So now what?

Getting a GREAT LOOKING Carving

Deciding on a subject to carve a better looking item.


I know you’re new at this and all of this discussion just overwhelms a beginner, but how do you learn?

Pick something that inspires you or you are interested in. Carousel horses, faces, humans, Indians there are many to choose from. So pick one and try and find as many pictures of the subject as you can. Research here will improve the carving. Children’s coloring books offer good patterns for the beginner. If you can find a toy of ceramic figure of the thing your going to carve as a reference on the table in front of you as you carve. The pictures, and figure are not to copy but to get you to see the item you intend to carve. When I carve a face I may have as many as 10 pictures I use. There may be a wrinkle pattern on one, a nose on another, mouth and so on. I do suggest the following.

1. Find the best picture you can of the subject from a direct frontal and direct side or profile view. I once did a bust of Ronald Reagan and the front view picture was all that I used. Without a good profile, no matter how hard you try the face is only close to a good rendition. As few as 50% could even see his likeness even though the carving perfectly copied the picture.

2. Consider that most pictures are not square to the subject and this will throw off the perspective and therefore the carving. Tracing a picture, enlarged pictures from a copy machine are fine for an outline only. Leave a 1/16 or so extra wood to correct problems.

3. Try and capture motion in the carving. A man straight up and no action will look just that. Eyes looking straight ahead kill a carving, with a stare. Smooth clothing looks false. Plan all of this in your mind before you start removing any wood. Research, and more research now will make the carving look great.

4. Consider the wood you use, and the grain. Basswood carves easy, has no real grain, has the problem of fuzz and sanding is not what I call great. Butternut, avocado, birch, cherry have color, grain and add to the carving later. Walnut is dark and hides detail after finishing so consider that the lighting will always need to be bright. Firewood and found wood are free and mistakes burn well. I find that cracks and defects in found wood add to the subject matter with just a bit of planning. Many of my fencepost carvings have a base of the original wood finish and blend into the carving.

Rick

Getting started

Hello to anyone who may spend the time to read all of this.

Well at my age all this new stuff on computers are a bit new. I made up this blog to show pictures of my carvings and perhaps I should now post some words of wit or perhaps some carving ideas. I will try to perhaps cover some things about Wood Carving then.




Carving a piece of wood can and is for me a great way to get away from the junk and troubles of everyday life. When I was working and came home uptight I would tell Sandy “my wife” I needed to carve and went to the garage. There I got a big piece of firewood, a gouge and mallet and made chips. In a minute from starting out everything slipped away and I calmed down. Now not all of these creative carvings ever made it further than the fire, but my mood improved. This was because my mind just slipped into the “Right Side Of My Brain”. This side is the creative and what I call meditative side. At first this takes a bit of time to get there and repetition of the process just makes it come on easier. I now slip there with ease and I am all-alone without time, worries and such, Just the Carving.

Rick

The Last Supper

This carving of the Last Supper was completed in 1993 and has won many blue ribbons at woodcarving shows.

Christ

I finished and sold this carving in September 2008

Rabi

This is an older carving of a Rabi I carved for a friend back in 1991

Rabi Branski

This carving was done in cherry wood and from a single block. The Rabi is a friend of mine.

Kachina Carvings

Eagle Dancer