luck of the irish pt 2

Painted and posted. Michaleen as he is known is finished and posted in my Etsy shop. He was carved out of butternut and when I first looked into an optional wood to carve I came across this one. It has a wonderful grain that can work well with the carving but can also be an issue to deal with. Most of what I read about this wood was that you can't paint it because the grain makes the colors run. I have found that if you put a sealant coat on before you begin the painting process that it will take paint and no issues with the grain. So I dip my carvings in the sealant, take a paper towels and wipe them down to get an even coating and then let them dry. Once they are completely dry I begin the painting process.


I found this out by accident really, I had carved my tree shelf elf and applied the sealant on him thinking that was the final step. With no paint at all for me the grain was distracting more than anything and I decided to try to apply paint to in my mind save my carving. I liked the look of the grain but if you compare the carving on the left to the carving on the right you will see the difference between the two. Maybe it is my cartooning background but I still like the one with color. To see the completed carving go to my posting on December 9th.

But from this I have learned that you can paint butternut and for me and my carvings I think it works with some color added.

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

Here is the latest face carved and now painted. Knowing that he would be an older gentleman I gave him gray hair. When  I painted the hat it just looked too new so I scuffed it up some as if this one is his favorite and he has been wearing it more than a day.

I will need to cut out his lower portion but since I do all my band saw work outside it may be a bit before I get around to this due to our wonderful weather. When I do he will donning a pair of coveralls, striped coveralls to be specific. I am not sure if he will be a full body carving or a bust carving, probably leaning towards a bust carving at this point.

 

 

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

My latest carving, this one is of a man in a ball cap. I am not sure yet how his body portion will be carved but I am leaning towards a shirt and coveralls. Might even do a half body to allow me to carve more of the coveralls. For the cap I  might give him a John Deere design. I am also considered putting "USA" on the cap with a American flag design on the bill of the cap. Or it could end up being a fishing cap. Haven't decided as of yet. For me this is part of the joy of carving, watching the carving progress into a character. Before I even begin the carving process for this and the soldier's body portion I need to get some painting done. This will give me more time to consider all the options and how I want to proceed for both.

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

This is the second of the two carvings done with a Nebraska theme. When I began to prepare to carve a hunter for my niece I rough cut two different setups to see which one would match up best with my plans. The first came out well and will be the one she receives so since I had this one left over I thought I would carve one for our house, after all I and my youngest are Nebraska fans as well. I really exaggerated the folds in the cap and also added a stripe down the center of the cap to match the helmet. I gave him a fleece jacket that will be painted grey with the "N" painted red of course. I considered putting "cornhuskers across the back but have opted out of that as to not over do it. I may paint a helmet on the back in the center though. I gave three bust and an ornament a sealant coat yesterday so will begin the painting process today if not tomorrow.

 

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

at ease soldier

I had another head for a bust prepared and even though he was a back-up head for another carving I decided to put it to use for another idea I had. I always wanted to carve some soldiers from different eras so thought this would be my first attempt. I have to say I like his features but in the future I will make the helmet wider, though for this one it seems to work. I know there is a debate among carvers, carve from a solid piece of wood or piece it together.  I don't believe Chris Hammock pieces his together rather carves from blocks of wood and roughs them out then goes in for detail.

 

On the other hand Lynn Doughty, I believe, would carve the helmet separate and then cut the head and added the helmet on after. After carving this one I can see how that would have worked out better for this and given me a cleaner carving. I will try that approach with the next soldier I carve. I am thinking down the road carving a doughboy to honor my grandpa who served in WWI. I can see the benefits of both ways of carving and for me it is the end result that matters. If I had taken that approach I would have saved myself the aggravation of areas that were hard to get to like under the helmet and around the eyes. In the end each carver has to make the call on which procedure works best for their style carving. Maybe I should have considered not cutting out the space between his helmet and his forehead after all you have to lean the carving to even see it. What did it really bring to the carving to have that space?  

 

as always happy trails a

nd

Carpe diem 4 carving

luck of the Irish update

 This morning I got some work done on the body portion of this carving, gave him a nice sweater to wear to keep him warm after all it's 43 in Dublin. As I did with the tree shelf elf, once all the details in the carving are complete I will put a sealant on the carving and then add some paint to the carving. At this point I will probably add color to the face, possibly the beard. I of course will paint the eyes and the sweater as well but that will probably be it for this one. I like to have the wood and it's grain be highlighted as this is part of the lure of this wood. I may add some color to the cap but if I do it will be subtle. I may try and have the grain be the pattern of the cap opposed to painting something on it. But we shall see...........

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving

the luck of the Irish

Well I am back to carving and am currently working on a bust carving. I will work on the body portion today I need to make the call on what he will be wearing to match his cap. I am considering a nice Irish sweater, maybe a turtle neck. With or with out a jacket I haven't decided but am leaning towards that at the present time.
 

He was carved from butternut as will be the rest of the carving, This is the actual piece of wood that due to the grain gave way the other day and caused me to stab myself, that is why I carved his ears in a way to suggest maybe a bit of Leprechaun in him though as I am typing this I have to say I don't know that Leprechauns are known to have any particular style of ear. I gave him sad eyes but for no particular reason, I have toyed with what direction he will be looking. I may break the carving rule and simply have him looking straight ahead.

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 carving   

 
Well some days my carving experience is better than others and yesterday was not one of those days. I was working on a rough out just beginning to shape it, a piece of butternut, when a piece let loose due to the grain of the wood and into my finger went the tip of my Mark Akers signature knife from Helvie knives.

 

As many may know Mark requested using the silhouette of one of my illustrations for his knife, something I was honored to have him do. After all he is known for his Santa carvings so my illustration matched up wonderfully for his purpose.

Well it was this exact knife that made contact with my flesh, cutting through elastic wrap, through my glove and into my index finger. Luckily the first two layers slowed it down and in the end made a small but clean cut. So I am now in the market for a new glove but for now will have carry on business as usual. I have to say it is a very disappointing wound deeper than long and really not sure how deep. Every time I tried to check it, it would begin bleed all over again and I never got an idea of the damage done. It just happened to be a place that bleeds easily and makes for a more dramatic visual in the beginning. After carving for a while you get used to a nick here or there, comes with the territory I guess.

Before I forget, the elastic wrap when used for it's original purpose actually helps a cut to close up much nicer than a band aid ever would, for future reference for all who may need it.

 

as always happy trails

and

Carpe diem 4 Carving

and carving gloves

carving bust

 Recently I carved a bust carving based on a picture of a family member. This was not done as a caricature but just loosely based on the image. I haven't carved anything this detailed in a while and have to say I am happy with the results. I was going to attach arms but I don't believe the body portion is broad enough to have shoulders attached. I also wondered if the arms would make it awkward considering the amount of body showing, they might have ended up throwing off the balance of the carving. We will never know since the arms won't be carved and attached, that will be for the next carving.

This carving is based on a hunter who though out in the fields seeking out deer or pheasant hasn't forgotten where he is from. He after all is a Nebraskan so he proudly wears a hunter's cap that will be painted hunter orange with a big red "N" on the front of the cap. He will also have a black jacket under the bright orange vest, he is a fan of the Blackshirts after all. You see this hunter is a Cornhusker and proud of it. I still have some clean up to do but overall this one is done.

as always happy trails

and 

Carpe diem 4 carving

(and the Cornhuskers Go Big Red)