My good friend Don Stephenson is a remarkable artist whose creative mind keeps coming up with unique carving ideas.  He is so prolific with his artistic creations that I have nick named him the “IDEA MONSTER.”  Recently he drew a pirate in the shape of an egg as an idea for carving a wooden egg.  There was nothing for me to do other than carve a pirate first in a goose egg and then in a hen egg.  The photographs that follow in this pictorial essay are the results of this journey on the high seas of carving adventure.

The next  four photographs use the original drawing by Don Stephenson as a backdrop for the front and back view of the goose egg pirate and then both the goose egg  pirate and hen egg pirate.

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These photographs are four views of the goose egg pirate in his painted attire.

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These photographs are four views of the hen egg pirate in his painted attire.

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These photographs offer a visual comparison of the steps involved in laying out and carving an egg pirate.  The first egg on the left has been divided into thirds horizontally as well as vertical center lines down the front and back along with the two sides.  These guidelines aid in drawing the basic parts as well as guiding the beginning cuts.

The upper third of the egg represents the hat and head area so the first thing carved is the form of the hat as illustrated in the second egg.  The third egg shows the head and ear rings caved to beginning form in the top third of egg.  In the middle third the arms, hands, beard and hair braid are drawn as a guideline for the next stage of carving the body to form.  The fourth egg shows the finished pirate as the final destination in the carving process.  The next two photographs of four eggs in various stages of completion are another visual comparison.

Visual comparison is to use imagination to connect the dots between the stages.  A good part of the carving process is to rely upon imagination to guide the carver in the carving process.  Learning to carve in the mental studio of imagination prepares the carver to be guided by imagination while carving with the tool into the wood.

Any carver could use the drawing of Don’s Pirate to carve a similar pirate but with the carver’s own interpretation.  Each of us view a carving idea through the glasses of life’s experiences making for distinct and unique carving styles.  The carver is to carve an interpretation of the idea rather than a copy cat version of the original.  It is the carver’s own style that puts character and personality into the finished carving.

Don is very generous with his gift of creativity and it is only fitting that his gift return to him in a small manner through the hen egg pirate that is now in his collection.  Thank you Don, the IDEA MONSTER.