Puffin

I had a great time at West Glacier Rendezvous in August. I gave a class in carving a Puffin and took a couple of classes. This Puffin is 2 by 2 inches by 4 inches tall. I carved it as an ornament. 

Bird Ornaments

I did more to these birds as ornaments then I could have. I like the idea of a bird I can hang a the tree and then hang it in my camper the rest of the year.I enjoy doing the detail on birds and I am still learning a lot on doing that.

American Goldfinch

I carved two Goldfinch's. One is a ornament that is five inches long and the other is a small Finch that is three inches long. I carved and painted them at the same time.

Cardinal Ornament

The cardinal seems to be a Christmas favorite. I like carving birds for ornaments because they can be hung the year around. That is why I put a lot of detail into them. 

Minni Decoy

I finally got around to painting these small decoys. The first one I painted the head with acrylics and the body with linseed oil and burnt umber oil paint. I saw a decoy done this way and I liked the way it looked, I didn't go into a lot of detail on the second decoy. It represents a hunting decoy rather than a decorative decoy. I had a decoy maker and hunter tell me that what matters is if the ducks are attracted to the decoy. I used an extender to the paint to give me more time to blend the paint on the head. To give a little gloss to the eyes I used my wife's top coat for nails.   

Mini Decoy Carved

I added an 1/8th inch to the bottom of the mallard decoy so it would look a little more rounded at the bottom. I was able to improve the curl at the tail. For the eyes I drilled an 1/8 inch hole while the bird was in the squared form. After carving the head I used a dowel for the eyes. I rounded the end of the dowel on a drill motor with sand paper and made sure it fit the hole. I burned in the nostril, every thing else is carved. I kept it simple and any detail wanted can be painted on. It is now ready to paint.

Mini Duck Decoy

This is my first carving of a mini duck decoy. It is a male Mallard and is about 5 inches long. From this I will be able to see what changes I will need to do in the design, carving and in painting. In a future blog I will tell what I changed. This time of the season the ducks, geese and swans migrate north. They stop at the shallow ends of the lake to feed. It is an enjoyable time to bird watch as there are so many birds.

Chickadee

I carved two Chickadee's, one in basswood and one in white pine. The one in pine I used the stone on the upper back and head. I was also a little more aggressive with my stoning. I like the softer look a little better on the Basswood. I use a knife and gouges to cave birds,  and power for stoning. These birds are intended to be hung as a Christmas ornament or I hang mine in the motor home from one of the ceiling vents.

Cardinal Ornament

This Cardinal is carved in basswood and is 5 1/2 inch long. It is more detailed than most bird ornaments would be, but I like the size and look of it on a tree. We don't have Cardinals in my area although they would be a welcome addition if they migrated this way.

Nuthatch Ornament

I hand carved this Nuthatch and used power for the texturing. The feathers were burned in. The Nuthatch is 4 inches long and will be used as an ornament. I like these birds as they can be hung on a tree for the holidays or hung the year around. I think it will look good in my motor home.

Comfort birds

My computer went down so I had to buy a new one. I'm learning how to move around Windows 8 and see what programs I can install. The birds are caved in butternut. The finish is Tru-Oil. It is a gun stock finishing oil. It is applied with your finger or a cloth. Applying several coats bring out the luster of the wood. The pattern I used is cut from a two inch square by four and a half inch long.

Chickadee

This Chickadee is a little larger than half size. I turned the head a little bit. I didn't use any measurements when carving. The eyes look like I placed them to high on the head. After I painted the bird, I dropped it and it landed on it's beak. We had a bird feeder by I window and every once in a while a bird would fly into the window so I had to move the feeder.  So this bird has a crooked beak. I like the paint work on the bird. The feet are made from wire that is soldered. The Chickadee is perched on a piece of wood cut from a Cherry tree branch. 

Comfort Bird

When I saw the Comfort bird in Woodcarving Illustrated I had to carve one. I liked the idea because of the touching aspect. I carved mine out of butternut and cottonwood bark. I used a knife to carve it then a palm sander to smooth out the knife marks. On the bark I cut the tail at a bit of an angle so it would show the layers of the bark. Both these woods are easy to carve and it doesn't take long to finish the bird. The finish is a couple coats of clear satin and then some wax. They do have a good feel to them. The pattern in the magazine is a little off, so draw a line though the middle and copy the one side for the other side.

Roadrunner

I carved this roadrunner at the West Glacier Rendezvous. I remember the Roadrunner and Wile Coyote cartoon, beep, beep. It may not look like the cartoon caricature or the real roadrunner, but it was fun to carve. I don't know if his eyes are worried or tired. The ribs of the Saguaro Cactus were carved with a v tool in short cuts. The Saguaro Cactus grows maybe one inch a year, but to a great height of 15 to 50 feet. The largest plants are estimated to be 200 years old. They flower in May and June. If fertilization has occurred fruit will begin to form. The 3 inch green fruit ripens just before the fall rainy season, splitting open to reveal the bright red, pulpy flesh. The natives use the fruit for jam and nectar.

 

Blackburnian Warbler

The Blackburnian Warbler migrates to the north spruce woods of Canada and northeastern United States in the spring. They nest high in the spruce trees and feed on insects they find in the trees. They winter in the south mostly in the Andean Highlands from Venezuela to Peru. The Warbler is 4 1/2 to 5 inches long. The Warblers come in so many rich and brilliant colors. I carved this bird a little larger then half size at the West Glacier Rendezvous and used the guide of Rick Butz's book on Woodland Warblers for the colors. The feet are made with wire and the eyes are glass.

Rooster

This was a project we carved in a three hour class at the West Glacier rendezvous this last August. I painted it with acrylic's when we got home. The rooster is 6 inches tall and out of basswood. The wings and tail are pegged in place. The rooster has a Christmas theme with the red hat and coat. It is a simple project with a country look.

Just Looking

These geese are carved from basswood. I liked them carved in bark a lot better, because of the grain of the bark. There is just a natural finish on the birds and the base. A fun part was how to arrange the birds on the base. They looked good in several ways. They are screwed in so they can be turned for a different look.

Goose

This goose is carved out of cottonwood bark. The part showing bark at the feet was a friendly accident and shouldn't be carved out. It's 6 inches long and two and one half inches tall. I have carved this goose and a mate out of basswood. It's in the process of a finish and base.

Cardinal Ornament

An American Cardinals flew in. No, we are not lucky enough to have these birds come to our feeders in northern Idaho. This bird were carved out of basswood. I wanted to show the feathers so I burned them in with Razertips feather formers. The picture lighting isn't very good, so it doesn't show the fine details. I like the wing hanging down but I'm still working on the wing shape and to narrow the head. It takes some practice to burn in the feathers, but I'm learning that as well.

American Goldfinch

The Goldfinch is found throughout the United Sates and in southern Canada. This project is a life size and is on a piece of driftwood.With their lemon yellow color they are very noticeable flying around and at the feeders.