Three old Friends, a Hobbit, a Gnome Wizard and a Red Beard Pirate are presented within this photographic essay as the latest edition of carving a previously carved subject. Read the rest of this entry »

Glenn Stewart of Hawesville, Kentucky originated the design of a Turkey and Santa carved back to back. He gave me the pattern fifteen years ago and recently wrote an article for Woodcarving Illustrated on this Turkey and Santa carving. Read the rest of this entry »

This carving represents the carving of a Chris Hammack rough out. Chris is a very accomplished caricature artist who passes on his creative instructions through his various rough out projects. Carving a Hammack rough out allows a little of Chris’s creativity to rub off on the carver if the carver is willing to learn while doing.

Recently the WOOD BEE CARVER sat in on a Chris Hammack class to carve along with the students by carving a Hammack rough out entitled Bull’s Eye Bob. The photographs reveal the end result of Whittle-Carving a rough out using only a knife. The polychrome finish is artist oil paint mixed with boiled linseed oil in the Painting Softly method. Read the rest of this entry »

Tree Noggins and Whittle Dwarfs are the “fun” carvings that are adventures in carving a variety of faces. Tree Noggins have been a staple carving venue for more than thirty years while carving about twenty to thirty a year for a local country festival.

Whittle Dwarfs have been carved for a few years based upon a drawing done by my good artist and woodcarving friend Don Stephenson. Several are carved at the same time with the intent to make each one a little different while keeping the basic format of design the same. Read the rest of this entry »

Rich Smithson of HELVIE KNIVES did me a great favor by making the cherry plaque and stand for the CCA Best of Show Trophy and wood burning the CCA Logo and lettering on the plaque as a base for the Hobo carved to complete the trophy. So for his generosity I carved for him the Helvie Pirate to be added to his carving collection. The knives used to carve the pirate were Signature Series #10 HORNET BEE, # 13 BUMBLE BEE and # 6-2 MINI MERTZ II as pictured in the first photograph.  The continuing photographs are a visual study of the characteristics of what makes a carved figure into a pirate. (click on each photo to enlarge.) Read the rest of this entry »

A plumber riding a “plumber’s helper” like a pogo stick presents a humorous picture that is beyond reality and yet that is what makes humor out of the ridiculous. Caricature is “exaggeration of realism” making the theme of “Plumber Pogo” the subject of a caricature carving. (click on photos to enlarge.)
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A “Slug” is sometimes referred to as a “slow and lazy person” as in “sluggard.” It  also refers to gulping down a drink, a type setting term used in the old printing business, a fist punch thrown in a fight, a bullet and a counterfeit metal disk inserted into an old time slot machine.  In the case of HOBO “SLUGGS” the nickname is for a shiftless traveler of the road who is thought to be a lazy person but in this hobo’s case he is “slow” by never getting in a hurry as in taking life “slow and easy.”

Such a “slow and easy” temperament makes “Sluggs” a likable character who wiggles his way into the heart of everyone he meets.  His outer appearance may show the wear and tear of the hobo way of life while the aura of his personality suggests that pretense does not always tell the true story.  “Slow and easy,” is to savor each moment of the day, relish the strength of friendship and bask in the wealth of memories remembered and being made.  Sluggs reminds us that we all cannot be footloose and fancy free but we can take life “slow and easy” by not taking ourselves so seriously by taking time to enjoy the journey instead of eying the destination that is often illusive. Read the rest of this entry »