collecting and painting animal skulls

Okay, I know that this probably made some of you shuddder, but my daughter loves to hunt for animal skulls, collect them and she eveb paints some of them.  Since the animals skulls are my daughter's, I though I would ask her some questions and let her answer them for you. 

Q.  Why do you collect animal skulls?

A.  I think they are cool.  You can learn alot about different animals from seeing their skulls.   

Q.  How long have you been collecting animal skulls?

A. I got my first skull about four years ago, and have been adding to my collection ever since.  

Q.  How did you get started?

A.  I found a small animal skull in our neighborhood, and took it to a naturalist who identified it as a possum and showed me how to clean it. 

Q.  Where do you get the skulls? 

A.  I find some on nature walks in the parks around our house, or in the forest around our farm.  We also look along the highway near wooded or rural areas. 

Q.  How do you clean them? 

A.  I soak them in a bucket filled with cold water and 1 cup of bleach overnight.  Then I dry them in the sun, which helps to whiten them. 

Q.  Why do you paint them? 

A.  I just like to paint, and I like the way they look. 

Q.  What type of paint do you use? 

A.  Any type of paint is fine, but use a sealer when the paint is dry to help protect the skulls.  I prefer a spray sealer. 

Q.  What do you do with them after they are cleaned and painted? 

A.  I keep some in my room, and some in our garden and landscaping.  I also like to give them to my friends who are interested.  And some I trade.