As has been previously mentioned I and other carvers and wood turners donated hand made ornaments for the Governors Mansion to honor the 100th anniversary of the Virginia Department of Forestry. Today I received an email with a photograph of the Governor who took time out of his day to be there the day the day the ornaments where being hung on the tree. As you can see he posed with some ornaments before they were placed on the tree and here is Governor McAuliffe holding a beautiful turned ornament in one hand and the ornament I donated in the other. It is a beautiful tree and full of wonderful ornaments so if you are up Richmond way and you are near the Governors Mansion check out the schedule and take the tour to see some wonderful craftsmanship. On the 19th of November I posted the mansions tour hours;

http://cartoons2carvings.blogspot.com/2014/11/well-other-day-i-forgot-i-had-carved.html

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 the Christmas celebration

Well I have been busy trying to get a few carvings done for the end of the season which is quickly approaching. Most of my efforts for my shop have been Santa and elf ornaments. I have one shelf tree elf carved out of butternut that I am really happy with. Many people advised me not to paint this would due to the grain, many grainy woods tend to let the color bleed along the grain. As an experiment I put one coating of protective finish, I made sure it was a thin even layer and then began to paint. From this the paint took to the wood but only where I put it and I have to say I am extremely happy with the way this one turned out. When the painting was complete I applied another protective coat this time letting it be a bit thicker coating which really highlighted the wood grain where paint was not applied. Overall I am happy with this set of carving and will be sad to see a few of them go.

 

 as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

carving updates

In the last few days I have been busy, I carved the two unpainted Santas and I have begun the painting process of my shelf tree elf, of course everyone has already read about him on my previous post.


I still need to decorate the tree and may paint a design on the maroon portion of his cap to make it more decorative and to give the look of a tree shirt. Overall I like the way he is looking and am happy with how the paint highlights his beard. I had read that this wood was hard to paint as the grain would let the colors bleed so I put a protective coat on before I began the painting process. No issues with the paint thus far.

I have also sketched in how I will consider painting the eyes on the ornaments to complete the expression of each. None of this is final since it was done in pencil so changes may occur once I actually begin to paint. I only have one ornament that I am unsure if the placement of the pupil is how I will paint him in the end.

as always happy trails  

and

Carpe diem 4 carving  

shelf tree elf

Well this weekend I had the opportunity to do a few things and among them was to carve my shelf tree elf. He is carved from butternut wood. I like the look of this wood on a whole but for most carvings I am not as fond of this as I am bass wood. For this carving though it does seem to work well with the overall carving. I didn't go to in depth with detailing the whiskers on the face, I tried to let the carving and the wood grain work together for this area of the carving. I am debating on whether I will paint him or leave it the way it is yet am leaning towards painting watered down colors so that the wood grain is still highlighted. I do think a bit of color on the tree and face will work as long as I do it discreetly.

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving 
 
 

tree elf carving pt II number two

Yes I have completed another tree elf carving and I have to say I am really happy with this one and his expression. I am honing my skills at working out the expression in the beginning stages of the carving process. This works well and if you don't like the way it is coming out as long as you have been tempered in how deep you carve you can always adjust and modify your carving.

This is something everyone who learns from videos needs to work at. So many carvers carve exactly as the teacher taught so in the long run it is never really their carving. Lately I am changing the way I carve different areas of the face as well. I do this so I am no longer relying on my memory of doing each step taught from this or that instructor. I want to learn the technique but not process and/or design. I want the carvings to be mine even if they start from a preset pattern from an instructor. I have begun to play around with those as well so that they have slowly become my pattern.

In the end it was a good evening of carving. When I have the carving already roughed out I can usually get an ornament done in one sitting. This keeps me from having any late night snacks as well so hey one could say that carving is a healthy choice for me.

Some have inquired since it is not even Thanksgiving about the background of my photos and yes it is true. Our tree is up! Tradition in our house is the week before Thanksgiving we put the tree up and add white lights. Then the weekend after Thanksgiving we put colored lights and ornaments. I like to get the tree up without anything being said to my boys about what day I will do this. this way they come home from school and there it is. I didn't get to this year but usually I have a remote control with me and as they walk in the house I hit the clicker and the tree lights up. Just part of the fun of the holidays. And of course since I have an abundance of ornaments (cause I keep ones that I really like) I always have an ornament ready to be placed on the tree.

 

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

 

& family holiday traditions

Tree elf carving

Well I got wonderful feedback from everyone about the tree elf carved for the Governors mansion's Christmas tree this year so I have carved another one. He will probably be placed in my Etsy shop before all is said and done. This one I carved the tree branches with softer curves and I like the effect it gives to the tree over all.

 

From the response I will carve a couple of these as I have a few people who want one, that makes my carving even more enjoyable and fun. As everyone who knows me knows I never try to carve the same carving twice but since I love carving faces this will give me the opportunity to play around with expressions and features to make each one unique. As we look to the holidays I have to say beyond my family this gift of carving is what I am thankful for this holiday. 

 

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

 

speacial ornament for Virginia

Well the other day I forgot I had carved one other carving that I recently carved but forgot to show him. He is one of my smaller versions of an ornament and will need to be painted soon.

I also just finished a carving right under the wire for when it is due to be delivered. It is a carving for the 100th anniversary of the Virginia Department of Forestry celebration. This year the Governor's Mansion's Christmas tree will feature forestry in the Commonwealth. Wood carvers are donating hand carved ornaments for the tree and I have carved one for the occasion. Here is my forestry elf ready to celebrate Christmas at the Governor's Mansion. At the end of the season he won't come home to me, instead he will go to his new home at the Va. Dept. of Forestry headquarters where hopefully he will come out every Christmas to be placed upon their tree.

You may have noticed that pieces of the forestry logo have been incorporated into the carving, such as the trees on either side of the elf's cap. I also tried my best to match up with the colors of the logo for the forestry department. 

In case you’d like to see the Christmas decorations…

Open House on December 5th – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Grand Illumination. (There will be two choirs singing.)

Open House on December 14 – Noon to 5 p.m. (again, music is likely) Court Side Christmas. This is an event that the Mansion participates in with other historic sites downtown and is sponsored by the Richmond History Center. There is a hop-on shuttle that takes visitors to all the different venues, but you can go only to the Mansion if you prefer.

 

Regular tours: Mansion closed Mondays.   Tuesdays (Dec. 9, 16), Wednesdays (Dec. 10, 17) and Thursdays (Dec. 11, 18):  10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For the holidays, the Mansion will also offer tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19.  (These will be more of a “walk-through” rather than a formal guided tour.)

 as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

 



dusting off the cob webs by doodling

 Well I haven't carved lately, about the only thing I have done is two whittle doodles. Just trying to dust off some of the cob webs since some time has passed since my last carvings. I have a few projects that I need to get started on so hopefully in the not so distant future I will have a few more to post. I also will be adding a carving or two to my Etsy shop in the not so distant future. During my break from carving I painted a closet in the breezeway of our house so it is not like I haven't been productive just not carving productive.

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

New blog by veteran writer

Now there is a new blog from a veteran writer. She has had a blog for years but it is now under a new name but still the same great writing and tips for wood carvers everywhere.  Susan Alexander Carves is out there and ready for new and old viewers who love tips from veteran carvers.

http://susanalexandercarves.com/

 

You will find more information on these pages than you will be able to use, she is a great carver and ambassador for carving and simply lives to learn and share what she has leaned with you. Please take the time to stop by her blog and see what she has to offer there.

 

 

 

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

4th of 4 finally painted and then some

Well last night I painted the last of the four and it came out pretty nice, if I don't say so myself and as Red Skelton would say "if I do it I get a whippin..........I do it" so yes it came out pretty nice. I did this one with less detail on the carving side and let the paint do some of the highlighting. You may have noticed that I didn't carve detail in the eye brows but simply applied a layer or two of paint. Didn't paint in much detail in the tassel either just a coating of white and fini.

I also reworked or modified a carving that had already been painted and thought it was done. My neighbor is a tech fan and is having some health issues so I modified the ornament for him. Since I am a Nebraskan this will not become a habit of defacing my carvings with other teams :) but hopefully it will bring him a smile during this time.

as always happy trails
and
Carpe diem 4 carving
(and painting)