Gnome Wizard was carved out of an inch and half square by three inch tall block of basswood.  The Gnome Wizard is carved with a twist of the body, with head tilted up and a flowing beard and mustache.  Such a pose presents an interesting sense of motion while the viewer’s eyes travel the twists and turns of the flowing lines.  Such a piece presents a challenge of skill by figuring out what wood needs to be removed to create such a sense of movement.  This project also teaches the necessary benefit of carving to basic form before ever attempting to carve any details.  Such a process allows creative imagination to help form the design during the carving process that gives a special kind of freedom of creativity.

The Gnome Wizard begins with a center line drawn from corner to corner on the top of the three inch tall block of basswood.  The center line gives the direction that the face is looking and guides when shaping the top of the cone shape hat leaning back while the head is turned looking up. The back corners are shaped to indicate the back of the arms while following the suggestion of the head being turned sharply towards the right shoulder.  This will make the right arm and shoulder come forward while the left arm and shoulder remain back indicating a twist of the upper body.  The weight bearing right leg will be positioned back a little to allow for the crooked walking cane to be positioned in front of the shoe.  The left leg and foot will be positioned slightly forward with a bend at the knee and the foot turned outward. The mustache and beard follow the pattern of the sharply twisted head to the right with some exaggeration in the twist to make it more interesting.  Using slicing and rolling cuts with the knife blade on the texture of the jacket and trouser legs give a flowing and wrinkly effect of movement.

Note that the cone shaped hat is carved horizontally with head tilted up a little to make the best use of limited height of the wood.  That appearance is continued on the underneath and back side of the cone shaped hat as the hair is carved to fit into the hat.  Since most of the face is covered up with flowing mustache and beard, only the features of the nose and eyes are carved in such detail that it appears that the Gnome Wizard is peeking out from underneath all the hair.

The knife used to carve the Gnome Wizard was the Honey BEE or # 7 Signature Series of the WOOD BEE CARVER design of the Helvie Knife.  The one knife in the four photos above was the early proto type of the Honey BEE used in the testing period.  The later version with the torpedo shaped handle is official version. The Honey BEE with its specialty steel blade and the long extended tang allows for making a variety of cuts in tight and twisted areas as is evident in the finished results of the Gnome Wizard.  The slight give of the blade as it makes the “slice and roll cut” add to the texture creating action of the cutting edge to create the sculptured flowing lines.