A six-inch-tall by inch and half square base caricature of a hillbilly with jug at his side is the subject of this description of “Design by Carving.”

“Design by Carving” is a term that describes the method used by using only a carving tool, primarily a knife for the shaping and detailing of a block of wood into a carving project.  This method has been used for over fifty years from the early experience of using a knife to carve small hand-held blocks of wood into a carved subject. In those early beginning years, the Whittle-Carving projects were small, almost miniature in size averaging three to five inches tall by half inch to inch square.

Pieces that small were easier to “open up” in the shaping process using the carving knife since using a saw (coping or band saw) would be cumbersome for initial shaping. Finding that the knife would do the Shape Up on small projects it was a natural step to apply the same process to larger blocks of wood for projects six, nine or twelve inches tall and up to three inches square.  So, the Wood Bee Carver has become a primarily a knife carver and calls the process “Design by Carving.”  It is a conscious effort while opening up the block of wood to begin the Shape Up process to remove and shape the wood towards an imagined outline of the subject to whittle away chips towards a larger version of the basic form of the project. In other words, it is making smaller (whittle down) that basic form in a way that begins to shape towards what will be the detail portion of the form. Often these slicing chips being removed will leave a design in the remaining surface that will improve and enhance the imagined vision of that form being shaped.  For example, during the process of shaping a hand holding a walking staff, the basic form is of a hand shaped like a mitten with boxy angles and planes of the fingers wrapped about the staff inside the mitten shape. Continuing the shaping process will move towards the detailing portion of separating the mitten form into the fingers and thumb to detail the hand.

Using the hillbilly with jug as the subject of this discussion, the process will be explained with written descriptions as well as supporting photos.  Including in this process is the use of the proportional formula of the Rule of Three of Facial Proportions and Body Proportions. Proportions apply to any size of wood being used for the subject divided into three equal proportions.  Face Proportion divisions are Hairline to Eyebrow; Eyebrow to Tip of Nose; Tip of Nose to Bottom of Chin.  Once the Facial Proportions are established then the remaining portion of the block of wood is divided in Body Proportions ~ Shoulder to Waist; Waist to Mid Knees; Mid Knees to Bottom of Feet.

The “Design by Carving” begins with cutting a notch around the four sides of this six-inch-tall basswood block to establish the base as depicted in the first photo below.  The second photo shows drawing a center line across the top of the block of wood to indicated the direction the head will be turned and the corners have been sliced away to begin rounding the top into a dowel shape for the carving the basic shape of the top of a hat. The third photo shows the effect of shaping the crown of the hat using slice and roll slicing cuts all around the top of the dowel shape beginning the slice and roll at the top the hat brim.  The fourth photo shows the slicing cuts to level out the top of the hat brim towards the crown of hat.

[ CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE]

The hat is the first part of the Shape Up process which is designed by carving to the basic form of the top of a hat as is seen in the first photo below. The second photo shows the beginning to shape the head as going up into the hat which in this case includes bushy hair. The hat is carved first and then the head carved as going up into the hat for a natural look with both carved to basic form without details.  Details come later when the hat and head are harmonized as fitting together. The third photo shows the back of hat and hair as the hair is naturally coming out from what appears to be the inside of the hat.  Look closely at the hat brim to see the edge of the brim by noticing that there is a flat surface of the brim in the middle between the two knife edge shape of the brim.  The flat surface indicates how thick the cross grain of the brim is for strength but the appearance desired is to have flat area corner sliced with a bevel to create a knife edge to the brim because when the eye sees the brim the knife edge is seen rather than the thickness.  The flat surface on the brim edge does not look natural while the knife edge looks natural.

Once the hat and head are carved to their basic form, then the areal below the head is divided into thirds indicated by the red horizontal lines drawn at the Shoulder, Waist and Mid Knees.Within these lines major landmarks of the body are drawn, not as a pattern but as guidelines for the Shape Up process.  The first photo shows the drawing of the left arm, hand and jug. Use the red horizontal like a grit in which to draw portions of body parts.  The arm from the shoulder to the elbow is the same distance as the elbow to the first row of knuckles on the hand.  This means that the elbow of the arm will be right above the middle red line (waist) and then the bottom of arm and hand holding the jug will angle forward on its downward path.  Notice that the hand holding the jug will be in the middle between the waist and mid knees or equal with the crotch.  This anatomy fact helps in laying out the body part in the Rule of Three for Body Proportions.  The second photo shows the side view of the front of the body and feet with dotted lines as more guidelines are added. The next three photos show back, right side and front guidelines drawings.  Guidelines are drawn a little larger so that the body parts can be whittled down easier in the Shape Up process to fit naturally.

The next four photos will show that the hat, face and beard, mustache and hair have been refined and the guideline drawings have been enhanced to be a sharper guide for carving the basic form.  Remember that “Design by Carving” is a process that carves the basic form all the way around and then continues to refine towards the final detail carving step. Remember the rule: “One cut is not a cut to end all cuts as there will be continual cuts to refine towards the detailing.”

Return to the top to the painted photos of the hillbilly with jug to complete the cycle of “Design by Carving.”  Artist oil paint thinned with boiled linseed oil was used for colorization.