Classic European Woman

I wanted to try carve something I haven't done in the past. I have been a fan of Ian Norbury and his wood sculpting. This is a female bust from his book. I used a piece of basswood I had, so the bust is 6 inches tall. This type of subject has to be well sanded so it won't show carve marks when held in different light sources.  The wood flaw didn't show until I stared carving the face. I was lucky it was at the side of the eye and not in the middle of the eye. The pictures were taken at a little angle, so the face is a little longer on the actual carving. Ian goes into taking photographs of the model for an actual guide for your carving pattern.  

Joe Black

On this snowy day a good cup of coffee tastes good. When I was a kid our family would visit my great uncles. They were two bachelors who made their living trapping and with a few milk cows. During those visits coffee would be served. I remember my uncles with a sugar cube between their teeth and sipping hot coffee from a saucer. There also was cinnamon toast which was good for dunking in the coffee. Today we drink our coffee from mugs, and I do like to dunk my cookies in the coffee. This carving is from a Chris Hammack roughout, 3 1/2 inches tall.

Holly Spoon

I really like this spoon design for the holidays, I carved it from a carving magazine. It is 10 inches long and is carved on both sides. This colorful spoon will be a welcome decoration for our family Christmas seasons.

Village Tree's

Every year my wife sets up this village for the holidays.It was in desperate need of some trees. I carved these trees in cotton wood bark. I penciled out U's all the way down a cone shape and used a knife and a gouge to cut the branches. I painted the tree with a green wash and added some snow. It is a great addition to this village.

Santa Is Coming To Town

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. I let my wife chose a rough-out of a Santa and she liked this one. It will compete with all the doll type Santa's. It is 16 inches tall. This is the time of year there is a lot of good cheer and a giving nature. I hope it can carry on throughout the next year.

 

Wood Necklace

This is my first attempt at carving a necklace. It has been a learning experience with the clasps and chains. The two hearts are carved out of lilac that I trimmed back last spring. They are cut at an angle to give that grain look. They are a light tan and white in color. The eye is a twisted wire glued in a drilled hole. The hook is carved in cherry that a friend cut down this last spring. It's heart wood is a reddish brown. Both woods are a hardwood.

Santa Revisited

I had carved this same Santa in December 2010. The block of wood is a quarter inch larger but I carved the Santa thinner. This one is 9 inches tall. The chip carved part has smaller chips. I added a line border to the chips because it looked unfinished. I like this version a lot better.