Santa bust, maybe

Yeah maybe a bust, I added color to the Santa bust and bricks at the base. I am thinking too much color, or should I say too strong a color. I didn't obey one of the rules of carving I have been taught, paint the color on a spare piece of wood first to test it. The red of the bust is too strong for my taste and gives it a cartoony effect that based on the title of the blog you would think I would like, yeah, no. I have found that a thinner color best suits my taste for the overall look of a carving, so this one in some ways is a bust. You be the judge, and if I am right, “don’t tell me I don’t want to know”. Good grief Charlie Brown. 

My son had an idea I might try, to put chimney smudges on Santa, make it look like he has been busy.  

Santa bust

My latest is a Santa bust from Mark Akers collection. I have carved a few of his and though I like this one it is probably not my favorite. Not because of the rough out itself but because, from time to time, the knife or should I say the holder of the knife makes a slight mistake and it impacts the carving. Somehow I nicked the nose flare and had to re-adjust the nose on this one. Even though it ended up looking OK  I still see how the nose just isn't the way I wanted it. I feel like with this one I have made some strides in my carving of the beard. This one seems to flow better, although back when I had a beard mine never flowed, maybe I didn't grow it out long enough. Overall I like the design of this one and am happy with the result. So here it is and of course color will proceed shortly.

bottle topper gets color

Well here it is, bottle topper with color. I still need to put a finish on it but I can at least show it now that the paint has been added.

 I haven't decided whether to paint the beard or not. I have painted some beards on my ornaments and I have left some natural. I like them either way, I wonder, since he is an elf should he have a white beard if I do paint it. What color should it be if not white?

rough out carving, bottle topper

Well I wanted to make a bottle stopper but instead made one of Mark's bottle toppers. I thought this would work better for most bottles but not sure, I don't drink wine. I was happy over all with the carving and really enjoyed playing with the design of the cap. I am not sure if I exaggerated the fold of the cap to much but I thought it gave it a nice flow. I should have spent more time on the ears and cleaned them up better, but you get the idea that they are ears so let's move on.

I still need to refine my beard carving, I don't get the flow that many do, so there is more room for improvement. It's not like that is a bad thing. Overall I am happy with the carving, wait til you see it in color.

color added to both

Well two more have been painted and awaiting finish coat. I have been experimenting with a thinned out paint application compared to my earlier works and have been happy with the results. It almost seems to be too faint in color but once the finish is applied all colors darken slightly. This does help with the wood grain still being slightly visible even after the paint and finish are applied. So here they are awaiting a finish to complete the carving.

latest carving

Another ornament but this like the last one is carved out of a 2" corner cut with very little rough out prep. Mostly cut out the outer shape of the ornament just to get it started. This one was a bit thinner due to the band saw issue previously mentioned, which in the long run I liked how it made the carving come out. There were some issues on this that I wasn't happy with but just means room for improvement.

latest ornament

Well just finished the main carving of a Santa ornament. This one is just a basic corner cut carving from a 2” block. Tried to set up a holder for my band saw to get a straight cut but first attempts didn’t go well. I will get out the Shopsmith manual for the band saw and see how I can make it cut better. Until I get it figured out I will continue to cut the blocks free hand. 

Bass-ics Santa with paint

Well I got time in for painting the other day and am happy with the results. I watered down the color even more than normal and am very happy with the results. Like the civil war bust I tried to apply the paint so that the grain will still show through. With the cap I painted the color one time and never went back to make it even out. Overall I am very happy with the results and am ready to carve another.

Red Skelton presenting the Pledge of Allegiance

 No carvings today, instead I wondered if you have you ever heard this before? Well I have and to this day it touches my heart and reminds me why I love this country, and I do, unashamedly. I guess I am an old heart because I have always loved the movies and music from the 40’s. I loved the comedies and the musicals of that time. My favorites ranged from John Wayne, Cary Grant, Kathrine Hepburn and of course Jimmy Stewart. I could go on and on here so I won't. When it comes to comedies I am a big fan Danny Kaye and of course, Red Skelton. For those who love this great land of ours, this is a treat. So without further ado, may I present;

 Red Skelton presenting the Pledge of Allegiance

back to the bass-ics

Well I got back to the bass-ics for my latest carving, back to bass wood. This was a rough out of Mark Akers and to be honest I struggle with rough-outs not sure if it is there seems to be too much detail starting out or that I feel limited in what I am getting ready to carve. But I am fairly pleased with this one and am anxious to get some color added. Not un-happy with the beard but not totally happy either, sometimes my beards seem stiff and hard. I think there is still room for improvement in this area of my carvings, but overall happy with it so far.