A Whittle Doodle is doodling with a knife to decorate a block of wood with free hand Whittle Carvings. Since it is doodling there is no preset plan or overall design for the random carvings done to fill in the spaces in a block of wood. There is a combination of a variety of carved faces and free hand chip carving all done in the Whittle-Carving style. The Whittle Doodle was carved into a two inch cube of basswood and finished with Raw Sienna artist oil paint color thinned with boiled linseed oil followed by an application of Deft, a brushing lacquer and then Howard Feed N Wax. Read the rest of this entry »
A Whittle Doodle is doodling with a knife to decorate a block of wood with free hand Whittle Carvings. Since it is doodling there is no preset plan or overall design for the random carvings done to fill in the spaces in a block of wood. Read the rest of this entry »
The SIDE WINDER and SIDE WINDER II were put to the test to do a small relief carving in a quilt square block measuring four inches by four inches and three eights inch thick. The relief is of a log cabin with a tree to one side and grass and bushes in front. The photograph visual tutorial will show each Side Winder blade positioned on the completed carving to simulate the part of the blade making a particular cut on that portion of the relief picture. Read the rest of this entry »
This photographic journey is of two interpretations of the Good Shepherd. The first series of photographs is the first one carved. The beginning basswood block was nine inches tall, three inches wide and two inches deep. Five HELVIE Knives were used in the carving of each Good Shepherd. Knives used were Signature Series # 10 ~ Hornet Bee, #13 ~ Bumble Bee, # 14 ~ Wasp Bee, #16 ~ Side Winder Bee, and # 17 ~ Side Winder II Bee. (See postings about the use of Side Winder knives December 16 and January 3.) Read the rest of this entry »
The Heart Angel is a stylized interpretation of a “messenger” of love and hope. This carving began as a commission to be a sister’s gift to a sister who is facing another chapter in surviving cancer. A stylized interpretation was chosen so that the overall silhouette would open up imagination to personalize the angel. The silhouette of the stylized wings formed the shape of a heart as well as the shape of the prayerful hands and drapery of the sleeves form an imaginary heart. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »