Charles and Doris Leverett hosted for a second time a three day Whittle-Carving class in their Northeast Alabama carving studio on July 16,17 and 18, 2010.  Eight students in the photograph are left to right, Hugh O’Neal, Terry Vance, Bob Zenoble, David Wilson and back row left to right: Murrel McCurley, Harry Rutland, Don Mertz, Charlie Leverett and Greg Douglas.

The three day class emphasised learning to “think inside the block” by learning to see a carving project within a block of basswood.  Several exercises were introduced to begin the process of  “seeing inside the block,” and opening the block to expose the carving subject. Read the rest of this entry »

A FACE-EYE STUDY has been put in a pdf format and can be viewed and printed by going to “BEE HIVE” under the left hand column and click on “FACE-EYE STUDY”.

This is one of the  educational projects used in the classes I teach about Whittle-Carving or carving only with a knife.   Read the rest of this entry »

A WHITTLE DOODLE is a carving done only with a knife that is in essence “doodling with a knife.” Like doodling with a pencil, doodling with a knife is a free hand and free minded endeavor that does not have an overall plan.  Doodling is what comes as one is doodling.  Even though several Whittle Doodles have been done over the years and some themes are repeated, yet no two are exactly alike.  To carve only with a knife is a challenge in and of itself that brings a special kind of satisfaction when the end result turns out better than imagined.  Each Whittle Doodle, like any carving project, is a new journey that brings its own surprises and serendipity discoveries of imagination. Read the rest of this entry »

Cowpokes are carved out of one and half inch square by six inch tall blocks of basswood using traditional carving tools although a knife plays a big role in detail finishing.  Pictured above are two unfinished Cowpokes.  The one of the left is partially opened up with some guidelines draw in key areas.  The one on the right has been carved to its finished detail awaiting only an oil finish, either monochrome (one color) or polychrome (many colors) oil finish. Read the rest of this entry »

Inspiration for carving projects comes in various ways.  Upon receiving a Father’s Day card with the picture of a chimp in a cowpoke outfit was just the ticket for the next carving project.  Using the general guideline for carving six inch tall Cowpokes, this carving simply changed the facial detail into a primate rather than a human.  Every carving project is a new learning experience making Top Banana a journey of learning while having fun with the challenge.  Making it more of a challenge, Top Banana was carved using only one knife made by Ralph E. Long with a scimitar blade shape. Read the rest of this entry »

These are the ten surviving students of a two day class held at Gorman Farm, Evendale, Ohio (Cincinnati) on June 12 and 13.  Pictured left to right on the first row are: Bob Manning, Don Potter, Mickey Huston, Kurt McCarthy, (second row) Barry Pennington, Fred Kruetzkamp, Dick Middleton, Dick Pyles, Steve Cotton and Rick Eskins.

The carving projects included carving a three inch tall Cowpoke Bust and a six inch tall full figured Cowpoke out of an inch and half square block of basswood.  The beginning theme was: “Thinking inside the Block,” meaning to learn to see a subject within a block of wood and carve that subject by shaping the wood with slicing cuts of both a knife and gouges.  The simplest definition of carving is: “Shaping a piece of wood using a cutting tool in a slicing action to round square corners and flatten round surfaces.” Read the rest of this entry »

BITS AND PIECES carvings are those carvings done as a small project, often on a whim, as a favor to a friend, a small commission or a fun carving project for the fun of it. Read the rest of this entry »