Cartoons 2 Carvings

Well I started a new pine knot the other day and everything was going pretty good, that is on the first day. The first day I was simply rough out the piece and setting up where the features of the face would be. I carved the nose a bit more  narrow than I would have liked but would address this more the next day I carve, I didn't realize how much this area would come in to play but for what I had gotten done the first day I was happy with it for the most part.

Day two of carving begins and for the first hour to hour and a half felt good with my progress. As I was working the nose area I noticed there was a small piece of what looked to be a stick on the lower right side of the nose. Every time I tried to shape this area more would crumble, I almost threw it out and said to heck with it. Then I thought why not work it out as best I can and worse case scenario I will have a better understanding of the limits to this type of situation.

So as I stated the more I tried to shape the area the more it would simply crumble so finally a took my carving burr and went straight into the decayed area to find out how deep this hole would be. Once I felt I had reached a stronger section of wood I pulled out the bit to see what I would have left. Then I applied the same technique on the other side to match up both areas. From there I shaped up the cheek bone area and then started working the cap. The more I worked this carving the more I began to see a Don Quixote type character and that is now the direction I am going with the carving the rest of the time. I need to add detail to the moustache and also work the lower jaw as most pictures don't have Don with a full beard. I will paint the helmet a tarnished looking gold and may try utilizing the wood burner to highlight the feather in his cap. If there is enough wood to do it I will make the base of this carving a brass barber's basin, this is what Don Quixote insisted that this basin was the enchanted helmet of the Moorish king.

I will post more as I progress, until then and  

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving