Hobos are colorful characters who in earlier years were commonly seen traveling around the country in what appeared to be the “easy life.” Historically they were originally “itinerant labors” who traveled from job to job wherever the jobs would lead them. There is a difference in the meaning of terms applied to these “sojourners of the road.” Hobos were once called “Hoe boys” who were agriculture laborers cultivating the fields with their hoes, thus the nickname. So “Hobos” would travel to find work. The tern “Tramp” was ascribed to those itinerant laborers who would travel the rail by catching a ride on trains. Other travelers through the country side riding the coat tails of the hobo and tramp way of life were called “Bums” because they would rather con and cheat off the generosity of kind-hearted folk than do any work. Bums gave the hobo and tramp a bad name for their less than honest profession.
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The Wood Bee Carver is primarily a knife carver and the carving classes he taught over the years before he retired from teaching at the end of 2019 were “knife only” classes. With tongue in cheek I would warn students that if I caught them using a gouge or V tool on class projects or even heard of such tools other that a knife being used I would confiscate those tools. That branch of humor was revived in later years to refer to the use of any carving tool other that a knife would be “carving on the Dark Side.”
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The two-inch-tall miniature Whittle Folk Gnomes are the latest version of the original Whittle Folk Gnomes who came into being around 2008 or 2009 as a three-inch-tall figure. In the PHOTO TRAILS box under the MAIN MENU box, click on “Whittle Folk Gnomes” to see a photo display of the original Gnomes.
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Whittle Folk Busts originated in 1994 as a carving project that carved a face on the corner of a three inch by inch square block of basswood with a variety of themed subjects. An article was written in Chip Chats about that time to offer instructional guidelines for this carving project using only knives.
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The photo above is of the Three Amigos ~ Rusty, Crusty and Dusty. The first versions of these Cowpokes carved in 2009 can be viewed by clicking on THREE AMIGOS. In this version presented here represents a 2021 interpretation with slight variations in age and color of their outfits. A tutorial for carving Crusty may be viewed by clicking on Carving a Cowpoke. The tutorial can be adapted for carving any cowpoke with slight adjustments in pose, outfits and hand positions.
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Doodle Doods came into being as a byproduct of demonstration carvings done by the instructor in many classes over the years. The demonstration was part of a lesson on teaching the planes and angles of a male face as they fit into the Rule of Three of Facial proportions. The photo below shows the progression from a block of wood to a carved face.
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This series of photographs presents a brief visual tutorial on the opening phase of carving a Cowpoke which can be applied to any Cowpoke.
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Harold Enlow is perhaps the one name that is synonymous with caricature carving as a carver, author and instructor. His knowledge of carving is only surpassed by his quick wit and down to earth out going personality. For over fifteen years I have possessed one of his rough outs of a hillbilly couple. Well, here it is 2021 and I finally got around to carving and painting this rough out. There is little to be said about this carving that can be added to what the carving says in its visual presentation. The photos allow the carving to speak for itself as a Harold Enlow design interpreted by the Wood Bee Carver. Thank you, Harold.
