather coating, that it is difficult to find its edges. Once dry, the animal figure is dipped in dye and sun dried. The eyes and horns, which are made of glass or plastic, are then attached to it. And then, these artists add finishing touches of shading and painting the details of spots, stripes or patches on the animal’s skin, making it appear amazingly realistic. A final coat of leather polish completes the process.

The two names are primarily geographically bound "Leopard" is usually used for animals from Africa, "Panther" for Asian animals. However, this is not a strict rule, and regularly be the names used by each other. The two names are primarily geographically bound "Leopard" is usually used for animals from Africa, "Panther" for Asian animals. However, this is not a strict rule, and regularly be the names used by each other. The leopard is a large, muscular feline with short, powerful legs and a long tail. The head is broad and a little round in shape with small, round ears. The muzzle is medium, with powerful jaws and long whiskers. The leopard coat is covered with many black spots. On the body, and the upper half of the legs are these often grouped with brown spots in rosettes. There are also all black, not grouped spots, especially on the abdomen, head and feet, but also on the body. Also, the tail is mottled, from the beginning to the middle, but more ringed at the end. The ground color of most animals is sandy yellow or light brown, but the color can vary widely, from almost white to completely black to the familiar black panthers, mainly in Indonesia and in the African highlands life. The belly, throat and chin are whitish. The color and fur length depend on where they live, but can black and yellow leopard cubs are of the same mother. The coat drawing the animal provides camouflage, so it can easily remain undetected. The ears are black on the back with a striking white drawing in the middle. Male leopards can achieve a long cup-hull length of 130 to 190 centimeters meters. The tail is still 60 to 110 centimeters in length. Leopards are 28 kilograms to 90 kilograms heavy. The shoulder height of a leopard is about 50 cm to 60 cm. Females are smaller than males. Females have a head-to-hull length of 104 to 140 cm and a body weight of 28 to 60 kg (average 50 kg), males a head-to-hull length of 130 to 190 centimeters and a weight of 35 to 90 kg (average 60 kg).