WHITTLE DWARFS are whimsical carvings in a one inch square by inch and half tall basswood block. Dwarfs are carved with two feet sticking out underneath the chin of the large head and eyes are covered with the bill or brim of the hat. Each one is a little different from any other of similar pose. Using only a knife to shape each dwarf allows for the texture of the whittled facets to give color to each carving while Howard Feed-n-Wax provides the protective finish. Whittling has always been viewed as a relaxing style of carving and is a fun way to relax. As my good whittling friend Billy Stephens said in an original saying, “There is never a dull moment with a sharp knife and a piece of wood,” Whittle Dwarfs are a fun way to whittle away time in a care free manner.
21 Whittle Dwarfs will make their appearance at the Miami Valley Woodcarving Show ~ March 2 and 3 at Middletown, OH ~ Christ United Methodist Church ~ Corner of Grand Avenue and Marshall Road.
Click on this link ~“Whittle Dwarf Tutorial” ~ to see instructions for carving Whittle Dwarfs.
The Wood Bee Carver is primarily a knife carver who enjoys the challenge of using only knives to carve various projects. Relief carving is a challenge of combining a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional surface using a variety of slicing knife blade cuts. A profile image of Abraham Lincoln was Relief-Carved on a Mahogany block four inches tall, two and a quarter inch wide and three quarters of inch thick.
CLASSICS are carvings from an earlier time that have sentimental value in the carver’s collection. Read the rest of this entry »
Carving “LOU” the Cat was an exercise in carving outside the comfort zone. Woodcarving is a learn by doing process making every carving project a learning experience and a practice carving. Carving a project that is outside the carver’s comfort zone is especially a stretch in the learning process.
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A “Merry Christmas” greeting in the form of a Whittle-Carved Santa ornament (6 ” x 4″ x 1/4″ ~ basswood). Whittle-Carved means carved using only knives to shape and detail the carving.
Hillbilly caricatures have been a common theme in the carving of figures. Roscoe and Rufus are six-inch-tall hillbilly caricatures Whittle-Carved using only knives to shape and detail the basswood block.
The best way to test a knife is to use it almost exclusively in a carving project to experience all the various slicing cuts it can make to shape the block of wood into the envisioned image of the carving project. In this test a six-inch-tall woodworker is holding a saw in one hand and a hand plane in the other hand. The completed carving is seen in the opening photos.
