At the 2006 Artistry in Wood Show in Dayton, Ohio these Pumpkin Heads in the photograph at the left were part of Jon Nelson’s display. A clever carving idea to try was filed in the back of my own wooden head. A year later I had the opportunity to take a caricature carving class from Bob Stadtlander and one of his subjects was Pumpkin Heads.
As with many carving ideas and carving subjects which incubate in the carver’s creative muse, carving more of these Pumpkin Heads came knocking on my wooden head (i.e. ‘block head’). The result being what I call “Pumpkin Noggins” as the word “noggin” means head. So what follows is a photo journey of “Pumpkin Noggins” on parade. Read the rest of this entry »
Whittle Folk Tree Noggins are Whittle-Carved with a knife out of basswood tree limbs. Other carvers may call them “Wood Spirits” or “Tree Spirits” but the Wood Bee Carver has called them Whittle Folk Tree Noggins since he began carving them over twenty years ago as part of the “Folk Art of Whittling”
Tree Noggins were first carved as demonstration pieces at festivals and carving events since they are simple carvings that can be completed in a relatively short period of time. Observers of the carving demonstration can see before their eyes a section of a rustic tree limb transformed before they eyes into a “noggin” or head of a human figure. Read the rest of this entry »
Whittle-Carving heads on wooden clothes pins gives a whole new meaning to the term “Pin Head” and yet the novelty of it seems appropriate. The wooden clothes pins were purchased at Hobby Lobby Craft Store and were made in China. The wood is fairly hard which requires a sharp knife that utilizes slicing cuts. The round ball at the top can be carved into a hat, hair or even a small head. The fun part is in the creativity of coming up with a different face for each Pin Head while letting your imagination and knife have a free rein. Read the rest of this entry »
“SHELF SQUATTERS” is the name of Whittle-Carved character heads that sit on a shelf. They were first created in 1996 as the WOOD BEE CARVER’S version of what was commonly called “shelf sitters.”
They originated as a way to utilize little end cuttings of pieces of basswood and later became normalized in size from a one inch square by two inches tall basswood blank. An angled saw kerf is cut in the back side of the blank about half way between the top and the bottom and cut about two thirds into the blank. With the saw kerf angling up hill, the waste area (indicated by the X’s in photo) under the saw kerf is squared so that part can be whittled away to allow for the rest of the blank to sit on and over the front of a shelf. Studying the photo at the left will show the saw kerf, the waste area and the way the blank will squat on and over the shelf edge. Read the rest of this entry »
“Kilroy Was Here” became a cartoon graffiti figure during World War Two. Carving an interpretation of this nostalgic bit of humor becomes a fun project. In this relief carving the caricature appears within a frame. The background, pupils and fence outline was wood burned to provide a contrast in this basswood carving. Read the rest of this entry »
A “Tree Noggin” is the name of this style of Whittle-Carving using a basswood tree limb. Carving through the bark to reveal the inner wood on this particular Tree Noggin revealed two colors of wood. One half was honey brown and the other half was creamy white. Basswood can be either color but seldom are the two colors combined in the same limb. Definitely a “split personality.” Read the rest of this entry »
PENCIL NOGGINS are carved faces on wooden pencils using slicing cuts with the tip end of a sharp knife. Wooden pencils are normally made out of Western Cedar which tends to crumble when the knife blade is forced into the wood. Thus it is necessary to make every cut a slicing cut. Think of a slicing cut as when one slices bread off a loaf. The cutting edge of a sharp knife is made up of little teeth very similar to the teeth on a hand saw. A saw does its work when it is sliced through the wood. The most efficient cut with a knife is a slicing cut whereby the cutting edge is moving through the wood in a slicing action. Read the rest of this entry »
Whittle Folk Tree Noggins are Whittle-Carved with a knife out of basswood tree limbs. Other carvers may call them “Wood Spirits” or “Tree Spirits” but the Wood Bee Carver has called them Whittle Folk Tree Noggins since he began carving them over twenty years ago as part of the “Folk Art of Whittling”
