Catawba Woodcarvers show

Well the show has come and gone and I am back home in Virginia. The show was all day Saturday with carving demonstrations and raffles and of course the wood carving competition. As you see, it was a good show for my ornaments garnishing a 1st, 2nd and honorable mention. Now placing in a competition, most would assume that this was the highlight of the event but there was so much more. For instance I got into town Friday evening, checked my carvings into the show and then just looked around till 6 pm when the show closed for the day. After this I ran to my hotel to get checked in and then called Dwayne Gosnell so we could meet up for dinner, then after dinner we went back to his house got out the tools and carved till almost midnight. Wonderful learning experience though I struggled to get to sleep trying to remember all that was taught.

Then Saturday and time for the show but first I had some errands to run. Being that my wife was an NC State grad I wasn't going to be in the state of North Carolina and not get her something with NC State on it. I checked a couple store but the best stuff was at the Kohl's there in Hickory and I got her a few items and now it's time for me to go to the show. A portion of the day was spent showing those interested my pattern book that I am hoping will be in print before the end of the year. I am shooting for mid November but that is for another day and another blog post.

The majority of the day was spent hanging out with wood carvers from the Catawba Valley Woodcarvers Club members as well as other carvers who attended the show. I had the chance to sit with Mitch Cartledge and Kevin Applegate and talk carving, wood carving patterns and NC State as Mitch was a grad of there as well. The two gentlemen could not have been more gracious and welcoming and as like my time carving with Dwayne this really made it a memorable show. While sitting with the two of them I came up with a wonderful idea and they were once again gracious enough to go along with me on it. The version of my book was in rough-draft mode and they not only took the time to look it over and give me feedback but they and a good few others signed the book for me simply because I made the request.

I am not a big autograph seeker, I don't have a major collection of these and the ones I have are Nebraska Cornhusker related autographs, like Dr. Tom Osborne, yeah that one's a good one. Not for the monetary value but for the 25 years of watching him as the schools head coach. In the same regard the signatures in my book were not based on the monetary value but for the memory of hanging out with carvers that I admire for their down home attitude and for the wondrous talents God has given them. Signatures only have monetary value if you would sell them one day and like my mini helmet and book with Dr. Tom's, this book with the likes of carvers such as Dwayne Gosnell, Mitch Cartledge, Kevin Applegate and others is for my scrap book and mine alone. I may do other shows and I may after this one gets placed in print attempt another book but this show and this book are my first and that will always be a cherished memory to be. I couldn't thank these folks enough for the wonderful show and time I had this past Saturday.

as always, 

Good night and May God bless

  

another pilot pt 3 fini

Well another pilot is done and the sealant has been applied. There are many carvers out there and with that there is a wide variety of how they finish off their carvings. Not sure many use my method but there are two reasons I do and why I like the results I get. First off here is how I finish off my carvings. I use Minwax polycrylic with a satin finish on most of them and to apply I simply dip them down into it. I let them hang for a few minutes to have some of it run back off into the can, using a wood dowel to lean it back and forth to help empty out any cranny in the carving. I then go around with a torn piece of paper towel and gentle dab up any excess from the carving mostly in the crevasses where there might be a build up like eye sockets and between the lips. I use a torn piece of paper towel because it seems to absorb it more this way. This process doesn't take that long and within an hour or two it is completely dry to the touch. Even though it is a satin finish the carving has a bit of a sheen to it and for a Christmas ornament that's just fine. After all a good majority of my carvings are ornaments of Santa like characters, carved for the sole purpose of decorating the Christmas tree covered with other ornaments and of course the glow of lights. Bright lights whether clear of colored, that reflect off of the ornaments all season long.

as always, 

Good night and May God bless

another pilot pt 2

So the other day I showed a new carving I had worked on and I wanted to share how he looked with color added. I did some basic colors, trying not to over paint him and with this one I keep the face a little more under toned than many of my ornaments, not sure why it just seemed to fit him this way. For the first time also I didn't paint the whole Army Air Corp logo, instead I have a portion of it incomplete to highlight that this isn't the completed tassel. Once again wasn't really a game plan here just painted him in a way that seemed to compliment the overall carving. Hope you like him.

as always, 

Good night and may God bless

another pilot

The other night I carved this guy not planning on a pilot just carving so for once I have a pilot with no goggles. He looked like something was missing so since I couldn't add goggle without drastic measure I decided to add a simple cigarette.

And then at the last moment I went in and removed some wood from his beard and that just seemed to fit in with his overall design. I don't do this a lot with my carvings but it just seemed that it would fit in this one's overall look. Next up the painting process, stay tuned.

as always, 

Good night and May God bless

pumpkin carvings and more

So I took a break from the pattern book and dusted off the carving tools. I started with a study stick of sorts though quickly found that it wouldn't be long enough to do the 4 stages, so I did 3. On the back I thought I would use what I was practicing and carved a face. I was pretty happy with this one overall and may consider painting a portion of it in the next few days dependent on the rest of my work load.

Once done with the study stick I did a carving doodle of a face, nothing planned here just playing around with facial features and hair.

So I had one more evening that I got out my carving knifes and tried my hand at one last a pumpkin. Even though I have heard nice things about the new and old one I still have no desire to do any more. What can I say I am the Scrooge of Halloween and proud of it. I think the pumpkins expression explains it all.

as always, 

Good night and May God bless

Now I should start with the fact that I hate Halloween, I don't like scary movies so this month is a bust for TCM for the most part and yeah I love TCM. But don't get me wrong, minus one or two I love Alfred Hitchcock movies, most of them.

But in the little bit of the spirit of the season that I can muster I carved my first pumpkin head. I tried to carve this where it would look organic, like the pumpkin was deformed  and grew this way. I still have some clean up to do and then he needs some color but for the most part and of course lack of enthusiasm this guy is done. I may leave a portion of the wood under the pumpkin head and paint it green, then again maybe not.



Hope everyone has a great day and stay tuned as info on the upcoming book could be here sooner than later.

as always, 

Good night and May God bless

Cartoons2Carvings is on Facebook

Cartoons 2 Carvings will now have a Facebook page but that doesn't mean you can keep coming by here, please do. But for those who frequent Facebook here is the new way to access my efforts in the art world; www.facebook.com/cartoons2carvings.

For a few years now I have tried to share my carvings as well as cartoons on Facebook through my personal page but I have never liked the idea of people I only know through the web and carving having access to my personal life. At times I have held back sharing certain things and at times I share more on the carvings side and not as much on the personal side due to the blurred lines. Don't get me wrong I have met some wonderful carvers through the internet and will always welcome getting to know new carvers. But I need to have a private life, between family and close personal friends. I am old school in this regard and will be this way till God calls me home.

as always,

 Good night and May God bless