skinny dude aka Don Quixote

So the skinny dude is now Don Quixote and the bust portion looks good but he no longer can go without having eyes. My worry was that I had carved the sockets too deep to allow me to carve the eyes in but that wasn't the case. I was given a link to Don Mertz’s blog in his tutorial section on carving eyes http://woodbeecarver.com/carving-eyes/carving-eyes  which helped me think it through. 

On a side note, I have found that when I stare at a problem too long I get blinded to the solution. Many times if I just step back and leave it for a time when I come back to it I see it completely different which allows me to see the solution. I am working at a new attitude with carving, in which I don’t have to finish a piece in one sitting. Also not every carving will need the full water color effect to help it stand out as a finished piece. There are very few moments in life when the decision has to be made in a split second, hardly ever with carving. especially when it comes to carving. If you cut yourself carving you know to get up and get yourself a bandage. After the bleeding stops you have time to shop for a carving glove. 

So once I stepped back, got some feedback from some good and knowledgeable friends, I began to resolve the problem. For one I finally realized in my eyes the carving wasn't complete. I think he came out quite well and I am happy to have a completed carving finally.

"skinny dude" carving pt 2

I had just come in from outside where I had cut out a rough-out head and body for a bust carving. As I sat it down on my desk/workstation I looked at the skinny dude’s head resting on my cell phone and thought I need to finish him off. For awhile I thought I would take scrap wood from a body of a roughout and make this his body so both head and body would be thinner, matching so to speak. As I looked at the head and the regular body my mind began to think about how cool this could be.

Before I go any farther let me explain one thing. This is not a full body rough-out it is just the upper body portion as I have done in previous carvings. I will refer to it from here on out as the bust.   

So I took the head and the skinny body bust and cut out a hole to inset the neck to get a feel for the look. I then did the same with a piece of wood that would have been too small to have a base but would work for a carving that would just be for fun. I know all carving is for fun but some may be for sale some may be for a show or competition and some may never see the light of day beyond what shines in the room. Remember this head was carved from a rough-out that seemed too wide so I removed an inch off and this is what remained.

Bottom line as you see by the images, I did use the full size bust and I think it is really works.

 As you might notice from the previous pictures of the head I carved in detail in the beard after deciding that the smooth look didn't match the bust. Now there was one last issue, I carved deep sockets in the eye area not thinking that I would do much with this and now with the bust and the detail of the beard these sockets will not do.

to be continued
Carpe diem carving

cucumbird suprise

We planted our garden late this year and have had hardly anything worth talking about garden wise because of it, until now.  So far our garden has produced just one cucumber, but what a cucumber it is. The whole time this cucumber was growing it looked like a balloon that needed more air. You know what I mean, one of those long balloons, like the one people make balloon animals out of. Well our cucumber while it was growing looked like that. The end of it was narrow and small like it needed more air. So yesterday we picked it thinking that if we left it out any longer the bugs would begin to dine on our only cucumber of the season, at least so far, hopefully. Maybe we could have left it out a day or so longer and the bugs may have stayed away out of fear, after I picked it I realized that the end of the cucumber resembled a bird. Look for yourself.

So what does this have to do with carving? Well nothing and everything, carving like many forms of art are a representation of life. Of course it is for every carver to decide the style carving that they want to do, mine is caricature carving, since this best matches my style of illustration. No matter what style you carve always remember that this is simply a representation of life, and if it conveys the message and the image that you were going for then it is a good carving. Make no mistake I am not saying to be critical of your work and to challenge yourself to hone your skills but don’t take it too seriously or you will suck the life out of what got you interested in carving in the first place, the simple pleasure of see a block of wood become something, maybe a bird. If a cucumber can do it pulls it off then there is hope for us yet, even me. I was given the phrase Carve diem, roughly translated "Carve the day". So of course in my monkish way it didn't read well to me so I have adopted the phrase, Carpe diem carving.

When you look up the definition from the famous phrase Carpe diem it is as follows, from the World English Dictionary. Carpe diem is defined as; Enjoy the pleasures of the moment, without concern for the future, literally: seize the day! This being the case, “Carpe diem carving” should or could be define as; enjoy the pleasures of the moment carving, without concern for the future.  Literally: seize the day, carving. This is a good reminder that it is the moment, the time we carve that brings pleasure, and the rest is an afterthought. Sure most carvers like to sell their work; it’s a way of getting feedback, and a good way to restock the war chest for future carvings. But how many would continue to carve even if they never sold a single one.

Carpe diem carving

try try........... completed

Well I mentioned that I wanted to change/modify my soldier and I did exactly that. There seemed to be a little too much wood surrounding the nose so I removed some from this area and I added some rose to his cheeks, before this he was very monotone. I tried to keep the finish down and not let the carving have too much shimmer. On some carvings I think this is a detraction from the style of carving or the way the piece is painted. Most of my ornaments have a bit of a shin to them, hoping this will add to the effect from the Christmas tree lights. I don’t think this guy will ever be hung on a tree so don’t think this will detract from its overall appearance.

I added a pipe as well. It was suggested that on another soldier the addition of a cigar. I am more prone to pipes than cigars. I took some wood shavings from this carving and soaked them in a watered down brown, reddish brown and red. I was trying to simulate when someone takes a puff on a freshly  lit pipe, sometimes you see a red glow from the burning tobacco. Not sure if this is how it came out in the end but nothing ventured nothing gained. Also if you do a search for civil war pipe, many images are of clay pipes and they have the groves or lines in the pipe bowl.

Overall I like this guy and since he doesn't have a home yet we will hang out for a while. This will give me more time to make some mental notes on the finished piece. Maybe it’s just me but I like to hold a carving and look at them in different lighting, kind of turn them around to view all sides. Hey what can I say, I am not good at finishing a carving and then moving on without reviewing and enjoying. I am still in awe of the idea that I can pull this off, and if I can’t, “don’t tell me. I don’t want to know”.   

try try..... day three

Well the soldier has a coat of paint and though he looks ok, he has some issues that I will need to address. I noticed that sometimes it isn't until the paint portion that issues show up and with this guy that is exactly what happened. Right around the nose area I have left too much wood and it doesn't look natural. I will address this as soon as the paint dries. A tip to save time and troubles; always make a bigger batch of paint then you will need and then you have the same color for any fixes that may occur. I honestly don’t usually do this but from this piece realize the value of the idea. Speaking of paint, I don’t like the way the painting portion came out either. The color is too bland and there is no emotion from the color. I will come back with some skin tone with a little red added to put some rosiness in his cheeks. I will also address the color of the coat and cap as they appear to me to be too strong in color. I want more of an antique look to this piece and will address this before I put the sealant on.

On the side bar of my blog where I share my picks you will see the 3M Scotch-Brite General Purpose Hand Pad. I take these pads and cut out 1 and 2 inch squares stack two together since they are thinner than the brown one shown earlier and used these to clean off the “fuzzies” from a carving. I can also come back after a carving is painted and gently remove some paint to give an antique look. In the pictures of the hooded face I have taken the pads and removed paint to test the pads and see how well they do. I am happy with the results and like the effect I got on this piece. I will consider doing something like this to the new soldier. After all he’s not supposed to look new; he’s from the civil war. That wasn't exactly last week now was it.