The Farmer was carved using a six inch tall by an inch and half square block of basswood in the Whittle-Carving Style of carving only with a knife.  Carving from a block of wood is much different than carving from a rough out or a sawed out blank.  The biggest difference is that it sets free the creative spirit to develop the overall design while shaping the block of wood into the basic form of the subject being carved. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some of the painted figures who were subjects in previous posting on the Study of Go By’s.  A splash of color gives an added dimension to a carving.  The colors invite a further investigation of each carving to discover the subtle details that add a sense of movement, a telltale detail of added interest as well as character in facial features.  Allow each photograph to be a lesson in observation to study the ebb and flow of the story being told by each carving.  (Click on each photo to enlarge and then use the back arrow to return to main page) Read the rest of this entry »

Breaking the tip on a carving knife is inevitable.  It happens because the tip is the thinnest and narrowest part of the blade and takes the most stress and pressure when it is used for making entry stop cuts and for carving in a circular motion.  It can be slowed down by always remembering to begin the slicing action before twisting the point of the blade to make a circular cut. If the tip bends over or breaks do not panic or blame the knife maker.  Simply follow the tip to reshaping the tip of a carving knife described below with a photo tutorial for a cutting edge that curves up at tip. Read the rest of this entry »

A Go By Study of faces can help any carver to “see” and imagine what is in a face in order to carve faces in wood.  The first photograph above shows a head carved to basic form.  The middle photograph shows descriptions of the major cuts at the landmarks of the face at the eye, the juncture of the nostril, smile line and upper dental curve and the mouth mound.  These cuts make good foundations for carving in the details of the eyes, mouth, teeth, nose and ears as seen in the finished carved head and face in the third photograph.  The Second row of photographs are of three views comparing the two head. Read the rest of this entry »

In the previous posting on Go By Study the emphasis was placed upon being able to “see” a carving project in one’s imagination, in a block of wood and while carving the project to its basic form. The series of four photographs above shows examples of the progressive stages in carving a hillbilly carrying a jug of corn squeezings.  The figure on the left shows the hat, head and chest carved to basic form with the remaining portion of the block marked with guidelines.  The center figure is carved to basic form while the figure on the right is a finished figure.  The four views provide a visual tutorial of the observation of comparison for a Go By lesson. Read the rest of this entry »

A “Go By” is a term applied to the use of a carved object, partially carved object, a photograph or a drawing that is studied and looked at during the carving process to guide the carver.  It is an instructional aid and a visual guide to help see what is being carved.  The key word is “see” with the mental eye to get a fix on how a carving that is being carved will begin to look as the wood is being shaped.  Yoga Berra in noted for his Yoga-isms like “you can observe a lot by watching.” A Go By helps the carver to see if the carver will observe and imagine what cuts were used to carve the Go By to its present form.  This “observation to see” is not a quick process but does require a thoughtful and methodical visual analyzing of the parts and sum total of a Go By. Read the rest of this entry »

Dusty Joe is a depiction of a character from earlier times who traveled around the country side working when necessary while enjoying a certain kind of free spirit freedom.  A hobo’s life was a hard life that is romanticized today as harmless adventures of traveling men.  Hobos have become fictional figures of nostalgia which takes away the reality of the struggle and difficulty of that way of life.  Today we turn our heads away from the homeless as not being the idyllic hobo of yesterday.  Today’s homeless have fallen on their own hard times complicated by the addition of illness, addiction and prejudice of society.  The hobo is the “comic figure” while the homeless are the “tragedy figures” of the drama of life. So in no way does Dusty Joe make fun of the tragedy of social sorrow but seeks to perk up the inherent worth each person possesses no matter one’s station in life. Read the rest of this entry »