Whittle Folk Shelf Squatters are various carved faces that sit upon a shelf with part of the carving hanging in front of the shelf.  They are carved out of a one inch square by two inch tall block of basswood.  A saw cut half way into the back side at a slight downward angle approximately one half of the length of the block of wood will establish where the Squatter will sit on the shelf.

In the photo on the left, on the bottom row, the left block has a saw cut with a line penciled in to indicate what area of wood needs to be removed.  The next block to the right has the wood removed revealing how the back side of a Shelf Squatter will sit on a shelf.  The third and fourth  Squatters are partially carved and the fifth is ready to be painted.  The painted Shelf Squatters on the top shelf are examples of various themes for Shelf Squatters.

Steve, at Cross Point Centre, Centerville, Ohio commissioned a “look alike” Shelf Squatter of himself as these four photographs show the carved and then the painted  Squatter beside the photograph of Steve. His co-workers thought it was a good likeness of him gauranteed to keep the mice away.

Beards hanging over the shelf works well in these carvings of Civil War Soldiers and a Pirate while faces and heads without beards can have a shirt and tie hanging over shelf, or a breastplate for an Indian, a bandanna for a cowboy or even a very long bushy mustache hangs well.  Shelf Squatters are colored using the “Painting Softly” method described on another page of this site.  Painting Softly uses artist oil paint mixed with boiled linseed oil and when dry a coat of Deft semi-gloss brushing lacquer puts the finishing touch on these Shelf Squatters.