Gunny Sack Hobo was carved for Matt Altland who made a couple of knives for me through his knife making business Deep Holler Knives.  Hobos were traveling labors who traveled from place to place is search for work and a better life.  In their idle time many would pass the time by whittling and carving novelties to trade for food and necessities.  The character of a hobo is a natural carving subject.

A mental picture of a hobo depicts a figure with the appearance of having slept in his clothes for many days while traveling from place to place carrying his necessities in a bindle bag, gunny sack or a worn-out satchel.

The photo gallery will show a variety of views of this carved hobo what reveals the characteristic of a typical hobo.

There is an old saying, “Clothes make the man,” which can be applied to the carving of male figures.  A male face is basically the same on whatever character is being carved while it is the outfit (clothing) that distinguishes the kind of character. A male face with a beard and mustache can become a mountain man, a hippy, a soldier, a hillbilly, a farmer, a fireman, a truck driver or a Santa depending upon the clothing/outfit.  In the case of a Hobo, the face can look scruffy, unshaven and even bald but the clothes that are ragged, worn, torn, patched and mismatched distinguished him as a Hobo.  Hobos are fun to carve because of all the variety of things that can be designed into the outfit.

The next series of photos will be progressive steps in the carving process to show the development of the hobo.