Progressive Steps in the progress of Whittle-Carving of the “Nite Lite” character. The Half Pint format uses the scale of a half inch equals a foot. “Nite Lite” is the title of a three inch Half Pint carving depicting an old man wearing his night shirt, night cap and carrying a candle on his way to bed.

This carving design is based upon a drawing by artist Don Stephenson of the Dayton Carvers Guild.  As a wood burning artist who has garnered numerous ribbons and awards for that phase of his creative genesis, he has also designed tee shirt designs for the International Wood Carvers Congress annual competition and seminars. But his first love is drawing his imaginative ideas on paper as well as creating his own comic books.

[Click on Photos to Enlarge]

He has gifted me over the years with drawings for carving projects as well as gifted many others from his generous spirit.  The “Nite Lite” character first came to me on the back of an envelope in one of his mailings to me of other of his drawings.

A variation of that drawing appears as one of over sixty illustrations as seen in the photo montage below.

Study with a closer look at the Progressive Steps in the first photo at the top of this posting.  The first basswood block (inch square by three inches tall) has three red lines drawn horizontal around the block as a guide for drawing in the shoulders and arm guides with the head carved to basic form in the top section above the shoulder line.  Notice that the candle as well as the face are carved on the vertical corner and the two arms carved of what will be the side corners. A look at the bottom panel the Progressive Steps photo will help guide this lay out of the figure. Moving down the line, the second illustration reveal to beginning opening stage for forming the head which is progress in the third and fourth illustrations.  The fifth and sixth illustrations are caved to detail with the sixth having received a Raw Sienna artist oil paint thinned with boiled linseed oil for it coloring. Studying the other panel photos showing views of the other sides will give a guide for the progressive steps used the Shape Up and then detail the refinement of the figure.    The night shirt is shaped up using slicing cuts with a “slice and roll” wrist action to guide the flowing line of the shirt.

The first two photos below show the feet from the bottom view and a close-up detail of the candle. The second two photos are close up study of the face for a general idea of the form and shape of the face of an old man without dentures.

The gallery below begins with a photo of two Nite Lite men and the knives used in their carving.  Following will be first the Raw Sienna colored old man and then the second one finished only with a lacquer natural finish. Notice that even while being similar, yet each one has his own personality.

It is helpful to plan to carve this project a few times with the first time being a slow process of learning as you go to shape up the various sections of this little project that at first have a learning curve in carving in small format.  Learn from the first, learn from the second with easy adjusting what was learned with the first.  Carve another and another and another because each one is practice for carving the next which does get better. The goal is not to carve an exact duplicate copy of this subject but to use it as a guide to carve an interpretation of the subject. Like any carving idea, this project is intended for each carver to use their own imagination and skill to shape up their own interpretation of “Nite Lite.”