So I finally got around to carving one of my patterns out of my book. I had to make some modifications because at first he had a big smile on his face and why would he be smiling he just broke the tip of his blade? I probably should have removed the teeth as they still seem to give him a happy expression but I will do that on the next one. I also wasn't paying great attention to the blades direction when I carved him so if you look real close you will see the angle of the blade is a bit off from the angle of the face, I simply took more cuts from one side than the other and in turn changed the direction of the blade ever so slightly.
Overall I am happy with the end result but I will re-carve this one and make the said changes/corrections and see how he comes out. For those interested in carving this pattern go to Amazon and order my pattern book Cartoons 2 Carving: Making the transition from paper to wood. There is a great set of progression photos from award winning carver Tony Harris on this carving. The carving in the last photo of the two knives shows Tony's finished version. His is the larger one clinching his teeth.
as always,
"Good night and May God bless"