Don Worley has developed a large family of Dudes that have been popular at carving shows with collectors and carvers who use them as go-bys for carving caricature faces. He is providing a valuable service to his students and fellow carvers who want to carve his inspired Dude Faces on triangle blocks.
The explanation for why this Old Carver continues to make Other Knives is in an old saying: “Give a monkey a gum wrapper to entertain him for the rest of the day.” Monkeying around with making carving knives is an entertainment for this Old Carver. These knives are made for personal use to experiment with blade shapes that are versatile in the carving process especially for miniature Whittle-Carving.
The RULE OF THREE for proportional divisions of the face and body for a carved figure can also be applied for a sitting posture of a carved figure. The Rule of Three for body proportions once the head has been established divides the rest of the body into equal proportions: Shoulder to Waist; Waist to Mid Knees: Mid Knees to Bottom of Feet. This guide works well for a standing figure and it can also be applied to a sitting figure using the three divisions bending at the waist and bending at the knees. Keep in mind that the Rule of Three is “Proportional Measurement” of the eye and mind in which the three proportions appear to be somewhat equal. So, with a sitting posture the eye and mind have to compensate for the hip portion of the middle third between the waist and the mid knees to calculate an approximate equalizing of the proportions. After all, proportions help to create an averaged normalized look of what appears about correct. It just looks right in a proportional perspective. The WOOD BEE CARVER has always utilized “Baseball Measurement,” that is “In the ballpark” of appearing just about right.
Here is another illustration of how to determine the proportions of a sitting figure.
The WOOD BEE CARVER has used the concept of “proportions” as a way to envision the design of a carving project. The RULE OF THREE has been the primary guide for facial features and body pose by dividing areas of consideration into three equal proportions. Proportional measuring is a combination of “eye and brain” working together that will apply to any size of a carving project. The photo below is a visual study guide for the male figure as an example to be applied to any male figure.
The photo above is of the Three Amigos ~ Rusty, Crusty and Dusty. The first versions of these Cowpokes carved in 2009 can be viewed by clicking on THREE AMIGOS. In this version presented here represents a 2021 interpretation with slight variations in age and color of their outfits. A tutorial for carving Crusty may be viewed by clicking on Carving a Cowpoke. The tutorial can be adapted for carving any cowpoke with slight adjustments in pose, outfits and hand positions.
Doodle Doods came into being as a byproduct of demonstration carvings done by the instructor in many classes over the years. The demonstration was part of a lesson on teaching the planes and angles of a male face as they fit into the Rule of Three of Facial proportions. The photo below shows the progression from a block of wood to a carved face.
This series of photographs presents a brief visual tutorial on the opening phase of carving a Cowpoke which can be applied to any Cowpoke.
