Fifteen students survived a two day Whittle-Carving class preceding the Sauder Village Woodcarving Show in Northwest Ohio the last week end in October, 2011. Students in the photograph are Jim Bodette, Jim Dupont, Bettye Jo Hansbarger, Ronald Hathaway, Gene Johnson, Carol Kent, Dot Kohl, Ken Kohl, Gwen Kuenzli, Chris Martin, Roger Martin, Jean McDonald, Kurt Reuynolds, Sanford Taylor, and Frank Yanko. Read the rest of this entry »
Conewago Carvers of East Berlin, PA hosted a three day class with thirteen students who survived a Whittle-Carving experience taught by the WOOD BEE CARVER July 8, 9 & 10. Pictured in the photo are (left to right front row) Dave Parker, Joan Hiser, Rose Huth, Jim Hiser, John Huth (back row left to right) Adam Ciemniechi, Jake Deery, Ed Otto, Gerald Smith, Tom Borecki, Ralph Buruick, Bob Hershey and Bruce Stake. Read the rest of this entry »
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charles and Doris Leverett hosted a three day class, June 17, 18 and 19 at their rural Northeast, Alabama carving studio. Seven students survived the rigors of learning about the A-B-C’s of Face Carving. Those pictured are (front row right to left): Hugh O’Neal, Bob Zenoble, Mike Lancaster, Doris Leverett, (back row, left to right) Joe Cernut, Murrel Mc Curley, David Wilson and Charles Leverett. Read the rest of this entry »
The Mystic Carvers Club hosted a three day seminar with three Caricature Carvers of America members over the Memorial Day weekend. It is called a CCA Carve-A-Long East for carvers living in the Northeast. It was held at the beautiful W. Alton Jones environmental camp of the University of Rhode Island. Students rotate among the three instructor for a one day class with each instructor. This year the instructors were Mitch Cartledge of North Carolina, Bruce Henn of Ohio and Don Mertz of Ohio.
The class I taught was the A-B-C’s of Face carving with a choice of subjects between a shelf squatter, a bust or an egg noggin. As part of the instruction the “Three Version Face Stick” was central to learning about opening up a block of wood to carve a face. Using only a knife to make slicing cuts each student learned a new appreciation for the knife as a carving tool. A one day class is always intense with so much to learn in such a small amount of time that goes so fast and yet each student survived. Read the rest of this entry »
Nine members of the River Valley Wood Carvers participated in a Whittle-Carving class in Taylor Mill, KY April 14, 15 and 16, 2011 becoming the latest group of Survivor Students of the WOOD BEE CARVER’s approach to carving only with a knife and a square block of basswood. Pictured in the photograph are ( front row left to right): Mickey Huston, Ed Stover, Bob Manning (second row) Don Potter, Bill Wright, Dick Middleton (third row) Barry Pennington, Jim Clear and Rob Witzke.
During the three day class the students learned the A-B-C’s of Face Carving through the exercise of carving a Three Version Face Study Stick (as is described by that title under “Cool Links”) and by carving a full figure of choice from the variety of Go-By examples of clowns, hobos, old geezers, cowpokes, Civil War soldier, sea captian or a cowpoke bust.
Each student stayed right up to the end to receive the recognition of being a SURVIVOR STUDENT of Whittle-Carving adhering to the WOOD BEE CARVER’S motto: “Would be carvers would be carvers if they would carve wood.”
Ten students survived another whittle-carving class on February 19, 2011 at the Woodcraft Store in Centerville, Ohio. Pictured in the photograph are (left to right) Curt McCarthy, Dale Smith, Allen Armstrong, Tyson Dean, Ronnie Stewart, Trish Walton, Mike Closson, Andy Zinsmeister, Rita Carey and Teresa Balsbaugh.
Each student learned the basics for carving faces using only a knife by carving either a Shelf Squatter or a wooden basswood hen egg into a face. Instruction was giving as to the Rule of Three of facial proportions and the A,B, C’s that can be seen in a face. Warm up exercises included carving a study face using a triangle block of wood to carve the nose , smile line and mouth mound. Another exercise used the Three Version Face Stick to carve a ball on a square stick, lay out the angles and plane on a face on a ninety degree corner as well as narrowing of face to learn that the face is two thirds wide and three thirds long. These exercises can be found under Cool Links under the titles of Face Eye Study, Face Eye Study 2 and Three Version Face Stick which are visible and printable instructional aids. Students learned the benefit of utilizing the slicing cut as often as possible along with the versatility of making notch cuts and the three cut triangle chip cuts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The photograph to the left shows examples of faces carved using only a knife. The egg shaped faces were carved using a basswood hen egg and can become a bottle stopper, a bobble head or simply sit upon a shelf. The three Shelf Squatters in the center shelf are carved out of an inch and half square by three inch long basswood block with part of the back cut out to allow the carving to sit on a shelf with part of the front of the carving hanging over the shelf. The Cowpoke Busts are three inch tall by and inch and half square block of basswood. Each of these carvings are examples of faces that can be carved of various subjects and facial expressions. The photograph on the right contains more examples of faces that can be carved showing various facial features and expression for study. Studying and carving faces helps any carver become more proficient at carving faces because the “more one carves the better one carver,” to fulfill the Wood Bee Carver’s motto: “Would Be Carvers Would Be Carvers if They Would Carve Wood.”
A two day class in Whittle-Carving was held August 7 and 8, 2010 at the Ashland Area Woodcarvers meeting location in the Steelworkers Hall. Twelve members of the club participated in the class of learning to carve using only a knife. Pictured in the photographs are left of club sign, Gina Woods and right of the club sign is Jeff Reihs. In the middle row are left to right: Pat Ramey, Allen Woods, Rick Eskins and Henry Ramey. In the back row are left to right: Roy Prince, Ed Brown, Jerry Prince, Guy Purcell, Butch Myers and Charlie Brown. Read the rest of this entry »
Charles and Doris Leverett hosted for a second time a three day Whittle-Carving class in their Northeast Alabama carving studio on July 16,17 and 18, 2010. Eight students in the photograph are left to right, Hugh O’Neal, Terry Vance, Bob Zenoble, David Wilson and back row left to right: Murrel McCurley, Harry Rutland, Don Mertz, Charlie Leverett and Greg Douglas.
The three day class emphasised learning to “think inside the block” by learning to see a carving project within a block of basswood. Several exercises were introduced to begin the process of “seeing inside the block,” and opening the block to expose the carving subject. Read the rest of this entry »