Well it's a bust

Last night I completed the lower half of the barnstormer pilot and for the most part I am happy with the results. I purchased some new tools at the end of April first of May time frame but hadn't gotten chance to use them. I purchased the tools from Drake Knives and highly recommend them. They have a nice comfortable grip that fits nice in your hand, and they are sharp ready to go to work the day they arrive. I purchased a #3 3/8 tool on recommendation of a carving buddy/mentor but wasn't sure how much time this tool would receive but after watching a clip or two of Ian Norbury carving worked it into my routine and love the way it carves.

On a side note when viewing a carving video not only pay attention to what is being carved but also the tools and how they are being used. Even carvers that carve a style different from your own can teach you something new if you are open to learning. Many of us can’t buy every tool that the established carvers have so we must be selective in the ones we do buy.

The bottom half of the barnstormer is a basic jacket collar with wrinkles in between for a scarf. I am anxious to get to painting him to see how he comes out. I carved the base with a double lip, kind of a bi-plane angle to the overall carving. Sometimes what we carve into the design is obvious to us but may not stand out to anyone else, but that’s o.k., it’s your carving.