By Alice Bell
Photos courtesy of Stephanie Brown

"The first thing I do is to decide how I want the animal to be posed. With parrots I usually like them to be doing "parrot stuff" like screaming or flapping their wings or just making a mess. I then sculpt a form and add all the details before the feathers are applied.

"I dye all my own feathers so that I can get the different hues that all birds have and if I need to cut them or detail them I do all that beforehand. Studying the bird and their habitat always helps me. Research is always at the heart of any art form." she said.

Her favorite bird to reproduce is whatever bird she happens to be working on at that moment.

"I love all birds and each one is fun to make. I do like to create challenges for myself with every bird and love trying new techniques to achieve more realism."

The challenge of creating two full scale owls in such a short time left Stephanie with the happy feeling of a job well done. Hasanov was also pleased with the realism and timely delivery of the owls.

"He told me he was going to send me a postcard signed by the cast and crew and also a copy of the movie. I'm glad it is over for me, but I'm glad I did it. I am adding it to my website. Now if anyone should ever ask me, 'Have you ever made a movie prop?' I can say, 'Why yes I have.'"