It's been awhile

It has been a busy summer and I have not carved anything for most of the summer. The other day I finally sat down and carved a character and for the most part since it has been so long I am somewhat happy with the end result. I started with the idea that he was going to be a pilot but he looks more like an early auto racer or just a horseless carriage driver. But he could also be a barnstormer so will ponder this as I carve out the rest of his bust.

 Lesson learned, if you go too long without doing anything, carving, cooking or just about anything that takes a major to minor skill set, you can lose a certain amount of your edge by putting time between each task. For consistency you, or should I say I, need to carve on a regular basis even if it is just carving the scraps from rough-outs. It’s not the tool’s fault that they don’t seem to work weeks or months later. So keep at it. Obviously there are times when the priorities of life put carving on the back burner. Sometimes I question my passion for carving compared to others I know but as I told a new friend and fellow carver; I would rather have an hour with my wife and boys then 1000 hours of carving. I need to remind myself that when I beat myself up for not carving more. But make no bones about it, I will try to work it into my schedule in the coming weeks, I still feel I have untapped potential when it comes to carving. I think it really comes down to one’s convictions, from this you can mold your perspective of one’s life.

A great example of having a true convictions and perspective on balancing life and carving check out Gene Messer and the path he is currently walking. You can also throw up a prayer for him as he goes down this new path. I welcome prayers as well that I hold true to my convictions as well. To quote the Robertson boys, yes I am a fan of the Quack Pack, it’s all about “faith, family, and ducks”. Of course you can replace ducks with carving or include it alongside them if you are so inclined. 

Heart of Nebraska

I am sure most of you have seen the video of the last touchdown at the Nebraska spring game. Jack Hoffman's 69 yard touch down run, the longest of the game. His is a touching story as is the story of Jack and his best friend, Rex Burkhead. Please take a moment and go to the Team Jack site and learn about this young man and how you could possibly help.

I am so proud to be a Nebraskan the way they have rallied around team Jack. But they could use all the help they can get, you don't have to be from Nebraska to get involved. There was another time when the people of Nebraska stepped up and got it done. It was at the North Platte canteen. The folks of Nebraska saw a need and put the interest and needs of others above themselves. It's a great state and it's filled with great people. Yeah, I am and will always be proud to be a Nebraskan. Thanks for stopping by and for any support you can give to a worthy cause. God bless

whittle or carve

Do you whittle or carve? Even though the definitions are similar it seems that most people consider wood carving on the more refined side of the two. Whittling seems to be more the basics form, done mostly with a knife and no other tools. No matter how you define it both are closely connected. Back when I first started I whittled, I would take a piece of wood and a pocket knife and just carve whatever, not always having a plan for the carving or the wood. Of course now there is usually a subject I want to end up with and usually comes from a pattern or a roughout. Now for all my friends out there who produce roughouts please don't take this the wrong way but I don't want to rely on roughouts for my carvings, at least not roughouts that I have to buy from other carvers. I want to get to the stage where I create the image and transfer it to wood. I also want to get to the stage where I can produce a roughout of my own so I can reproduce my own carvings with a greater degree of accuracy. Creating an original roughout is an art in itself, one I have not yet learned but will research within the next few weeks and months. We will see in the not so distant future how it all works out.

Enough of that here is a whittling/carving I did of a simple face. The day this was done I had no game plan I was just carving/whittling with no specific idea in mind.

Another pilot pt 2

   Well the pilot Santa is painted. I for the most part like the way he came out although I did have to play around with the gold metal flake paint, it was too shiny. I mixed up some colors and watered them down pretty thin, just enough to paint to tone down the gold metal flake.

It was important for me that the goggles have a look that represents the effect of glass over-top of a color. To get the “glass look” here are the basics of how I attempted this. I don’t go into detail on the actual colors used as each carver will pick the colors that best represents their carving. I worked in some of the color from the cap watered down and painted it in the center of the goggles lenses. I then “watered down” slightly some blue to paint around the edge of the glass of the goggles. Then I came back with some more of the blue “watered down” even more and blended it into the center of the goggles never over lapping the center color all the way to the middle of each lens. I finished off with some white highlights in the center and around the perimeter of the glass area and the goggles are complete. I think the final product gives the illusion of glass on top of a colored cap. If anyone has any questions you can send me a line and I will do my best to reply in a timely manner. 

 On a side note I am starting my own doodle stick. This is where I will free hand carve different facial expressions until I run out of wood. Some will have facial hair some will not. This is not a new carving concept but one worth looking into. If you want to learn from the master of this go to the Don Mertz link on my page and click on the “WhittleDoodle IV & VII & MORE”. Don Mertz only carves these with a knife but that is up to you as a carver. The two posted pictures were not carved solely with a knife. I am going to try it in a future carving. Remember not every carving is a master piece, some should just be for the joy of carving and learning the art. There are links on my blog of carvers who have carved longer than I and share their knowledge on their sites, take a look.

another pilot

Well I have carved one more Santa pilot and this is probably the best one I have carved. Off of some images and photos off of the web I got more detail put into the goggles and will be able to high light those even more once I paint it. I have gotten into the habit of taking a "u" type gouge and making my first cuts a bit shallow to get a feel for the layout of the different parts that make up the carving. Once I see the general layout is pleasing to me I then go in and finalize the cut and move onto the next section.

I had seemed to have gotten into a rut with the way I was carving but the last two I have carved more over this one has made very happy. I will be the first to admit I am very hard on my carvings and my abilities as a carver at times, but this one I really seem to like. I still haven't found a way to carve a beard that I feel consistent or happy with, so there is still work to be done. Yet minus this issue of my own making, I am extremely happy with this carving and will be painting before the day is through. I will mimic the technique I used to paint the last goggles as I felt this gave the look I was after. Not sure about the colors for the cap though, I don't like having identical carvings even when it comes to the paint scheme. Stay tuned to see the finished product, paint and all.