Bear in a Canoe

 This carving is 5 inches long and 3 1/2 inches tall, from 1 inch stock. The canoe has a flat bottom so it can be put on a shelf. I super glued in a 8 inch twine so it could be hang on a Christmas tree. The painted lines are to add some color when on the tree. The bear is more of a caricature look that I like. The bears arms go over the side about a 1/16 of an inch. I didn't carve much depth in the canoe and didn't paint that area. I didn't find a color I like in that area. It's painted with watered down acrylic's.

 

 

Go Zag's

This bulldog is carved from 3/8 inch thick basswood as refrigerator magnets. The bulldog is the mascot for Gonzaga. We follow their basketball team every year. I carved the bulldog for gifts for my wife and a couple of friends. I took the picture of the three bulldogs on the refrigerator. It showed my reflection in the picture, so I took it again on the side of the refrigerator. When I enhanced the picture it gave me these neat background colors.

Carving Rendezvous

I always have fun at West Glacier Rendezvous. I taught the cowboy face on the bottle and took several classes. It's fun to carve and visit with fellow carvers and I can give back what I have learned in the past. Dave had a cutout which can be carved as a bear or a little cowboy. It is 4 1/2 inches tall. I chose to carve it as a cowboy. Saturday they have a group carving and this year it was a bear pen. I also started a plane and a bark house that I need to finish. The plane needs paint and the bark house will be put in a scene.

Little Pig

This is the other project I started to carve at the rendezvous. The pigs highest point is just under 3 inches. It's one of the fun projects I wouldn't normally carve and has a few challenges.

Climbing Bear

Last weekend I went to a woodcarving rendezvous at a KOA campground. I enjoy seeing friends that you don't see very often. Friday and Saturday there were 3 and 6 hour classes. Tom Ellis taught an old toy of climbing bears. They are 4 1/2 inches tall. You pull on the cords to make the bear climb up the cord.  I started carving a pig the next day, but didn't get to finish it because I taught a class on the mini duck that afternoon. I am almost done carving it at home. There was also a contest to carve a coffee spoon from cut out blanks. There was another spoon, but I missed getting a picture of it with the others. We were judged and then divided in two teams and had to carry water to fill a jar, Excellent weather and good fun.

Reindeer

This carving is from a Floyd Rhadigan  pattern. It may not look like a reindeer but it sure is cute. The blanket on the back gives it some added color that I like. On the eyes I added a gloss medium over the painted eyes. It brings out the eyes. The gloss medium & varnish is by Liquitex. Bird carvers use this on the beak and quills of the bird. It looks very nice hanging on the tree.

Chipmunk

Several people in my club are carving this chipmunk. I used a burner to burn in the hair. I used a varnish on the eyes to give them a glossy look. Chipmunk's are fun to watch in the woods with their chatter and their running around.

Red Fox

This carving is a stylistic red fox out of cottonwood bark. The fox is 7 inches long. The finish is hand rubbed Tru-Oil, which is a blend of linseed oil and natural oils that they use on gun stocks. The base is also cottonwood bark and it has a satin lacquer finish. 

Country Bears

The next month I will be carving some things to be for sale at a craft sale the first week in December. I want to have a better display of affordable items than  last year. We live in a smaller town where we know a lot of the people here. It is nice to be able to visit with people we don't see to often. Last year I was able to barter for a jar of huckleberry jam which tasted very good. I enjoyed myself and it was worth my time.
The country bears are carved from 2 inch square by 4 inches tall basswood. The profile is cut so you can carve a variety of clothes and arms. The front was cut around the head only.

  

Wolf- finished

                                                                   











  I found this piece of driftwood on the Washington coast that was weathered and gray. I dipped it into boiled linseed oil and it turned black and it looked like it was burnt. The next day I used a gouge to cut off the top layer and the result was this rich brown. What a surprise, a piece I thought was scape turned out this color. The wolf is pinned on the driftwood with brads and super glue. The block of wood underneath is attached with screws to the driftwood. 

Wolf, painting

When painting the wolf I used light washes of acrylic paints on the wolf. Brown tones, gray and white. It takes several coats to bring out the colors. The next step is mounting the wolf on a habitat and stand.

Wolf, burning in the hair

I used a Razertip unit to burn in the hair. I started on the rear legs burning in small c lines. I didn't like the way it looked, so I carved off that part and started over again burning in small s lines. I also used a gouge to carve the area around the ribs to break up that smooth look. Depending on the grain of the wood it made a difference on the heat setting on the burner. It's the first time I did hair like this, so I learned a lot. Next step is to paint the wolf.

Wolf Carving in progress

I thought it would be interesting to see the progress of a carving. I started from a block of basswood 2 inches by 5 inches tall by 8 inches in length. I used a band saw to cut out the side view. The wolf is hand carved with a knife and gouges, then lightly sanded for the next step of burning in the hair.