Sonny is an avid fisherman whose fish stories are bigger than his actual fish brought home in the fish bucket. He is always telling about the BIG fish that got away ending up by saying, “I never seen a fish so big!” Of course those who have heard the same story over and over again agree that he NEVER did see a fish so big. As his story is told over and over again, Sonny begins to believe his fish stories, so much so that he begins to dream about catching the really BIG fish. So often has he had that dream the fish actually lives in his mind and memory. If only there was a camera that could take pictures of dreams then there would be proof of the BIG fish. Read the rest of this entry »
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CY CLONE is carved out of a six inch by an inch and a half square block of basswood. The pose is of an old geezer in deep thought as he holds his hands behind his back. The mental image of Cy Clone had been napping in the study hall of the sub conscious for a good many years. A smaller version was carved ten years ago as a study go-by which also took a nap. The idea woke up to become a current carving project in preparation for class go-bys. The photographs above begin with a completed Cy Clone. Two instructional photos of how the block is opened standing beside a carved example are in the middle. The final photo is of a completed Cy Clone with two versions of carved to form examples of Cy Clone. The original idea came from Harold Enlow’s 1989 book on carving hobos. Some carving ideas take a while to work their way from an observation to an imagination of a carving subject and finally to reality. The photographs that follow are for study using observation, imagination and comparative visual instruction. Read the rest of this entry »
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CAVEMAN was a recent carving project carved using only a knife to experiment with using the tip of the blade to texture the animal skin sleeveless robe the caveman is wearing. Also, his face was carved to emulate a larger jaw structure to his skull and his hair is long and scraggerly to depict his caveman characteristics.
Every carving is a learning project and every new carving subject compels one to discover how to carve into wood what the imagination envisions. CAVEMAN was carved out of a four and a half inch tall by an inch and a half square block of basswood and finished with artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil. The four photographs offer a visual study of a carving project that is “so easy that a carveman could do it.” “Yabba-dabba-do”
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WHITTLE FOLK EGGS are caricatures carved into a basswood hen egg that shows the head, arms and trunk to right below the belt line. The subject being displayed in this photo essay is a “motorcycle dude” in that he has his hands on his handlebar mustache. He has a braided pig tail on the back of his head underneath a bandanna head covering while his pants are held up by his suspenders. All those little touches adds character to the caricature. Each is carved using only a knife in the Whittle-Carving style of the WOOD BEE CARVER. Read the rest of this entry »
Abraham Lincoln’s likeness is carved in cottonwood bark as a commission carving for a very good friend who is also a carver. While most carving done by the WOOD BEE CARVER is carved using a knife and carved in basswood, yet on occasions other carving tools and wood will be used. Every carving project is a learning experience especially those outside the comfort zone of the familiar.
The carving tools used for this project were made by Everett Cutsinger who for years has made carving tools out of flat or spade boring bits. He is a craftsman with steel and tempering in his own right and using his special made tools are a joy to use. Good and sharp tools make any carving project a dream come true as there is a special thrill to watch, feel and hear the tool slicing through the wood on its path to shape a carving creation.
The photographic journey that follows will expose some of the major landmarks on the progress of BARK ABE on its way to its final destination as a completed carving worthy to be hung on the wall.
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WHITTLE DWARFS are whittle (small) whimsical carvings adapted from the magical art world of my good friend Don Stephenson. His drawings of three Dwarf Wizards serve as a backdrop in the photograph of the two Whittle-Carved Whittle Dwarfs. Whittle Dwarfs began as a one and three quarter inch tall by one inch square block of basswood and are whittled into the basic form of Don Stephenson’s drawings. There eyes are covered by their head covering reminiscent of Don Worley’s “No See-Ums” face creations. These Whittle Dwarfs are fun to carve, cute to have sitting around on a table or shelf, lend themselves to whimsical imagination and utilize those little scraps of wood that are too good to throw away.
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Hobbit characters have been popular ever since they first appeared in the writing of Tolkien and subsequent movies. A friend commissioned a carving of a Hobbit which was a new subject for this carver. So the research process that follows the initial idea for a carver began by first going to the Internet research box like Google, Yahoo and Bing. When doing such research always add the word “images” following the subject being researched in order to go to a site dedicated to innumerable images. Next step was to contact my IDEA MONSTER, Don Stephenson who knows about a lot of subjects that he can draw on a sketch pad. He drew up several examples of Hobbits on paper, then drew a Hobbit on the note he included with the drawings, then drew a Hobbit on the cardboard insert for support in the envelope and finally drew a Hobbit on the shipping envelope. Photographs of his drawings are displayed below. Read the rest of this entry »
EGG NOGGINS are heads and faces carved out of a basswood hen egg to be used as a bottle stopper, a bobble head, mounted on a base or free standing on its bottom (as in the first photogrpah on the left.) The variety of faces to be carved is under the freedom of imagination and the experimentation of the carver. Egg Noggins are excellent for the practice of carving faces since the head and face is basically round and egg shaped. Basswood hen eggs cost an average of one dollar each from woodcarving vendors through their catalog or at woodcarving shows as well as Woodcraft stores. Also use only basswood hen eggs as some eggs are made from harder wood making for difficulty in the carving process. Read the rest of this entry »
